Chapter 2--Here's another chapter of this cross-fiction story. Hope you enjoy it. It's kind of fun combining two good shows. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the feedback!

The three of them approached the bank. Each lost in their own thoughts while walking down the tree-lined street.

C.J. thought back to yesterday morning when Matt had left the house to go to the airport. She had risen early and felt queasy lying in bed running through the list of items she had eaten the previous day. It couldn't be the cereal she began the morning with, nor the mid-day salad with tuna on the side. It must have been the halibut that she ate for dinner, but wait a minute, Matt had some of the halibut when she couldn't finish it. Two seconds later, she forgot all about the halibut when she ran to the bathroom before it was too late.

She just made it.

Afterward, she knelt by the toilet resting herself on her back of her calves, wiping her face. She felt better and her stomach settled down a bit.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"C.J., I've got to get in there to get my razor," Matt said.

She slowly opened the door and allowed him in, but when he saw her pale face, he forgot about the razor.

"Are you feeling okay," he asked.

She shifted from one foot to another.

"I've felt better," she said, "I think it was the dinner last night that didn't agree with me."

Matt frowned.

"I ate part of your meal when I finished the bass," he said, "It tasted pretty good."

She rubbed her watery eyes.

"I've got to get to court early today," she said, "I have to go against the federal prosecutor from Dallas in one hour and I'm not even dressed."

"If it helps any, you sure look beautiful this morning," he said, reaching for his razor to pack in his suitcase.

She looked at him, not feeling beautiful. In fact, she might have not completely ridded herself of the damn fish dinner as she felt her stomach lurch again.

"C.J., maybe you should call in sick," he said.

Her eyes flashed.

"I can't just call in sick," she said, "This is a huge case. You should know it. You did most of the leg work."

He watched her pacing back and forth, and tried to keep up but she kept going.

"I have to go against a prosecutor who's the toughest in Texas, in front of a judge who believes female attorneys are too emotional and my witness is scared to death."

He followed her pacing into the bedroom where she sat on the corner of her bed, holding her stomach.

"C.J., you're obviously not feeling well," he said, reaching to feel her forehead. "No fever, but you might have food poisoning."

"I can manage," she said, pulling her robe around her.

He sat down next to her.

"I won't go to L.A."

She turned her face around suddenly.

"Yes you are going to L.A.," she said, "That is unless you've changed your mind."

He shook his head.

"I haven't," he said, "But the agency can wait, you're more important."

She smiled, stroking the stubble on his face.

"Thank you," she said, "But no, you need to go and meet with Brody and Greg. You can't keep them waiting."

"I know," he said, "I'm not procrastinating on signing it over to them."

"Houston, if you don't want to do this…"

She looked like she might start pacing again.

"No, I'm going to do it," he said, "I'm ready to do it.

She ran her hand through her hair and sighed.

"I don't want to be the one who pushed you to give up your dream."

He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him so that her head rested against him.

"You didn't do that," he said, "You're the one who helped me find an even better one."

She smiled, looking at him.

"That goes double for me," she said, then stood up, "I'm really running late now."

"Are you sure you're going to be all right," he asked.

She nodded.

"I'm sure," she said, "Now get back to packing."

Matt left the restaurant and headed to his sports car. He smiled as he remembered the crushed look on Brody's face when he told him that his beloved Mercedes wasn't included in the package deal. He loved driving because it helped him think, even though in L.A. more often than not, you spent more of your time in a holding pattern on one of the local highways than cruising down the streets. He turned on his radio and listened to some jazz. Brody had gotten him interested in it while they worked many stakeouts together.

He remembered waking up the morning before and looking down at C.J. who remained asleep, with the sheets tucked around her. Her hair laid spread across her pillow and her hands tucked under her head. He moved quietly because he hadn't wanted to wake her because she had been so tired last night, falling asleep on the way home from the restaurant. He knew the latest case she had assigned herself cost her many hours of work. It was a case which Matt was intimately familiar with because he had done a lot of the field work with C.J. trying to locate and then later shelter a young pregnant woman who had witnessed many horrible crimes. The minute he first saw Alisha cowered in a corner of a disheveled house, he knew what had drawn C.J. towards finding her.

He had tried to move quietly but he heard C.J. stir behind him. The next thing he knew she had darted out of bed in her blue robe and ran into the bathroom. He looked at the closed door then went back to packing until he realized he needed his razor.

