Sorry this took so long to get posted. Life has been really getting in the way of my writing lately and this turned out to be more complicated than I had originally planned. Please rate and review to let me know what you think. I do have more planned for the future, basically building off of the general story line I started and this one attempts to tie even the others together. I never intended for it to take this long. I hope you enjoy it!

Family Ties Part 2

1

On the coast of a small island in the Caribbean, Matt and C.J. walk hand in hand. The moon is full and after the last two weeks here, Matt knows this is their last night. They will have to return in the morning. To what, he still didn't know. All C.J. remembered from that day she almost jumped off the building was that her and Roy had just gotten to the penthouse when she got very sleepy. The next thing she knew Matt was cradling her in his arms after carrying her to the couch. With tears in his eyes he told her, after first asking what she remembered which was nothing, that they were taking an impromptu vacation.

She didn't have much time to ask him to explain because his mouth descended on hers and the emotion in his kiss caused her to lose focus on anything else she wanted to know. He had brushed back her hair that day and told her to pack a few things, which she did from what they had in the gym. They didn't even return to the beach house but flew straight to the airport. He told her any clothes she would need, they could buy when they arrived.

After getting to the larger island, buying those things, Matt took them both in a rented boat to a secluded island. C.J. hadn't asked many questions as that just seemed to alarm Matt for some reason. He clearly had a friend who more or less owned the island who told them no one would know they were there before handing Matt the keys. When C.J. did ask, all he said was, "Well...let's see the office find us here, huh? I want you all to myself for a little while." Then he kissed her passionately again.

For the next two weeks, the two did nothing but fish, relive old times back in Texas and in L.A., and make love. It seemed Matt's appetite was insatiable for at least two of those things. After putting this all off for as long as possible, he knew he had to tell her.

They kissed once more, now almost a full mile from the lovely little beach bungalow they had shared for those weeks. He brushed her hair back and said, "I love you so much, C.J."

She smiled, "I love you too, Matt. These last two weeks have been amazing." His hands ran down to her waist as he pulled her closer. They kissed again, going much slower but so incredibly intense.

He told her after breaking the kiss, "I know, for me too. I wish we could stay here forever." She smiled but didn't get that he truly meant that. He then told her after pulling her just a little closer, whispering almost into her hair, "I'd give anything to keep everything the way it is right in this moment."

C.J. exhaled and then told him, "Everyday it just gets better. I used to fantasize what it would be like if we were together, but I really had no idea."

Matt smiled and then took a deep breath, kissing her one more time on her forehead. "I had no idea either. I can't imagine my life without you. I mean it C.J., I can't..." His voice started to break a little.

That's when she knew something more was going on. C.J. knew Matt very well and knew when something was bothering him. Despite the love he had shown her on this trip, each act seemed laced with a sense of apprehension or anxiety or fear. She couldn't quite tell which it was and every time she asked, he hedged. She backed up just enough to look into his eyes, which even in the moonlight she could see were shining with tears.

She asked him, "Ok, Matt...its time to tell me. What's going on? What's hurting you? You can tell me...please." Her voice was soft and her hands softer as she put them to his cheeks.

He could see clearly how worried she was for him. How ironic, he thought to himself. "I told you about that case, the new one, remember?"

She nodded her head and said, "I remember, but I didn't think we really had a case anymore since we left. I know you haven't called anyone because there aren't phones out here. What's going on?"

Matt took a deep breath and put his hands softly on her shoulders, "I told you I was afraid that my friend..." He had to close his eyes for a second to keep from getting choked up again, "might have something from their past coming back to hurt them now."

C.J. nodded again but was still confused. She swallowed herself and tried to figure out where Matt was going with this. She asked, "Is it something from your past..." Then she caught herself and had a truly terrifying thought, "Is it the man who kidnapped you? Did he have relatives? Or is it the Magician, that Peter Delaney, the one who played with your mind and tried to control you..."

Matt was shaking his head, "No, honey, no...I'm not the one...what I mean is..." He took another deep breath and looked her carefully in her eyes when he said, "that friend is you."

C.J. blinked and asked rather confused, "Me? Matt what are you talking about?"

Matt then told her, still looking her in the eye, "I'm afraid that whatever it was you went through before you came to Texas, is coming back now and its going to hurt you all over again."

C.J. could see what looked like terror in Matt's eyes. But this was crazy, she thought, she didn't go through anything. I mean she lost her parents and that would hurt any child, but Matt was making it seem like she encountered some kind of trauma. Granted she didn't really remember much from those early years, but surely this wasn't anything to scare Matt the way it was. So she decided to try to ally his fears, "Matt, sweetheart, listen, I didn't go through anything that should scare you. I lost my parents I know, and yes..." She had to swallow hard, "yes that would hurt any child, but..." she had to take a deep breath for some reason, "I've moved on. I met you and we have this wonderful life together. There's nothing to be that worried about, really."

She smiled at him and he faked a smile back, drawing her back into his arms for another moment. He told her, "What if I do a little research, find out what I can about your parents and your life before Texas. Would that bother you?"

He hadn't pulled back yet and basically was talking into her hair. She responded, "Matt I don't see what delving into ancient history is going to do, but if you want to, I won't try to stop you." She pulled back and then told him, "You know I have been thinking about researching it on my own just to learn what I can." She smiled then and pulled back further, "You know my father was a lawyer. I've often wondered how alike we are. You know, whether or not we handled cases the same way or took the same approach to our closing arguments. I hope he'd be proud of me."

