Jordan normally loves this time in the morning. The halls are empty, no one to have to make small talk too, and she can make the coffee as strong as she likes it.

But she could still hear him whispering her name.

It was slow last night, which means it will be a slow morning after surfing the web for a few minutes Jordan notices her coffee cup is empty. Standing she goes into the hallway. She hears the elevator doors open and before she can escape she hears...

"Good Morning Luv! How are we this morning?"

Jordan just looks at the wall wishing he would just go away.

Nigel continues in a falsetto voice "Why good morning Nigel. Don't you look smashing this fine morning?"

Jordan turns and walks back in to her office she sits own and puts her head on her desk.

Nigel steps in and squats down to her chair. "Either you are nursing a mother of a hang over or you're still reeling from last night."

Jordan lifts her head all looks him in the eye.

Nigel smiles and says "My God Jordan you have the looks of a woman who has just had a very intimate interlude."

How can he tell?! She madly reaches for the mirror she keeps in her desk.

"Don't worry there are no ...love bites...that I can see ...with your clothes on." Nigel stands and begins to paw at Jordan's desk. "So tell do me; the cheese head stop by last night or did you just have an anonymous bootie call. Because if that's the case I'm very put out; I was free from 3to 4."

Jordan just shakes her head. The then pushes herself away from the desk.

"I'm going out on a limb here and say it was the farmer, but is too much to hope that there was Weston oil and plastic sheets involved?"

"Nigel, sometimes you just frighten me."

"Ah she speaks! Now we can get somewhere.... What? Wasn't in all fireworks and choirs of angels?"

"Nigel."

He places a hand on her shoulder. "Darling, sometimes men are just....well..."

Jordan stands and walks to the window. "No that's not the problem, in fact..." With a sigh she continues, "I really messed up this time. I fell in love...."

"Mazel tov! When did this epiphany finally hit you?"

Nigel realized he was going too far by the tears that are forming in Jordan's eyes.

Suddenly serious he says, "Oh Jordan..."

"And what did I do but push him totally out of my life...Been there done that...but this time I don't think I'm going to be able to make it."

"So what are you going to do?"

Jordan looks guiltily at her computer monitor. Before she could stop him Nigel grabs the mouse to disable the screensaver.

"National Science Foundation" he reads, "Polar Research...Antarctica! Sweet Nancy Jordan you can't be bloody serious! The bloomin' South Pole! Isn't that extreme even for you?!"

"It's only 6 months; 7 tops with training" she says trying to grab the mouse from him.

Nigel is quicker and exits the program. Jordan turns to walk out the door.

"Running away, even from me now; so that's your answer to everything isn't it Dr. Cavanaugh?"

The use of her formal name catches Jordan off guard and she stopped in the doorway and hung her head on the doorframe. "Nigel I don't want to run anymore, I just want the last 24 hours back."

Nigel walks up to her and takes her into his arms. She buries her face in his shirt to hide the tears that were falling. "I can't reverse the spinning of the earth for you Jordan, but I can give a piece of advice."

Jordan looks up to his face as he looses his arms. Nigel says "Maybe it's time to swallow a tiny bit of that pig headed pride of yours and go to him. Men love it when a woman begs, and besides time is of the essence."

"I hurt him bad. It may be too late. He's probably already moved on."

"I don't think so darling. By the looks of that little....blemish... right...." he tentatively points to his chest, 'he's probably not stopped thinking about you."

Jordan looks down at the low "V" of her blouse and lets out a yelp. Nigel laughs as she buttons her shirt to her neck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the busy race of people and drone of voices buss around his head, Woody sits at Frank's desk in the Common Room, peeling the label off the bottle of soda in his hand. Frank was out of the office for the day, he wouldn't mind.

He has enough paperwork at his desk to keep him busy for days, but with the silence in there all he could do was sit and think of her. Out here there were enough people to make sure he didn't do something stupid like pick up the phone.

Yesterday was just...surreal. When his life seemed hopeless, he has the most amazing night of his life with the woman of his dreams, only to have it become the most painful experience he's ever had. Jordan. He'll never forget the look on her face as he walked out the door. He had stood in her hallway forever telling his feet just to move and walk away, when all he wanted to was to....

"Hey Hoyt! You got a visitor!"

