rae1112- NIGEY! steals I have read a lot of N/J fanfiction, including London After Midnight. That one was really, really good. Though it went into a little too much detail at some points for my taste. (That's just not my style.) But it is really the N/J fanfic of all N/J fanfics. Thanks for the fav!

NadezhdaSt- Yes, I feel very loved. Lol. And yes, I always have something up my sleeve. (Dun dun dun!)

Im perfectly imperfect- Wow...you really don't like Woody do you? Lol. He annoys me, but well, you take Woody hating to the next level! I could kill him to please you if you want. Lol. Why did Devan have to die? Then he and her could be happy and leave Jordan and Nigel alone. Hehe...

This chapter is a little different. It's a bit shorter, and there's no Jordan in it, but there is Bug. And more of Woody being a jerk... I've started the next chapter already, and I think you'll like it! I'm writing and updating as fast as I can. Keep reviewing!

The Basement

Chapter 5: Shock and Horror

- Nigel -

The hours crept by, and there was still no word from Jordan. I called her cell phone frequently, praying for a miracle and that she would pick up. Yet she never did. Of course the whole morgue knew by now that she was missing. I was in shock. Only hours ago I had been down there, in the parking lot next to my motorcycle, giving Jordan a hug and assuring her that I would always be there for her. But I wasn't there for her now. I was convinced that she had been kidnapped, and thought that if something happened to her I would never forgive myself for neither being there, nor for neglecting to tell her how I really felt. I promised myself then that if I ever saw her again, I would tell her at once. No more waiting, no more cowering.

Yet I knew that it may not happen that way. There was a good chance that I would never see her again. I tried not to imagine what could happen to her, yet images kept popping unexpectedly and unwanted into my head: Jordan, lying cold and pale on the pavement, covered in her own blood; Jordan being thrown limply over the edge of a dock into a lake. I gave myself a mental shake and closed my eyes. I mustn't think about that. It was too painful. I sighed and bent over in my chair, resting my head in my hands.

Jordan, you've got to be alright. You've just got to be…

I heard a gentle knock and glanced up to see Dr. Macy standing in the doorway.

"Can I come in?" he asked. I nodded, which I'd been doing a lot lately. He walked in and sat down, watching me silently until I finally raised my head and met his gaze.

"I know that you and Jordan have been close friends for a long time now. She and I were too. We're doing all we can to find her Nigel," he said.

"I know." I looked back at the floor. "I just don't know what I'll do if we can't, if we're too late…" I had thought this countless times in the hours after Jordan's disappearance. And yet it seemed to have a stronger effect when spoken aloud. I felt hot tears slide down my face. I didn't sob like Jordan had yesterday. (Was it really only yesterday?) And yet the tears came, swiftly and silently.

"Hey." I looked up and saw Lily walk in.

"Hey Lily," said Garret. "Look, could you stay with Nigel? I'm going back to help Bug."

"No," I said suddenly, wiping my face with the back of my hand. "I'm coming." Dr. Macy nodded, putting his hand on my shoulder as the three of us made our way out of the room.

"Hey Nigel," said Bug as we walked through the door.

"Have you found anything?" I asked hopefully, but Bug shook his head.

"Nothing. No way to tell where she went."

"She must have been kidnapped," I said, being the first to voice the possibility.

"We don't know anything for sure," Garret began, but I cut him off.

"Why else would she just disappear like that? I know that she's run off before, but she seemed fine when I left her. Absolutely fine…" My voice broke, and I found that I could go no further.

"But kidnappers usually call, or leave a message, some way that we can know how to pay for their hostage," said Lily. "It's been hours; they would have sent word by now."

"Unless they weren't after money," I said as terrible realization swept over me. There was a small pause. And then I saw Bug's eyes widen at the same moment that a grave look appeared on Garret's face. They understood.

"But then what could they possibly want?" Lily asked, still confused.

"Revenge," I said in a hollow voice. Lily stared for a moment, and then suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth. I could tell that all four of us were thinking the same thing. If Jordan's captor only wanted revenge, then it was highly unlikely that they would keep her alive this long. That meant that she was probably already dead, that we were already too late.

I stumbled into the nearest chair, numb with horror.

Too late…

How could that be? How could Jordan, the Jordan that was alive and happy only hours ago, be suddenly gone, her rich and colorful life extinguished. How could someone so brave and strong, someone who had survived so many past kidnappings and tragedies, simply die?

But what if she's not dead?

As I thought this, something flared in my heart. Dr. Macy was right: we didn't know anything for sure. There was hope.

But how much hope? My heart seemed to drop again as I thought about it. How much hope was there that she was still alive? If she was truly captured for revenge, why would she be kept alive?

Maybe if they're torturing her. Keeping her alive and doing it slowly, until she dies...

I shuddered. No, that was worse, far worse. Jordan would be better off dead.

Better off dead…

I buried my head in my hands and begin silently crying again. Lily walked over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"It's not over," she said softly. "We will keep looking. If there's any chance of finding her still, or at least the one who took her, we will keep looking." There was deep pain in her voice. I nodded slightly, too numb to do anything else. Garret spoke up.

"We need to start somewhere," he said. "We're all in shock right now, but we'll deal with it later. Right now we need to focus." I'd heard him say this on other occasions, such as when Devan was killed. He spoke calmly, without that pain that had been so obvious with Lily. For a moment I felt angry with him for his lack of grief. But as I looked up, looked into his face, my anger vanished. He was in pain, he felt sorrow. I could see it in his eyes.

"Bug," he said, "I want you to call Woody and tell him to look through some old files. We need to see if there would be anyone with a grudge against Jordan." Bug nodded and left the room.

- Bug -

I left quickly, heading towards the office that Nigel and I shared, thinking about Jordan. She was probably dead, we all realized that. It was a strange feeling. Jordan had always been so energetic, so full of life. And now all of that was just…gone. Vanished. Nigel seemed to be taking it particularly hard. They had been good friends for over a decade after all. I didn't blame him. I pushed the door open and grabbed the phone, dialing Woody.

"Hoyt," a voice answered.

"Woody? It's Bug," I said.

"Have you found Jordan yet?" he asked, and yet his apparent lack of concern surprised me greatly.

"No," I replied, "that's why I called. We think she's been kidnapped."

"Well that's new," he said sarcastically, again in an almost bored voice. It unsettled me.

"We need you to go through some old case files," I said. "Find someone, anyone, still at large who might have a grudge against Jordan."

"I can answer that right now," he said. "Alexander Mitchell: accused of leading a gang murder and drug operation. Jordan pretty much threw him into hiding for the last month and a half."

"Shouldn't she have gotten protection?" I asked, stunned.

"Didn't want it." Of course, I thought. It was Jordan we were talking about after all.

"Do we know much about this guy? Anything we could use to find him?"

"Well," said Woody, "his gang mostly hangs out in an older neighborhood. I can give you the location if you want. Just gotta find the file first."

"Thanks Woody."

"I'll call back when I have them." He hung up.

NIGEY!