had said to Hotch months before. He would not let the purest and best thing in his life slip away, not a second time around. It had taken him a while to convince Jennifer that they could be good together, but after a few months, she had given in to the attraction.Their short time together was the best they'd ever had.He knew Jennifer would want him to go on with his life, she would want him to be happy again. But for him, it simply wasn't possible. His heart had been ripped out, and everybody knew that without a heart you couldn't live.Hotch had told him to take a few weeks off, to get himself sorted again, but Dave refused. He went back to work right after herfuneral, and for weeks, he barely left the office at all. Going home was impossible for him, because there he was reminded of her by everything. At home, the grief overwhelmed him until he could only lay in bed and cry.He didn't want to forget her, but at the same time, he couldn't stand thinking of her, because the ache in his heart was too much to bare. Work was his only chance to wrap his mind around other things.The team kept a close eye on him, they stood behind him like a rock, but they didn't know how to help him. Nobody seemed to be able to get through to him, not even Hotch, who had been his best friend for almost fifteen years.In the beginning they