Jordan left the morgue and rushed to a plush downtown office complex. Holding Jack's cold little hand, she dialed Renee's number on the security phone at the front door of the building. She knew she would be gambling to find it occupied on a Saturday morning. In a million years Jordan would never admit it but she was happy to hear Renee Walcott's voice on the other end.

"Renee, I need your help."

She was buzzed in the building immediately. Renee met them at the elevator. Jack launched himself at Renee's legs. Renee forgot about her five hundred dollar slacks and knelt down on the floor.

"Sweetness and light, what happened?"

Renee looked up at Jordan's stark face. Jordan looked away.

"Can...can we talk? I need some advice."

"......Surely, hang on a minute."

Renee stood and walked Jack to the back of her offices. Jordan could hear her talking to one of her subordinates. Renee returned a moment later without Jack. Renee studied Jordan's face. Renee knew whatever was bothering Jordan must have been terrible for her to ask for help.

"One of my interns is going to see if there's anything to eat in the board room. Let's go in my office."

"......thanks."

"What's going on?"

"I need some legal advice."

Renee nodded her head. She set down behind her desk and motioned Jordan to take a seat opposite. The deep chair sucked Jordan in. She set up toward the edge. She felt more comfortable knowing she could make a quick exit.

Jordan told Renee about Woody's return and their confrontation in the crypt.

"I see."

"That's right. I need to get something, some kind of paperwork that can keep him away from my son."

"Jordan, it doesn't work that way."

Jordan stood up.

"What do you mean?!"

"Jordan, sit down." Renee waited until she did. "Is Lieutenant Winslow named on the birth certificate as Jack's father?"

"....No...."

"Then Hoyt is well with in his rights to demand access to his child. It would just take a simple DNA test and any judge would grant that just by looking at the two of them."

"That's impossible."

"If what you tell me is true, he is gainfully employed; he has shown interest to building a relationship with his child, and the circumstances of his absence in Jack's first few years were not do to his own makings. Jordan, I see cases everyday that involve a dead beat dad. You should be thankful he's willing to take on the responsibility....."

"No, you don't understand, Jack is happy just the way he is. To uproot his world just so that his biological father can set it on its end... I don't want to put him through that."

"I need to know Jordan; is it Jack you are worried about or is it yourself?"

Jordan didn't answer her. Renee pulled a set of keys out of her purse. She handed them to Jordan.

"You wanted my advice and I'm going to give it to you. Those are the keys to the house in the Berks. Take some time away and think about it. You need to figure out where you fit into all this before you can decide what to do. Jordan, if I ever feel that Jack would suffer in any way I would fight Hoyt tooth and nail and he'd be as far away from that precious boy as I could get him. "

Jordan mumbled her thanks and collected Jack who didn't seem to be the worse for wear after witnessing a second fight between his parents. Christ, she thought, his parents. She decided Renee had a point. She needed to get away for a few days and figure out what she was going to do about Woody. She knew she wouldn't be able to leave until the ID had been made on the body. She just hoped Woody wouldn't be camping out at her door when they got home.

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

A few days later, Woody sat at his office with his tie loose and his shelves rolled up, staring at the rental section from the newspaper on his desk. He needed to move out the hotel. He now had roots in the city and he planned on making it work.

At the oddest times of the day he would stop and think about Jack. And on the flipside he would wake up at night thinking about Jordan.

He thought back to the conversation he had with Nigel. Nigel told him about the fear and confusion Jordan had finding out she was going to have a baby. At first, he had just assumed that she was just anxious about what end of the baby to diaper. It wasn't until after Jordan confessed about the night she had spent with Woody did Nigel realize the true extent of her fear. He told Woody that Eddie and Jordan where never really together. It was just her way of protecting her child from the unknown. An unknown that Woody himself created.

It was at that point that Woody decided to lay low for awhile... and it was killing him.

He had been totally unfair with Jordan. She was just protecting her son: their son. He leaned back in his chair. Jack....with his dark hair and blue eyes. He wondered what he looked like when he wasn't scared to dead.

