Chapter 21---Here's the latest chapter of the cross-fiction. Thanks for reading and I hope you like it and thanks for the feedback!

After C.J. and Alex looked at each other, they then looked up at Duke.

"What are you talking about," C.J. said, "Everyone's sitting right here like we have been for hours now."

Bruiser scratched his head.

"Something's not right boss," he said, "I could have sworn there was a woman here about to have a baby."

Duke nodded.

"I remember that too," he said, "Now where is she?"

C.J. swallowed, while she tried to think. She looked at Alex sideways.

"Maybe she went to the bathroom," C.J. said, "You know, pregnant woman, small bladders."

Bruiser frowned.

"I swear these two women said she was just about to pop out a baby."

Duke stroked his chin.

"I remember hearing that too," he said, "We need to go look for her."

C.J. stood up.

"She must be someplace nearby," she said, "Where else would she be?"

Bruiser shook his head.

"Could there be another way out that we haven't covered?"

"I don't know," Duke said, "We got blueprints for the bank when we planned the robbery and all the exits are accounted for and sealed up tight."

"Then she must be around here somewhere," Bruiser said.

"Obviously," Duke said, "She couldn't have just disappeared into thin air."

They both looked at the women sitting in front of them.

"Did any of you see where this pregnant woman was going," Duke asked.

They all shook their heads.

Walker exited the steam tunnels and helped Sydney who was carrying the infant up the steps through a manhole. Matt and Brody helped Chris up behind them. Gage came rushing up to them.

"Where did these people come from," he said.

"Inside the bank," Sydney answered, "Matt and I smuggled them out through that passage way."

Walker pulled out his phone.

"I'm going to get an ambulance to get this young woman and her baby to the hospital," he said, "and have someone track down her husband. I think he's back at the Mobile Station."

Chris sat down wearily nearby holding her baby. After placing his call, Walker went to talk to her.

"How are things inside the bank," he asked.

"They're getting really tense," she said, "C.J. and a woman named Alex tried to get the robbers to release me but the one named Duke wouldn't go for it."

Walker's eyes widened slightly at the mention of his wife's name but his professional mask returned.

"So who delivered your baby," he said, "Any of the other women?"

"Alex and C.J. did it," Chris said, "Fran was there too. Once my water broke, it happened so fast."

"He looks like he's in good shape," Walker said, "The doctors will look him and you over as soon as you get to the hospital."

Suddenly, they looked up and saw Dan rushing to see his wife. When Chris saw him, she started crying. He knelt down and embraced her.

"Thank God, you're safe," he said, then looked at his son, "How's he doing?"

"Just fine," Chris said, "He's got your hair."

Dan laughed as he stroked his son's head.

"I saw an ambulance and some medics leave the Mobile Station," he said, "They should be here soon."

Matt stood a distance away with Brody. Although he was relieved that Chris and her baby were safe, his mind remained elsewhere.

"So how was she?"

Matt paused for a moment.

"She looked okay," he said, "I really wanted her to come with me."

"I know Matt," Brody said, "but she was right to put Chris' needs and that of her baby's before her own."

"I know that," Matt said, "but saying goodbye to her and leaving was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."

Brody slapped his back.

"You'll see her again," he said, "We're going to get them all out of there."

"How," Matt said, "If we leave it to the SWAT team, they could be as good as dead. C.J. said that the ringleader, this Duke character, is becoming less and less stable."

"Is there any way to use that secret entrance in a rescue plan," Brody asked.

Matt thought for a moment.

"Maybe," he said, "but as it stands now, it might be riskier than the SWAT operation. There's too much potential for a bottleneck situation."

"No kidding," Brody said, "but there must be some use for it in another way."

"I wonder if the robbers have discovered it," Matt said, "We tried to cover our tracks the best we could."

"If they now Chris is gone," Brody said, "They're going to go looking for it."

Matt turned and ran his hand through his hair.

"No, they're going to ask the hostages how she got out of there and things could get rough."

