CJ was tired. The unexpected welcome home party had become an unexpected engagement party, and whilst she knew spontaneity and fun were all part of Houstons charm, and she was normally more than capable of keeping pace with him, the last few weeks had been more draining than she could explain. She smiled as she glanced around the crowded terrace at her friends, the music playing softly in the background, the mixed laughter and raised voices blending with the champagne corks popping and the clink of glasses. Less than five days ago CJ had been struggling through a humid jungle, dirty and in pain, four water bottles strung around her shoulder and a small penknife to catch local wildlife as her only hope of keeping herself and a handful of fellow survivors alive, now here she was, penthouse terrace in the City of Angels, waiters in crisp white jackets serving plates of expensive hors d'ouvres, Mama Novellis famous Lasagne and Pizza made with love especially for tonights celebration, chilled champagne flowing freely and beer chilling in vast ice filled silver tubs.

It was heaven to be home, she thought, but the party had been going on for hours now and showed no sign of stopping! She had landed back in LA a little after 5pm, and as promised she had gone straight to County Hospital to be checked over again, then Houston had asked if they could stop at the office to say hi to Chris, something CJ couldn't resist. Her friend had unexpectedly helped CJ change into the slinky white dress she now wore, and then left quietly, allowing Houston and CJ to be alone, or so CJ had thought! Houston had surprised her by asking her to marry him, his second time of asking but the only one CJ had taken seriously, she had said yes, and before she could say anything else Houston had yelled out "she said yes!" and her friends had appeared from nowhere. The next few hours had been a blur of tearful welcome homes, hearty hugs (that had CJ wincing a bit as she had a few stitches under that slinky dress!), a few speeches and plenty of loving good natured teasing about her new love life. Houston had held her hand throughout, only leaving her side for a few minutes at a time, always coming back with another drink or some food for her, or another friend to say hello to! Oh yes, heaven to be back, but CJ was tired.

Roy was stood chatting to Murray, the man spoke so quickly Roy had trouble following him at the best of times, but he wasn't concentrating at all tonight. No, Roy was watching CJ, and had been all night. He couldn't help it! He had flown with Houston to the Bahamas when the call had come through that an RAF jet had spotted wreckage on a small island, the Bahamian Coastguard had sent their own scout plane, and confirmed from the size of the crash site that it could only be the plane CJ had been travelling on. When his nephew got that call Roy had watched the light come back on in the eyes of the boy he had come to see as his second son. Hope, for the first time in weeks , Houston had hope. They didn't know if there were survivors, the island was remote, covered in wild jungle and dense foliage, a full rescue party was yet to be sent. Houston was determined to be part of it, and Roy was determined to go with him, just in case they found..well, they found the worst. Novelli and Hoyt had gone to, going out in the rescue helicopter and trekking in to the dense jungle with Houston, partly to help their friend and partly as determined to find CJ as Houston was. Although he had been relegated to waiting at the hotel for news Roy had kept busy, keeping the anxious friends back in LA up to date, making discreet enquiries about flying CJ home if she was, more than injured! Houston had refused to even discuss that possibility on the flight out, and Roy was worried about what would happen if Houston came back empty handed or with CJs lifeless body, he had barely coped since CJ had gone missing, if his worse nightmares came true it would destroy him, so Roy was preparing for that to. Instead the call had come through, three simple words that had made Roy cry like a baby. "Found her. Alive" Hoyt had radioed it in, Houston refusing to let go of CJ long enough to use the radio apparently, and his uncle had barely seen Houston leave CJs side from the moment they had landed the rescue chopper to right here in the safety of the penthouse. And Roy knew how he felt, the joy he had felt on seeing CJ being lifted so tenderly out of the chopper, of seeing her sitting up in a hospital bed tucking into a plate of ham and eggs, holding her hand as they flew home to LA, it all seemed like a dream to him, one that just kept getting better as Houston had shown him the engagement ring he was going to give CJ that night. So yeah, Roy was watching CJ, just to make sure it was all real!

