Another update, hope you like it and thanks for reading and the feedback.

Chris and C.J. exited the elevator into the empty suite where even Matt's Jacuzzi looked undisturbed. She thought back to the times when she'd gotten off the elevator and had seen Bo and Lamar mixing tequila into it, or Murray chilling out with a woman who thought he was some famous producer. Oh those had been some seriously fun memories of the Jacuzzi.

She had even spent time in it herself and not always alone. Certainly not lately.

"I'll check the files," Chris said.

C.J. responded, already knowing they'd be here longer than just 10 minutes.

"I'll be in my office."

She went inside to see her desk still piled with case files but at least they were neatly stacked. She saw that there were some phone messages but didn't even want to get started listening to them until Monday. She just sat in her chair and started piecing through each manila folder filled with records on the latest cases that the investigative firm had completed.

Of course, nagging her still had been the case of the missing painting but Matt and Roy were handling the latest chapter of that saga in San Diego and hadn't updated her yet.

Chris wandered in.

"You want a drink," she said, "There are still some wine coolers left."

C.J. thought about it and it didn't sound appealing.

"No thanks," she said, "Does Roy have any of his pomegranate juice left in there?"

Chris made a face.

"You really like that stuff," she said, "It's quite strong."

C.J. ran her hand through her hair.

"I think that's more what I need right now."

Chris shrugged and said she'd get her some so C.J. went back to reviewing the files. Her shoulders felt tight and she tried rubbing them, as she pored through the material in front of her. She was way too dedicated to her work, because why would anyone come in on a beautiful autumn weekend day and sit behind a desk? She could have gone to the museum to look at the new Renaissance exhibit or gone to a movie or an outdoor concert but no, she had work she had to do first before having any fun.

Chris brought her the juice in a glass and she shook her head.

"I found the Scotch…the juice…and some body paints…"

C.J. looked at her quizzically.

"Really, that's odd," she said, sipping the juice, "This hits the spot, thanks."

Chris sat down in a nearby chair.

"I did listen to a message from Matt," she said, "He and Roy are flying back sometime today on the Lear."

C.J. sighed.

"I'm guessing it's not good news."

"Well they didn't find the painting," she said, "but they did say Elizabeth's coming on her own to L.A. to see her husband in jail."

Ah yes, Hans had been handcuffed and carted off to police custody after the police had gone undercover and crashed the secret art auction, but not before the missing painting had reappeared briefly and then had gone back underground.

"I'm guessing Hans is going to need a top lawyer."

Chris nodded.

"Matt might ask you to represent him."

C.J. considered that and felt ambivalent. She knew that Elizabeth and Matt were an item of the past and that he had moved on but she wasn't quite sure that Elizabeth had done that. Oh, she had gotten married to a man who now sat in some jail cell but did she harbor any feelings for Matt?

She guessed she was about to find out.

"It's nice that Matt and Roy are coming back," Chris said, "It's not been the same without them here."

No it hadn't, C.J. knew, and she did miss him.

Matt checked a gauge in front of him.

"She and I…we got together," he said, "In San Francisco while we were working on the case together."

Roy smiled.

"I can see that…neither of you are good at hiding your feelings."

Matt scratched his head.

"We're trying to keep it quiet for a while," he said, "We just want some time to ourselves."

Roy tilted his head.

"Nothing wrong with that Matlock," he said, "The office can get hectic and the rumor mill runs rampant in our circles at times."

Matt sighed. He really cared and respected for all the employees who worked for him but when Pam had gotten together with the man she had married, the gossip had been relentless at the water cooler. He knew that C.J. wanted some breathing space before she faced all that but maybe their silence had actually fueled more speculation. What happened between them was their own business after all.

"And if anyone asks, as an ex-operative I'm more than capable of putting out a false trail."

Matt smiled at his uncle.

"We'll be fine," he said, "Well I'll be when I see her again."

