Awwww, last chapter guys! It's been a fun ride, thanks for all the input. I'm currently brainstorming a new story, so look for it in the next few weeks. Grazie e Ciao!

They drove back to Woody's apartment in a comfortable silence. Jordan took advantage of the configuration of his classic car to slide over next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Woody thanked God for the thousandth time that he had given her one more chance. Swallowing his pride and opening himself up to her again was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. But now, with her leaning against him, he thought it was one of the most worthwhile choices he ever made. He placed a kiss on top of her head, inhaling the spiced perfume that was so uniquely Jordan.

Woody pulled the car into the parking garage of his building, and Jordan slid out of the car behind him on the driver's side. He took her hand and helped her out, bringing her face to face with him and placing an arm around her waist while he shut the door with his other hand. Jordan felt him pull her closer and looked into his sparkling eyes as he backed her against the car. She knew her mouth was frozen slightly open, expectantly spellbound by the look of desire in his eyes. She rested her hands against his chest, gripping his shirt slightly.

His face was inches from hers, his body pressing against her own. Jordan felt lightening shoot down her spine as he began to lightly kiss his way from her forehead to her eyes, her cheeks, and finally claiming her lips. All the while, his fingers deftly played at the hem of her shirt, making the skin at the base of her spine burn with each caress. He kept their kisses light, but his body told a different story. She slipped her hands around his waist in an effort to bring him as close as possible to her. After what seemed like an eternity, Woody broke away from her and buried his face in the curve of her neck. Jordan clung to him, her breathing significantly more labored than it was five minutes ago.

"God, all I wanted all day was to have you alone again," Woody said, his voice muffled a little.

"And now that you have me alone, Detective, what are your intentions?" Jordan smiled. Woody pulled back and laughed softly.

"Oh, I think you know what my intentions are," he said, stepping back and taking hold of her hand to lead her away from the garage. "But I can't very well do anything about it out here."

"Who says?" Jordan teased. Woody raised his eyebrows.

"Jordan Cavanaugh has an adventurous side," he grinned. She just smiled wickedly in response.

They made their way to Woody's apartment hand in hand, talking about nothing in particular. As they were walking up the stairs, Woody started talking about something to do with his car, but Jordan was only half listening. She kept staring at his face, alive once more with typical Woody enthusiasm. How had she managed to keep him at bay for so long? Well, she knew how. She just didn't want to admit that she was capable of it. Gripping his hand tighter as they neared the door, she reminded herself of the advice Garret had given her.

Woody let them into the apartment, tossing his keys onto the table after closing the door behind Jordan. He kissed her on her brow and said, "I'll get us something to drink."

"Okay. I'm gonna go put my things down," she told him as he went into the kitchen, turning to head towards the back of his place.

"You just want an excuse to check out my bedroom," he called after her, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"So what if I do?" she called back.

She heard him laugh briefly before walking out of the room. His room was exactly what she would expect from Woody. Minimal furniture, no fuss, but the amount of things that were in the room were creating a kind of organized chaos. She bit her lip, still feeling that this whole situation was somewhat surreal. The way Woody looked at her made her knees go weak. His touch effectively shut off her thought process to anything but him. Of course she had felt strongly for him before; but now that their relationship had officially taken that next step, she felt herself drowning in him. And for once, she was glad to be drowning with no chance of being pulled out.

Collecting herself, Jordan put her purse down on a small arm chair near the window and took her jacket off, placing it over her purse. She glanced over to the bureau and noticed a few framed pictures sitting atop the chest. Making her way over, she saw that the majority of them were group photos taken at the morgue or at the Pogue. One photo on the end caught her attention. It was a picture of a man and a woman and two boys. Jordan knew without question that the boys were Woody and Cal. There was no mistaking those blue eyes and those Hoyt dimples. She figured that the adults must be Woody's parents. He had inherited his father's strong build and bone structure, but the winning smile and bright eyes were solely his mother's. Picking the frame up to get a better look, she noticed something that had been stowed behind the frame.

Jordan froze, her heart leaping into her throat. There sat a familiar black velvet box, hidden but not forgotten. She just stared at it for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that it was sitting in his apartment. After a moment, she put the frame down again and tentatively reached out to pick the box up, almost afraid that it would shock her, or bite her, if she got too close. It didn't, though, and her fingers closed over it just as easily as the first time she had had it in her hands. Would he have held onto it? Jordan hesitated for only a second before deciding to flip the lid open.

Woody had opened a bottle of Merlot, placing it in a bowl of ice to chill it slightly before pouring a glass for Jordan and himself. When she didn't return from his room right away, he figured she was probably judging how much of a slob he was, preparing to give him a hard time about the state of his place. Several minutes went by, though, and he was starting to wonder what she was up to. Just as he was thinking of going after her, she reappeared from his room. Her eyes were wide and she looked up at him, questions written all over her face.

"Jordan, what…"

His voice trailed off when his eyes landed on the velvet box in her hand, the lid snapped back to reveal the glittering diamond ring he had bought for her. He felt his stomach drop, swallowing hard. It shouldn't be a big deal now, after all they had been through. They had reached the place he wanted them to be in without the use of that stupid ring, it shouldn't mean a damn thing. And yet, Woody was terrified that somehow that little piece of silver would send Jordan running out the door. Jordan walked slowly towards him.

"You kept it," she said quietly. "All this time, and you kept it?"

