Season 3 Re-Write

Here's a new story where I'll be taking liberties with the episodes from Season 3. Some of the dialogue has been kept and some has been changed to make it into an account of what I think should have happened during the last season.

Chapter 1: Wanted Man

The last time CJ Parsons saw her best friend and business partner Matt Houston was when he was being tackled by two of L.A.'s finest in the hallway of Los Angles Memorial's emergency room. He had jeopardized his freedom to save her even though the wound, as she thought, hadn't been that bad. She tried to not make a big deal out of it, but he insisted on taking her straight to the hospital instead of attaining the evidence that would have cleared his name.

Then Hoyt told her that Matt had "escaped" and was on the run.

Now she was more worried than ever about him, with a lot of time on her hands and nothing much to do except think about the moment she confessed something she never said to him before: that she loved him. Did she only say it because she thought she might never see him again? Did she love him as a friend or something more? He didn't respond afterwards and there could have been a lot of reasons. Maybe it was because he was caught off-guard and in their time of desperation, didn't know what to say. If he did say something in their next conversation about it, well then maybe ... nah. She didn't want to get her hopes up, and there was no need to press him for an answer as to his feelings for her - he had enough on his mind right now. If he asks her about it later, she'll just play it cool. She'll just tell him she meant she loved him as a friend because he had been through so much lately and needed her support more than ever. Yep, the more she thought about it, best friend was the way to go.

Matt knew CJ wouldn't be sitting at home, recovering from her wound, resting on her laurels like the doctors instructed. She'd be back at the office as soon as she could. For several reasons he really needed to talk to her.

"CJ - it's him," said Chris out of the blue one day.

She couldn't pick the phone up fast enough. "Houston, where are you?"

"You know I can't tell you that counselor. It would make you an accessory after the fact."

"I just talked to Hoyt. You're a wanted man, pal. The FBI has people looking for you in every state of the union. Houston, I'm scared. Why don't turn yourself in before some trigger-happy cop nails you?"

"I would never be able to prove myself innocent behind bars."

Of course he would say that.

"What are you going to do?"

"Find the man who likes playing games with people's minds."

"Alone?"

"I'm hoping that I can get to my Uncle Roy. He lives in Tucson and he has connections with people who might be able to help me."

She fell silent for a few seconds and he wondered if something else was wrong.

"CJ?"

"About your Uncle Roy..."

"What happened? Is he alright?"

"I didn't want to tell you even more bad news, but he called yesterday and ... well ... your Aunt Flo died. I'm sorry, Houston."

Now he was the one who was silent.

"Oh, I've definitely got to see him, CJ. I'm all the family he's got left now."

"I'm really worried about you."

"I'll be fine, CJ. I'm not the one recovering from a bullet wound."

He heard silence again on the other end of the phone and wondered if she took his concern the wrong way. Did she still feel that if she hadn't gotten hit, well, then he wouldn't be in this absurd predicament in the first place?

"CJ, none of this is your fault. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," she responded unconvincingly.

"No, CJ, I mean it. Please, tell me that you do not feel guilty whatsoever for getting wounded. This is not your fault! Someone else is to blame for this mess. Do you hear me?"

The passion in his voice moved her.

"Yes but I really wished you had gone back and gotten those files!"

"Well, I didn't. I was a klutz. My priority was getting us both out of there alive, and anyway, you're crazy to think I'd ever intentionally risk losing you."

"Yeah, but it really hurts to see what you're going through."

"I know. But I still think my freedom was worth your life."

"Your three minutes are up, sir."

"Houston ..." she started, then stopped, too emotional to continue.

He knew what she wanted to say.

"Yeah, I know, CJ. You take care, alright?"

She gripped the phone for a moment wondering if she would ever hear his voice again.

One day, almost a week later, CJ and Chris were returning from lunch when CJ noticed something was amiss in the office.

"What's wrong?"

"Chris, I didn't leave Baby on. Better call security."

About to do just that, a familiar voice ascending from the stairs stunned both of them.

"Security could be a bit of a problem for a man on the run."

It was him! Matt was here! He was actually here!

"Houston!" CJ exclaimed as she ran into his arms. When they released, he framed her face lovingly as she gently grilled him. "You have no idea how good it is to see you, but what are you doing here? What about the police?"

"I had to come ... I needed Baby," he said, taking her hands in his. "It's a little hard to gather information when you're on the run."

She was a sight for sore eyes and it was true he needed Baby, but he also needed to see this woman. This woman who could help him better than anyone.

"CJ, the key to my freedom is Winchester Street. It's not a street at all, it's a code."

"A code?"

"The man we're after fancies himself a master of illusion, calls himself 'The Magician'. Winchester Street is where we thought it was all along."

"Hawaii," said Chris.

"And the building you were kept after you were kidnapped those thirty days belongs to a Hawaiian corporation. A shell within a shell."

"Another illusion!"

"We break the code, we find out what Winchester Street really means, we find the man that framed me... find out who really killed Veronica. Masters or me."

CJ knew she had her work cut out for her and immediately set plans in motion.

