(Ok, I lied...sort of. I managed to get one more chapter edited and my Beta got it proofed before the end of the week. So here's a Happy Friday goodie to see you off into the weekend. Enjoy!)

Chapter 30

Early March

"Hey Cody!" called Jimmy as Cody came in the station door, stomping the snow off his boots. "Long time no see," he joked.

"If you call a week a long time Jimmy, I'd hate to see what you consider a month," snarked Cody as he pulled off his coat.

Robin looked up from her desk, "Hey Cody. Got some mail for you," she said as she pulled out a thick padded manila envelope from under a stack of paperwork.

"Yeah, Matt radioed me last night and said I had something," he said, taking it from Robin.

Matt's door was shut which was usually a sign that he was busy doing paperwork or dealing with something that he didn't want interrupted. Cody went over to the pool table that was empty for the time being and looked over the package.

"Heard the latest on Clara's lawsuit?" asked Jimmy from where he sat on the couch, reading one of his romance novels. He knew Cody hadn't so he just kept talking. "Sounds like the case is still dragging on. They're speculating it could drag on as long as another month."

Cody looked over at Jimmy and grimaced. It had been just over six months since Clara had been shot in early October. They had already found Randall guilty of attempted 1st degree murder in early January. He had been sentenced to life in prison and now he and Clara's parents were being sued due to issues with the contracts they had signed on behalf of representing Clara's interests while she was underage and working as an actor and a singer. They had basically taken her money and had worded it so that it left her with barely anything by the time she turned twenty-five. Randall and her parents must be fighting tooth and nail to keep their money but Cody had a feeling that if Lisa had done things right, Clara would get pretty much everything her parents and Randall had left after the lawyers were done taking their share. She'd probably be a very wealthy woman even after it was all said and done.

As he flipped the envelope over, he thought about what that might mean for her. He still wondered if she'd ever come back to live here or if she'd go back to the life of a rock star and actor. He'd heard about how she had ignored Matt and the Rangers when she'd been in town for the trial. She hadn't come by to say hello and she hadn't bothered to even call. From the grumblings around the office, this had obviously ruffled quite a few feathers until the Rangers had received a short note from Clara, slipped inside a Christmas card from the Law Offices of Shapiro, Miller, Vanana and Elliot. She apologized for her actions and explained that she didn't dare do anything that would draw attention to the fact that she had some form of connection to them for fear that the press would get wind of it and act like sharks with the scent of blood in the water. She'd signed it by saying she missed them all. This had calmed some of the mutterings but feelings were still a little hurt at the lack of communication from her.

Cody thought it was more for their feelings about what had gone on between Matt and Clara, seeing how it was tearing Matt up not having her around and they were being protective of him in their own way. Matt was moody lately and Cody felt for his brother. He worried about him and hoped that Clara would give it up and come back here to live. He liked having her around and he'd thought she and Matt would make a good couple. Hell, he wouldn't mind having her as a sister-in-law but that was a thought he kept closely guarded.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, he focused on what was in his hands. Seeing nothing special about the thick envelope, he opened it and pulled out the contents. Inside were a number of things from a prepaid padded envelope, a letter, a nature magazine and a stack of 8"x10" photos in protective sheets. Curious, he picked up the letter and began to read.

To Cody Hawkes,

A mutual friend of ours, Shandra Lee, contacted me a few weeks ago and told me all about you and your passion for photography and nature. She said she gave you some advice on putting a few more items into your portfolio and told me to send you some examples of what else you might need to flush it out.

I've known Shandra since she was twelve and she has always been a remarkable young woman, very attentive during photo shoots and always asking questions. So when I say she has a good eye for spotting someone with talent, I take her seriously. And she said, and I quote "Cody has it in spades." So, that being the case, I thought I would take her advice and give you some advice as well as some encouragement.

Included in this package is one of the magazines I photograph and layout the design for. I'm sure you may have seen it around if you are an avid nature nut like myself. I've also included the examples of shots that she felt you could use as examples to see what else you might need to flush out your portfolio. The last item is a padded envelope. When you've got your portfolio completed, send me a copy of it in the enclosed pre-paid postage envelope and I'll look it over for you.

