Chapter 6--Here's the latest chapter of this cross FF story. I hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

Josh entered the Brick with Maggie and felt the warmth surround him along with a crowd of party goers. He saw the lights dim and saw two women enter with the cake. His heart quickened when he saw the brunette one with a slender figure smile as she lit the candles after they set the cake down on the table. She was wearing some jeans and a knit sweater, her hair framed around her face. People moved closer to the table and then a chorus of voices of different timbres began singing the birthday song for Dave.

He didn't think she could see him hidden in the crowd and her mind appeared focused on what she and Shelli were doing. For a moment, he thought about just walking out of there before she did spot him. He had wanted to approach her when she was alone so he could explain to her everything that had happened and why he had made the decisions that he had made. Not sure how receptive she would be, he didn't want to run into her in the middle of a crowd and find out.

After the song had finished, C.J. and Shelli began slicing pieces of cake for everyone to eat. Across the room, Maggie looked up at Josh.

"Don't you want to try the cake," she said.

He looked at her and she frowned momentarily at what she saw there.

"I'll go over and get you a piece if you'd like," she offered.

He just nodded and Maggie walked over. She waited and while Shelli sliced her a couple of pieces, she laughed at something the other woman said. C.J. smiled at the both of them and sipped her glass.

"So Maggie, are you going to bring your guy over here to meet C.J.?"

Maggie looked up and shrugged.

"If you'd like," she said, "I'll go get him and he's not my guy. He's just in town for a few days and then he'll be gone."

She walked away with the plates. C.J. followed her movement with her eyes until she stopped in front of a tall man with dark hair and then her eyes narrowed. The guy had a beard but she thought he looked familiar and then it hit her suddenly who she was looking at. No it couldn't be, she thought as her heart began to race and her legs begin to turn into jelly as her eyes took in a sight that she couldn't believe. After Maggie handed him his plate, Josh looked up suddenly and saw her looking at him and he knew by her facial expression that she had recognized him. He saw sadness, intermixed with relief and more than a little bit of something else that looked like anger.

"Excuse me a minute," he said to Maggie.

He started walking towards her but she moved even faster towards him and her face had filled with so many emotions he couldn't separate one from another. When she reached him, she stopped several feet away unwilling or unable to come closer. Her eyes brimmed with tears but her mouth remained in a stubborn line.

"Houston, It can't be…is it really you," she asked.

He nodded.

"Yes it's me, C.J.," he said, "God, I couldn't wait to see you again."

She looked at him, her features twisted in confusion and pain. He knew better than to approach her.

"How…"

He sighed.

"That's a long story," he said, "and one I'm going to tell you, just not here."

"Why not," she said, "You're already attracting an audience and I want to know where you've been all this time."

Matt looked around and saw a crowd of puzzled people gathering around them. Maggie looked most confused of all.

"Josh?"

He turned around to look at her.

"That's not really my name," he said, "It's Matt…Matt Houston. I'm a private investigator from L.A."

She looked even more confused.

"But I thought…"

C.J. ran her hand through her hair and just shook her head.

"I thought you were dead," she said, "I saw you get in a car which blew up right in front of me."

Maggie just wrinkled her brow.

"What's this," she said, "First you have a different name and now you're supposed to be dead?"

"Maggie," Matt started.

She backed away from him.

"I haven't even slept with you," she said, "and I've already killed you."

C.J. backed away from him, her face incredulous.

"We had just…and then you said you had to leave and you get in a car and…You never even contacted me to tell me you're still alive. You never contacted anyone. You just let us believe you were dead."

"C.J…"

Then she got really angry.

"Don't you dare 'C.J.' me," she said, "Don't get me wrong. I'm really glad you're alive and safe but how could you leave me like that to mourn your death without telling me you weren't really dead?"

"I thought I was going to die," Matt said, "but then someone pulled me out of that explosion and told me I had to repay that favor by doing a job for them."

"What kind of job," she asked, warily.

"I can't talk about it here," he said.

Maggie just looked at the both of them.

"What the hell is going on here or do I even want to know?"

