XxX

"Who can turn the world on with her smile, who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?" Jordan bopped her head to the music as she sang along, "Love is all around, no need to waste it! You can have the town, why don't you take it? You're gonna make it after all!" Her elevator companions weren't as thrilled by her chipper mood as the one man who was smiling and humming along with her tune, and who gratefully accepted one of her cookies as the doors open to her floor.

"Emmy, Gloria! Cookie?" Jordan beamed as she skipped down the hall, dressed in every color under the sun.

"Sidney!" Jordan surprised him with a hug and spun them around, still dancing to her music, "Cookie?"

Skeptically, he accepted one, "Since when are you a morning person? Or a baker?" With one bite Sidney had that second question answered and he quickly hid the rest away in his pocket.

"Oh, I don't know." She shrugged, "It's just such a beautiful day!" Somehow, her smile managed to grow even more as familiar faces rounded the corner, "Kate! Nige!"

Nigel wrapped his arm around Jordan and kissed her head as she held out her basket to Kate, "Cookie?"

Kate looked from the too-cheery M.E., who was still supposed to be on leave, to Nigel, who was trying to convey that Kate should decline the offer.

"No, thanks." Kate answered, "Jordan, don't you still have another two weeks—"

"Yeah, but I'm feeling so great that I figured I'd come back a bit early!" She swung side to side while everyone wondered how her face didn't hurt from smiling so much.

"Jordan?" They all turned to see Garret motioning her over. Jordan quickly bid her goodbyes before skipping over to his office. The group looked to Nigel, waiting for some sort of explanation.

Nigel just sighed and shook his head, "Wait till you hear about the black onyx."

XxX

A small pink tongue snuck out as Jordan extended her arm as far as she could, balancing precariously on her bookshelf.

"Jordan!" Nigel rushed in and quickly grabbed her waist, "Luv, what are you doing?"

"It's a harmony crystal, like the one I put up at home. I was thinking my office could benefit from some good chi." Jordan explained as he helped her down, "I also need to rearrange everything, Feng Shui it all, ya know?" She walked around, planning it out, "I think I'll move my desk over so I can put my yoga mat here."

Nigel rubbed his face. He was quite familiar with choosing his battles very carefully with his pregnant, post-surgery wife by now, "What did Garret say about you coming back?" He asked, hoping beyond hope that she had been turned down.

"Oh, he is going to give me some low-end tasks to do." Jordan beamed, "Isn't that great?"

Nigel forced a smile. He still couldn't believe Dr. Sanchez and Dr. Nguyen had cleared her to return and he had been banking on Garret to turn her down.

"Nige, you gotta smell this!" She picked up a candle and inhaled it deeply before shoving it in his face, "Do you know what it is? Go on, guess!"

Ever a good sport, he took a whiff, "Lemon of some sort?"

"Lemongrass." She caringly returning it to its place in the rainbow of candles on her desk, "It's good for reducing stress and anxiety."

Nigel looked around the small office, his eyes wandering from the essential oils lining the bookshelf to the stack of books about reorganizing your chakras and centering your chi to the sound machine that was echoing whale calls.

"Hey, would you like to join me for some yoga?"

"I'd love to, luv, but Kate and I are heading out for a pickup. Meet up for lunch?"

"Of course!" Jordan threw her arms around him, laughing when her bump got in the way, and kissed his nose, "Oh, take this! Citrine, it will brighten your energy and bring you success."

Nigel accepted the token and tucked it into his pocket before he headed out.

She looked like Jordan, for the most part, her voice was Jordan's, but he knew this new act was definitely not Jordan.

They had worked out the problems with her meds but when this Jordan 2.0 had surfaced the only advice Dr. Sanchaz could offering Nigel was that this was simply her coping mechanism, which was natural when someone underwent major surgery.

So, until Jordan decided to come out of it, Nigel would wait for her.

For better or for weirder, or however it went.

XxX

"You should see the apartment! Incense on the counter, crystals in every nook and cranny, candles as far as the eye can see." Nigel vented as they walked up the street, "She smudged it the other night."

Kate's brow popped up, "What does that even mean?"

"You take a bundle of leaves and burn it; it billows smoke while you walk around. It's supposed to cleanse the aura or something like that but it's just a bit of sage and sweetgrass. I'm pretty sure there's thyme and oregano in it too." Nigel chuckle, knowing if he didn't find something to laugh at then he'd cry, "She set up a meditation corner, and bought all these natural parenting books. Did you see what she did with her hair?" He sighed as Kate nodded, realizing how much he missed Jordan's crazy curls.

"Jason chipped his tooth on one of her cookies." Kate smirked, "I think the sooner she comes out of this phase, the better for all involved." All Nigel could do was nod, knowing there wasn't much else to do.

A couple hours later, Nigel and Kate were back from pick up and had broken for lunch. He headed down the hall to collect Jordan and was surprised to see that she had found a replacement yoga partner.

