Author's Note: My 1st Crossing Jordan fic, but I've been a fan of the show since day 1. Last night A&E showed "Don't Look Back," which is always a great for a J/W fan like me. J I'm a huge Maroon5 fan also, so it's no surprise I bring them into this to make a pretty little song fic.
Disclaimer: Sadly, none of this belongs to me but if I could borrow Jerry O'Connell and Adam Levine (leader singer of Maroon5) for like the night I'd be VERRY happy.
AN 2: I also don't really know when I'd fit this time-wise. I guess I'll put it after "Don't Look Back" but before the whole fiasco with her brother. If there are any major errors (grammar, spelling, locations, anything), let me know and I'll fix them.
I'm Woodrow Hoyt, Woody for short, and I'm in love with my best friend. I know you're thinking 'what the hell is a guy doing admitting his feelings?' because in a typical relationship that is not how things work, but our relationship is anything but typical. Have you gone across country to bail your best friend out of jail? Have you ever committed many felonies just because she has a 'gut instinct'? And by now I know you're thinking, "Man, this guy must have it bad for her." Trust me, I do; even her dad knows it. Hell, I don't think it would surprise anyone, except for maybe her. Her being Jordan Cavanaugh, an ME for the lovely city of Boston.
It's not easy just being friends with a woman like Jordan. She'll try your patience and get you into scrapes you would never otherwise be in, but she brilliant. She also one of the most loyal people you will ever meet. Well, except for the fact she runs from things when she gets scared. That's how I ended up going cross-country to bail her out of an LA jail. She got a lead on the man who murdered her mom and ran out to California. See what I mean by saying she's not an easy woman to be friends with?
Now, imagine being in love with a woman like this. To me, she lights up a room the second the walks in. She has the most amazing presence, and you can't ignore her. She's stubborn and won't usually listen to anyone else opinions. She wants the truth more than anyone else I know. She can pretty much bend me to her will with little resistance, but I am getting better at saying no. Although me saying no usually turns into me having to save her butt later on. And what a cute butt that is. But I'm off topic.
Her dad has warned me countless times against falling for her. He loves her, but he likes me and doesn't want to see me get hurt. That's why everyone warns me off Jordan. She's complicated. Well, what's wrong with being complicated? All of us are complicated, some of us more so than others. Everyone sees me as the little "Farm Boy", as Jordan calls me, from Kewanee, Wisconsin, but I'm not as much of a simpleton as I appear to be. Life was not easy for me. I was the chubby little boy none of the girls liked. I was the boy actually stood up at his Senior Prom; however, no one here knows that…except for Jordan.
But Jordan is harder to reach than most women. She doesn't trust easily, and relationships are hard for her to manage. You have to be her friend first and slowly work away at the walls she's built around herself. If you move to fast, she'll undo any progress you've made in a heartbeat. I know I'll have to take things slow and at her pace if I don't want to scare her off. But I also know if I can just convince her that I love her and I will try not to hurt her, maybe I'll get my chance.
So, today is the day folks. I'm going to take a huge leap of faith and tell her how I feel. After those kisses that 'didn't happen' in that little podunk place on our way back from LA, I know she feels the same way. It's just a matter of slowly convincing her that she does and that she doesn't need to worry about me not feeling the same way. But I'm not going to confess my love to her; no now that would send Jordan Cavanaugh screaming for the hills. I'm going to show Jordan that no matter what she does, I will always be there. And that's why I'm here, at Pogue, talking to Max before the bar opens. I tell him my plan, and he agrees to help me. We'll be ready to go at 9. The rest is up to me.
As I leave Pogue and climb in my car, I whip out my cell phone to call the lovely Dr. Cavanaugh. "Cavanaugh," she answers.
"Hey Jordan. It's me," I say, hoping to hell I sound cooler than I feel.
"Hey Woody. What are you doing?" I can hear the smile in her voice when she realizes it me. See, I know she likes me!
"I had a errand to run on my lunch, but I wanted to talk to you about something. Meet me a Pogue tonight, 9 o'clock?"
"Is it about a case or something?" Ah, my precious Jordan, always thinking about work.
"No, I've just had something on my mind, and I wanted to talk to you about it. Can't a guy just call his best friend to talk?" I ask, knowing I sound pathetic at the end but she can never resist pathetic me.
"Alright, Woody," she sighs, and I know I've won. "I'll meet you there at 9, but you better be on time. And I don't want to be dragging your drunk, heavy ass home afterwards, okay?"
We laugh. "You won't be dragging my ass home," I say before I hang up. If all goes according to plan, there will be no dragging of anyone ass home. If it fails, well, Max just better have a cab there at closing to drag my drunken ass home.
Have you ever noticed how when you're really nervous about something the day just flies by until like 30 minutes before when time starts dragging? Well, that's how today was. It's now 8:30, and I'm flipping out. I called in a huge favor from my younger brother and a friend from back home who both agreed to fly in to help me. Meanwhile, I managed to get Nigel and Garret to also help me. I couldn't have done this without them, and they know why I'm doing this. Let's just say having Garret and Nigel behind me, supporting me, makes this a little bit easier.
