"Hey, Jordan!" a voice called.

Jordan Montgomery turned, looked around the crowded bar and tried to think where she knew the voice. The noise from the Friday night crowd at Flanagan's distorted it just enough that she couldn't place it. She swiveled back around on her stool and found herself looking directly into a grey t-shirt. Her gaze shifted upwards and found where the familiar voice came from. "Jordan Montgomery, how've you been?" he said, his words almost imperceptibly slurred. "I haven't seen you in ages. Let me buy you a drink."

"Hi, Donnie," she said and smiled. He was right; they hadn't seen each other in ages. She had avoided calling him since she had returned to New York. Jordan had also invented half-hearted reasons why not to call him while she was working in France the past seven months. These reasons included everything from her being too busy with work, not wanting to bother him, and not wanting to figure out the time difference. When she returned to the States last week she continued to avoid places she knew he might be but tonight she decided to visit one of the spots they liked to hangout. Despite her initial reluctance to see him, at that moment Jordan was undeniably happy to see him standing there. Jordan Montgomery had more than a slight crush on Don Flack since forever. His dark hair, clear blue eyes, and snarky, sarcastic sense of humor had always made her melt inside. It was one of the few things she had never told him.

"So, how have you been?" she asked filling an awkward silence.

"I'm okay," he answered. "You?"

"Not bad," she said loudly. "How's your sister?"

"Sam?" he asked. "Okay, I guess. I haven't seen her in a while."

Jordan shook her head slightly at his reply but said nothing. Don's relationship with his sister had been strained since they were teenagers. Jordan had tried to mediate their arguments occasionally when they were younger; as they had gotten older, she usually tried not to get caught in the middle.

"Are you working this weekend?" she asked changing the subject.

"What?" he questioned leaning in close. "I can't hear you."

"Why don't we get out of this noise and let me buy you a coffee?" she asked not really knowing if she wanted him to agree or not.

"Sure," he nodded in agreement. "It's getting pretty crowded in here anyway." They left Flanagan's together and headed for the coffee shop just around the corner. They sat at a table and she ordered two coffees, one regular and one decaf. "So, what's new?" she asked him, meeting his blue eyes with her own.

"You look great," Don Flack replied ignoring her question. He wondered if she had always as pretty as she was at that very moment; bobbed, light brown hair with sun-kissed highlights framed her face, accenting her high cheekbones and wide blue eyes. "Where've you been? I haven't heard from you in months."

"France. Working," she answered as the waitress set down the coffee. "You do have my number, you know." Jordan took the time to study him. He was just beyond a little buzzed; anyone else might not have even noticed. It was so not like him. Her father had told her about his girlfriend being killed in the line of duty not long after she left for France. He must really be taking it hard, she thought. She didn't know he hadn't been out drinking in about a month, but tonight for some reason he was on his way to having a few too many. That was until he saw her.

"I figured you were probably too busy to talk to me," he responded then tried to joke. "You know, the international flights, the non-stop meetings, the language barrier."

"I'm never too busy for you," she replied. "I just got back last week. By the way, you look like hell tonight." His pale blue eyes were red and looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes that she hadn't seen before and she could swear a few more grey hairs had appeared in his almost black hair.

Yes, that was Jordan, always willing to call it as she saw it, especially to him. "Thanks," he replied and took a sip of the hot coffee. She smiled wryly in response. He should know by now if he wanted to be coddled and lied to he needed to go find someone else. She had told him that often enough over the years.

To outsiders, the strong friendship Don Flack and Jordan Montgomery shared seemed unlikely. He was from a working class police family; hers had an international business and lived in the affluent suburbs. Their lives had crossed by chance when they were quite young and from that time on both they and their families had remained close. Jordan still remembered the evening her mother was killed by a hit and run drunk driver clearly. She could recall opening the front door and seeing a policeman on the other side. That man was Don's father. He had been tasked with the unpleasant duty of going to the Montgomery household to tell them Dominique would not be coming home. She remembered the look on the policeman's face as he watched her tears. Jordan didn't know then the policeman himself had children around the same age as she and her brother were. During the ordeal of finding the person responsible and the resulting trial, Don Flack, Sr. and Dennis Montgomery, Jordan's father, had become friends. Jordan and her brother, Tristan, along with Don and his sister and brother spent many weekends together after that. Dennis Montgomery had even taken the Flack children along to the family's beach house many summers. Throughout the years they had all kept in touch and still got together for an occasional drink or dinner.

Don, Jr. and Jordan were always especially close and that bond remained all through high school, Don's police training and her college studies, and into their adult lives. They often went to hockey games together, would meet for pizza or pick up Chinese and just talk and hang out for hours. The last time Don called Jordan had been right after Angell was killed. Jordan didn't return the call until weeks later; when she did, he didn't answer. Prior to that, they had argued over her then boyfriend. Don, who was trying to be polite, said Scott had a wandering eye and wasn't good enough for her. Jordan told Don to mind his own business not as politely. As it turned out, Don had been right and she didn't want to hear his 'I told you so'.