Here's the latest in this cross fan fiction story. Hope you like it and thanks for the feedback!
C.J. walked back into the Brick to pick up a hamburger. Her afternoon out with Ed doing interviews which had concluded with some time inside a greenhouse packed with orchids had left her with quite an appetite. Oh yes, and she was eating for two, at least she thought she was having only one baby. She would find out for sure when she had her scheduled ultrasound with Joel. At her last appointment, he had raved about the new device, well new at least for the town of Cicely. C.J. had shared his enthusiasm especially when she learned that the new purchase courtesy of Maurice spared her plane trip to Anchorage to have the procedure done there.
She saw that Matt had obviously finished his paperwork and had joined some loggers talking and drinking beer in the corner of the bar. Looking at him, she sat down at a table next to one occupied by Eve and a rather hairy looking man wearing a knit hat.
"Must you keep reminding me about your phlebitis my passion flower," the man glowered, "That layover in Zurich airport was legitimate, not an attempt to avoid or delay exercising my parental responsibilities."
Eve just stared at the man, who must be the legendary often spoken of in whispers Adam while bouncing the baby on her lap.
"Adam, must you use such a harsh tone," she said, "A baby's cochlea is very delicate at this stage in its life. We could be talking deterioration of the hearing that could be unseen until the baby enters preschool and can't keep up with the class…"
Adam rolled his eyes but brought his voice down to a whisper.
"Is that better my loved one," he said, "What do the experts say this time?"
Eve sighed and took a sip of her herbal tea.
"It doesn't look like its rheumatoid based, it could be some form of gout but the Mayo Clinic specialist didn't think so," she said, "I have to go back out there for some more tests in a few weeks."
Adam threw his hands in the air.
"But you know that's when the international pasta prima vera cook off is scheduled," he said, "That's been on the schedule for months."
"I know that Adam, but I really believe the health of the family…"
"Am I not part of the family?"
"Why yes, dear, but these appointments are hard to reschedule except for months in advance," she said.
He looked at her a moment and then exasperated, he got up and stomped off to his favorite refuge from unreasonably hormonal women, the kitchen.
Maggie passed him by and sat next to Eve.
"Not in a very good mood tonight is he?"
Eve straightened the minute hairs on her baby's head.
"He's upset because I won't drop everything to support his cooking competition next month," she said, "But I've got this pain in my toes that is spreading to my foot."
Maggie nodded.
"I got that often when I was with Rick," she said, "I think it was psychological or so my mom says."
Eve looked at her solemnly.
"It could be leprosy," she said, "You'd better get that checked."
She dug in her purse and pulled out a business card.
"He's one of the top specialists and if you call now, I'm sure he can fit you in within six months," Eve said.
Maggie took the card and looked at it uncertainly.
"…Thanks."
Maggie looked over at C.J.
"So how's Ed's film going," she asked.
C.J. looked up at her.
"It's going great," she said, "He shot some raw footage today and he's looking through it to see what works."
"I can't wait to see it," Maggie said, "Ed's a very talented film maker."
"He's been working very hard," C.J. said, "I've enjoyed helping him and seeing the process unfold."
Maggie sipped her beer that Dave brought her.
"You work in film before?"
C.J. shook her head.
"I was a lawyer," she said, "what feels like a long time ago."
"What kind of law did you practice," Maggie asked.
"Mostly corporate law," C.J. said, "I did a criminal proceeding now and then just enough to get my feet wet."
"Do you miss it?"
C.J. paused for a while thinking back to the past before life had gotten so complicated.
"Yes."
Matt left the loggers where they contemplated whether they were going to play pool downstairs and walked to where Hollings was drying off some bar glasses.
"You tend a pretty good bar," Matt noted.
Hollings just put the glass down and nodded.
"I've had this place for a spell," he said, "but I tended bar elsewhere when I was younger before I tended my own."
Matt ordered a refill and Hollings obliged. He looked over where C.J. and Maggie were talking. Hollings watched him.
"Have you asked her to forgive you?"
Matt looked up with a start.
"She has every right to be upset with what I did and what I put her through," he said, sipping his glass, "after I told her how much she mattered to me."
"Right before you left her that last time."
Matt thought back to the expression on her face when he left her to get in the vehicle. He had promised her after the night they had spent together that he would only be gone a short while.
"We got married as part of the cover," he said, "It wasn't legal but…"
"For a while, you believed it," Hollings guessed.
"I wanted it."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Hollings said, "I wasn't the marrying kind and Shelli except that even though it pains her sometimes. I thought that's what she wanted and needed to be happy but in her mind, she was more in love with the ceremony than the license."