Her heart raced waiting for an answer. She could see Woody working for an explanation, anything to trivialize the fact that he had held onto this ring. Did he think she resented the fact that he had not returned it like he said he would? Or that she was angry at him for holding onto the hope of something more and yet telling her they were better off as friends, crushing her own hopes? She would not even know how to answer these questions if he asked her. Jordan felt all of it and none of it at once.

Woody panicked for a moment, and then realized it was pointless to try to play it safe. He hadn't spent the last week laying his heart on the table only to have to lie through his teeth again just to ease her qualms. He had no idea what she wanted. The only thing he was sure of was what he wanted.

"Yes, I kept it," he said, letting out a nervous breath. "I don't know, I guess…I guess I couldn't bring myself to return it because if I did, it would mean that it would be over. If I gave that ring back…then we would never happen. Because I would know I had no chance of ever placing it on your finger."

Woody finished talking, his jaw set solidly in his discomfort. Jordan listened to his confession, moved by the fact that he had never quite given up on her. In her heart, she had wanted to believe this to be true.

"I was ready to let you slip the ring on my finger that day," she said softly. Woody was not quite sure he had heard her correctly. "When you came back and told me we were better off as friends. I was ready to let you in."

"Oh God, I'm sorry Jo."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I pushed you away so much that you felt you had to push back," she said fervently as she walked closer to him. "I'm sorry for making you feel like what we had was insincere. I was just so scared…" her voice trailed off and she swallowed the lump that had developed in her throat.

Woody looked at her critically. He stepped nearer towards her, reaching out a hand to gently stroke her arm.

"What scared you, Jordan?" he asked gently. She took a deep breath and blinked away tears before answering him.

"My relationships have never been very lasting, Woody. Most of them were a string of 'love 'em and leave 'em' guys. They pursued me from the second they met me, and the moment they had me they lost interest. It was like a game to them." She looked into his eyes and caressed his face with her hand. "And then you came along…this charming, Midwestern Boy Scout who, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be following in their footsteps. But you were different. You stayed. And even though I was falling harder and harder for you, this voice in the back of my mind kept screaming that you would leave me if I let you get too close." Jordan paused to swipe at the tears that were escaping her eyes. "I promised myself long ago that I would never fall for anyone that hard…I guess that sorta backfired, huh?" she laughed nervously.

Jordan was practically shaking, feeling very bare standing before him like this. For a moment, she was afraid that he was going to be angry or cold towards her. Despite what she had told him the night before, the fear of loving was still inside her. She had just done an extremely good job of knocking it away when it came to loving him. It was true that she was no longer afraid of him leaving her, but it was hard to exorcise nearly twenty years of bad experiences with men. But she was going to do her damnedest to try. She met Woody's eyes, and before she knew it he had her in his arms giving her the comfort she needed.

"I'm not those other guys, Jordan," he told her gently, rubbing her back soothingly. "There's no way I'm letting you go, you know that."

"I know," she sighed shakily. "I just hated realizing this week that I had denied you because I couldn't get over my past."

"Everyone's entitled to their past. You wouldn't be the person you are today if it weren't for your past. And I wouldn't want you to change for the world," Woody said, pulling back to look into her face. She smiled at him, her eyes shining a warm golden brown.

"So what about this?" she asked, bringing her hand up between them and holding the box open.

"What about this?"

"Don't play games with me, Hoyt," she said half seriously, poking him in the ribs. He jumped a little and rubbed his side. Then he took the box and removed the ring. It glistened in the light. Jordan could only imagine him making one decision here. She just prayed she was right.

"Well, Jordan, I don't want to move to fast," he began as he looked back to her eyes. "But I can't buy giving this to you as a 'friendship ring.' So how about meeting halfway…a promise ring?"

Jordan looked from the ring to him and smiled happily. She felt like her heart was going a million miles a second as Woody slipped the ring onto her right hand, kissing the spot before dropping his hands to her waist. He hooked his fingers into the belt loops on her jeans, tugging her nearer to him. Lowering his lips to hers, he gently pried her mouth open to deepen the kiss right away. Jordan laced her hands at the base of his neck, drawing him closer. She felt his hands sliding along her hips, tracing the waistline of her jeans. When she gasped blissfully at his touch, Woody decided it was time to take things elsewhere.

He guided her towards the bedroom, pieces of their clothing being shed along the way. He laid her down on the bed and loved her just as passionately and thoroughly as he had done the night before. And yet, it was so different in many ways. Jordan knew their relationship had morphed into something permanent, unyielding. And she loved him beyond belief for giving her that.

Some time later, they lay in the dark, Jordan tucked against Woody with his arms once again wrapped possessively around her. The moon shone down on the bed, casting their bodies into a luminescent glow. Woody held one of her hands in his, and they both watched the affect of the moonlight on their entwined fingers.

"Can I ask you something?" he said quietly.

"Sure."

"If I had just grabbed you and kissed you at some point in the last four years, would you have gone with it? I mean really gone with it?"

"Probably," Jordan said. She thought back momentarily on how many times she had wanted him to do just that. "Can I ask you something?"

"Mhmm."

"Would you have felt this strongly if you did? Say, three years ago?"

Woody was quiet for a moment. "I sure as hell hope so," he answered. "But there's something to be said for waiting as long as we did. Knowing you for four years made me realize something I probably wouldn't have at the beginning."

"And what is that?"

"I found the love of my life the day I met you."