"Well, C.J. can take care of herself," Brody said, "She's pretty strong."

"She really wanted to get Chris and her baby out of there," Matt said, "It was very risky what she did."

"And she did get them out of there," Brody said, "Now we just have to find a way to get her and the rest of the hostages out of there."

After Duke and Bruiser left, C.J. put her head in her hands.

"They're going to be back," Fran said, "when they figure out someone had to help Chris and her baby get out of the bank."

C.J. nodded.

Gloria walked up to them, shaking her head.

"And they're going to get mad and take it out on the rest of us here," she said, "Because they'll know that some of you helped her escape."

C.J. looked up at Gloria.

"If it comes to that," she said, "I'll tell them the truth, that I'm responsible."

"I'll tell them that too," Alex said, "I'm just glad that Chris and her baby are safe now."

Gloria crossed her arms.

"Even if it puts the rest of us in danger?"

"We're already in danger," Fran said, "There's a very good chance that even if we hadn't helped Chris and her baby, that none of us might get out of this alive."

C.J. nodded.

"Those men are so unstable especially the leader and getting more so as the hours pass," she said.

"All the more reason not to do anything to piss them off," Gloria muttered.

"Gloria," Alex said to her, "C.J. and I already told you we have this situation covered. If anyone's going to pay for it, it'll be us."

C.J. sighed.

"Yeah," she said, "We'll keep the rest of you out of it."

Gloria shook her head but went back to her corner to sit down.

Alex turned to look at C.J.

"That spoiled brat is getting on my nerves," she said.

"Maybe," C.J. answered, "but she raised a good point. I don't want the other women to pay for what we did."

"I don't think that Duke will want to take it out on everyone," Alex said, "I think he'll be satisfied with one or two of us."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," C.J. said.

"Are you worried," Alex asked.

C.J. nodded.

"Yeah, this was one of the first decisions I had to made where I wasn't just thinking of myself," she said, "It's really new to me. I hope they all aren't so hard."

Alex rubbed her shoulder.

"I know it was difficult," she said, "Just like I know it was hard not to tell your fiancée that you're pregnant when he's standing right in front of you."

C.J. sighed.

"I wanted so much to be able to tell him," she said, "Sometimes I think it's something I've waited a long time to do this but this isn't the right time, or circumstances."

"I know what you mean," Alex said, "You don't want him to worry more than he is already."

"Yeah," C.J. said, "And I know he would. I know he's trying to do the best he can to help us and he can't have any distractions. I don't want anything to happen to him."

"But you're a distraction," Alex said, "I saw how hard it was for him to walk away."

"Just like your husband worries about you and yet has to make all these decisions that impact the lives of all of us," C.J. said.

Alex nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"And I know he's thinking a lot about Angela," she said, "I wish I knew how she was doing through all this."

"I'm sure she misses her mother," C.J. said, "but I'm sure that people who love her are taking care of her right now."

"I'm sure Walker dropped her off at one of our friends," Alex said, "I can't wait until I can see her again and take her home."

C.J. grew thoughtful.

"Thanks for sharing the risk with me," she said.

"Hey, I was involved too," Alex said, "I'm just accepting the responsibility."

"I know I did the right thing," C.J. said, "I just don't know what the cost will be."

"It's going to be okay," Alex said, "We're both tough women who've seen a lot of adversity. We're about as equipped to deal with it as anyone."

C.J. looked at Alex boldly.

"Do you think they'll kill us?"

Alex thought about it.

"It's possible they might try," she said, "but I'm not going to give them that chance."

"Me neither," C.J. said, "I'm getting out of this alive and so is my baby."

Walker and Matt sat in the meeting being led by Denton and Jonathan in the mobile command station. Denton's mouth pursed a fine line when he heard the news about how Chris and her baby had been smuggled out of the bank.

"Now everyone's in danger," Denton said.

"They were already in danger," Matt said, "and this SWAT operation of yours is going to put them at greater risk of getting killed."