Matt brushed her hair back again and told her, "I know he would be, as well as I know anything, C.J." He ran his hand through her hair as they looked each other in the eye, "I wish I could have met him, you know, to make sure I passed his standards."

She chuckled as did he, "I'm sure my father would have approved. He only wanted me to have the best. Both my parents..." she had to swallow again, "I know loved me, very, very much. That I know." She smiled at him again and he took her in his arms. After another minute of just holding her they made their way back to the bungalow where the two spent over two hours making love, the first time that night, that is.

The next morning, C.J. woke first. Matt had to have been completely wiped out after their last time. It seemed as though he just didn't want the night to end and she didn't either. Now, however, the sun was telling them it was over and time to head back.

C.J. suddenly felt this overwhelming sense of dread. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was telling her she wasn't going back to the life she had before she left. She got up and looked out the open window for a second. The ocean breeze blowing her hair back, the smell of the ocean and the sound of the birds awakening all of her senses. She closed her eyes and just took everything in.

Before she knew it, Matt was standing behind her. His arms had slipped around her waist and his mustache was working its way around her neck. One hand slipped up and started massaging her. She leaned back into his arms again and let him lead her back to the bed.

An hour later they lay with a sheet tucked between the two of them. She was laying on her back and he on his side, facing her. His hands lightly played with the hair framing her face. He told her softly, "I guess at some point here in the next hour, we are going to have to get up and get dressed."

Her eyes, still closed, she smiled and murmured, "Umhum"

He smiled and then said, still softly, "I take it you don't feel like rushing to go get ready now, do you?"

She smiled, chuckled and opened her eyes, "Not exactly, no. I think I could stay in this bed with you all day long again."

He nodded, "Just like we did Tuesday, huh?"

She nodded, "Umhum."

He leaned down and kissed her again. After sighing he told her, "We have to take off the jet by noon or we lose our runway time and flight plan."

C.J. smiled at him and said, "I know, I know. We've been gone so long...I really do want to check on Murray and make sure he's ok. I know he says he's ok, but...well..."

Matt nodded and told her, "I know, me too. Come on..." He sat up and helped her up, "I'll start the coffee and you start the shower. We'll hit a market on the big island before we take off and pick up some more supplies."

They did just that. In no time they were packed and ready to go. While C.J. bought some fruit for the jet, Matt checked in with the airport. After checking the flight plan and making sure the jet had fuel, he called the penthouse.

After getting through Chris, he got his uncle. "Uncle Roy, what have you found out?"

Roy answered, "Well, I ran a check on that 45 you found. It was registered to Daniel Parsons, C.J.'s father. According to Baby he bought it just two weeks before he died and it was reported missing the day he died."

Matt processed this, "So C.J. most likely took her father's gun. Why? I still don't understand why she took it and hid it. Other than her wanting to hang on to something that belonged to her father. I doubt Floyd would have let her just keep that in her room she was only 9, maybe she hid it just to have it, a reminder maybe."

Roy then told him, "Well, there's more. Daniel Parsons died of a gunshot wound to the head, shot from behind."

Matt could hear his uncle take a deep breath and that caused Matt to close his eyes for a second, "He was murdered. I thought maybe he died of a heart attack or something like that."

Roy then told him, "No, he was murdered, execution style. Matlock, Floyd was protecting someone who witnessed a murder, actually..." He really didn't want to divulge that the person protected by Floyd had witnessed two murders, not one. This just all seemed too horrible for her. He was trying to rationalize some other scenario. "Well...I'm just wondering now if maybe her father witnessed something that got him executed that way and C.J. was put under witness protection because of her connection to him. I mean that makes sense, more than...well...anything else, right?" It wasn't out of the realm of possibility and sometimes it didn't hurt to think outside the box.

Matt shook his head, he knew his uncle was starting to uncover one ugly past and was probably in denial like Matt had been about it. "Uncle Roy, you and I both know that what makes more sense is that C.J. was put under witness protection because she witnessed her own father's murder." Matt could just hit something. He closed his eyes, this was the last thing he was expecting. He knew she probably saw something horrific, but something like this? Seeing your own father murdered in such a brutal way?

Roy didn't say anything right away and for almost an entire minute there was nothing but silence. He broke that saying, "We still don't know that. We need more information before we think the worst."

Matt's thoughts were broken by his wife walking across the parking lot. He told him, "Look, Uncle Roy, C.J. and I are heading back today. We'll be in, in a few hours. Pull up everything you can on who Daniel Parsons had as a client before he died. Maybe I can retrace things and figure out who is coming after C.J. now."

Roy told him he was working on it and to be careful. C.J. smiled at him as she went in eating a mango like an apple. She laughed as she tried to keep the juice from dribbling down her chin.

Matt walked up to her and said, "I guess you just couldn't wait until we got on the plane huh?"

She shook her head, mouth full and tried to get out, "No" but started laughing again.

He pulled her close and kissed her on the lips and only the lips. He could still taste the juice and said, "That's sweet."

She told him, "It is, isn't it?"

Matt then told her, "I wasn't talking about the mango." Now that she had swallowed he could kiss her properly, which he did.