"I was engaged a couple of times," Matt said, "It didn't work out. One woman left me because of my career and the other, died."
"That must have been difficult."
Matt nodded.
"When they gave me this impossible choice," he said, stroking his chin, "I didn't see any other way out. I should have died in that explosion."
"You didn't," Hollings said, "You're here and the woman you left is sitting over at that table."
"She thinks I'm just going to leave her again," Matt said.
"Are you?"
Matt shook his head.
"She might have her reasons for feeling the way she does," Hollings said, "Maybe you should ask her about them."
"You're right," Matt said, "I think I will."
C.J. looked up from where she sat with Maggie and saw him walking towards her. Her brows knitted and Maggie turned around to look at him. She smiled and patted a seat.
"Come and sit down," she said, "I don't bite and I don't kill men no matter what you might have heard around town."
He sat down.
"I'll buy you dinner," Maggie said, "and then I'll leave you two alone."
"You don't have to…," C.J. started.
"I want to," she said, "God knows I'll never figure out what makes the opposite sex tick and how to make it work, but more power to those couples who can make out right."
"Thanks," C.J. said, "That's really nice of you."
Maggie shrugged.
"It's nothing," she said, then her face fell when she looked at the door.
"What is it," C.J. asked.
"Fleischman."
Joel had entered the room, bundled up from head to toe with only his face showing. He walked to an empty table and began taking the layers off. Maggie shook her head and walked over to him. C.J. and Matt watched them for a moment then picked up the menus.
"What's good," Matt asked.
"Everything, but especially the moose burgers," C.J. said, "I'm going to have one."
He raised his brow.
"Sure you can eat all that?"
She looked back and put the menu down.
"I sure can," she said, "Being out in this brisk air all day makes me hungry."
"I'll have the same thing," he said and they ordered.
"So how did your day go," C.J. asked.
"I got a lot of work done," he said, "And managed to fax some sheets back to Murray so he'll stop calling."
"He's done a great job with Houston Enterprises," C.J. said.
"Yes he has," Matt said, "I've never regretted handing it off to him to run."
"He's worked very hard."
"You've been working very hard lately," he said.
She looked back at her glass.
"I've enjoyed my work," she said, "It's something different but it's fun."
"You really do look good," he said.
She smiled.
"So do you," she said, "You're much better alive."
"I plan to stay that way," he said, "I'm not going anywhere."
She pushed her hair back off of her face and looked at him.
"Are you sure about that?"
He saw the wariness appear in her eyes again.
"I'm very sure," he said, "And I'm very sure that those men who tried to harm you won't be coming around again."
She put her chin on her hand.
"They're all in jail?"
He nodded.
"Why did they want to kill you?"
"It was over that disk we uncovered," Matt said, "They thought it would further their objectives."
"It was destroyed," she said, "Didn't they know that?"
"Not until after they were rounded up," he said.
"I hope they put them away for a long time," she said.
"They will."
She sighed and when the burgers came, dug into hers.
"You really are hungry," he said.
"Yeah," she said, "I didn't feel like eating much for a while then all of a sudden I can't eat enough."
"I'm sorry about that," he said softly.
She looked up.
"About what," she said.
"About worrying you as much as I did," he said, "I had no right."
"You made your decision," she said, "and I had to make some as well."
"To leave L.A. and come all the way up here," he said.
"I needed to get away from the painful memories there," she said, "and I knew I'd be safe here. I had other things to think about."
His eyes narrowed.
"Like what?"
Her face flushed and she reached for her mineral water.
"Just things."
"I'm sorry I pushed you into having to make those decisions," he said.
"It wasn't all bad," she said, "Some good came out of it."
He nodded.
"You made great friends and this is a nice town."
"I did and I want to stay here for a while," she said.
"Fair enough," he said, "I can set up shop here."
She looked at him closely.
"You…you're bringing the agency here?"
"Uncle Roy's handling my case load which is low now anyway," Matt said, "And I needed a break too."
"But why here?"
"I meant what I said that night after we…"
"Had sex."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I think I'd call it more than that."
"Okay, it was nice," she said, "It was great but time has passed and it's hard to go back because what if anything happens?"
"Maybe we can't go back but we can start over," he said.
She thought about that as she bit into her burger.
"I don't know how to do that," she said, "I can't go through what I just did again."
He digested that and nodded.
"Okay, we still are friends right?"
She smiled.
"The very best."
Matt nodded at that, knowing that if he was going to rebuild what they had, that was the best place to start.