He was watching her so close he saw her eyes were closing, her head drooped forward a little, he saw her jump as a cork popped behind her, nearly tipping the plate she had balanced on her knee onto the floor. He smiled to himself and patted Murray on the shoulder. "That's great son, just great. Keep up the good work now!"

"Bu..but, I was telling you my girlfriend is cheating on me!" Murray stammered as he watched Roy stride over to Houston.

Houston smiled as his uncle came up to lean on the railing behind him. "You ok son?" he asked softly

"Just fine Uncle Roy, in fact, never been better!" Houston gave a small wink and took a swig from his bottle of beer.

"Well good, yeah, that's good. But uh, ya know, maybe it's time you started to see if these good folks should be packin' up an' movin' on, cos I think the guest of honour is plum tuckered out there!"

"Yeah, I'd noticed Roy, and I kinda spread the word ya know. CJ would get upset if they all upped an' moved on at once, she wouldn't want them to think she couldn't take the pace"

"Spread the word?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got Vince and Mama to start saying they should leave, make out like I want some alone time with CJ, which is true, but ya know..be discreet about it, make it seem like it's their own idea kinda thing"

Roy looked over at a sudden commotion by the doors leading from the terrace back into the office. A group of their well dressed friends seemed to be pushing together and forcibly moving towards the exit. In the middle of the commotion he could just make out a small lady with a tall hairdo' "Now go home! My CJ need her rest. Now go, shoo..shoo! Move it, move. PARTY, IT IS OVER!"

"Discreet huh?" Roy snickered

Houston sighed and shook his head a fraction. "Trust me Uncle Roy, for Rosa Novelli, that IS discreet" He glanced over to where CJ was sitting. "D'ya think she noticed?

Roy followed his gaze and saw CJ smirking behind her hand. "Nah..she didn't notice a thing!" With that he stood up straight and patted his nephew on the back. "Think I'll be going before your bouncer throws me out to! You take care of our girl huh? "

"Sure thing Uncle Roy, count on it!"

The older mans eyes twinkled as he chuckled and hugged his nephew before walking over to CJ. Houston watched as Roy bent down and kissed her on both cheeks before taking her left hand in his and holding it tight. He couldn't make out what was being said, but he saw CJ blush slightly and felt his own stomach muscles knot at the smile that spread across her face. He watched as Roy gently touched her face before turning to wave at his nephew and make his way out. CJ looked up and saw Houston watching her, her eyes sparkled and the slow smile he loved so damn much parted her lips and forced the air out of his lungs. He felt like he was floating as he walked across the terrace to her.

"Hey cowboy," she purred as he crouched in front of her and looked her straight in the eye.

"Hey yourself li'l lady"

She glanced around and smiled again. "Party seems to be over! Summin' I said?"

"No. Somethin' you did!"

She cocked an eyebrow at him quizzically and he sighed as he moved to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Most people don't nod off at their engagement party" he whispered in her ear

"Ah. You noticed. Sorry!" . She reached up to stroke his arm, resteing her head in the crook of his elbow at the same time.

"Don't be, my fault. Didn't think, should have given you some time to rest before springin' all this on ya..."

"No Houston, it was a lovely idea..."

"But a little crazy, and way too much huh?" Houston finished before standing up and walking back to face her. "C'mon Cinderella, let's take you home"

CJ giggled with delight as Houston swept her up in his arms and started to carry her towards the elevator. "Oh, ya know what Houston, maybe we should tidy up a little before we go"

"Nope, cleanin' crew comin' in later"

"Oh, my crutches..they're back by the table!"

"Don't need 'em, gonna carry you home!"

"Gonna carry me all tomorrow to? "

"Yup"

"ALL day Houston?" They were nearly at the elevator now when CJ whispered something in his ear, she felt him hesitate before adding, "I love you big guy but every girl needs a little privacy!"