She opened the door when he knocked and she looked pale and her eyes, watery. Still, he told her that she was beautiful but she didn't appear to believe him. She didn't look like she believed him when he said he was ready to sign over the majority interest in his investigative agency to his associates. But if he had any doubts that he hadn't been ready to do this, they disappeared while working with C.J. on the latest case. The work proved to be much harder, and exacted a greater emotional toll but at its end, it also proved to be much more rewarding. He loved what he was doing and once again, he was building a new business with the woman he loved from the ground up. Life didn't get any better than that.

He found himself suddenly not wanting to fly out to L.A. and not being sure why. He told himself it was because she didn't look well or that he felt that she needed him to stay here. He wondered if he did have last minute reservations about signing over a large piece of himself and his life. But the truth was he didn't know what made him want to call Brody up and reschedule their meeting.

"Get back to packing," C.J. said, still sitting on the bed in her robe. She walked into the kitchen to make some tea to settle her stomach and then she jumped into the shower. He watched her go, concern etched on his face.

His cell phone rang while he drove down Sunset Blvd near the Palisades interrupting his thoughts.

"Brody, what's up?"

"I'm on that stake out near the marina," he said.

"No you don't," Matt said, "You're not going to bring me into it this time."

"Why not," Brody said, "Since you're out here, why should I have all the fun?"

Matt paused.

"I might be heading back early."

"Why would you do that?"

"C.J.'s working on that really tough case we just finished…"

"Oh yeah, the one with the pregnant girl," Brody said, "Tough deal."

"And she's not feeling very well right now," Matt said, "Food poisoning."

"That sounds rough."

"She's been working really hard," Matt said, "Been tired."

Brody hesitated.

"Are you sure she's sick?"

Matt grew exasperated.

"Of course I'm sure," he said, "She couldn't keep anything down yesterday…"

"Morning, right?"

"Well, yeah…"

"I don't think it's anything to worry about," Brody said, calmly, "Nothing some time won't cure."

"Obviously, that and rest."

Brody grew silent.

"Brody, you still there?"

"Yeah," he said, "Now I'm going to give you some advice. When you get home today or tomorrow, she might have something to tell you. Just sit down, listen and let her tell you, okay?"

Matt grew puzzled.

"Okay," he said.

"Matt, come on out to this stakeout for just a little while," Brody said, gravely, "You and I need to talk."

Alex walked down the street after leaving the café and her upset supervisor in her wake. How dare Thomas pull that 11th hour crap on her just minutes before she had to go back to court and face off with C.J. in front of that sexist judge. He had rattled her nerves a little bit but she could never let on, so she had put on her game face when she left, the same one she reserved for tough court battles. If Walker had been here, he would have cheered her on, as he always supported her when she stood up for herself. Unlike some men she had known, strong women asserting themselves didn't scare him. But he and Angela were back in Dallas. Her husband had begun working on a complicated narcotics case and had been supervising an undercover operation with two other rangers, Sydney and Gage. She hadn't even seen him in several weeks and his assignment ended with an initial bust of an illegal operation inside a dry cleaning shop only one day before she had to drive to Houston.

She dragged her suitcase to the chair in their bedroom to pack her bag. Walker's unpacked bag from the days and nights spent working still rested on the floor next to it. She planned to commute back home each night but was taking some of her clothes just in case she had to stay over.

"So what time does your hearing start," he asked.

"About 10:30," she said, going to the bathroom to get some items.

"You've got your GPS on," he asked.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course I do," she said, "And I have my triple A card, two cell phones in case one goes dead and I've got a trunk packed with supplies in case…it starts to blizzard or something."

"This is hurricane season still," he reminded her.

She reached over to hug him and kiss him on the cheek, enjoying the feel of his beard on her face. Many women didn't like beards on their men and neither did Alex until she first kissed Walker. He offered to shave it off several times and she responded back by pointing her finger at him and saying, don't you dare.

"I know and I'm always careful when I travel," she said, "You be careful. You're the one who's out there catching bad guys and these narcotics operations…."

She shuddered and sank on the bed. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

"Alex, I won't take any risks that aren't absolutely necessary," he said, "Besides Sydney and Gage are out doing the hard part and most of the dangerous part of the operation is behind us."

She nodded.