I would love to see your work and if it's as good as Shandra says it is I have lots of resources and contacts at my disposal to help you out with either scholarships or getting some of your work published.

Good luck,

Roger Fornell

Photographer and layout designer of 'Nature Digest'

P.S. Shandra said to tell you have her permission to send me a copy of the picture you took of the 'scenery on the roof'? She wouldn't explain what that meant but said someone named Jimmy would know. She thought I'd be impressed by it.

Cody re-read the letter twice before he looked up and realized his mouth was hanging slightly open in surprise and Matt was standing across the pool table watching him.

"Well?" Matt asked casually. "What is all of that?"

Cody closed his mouth, his cheeks heating a little as he looked down at the items on the pool table and then back up at Matt, then back at the letter. "I…," he faltered some. "Here I thought she'd forgotten about us…me…," he stammered a little.

This had the others attention and they came over to stand near Matt who spoke up, "Who forgot about us…you…and what's all of that?" he asked again, keeping his tone neutral.

"Clara. I showed her my portfolio months ago and she gave me some pointers on things I should look to add to it if I wanted to get noticed or published…or apply for scholarships," he paused for a moment. "She knows Roger Fornell…THE Roger Fornell."

Robin made a little noise, "Wow…really? He's done work for National Geographic and Wild Kingdom…My dad's got a couple prints of his work on his office walls." She pointed to the letter, "So is that from his office or something?"

Cody shook his head, "No, it's FROM Roger Fornell." He handed the letter to Robin and then picked up the pictures from the packet and the magazine. "She told him about my work…," his voice said in a bit of an awed whisper.

Jimmy gave Matt a 'look' who in turn looked at Cody as the young man examined the photos he'd received. Matt looked back at Jimmy with a quiet smile on his lips. "Apparently she doesn't forget her friends," said Matt gently.

"Yeah…," was all Cody could say to that as the others looked over the magazine and picture with him as he marveled at this sudden turn of events and good fortune.

After the excitement of Cody's package wore off, the two brothers had gone out for pizza. Cody had tried to get Matt to talk about Clara but he didn't feel like he could handle dealing with his ever growing raw emotions in front of a room full of strangers. He also didn't want his little brother seeing how much this was getting to him.

He joked around with Cody and got him back onto the subject of applying for scholarships, what he'd been doing with his dad during the winter months and if, by chance, he got into one of the colleges he was applying to, what would he do with himself in a big city. This seemed to have taken Cody's mind off of Clara all together and Cody expressed his nervousness at being away from dad and the mountains. Matt did his best to reassure Cody that it was only for a little while and that he'd make sure to keep an eye on dad while Cody was away.

When they'd gotten back to the station, Cody had headed back up the mountain with his envelope from Roger Fornell and Matt disappeared into his office once again to try and focus on his paperwork. Unfortunately that was easier said than done. He sat there staring at Clara's picture, wondering what she was doing, who she was with today and if she was thinking about him. They had barely managed to admit to each other that they had feelings for one another just before she'd left to go back to LA. Should he really be having feelings this strong for her, even now after all these months apart? Did she feel the same way?

He had no way of knowing. His mind kept playing over the times during the trial that he'd seen her, been close enough to speak to her and she'd done nothing more than nod and say a polite 'hello' before being shuffled away by Lisa and a crowd of press with onlookers. When he'd been on the stand testifying, he had to school himself into giving nothing away when he talked about how he knew Clara and his 'relationship' to her as being nothing more than a passing acquaintance. He had to force himself to keep from looking at her though he felt himself drawn to her as if she were a magnet and he a piece of steel.

Yet when she was on the stand, she seemed cool and collected. She hardly looked at him at all and there was no passion in her voice when she spoke about him. Was it all an act, or was this how things were now between them? The note in the card they'd received from her as a way of apology was addressed more to the Rangers than to him because several of them had been called in to testify to certain parts of the proceedings on Matt and Clara's behalf. But she had acted towards them like she had towards him. Was the card her way of sending him a message or was it just for all of them in general?

