Title:Seven years in the garden of good and evil.
Summary: Woody and Jordan's relationship hits the rocks five years ago, but could there already fragile relationship break apart when Woody, Jordan, and are trapped in a convenient store with a bi-polar con-man turned reluctant kidnapper?
Disclaimer: I do not own Crossing Jordan, its characters, blah, blah, blah, blah… you catch my drift.
Note: more lighthearted and merry than my stories before, enjoy!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It had been seven years, seven years since eternity had ended and hell had begun. He had often thought of her when the looming, stark gun barrel grey clouds had rolled in bringing with them the threat of rain, it was those nights when he wished on a far off star that he might see her again. But in the morning he was always alone, in his uptown apartment, far from Pearl street and Jordan Cavanaugh.
He flipped on his computer and opened the file on the top of his growing pile of cases. Rain pounded the windows and drenched the outside world, reminding him of what he gained, and ultimately lost.
A stale cup of coffee sat discarded on the corner of his unkempt desk. Wads of paper and fast food wrappers also shrouded his "home away from home" as he liked to call it. Almost instantaneously someone tapped his shoulder. His partner, Shiloh Tanner stood over him, her dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail.
"Hey Hoyt, Boss wants to see you." She muttered in her thick New York brogue, "He looks none to happy." Woody nodded and stood up, walking past the tall brunette reluctantly towards Chief Sullivan's office.
"Sir?" he said tentatively, poking his head into the office. The large, suit clad man motioned for him to come in grimly.
"Close the door Detective." He ordered sternly, Woody did as commanded and sat down carefully on a chair.
"Listen I have a high profile case for you… the killer murdered a woman and kidnapped her child, this all happened in the nineteenths jurisdiction, but as there is a missing child, we come in… and given your history with the nineteenth, I have assigned you and Detective Tanner to the case." Woody swallowed the lump in his throat and cautiously took the file that the chief held out.
It had been seven years, seven years since he had even crossed the bridge to that area of Boston. He had been working at the Seventh, missing persons for five years, after two years leave back to Wisconsin, it had been a long time, too long, now that he held the key to coming back, did he realize how much he missed the nineteenth, and Jordan.
Jordan Cavanaugh, his after their "Fall out" he had left that area of town, got reassigned to the first precinct that had an opening. He kept in contact with her for a short time, but after he received no emails back, no returning phone calls, he gave up. Thumbing threw the file with something approaching distaste, he sighed.
"So… who's the M.E. assigned to the case?" he asked thoughtlessly, thoroughly not prepared for the answer. The chief gazed down at his copy of the Autopsy report and said a name Woody hadn't heard in seven years.
"Jordan Cavanaugh." Woody's head shot up in surprise, almost like he had swallowed his tongue.
"What?" he said flatly, his eyes staring sharply into chief Sullivan's.
"I said Jordan Cavanaugh." Sullivan repeated with a hedge of annoyance.
"I can't work with that woman… she's… she's" he paused, searching for the right word. "Satan." He finished dully. The Chief gave a full throated laugh that forced his eyebrows together, his eyes to crinkle and his belly to shake.
"Hoyt, would you be in any physical danger if you were to work with Doctor Cavanaugh?" Woody drummed his fingers against the desk steadily.
"No Sir." he said with a loud, exasperated sigh. Sullivan slapped him on the back good-naturedly
"Good then… get your ass down to the nineteenth."
When Woody emerged from Chief Sullivan's office, Detective Shiloh Tanner had to notice he looked unnaturally white.
"Whats the matter Dude, you look like you've seen a ghost." She announced cheerfully. Woody looked at her, she wasn't like most detectives, she never wore a suit, she was often crude and complained a lot. Her and Woody got off to a rocky start, they had become friends in the past five years, she had come to the Seventh with nothing, and he had no one, so they quickly became good friends, nothing more, nothing less.
She had her feet propped up on her desk, leaning back in her chair and resting her arms behind her head.
"So what did he say?" she demanded, he sighed, walking by and pushing her feet of her desk in the same instant.
"Congratulations, you get to meet the infamous Jordan Cavanaugh."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Woody stood staring up at a window four stories up on the corner, the rain soaking him through. It had been seven years since he had seen he had looked into her honey eyes that seemed ageless, how filled with rage, they had both been to stubborn to listen to anyone else's opinions but their own. Garret had tried, Nigel had tried, Hell, even Bug had tried, but they both had dug their heels in and fought the entire way, it wasn't the first time a case had jeopardized their relationship, but it would be the last. With everything that had happened, Devan dying, he tried to push her away, determined not to let her hurt him.
She tried to get close to him, he pushed her away before he would allow himself to get sucked down into the dark abyss, he would not allow himself to be hurt by Jordan Cavanaugh again… he ran, as far as he could while still feeling stabs of guilt for leaving her like he did… he didn't slow down, didn't turn around, he didn't even look in the rearview mirror.
Jordan had once said that was his method of operation, much like her own, they were so similar, that at times they seemed almost like one person. He had liked to think he had gotten over her, but the truth hurt. He wasn't over her, he thought of her when he felt the salty air on his cheek, or listened to a slow song. Now as he stood in front of her apartment, he felt that guilt all over again.
"Wow, nice place..." Shiloh said dully, "Now can we get down to the morgue so we can get a look at our vic, Please!!!!!!" she yelled from the car, he looked over his shoulder at her, shaking his head slowly, with one more look behind him he slunk into the passenger seat. "Hey, don't get the seat wet, its Corinthian leather." She ordered as they drove off.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jordan tapped her pen against her desk, as she leaned forward , searching intensely on the dull muddy colored piece of paper for the word she was looking for. She didn't notice the tall figure in the doorway, smiling.
"Hey love, find any interesting words." He asked in his ever-present English accent. She looked up, startled for a moment, but leaned back when she realized it was only her old friend and confident.
"Hey Nige, you'd think someone would have died already, this being a major city and all." He chuckled.
"Yeah, you'd think." He responded, leaning his lanky frame against her doorway.
"So I heard that they're bringing some people in from the Seventh to work on the Thomas case…"
"Yeah, Detective Shiloh Tanner, and someone else Garret failed to mention." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I had to thank god that he said Shiloh Tanner and not…"
Nigel looked at her puzzled when she stopped mid sentence and gaped, he turned to follow her line of vision, he didn't have to, he knew who it was the second he turned around.
Woody was walking out from the elevator, a sweet looking bat faced girl walking next to him, talking animatedly, they turned the corner, heading towards Garrets office.
"Oh…My…Nigel, you have to get me outa here." She said quickly, gathering her purse and heading the opposite way as Woody had gone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Garret shook hands with the detective he hadn't seen in close to six years. "How have you been Woody?" he asked, sitting down at his desk.
"Oh, you know, you win some you lose some." Woody answered awkwardly.
"Well I heard that you and…" Woody had suddenly ducked behind Shiloh for protection. She looked at him with surprise and pulled away.
"What in the hell is the matter with you?!" she snapped.
"Sorry, I just think I saw.."
"Jordan" Garret finished for him, Woody looked at Garret sheepishly, Garret looked down at the floor and then back up at Woody, a stern look in his eyes. "Its been a long time Woody, we've spent a lot of time working to build up what you left behind, she's happy… will you be able to work with her and not hurt her." Woody nodded sullenly.
"You break her heart and I brake your legs." Garret said knowingly, Woody nodded sullenly once again.
"Fair enough."Woody retorted with a heartfelt smile. After a long awkward moment Garret smiled, holding his hand out for woody to shake.
"Welcome back." He said with a smile "Its been a long time