The next morning Jordan found herself in the morgue's break room nursing a cold cup of coffee. Jack sat next to her sharing a Twinkie with Gaylord. Jordan smiled. She had fed him worse for breakfast before. She made a mental note to put something that wasn't plastic in his mouth for lunch.

The weekend staff were either busy at work or asleep at there desks, because nobody had walked through the doors since she had been sitting there. For that, Jordan was very thankful. She was in no mood for small talk.

She checked her watch for the third time in as many minutes. Agent Mayer had left a message on Jordan's machine telling her what time she'd be stopping by. Jordan was early. But the walls of her apartment were closing in on her.

Jordan heard the elevator doors open. She stood to meet Agent Mayer, but instead saw Nigel walking down the corridor. Jordan had called him asking if he would mind sitting with Jack while she talked with Mayer. It would have been easier to just drop Jack off at her father's, but she needed Nigel's smile.

"Good morning, darling. Jack!"

Nigel clapped his hands at he sight of Jack sticking his head around the corner of the break room door. Jack's smile was a mile wide as he ran down the hall launching himself in Nigel's arms. Nigel lifted Jack up and turned him upside down. Jack's t-shirt gathered around his armpits with his wiggles of delight. Jordan shook her head at Jack squeal when Nigel gave his bare belly a loud raspberry.

"I worn you he just finished eating four slightly stale Twinkies about two minutes ago."

Nigel's eyes got dramatically big as he righted Jack in his arms.

"You won't do that to me, now would you mate?"

Jack just giggled and shook his head. He wrapped his arms tightly around Nigel for a second and then squirmed out of his arms running back into the break room.

Nigel sobered and walked over to Jordan taking in the circles under her eyes.

"Thanks Nigel I owe you."

"You know you can call me to help with Jack anytime. Is there something new with your mystery man in the crypt?"

"No, the agent on the case just wants to get face to face."

"I thought you left early yesterday to do that?"

Jordan wrapped her arms around her waist and turned her head to look at Jack playing with a matchbox car in the break room table.

"I had to cut the meeting short."

"What happened?"

Jordan didn't hear him. She continued to watch Jack. Nigel turned a critical eye to Jack. The child appeared to be playing contently. He knew Jordan's nervousness was not due to something wrong with her son.

Nigel had known Jordan for years. He could read her better then most. He could feel the tension roll off of her like a living thing. He laid a hand on her shoulder. Jordan looked up and saw the concern in his eyes. She was not surprised at the feel of tears on her cheeks. Nigel concern compounded.

"I don't think this anything to do with the feebees pressing for a body's ID."

Jordan knew she wouldn't be able to keep him in the dark long. She took a deep breath and told him everything. A myriad of emotions crossed his face as she talked.

Nigel had held Jordan's hand while they waited for her positive pregnancy test. He was there rubbing her feet when work kept her on them too long. He walked the hospital corridors with her, feeling every contraction when Jack came screaming in the world. He was also there to hold her when he thought for sure her heart would never recover after Woody left.

"My God."

"And to top it off, Jack told him that his father's dead."

"How did he react?"

"I kicked him out before he could say anything."

"Jordan, he would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to figure out that Jack's his son."

"Jack's mine."

"Irregardless, the man is Jack's father..."

Jordan looked at her feet at Nigel's condescending tone. She opened her mouth to defend herself have the elevator doors opened.

"Dr Cavanaugh, Good morning. It's a cool one isn't it? I think winter may come early....Hello, I'm Agent Mayer."

Agent Mayer stepped out of the elevator and strode over to them. With her winning Miss California smile she stuck her hand out to Nigel.

Nigel, Dr. Nigel Townsend, how do you do?"

Nigel was taken back by her strong grip. Jordan had to bite her lip at the amusement in Nigel's eyes.

"Ah Nig, could you take Jack now?"

"Surely, love"

Nigel opened the break room door. Jack came out staring up at Mayer.

