Chapter 7--The latest chapter of the crossover fiction is up. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the comments!

Walker took the phone from the communications specialist at the mobile command center and put it to his ear.

"Hi, this is Cordell Walker, Texas Rangers."

"I take it you already know who I am, Ranger," Duke said.

Walker sighed.

"Yes I do," he said, "You're Duke Johnson, you escaped from the federal penitentiary yesterday."

"I had no choice," Duke said, "It was getting cramped in there. I need wide open space."

"So you left Dodge and headed down to Houston looking for more elbow room?"

"You're not reading me Ranger," Duke said, "I said I needed to get out of there. I've got claustrophobia."

"Okay, so you don't like cramped spaces," Walker said, "So why then did you come down to a major city, the same urban area where your past associates hang their hats."

"Why you coming down so hard, Ranger," Duke said, "I'm the one holding the cards here. I've got hostages here and I won't hesitate to kill any or all of them if you don't agree to my demands or if you try to send the SWAT people in."

"There's no need to threaten to kill anyone," Walker said, "So what's your list of demands?"

Duke hesitated.

"I'm still working on it," he said, "I'll get back to you when it's completed."

"We want progress reports on the hostages," Walker said.

"You will get them when you show that you're negotiating in good faith," he said, hanging up.

Walker handed the phone back to the specialist.

"He's made contact," he said, "But he hasn't told us what he wants."

Matt and Brody followed Walker back outside the mobile trailer.

"As long as he feels like he's in control, they're probably safe," Matt said.

"Yeah, but that's not going to be for very long," Walker said, "And that's when it will get dangerous."

Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"What do you think he wants?"

Walker looked at the bank, which except for a light or two inside had gone dark.

"He's probably sitting on all the money he and his partners will ever need," he said, "So I think he's going to ask for an escape route."

"His hostages are going to be his bargaining chips," Matt said.

Walker faced him.

"Look, I know you've got a loved one inside there, so have I," he said, "But we can't change the rule book for handling this."

"So you're going to wait until he starts breaking them?"

Walker put his hand up.

"No," he said, "But it's going to take us a while to come up with a new rule book."

Sydney and Gage walked up to them.

"Good to see you Gage," Walker said, "This is Matt and his partner Brody."

Gage and Sydney extended their hands and the other men shook them.

"And this is Gage and Sydney, two of my best Rangers."

"Nice to meet you," Matt said, "I think I have some Rangers in my family."

Sydney smiled grimly.

"So what brings you out here?"

"I was on the phone with my fiancée when the robbers took over the bank," Matt said, "She's inside there."

"So's Alex," Sydney said.

"Oh God, I didn't know that," Gage said.

Walker nodded.

"I've already talked to her," He said, "Everyone's okay so far."

"That could change any minute," Matt said, "Did you receive any records from the federal penitentiary on this guy?"

"We're still waiting for them," Walker said, "They're trying to track them down from that prison and Brownsville, not to mention several county jails."

Matt nodded.

"Does he have any family around here," he asked.

"We're asking all those questions Mr. Houston," Walker said, "And we're still waiting for the answers."

Alex sat in the office and looked at her watch. Several more hours had passed, adding to the time they had spent captive inside the bank. The robbers including Duke had pretty much left them alone and they had passed the time talking about their lives, their families, their careers, anything to keep their minds off of their hazardous situation.

Alex thought about her husband and her child. It hurt to see them projected on her eyelids when she closed them but her memories of the Angela dominated. The day she drew breath. Her first smile. Her first step. Her first words.

C.J. saw the expression on her face.

"What are you thinking of," she said, "It must be something really nice."

"It is," Alex said, "I'm thinking of the day my daughter said her first word, which was 'Waka'. I was in the kitchen getting ready to feed her in her high chair and she just came out and said it. I almost dropped her strained peas."

"She called her father by his name?"

Alex nodded as tears threatened. She wiped them away quickly.

"She's Daddy's little girl for sure."

"I'm sure she takes after her mother too," C.J. said, "If you're not careful, she could wind up being bitten by the law bug too."

"I want to see her grow up," Alex said, "And do all the things that girls do. Dress up. Go to parties. Go to the spring dance…"

C.J. smiled warmly.

"She could wind up being a tomboy," C.J. said, "Doing all that but also climbing up trees, riding horses and fishing with her best friend, sometimes in her spring dance clothes."

Alex smiled.

"Was that you?"

C.J. nodded.

"Guilty as charge," she said, "I had the perfect partner in crime of course."

"Ah, the man who's going to be a father," Alex guessed.

C.J. took a deep breath and looked down at her hands.

"Yeah," she said, "It took us forever to find each other. I mean, we've always been best friends since we met but it wasn't until some months ago that we finally got together."

"Sometimes that's how it works," Alex said, "I mean Walker and I knew each other for years. We weren't best friends at first, in fact we fought a lot but we always had an understanding."