A thousand questions rolled around in his mind and his stomach turned in knots every time his mind filled with doubts and confusion. He wanted to talk to her, see her, hold her and he couldn't. Lisa had insisted on it when he'd called her the last time to get Clara's number so he could talk to her. She said they didn't want to take any chances on anyone learning there might be more to their relationship than just a nodding acquaintance. He hadn't slept at all that night and since then the questions where two fold in his mind as he wondered if Clara was using Lisa as a way of avoiding him.

His thoughts were broken when a knock came to his door and Izzy poked his head in, "We've got a car that's slid off the side of the road and is hung up on the guard rail. They need us to help get the driver out."

Matt stood up quickly, all thoughts of Clara slipping hesitantly from his mind as he worked to focus on the business at hand. Sooner or later his questions would be answered and he'd either be able to deal with the hurt of something that wasn't meant to be, or she'd fulfill her promise and come back. But right now, he needed to focus on his job and he headed for the door to gear up for the pending rescue.

Clara banged her head against the glass between the recording studio and the control room. It was more out of frustration for the time it was taking the audio geeks or controllers, as they liked to be called, to get their act in gear than it was for the band to get back into the groove of playing together again. It seemed like every time they got started on their new song they had to stop due to some technicality. She could see the frustration on the other band members faces and finally she motioned to the others. "Take half an hour guys. Go smoke or get some coffee. I'll work with them on their sound and maybe we can get this song recorded before the end of the day."

Marcus, her bass guitar player came over and kissed the side of her cheek, "Thanks hon. Be back in a bit." He was the smoker of the group and she could tell he was jonesing for a nicotine fix. She smiled at him and shooed him away.

As the others made their way out to find coffee and flop onto the couches in the rec room for a few minutes, Clara spent a few minutes waiting for the audio geeks to get their systems reset. Picking up a guitar, she slung it over her shoulder and adjusted the strap, tuned it a little to her liking and then put on the head phones so she could hear herself singing through the equipment in the sound room.

"All right guys. You ready to do some tests?" she asked as she stretched her left arm and then her right. Her wound had healed months ago but if she didn't stretch out her arm and shoulder every now and then, as well as keep up with her breathing exercises, she got stiff and then paid for it later.

She saw the thumbs-up sign a few minutes later and taking a few deep breaths she moved forward some and positioned herself near the mic. With a stroke of the guitar pick, she began to play the melody of the song she'd been working on for the last few weeks to go with the words she'd written months ago. Leaning into the mic, she closed her eyes and began to sing in a low throaty alto, "To find this love of mine, I'd walk through wind and fire, forever and always. Hollow hands reach out, for you to touch me now, forever and always…." Her fingers flew over the strings of the guitar as she sang the words and felt her body moving to the drum beat in her mind. She lost herself in the song as she found herself thinking of the blonde headed, green eyed man the words reminded her of. Her heart ached with a deep pain at the need for him as she sang the lyrics she'd written all those months ago…the lyrics he'd accidently found and said he liked, thinking them a poem and not realizing what they truly were.

When the song ended with a final strong stroke of major chord, the guitar strings ringing out as she let their sound fade, she opened her eyes to find herself staring at her three other band members and the two controllers staring at her with varying expressions of surprise, awe and wicked humor. The intercom popped on from the audio room as Marcus leaned forward to speak into the studio mic, "So…does lover boy know that's for him and it's most likely gonna be our new number one hit single?" he teased her playfully.

Apparently the flushed expression on her face made the other two band members burst into laughter. They had figured out within a month of her being back in town that she was serious about someone. They had managed to pull every detail out of her about her time in the mountains and about Matt but only with the promise that they wouldn't say a word about it to anyone. It didn't hurt either that she had threatened them with great bodily harm at the end of a sledge hammer or splitting axe if they spoke to anyone about it. Since they'd seen the muscles she'd built up while she'd been gone, she was pretty sure they knew she could deliver on that promise.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said throwing him a threatening look since the controllers didn't know anything about it. "Now get you're asses in here so we can record that song we were working on. I'd like to get back to my place sometime tonight if you don't mind?" she groused, then looked at the controllers, "That is, if you guys have got your act together."

With quick nods from the two controllers, she motioned to the rest of the band's equipment, "Well?"

This was followed by grins, laughter and the opening and closing of doors as the rest of the band came back into the studio.

TBC -