"Mate, how about you and I see what good computer games I have loaded?"

Jack nodded but kept and eye on Mayer. She leaned over to greet him.

"This is my son, Jack." Jordan said

"He's beautiful. Hi Jack, my name's Candy."

"Hi" Jack said looking at the badge clipped to her waistband.

"Are you an agent too?"

"Why, yes I am." Mayer laughed.

"Um, yes, well, Agent Mayer if you follow me I'll take you to the body."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Woody looked out the window of his sixth floor hotel room and the light Saturday morning traffic crisscrossing the interchanges below him. He noted the traffic signal turning on to Concord remained red only fifteen seconds going north and south and was red for thirty seconds going east to west. He knew because he had timed them somewhere around three o'clock that morning. He looked down at his watch. It was time.

Turning away, he tightened his tie and grabbed his jacket. Mayer was meeting Jordan at the morgue. He called Mayer and invited himself along. She was skeptical, but reluctantly agreed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nigel leaned back on his chair in frustration as Jack soundly trumped him for the third time.

"Not again! You've been practicing haven't you?"

Jack giggled and grabbed Gaylord and jump from the stool he had been sitting on.

"You think that's funny huh?"

Jack took off as Nigel reached out to grab him. In a flash Jack was out the door.

"Come back here you little bugger." Nigel laughed taking off in pursuit.

Jack dodged in and out of doorways around the floor. His giggles echoed in the hallways.

Jack was coming around the corner when the elevator doors opened. He stopped dead when he saw Woody step out. He jumped, dropping Gaylord. Jack turned to run when Nigel stepped around the corner.

Nigel took one look at Woody and noticed the changes Jordan was talking about. The Woody he remembered was quick with a smile lighting the room with a child like exuberance that was a true oxymoron to his chosen line of work. Five years had taken that away, leaving in its place an iron-cold impression that reminded him of an old Steve McQueen movie.

Nigel picked Jack up in his arms. "I heard you were back."

"I see good news travel's fast. It's good to see you again Nigel. Hey, Jack."

Jack's big eyes focused on the stuffed animal at Woody's feet. Nigel noticed it at the same time.

"I've got it mate..."

Nigel leaned down the same time as Woody. He was not quick enough to grab Jack's toy. Nigel could remember Jack coming home from his first trip to Wisconsin with Gaylord. After much soul searching and Max's urging Jordan took Jack to Kewanee to meet his paternal grandparents. Max convinced Jordan it wouldn't be fair to keep Jack from them when he was all they had left of their son.

Woody's mother gave Jordan a box fill of pictures and remembrances of Woody's youth. Much to Jordan's discomfort Jack took to Gaylord from the moment his grandmother placed it in his hands.

Woody slowly picked up the stuffed animal. The feel of the fur in his hands was more familiar then the hair on his head. Woody could remember an identical stuffed animal from his childhood. He called his toy Gaylord after one of his father's favorite baseball pitchers, Gaylord Perry.

For a second he looked at the generic brown fur. He rubbed his hand over one floppy ear. Thirty years ago those floppy ears were the softest things in the world. This toy looked as loved as his old one was.

"Here," he handed Jack the stuffed animal. "You got a good friend there, buddy."

Jack reached out to take the toy from Woody's hand. Nigel watched as Woody studied Jack's face. The shape of his eyes, the slope of his nose.....

"Gaylord's my best friend."

Gaylord...Woody felt as if he had dropped into Alice's rabbit hole.

It was one coincidence too many. He reached out to touch Jack's face only to have him flinch away. Woody dropped his hand. Nigel watched in alarm as Woody clenched his fists together.

"Woody." He said in warning.

Woody held the curse that was on the tip of his tongue. Nigel placed his hand on Jack's head.

"Where is she, Nigel?"

"She's busy right now. Mate, this is not the time or place."

Woody walked around Nigel and headed toward the Crypt.

"Woody, don't!"