"Not necessarily," Denton said.

"If you go in there all gang busters, it won't be fast enough to stop Duke and his men from shooting hostages," Matt said.

"You can't say that," Denton said, "You're a civilian and do not understand our capabilities."

"I understand that it might provoke a response you won't be ready for," Matt said.

Denton sighed.

"Well Jonathan here can tell you…"

Jonathon shook his head.

"I'm having trouble with this strategy myself, Simon," he said, "and I told you my reasons why."

Walker approached the center of the room.

"I think there's a way to utilize the tunnels and that entrance to the bank," he said, "There's challenges considering the parameters of the secret entrance but we should be able to work around them if we all put our heads together."

Matt nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Denton glared at him.

"You don't even have a voice in this matter," Denton said, "in fact, you shouldn't even be here."

Matt approached him until the two men stood inches apart.

"I'm staying until my fiancée and those other hostages are safely out of there," he said.

Denton waved his finger.

"See, not only is he not qualified to be here," he said, "but he's got a clear conflict of interest knowing one of the hostages."

"Then so do I," Walker said, "but we are both able to place our concerns about our loved ones aside for the business of getting everyone out of there safely."

Brody chimed in.

"You could argue that the feds have a conflict of interest too given that the ringleader of this escapade escaped from one of their so-called maximum security facilities."

Denton scowled.

"What are you trying to imply?"

"I think he means that it would be very embarrassing if a group of robbers who were supposed to be in your custody wound up walking out of that bank alive," Matt said.

"Which means that any loss of hostages could be chalked up to collateral damage if any operation failed to bring them to safety," Brady said, shaking his head.

"These hostages are not collateral damage," Matt said, "not if I have anything to say about it."

Denton turned to face him.

"Well you don't," he said.

Jonathan spoke up.

"I'd be willing to include him in the planning of any alternate strategic plan," he said, "I've seen his work and a couple of times he put the feds to shame."

Denton sniffed.

"That's a matter of opinion and not one shared by the majority of the Bureau," he said.

"Then it's lucky that most of the Bureau's not here," Brody said, "And after what happened four months ago in L.A. I mean I was there during the Kostas mess."

Denton and Jonathan looked at each other.

"Don't bring that situation up again," Denton said, "The Bureau's already completed its administrative investigation into that situation."

"Not before you let one of those hostages in that bank believe she was crazy," Brody said, "when you had the abilities and the resources to find out what the hell was going on."

"We're not going to rehash that old business," Denton said, "We've got a new crisis here to deal with.

"Why don't I find that surprising," Brody said, as he went to get himself another sandwich.

Matt rubbed his eyes not able or willing to disagree with anything his former partner said.

"Brody, these men don't care about that botched up job they did with that case," he said, "or any of the earlier ones."

Jonathan rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"That's not true," he said, "At least not about all of us."

"Hadn't you just started the FBI when that case came in," Matt said.

Jonathan nodded.

"It would have been my second case except I was removed from the roster at the last minute," he said.

"That's because you slept with the Parsons' woman," Denton said.

"I had a relationship with her for several years when we were both a bit younger," Jonathan said, "and I was very up front about that."

Walker sighed.

"I know there's a case between some of you that's created a lot of bad feelings," he said, "but we need to work together as one team on this."

"I'm perfectly willing to do that if they don't get the hostages killed," Matt said.

Denton threw up his arms.

"There he goes again," he said, "making predictions that are alarmist and not based at all on fact."

"The one hostage that's come out of this so far told us about how the emotional stability of these men are deteriorating since it started," Matt said.

"This situation is still under our control," Denton said, "and we are the ones giving orders about what's going to be done about it and no one else."

With that, Denton left the room.

C.J. and Alex still sat in the office, wondering when Duke and his men would return with more questions about what happened to Chris.

"They'll be back soon," C.J. said.

Alex nodded.

