Matlock Houston groaned slightly as he tried to open his eyes and wriggle slightly, groaning again as his muscles objected to even the slightest movement. He blinked rapidly puzzled as to the grainy feeling on his eyelids, until he realised he was face down on his office sofa. Sighing in annoyance he tried to turn in order to stand up, yelling in surprise when instead of turning he fell to the floor with a hard thump, his head narrowly missing the table, his feet still somehow draped on the back of the furniture. As he turned to look and figure it out he gradually realised not only had he been face down on the sofa, but he had must have pitched over the back of it, his feet resting on the corner table, the smashed lamp nearby telling how elegantly he must have come to rest! "Dammit!" he muttered, slowly sitting up and instantly bringing both hands to his head as if he could somehow block the explosions going off inside.
He went to slide back onto the sofa, trying to curl into a ball, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. He opened one eye and winced, not impressed when he heard a soft chuckle. "C'mon cowboy, I brought you two aspirin and a hair of the dog that bit ya….though from the smell of you it was the whole pack that took a bite…phewee Houston!"
"Go 'way CJ, leave me alone, don't want nuthin, just lemme sleep!" he grumbled
"Sleep! Houston, it's 3pm! You've slept most of the day! Chris has had to cancel three big appointments, one for the second time!" She sighed and put her hand on his shoulder
"Then you shudda covered for me, that's your job isn't it?! It's what I pay you for!" he snapped back, shrugging her hand of him and turning further away
CJ shook her head and bit back her initial reply, instead she quietly said. "I had my own meetings to take, the ones that you should have been in LAST week…and no Houston, no it isn't…and I'm tired of covering for you. CHRIS is tired of covering for you! She is your PA not your bodyguard! I had to persuade her not to quit today! I sent her home early to keep her calm and let her take tomorrow off as well, after all it's Christmas Eve!"
Houston huffed and wriggled further away from CJ muttering. "Maybe you should let her quit if she don't appreciate how well I treat her…secretaries are a dime a dozen! Besides she isn't doing it from the kindness of her heart…she was doing it for some fat Christmas Bonus she was expecting, well ha! And keep it down CJ, I don't feel too good!"
"No kidding! Which bar did you drink dry last night huh? Can't be Dillons on account of you getting barred from there on Friday…or McNeils, you got barred from there Wednesday…oh and the weekend before was a doozy…got barred from the Hilton, Driscos AND The Galleon…and to top it off I got a call at 4am to come and bail out your sorry ass!" CJ stopped and swallowed slightly to keep calm. "Today was supposed to be my day off Houston or did you forget? I was going Christmas shopping!"
"Don't remember!" was his muffled reply
Again she paused, pursing her lips slightly before adding "You said it was ok for me to have today off as you could manage the meetings on your own…your way of apologising for messing up the whole of my previous weekend plans by disappearing and leaving me to complete the Kitchiyachi merger alone…despite you promising to handle the last bit in person!"
"Forgot…but mergers are your job anyway!" he shot back, starting to get annoyed at the way she was nagging at him, it's not as if she didn't get paid well for her job, and if he chose to take off for a little unplanned R&R so what! He was entitled, after all, he worked hard enough didn't he? Probably more than CJ right? And wasn't the company called Houston Industries…not Houston and Parsons!
"I know you forgot Houston, it seems you forget a lot of things right now, especially when it hasn't got anything to do with you!" CJ stood up and Houston allowed himself a small smile thinking she had given up and was going to leave him alone, but he was wrong. CJ walked over to the bar and put the glass and two tablets down. She looked sadly at the photos hanging on the wall before turning to look back at him, she tossed her hair back and gave a brief nod before telling him. "Enough Houston. Enough! It is six months since Elizabeth left you, and I know how upset you were…are…but you've gone too far this time! You have slept with practically every woman in your little black book, started a new black book of woman you have met in bars and had one night stands with…hell you've even slept with the wives of two of your former best friends…you're out of control! At this rate you'll have to move out of LA cos there won't be a woman left that you haven't slept with yet!"
Houston sighed in annoyance and gingerly sat up, lowering his eyelids dangerously as he looked at her and sneered. "I can think of one I haven't! And so what CJ, what's it to do with you huh? Jealous cos you're not on the list yet…? If you gimme a few minutes to get ma balance back I could fit ya in right now if ya like!"
CJ grimaced as she took a step towards him. "What's happened to you Matt? When did you become so bitter, so selfish…so mean!"
"Mean!" he laughed. "Aw I'm sorry…would you rather I bought you dinner first? Oh wait…hang on a sec there…lemme see…I pay your wages, I gave you shares in the company…bought several dinners when you were that miserable I thought your face would crack…yeah, see…way I figure it now…YOU owe ME…not many bosses as generous as me, so how about you show me your…uh…appreciation!" He winked and rubbed his hands together
"Screw you Houston!" she hissed her eyes narrowing
"That's the plan darlin'! " he shot back
She held his gaze for several seconds before straightening her shoulders back and lifting her head high. "I believe I have several weeks vacation due, consider them my notice, my formal resignation will be on your desk first thing tomorrow, I'll clear my belongings out at the weekend, you won't be here I'm sure… !"
