"Give it back, it's my turn to put the Engine on the track!" the little boy with the tousled hair yelled at the dark haired, taller boy, who was stood on the other side of the room laughing

"Will not" the other boy called back. "I got it out the box first, so I'm the one who gets to set it up!"

"DAD!" the smaller boy yelled out before running out of the room just as Houston and Connie Ling walked through the other door

"Hey!" Houston called out in surprise, "that…that was me! And that's Will…my cousin!"

Connie through her arms up as she muttered "Well d'uh..!"

Houston narrowed his eyes and looked at her sideways. He was just about to ask her what she meant when he noticed his younger self coming back in, dragging his dad behind him. "Pop!" he whispered as he stepped towards them, he glanced over his shoulder to Connie and asked. "They can't see us huh?"

With a small smile she shook her head. "We're here to observe, that's all…can't alter anything here big guy…so just relax and enjoy…and remember!"

He tilted his head a fraction, before turning back to watch as he heard himself tell his dad. "Will won't let me have the train dad, and it was MY turn to put it on the track this year. He did it last year, I remember…but he won't give it me back!"

Bill Houston pursed his lips a fraction before resting his hand on his sons shoulder and beckoning Will over to join them. He crouched down so he was eye level with them as he said…"You know, the most important thing about the track that runs around the tree is that we set it up together…"

"But dad…!" Houston tried to butt in, stopping as he saw his dad raise his eyebrow so bit his lip

"Matlock, you think putting the engine on the track is the most important task right? But if someone hadn't put the track down first, what does the engine run on…? And if you put down the track without connecting the power and setting the switches, then the engine won't run. We all have little jobs to do, we all play our part in making the Christmas Train run, and nobody's job is more important…"

"Team work daddy?" young Houston asked soflty

"Exactly!" Bill said as he ruffled his sons hair.

The proud father watched as his son chewed his lip a fraction before nodding to himself and walking up to the box holding the toy train tracks. He began to pull the track out, carefully placing them in order and checking the cables were connected at each point. Will came to stand next to his cousin and put the engine down, taking up the first pieces of track and walking over to the tree to start putting it in place, taking the next piece from Matt as the younger boy passed it over.

Bill watched as the two boys worked together in silence, and when the track was completed, he waited to see if they would argue again over the engine. Will was the first to pick it up, but after glancing at his cousin and seeing the small nod of approval, he was pleasantly surprised when his nephew walked up to him and handed the engine over, saying "Team work Uncle Bill…we built the track, done our bit…so you gotta do yours…you gotta get the train to run!"

With a big smile Bill Houston placed the replica vintage steam train in it's place and grinned as both of the boys reached over and flipped the switch together, all three laughing as the engine tooted loudly, before beginning it's journey, circling the base of the large Christmas Tree

"That was a great lesson about working together right?" Connie asked as her Houston smiled at the scene

With a small laugh he shook his head. "NO! It was dads way of stopping an argument!"

Connie grinned back. "Really? Cos from what I have seen of your past you were a great team player...no job too big OR too small for you, even if you are the boss… you like be involved!"

"Again, no…what I like is making sure the job is done, and done right, so I can move on to the next…and the next…money in the bank sister!"

"That so?" Connie smirked and suddenly reached for his sleeve.

The room began to spin again, and Houston felt nauseas, he gasped in surprise as he felt himself fall to the floor, grimacing in disgust as he felt cold, wet, marshy soil beneath him. His head snapped round as he heard himself saying. "C'mon Will, you can do it…just a little bit further…c'mon" He squinted in the dim light and could just make out two figures crawling through the swampy ground, full military packs on their backs, their laboured breathing echoing around

"I can't do it Matt, I can't!" Will gasped

"You can Will" his cousin replied, "just five more minutes and you've done it, you'll beat the time limit and pass…c'mon…push on Will, push on!"