Woody sighed, Gaylord. He didn't know his mother had kept him. With a deep breath he reached for the phone. It was time to call his family.

"Hey stranger."

At the sound of the sweetly familiar feminine voice Woody looked up to see Lily Lebowski standing in his doorway. He forgot about his phone call.

"Lily"

Woody stood up from his desk and met Lily as she walked in to the room. When she made to move to give him a hug he wrapped her in his arms and held her close. He had to fight the tears that threaten to come to his own eyes when he felt hers wet his shirt.

"Oh goodness, I'm sorry ....oh." Lily said laughingly as she pulled herself out of his embrace.

Lily had a production of brushing the slight wetness off Woody shirt.

"I heard you were back...." Lily held of a linen covered basket. "Here, I made you some muffins."

Woody took the basket from and set it on his desk he opened the napkin. He couldn't remember the last time someone made something for him. It felt good.

"Thank you, Lily. Come over here sit down. Let me look at you. "

Woody pointed to a chair that set across his desk. Lily perched herself on the very edge. Woody pulled another chair closer and took a seat.

"You're prettier then ever."

Lily laughed out loud. "Oh, thank you. It's good to see you. I've often wondered what you've been up to for the last few years."

"You don't want to know. I want to hear about you. How have you've been?" he said holding her hands with a smile. For the first time in a long time he was beginning to feel like his old self.

"Good.... I've been busy."

Lily eyes zeroed in the scar that ran over his forearm.

"Wow, how did that happen?"

"It's nothing."

Lily looked at him with her eyebrows raised. Woody stood and franticly rolled his sleeves down as he stepped behind his desk.

"You've been busy, huh?"

"Yeah." Lily picked up on his tension and stood herself. "It's great to have you back Woody. We missed you."

Woody picked up a pile of papers on his desk and straightened them and placed them back were they were. Lily's reached her hand out and placed it on top of his.

"Do you want me to leave Woody?" She said in the soft professional tone she was honed over the last few years.

"No," Woody looked up and some of the tension left his body. "No, it's just I'm going through a little adjustment being back. I treated you and everybody else like shit before I left and I guess I'm still feeling a little guilty."

"You did what you had to do. Because of you did, a lot of dangerous people went to jail. Nobody holds you responsible for your actions."

Except Jordan, he thought. The statement must have been written all over his face.

"She doesn't either. It's just that the last few years have been a rollercoaster for her. In some ways, it was for all of us Woody....but we're all fine."

Woody set on the edge of his desk and grabbed a muffin out of the basket. She leaned back on the desk next to him. For Woody, it felt good to have someone on his side.

"You don't know of any empty apartments around do you?"

"Are you looking for a place?"

"My bank account can't handle many more days in a hotel."

Lily smiled at him. He became self conscience.

"What?" He laughed back.

"It sounds like you going to be sticking around for awhile."

"This is home" He set the untouched muffin back in the basket.

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"It's just that I've really screwed up any chance I ever had for a welcome home parade."

Lily smiled sadly and put her arm around his shoulders. Nigel had told her about the rocky homecoming Woody has had.

"Today's a new day Woody, and you're not as alone as you think you are."

"Lily, you don't know how much your friendship means to me."

"Hey, I know a thing or two about being the odd man out...... Crap, I have to get back to work."

Lily stood up and walked toward the door she snapped her fingers and turned back.

"Oh, I almost forgot...I have something else for you."

Lily opened her bag and pulled out a photograph and handed it to Woody. It was a picture of Jack clutching Gaylord tightly, the picture itself was just a snapshot but the smile on Jack's face was...perfect. Woody couldn't take his eyes off the photo.

"He needs you Woody and Jordan does to, even though... she'll never admit it."

"I think Jordan would have preferred that I stayed lost. I don't think she wants me anywhere near him."

"I think you need another father's sympathetic ear. And you're in luck I happen to know one that is also a bartender."

Woody shook his head.

"You've got to be joking right? Max wouldn't even be in the same room with me when I left."

"That was before. Things have changed."

"I don't know"

"Do me a favor and think about it. Welcome home, Woody."

With a small wave Lily floated out of the door.