Novelli pulled up a few minutes later with two additional squad cars. Seeing Houston standing at the door looking helpless told him all he needed to know. CJ was in trouble. He had been friends with them long enough to know one was lost without the other. He just couldn't figure out how they didn't see it.

"What happened?" he asked his friend.

"I… I don't know. I should have followed her home. I should have… She left the office around eleven-thirty. I tried calling her just after midnight and got no answer. I tried her two more times and when I got here, her car was in the driveway, the door was locked so I opened it and it was after I called you that I saw this." He pointed to the blood.

"We'll find her," Novelli offered, directing the crime scene team to the doorway.

"I may have an idea who did this."

Novelli waited for him to continue.

"Eric Miller."

"Her boyfriend?"

"Ex. She told me tonight that she left him when he tried to hit her." Houston's eyes fell upon the cotton swab that now held blood – her blood. "If I find him first…"

"If you find him first, you will call me and let us take care of it," Novelli told him. "I'm not going to have to arrest you."

Taking a deep breath, Houston nodded.

"Besides," Novelli continued, "We don't even know for sure it's him. There are a lot of people who have motive here."

"I'll have Chris start looking up potential suspects," Houston offered. He looked back into the house.

"Houston, we'll find her. We always do."

"And what if we don't this time?"

The clock showed 4:32am as Houston drank his fifth cup of coffee while sorting through the files Chris had found on those who were out of prison and might have a reason for wanting to get back and him or CJ. Every instinct as a friend and a protector was urging him to go have his own little talk with Eric, but he knew better. CJ had been right. Novelli was right. He'd only end up in trouble. Where CJ was concerned, he would fight first and ask questions later if someone had tried to hurt her and, when they got her back, she would need him and not behind bars.

Chris quietly padded over to the office couch. "Novelli is on line three."

"Thanks, Chris." Houston quickly picked up the phone. "Did you find Eric?"

"Yes. He doesn't know anything."

"He's lying," Houston argued.

"No, he's not. He's been in the hospital for the last fifteen hours. Apparently the boyfriend of a girl he tried to pick up at a bar wasn't too fond of the idea and beat him pretty badly."

"He deserves it," muttered Houston.

Novelli smiled on the other end. "Did you come up with anything?"

"Yeah, about fifty suspects."

"Why don't you email me a list and I'll see what I can find out too. I'm heading back to the station now."

"Thank you." He hung up and stared at the list of names once more before asking Chris to send a copy to Novelli.

It was cold and her head was pounding. That was all the registered in CJ's mind as she began to wake up. Deciding she should turn up the heat a bit and take some Tylenol, she rolled over to get out of bed and, as she found herself bound, it all came back to her and fear set in. Where was she? Who took her? Did Houston know? She opened her eyes but the room was too dark to see anything. Her binds were too tight to slip out of. She heard movement and called out, "Who's there?" but her captor remained silent. Suddenly she was blinded by two bright spotlights aimed at her.
Houston rubbed his eyes, sitting back on the couch. He was not the computer whiz, CJ was. CJ. His mind raced through all the times she had been in danger because of the job – because of him. Abducted too many times to count, shot twice, threatened… Any sane person would have left long ago – many a girlfriends had yet CJ always remained by his side.

His cell phone vibrated with a text message. The number was unknown but the message made his blood run cold. It listed a webpage houstonsnightmare and the password she-dies. His heart pounded as he typed in the address while he fought back tears and anger when the page downloaded.

CJ, with dried blood on the side of her head, was barely conscious and tied to a chair in the middle of a desolate room. A messaged scrolled along the bottom of the page. You did this, Houston. You and she are responsible and I will finish what my father started.

Chris gasped when she walked into the room and saw CJ on the screen. Novelli was right behind her and already on the phone to the station telling them the website name and getting the password from Houston's cell.

Houston continued to stare at the screen. CJ moved her head slightly. At least she was alive.

A huge thanks to those who have reviewed the first part - it's nice to know there are still other fans out there :D.

In case you didn't figure it out - I'm taking creative liberties with messing with the timelines and such. Sort of transporting them as they were in the 80's into today's world. Ah, the freedoms of fan fiction hehe.