"Remember this?" Connie asked as she lay down next to him, resting her head on her hand as she rolled on to her side to look at him. When Houston just looked blankly back at her she continued. "Basic training? Will was failing? No huh…hmm, I'm sure you DO remember, just trying to trick me! You got up an hour and a half early every day to drag Will out for extra training…you were determined he should pass and…"

"And look how well it worked out!" Houston hissed. "He passed alright, got sent to 'Nam with me…but he got captured, and lost 12 years of his life…12 years! If I hadn't interfered, maybe he wouldn't have been sent over, maybe he would have been in a different place that day…maybe he would have had a much better life than he has now…yeah, this really helped him so much!"

"Not how Will remembers it…he remembers you doing this for him so he could pass and go home for two weeks leave…he got to meet up with his sweetheart, and he got to spend time with his mom and dad, spent the whole time with them, something he hadn't done for a long time!"

Houston shrugged a fraction. "So big deal, I helped my cousin, it's family!"

Connie pursed her lips before placing her hand on his shoulder and mouthing "Okay!"

Houston groaned as the world spun again, as he shook his head to clear it he recognised his old friend Wildcat Callaghan. He looked up as the office door opened, and recognised himself…even under all the dirt ad ripped jeans, and black oil! "She blew man, we struck oil…woooohoooooooo!" the younger Houston yelled

Callaghan leapt to his feet and did a little jig around the office, before growing serious and reaching to pull his young business associate into a bear hug. "Matlock William Houston, you're a God send. Without your investment I couldn't have bought the equipment, and when Stuart Dibley got hurt in the accident…well without you leading my crew in his place I wouldn't have had the man power to do this...I was coming so close to losing it all...now, with this strike…man...I owe you, I owe you everything!"

"Not a problem man, besides you showed me the ropes when you worked for my dad!" the young Matt chuckled, "and it's team work to…I learned a lot from this job, plan to put it to good use on my own plot of land…reckon there is oil waiting for me to. Thing is…well…I still kinda like ranchin' can't see me as a wheeler dealer in the oil industry…"

"So why drill?" Callaghan asked as he stepped away

"Cos I can!" Houston replied with a cheeky wink. "And there are a lot of good men out there that still need jobs…way I plan it, is if I get the fields up and running, would you mind if I asked Dibley to be my general manager?"

Callaghan chuckled. "When did this idea form Houston?"

With a grin the young man replied. "Ooh, round about the time I bought the land…"

"Which was when?"

"Round about the time I found out Dibley wasn't gonna work as a rigger ever again!"

Callaghan laughed out loud. "Always lookin' out for people Matlock?"

"Naw, it's good business sense…I wanna branch out a bit, there's money to be made from oil…but I KNOW I can't commit the amount of time to it that it needs to work…I don't know a man…other than you… who knows this business as well as Dibley does…I can help to begin with…show him the business side a bit…then with his instincts and the way he knows the crews out there…win win situation right?"

With a shake of his head Callaghan chuckled. "Right…you big softie!"

"Big RICH softie…it pays off Callaghan…team work!

Connie smiled and looked at Houston. "See, your dads lesson stuck…and paid off! You have done things like tat so many times, that's why your business portfolio is o diversified… made you have made a lot of friends in your life to Houston, they're all worried about this self destructive spiral you have hit…they wanna help, if you let them! "

"Friends!" Houston snorted. "I made Callaghan a millionaire, same with Dibley…I gave him shares in the oil company…! But Callaghan let me down, he killed a man, I looked up to him so much yet I didn't really know him…and Dibley, he still works for me, but so do most of his family now! I get monthly business reports and a card at Christmas, not exactly over doing the gratitude or trying to be my best buddy now is he!"

"Best buddy huh?" Connie grimaced. "Cos of course you treat them SO well right? I mean you used to, that's how you have so many loyal and devoted friends…though one friend in particular has been there for you, through thick and thin, the best of times the worst of times…real friendship, real love"

"CJ" Houston breathed, as with a whoosh the world spun round again