"So how long did it take for to know you were with each other for the long haul?"

Alex thought about it.

"Too long, I sometimes think," she said, "But at least we figure it all out."

"I think Houston knew before I did," she said, "Maybe if I would have caught on but I was having a hard time dealing with what happened when I was kidnapped."

"And how it changed you?"

C.J. looked up, surprised.

"Well…yeah, I'm not the same woman I used to be."

After she said this, C.J. half expected Alex to disagree with her but instead she nodded slowly.

"I know what you mean," Alex said, "I felt that way a few times after going through something traumatic, but Walker helped keep me grounded."

"He never gave up on me," C.J. said, "No matter how much I pushed him away, even physically."

"He's like Walker then," Alex said, "He'll do whatever is necessary for the woman he loves."

"I wish he were here," C.J. said, quietly.

Matt looked at the maps which Walker spread out in front of him of the banks.

"I know this bank," Matt said, "C.J.'s friend kept a safety deposit box there for her. She went into the bank to access it. When she moved out to Houston, she transferred her accounts to that bank."

Walker turned to look at Matt.

"So you've been inside?"

Matt nodded.

"A few times," he said, "when I've been in town."

Walker drew a line across the blue print of the first floor.

"So these are the teller stations…here," he said, tapping a spot with his finger, "And there are offices over there."

"Looks like it," Matt said, "From what I recall. I bet that's where Duke and his men have the hostages stashed."

Walker nodded.

"I sent Sydney and Gage to try to do some surveillance on any other entrances or exits that might have been missed. Tunnels, access through nearby buildings, other possibilities."

Brody walked up with some sandwiches and handed one to Matt.

"No Anchovies, right?"

Brody shook his head.

"What do you take me for," he said, "I did call Hoyt back in L.A. He's been following the news. There might be an L.A. connection with Duke Johnson as well so he's looking into that."

"Thanks," Walker said, "He's spent half of life locked up one place or another."

"Not a very good bank robber then," Brody said.

"He's not that smart," Walker said, "But he more than makes up for that in violence so we have to be very careful with him."

Matt and Brody looked at each other.

C.J. walked over to check on Missy and Amanda. The toddler had napped a bit but now lay on the floor, wiping her eyes sleepily.

"I only brought enough food for snacks," Missy said, "And she's going to be hungry again soon."

C.J. smiled.

"We'll see if we can work on that," she said, reaching into her pockets, "Here's some more pretzels."

Missy took them.

"Thanks," she said, then looked over at Chris, "How's she holding up?"

C.J. looked over at her friend, who was still fanning herself.

"She's doing okay," she said, "She's due in two weeks."

Missy nodded.

"God, I remember what it was like during the final weeks of pregnancy," she said, "I couldn't wait to get the child out."

"I guess you were really excited to meet her," C.J. said.

Missy shrugged.

"Well yeah that, but carrying all that weight in front for weeks is murder on the back."

C.J. got up and walked back to Alex. Fran had left Chris and came over towards them.

"What's up Fran," C.J. asked.

"Chris might be having the baby a little bit early," Fran said.

"Is she having contractions?"

"Not really," Fran said, "More like twinges of pain every once in a while. But I learned through experience that those are the ones you've got to watch."

C.J. sighed.

"I don't know what to do if she goes into labor," she said.

Fran looked towards the door.

"We could get the bruiser standing outside to act as midwife," Fran said.

C.J. grimaced.

"She'll need a doctor."

"She might not have that," Fran said, "and then it will be left up to us."

C.J. ran her hand through her hair.

"We'll have to do the best we can," she said, "and hope it doesn't come to that."

Fran studied her friend.

"How are you feeling," she said, "It goes away after three months, I promise."

C.J.'s eyes shot up.

"How did…"

Fran laughed.

"You look just like me when I was expecting the twins," she said, "Does Matt know he's going to be a father?"

C.J. shook her head.

"I haven't had time to tell him," she said, "I just found out and he's been away."

"Well, when all this over with, the best way to break the news is over champagne, non-alcohol of course and strawberries…"

"I'm thinking more of Anchovies," C.J. mused, "in between slices of…watermelon and graham crackers."

Fran blanched.

"Omigod," she said, "Even mine weren't that bad. I can see you're going to keep him busy with your shopping list."

"I hope I can do that, Fran," C.J. said, "But we've got to get out of here first."

Matt brought back the pizza to the bed where C.J. waited for him. She sat cross-legged and he joined her.

"It smells really good," she said.

"I got some wine too," he said, taking the bottle that he had opened and pouring it into glasses.

She sipped it then raised a brow.

"Good vintage," she said, "If I didn't know any better, I would think it would be for a special occasion."

He remained silent for a while.

"What is it," she asked.

"I know we weren't supposed to be here," he said, "I'm just glad that we're together in the same place."

She nodded, sipping her wine again.

"So am I," she said, "But you're right, we were supposed to be at a business meeting at El Marinos across town tonight."

