A/N-Jules-WOODY? We don't need no stinking Woody, the boy's an idiot. And a grouch this season too. Screw David Cromwell, they need to get JOC to play Scrooge this year for Christmas Carol, he already does such a good job of it playing Woody. I merely have to warn you to brace yourselves. This time not for unbearable angst but for sappy fluff. Warm up your voices to constantly go "awwwwwwwe!"
She curled up against him, her head on his chest as they sat there watching whatever bad movie was on TV. She felt so warm, so comforting against him, and he had to admit, it felt good. He needed a warm body to curl up against on long cold nights. He really needed to start dating again, at least a little bit, not even anything serious, just something light, someone to talk to, someone to help warm his bed.
But all thoughts of that would have to wait. She had all but taken over his living room, the couch fully pulled out along one wall and a mess of her personal belongings surrounding it. She had sworn she wasn't going to leave him alone until he was better and so far she was being true to her word.
Although it was times like this when he dared to look around his apartment that he began to really regret one thing- and that was not letting her have any closet space. He had claimed that he knew better, that you give a woman closet space and their closet space grows and grows and takes over everyone's.
But at the moment, she was using the floor and her suitcase. And he had to frown at the mess that was Hurricane Jordan. He looked down at her, curled up in a sweatshirt and pajama pants and he couldn't help but not care about everything that she had done to his house. She looked so-he didn't quite know how to describe it. Not as brave as she put on in times like this, it was times like this that proved that she was human, that she could feel and be afraid, and love, and hate just like anyone else.
She was proving that she wasn't a heartless bitch, that she did care about things as she curled up, the two of them cuddling close on the love seat. He had his arm wrapped comfortably around her, holding her close, not wanting her to move. There was something about it, just sitting there in silence, pulled close that made him love it, love the moment, even for a brief bit, love life even for a little bit.
For the first time in almost a year, he wasn't minding getting up in the morning, wasn't minding life. And he had to attribute that change to her. He had turned his life around solely because of her-she had come in and hugged him close letting her tears soak into his shirt reminding him that he meant so much to so many people. She had sworn that she wouldn't give up on him and she wasn't going to.
She was here with him, for him, curled against him, reminding him of all the good in the world. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, and she smiled, moving even closer to him. She had given up her own life to watch him, keep him from doing more of what had nearly pushed him over the edge, here to save him from himself, sleeping on a pull out couch in his living room, not caring about anything in her own life.
Although he hadn't seen her with anything that really resembled a social life. Woody had left her high and dry and she hadn't seen anyone since. At least no one that he knew of. She might have been seeing someone and he had been so wrapped up in his own problems that he was completely oblivious to it. But as far as he knew, the last one she had dated was Woody. And as far as he knew, they still weren't speaking to each other outside of where it was dictated by the two of them at work.
He really couldn't fault the boy for giving up though, not without being a hypocrite. But the difference was that the boy had given up on a relationship. He had given up on life. But the boy had barely even tried. He knew Jordan was someone who required work just to be able to deal with her on a regular basis, but Woody hadn't wanted to invest even that. At least not without getting what he wanted.
The boy had wanted to change her into what Woody wanted, Woody wanted someone to compliment him in every way shape and form The detective wanted a Jordan who would forget about her past problems and focus on the future, a Jordan who while she was still herself was less willing to act and then think, one who wouldn't put herself in danger.
But he knew that Jordan would never do that, never change like that. She was who she was. He knew she had her past and her problems, and he didn't care. He didn't try to make her forget them, he didn't want her to forget them, they made her who she was, so long as she could cope with them, turn them into positive things. She had done that, she had put her mother behind her, enough to forget about it every now and then, at least.
He looked down at her and found she had fallen asleep against him and he smiled, a genuine smile. There were times he wanted to smack that boy upside the head and tell Woody that he was missing out on something wonderful, to put aside stupid selfish pride and take the girl because it was obvious that Jordan cared.
He frowned as he thought of that. She still never reacted well when she and Woody had to work together. He usually was the one to be the liaison between her and Woody, choosing to step in the way to prevent any pain on either side. But mostly on Jordan's. He didn't like seeing her hurting. And that's all she did when she was near Woody, hurt.
He got up, picking her up, surprised at how light she was. He set her down gently on the bed, covering her up, smiling. She may not be bearable at times, but he didn't see how the detective could willingly give her up, not when it was so obvious that she cared too.