Arriving at the coffee shop, Jordan spotted Woody through the glass window. Four years hadn't done him any harm. He was just as cute as always. She'd at least hoped he'd look worse a little bit… so much for that strategy.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and went in. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hey! Long time, no see! How are you?"

Jordan wanted to kill him for his easy-going sound, as if he thought that she shouldn't be mad at him, as if they'd been friends forever, as if they'd just seen each other yesterday. She clenched her jaw.

"You… really don't want to be talking to me… in front of all these people. Let's go."

His smile vanished as she grabbed his coat and steered him out the door and into her car.

"Much better. Somewhere where dozens of people won't be able to see as well when I stab you to death."

Woody sighed. "Jordan…"

She cut him off.

"Don't even start, Woody. What the hell was that? Four and a half years, Woody? And you have the nerve to send me flowers? What, did you think I would just forget? Yeah, because that's so easy to do. A guy coming after me for four years, I let him in, he leaves me alone in bed the next morning. Packs up his office, leaves, and doesn't even try to contact me for four and a half years. Brilliant, Woody. And to what do I owe this unexpected honor of you waltzing into my life? No, wait. Don't even tell me. I don't want to know. What gives you the right to come into my life again and rearrange everything I've known for almost five years now? I don't want to be your friend. I don't want to even hear a word out of you. If you need reports from the morgue, you go through Nigel, Bug, or Garrett. I don't want to see you, talk to you, have any contact with you. I'm not putting myself through that again. Don't come to my apartment, don't find me at work, don't leave me notes, messages, or emails. I won't work on your cases, you won't work on mine, you'll come to the morgue only for a case, and I won't ever see you, let alone talk to you. Okay? Yeah, well, that's about it. Bye." She drew a long breath. By the end, she was screaming… holding back tears. There was no way she was ever going to let this man see her vulnerable again. She would never cry in front of him. Ever.

"Jordan..."

Jordan slipped out of her car, waiting for Woody to get out on the other side, then locked it. She turned around and headed back to the morgue, letting tears take over and leaving Woody standing alone on the sidewalk.

Four anxious faces looked at her as she got off the elevator. She didn't look at any of them, instead ran into her office, without even bothering to close the door. Lily came in and closed the door gently, and held Jordan while she cried. It was the most emotion Jordan had showed since… well, since Woody had left. Lilly hugged her friend as they sat together on the couch.

Outside of Jordan's office, three guys stood in a huddle. They looked out the window and saw Woody standing on the sidewalk.

"Let's go see what ol' Woodrow has to say about this all?" said Nigel.

"Sure thing… let's go"

C.J. C.J. C.J. C.J. C.J. C.J. C.J. C.J. C.J. C.J.

"Woody?"

"Hey, guys…"

Garrett gnashed his teeth. "Woody… to put this the most polite way… what the hell are you doing here, where the hell have you been for the past four and a half years, and do you damn well know what you've done to Jordan?"

"Whoa, Garrett…" muttered Nigel.

"It's fine, Nigel. I guess I deserve what's coming." sighed Woody. "I… went back to Wisconsin. There was some… unfinished business there. When it… ended, I came back. I've been back for two days… and here I am."

"Gee, Hoyt, could you be a little more vague? Sorry, I just don't do specifics all that well." snapped Garrett.

Woody sighed again. "I… I never told anybody in Boston about this. It's kind of a long story. Coffee, anybody?"

The four men walked into the coffee shop and sat, briefly giving orders.

"Cough it up, Woody," said Bug. "It's been long enough."

Woody sat back, running his hands through his hair. "Okay…"

"When I came to the Boston P.D., I left Wisconsin, obviously. Annie. You know the story. Well, I, uhh… I didn't only leave Wisconsin because her father didn't let us get married. I uh… asked her to marry me… two days after I found out she was pregnant."

"What? You… you… have a…" sputtered Nigel.