"Angela and I need you too much, Walker."

He sighed.

"I know that," he said, "We've got daycare at the office so I'll bring her with me."

Alex chuckled.

"That will be interesting as usual."

He grinned.

"I'll have to pry her out of Sydney's arms at the end of the day."

She linked her arm in hers and brought his hand up to her lips.

"So have you given serious thought to what we talked about?"

He grew silent. After a moment, she looked at him.

"Alex, there's nothing to think about," Walker said, "You know I want more children but Angela…that last pregnancy was tough on you and you nearly died."

She saw his concern and forced a smile.

"Most of the dangers had nothing to do with any medical problems."

He closed his eyes and she knew then without meaning to, she had struck a nerve deep inside of him.

"I didn't mean anything by that," she said, softly.

"I know that my job has intruded into our lives and made them both dangerous."

She gripped his hand.

"My job has done the same thing many times," she said, "Don't blame yourself. Blame the bad guys."

He looked at her and smiled.

"I married myself a smart woman," he said, getting up, "How much time do you have before you have to leave?"

She looked at her watch.

"About an hour."

"I'll make you some breakfast."

Alex smiled at the memory, as she approached the bank. Just a couple of minutes to deposit her checks and she'd be back into the trenches at the federal courthouse, doing a job that most of the time she loved just not today. She knew that Walker worried constantly about the safety of her and their daughter and felt guilty when the danger of his job invaded their family life and their home. She felt the same way when convicts that she had put away as a deputy prosecutor had hunted her down for revenge. They both knew that truly desperate and evil people often focused their anger and rage at the families of those they believed had wronged them. They both didn't want Angela or any other children they had to be caught in the middle of that.

But how could you deal with it when often you couldn't see it coming? Should either of them give up careers that years spent investing in them had woven them so deeply in the fabric of who they were that they often couldn't separate their jobs from their identities if they tried. If they had even wanted to walk away. Still, she often grappled with the consequences when work and family collided in ways that they didn't for most women facing similar choices. She knew by her husband's occasional restless nights that he struggled with the same demons.

But what could she do? She loved him.

"Hey, what are you doing later today," Fran asked as they neared the bank.

C.J. shrugged.

"Go home, soak in a nice hot bath and prepare for tomorrow's battles."

Fran looked at the weariness lining her friend's face.

"You need to get some sleep," she said, "You didn't eat much lunch except for those… breadsticks and you look exhausted."

C.J. knew her friend spoke the truth. The problem was, there wasn't a solution at least until Alex and the justice department backed off her client. Until that happened, she had to throw every ounce of energy and smarts she had into keeping Alisha out of jail.

"I'll rest up this weekend, she said, "Oh wait, I can't. Matt and I are going to that conference."

Fran stopped and turned to face her.

"Forget the damn conference," she said, "Take the weekend off from your career."

C.J. coughed.

"Well…we weren't actually planning to go to most of the panel discussions," she said.

Fran's eyes lit up.

"Gotcha," she said, "Well, I guess technically that's active rest at least."

Chris laughed.

" I'm planning to put my feet up and start enjoying my leave," she said, "Dan can do the housework and start on the nursery."

Fran rolled her eyes.

"Dan's going with Carlos to that he-man auto show at Minute Maid Park on Saturday"

Chris' face fell.

"Oh yeah, I remember," she said, "Well, we car show widows can spend the afternoon sipping tea and contemplating doing the nursery."

Fran nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

C.J. watched them, her stomach threatening to lurch again. She reached for her water bottle and sipped slowly. She hoped that she could make it through the afternoon without rushing to the bathroom. Eating the breadsticks with mustard and Tabasco sauce had eased the queasiness at least for a while and she had felt better. She sighed, wondering just how long this would be going on anyways and wondered if she could just postpone the nausea until after she had won the battle for Alisha's freedom and safety.

Her brow prickled when she thought about what she needed to accomplish ahead of her , facing off against Alex. It certainly wouldn't be easy.

Yesterday morning, she had to rush to the bathroom and in what must be one of the more interesting cases of history repeating itself in legal history, Alex had shown up in the bathroom after C.J. had finished her latest encounter with the porcelain god.

Alex chuckled.

"Didn't we meet in similar circumstances last time?"

C.J. felt her face flush but hid it well.