He gave a sharp laugh. "Wassup CJ, scared of the idea of sleeping with a real man?"
"No!" she replied softly as she stepped towards him, "disgusted at the idea of sleeping with a pathetic, selfish, angry, arrogant shell of a man!" She closed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry Houston, but I'm through…I can't stay here and watch you destroy yourself, I won't! I have tried to help, tried to be patient, tried to protect you…but instead of giving you time to heal all I seem to have done is given you free reign to behave like an insensitive buffoon!"
"Buffoon aye!" he gave a low whistle, "big words…Harvard education not wasted then hey Snow Queen!"
"Say what?"
"Snow Queen!" he repeated as he stood up and came to stand directly in front of her. "That's what we call you…well, one of the things we call you…too polite to repeat the others…daddy always did tell me to be polite to ladies! " he gave her a twisted smirk
She shook her head and whispered "Snow Queen"
He leaned into her face and sneered. "On account of you being frigid CJ!" He recoiled as her hand shot out and slapped him, the sound echoing around them, his face instantly pinking up
She glared at him before turning on her heels and walking to her office, he watched her through narrowed eyes as she walked back out, her coat and briefcase in hand, he watched as she headed to the elevator and calmly walked in. As the doors slid shut he yelled. "Fine go…who needs ya!" Muttering to himself, "Damn lawyers…dime a dozen…easily replaced!"
He walked over to the bar and looked at the glass she had put down, he grabbed it and downed the contents in one gulp, the pills he dropped in the sink as he reached to fill the glass again. He was topping it up for the third time, maybe the fourth, when he heard the elevator ping. "Decided to come back huh? Well too late…already decided to hire someone better looking…and more willin'"
He chuckled to himself, stopping when he heard his Uncles voice. "Well, find it hard to believe there are many people better looking than me…but more willin' to do what?"
"Wotcha doin' here old man huh?" Houston asked as he downed the latest drink and decided to just drink from the bottle, it was quicker
Roy watched as his nephew wobbled unsteadily across the room and flopped into the nearest seat. "I uh, came to pick you up, remember?"
Houston looked at his Uncle and shook his head as he shrugged, taking another swig of Scotch
Roy wrinkled his eyes as he said. "I was pickin' you up to go with you to Kathy Hoyts Carol Concert…you promised to go cos you missed her Thanksgiving play, and you also promised you'd go cos the concert is raising money for charity…you were planning on making a donation…remember now?"
"Uh…nooooo! But it figures it'd be summat sappy like that with you old man…always trying to be a do gooder…hah! Well I tell ya ROY…I don't wanna go and listen to a bunch of strangers kids singin' badly about crap like Joy to The World and Peace on Earth…I don't wanna be standing there smilin' like some idiot knowin' full well the only reason I got invited is cos the Hoyt kid sees me as some sorta walkin' cash machine!"
"Matlock! Kathy calls you her Uncle…she sees you as her daddies best friend, man who saved her life…that makes you family in a kids eyes!"
"Oooh and families are so special right Roy…reminds me…where exactly IS dear old cousin Will these days?" Houston chuckled as he raised the bottle in salute and took another swig
"Dontcha think you've had enough to drink boy?" Roy asked softly, his blue eyes awash with concern
Houston looked at him and deliberately took another long gulp, smacking his lips and belching slightly before giving a big grin. "Nope!"
Roy looked around the office and asked. "Where's CJ?"
"Who? Oh…CJ! My BEST friend, my loyal colleague and partner? I fired her! She was turning into such a bore. She kept telling me I drink too much, and then…well THEN Uncle Roy, she put the moves on me! Imagine my surprise! Worse still when I politely turned her down she was sobbin' and a wailin' all over the place! I mean Roy…she just had to go ya know!" Houston chuckled at Roys shocked look . "Yup, couldn't have her moonin' over me when I'm tryin' to work, wouldn't look…professional don't ya see!"
"I do see Matlock…I do indeed" Roy shook his head and turned to leave. "Good bye son" he said softly as he walked away
"You abandoning me to?" Houston called. "Well fine…go! I don't need you…I don't need Murray…I don't need Chris…I don't need anyone!" He turned and spotted a photograph of him and CJ and walked over to pick it up, bringing it up to his face he spat out "And I sure as hell don't need YOU CJ Parsons, no sirree…I don't need you at all!" He dropped the photo and bent to pick it up, losing his balance he pitched forward, catching the side of his head on the edge of the low table. He rolled on to his side and groaned, he looked up and groaned again as the room began to spin before everything went black
