Happily written for shc1975 for the April Support Stacie Fanfic Auction : )

Constant by socalwriter

"Can't we just be done with work for tonight?"

C.J. sighed and Houston knew he had his answer.

"You are the one who promised Smith-Gowen-Levison that we'd have these executive backgrounds done by next week even though Roy is in Santa Fe visiting Will.  So don't look at me like this pile of work is my fault."

Since Matt Houston had become a private detective, he had worked cases fraught with drama and danger--in fact, if he let himself think about the number of times his life or that of the gorgeous brunette a few feet from him had been put in jeopardy, he'd probably be ready to turn in his license and call it a game.

But he hadn't signed up for this life by accident or thinking he was investing time in a hobby.  The reasons for his choice were far darker and personal, the scars of his childhood kidnapping still very much a part of who he was, and it was a motivation shared by the woman who turned toward him now looking as if she wanted to shoot their multi-million-dollar computer.  She had been there beside him then, a wide-eyed, loving little girl determined to see her best friend smile again.  That she had chosen to stay with him now despite the danger his choice brought into her life never ceased to amaze him.

The need to hunt down monsters who'd hurt others without regard for the damage they left behind didn't mean, however, that Houston Investigations turned down a case that involved something as simple as background checks on candidates for a new partnership at the biggest law firm in the city.  The truth was, those cases funded the others, which oftentimes were taken on without any hope of collecting his $500-per-day fee (plus expenses).  Which was why he and C.J. were currently using "Baby," their enviable Apple computer, to assemble dossier's so complete, the CIA would be jealous.  Of course, deadlines still loomed even when it wasn't a case of life or death, and they were only days away from their current one.

"You know, this might be going a little better if you'd get out of the hot tub and focus on the task at hand.  Seventy-two hours is not a lot of time, Houston."

When he'd insisted on having a Jacuzzi installed in the office during its construction, the eye roll he'd earned from his then best friend had been all the commentary C.J. Parsons had offered on his choice.  He'd teased her about it, telling her Harvard had made her less fun, but he knew she'd indulge him his silliness ultimately because she had a capacity that he rarely found in other people for just letting him be who he was without judgment.

Now that she was his best-friend-turned-girlfriend, he knew she'd found her own reasons for liking the handy nature of the relaxing hot water and bubbly jets, though there was no trace of that appreciation visible as he set his drink down on the edge of the tub and eased forward so that he was only about a foot away from her, his elbows resting on the edge of the Jacuzzi.

"We've already finished seven of the twelve files.  I don't think a little break would hurt.  So I think you should turn Baby off... and climb in here and have a little soak."

The fact that he was using his most charming smile and his most suggestive voice no doubt contributed to her bursting into laughter.  The gimmicks that had worked on legions of women before her only seemed to amuse C.J., but he was fine with that because he loved the sparkle it brought to her eyes.

She stood and turned, leaving the mobile section of the sofa, which was pulled forward toward Baby's keyboard, and moved into a kneeling position on the cushion closest to him, her position mirroring his.

"You are incorrigible.  And we have work to do."

"I am utterly corrigible," he countered, leaning so his face moved even nearer to hers.  "And lucky me, it seems you're just the lady to do it."

She laughed again, shaking her head even as she closed the space between them and let him win, his lips claiming hers for an all too brief kiss.

"Letting you seduce me isn't going to make our deadline any easier to meet."

"How about if we make a deal?"

C.J.'s eyebrow rose up warily.

"A deal?  Oh, these terms I have to hear."

Matt nodded.  "Okay, well... how about you climb in here for a little seducing, then we'll order some dinner and after, I swear on my honor, Ms. Parsons, that I will sit right there beside you on that couch until every last background check is ready for delivery."

The crooked tilt of her smile told Houston C.J. was surrendering to the game, but he also knew that if tried to do anything later but sit down and work diligently until they were finished with the files, she'd hogtie him if need be to make him honor his side of this particular deal.

 "A little seducing, you'll order dinner from Perino's including the dark chocolate cake, and then... work."

"Dark chocolate cake?  You play hardball, counselor."

"You don't know the half of it.  I get your piece, too."

He'd have laughed if he hadn't been more focused on pulling her to him for another kiss.  This was how they were together, and it was a miracle to him.  For years he'd convinced himself that whatever he and C.J. had been to each other in their youth, they had moved on, both finding love elsewhere, and their friendship had grown so deep that he couldn't imagine how they could really be any closer.

But a few months after his near marriage to Elizabeth, Matt had decided to go to Northern California to look at some property he'd been eyeing for years... a vineyard that not only produced outstanding wines but also had a bed and breakfast that had become a favorite of Houston's over the years.  Though most of his business holdings had rolled over from the transition of Houston Industries into Houston Charities, the foundation he'd established after giving up the conglomerate to focus on his private eye work, he still ran a few smaller enterprises on the side, including his working ranches in California and Texas and his horse breeding farm in Kentucky.

The Napa property had been owned by a lovely couple who, with their children now grown and involved in their own lives, were ready to go off and enjoy some time just being together.  So Houston had eyed the opportunity as a twofold win--he could buy the land and take over stewardship of the excellent hotel and vineyard he so enjoyed and he could aid the Lomitas retirement efforts by sending them off with a good deal.

C.J. had come along as his attorney, though in the past few years, she'd spent far more time practicing criminal law on behalf of the revolving door of clients at Houston Investigations than she did on the corporate side of things.  Still, she handled all of his personal legal matters, and so he'd managed to convince her to drive up with him for a long weekend and a break from their ever-growing caseload.