He paused again.

"It wasn't really a business meeting," he said, "I just told you that to hide the real reason."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh? Is there anything wrong," she said.

He shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong," he said, "At least I don't think so."

"Then what is it," she said, leaning forward, "Please tell me."

She watched a mixture of emotions in his eyes.

"There's something I have to ask you…"

Matt opened his eyes and saw Brody walking towards him quickly. They were just outside the mobile command center where Walker briefed Gage and Sydney on what they needed to look for during their recognizance.

"Hey Matt," Brody said, "I think they're ready to look for any weaknesses in the building design."

He nodded.

"I was just thinking," Matt said.

"About C.J.?"

"About how much we've been through together all these years," he said, rubbing his forehead, "I'm just wondering when we'll get some time to breathe."

"Well, you two have lived an exciting life where you've taken great risks to help others especially those who are less fortunate," Brody said, "Unfortunately, that means making sacrifices. I learned that as a cop."

"Yeah, I guess it does," Matt said, "but the past year or so have been so difficult, she deserves a chance to be happy."

"She's very happy, Matt," Brody said, "She loves you very much."

Matt smiled.

"I know that," he said, "Did you know she accepted my proposal before I even finished saying it?"

"Well, she's a woman who knows what she wants and believes in cutting to the chase."

Matt started walking. Brody tried to keep up.

"Where are you going," he said.

Matt didn't answer but kept moving.

Gloria listened to the other women talking for a while then she got up and began pacing again. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and shook one out.

"Put that away please," C.J. said, "There's a pregnant woman in here."

"Who probably would like one to at this point," Gloria said, "We're all going to die."

"No we're not," C.J. said, "I'm certainly not and I've been in situations much worse than this one."

"What makes you the expert," Gloria asked.

C.J. paused.

"Let's just say that I know."

Gloria scoffed.

"Let's just say that you don't."

"I've was kidnapped last year, when I was walking to my car. The men who did it worked for a notorious human trafficker. You do know what they do to the women, don't you?"

Gloria pursed her lips and look away.

"I think I read about that happening to a woman and she had to go into hiding for a long time," Gloria said.

"That was me," C.J. said, "I was the only woman to get away from them. None of the other ones did. Some tried and were killed. Others were caught and sold off and still haven't been found."

"And your point is," Gloria said, looking at her nails.

"I wasn't any smarter or better than these other women," she said, "I was just lucky and I had help but to get to that point where I could get away, I had to stay alive and keep my wits together no matter what through some very horrible times."

Gloria didn't say anything.

"I learned from that and other experiences that there are bad things that happen to you that you can't stop," C.J. said, "But how you respond and how you handle yourself may be what determines whether you live or die."

"We'll there's not much we can do if these robbers decide to kill us," Gloria said.

"You're wrong," Alex said, "Everything we say or do is going to influence what happens and ultimately how this situations ends."

"But… haven't they got their minds made up?"

C.J. shrugged.

"Probably not," she said, "I doubt this hostage situation was part of the original plan, except maybe as a possible complication."

"So that means they may not know what to do with us?"

Alex nodded.

"Precisely," she said, "I've been in this situation before and each minute and what you do with it counts more than the last."

Gloria brushed a tear from her face.

"I don't know what to do," she said, "Christ, I'm an actress."

"Then consider yourself in the position of playing the role of your life," C.J. said.

"Yeah maybe my last role," she said.

C.J put her hands on the woman's shoulders and looked at her.

"My friend sitting over there will be lucky if she gets out of here before she has her baby," she said, "And see Missy over there, she's got to take care of Amanda, her daughter and I…"

Gloria raised her brow.

"I just found out I was pregnant this morning," she said, "and I want my baby to have a fighting chance to be born. I'm not letting anyone take that away from me, let alone any two-bit robbers."

"And I've got my daughter waiting for me in Dallas," Alex said, "Probably waiting for her Daddy to read her a good night story like he does every night."

Gloria looked from one woman to the other, pressing her hands together nervously.

"Okay I'll help you," Gloria said, "Just tell me what to do."

Matt got on the phone with his Uncle Roy who was in L.A. still working the office for his investigative agency.

"How's it going," Roy said.

"They just heard from the bank robbers," Matt said, "But no demands as of it."

"They're probably unprepared to make any," Roy said.

"Exactly," Matt said, "I think they thought they'd just run in and get the money and run out."

"But instead, they're holed in the bank with innocent hostages," Roy said.

"And one of them's C.J.," Matt said.

"She's going to be fine," Roy said, "She can take care of herself and anyone else around her."

"I know," Matt said, "We've been working with some Texas Rangers. Cordell Walker's leading them."

"I know him," Roy said, "He's a good man, the best of his kind. You can trust him."

"I'm trying," Matt said, "But it's hard not knowing what's going on."

Walker approached him.

"We're having a meeting at the mobile center," he said, "About what to do next."