She laughed as he turned and headed back, squeaking in mock fright as he nearly dropped her when he bent to pick up the crutches, laughing again as he smacked himself in the eye as he tried to carry them as well as her. "Gimme them hero!" she chuckled as she took them from him, making him laugh as she used them to push the button in the elevator, he knew she could have just leaned forward a little, she just was too damn cosy in his arms, and he wasn't objecting!

The limmo eased to a halt in front of CJs house, the driver got out and walked around to open the door smiling as he peeked in and saw both of his passengers were fast asleep. Everyone who worked for Houston Industries were made to feel like part of a family, with the guy himself and CJ Parsons as the big brother and sister of the clan, to see them looking so vulnerable , and knowing that they trusted him enough to relax, well it made him feel ten feet tall, and even more protective of his boss than ever before. He was torn, they looked so comfy, and he had nowhere else to go..so he could park right here in the drive, leave them in peace, he could sleep the front of the car, keep an eye on them. He was just about to close the door to when he noticed Houstons eyes flicker open. "You're here boss. Need a hand with her?"

Houston gave a quick smile but shook his head. "No, thanks Tim. I got her. Could you get the door for me though? Oh, and these darn things" He passed Tim the crutches and a bunch of keys , then in one easy move swept CJ tighter to him and stepped out of the car. Tim had the door open and the lights on by the time he had carried her up the pathway, he walked down the small corridor and switched more lights on before coming back and putting the keys down on the table. "Need anything else boss?"

"I'l l take it from here Tim, but thanks!"

"Yeah, thanks Tim"

Both men looked at each other in surprise as they heard the soft murmur from CJ

"No problem Miss Parsons!" Tim said with a grin, "oh, we're real glad to have you home. Everybody is..and I know how excited they'll all be to hear tonights news. OH, oh yeah..congratulations!" He enthusiastically started to shake Houstons hand, caught the look in his boss' eye and sheepishly backed towards the door. "'Night sir, night Miss Parsons..congrats again" And with a click of the door lock he was gone.

"Alone at last" Houston whispered as he kissed the top of CJs head.

"Mmmmm" she stretched in his arms and muttered, "wanna put me down now pardner?"

"Nope!"

She giggled as he made a show of carrying her into her bedroom and with a great flourish dropped her onto her bed. She laughed out loud as he promptly tripped over the crutches Tim had left lying on the floor and came crashing down on to his backside. Turning onto her side she found herself staring straight into his eyes, the look he was giving her took her breath away, the smile on her face softened as she reached out to stroke his cheek. Suddenly she became shy, he saw the change and took her hand in his. "What is it CJ?" he asked softly

She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully before quietly saying, "I want you Houston, I want you more than even I know! But..but can we wait..just a little while?" She smiled again as he kissed the palm of her hand and carried on. "Our first time together Houston, I want it to be special..."

"It will be darlin'"

She blushed before whispering " I want the oohs and ahs to be ones of joy, not pain cos you hit my stitches, I want to able to dance with you and seduce you before walking hand in hand to bed with you...I want to be your equal! I don't want it to be like this..my body is like a patchwork quilt, with painkillers and antibiotics holding me together! And I can barely keep my eyes open so I don't exactly feel energetic.. it seems as if neither of us can keep on our own two feet right now, let alone dance the light fantastic..so..Houston.."

She stopped as he leant forward and kissed her softly, kissed both her cheeks then sat on the bed next to her. "Then we wait CJ, we wait 'til you're ready. Hey, I love you ok? I asked you to marry me cos I need you in my life, because you ARE my life! Now I know..I KNOW CJ, that when we do this it'll be amazing, just like everything we do together, just like everything you do. So I can wait, for as long as it takes, cos you're right, it should be special"

CJ smiled, then with a twinkle of mischief said "It would be real special if we waited until our wedding night!"