After all, the several days they had spent apart hadn't been easy for him but he had to stay on the trail of the missing painting and she understood that. But now Elizabeth had interjected herself in that storyline because of Hans' involvement in the illicit side of art dealership.

"I remember when I first got together with your Aunt Flo," he said, "I sat in airplanes, mostly military cargo planes, feeling just like you do now."

Matt knew how much his uncle had loved his wife and how saddened he had been by her untimely death years ago. The tragedy which haunted him now was that she had died without knowing that her only child hadn't died after all but had been found after all these years.

"I don't suppose she'll be at the office today."

"Well she could be at home," Roy said, "or out with her friends having fun. She's been working very hard."

"I know that," Matt said, "and she's been talking about this idea of hers to buy some land outside L.A. to live away from the city."

Roy nodded.

"She mentioned that to me," he said, "Part of her plan to find someone and settle down."

Matt looked at his uncle, surprised.

"She told you?"

"Why yes, she said she wanted to run her plan with me and see what I thought," he said, "I said that I'd support her in anything she wanted to do in her life."

Matt saw the familiar site of L.A. below them and began the approach to Santa Monica Airport after checking with the air traffic control.

"So did I," he said, "but I made it conditional without saying anything about it."

Roy's mouth curved into a smile.

"Ah, you mean that you wanted to be part of that life, an even larger part than you play now."

Matt checked his gauges again before beginning to drop altitude.

"I guess you could say that."

C.J. kicked back on the sofa with the files, finding it much more comfortable than the chair in her office. She felt a bit tired and thought a nap would do nicely but first, she had to look through just three more files…

"Hey are you going to go clubbing with Michelle and Nancy tonight," Chris asked, "There's a new act at the Sunset Club."

C.J. shook her head.

"I'm lying low tonight," she said, "We were out late last night at that party that never took place."

The one that a charity organization had sponsored to raise money for bringing in a new exhibit to the art museum, which had been interrupted by the fire marshal after too many people showed up. So she and Chris had gone to a late showing of the latest Ben Affleck movie.

"I probably should," Chris said, "I've got to go with Leo on a hike in Malibu Canyon and then to this wonderful restaurant off the pier in time for the sun to set over the ocean."

"Sounds wonderful," C.J. said, "He sounds like a great date."

"What about you?"

C.J. shrugged.

"I'm playing it by ear," she said, "I don't know when he's getting in."

Chris shook her head.

"When are you going to tell us who's lighting your fire," she asked.

"Soon…I just wanted some time with him…figure out where it's going."

The elevator opened and they both stopped talking, awaiting to see who would show up on a Saturday. All the other employees who worked the suite floor had plans that sounded much better than spending a day cramped up in an office.

Matt and Roy walked in the empty lobby.

"I think I hear someone," Matt said, "Hopefully not a burglar."

"I think Chris said something about needing to come in and pick up some files."

They walked to the entertainment area and saw both Chris and C.J. camped on the couch. The women looked up at them.

"Houston…"

C.J. couldn't believe he was standing right there. She had been sure that he would have ended his trip by heading back to his beach house in Malibu.

"C.J…great to see you."

She got up and embraced him, kissing him lightly on the mouth.

"You look fine," she said, eying him critically.

He eyed her appreciatively, still holding onto her.

"You look more than fine."

She pulled away, smiling at him easily.

"Houston…I came here to take a crack at those files."

"It's okay," he said, "I had some things to handle here before heading on home."

She ran her hand through her hair.

"I'll be out of your hair if you and Roy have to conduct business."

"C.J…I want you to stay," he said, "I have to update you about what happened in San Diego."

Chris looked at both of them.

"Well I've got to hit the road," she said, "Are you going to be okay C.J.?"

"Yeah, someone here can give me a ride home," C.J. said, "I went shopping with Chris today for her weekend with Leo."

Matt nodded.

"I'll make sure she gets safely home."

Chris smiled and said goodbye heading to the elevator. Matt and C.J. then sat down on the couch, and Roy in a nearby chair.