They both ignored her.

"Houston, when you died…or I thought you did, I almost gave up," C.J. said, "I might have if…but if you faked your death, why did you come back at all?"

"I came back for you," he said, "I did what they wanted and now I'm going back home."

She looked at him incredulously.

"You can't go back," she said, "Your uncle and cousin were devastated when you died. We buried you in the cemetery and put a marker there and then we had to move on without you."

He watched her face.

"Did you move on?"

She couldn't look into his eyes. It hurt too much.

"Leave me alone," she said, "You have no right to ask that question."

"C.J.," he said, reaching for her arm but she shook it away, going into the kitchen.

He started following her but Maggie blocked his path, with her arms crossed.

"Maybe you should just leave her alone for now," she said, "I can only imagine how shocked she must be. I mean I had boyfriends die on me but none of them ever came back."

"I need to talk to her," Matt said.

Hollings came up to them.

"Give her some space first," he said, "so that she can calm down. You'll just upset her more."

Joel came walking up as well, waggling his finger at Matt.

"What did you say to my patient to upset her so much?"

Matt narrowed his eyes.

"Your patient," he said, "Is she sick? What's wrong with her?"

Joel folded his arms.

"I can't tell you," he said, "Doctor-patient confidentiality."

"I just want to know if she's okay," Matt said.

"If she wants you to know, she will tell you," Joel said, not budging, "but I won't have you upsetting her."

Joel went into the kitchen. Hollings looked at Matt.

"Listen Josh…"

"Matt, that's my real name."

The news didn't faze Hollings. After all, most everything that could ever happen had done so in Cicely.

"Matt then," he said, "Why don't I buy you a drink?"

Matt looked at him then nodded.

C.J. stood in the kitchen, taking a few deep breaths. Shelli handed her a cup of tea.

"Here, it will help calm your nerves," Shelli said, "I thought I'd seen everything in this bar but never anything quite like that."

"I can't believe it myself," C.J. said, sipping the tea slowly.

"So you know Maggie's friend?"

C.J. nodded.

"He's been my best friend as long as I can remember," she said.

"And you're upset with him because he didn't tell you that he had died," Shelli guessed, "or that he had died but he really didn't."

"Something like that."

Shelli furrowed her brow.

"Aren't you happy he's alive?"

C.J. rubbed her forehead.

"Yeah I am," she said, "but I just can't believe this. I saw him get into a car that exploded right in front of me. His family and his friends buried him. We mourned him and then…"

"You found out you were having a baby," Shelli said, "His baby."

C.J. nodded, wiping her eyes. Shelli shook her head.

"This is just like a soap opera," she said, "I never thought that stuff happened in real life."

"Me neither," C.J. said, "until it happened to me."

Shelli looked at her.

"Don't you think he has a right to know," she said, "about your being knocked up even if you are ticked at him?"

"I would never keep that from him," C.J. said, "I just need some time to calm down and think about it."

Shelli put down two plates of birthday cake.

"We can sit here and try this for a while."

Matt looked at his Scotch before drinking it. Hollings sat beside him.

"I've seen a lot happen in my bar over the years but this takes the cake," he said.

Matt didn't look at him.

"I came back to her as soon as I could," he said, "but not soon enough."

Maurice wondered over.

"What's the matter with you," he said, "How could you leave a classy filly like that?"

"It wasn't like that," Matt said, "We were investigating a situation and someone tried to kill us. When I stepped inside the car, I didn't know about the explosives. When they went off, the next thing I knew is someone pulled me out of the inferno."

Maurice picked up a toothpick and started chewing on it.

"So you faked your own death," he said, nodding, "Old military intelligence maneuver, pretty clever."

Hollings looked at his long-time friend sternly.

"Maurice…"

"Yeah..yeah look he did what he had to do in the situation whatever it was," Maurice said, "We can't judge his actions."

"Where's C.J.," Matt asked.

Hollings looked towards the kitchen.

"Shelli's with her right now," he said, "You should give her a little space."

Matt nodded.

"Not returning to her was one of the hardest things I ever had to do," he said.