Woody was behind paying attention to Nigel. He pushed open the door to the Crypt with a resounding bang.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Hoyt!" Mayer exclaimed turning around.

"Mayer, if you don't mind could you give me a minute alone with Doctor Cavanaugh."

Woody spit out every word. Mayer looked at Jordan. Jordan nodded to her and she left.

"Answer me Jordan."

Jordan pulled the sheet up over the body and pushed the drawer home. Pulling off her gloves she turned with her hands on her hips.

"If your office can't communicate to each other about this case, that's not my problem."

"This doesn't have a damn thing to do with any case."

Jordan looked up at his face and saw the truth written there. He knew, some how he knew.

"I was in Virginia when I first heard you were a mother. I couldn't quite picture it in my head. That was until yesterday. ....I couldn't sleep late night because I couldn't get the sight of you two together out of my mind. "

Woody stopped and ran a shaky hand through his hair. When he noticed the tremor in his hand he laughed out loud. Jordan backed behind Emmy's desk.

"You looked so natural. When I first saw him, I let myself fantasize for a moment that you were my family, not Winslow's. I was damn near floored when Jack said his father was dead. I paced the floor half the night with the crazy thought that I may be that dead cop. But I knew it couldn't be true, because you would have told me up front."

"As far as Jack's concerned his father is dead."

Woody stopped walking and braced his hands on top of Emmy's desk.

"Surprise, surprise...Beyond popular belief, I'm not dead! Why didn't you tell me Jordan? Why didn't you tell me Jack's my son?"

"Jack's MY child. Mine alone"

"I may not be a doctor but I knew it takes two..."

"We had unprotected sex and the result was a child. My child."

"That sounded pretty damn clinical. I thought we had more than that that night, Jordan."

The words were spoken so softly that Jordan had to look away from his face. Woody misinterpreted her reaction as regret. Her angry words only added to it. His blood ran cold.

"You died the second you walked out of my life. I've moved on. Jack and I have moved on."

The blood drained out of his face.

"How quickly did you move on Jordan? Is that why you named Winslow as Jack's father? Was there some doubt to who exactly is Jack's father?"

The question cut Jordan to the bone. The last five years Eddie had been there for her, but he was never in her bed.

"You know me I have a thing for cops."

Woody stepped back like he had just been kicked.

"Apparently, I'm the last to know about my ...son, and I plan to make up for lost time."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. You're a stranger to Jack..."

"Not for long."

Woody stormed back out of the crypt. The sight he came out was as welcoming as the one he left. Mayer and Nigel had matching expressions of rage on their faces. Jack clutched his arms and legs around Nigel his face buried in his neck. He knew without a doubt that everything they had said was overheard, at least by the adults. Remembering his irrational words, he felt the harsh wave of regret hit him full blast.

He realized he has hated himself for so long, that it had become natural to lash out at everyone and everything in his path. It was a habit he had perfected over the last five years. Now he had used it on the woman he loved and the son he didn't know existed. He wanted to lean against the wall and cry right along with Jack.

Jordan opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

"I believe you have everything you need Agent Mayer."

Jordan wordless reached out for Jack as Nigel handed him over. Jordan wrapped her arms around his small body and placed a kiss on his head.

"We should have those test results back by Monday. I'll have a courier drop them off as soon as I get them. Thanks Nigel."

With a stiff back Jordan walked to her office and shut the door behind her. Mayer stood toe to toe with Woody and even at five foot six, she looked down her nose at him.

"I was right. You are an asshole."

She was still shaking her head as she left. Woody turned his attention to Nigel.

"I guess this is the part where you want to kick my ass."

"However tempting it may sound, you out weigh me by at least a stone. I would like to offer you some advice though."

"Right now I'd listen to anyone who could talk me out of jumping of the roof."

"Well, then buy me a cup of coffee and we'll talk."

"Can we change that to a beer?"

"It's a bit early, but I think we can find someplace that is on a nice ground floor."