"Well, yup..yup it would. But if that was the case CJ, I would be firing up the jet and flying you to Vegas tomorrow" His stomach flipped at her low throaty chuckle, and he wondered if she knew he was only half joking. To distract they way his mind was going he looked at her and wiggled his eyebrows "C'mon, I'll get you outta that gown and into you PJs"

"Down cowboy, I can manage!" She gave him a slow smile and whispered goodnight as he mouthed okay, kissed her again and made his way next door to the spare room. She was balancing on the edge of the bed half in her PJs when she heard the shower start running..and a quick yelp from the spare bathroom.

Houston had spent the night tossing and turning, the cold shower he'd had before trying to sleep had helped, but every time he nodded off the dreams came, good dreams that had him waking with a desperate need to break his word to the woman next door, and bad dreams that had him walking to her door way to check she really was there. He woke to when he could hear CJ, her nightmares more upsetting to him than his own. Finally as the first shreds of dawn broke through Houston decided to get up, he had dressed and grabbed some fresh juice from the fridge, then walked back to stand in her bedroom doorway just watching her sleep. About an hour later he took another sip of the orange juice and turned to walk out to the sun terrace. Gonna be a lovely day, he thought, as the sun was already warming the morning chill away. He sat on the sun lounger and stretched one leg out, he was bone tired. The shock of thinking CJ was dead had meant he had barely slept, days had drifted into a week, then two, the flight to join the rescue team had been a chance for him to rest but the adrenaline had flooded his system and the hope of finding her alive kept him awake. Even when he had held her safe in his arms he hadn't rested, he had stayed at her side in the hospital scared to leave her, hardly believing he had her back, desperate for her to say she loved him to, desperate for her to acknowledge that she had heard his proposal and knew it was real. Then last night, after the long flight home and the dozens of phone calls to arrange, the party that had changed his life. She loved him, he knew it for sure, and she had said yes to his marriage proposal, without any hesitation, without any doubts, so he knew now, knew she loved him as much as he loved her. Friendship, trust, honesty, joy and laughter , well they had all been there from the beginning, building the foundations to what they could be together for the rest of their lives, now they had finally had the courage to admit to each other what it seemed everyone else had always known. It was all real, and his life had changed for ever. He had never felt so at peace, so content, so whole. He had CJ, and all was right with the world.

He didn't know how long he had been asleep but the sun was bright now and morning dew he had been admiring earlier had long gone. He jumped slightly as he heard the tap on the front door, knowing that this is what had woken him. With a slight groan he rolled off the lounger, stretched and quickly made his way to the door to open it, glancing in the direction of CJs room on the way. He had barely turned the catch open before his Uncle Roy came bustling in. "Brought you breakfast!" he was saying as he walked quickly to the kitchen, "know they're CJs favourite!"

Houston wandered over and looked at the name blazed across the white bag on the counter. "Michealbachs? Uncle Roy, they're in the opposite direction from your house to CJs!"

"So?"

"Well, I've got stuff in to cook breakfast, and all these sweet things, well I dunno how much CJ will appreciate them!" He ran his hand through his hair as his gaze swept over the array of white boxes now covering the breakfast bar. "ALL of them!"

Roy chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I couldn't remember which was her favourite, so I brought a choice!" He glanced towards CJs room and lowered his voice a fraction."She asleep still?" Houston nodded so Roy carried on. "Ok, good. So, Vince has managed to get a full passenger list for all those travelling with CJ on the plane, got the pilots details to. Hoyt is running background on them all, and he and Vince are gonna come over this afternoon to work with Chris and Baby. The police in the Bahamas are sending all the photos of the crash site and the plane, dunno how CJ managed to land it boy, it was a wreck before they crashed!"

"Tell me about it Roy!" Came a voice from behind them. They both turned to see CJ hobbling down out of her study.

Houston smirked a fraction as he watched her make her ungainly way past the small side table holding the phone, before colliding with the edge of the couch. "Ya know slick, how can anyone who is normally so graceful have less balance than a new born calf on those things!"

CJ shot him a withering look as she regained her balance. "I blame you cowboy," she muttered

"ME!"