Hollings and Maurice looked at each other, wondering what this young man had brought to their town.

Maggie and Joel stood a little distance away. She kept shaking her head.

"I can't believe what just happened," she said.

He looked at her.

"You seem to be holding up pretty well."

She smiled.

"I'm used to boyfriends dying ," she said, "At least this guy's still alive."

"Never a dull moment in Cicely," Joel said, "If there is, it never lasts."

"Joel, maybe you'd better check on how your patient's doing."

He scratched his jaw.

"I'm not sure who that is at the moment."

"How you feelin'," Shelli asked.

C.J. sipped her tea.

"Better I think," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "This is just such a shock."

Shelli shook her head.

"That's why I'm glad I have a steady guy like Hollings," she said, "The only surprises are of the nice kind."

"I don't know why he would do such a thing," C.J. said.

"Maybe you should go and ask him," Shelli suggested, "He looked very concerned about you."

"I just don't know if I can right now," C.J. said, suddenly feeling dizzy.

Shelli looked worried.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…just a little tired," C.J. said.

Joel walked into the kitchen and when he saw her, headed to where the women sat.

"How are you doing," he asked.

C.J. just shrugged. Shelli looked up at him.

"We're just a couple of chicks hanging out," she said, "but she's getting dizzy and tired."

Joel's eyes flashed concern.

"Do you feel like you're going to faint?"

C.J. didn't feel sure one way or another.

"Yes…no…I think I'm okay."

Joel nodded.

"It's pretty normal in your stage of pregnancy to experience these symptoms," he said, "but I don't want you to pass out and hit your head or something like that."

C.J. gave him a strange look.

"I'm feeling okay," she said, "I'm just a little bit surprised to see him. He's supposed to be dead."

Joel shook his head.

"Is he officially listed as dead or did you just think that he died?"

"He died right in front of me in a car bomb explosion," C.J. explained, "and he was given a funeral and buried in a cemetery."

Shelli and Joel looked at each other. Joel smiled uneasily.

"Well obviously it was some kind of mistake or misunderstanding," he said, "because he's sitting in the Brick having a drink with Hollings and Maurice right now."

Shelli's eyes widened.

"Wow, how cosmic," she said, "Maybe he's a ghost or something coming back to solve his own murder."

C.J. rubbed her head.

"No, that's really him," she said, "I don't even know how he found me here unless his uncle told him."

Joel looked at her.

"I could give you an examination but I really think everything's okay," he said, "Maybe if you got some rest…"

C.J. sighed.

"I have to face him first," she said, "before I do anything else."

Maggie shook her head as she looked at the three men sitting close to her.

"Men," she started, "We're taught that they are simple creatures…"

Maurice interrupted her colloquy.

"That's because we are Maggie," he said, "unlike the fairer sex."

Anger boiled through her.

"If that were true, then your friend here would have less than two names," she said, "I bet he's not really a developer."

Matt shook his head.

"I'm a private investigator," he said, "but I was CEO of my own company and had plenty of experiencing brokering real estate deals."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that yet another man is not who he says he is," she said, "but that woman in the kitchen really loved you and you played her like a fool pretending to be dead."

"That's not what happened," Matt explained, "Someone tried to kill me and when another group saved my life, they wanted something from me in return."

"So you faked your own death to be some kind of covert operative or something breaking that woman's heart."

Matt closed his eyes for a second, knowing that Maggie spoke the truth. He wouldn't blame C.J. if she believed that he had abandoned and even rejected her. Telling her the truth should have been what he did but he couldn't change the past now. All he could do was repair the damage his decisions had caused the most important person in his life.

"This is between her and me," he said, "It's not your business."

Maggie's eyes flashed in anger.

"How typical of men," she said, "to try to define the parameters of women's feelings."

Matt looked confused.

"What are you talking about," he said, "I never said that."

"You didn't have to," she said, "It oozes through your pores like some fungus."

Maurice raised his hand.

"Now Maggie, you're not being fair here."

She snorted in response.

