Thanks for the reviews, my wonderful readers…I'm always glad that my stories are at the very least enjoyable! It's nice to be the high point in someone's day.

To GCNFGCHICK02– amen sister friend! I think college has actually driven me deeper into my need for good fanfic, especially during the summer, lol!

Once More, With Feeling

Woody flung the front door of the house open and chucked his jacket at the nearest chair. Jordan walked in a few seconds behind his rampage. She caught sight of him heading into the kitchen and heard a pot being thrown onto the stove.

"Hey, Woody, you know they say not to bottle up your emotions, it's not healthy," she said, resorting to the sarcasm she relied on during uncomfortable situations.

"I would appreciate it if you would just be serious for once," he told her, ripping open a package of pasta to throw into the pot of water. The night had left him with a strong craving for carbs.

"Sorry," Jordan said as she leaned against the counter. She lost his attention and immediately felt the need to speak her mind to get it back. He was already mad, so there was no danger of upsetting him. "Are you at least going to look into this lead?"

"This is not a lead; this is Jake Sutton trying to mess with my head because he's an asshole," Woody said. "He's been doing this all my life."

"It's still worth looking into. It's the only motive we have so far," she said. "It wouldn't hurt to look into his business files."

Woody stared at her like she had just betrayed him. "Please don't tell me you're falling for his act."

"Woody," Jordan rolled her eyes. "I am not falling for anything, I'm just saying that maybe Jake's advice might be a good place to start."

"Cause this is what he does," he went on as though he had not heard her. "He screws with people's heads and sweet talks women. That's all he's ever been about. He gets what he wants from women, and then leaves them. He ruined a number of girls in high school, girls who were completely honorable before they got involved with him."

"That doesn't mean he's not a reliable source of information…especially when we have next to nothing," she said, looking him in the eyes to get her point across. "And if it's my 'honor' you're worried about, I hate to break it to you, but it has been far from intact for a long time, so that's not really an issue here."

This comment seemed to finally snap Woody out of his rant. For a few seconds, he actually looked like he had been reprimanded for something, but the look was gone nearly as fast as it had appeared.

"Do you still have that list?" he asked, desperate to change the subject from where the conversation had landed.

"Yes," Jordan answered, pulling a thick file out of her bag and tugging the list out. She handed it to him and he began to scan through it. "What are you doing?"

"Double checking to see if Jake's name is on here," he muttered. Jordan snorted her disapproval.

"You know, Woody, you've always told me that I'm the one with issues, but I do believe you are proving to be as equally screwed up as I am…although it's almost sweet how concerned you are about girls having honorable reputations. Naïve, but sweet-"

"Oh damn," Woody interrupted her, his finger coming to a stop as he ran it down the list.

"What?"

"Jake said something about a bad business dealing with someone named Eric Ferrand," he said soberly. Jordan looked at him questioningly, and he held the paper up. She looked at the name he had marked.

"Eric Ferrand," she echoed. "I guess we have our starting place."

"I don't believe this," Woody said vehemently. "What the hell could he have done to get himself murdered? Of course, why am I surprised, it is my family!"

"Woody, you need to calm down and take a step back from this for a second."

"You're telling me to calm down?" he said in disbelief. "You, the queen of irrational behavior?"

"Hey, I don't have to be here, you asked for my help," she said defensively, feeling he was getting a little personal. "I'm just trying to help you out so that you don't have this hanging over your head for the rest of your life."

"What, so then I won't have any more burdens?" he threw out his arms and took a step closer to her. "Let me tell you something, Jordan – I've been burdened with this family since I was four and I watched my mother die of cancer in the hospital, and I got to grow up as the kid without a mom. And then I got upgraded to one of the poor Hoyt boys without any parents at all, no one to take care of them. And I had no one to help me with Cal, ever! Solving this case will not magically solve all my problems."

Jordan stood stunned, afraid of this darker side of Woody that was upending the pedestal she had put him on. For years, he had been her sanity and her constant, the voice of reason for everything. She was terrified of losing that, not when she had just been accepted into his life again. She did not want him to be broken. Because if he was broken, who would fix her?

"Woody, I just-"

"You just what? Felt like uncovering yet another criminal in my family?" he asked bitterly. "Felt like finding another reason to feel sorry for me?"

"That's not why I'm here," she said firmly, trying to hide her sadness.

"Then why are you here?" he asked her, knowing he was not going to get an answer. "Do me a favor. Don't bring Jake Sutton into this in any way, shape, or form, understand?"

As he gave her this warning, he crumpled the list he was still holding and tossed it at her feet. Jordan felt her face grow warm in anger. He had insulted her and accused her of less than kindly reasons for wanting to be there to help him, and now he was ordering her around like she was one of his rookie cops. She had listened to him once in all their years together, and once had proven to be one too many. In a flash of disgust, Jordan let the case file drop from her hands unceremoniously, staring at Woody coldly as the papers scattered to the floor like ticker tape. She then turned and quickly went up to her room without waiting for a reaction.

Slamming her door shut, she stormed over to the window and threw it open, in desperate need of some fresh air. She sat down in the little armchair that was near the window and gazed outside. Her heart was beating loudly inside her chest, making her feel like her emotions were trying to burst through her very skin. Inhaling the sweet air from outside helped clear her head a little. She still felt jumpy, though…she felt like she needed to talk to someone. Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed Nigel's number.

"Jordan, calling so soon?" he said lightly, thinking she would have good news.

"What am I doing here?" she asked hopelessly.

"I do believe the answer is: seducing Woody back to the dark side."

"Nigel, I can't do this. One second I want his arms around me, and the next…the next, we're ready to rip each other's heads off."

"You two always did bicker," he reminded her.

"Not like this," she said, then paused, propping her chin on her fist. "It's too hard. I've only been here a day and it's turning into World War III…it was easier to just pretend I didn't care."

"But you do care. That's not fair to either of you," he said gently.

"It hurts too much," she said, her voice thick with emotion now. "We're hurting each other."

Nigel sighed. "Two people as different as you, you're bound to hurt each other…but I couldn't imagine two people more suited for each other, in the end."

Jordan gave a small laugh. "So what are you saying, that we have to destroy each other before we can move on?"

"Are you really destroying each other?" he asked philosophically. "Or are you possibly destroying those lovely fronts you are so fond of putting up as a guard?"

Biting her lip, she thought this over for a moment. He certainly had a point. But breaking down those walls left her exposed with her true emotions caught in the crossfire. Again. Was she willing to brave another round?

"I guess I can try for a little longer," she said.

"That's my girl," Nigel said, his voice holding a smile.

"I just have one question for you."

"Ask away."

"When did you become a relationship self-help book?" Jordan grinned.

"Goodbye Jordan."