"Yeah you! Everytime I try to walk on these things you either grab my arm and half carry me or pick me up and carry mmm...me..hhmmm, that smell..Pastries?" She dropped her crutches and hopped quickly the rest of the way to the breakfast bar, her eyes widening as she looked at the choice in front of her, inhaling deeply and reaching for her favourite and closing her eyes as she took a slow deliberate bite. Roy placed a mug of coffee to the side of her and shot Matt a told ya so look that made Houston frown a little.

"Well, uh CJ," he stuttered," I kinda thought you were still in bed! I mean I left you sleeping, you need to rest!"

"Uh huh, seems I'm not the only one," she replied, her eyes still closed as she savoured her breakfast" When I got up I came to look for you, found you outside in the sun, snoring your little head off..."

"I don't snore!"

"So I left you there, got changed and made a start on our enquiries!" She took the last bite of her cinnamon pastry, and smiled as she added, "and you do snore, but it's kinda cute!"

Houston blushed as he heard his uncle chuckle. "Well listen honey, I just ..wait..our enquiries..what enquiries?"

She looked at him sideways "Really Houston, you gonna play dumb on me? I know you and Roy aren't gonna let what happened rest, so I'm guessin' you've already started to get as much info as you can on my little adventure. And I'm gonna help.."

"Now CJ, just wait a minute.."

"No, you wait Houston. I don't take kindly to being left in jungle to rot, and I sure don't take kindly to being used as target practice for some Red Barron wannabe and his pal. Getting shot outta the sky is so not up there on my things to do list!"

"Well I get that honey, I do. But.."

"Don't honey me cowboy!" She glanced over as Roy chortled out loud, blushing as she realised what she had said. "I mean, oh, look Houston. Here's what we DO know, we know it wasn't an accident, and we know that I wasn't the only person on that plane or the only survivor. What we DON'T know is WHO was the target, and if they didn't get their mark, are they gonna try again. Right?"

"Right"

"So let me help "She glanced at Roy then back at Houston, "I know you guys are looking out for me, and I get that you want me to take it easy, and I promise I will! But I can help. I can't sit and do nothing, you know me better than that! Let me go to the office, I need to check on some files anyway, but I can use Baby to help you guys, I'm better than you two! Chris can keep an eye on me to make sure I don't do too much, and I will come home as soon as I get tired ok? " She looked at them both, eyes wide and pleading. Roy gave a small nod of the head , so CJ turned her full attention on Houston. "Please cowboy" she whispered

Houston wanted nothing more than to keep her safe, but years of being her friend of watching her as she charged through life had long ago taught him that CJs stubborn streak was second only to her determination. He had also learnt that he could never say no to her. "Well, you promise to come home early, and I.."

She slid from her seat and hugged him, nearly tipping them both to the floor as she lost her balance. "Thank you!" She beamed up at him, impulsively planting a big kiss before remembering Roy was watching. "I'll just grab my jacket and we'll go yeah?

Houston nodded, then laughed to himself as he watched her hop across the room to grab her things. "She moves quicker without them crutches!" Roy marvelled as he came to stand next to him, "go figure!"

Five minutes later the three of them were heading to the door. "Oh, wait!" CJ exclaimed, suddenly heading back to the kitchen

"You ok back there? Houston asked as he heard a clatter

"Uhm furn" came the reply

"What?"

"I fud uhm furn"

"Ohh, you're FINE! Yup I'll agree with that!" She shot him a withering look as she appeared from the kichen. Houston couldn't help but laugh as he watched CJ hop past him, crutches in one hand, doughnut in the other, her mouth half crammed with a choc au pain. He was still laughing as she hopped out to the car, winking at Roy as she slid into the back seat, narrowly missing Roys head as she moved her crutches into the car.

Maybe it was because they were all laughing that they failed to notice the dark blue sedan parked across the way, the camera lens half hidden from view as the passenger took shot after shot of the happy group. The driver of the sedan picked up his mobile phone and pressed speed dial. "It's me," he croaked hoarsely, "so what do you want us to do?"