Nigel stood at the door, torn between shock and irritation.

There was a Suit doing God knows what as he touched Jordan's scantily clad back. Nigel waited for them to notice him and when they didn't, he cleared his throat.

"Oh, hey Nige! Elliot helped me figure out the One-Legged King Pigeon." She boasted proudly, "We were thinking Bug should take a whack at it too!"

"Great, that's…great." Nigel walked in; his arms firmly crossed. He looked evenly between the two, "Jo, ready to grab some lunch?"

"Sure! Just let me go get changed!" She hopped up and quickly skipped out to the locker room.

"I'm not sure we've been properly introduced, I'm Detective Elliot Chandler."

Nigel looked at the Suit's extended hand and then back at his face, "Nigel Townsend." He nodded to the door Jordan had just disappeared through, "Husband to Dr. Cavanaugh, father-to-be of the bump."

Elliot held up his hands, his smile sincere, "Look, man, I was just helping fix her posture. No harm, no foul. We cool?" Elliot shifted awkwardly when Nigel, who was a good head taller than him, continued to stare him down, "Alright, well, what can I do then for us to be cool? Coffee bought off the snarky blonde one." He tried to joke.

"Not fondling my wife would be a start, mate." With that, Nigel took his leave, thinking there might be something to that karma business Jordan had been yammering on about.

XxX

Jordan sat in the hall as the sky darkened outside; her feet were spread out before her as she fidgeted with her necklace. Her other hand sat lazily atop her bump, tracing circles upon it.

Her eyes wandered up when Bug sat down beside her, drawing his knees up under his chin. Her heart was heavy. Bug had felt lost to them since his interrogation with Home Security, and Nigel had mentioned more than once how worried he was about their friend. And, after Bug's outburst about the reenactment, Nigel was even more devastated. That was why Jordan had gotten Bug the blue opal, to help unsuppress his chi. She winced, realizing how ridiculous she had been pretending to be someone she wasn't.

Jordan sighed, knowing she had to go first, "I attacked a homeless man." She shook her head, feeling close to tears, "He didn't have anything to do with the case, I just…I snapped." She tugged off the black onyx hanging around her neck and tossed it aside, "Who am I kidding?" Jordan leaned her head back. She had been given a second chance – to be less angry, to be more loving and deserving of life – but she'd already wasted it, she'd already failed. The leopard just couldn't change her spots no matter how hard she wanted to.

Finally, Bug found his own courage, "I held my breath for as long as I could." Her horror grew as he confided what they had done to him, the abuse and torture they had subjected him too all because he looked different and sounded different. He finally shared his heart, and she cried the tears he couldn't.

"We walk around, thinking we're in control of our lives." Jordan breathed, "But we're not."

They sat for a long while, content in their silence. It was only broken when Jordan startled, her eyes instantly going to her hand.

"You alright?" Bug asked, sitting up.

Excited nerves overcame her as she felt another tapping inside her stomach, "Yeah, yeah. Here, give me your hand." Jordan extended her own and Bug tentatively let her take his. He tensed when she placed his hand on her stomach, moving it till she felt Eilís again.

"Did—did you feel that?" Jordan felt her delight grow as she felt the small movement. Bug couldn't help his grin as he brought his other hand up, knowing how precious a moment this was.

He looked at Jordan, his hope returned, "We might not be in control of our lives but this," Bug smiled as Eilís gave another small kick, "This makes it all worth it."

"Oi! What are you two doing?" Nigel asked, coming around the corner, looking much worse for wear. He picked up the discharged crystal and held it up, not sure what to make of it.

Jordan was smiling through her happy tears, "Nige, come here! Quick!" The instant he got to her, she grabbed his hand and placed it beside Bug's as Eilís gave the biggest kick yet, "She—she knows it's you." Jordan was brilliant as Nigel lovingly caressed her face. Nigel looked to Bug next, who was happier than he had seen him in a long while, and Nigel couldn't imagine a more perfect moment.

"I think this calls for a celebration! Anyone up for some Beef & Brew?" Nigel offered.

"I'm in, but I need to talk to Macy first, ask him for Saturday off. Meet you two at the elevator?"

"Sounds good." It was Nigel's turn to beam now as Bug headed off.

"Oh," He turned to Jordan, offering her the crystal, "I think you dropped this."

Jordan wrinkled her nose and pushed it back towards him, "You keep it, black looks better on you."

He tucked it into his top pocket, "So, my none-Zen, consequences-be-damned Jordan's back?"

"Yes, but I'm going to keep the yoga mat." She stretched, enjoying that she didn't crack and creak or ache when she moved now.

Nigel laughed and helped her to her feet, "Just so long as I don't catch you and any more detectives tangled up again."

"No promises."

Nigel swung his arm around her, having never been so happy than in that moment, knowing he had his two favorite people back.

XxX