Woody looks up from his daydream to see his boss escorting Jordan into the room.

'Shit, what is she doing here?' he thinks to himself as he stands.

"Hey Woody; get evicted from your office? If so, I like what you've done with the place." Jordan says as she looks down at his messy desk.

He grinds his teeth together and says. "Jordan is this a personal or professional visit because," he blindly grabs for a file; "...I'm late for meeting."

Jordan opens her mouth as if to say something and looks to the floor. He's not going to make this easy. She looks up with a smile on her face. "I've been thinking..."

"Jesus, Jordan" he says as turns to walk away, "We've been down this road too many times." The buzz of the room died down so the on lookers could catch the interaction between the Wisconsin wonder boy and the hot little coroner from downtown.

Jordan catches him before he can leave. "I like my eggs over easy with salsa, I like hot dogs with relish at Fenway Park, I read the paper in bed on Sunday mornings and I think roses always smell sweeter on Valentine's Day..."

Woody turns to her his eyes blank. "Jordan, I'm late for a meeting." With that he leaves her standing there as he walks out of the room.

Once in the hallway he leans against the wall. Loosening his tie he rubs a shaking hand down his face.

"Detective Hoyt, can I see you for a minute" D.A. Wolcott says as she walks passed him.

'What now?' Woody thinks with a sigh and follows her to a quiet part of the hall.

"You look like shit, straighten that tie." Wolcott begins, "And by the way where did you find that thing."

Woody straightens up his tie with a murmured "Yes, ma'am"

"That was quite a scene in there."

"Ms. Wolcott, I didn't think that any of your business...."

"Hoyt, I wont comment on your taste in women, but when it affects people that help me do my job it affects me. What's going to happen the next time you have to work with her?"

Woody just looks at the ground.

"That's what I thought. You know what I think? I saw woman who was pouring her heart out to you in there. I guess I figured you all wrong Hoyt."

Woody looks up into her eyes and opens his mouth to speak; she stops him with a hand to his shelve. "I'm not one for giving free advice, but, don't listen to the words the woman says, learn to read between the lines and just listen to her heart." Rene turns too begin walking up the hallway.

"Ms. Wolcott, is that the voice of experience speaking." he calls out to her.

She turns and with a nostalgic smile says "Let's just say I've just walk away one too many times." Her face looks softly reflective for a minute and then the cold face of D.A. Wolcott is back. "Don't you have a meeting or... something to do Hoyt?" she walks away.

Woody stands in the hallway as people walk by feeling like he's at a crossroads. One direction leads to a roller coaster ride of certain heartache and the other to security....and loneliness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jordan stands in her office window looking out over the overcast city block. He's moved on. She shouldn't be surprised. She's been there a few times herself. Only now she knew what it felt like on the other side of the court. She tries to ignore the ache in her heart as she sits at her desk preparing to get to work; by staring at a blank computer screen.

The knock on her doorframe startles her. She jumps and turns to see Woody standing there. Closing her eyes she counts to five and open them again to make sure he was not just her imagination.

He looks in the room and asks "May I come in?"

Jordan jumps out of her chair. "Yes, yes come on in..." she fumbles to close the door. Unconsciously she leans against the door to keep him inside.

Woody turns to her standing only inches from her. So close she could feel the heat off his body. He stares into her eyes for minute he carefully rehearsed speech completely forgotten. Hell, he was having a hard time remembering his name!

"Woody, I thought you were in a meeting." Jordan says nervously.

"Um...it...ended early. I was in the neighborhood and thought..."

"I love you." she whispers

"...and thought I'd stop by and..."

"I love you" she repeats

"...stop by and say hi..." he reaches up to loosen his tie, "....say hi to everybody..."

Barely touching him, she silences him with a soft kiss.

"Jordan, stop this. It's not getting us anywhere."

"I thought it was" she smiles and looks at the couch.

"Jordan, I'm serious..."

"...so am I."

He touches her face "Jordan I love you very much and all I want to do is be with you, but I need to know that if one day I turn around, you wont be gone. I can't take that Jordan. My heart and my soul have to much at stake."

"My running days are over, Hoyt. Besides I couldn't go even if I wanted too..."

"I find that hard to believe." Softly she says, "Really...oh yes... you see, I love you, and I can 'do' a simple relationship if that's what you want..."