"Yeah. And… I couldn't… be with Jordan if I knew I'd left so many loose ends in Wisconsin. I've been sending money, you know, to help her out, and stuff. Anyway, I went back. Annie saw me. Pretty much the same reaction as Jordan just now. But she understood why I was back. My son's name, it's… was Matt. Matthew. He is… was… a great kid. I've spent the past four and a half years in Wisconsin. I had a small place out there. Sold, now."

"And what about you and Annie?" asked Garrett quietly.

"Us? No. She knew it could never happen. It was too old… too messy… too much hurt. Matt, he… was nine years old. He understands… understood … that his mom and I weren't going to be together. It's amazing how he could take it. After I left Wisconsin, Annie confronted her dad about two years later. He told her what he'd said. Out of remorse, I guess. He… regretted what he said to me, after seeing what it did to her. But… there are some things that can't be taken back, I guess."

"Woody, why didn't you call? Why didn't you at least tell one of us… Jordan deserves to know, Woody. She needs to know there was a good reason why you left Boston. Why did you leave so suddenly? Woody… what happened to Matt?" asked Garrett.

"I… got news about four months before I left the Boston P.D. that… Matt was sick. He had cancer… he was just five years old. Annie called me. I needed to see my son, guys. For five years of his life he just got cards from me. Money. Presents. Not even personal presents. Just generic… toy cars, comic books… never knew what he liked, what he wanted. I never even called him. Not once. It hurt too much… Annie was angry. But I was in Boston… and… I told myself that there was nothing she could do if I was so far away. He pulled through the cancer. I spent most of the past four and a half years with him like a normal dad. Played baseball with him, went swimming… taught him all the stuff I learned as a kid. I… couldn't tell anybody. It would have been… too much shame… pain. What was I going to say if I called? 'Hey, Jo, never told you this, but uh, I fathered a kid, his name is Matt, he's five years old, and he's got cancer. I'll see you in a few years, while I try to make up for the years I've been a deadbeat dad. I'll be back and then I'll want to be with you after hanging out with my ex for a little less than five years, k?'

"Well, yeah!" interjected Garrett. "What did you think would happen? Jordan wouldn't be mad! Hell, we would have all rooted for you. What were you thinking, Woody?"

"There was nothing I could say, Garrett… you have to understand… please. I… I had a screwed up life. And… six months ago, Matt relapsed. There was no warning and this time the cancer spread rapidly. There was nothing doctors could do for my son. He passed away two months ago. I… couldn't stay there anymore. There were just too many bad memories then. Annie… Matt… Annie's father… my family… too many questions. Too much hurt. Too many cuts that didn't need to be reopened. So… I left." Tears were streaming down Woody's cheeks.

"Matt… he was an amazing kid. He had my eyes. And we spent a lot of time together. Annie… was wonderful about it. She'd bring him over and the three of us would play games together… no, guys, I know it sounds like it's impossible that me and Annie were just friends, but that's all we were. There was no way in hell we could do that again. No way we were going down that road again."

There was silence around the coffee table as Woody finished his story. Garrett looked at his watch. "We should probably get going, guys."

"Yeah, okay. Listen, guys… do me a favor… don't tell Jordan. I… I need to be the one to tell her." said Woody.

"That uh, might be a little hard, Woody." said Bug quietly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm supposed to get out of her life. I know. But… I need to do this my way, guys. Please."

"Woods, you know, she might let you in… if she knew… if she even had just a little hint… of it." said Nigel.

"I know. But… I don't want to be let back in her life as a pity party. I want to get back in because she lets me. Because she wants to let me back in. And that'll be in her own time.

"I understand," said Garrett. "He's right. Nige, Bug… nothing to Jordan."

"And what about Lily?" said Bug.

"Tell her if you want…" said Woody. "But please… just not Jordan."

"WOODROW HOYT!" came a loud voice from the other end of the road. There stood a malicious Lily…

Not sure where this is going yet… suggestions welcome? Comments, too! I just wanted to post this chapter but I have no idea what's happening in the next one!