"Chris, I need you to make a lot of phone calls, cancel everything we've got for the next couple of days."

"You got it."

He took her hands in his again.

"CJ, I gotta go. I'm still a wanted man and Uncle Roy is at the airport and I'm sure he has our plane tickets by now."

Emotions got in the way of her speech again and it took a moment to muster up the strength to say what she wanted to say. No, this wasn't a good time to remind him she loved him - he had enough on his mind. But she did want him know she cared and was going to miss him.

"When am I going to see you again?"

"When you break the code. I'll be staying at this little hotel in Honalulu called The Orchid …"

"...I'll be there."

It was an opportune time to tell her he loved her but with so much at risk, he couldn't bring himself to actually say those three little words right now.

"Missed you," he said instead as he placed his hand on her chin and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

Matt and Roy arrived in Hawaii and checked into The Orchid where Matt finally had a chance to rest for a bit. But, restful sleep proved to be short-lived. He had another one of his flashbacks and woke up, sweating profusely. When he opened his eyes, he discovered his uncle was sitting nearby... smiling.

"Mattlock – we've got company."

It was CJ... smiling. This had to be good news!

"I warned you I brought some friends along. At least they insisted on coming."

From behind her Michael Hoyt walked in the room.

"Hoyt, haven't I got you in enough trouble already?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Just had a little vacation time, thought I'd spend it in the islands."

"I hope you know what you're getting into."

Another voice answered.

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea. See, being a C.P.A., I calculate the odds to be twenty to one that any of us get out of this alive."

"Murray, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I always thought that every cavalry charge should have a Jewish kid in it somewhere."

"Thanks for coming fellas," he said as he smiled and embraced them both.

CJ shared the news they had been waiting to hear: "Houston, we broke the code. We know where the house on Winchester Street is."

Matt, Murray, Roy, Hoyt and CJ stormed the compound and took Truman Masters alive. They found the files that proved Matt's innocence, and after spending a great deal of time talking with police contacts that their old friend Vince Novelli had arranged, Matt's name was finally cleared.

When they arrived back at the hotel, Matt and CJ took advantage of the beautiful island weather and took a walk along the shoreline. She really thought he'd be in a great mood after getting his name cleared, but he seemed quite somber. Perhaps it was exhaustion.

"Something on your mind, Houston?"

"Yeah."

"You're free."

"Yeah I know but ..."

"But..."

"I've been having a lot of nightmares. Sometimes ... sometimes I'm afraid to close my eyes, fall asleep. In the moments just before I wake up, they visit me, terrify me."

"Well, it's understandable with everything you've been through. It'll probably take some time, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"All you have to do is call me, anytime day or night if you want to talk."

Her advice and offer hit home with him for several reasons.

"Thank you. You know, I could have never cleared my name and regained my freedom if it wasn't for your help. You've been a rock for me. I just want you to know how much I appreciate having you in my life."

CJ was really sensing a new closeness to Matt but her head told her not to go there. He still hadn't mentioned the "I love you" confession. Over the past years whenever she felt like they were getting closer, he'd always find some excuse to push her away. Okay, the same was probably true about her, but this time she was seeing someone else, whom she was starting to grow very fond of.

Robert Tyler - an old friend of theirs had called when he moved to L.A. a few months ago during the time Matt was missing. He was one of the few to support CJ's hope that Matt was still alive. She was looking forward to pursuing this new love interest to see where it would lead. She didn't really want to become too close, too reliant on someone so the fact that she only liked Robert was fine with her. Chances were slim that if she only liked a man, she couldn't get hurt. She had learned the hard way that loving a man meant losing a man. It happened with her father and it happened with Carl. She already knew she liked Matt too much. She decided a long time ago that she'd rather have him as a friend than suffer the tragedy of losing him. She couldn't bear that.

They started back to the hotel.

"I've asked Uncle Roy to come back to L.A. with us. He's been so lonely since Aunt Flo died."

"Oh?"

"He could help us with a case from time to time. I think we'd all make a great team together. I hope you don't mind?"

"Mind? Not at all! I think it'll be great having another Houston around." Maybe I'll actually have time for a social life!

Matt was thinking about that night in the warehouse when she said she loved him. She took him by surprise and he didn't know what to say. He had plenty of time to think about it, though ... and plenty of time to answer her. He did love her but venturing down that road would be a huge risk to their friendship and working relationship.

Being a friend to her was easy. Being more than a friend ... Of course if she stopped seeing old whats-his-face and wanted to talk... nah, no need to go there. No need to rock any boats. CJ could use a nice, stable man in her life. In the meantime they should just remain friends. That's what has always worked. Matt 's life was too crazy and too risky for a serious committed relationship anyway.

Arriving outside his hotel room door, he thought about kissing her again, but looked at his watch instead. "Well, I guess I really should go …"

"You have sweet dreams, okay? I mean it. I hope your nightmares go away real soon."

If I'm dreaming of you I know they will.

"Thank you. Goodnight, CJ," he said as he stroked her cheek.

Matt entered his room and laid down on the bed, relieved that the long ordeal was finally over and that he was free. If only CJ was free…