"So how did it go?"

And Matt sat there and explained what had happened in the days they had been apart with Roy's interjections.

"Wow, this is getting so much more complicated than it was in San Francisco," she said, "I mean the part about the painting."

Not about their relationship, was what she meant. But what had C.J. been thinking about in terms of what had happened between them, he wondered.

"Well, we got a little closer but we still don't know who actually has it."

She digested that.

"So what's going on with Hans then?"

Matt sighed.

"He's sitting in jail and Elizabeth is trying to find a lawyer to represent him."

C.J. looked Matt in the eye.

"And you want me to help him…"

He hesitated.

"If you feel up to it."

She pursed her lips.

"Houston, I haven't done much criminal law."

"You'll be fine but it's up to you."

She considered that and she knew the answer that he wanted from reading his eyes. He clearly felt that Hans needed legal counsel and that Elizabeth needed help for her husband. Help that Matt could give her and for that he needed C.J.

"Okay…I can handle it," she said, "I'll go visit him in the morning at…Central Jail right?"

"I think so," Matt said, "I could call Elizabeth and ask."

Roy smiled at the both of them.

"I think I'll be heading on home," he said, "Lydia and I will be heading to Newport Beach tomorrow for the festival."

"Thanks Uncle Roy," he said, "I'll get back to you if I get any news."

Roy nodded and said goodbye, heading to the elevator. They waited until they heard the doors click shut to let them know that only the two of them remained in the suite. He stroked her face, before he captured her mouth with his own. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, near enough so that he could use his hands to work her shirt loose from her jeans. With that accomplished, he slipped his hands beneath it to stroke her skin.

She broke away from their kiss and put her hands on his chest, looking at him while trying to catch her breath.

"Houston…"

He kissed the skin below her jaw.

"Shhhh…I'm busy here."

She chuckled.

"I can see that," she said, "I'm just saying we could slip into something more comfortable."

He smiled widely.

"Now you're talking…"

The water swirled around them as they sat in the Jacuzzi a while later. She leaned against him while he had his arms around her.

"This is really nice…but when's our pizza arriving?"

He looked at her as she turned her face to look at him insistently.

"You are starving…I think it should be here in about 30 minutes which means that one of us has to greet him at the door."

She looked at him knowingly.

"Dressed like this," she said, "The poor guy would pass out in the elevator."

"He'll survive…I'm sure he's seen stranger sights," he said, "but you could be right…after all, our clothes are in the other room."

"I brought you a towel," she said, "so you can pay the pizza guy."

That seemed reasonable to him, as long as she waited for his return with their food and some wine.

"I'll do it and you can keep the water warm," he said, "and are you sure you want the side with extra onions?"

She shot him a perplexed look.

"Well yeah, I don't know but it's not the same without them," she said, "They really add flavor…like the jalapenos do on your side."

He frowned.

"I thought you loved them."

She furrowed her brow.

"I do…at least I did," she said, "But I think I'll leave them for you to eat."

He shook his head at her.

"I missed you so much."

She smiled at him, as he tightened his hold on her.

"Not as much as I missed you," she said, "I was actually lonely."

His brow rose.

"Well I can remedy that," he said, "I happen to be looking for some company myself."

"Oh are you," she said, "Anyone in particular?"

He waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah…and after I feed her, I'll show her what she's been missing."

C.J. suppressed a smile.

"Oh I think she already knows…"

She turned to face him and brushed her lips against his and then one of them heard the elevator doors open. Suddenly they looked at each other.

"I think that's our pizza."

C.J. chuckled.

"I hope so," she said, "I'm starving and you promised you'd go fetch it."

He nodded.

"I guess I did," he said, reaching for the towel, "I'll be right back."

She sighed as he got out to wrap the towel around his gorgeous body that had loved her own, to head off to get their pizza, and thought how can someone search so hard for something to find that it was right there all along?

The next day they would face his ex fiancée's latest crisis, but until then they had each other.