"This time, it's not nerves," she insisted, taking out her water bottle to rinse her mouth.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Alex said, "I still have my days when my stomach takes on a life of its own."

C.J. spit into the sink, then wiped her face.

"This time it's from the halibut I ate last night," she said.

Alex looked her over, and then smiled.

"How many days lately have you been eating…bad halibut?"

C.J. turned to look at her suddenly. She almost said something but then stopped to think.

"About six," she said, quietly, "and I only had it last night."

"Hmmm," Alex said, "Now, from purely logical perspective, what's the chances of six straight days of eating bad food?"

"Houston ate some of it and he didn't get sick," C.J. continued, looking into the sink.

"Houston, like the city?"

C.J. shook her head.

"No, like the man," she said, "He's my fiancé."

Alex nodded.

"Ah…the fiancé, "she said, "Does he know about your habit of eating bad food?"

C.J. looked up in the mirror, frowned and then pulled her brush out of her purse.

"No," she said, "He asked me about it this morning before he left for the airport."

"If he's like my husband," Alex said, "He's probably worried about you and wondering when you're going to tell him everything's all right."

"It is all right," C.J. said, brushing her hair back off of her face.

Alex looked at her and smiled, seeing herself not too long ago. She knew that C.J. would have to find her own way just as she did.

"You've still got about five minutes," she said, "You think you'll be okay?"

C.J. nodded.

"I'll be ready," she said.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Alex said, "But I'll see if I can buy you a couple extra minutes from the judge."

C.J. smiled.

"Thanks Alex."

Alex walked into the back entrance of the bank and saw a short line of people waiting for one teller. She looked at her watch and realized that other employees might still be on the lunch breaks. She went to one of the tables to prepare her checks for deposit.

C.J. and her friends walked in through the front way, and walked to another table where C.J. put her water bottle down and began writing on her deposit slips. Fran walked off to look at some advertisements for mortgages hanging on the walls. She always liked a better deal.

Chris just leaned against the table. C.J. looked over at her, concerned.

"Are you okay," she said.

Chris sighed, placing her hand on her chest.

"You try to truck around 50 extra pounds up front and see how you feel."

C.J. smiled.

"Not all of it is baby," she said, "I'm sure Dan appreciates some of that 'weight'"

Chris slapped her arm gently.

"Very funny," she said, "And yes he does."

"So do you think you're ready for raising a baby?"

Chris grew thoughtful.

"As ready as I can ever be," she said, "Actually I can't wait to get it out…and meet him or her."

"That must be the exciting part," C.J. said.

"Yeah, you need something to look forward to, to get through the sleepless nights and…days."

"Chris, if you need any help, just give us a ring."

"I will," she said, "But I'm a little afraid that Fran will kidnap my child. She really loves babies."

"Yes she does."

Chris looked at C.J.

"What about you," she said, "What do you feel about them?"

C.J. grew silent then found some words which caught up with her thoughts.

"I like them fine," she said, "We plan to have kids…eventually."

Chris laughed.

"I know that Matt wants a lot of kids."

C.J. furrowed her brow.

"I'll have several and then he can have the rest."

Chris laughed.

"I'm kidding, no part of me can't wait to have kids with him," C.J. said, "But I've just been doing my new career for about a year and still have a lot to do."

"Having babies isn't going to stop all that," Chris said, "I don't plan to give up working for Houston Enterprises especially since I just got a promotion. It means a lot of planning, mostly."

"Yeah, I think you're right…"

Chris studied her friend.

"Are you all right?"

C.J. put down the pen and smiled.

"Except for the stomach, I feel pretty good."

Matt drove up to where Brody sat in his car staking out the marina. The two men had spent many an hour putting one or another boat under surveillance. It seemed like a lot of nefarious activities took place at marinas. Perhaps because the big wide ocean offered a formidable and quick avenue for escape. He locked up his car and walked up to Brody's car.

Brody rolled down the window.

"I've been watching this place for about an hour," he said, "I'm not sure this was a good tip."

"Your tips are always good," Matt said, then walked over to get in the passenger side, "Something's going to happen here today."

Brody looked at him, then reached for his Hoagie.

Outside a van rolled up and three men got out of it, carrying duffel bags. Two of them looked at the third one who spoke in a cell phone. They waited until he clicked it off.

"Let's get this job rolling," the man said as his companions nodded.