"We can't tell them about that hidden entrance," she said, "It's possible that the police might be including it in any strategy they have for coming in or getting us out."

C.J. ran her hand through her hair.

"Yeah, well if they don't find Chris, they're going to know she got out somehow."

"We'll just have to come up with a plan," Alex said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know," she said, "but we need to buy more time until we can figure out how to proceed."

"We're the only two that know about the passageway," C.J. said.

"Yeah, at least the other women don't know about it," she said, "They just know that Chris and her baby are gone but not how."

"But those robbers will figure it out anyway," C.J. said, "and they'll use whatever tactics they need to try to get it out of any of us."

Alex nodded.

"They'll try with both of us first," she said, "since we were the closest and your friend, Fran too."

C.J. looked over at Fran and sighed.

"But she doesn't know anything," she said, "I don't want her to pay for what we did."

"Then we'll have to make sure it doesn't come to that," Alex said.

C.J. stood by the punch bowl at the gala, feeling really out of place. She had been invited with the rest of the lawyers in the public defender's office to attend the retirement party for a prominent local judge. Her boyfriend, Jonathan was undergoing special training at the FBI Academy in Quantico so she had invited Matt to attend in his place. His battle with the tie had made them a few minutes late but they had slipped in with the crowd that waited in line to enter the hotel ballroom.

She saw Alex standing across the room and walked over to talk with her. Alex, who nursed a glass of wine, looked up at her and smiled.

"I didn't know if I would see you here," she said.

C.J. smiled.

"I asked Matt to go with me and he decided to put his dislike of these types of soirees aside and come along."

Alex sought out the young man and saw him talking to a young woman by the bar.

"I see he's already found a friend," she said.

C.J. looked over and shrugged.

"Oh that's fine," she said, "He's not my date anyway and he enjoys the women."

"He's young," Alex said, "He's still got time to decide what he wants before he settles down."

C.J. laughed.

"I'm not sure he has any intention of doing that," she said, "He's a great guy and you couldn't find a better friend but he…plays the field?"

"At least you have someone who would go with you," Alex said, "Since breaking off with that loser with a hair trigger temper, I've been staying away from the dating game."

C.J. looked up and saw a man looking at him.

"Well then, who's that guy?"

Alex saw the man.

"Oh that's just Cordell…Cordell Walker," she said, "He's a new Texas Ranger. Already a star in his office."

C.J. sipped her glass.

"He seems to be paying a lot of attention to you," she said.

"We know each other," Alex said with a smile, "but we haven't gotten to the friends part."

"Oh," C.J. said, "So how well do you know him?"

Alex took a deep breath.

"We see each other at work," she said, "at least we're usually on the same side of the fence there but otherwise…"

C.J. smiled.

"I see," she said, "Doesn't mean you can't care about each other and give it a try."

Alex snorted.

"Give what a try," she said, "Remember, I've taken myself out of the social whirl of dating."

"Not forever I hope," C.J. said, "There's some nice men out there."

"I know," Alex said, "but with work and court cases and trying to figure my own self out, I just can't take that leap yet."

"Well, Jonathan and I haven't much time to spend together and we're miles apart most of the time anyway," C.J. said, "in more ways than one."

"Well what about that gentleman across the room?"

C.J. looked at him and laughed.

"He's my best friend, but I really don't think we're each other's type," she said, "and why rock the boat?"

C.J. smiled thinking how everything had changed in the years that followed that party. Alex looked over at her.

"What were you thinking?"

"About a conversation we had at that judge's retirement party we attended years ago."

Alex nodded.

"I remember that," she said, "Walker and I got stuck in the elevator and we had a major argument."

"Over what?"

"He thought I was a bit uptight and needed to relax more," Alex said, "I remember how angry I got at him for saying that but you know what? He was right."

"I'm sure he didn't say it to be mean," C.J. said.

"I know that now," Alex said, "but I certainly didn't know back then."

Suddenly, the door opened and they looked up to see Duke and Bruiser walk inside.