By 8:50 I'm pacing behind the curtain, wondering if Jordan is going to show up on time. All the guys have given up on calming me down, a wise decision I must say. I won't be remotely calm until this is all over and I have Jordan in my arms…hopefully.
At 8:55 I hear the bell ring, signifying another customer has come in. I picked a night I knew the place would be empty because embarrassing Jordan Cavanaugh would not help my case one bit. I can faintly hear a woman's voice, but I know right away its Jordan's. I'd bet my paycheck that's she's asking her dad where I am and what's going on with the stage. Luckily Max is a smart man who knows his daughter and has the response all planned out. He hasn't seen me yet, and he decided to liven up the place by getting a live band to play tonight. Okay, 5 more minutes. I know I can handle this.
"You need to remember to breathe, Woodrow," Nigel says, patting me on the shoulders. "It won't do us any good if you can't breathe up there or you're already dead."
"Guys, I think I'm making a terrible mistake. We shouldn't do this," I say for the 20th time of the night. I'm not just having second thoughts. It's up to the 20s. It really isn't a good idea.
"Woody, you love Jordan, right?" Cal asks. I nod. "And you'd do anything for her?" Nod again. "Well, then get your ass out there and sing to her." I shake my head in response.
"My turn, guys," Garret says, coming through the crowd of guys. He pulls me off into one corner and continues quietly, "Jordan is like a sister to me; I never want to see her hurt. You think I would help you with this if it were going to hurt her? She cares about you, Woody. Her face lights up when she sees you. No matter what has happened in the past year and a half, you've been there with her every step of the way. And she knows that, which is why she's been slowly letting you into her heart. Jordan's finally learning how to let people love her and not to run away. You're the only person who's going to be able to show her that, so get out there and do it."
As soon as he's done, Max comes back. "It's time, kid. Treat her right, and don't break her heart or I'll kill you."
I take a deep breath and say, "I promise, Max."
Cal, Eric, Nigel, and Garret go out first and take their positions. Cal's on bass, Eric on 2nd guitar, Nigel on keyboard, and Garret on drums. I come out behind them with my guitar on. I find Jordan immediately in the sparse bar, shock evident on her face. I smirk at her, reminded of the time when I told her I could be complicated too. She never knew I could play the guitar. I plug myself into the amp and take another deep breath before stepping up to the microphone. I know I could, should, say something of an introduction, but I also know that Jordan knows this is directed to her. Why say anything else when the person who it's meant for gets it? With that in mind, I turn to Garret who cues us up and we start playing "Shiver" by Maroon5. It's a song I'd heard a month ago from somebody's radio at the station. I asked them who the band was, and I immediately went out and bought the CD. No one before had ever been able put into the words my exact feelings about Jordan, and it was that day when I realized this is how I could reach her.
And then I start to sing the lyrics that could have come directly from my mind, my eyes never leaving Jordan's.
I'm oblivious to the applause we get when the song's finished because there's only one reaction I'm waiting on, and I still haven't got it. She's still sitting there, digesting the message behind the song. The guys and I walk off stage and they wish me luck as I head off to the table Jordan's at. The guys go over to the bar, not wanting to miss what happens next.
"Hey Jordan," I say, rather quietly. She's still unpredictable, even after all the time I've spent with her.
"Is that what you wanted to tell me?" she asks in a neutral tone that scares me. I don't know whether she's two seconds from hugging me or socking me.
"Yeah, pretty much." I laugh nervously and get ready for the punch I'm sure is just a short time away.
"Well, Farm Boy. All you had to do was ask me out," Jordan says, a smile in her voice. "I would have said yes. You didn't need to go through all this trouble for me."
I don't know if I'm shocked by her response or ready to strangle her. Look at her all innocent over there, acting like I didn't need to make this fuss for her. Like her feelings were easy to read the whole time. I laugh almost maniacally. "I didn't need to go through all this trouble for you?"
"No," she says, standing and offering me her hand. "How about you walk me to my car? We'll go back to my place and get some coffee."
"Damn, Jordan, one day you'll be the death of me," I swear, still taking her offered hand. As we walk out the door, I can hear the guys laughing heartily at this mess. I could be mad at them, but why? I've got the girl.
"And who knows, Detective Hoyt," Jordan says, with that damn coy smile of hers, as I shut the driver's side door for her, "Someone may just be getting lucky tonight." She starts the car and drives off before I can fully digest what she said.
"She really will kill me one day," I think as I climb into the car, "but what a way to go." I start the car and follow the lovely brunette who has got me on the shortest leash imaginable.
I know this may seem a little out of character, but I really had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you enjoyed it as well. Review please…because I like reviews, too! I'm considering continuing this and making more vignettes with other characters using other Maroon5 songs. Or maybe other bands.