C.J. hated this part of pregnancy already.

Getting up in the morning and having to rush into the bathroom to embrace the porcelain goddess while she tossed up last night's dinner. God, the nausea hit her just after she opened her eyes and all she could think of was to get there fast and often that meant disentangling herself from the embrace of the man asleep next to her.

She hated doing that too.

She'd been spending most of her time at the beach house because she liked watching the sunsets on the deck at night and taking walks with Matt after a day's work. The whole mess with Elizabeth, Delilah and whoever might be pulling strings in the background made these moments spent together even more precious.

"C.J. how you feeling…?"

Busted, she thought as she reached to wipe her face with the damp cloth she had waiting. She did feel a bit better as she flushed the toilet and got back on her feet.

"I'm fine…"

A little rinse out with mouthwash and she felt like herself again. But the thought of repeating this for three months or maybe longer as her close friend Dr. Carol pointed out made her well..nauseous.

He entered the bathroom and she turned to smile at him and he slid his arms around her pulling her closer.

"Missed you…"

She sighed in his arms.

"I'm sorry…it's this damn…"

"Morning sickness…?"

"Yeah at least it's just mornings."

"It's normal I heard."

She nodded.

"I know but it just hits so hard and fast I can't even think."

He caressed her face and brushed some strands of hair away from her face.

"I'll be over soon enough," he said, "You sleep well?"

She smiled at that question.

"'Mmm…yes I did Mr. Houston…what you did last night…very relaxing."

He grinned glad that it had that effect on her. She'd fallen asleep soon afterward smiling and he'd lain there thinking about what it was going to be like with a child in his near future rather than as part of some abstract dream. But he still had his work cut out for him for getting her to agree that they should get married. So far she didn't seem all that receptive to the idea and he got why. It's not like he hadn't proposed to women before but this was the most important one in his life and he knew it had to be perfect.

But with Elizabeth's plot to take his company away from him and Delilah owning the Daily Mirror that threatened to mess with his life. No, he had to focus on the woman in front of him and deal with the rest the best knowing that if the worst happened and he lost his business, he could build another from scratch.

Yes some employees like Murray Chase might freak out about it for a while but it'd turn out fine because he'd still have his family and most of his friends.

Matt went to make some breakfast. C.J. thought she could manage some poached eggs though she normally avoided them like the plague. He also had some freshly squeezed juice from Roy in the refrigerator.

She joined him on the deck looking out into the ocean, dotted with sail boats bobbing in the waves. The sun had risen and shimmered over the water. C.J. smiled at him as he served her eggs along with wheat toast with blackberry jelly, her favorite.

He cooked himself an omelet and they both enjoyed the morning.

"Hey C.J…"

She looked and saw Elise standing on the walkway with her bike. She trained daily for a cycling trip she was doing to raise money for a charity.

"What's up Elise?"

Her friend made a face.

"You know that witch who bought that rag," she said, "Well our favorite cowboy's on the cover this morning and it's spilling about the engagement."

C.J. shrugged.

"So…it's just a broken engagement."

Elise shook her head.

"No…she's accusing Matt of making out with some stripper at his bachelor's party."

C.J. frowned.

"He didn't have a party," she said, "He went bass fishing with Hoyt and Will on Roy's boat. He didn't get naughty with any strippers on that trip that I know of…did you Houston?"

Matt shook his head.

"Nope but I caught three nice bass that would make a guy's knees go weak just off the skillet."

Elise smiled.

"She's so full of it," she said, "I never believe any of that trash in her rag but you know how the masses devour gossip in this town. It's like an epidemic."

C.J. knew that and she'd learned that the hard way when she'd betrayed her own ex, Robert Taylor and afterward the tongues wagging and the presses humming had her everything from pregnant with his love child to having been part of a murder plot over some life insurance. The truth had been more boring with Robert simply being another overly ambitious to the point of being ruthless about it journalist. In his case, he planned to murder his way up the corporate ladder and if he hadn't been caught red handed by Matt, maybe his kidnapper expose would have won him a slew of Emmys.

Instead he wound up in prison and despite what the press claimed; she never visited him there let alone had a conjugal visit. But no, she didn't have a fond feeling for the press in any form.

"I guess maybe you'd better avoid the newsstands."

"That bad…?"

Elise shrugged.

"Not really but it did get a mention on Good Morning Downtown."

C.J. bit her lip. That show was pretty popular but unless the anchor called them up for an interview about it, they were probably still under the radar as newsworthy material…

At that moment, Matt's cell phone rang.

"I'd better take this," he said, "Excuse me a moment."

C.J. got up and walked over to the railing to look down at Elise.

"How many miles today," she asked.

"Oh about 20 or so…the ride's still two months off."

"You ready?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be by then," Elise said, "What about you?"

"Me?"

"With this new addition," Elise said, "In its own way a feat of athleticism."

C.J. sighed.

"Pretty good…some morning sickness…"

"Ah…that'll pass soon enough. How's Matt handling it?"

C.J. smiled.

"Pretty well," she said, "He seems excited about it."

"I'm not surprised," Elise said, "Most men are quite proud of themselves when they hit the bulls eye so to speak."

"It's not just that," C.J. said, "He knew it's what his own father always wanted."

"His father passed away didn't he?"

"Yes of a heart attack," C.J. said, "Houston still misses him a lot. He wished his father could have known Will was still alive."

"He'd be happy that you're close with his brother," Elise said, "I remember Matt mentioning that they were at odds for a while."

"Yeah but they patched things up more or less even if they didn't agree on everything."

"He's going to be a great father," Elise said, "He's great with kids."

C.J. knew that to be true and she'd often imagined that if she had kids, he'd be their father even when she knew she shouldn't think that way.

And now it was reality even if the world around them was a mess.

Matt returned to the deck with his phone.

"Was it Murray?"

He shook his head.

"It was Barbie what's her name from that morning talk show."

"You mean Good Morning Downtown?"

He nodded this time.

"She wants to interview me about the story in Delilah's rag…today."

C.J. wanted to roll her eyes.

"She also knows that you kick boxed her yesterday."

C.J. put her hands on her hips.

"Does she also know she was packing a knife?"

"A letter opener."

C.J. waved a hand.

"Whatever, no one's getting near our future child with anything dangerous."

Matt had to smile at that knowing she was serious. Her maternal instinct had surfaced in a big way already. Not only did it warm his heart but it was downright sexy. He knew he'd hooked up with a lioness in his best friend.

Elise called them having overheard.

"You can't do it Matt," she said, "I mean you're good on your feet and all that but Barbie's smarter than she looks."

C.J. didn't think her all that smart but she was glib and not above trying to trick an incriminating statement or two out of her target if they were to be found.

"She said she'd send a crew to the house and office if I didn't."

Elise shrugged.

"Then take the day off," she said, "Take a holiday with the mother of your child. God knows when it's born; you'll be too busy soon enough."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other. Why not?

"Check into the Beverly Ventura under an alias like you would on a case."

C.J. liked that plan. They could finish out the weekend in the suite looking out over the bay and order room service to keep fed in between engaging in other pastimes.

"You can figure out who's after you after some R&R," Elise counseled, "I can keep an eye out on my end."

Matt nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, "I'll take the 'Stang. It's a low profile car."

C.J. got up.

"I'll go pack…but I don't have much here."

Elise grinned.

"Buy some new threads," she said, "They have some ahem, delicates at the boutique in the lobby."

Matt smiled thinking that'd work out nicely. C.J. didn't know if they should be doing this while Elizabeth and Delilah were out running amok but the more she thought about it…

"I'll come up with a great alias…something no one would guess."

And just like that the two of them put their plan in action.