"Men," she said, "You all stick together. Are you sure you don't want to chime in Hollings and join the choir?"

Hollings eyes blinked.

"Oh…I don't think it's my place…"

Her arms flew up.

"Of course not," she said, "why should you men hold each other accountable? How easy it is to bury your head in the sand."

Hollings looked even more perplexed.

"That's not what I'm doing," he said, "I think you're taking this situation too close to heart."

That made her angrier.

"At least I have a heart," she said, "You just have two small brains. A northern one and a slightly smaller southern one."

Matt interrupted them.

"Listen, this is all interesting and thanks for the drink but I've got someone I've got to talk to about now," he said getting up and leaving them.

They met in the middle. She had left the kitchen and he had walked towards the end of the bar. He noticed that her face looked pale but it didn't mar her beauty. She stopped several feet in front of him.

"Are you okay," he said.

She just looked at him and he could see she had been crying. That made his heart hurt even more than it did already.

"I'm fine," she said, "I've had to be."

"I'm sorrier than you'll ever know for what I put you through," he said, "If I had to do it again…"

She shook her head.

"You can't undo the past that easily," she said, "I sat so many times and thought if I could have done something to prevent you from getting inside of that car…"

"You couldn't do anything," he said, "We didn't know it was rigged with a bomb."

She wiped her eyes and he had to resist the urge to move closer to her.

"We knew that the case we were working on was dangerous," she said, "After what had just happened…"

He sighed.

"That's in the past now," he said, "I'm back now."

She narrowed her brows.

"For how long," she said, "What if someone else wants a favor from you? Will you just take off again without telling anyone?"

"C.J..."

She shook her head.

"No, I really want to know," she said, "One minute you were there, then you were dead. Then it turns out you weren't dead, but performing a job for someone else. Now I find out that not only weren't you really dead but that you didn't tell anyone. Not me and not your uncle, the people who care about you."

"I couldn't," he said, "That was part of the deal for saving my life."

She bit her lip, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Does Uncle Roy even know you're alive," she said, "what about your cousin Will?"

He nodded.

"I talked to Roy before I came here," he said.

"And he told you where I was, didn't he?"

Matt set his jaw.

"Not at first," he said, "then he finally did after I pushed him."

She shook her head again.

"Why does it matter where I am," she said, "if you were able to disappear from our lives without looking back?"

He rubbed his forehead, knowing he deserved her anger.

"Why did you leave L.A.," he asked.

She looked at him for a long moment.

"I needed a change of scenery," she said lightly, "Alaska has beautiful scenery."

"Uncle Roy told me that the men who tried to kill me came after you," Matt said, "Twice."

She shrugged.

"They didn't succeed obviously," she said, "because I'm right here standing in front of you."

"If I had known…"

"Would it have changed anything?"

He couldn't answer that.

"I didn't think so," she said, "I can't live with that kind of danger hanging over my head. Not anymore. That's why I came here so no one could find me and I could try to build a life for myself."

He sighed.

"It's safe now," he said, "All of Dietmer's men have been rounded up and taken into custody."

"If it's not Dietmer, it will be someone else," she said, "Danger always surrounds us Houston."

He looked at her confused.

"I thought you liked working with me," he said.

"I really did," she said, "but life has a way of throwing you curve balls that make you rethink your priorities. When I thought I lost you, a part of me died and I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted in my life."

"Okay, so you do something else," he said, "As long as we're together…"

"Until you take off again," she said, "Until you have to play dead again. I don't think I could go through that. I don't want to go through that kind of pain anymore."

"You won't have to," he said, "I'm coming home to stay."

She looked at him and she wanted to believe him but a large part of her…she couldn't put that kind of faith in his words. Too much was at stake, much more than the last time they had seen each other.

She shook her head.

"I'm staying here," she said, "until I figure things out like what I'm going to do with the rest of my life."

She started to walk away.

"C.J. we're not done here," he said.

She looked at him sadly.

"For now we are," she said, "Right now I just want to be alone. I've got a lot of thinking to do."

He nodded and then watched her walk away, knowing that he really had his work cut out for him this time.