DISCLAIMER: Crossing Jordan and all its characters are property of NBC. They are not mine and never will be.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first Crossing Jordan fanfic. I read that you wanted thing other than SVU (which I love), so this came to me. I hope you enjoy it. All feedback, bar flames, is welcome.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Run Faster
By KC
Jordan reached the rendezvous point a few minutes late. She knew Lilly would wait for her. They always went running of a Friday morning unless they had work, which they didn't. As Jordan slowed to a walk she looked around for her friend.
"Jordan!" Lilly ran up from behind.
"Looks likes I'm not the only one who slept in." Jordan smiled.
Lilly grinned in return. "For the first time in god knows how long."
"It's ok. I know how hard you work. You deserve to."
"Thank you. But I'm not the only one who works hard you know." Lilly gave Jordan the 'I know you' look.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get started." Jordan started to run.
Lilly ran a little faster to catch up. They then set into a steady pace. They ran for an hour just talking about whatever came up. They only discussed work now and again, but generally tried to avoid it. They both preferred to talk about each others interests, hobbies etc. They had few common interests but liked hearing the other talk about theirs. They were friends after all.
(knock knock)
"Jordan?" Lilly said as she opened the door to Jordan's office.
"Lilly, come on in." Jordan smiled up at Lilly from her cursed paperwork that Macy was making her catch up on.
"I was just wondering if we were still on for tonight." Lilly looked a little flushed but Jordan let it pass.
"Of course! As much as I love my dad's pub, a girl's night is always a welcome change."
Lilly smiled with relief. "Good. 7 ok?"
"7 would be great."
"Good. Well, ok, I'll see you then. Bye Jordan."
"Bye Lilly." Jordan looked after her friend who had closed the door behind.
Jordan had observed that Lilly had been acting a little strange after their run the previous day. Some guy had hit on Jordan at the coffee shop they stopped at. Jordan had brushed him off as she wasn't the slightest interested. But she couldn't help thinking that either Lilly liked the guy… or her…
Over the next few weeks Lilly had become increasing strange around Jordan, who wasn't the only one to notice. Bug and Macy did too. However, since Bug was Lilly's closest friend apart from Jordan, she had told him what was bothering her. Jordan got wind of this and decided to find out.
"Bug?"
"Hi Jordan." Bug didn't even look up from the microscope he was looking through. After a moment he looked beside him, wrote a few digits on a page then returned to his viewing.
When Jordan didn't say anything he finally looked at her. "What?"
"Grumpy aren't we…"
"I just… it doesn't matter. What do you want?"
"You ok?"
"Nothing I haven't dealt with before. What-do-you-want?" he emphasized.
"What's wrong with Lilly?" Jordan finally asked.
"Go ask her." Bug looked offended and Jordan didn't know what she had done. He went back to his equipment so she decided to leave it for now.
(knock knock)
Lilly looked at her front door. It was probably Bug coming to see how she was. She regretted telling him now. She knew it was a mistake. She stood from her couch, put the chocolate on the table in front of her and walked over to the door. She looked through the porthole.
"Jordan?" Lilly whispered to herself. "Shit!"
Lilly quickly looked herself over and checked her appearance. Hair-fine, eyes-puffy… clothes-so so… Ok, here goes Lilly opened the door to reveal Jordan holding her hand up, about to knock again.
"Hey."
"Hi…" Lilly stepped aside for Jordan to come in.
"Lilly, what's wrong? You've been acting weird around me for weeks. What have I done?" Jordan got straight to the point, something Lilly loved about her.
"Nothing. You've done nothing. It's not you… It's me."
"That is a cop out."
"What?" Lilly tried to deny it but she knew Jordan was right. She wouldn't have accepted that answer from Jordan.
Jordan just looked at Lilly in response. She knew Lilly better than to give an answer like that. Lilly spoke the truth, not a line in place of it. She just waited for Lilly to continue.
"Do you remember a few weeks ago we stopped off at that coffee shop that had just opened?" Lilly avoided eye contact and found something very interesting by her computer set up opposite the TV.
Jordan nodded but she realized that Lilly hadn't seen her. "Yes."
"Remember that guy hit on you?"
"Yes."
"Well… it made me realize something… something that I was hiding from you, and myself."
Jordan walked over to Lilly and took up her hand. "And what's that?"
Lilly looked up at Jordan. "I was jealous. Not of him asking you out, but because he could, just as I wish I could."
Jordan didn't recoil in disgust as Lilly had feared. She simply stood there and looked at Lilly with concern, compassion and understanding. Suddenly Lilly realized her mistake. She forgot that this was Jordan, who didn't shy from something different, she studied it. Jordan was her friend.
"Why didn't you tell me how you felt?" Jordan tone was soft.
"I was afraid you'd run."
Jordan smiled. Running was typical of her after all. "I won't run from you Lilly."
"You usually run. I was afraid you'd run faster because it was me." Lilly looked down.
Jordan's hand lifted to Lilly chin and gently glided her head up to restore eye contact. "You are the reason I'm not running. Do you want to know the reason I didn't take him up on the offer?"
Lilly looked confused for a moment then spoke. "Why?"
"Because he wasn't you, because it wasn't you who had asked. You're not the only one who's been hiding how they feel."
Realization of what Jordan was saying hit Lilly. "You mean…?"
Jordan nodded.
"And you…"
"Yes, I do."
A tear fell down Lilly's cheek. She had been holding back, but was now overwhelmed by emotions. Jordan let go of Lilly's chin and wiped the tear away tenderly.
Lilly giggled and smiled shyly. "Wanna go out with me some time?"
Jordan smiled. "I'd love to."
The End