Despite the heavy coat, for which she was secretly grateful, Jordan was cold. She hadn't planned on spending so much time outside, plus she had underestimated how warm her jacket would be. She just wanted to leave; to go home, get warm, and most importantly get away from him. He looked exactly the same as he did two years previously; same dark hair, trim figure, even his crime scene kit was the same. His eyes were also the same, glancing calmly at her face, and then piercing through her soul once she made eye contact. She hated how easily he could read her, how he could sense every changing emotion on her face. How his eyes could be so expressive and yet hide so much of what he was feeling. She gave an involuntary shiver, remembering how he looked at her during her statement.

"You wanna try that again?"

What was new this time was her flinching. She had never done that with him before, and although she was less than pleased to see him, she wasn't sure why she was doing it now. Another reason she wished she was anywhere but there. She groaned mentally in frustration when she jumped as he came up beside her suddenly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He looked as though he actually meant it, his hands held out in a pacifying gesture. She tried to play it off as though he hadn't scared the crap out of her, as though he didn't put her so far on edge.

"It's fine. Here." She shrugged out of his massive coat and held it out to him, feeling slightly guilty for making him walk around in the freezing weather in just his suit coat. "I'm going to head home."

He started to say something, then cut himself off. He gave her another one of those penetrating stares, before nodding slowly.

"Keep it. It's freezing, you're going to need it. I'll get it back from you when I return your jacket."

Jordan scoffed. "There's no way I'm keeping that."

His face fell, the first obvious emotion that she had seen from him. Despite herself, she felt bad for hurting him. "I meant, it's yours. I can't take it."

He nodded, but she could see he was still upset. Her guilt at causing his reaction overcame her impulse to not speak to him.

"Mac, you know I can't wear that home."

Mac's head lifted up at her statement, staring straight through her as he processed her words.

"Ok. But I'm going to give you a ride, you're not walking home without a coat."

"What? No, it's ok. It's fine! It's good, I'll just get Flack…" a quick glance around the scene showed Flack to be conspicuously missing. "I'll just walk, it's not far."

"Jordan."

That one word told her that arguing was pointless. He wasn't going to change his mind. She sighed in defeat, dropping her forehead down to her head. Mac draped his coat back over her shoulders before she could react.

"I'm going to secure the scene" he pointed to the officers still standing outside the tape "then I'll give you a ride home." He pointed to a black Chevy Avalanche parked on the other end of the scene. "I want you to go sit in my car" he caught her hand in his and pressed a set of keys into her palm "and turn on the heater. I'll be with you in a few minutes."

She couldn't stifle the flinch that time, but before she could respond or protest, he was gone. He walked confidently across the taped off area and addressed the officers standing watch. Jordan reluctantly complied with his order, walking around the perimeter of the crime scene and climbing into the passenger seat of the truck. She was tempted to start it up and drive away, but so many complications arose with that scenario that she rejected it before even considering it. Wrapped in his coat, it was significantly warmer inside the car as it slowly heated up. Now that he was gone, she felt some of her old frustration about being given orders creeping in. She took a moment to wonder why she could never find it in her to refuse them to his face, or even feel insulted at him telling her what to do.

She was, however, actively trying hard to suppress the memories that were threatening to rise as she inhaled the scent of his coat. She wished she had her iPod to help block them out. "You don't need to worry, I'll protect you." She turned on the radio, flipping channels to switch over from talk radio. "Do you really think that my testimony will help?" 'Absolutely.' She found a classic rock station playing the last half of a song by The Who. "I need your help, Jordan." She burrowed deeper into the coat, cranked the heater higher, and tried breathing through her mouth. "I need your help, Jordan." She watched him through the windshield, evidently explaining something beyond the comprehension of the officer on duty. "I need your help, Jordan." Finally, he signed his name on something the officer held out to him, and headed towards the car. She spent the time it took him to get there to get her breathing down from the near hyperventilating it had reached, while noticing her increasing heart rate.

He climbed in, chilling her momentarily with a blast of arctic air. He glanced at the rather loud radio, but said nothing. She turned it down to background noise and sank back into the seat.

"Ok then," he gave her the smallest of smiles "home."

"I need your help, Jordan."