She leans closer as he tenderly kisses the corners of her eyes.

"...with realistic expectations..."

He kisses her nose.

"I'm in this for the long haul...one way or another."

He kisses her neck.

"...I can try to be the kind of girl you want Woody."

With his lips a faction of an inch from hers he says "But I want the answerless riddle I fell in love with. A woman who makes me want to pull out my hair most of the time. A woman complete with complications and the sweetest little mole on her ..."

"What the Hell is Going on Here!!" Garrett's voice booms through the door.

They hear a thump and a rustle on the other side of the door. Woody pulls Jordan out of the way and opens the door.

There standing directly outside, stand four shocked faces, with an irate Garrett right behind them.

Jordan buries her blushing, but smiling face in Woody's chest. Woody arches one eyebrow as if to ask what's going on.

Peter is the first to move by raising his hand and then pointing at the ground.

"Contact...yea...contact, I lost a contact."

Peter, Bug, and Nigel lamely look down on the floor as Lily just stands there looking at Woody and Jordan with a beaming smile.

Garrett takes pity on the couple and says "OK that's more than enough, get back to work!"

As the foursome disappears, Garrett looks at Woody "Wolcott just called me. Your lieutenant is looking for you." Panic hits Jordan as she realizes he's AWOL. "Relax, she told him that she sent you to do some follow up work on a case she's working on."

Woody's shoulders loosen and his arm tightens around Jordan's shoulders.

"Thanks Dr. Macy." Woody says.

"Don't thank me, thank Rene the next time you see her.... She's not that bad you know."

Woody couldn't stop the tremor that went through his body. Jordan looks at him oddly. "I'll do that sir."

Garrett turns to leave and then turns back "Jordan it's slow around here...why don't help Detective Hoyt with his... his follow up."

"OK...Thanks."

"Just keep your beeper on" Garrett says as he disappears down the hall.

"How about lunch; I think the Sox's are playing a day game." Woody smiles down at Jordan.

"Sure...pumpkin" she replies as they walk hand in hand to the elevators.

"Jordan we have to work on your endearments." he laughs.

Whatever you say ....muffin. Maybe you can give me lessons..."

He nuzzles her hair inhaling deeply, "So, it's the paper on Sunday mornings. Can I join you sometime?"

Jordan just smiled as Woody pushes the elevator button.

Before the doors open they hear,

"Wait!"

Nigel comes running down the hall carrying a grocery sack.

Bug and Peter walk out to the hallway.

"Sorry it's not wrapped; I ran out earlier and got a little gift for you love birds. Let's call a 'Consummation Gift'."

Bug can't stand the curiosity any longer and peeks at the bag in Nigel's arms.

"A bottle of ...cooking oil ....and.....a plastic drop cloth?" Bug questions. Then with a snap of the head he looks and Nigel and says, "your a raging pervert, you that."

He sputters for a second and then walks away, leaving Peter just laughing out loud. Jordan stands with her mouth wide open and Woody can't hide the totally confused look on his face as Nigel slams the bag into his hands.

Wiping the tears out of his eyes, out of the blue, Peter asks "Woody, did you play football?"

"Ah yea...ah, special teams..." Woody says absentmindedly as he stares at the bag in his hands.

Peter and Nigel look at each other and just smile.

"Bloomin' Place Kicker, I must be bloody psychic." Nigel gloats.

"Why do I have the feeling you're spending way to much time with Nigel, Pete? You make just as much sense as he does." Jordan says looking at Nigel.

Nigel replies "What can I say they bring them to me young and corruptible, look at you darling."

"Good bye Nigel, Peter...we're going to lunch." Jordan says pushing the elevator button again.

Peter waves goodbye and goes back to his office as Nigel stands there.

The doors open as Woody says still looking at the paper bag in his arms, "Jordan, I don't get it...."

Jordan grabs him by the tie as the lift doors open. Dragging him inside the car she says "Come here farmer boy, and I'll give you a lesson."

The doors close and Nigel stands there "5,4,3,2,1..."

"Oh my God, JORDAN!!" Woody's muffled voice comes through the closed doors.

Nigel turns and walks away with a wide smile and says "Young and corruptible, Damn she's a lucky woman."