He hadn't known that something inside of him would click as they walked through the vineyard at sunset, setting loose feelings he hadn't acknowledged in years.  But there he'd been, noticing not just how radiant she looked as she chatted with Pablo and Eleanor Lomita, but how watching her took his breath away.

If he hadn't already been in love with Cielo Nella Valle, Houston knew that moment would've made it land he had to own for the rest of his life.  And even if C.J. had made him work a little to convince her of his sincerity, from that moment, he'd been positive his future lay solely in the heart of the woman who had been his constant since she had come into his life.

Now they were "Matt and C.J." in every way, and he was more than willing to withstand the "I told you sos" of his uncle and cousin and closest friends if it meant being as happy as they had been these past few months.

At present, though, he was ready to put all of his focus on the lady in question, their kiss deepening as he tried to calculate how much trouble he'd be in if he pulled her into the Jacuzzi with him, clothes and all.  He was about to take the risk when he heard the stained glass doors behind them jerk open.  Instinct set Houston into motion, his body whirling around so that if they were under attack, at least he could shield C.J. from harm.

Unfortunately what he found waiting for them wasn't a danger even he could protect her from.

"Lovely to see that you're making the most of the Ivy League education I paid for."

Caroline Parsons was physically beautiful, still incredibly fit for her age and as stylish as ever.  But the cold edge Matt always felt around the woman was still there, too, and he was fairly certain an actual shiver ran down his spine at the sight of her.  His attention quickly shifted from mother to daughter, though, and the look on C.J.'s face told him all he needed to know about her feelings at seeing Caroline standing there.

"Funny coming from a woman having an affair with her own attorney."

The playfulness and joy that had been in C.J.'s voice moments earlier was gone, the sound now flat as she worked to keep any sign of irritation hidden.  When he felt movement behind him, Houston glanced back and saw that C.J. had stood up and moved to the bar to grab his robe from the stool where it hung.  Taking her cue, he climbed out of the hot tub and wrapped the terrycloth around his body as she walked toward Caroline.

"What can I do for you, Mother?"

"That's a greeting?"

"I asked politely what you needed," C.J. replied, arms crossing defensively.  "And I'm still waiting for an answer.

"Well, you'll be thrilled, darling.  I've come to give you the perfect opportunity to gloat about my foolishness.  Though I do find it a little disconcerting, discussing my personal business while Mattlock stands around half naked."

"Mother, you barge in here without so much as calling and then have the nerve to--"

"It's okay," he said, interrupting before her temper got the better of her.  "I'll just go get changed.  Uh, Caroline, why don't you have a seat?"

He motioned toward the table and chairs that sat to the right of the stained glass doors, and though she didn't spare him one last glance of disapproval, Caroline made her way over and sat down.  Houston took the opportunity to reach over and lace his fingers with C.J.'s, pulling her along with him as he headed for the stairs down to the gym and his closet.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered the moment they were out of earshot, but Houston shook his head.

"You never need to apologize for your mother.  I'm used to her not liking me.  Listen, we'll just hear her out and see if there's something we can do to help, okay?"

C.J. sighed and nodded, but he could see how rattled she was from just a few minutes around the elder Parsons woman.

"Hey."

Her eyes had dropped, but the single word had gotten her to meet his gaze.

"Rain check on the Perino's and the seduction?"

Despite her mood, she leaned over and gave him a soft, quick kiss.

"Just don't forget the chocolate cake."

"You got it, counselor."

After another short kiss, Houston made his way downstairs, where he pulled on a pair of slacks and a sweater before heading back up into the office.  He found C.J. pouring three cups of coffee at the bar, her mother eyeing her from the table.  When the younger woman looked over and caught his eye, she gave him resigned look and walked over handing a cup of coffee to him and to Caroline.  He took a seat next to her mother as C.J. went back to retrieve her own drink.

"So, Caroline, what exactly is going on?"

The older woman dropped her eyes to her hands, and though he couldn't remember ever seeing it before, Houston noted a self-consciousness, almost an embarrassment, in the way Caroline's posture changed.

"Coming to you two with this is... well, suffice it to say that I'd rather put hot pokers through my eyes.  But I'm afraid I'm out of options."

Houston heard the deep exhale that came from the woman he loved, and he wished he could do move than reach up and put his hand atop hers where it rested on his shoulder.

"Caroline, whatever it is, if I can help you, I will."

There was a beat of silence between Houston's attempt at reassurance, and in it he saw the older woman glance at her daughter.  What he read in her eyes told him that despite her bravado, Caroline was genuinely dreading what was to come.

"There have been some... problems... at ParTech." 

"What kind of problems?" C.J. asked, her tone decidedly sharp.

Caroline stalled another moment, and then sighed deeply before giving her answer.

"The kind that make accounting departments nervous... the kind that have your Uncle Sloan about to become apoplectic."

She paused and reached into her purse, retrieving a disk, which she slid across the table toward Matt.

"It seems Daniel Gregory has... well, C.J., it should please you no end to know that he's proven you right.  He is apparently an untrustworthy snake."

C.J. moved away from him, stepping closer to where her mother sat, and Houston stood up, ready to pull her back if need be because he'd seen that look on her face before, and it was not a good sign.

"Is the company in danger from this?  Did you let this man put my father's legacy in danger?"

Caroline stood now, refusing to give up ground to her daughter.  Her earlier reticence was gone, clearly pushed away by the outrage she'd known the truth would provoke.

"And now we've arrived at the part of this conversation where your sainted father is once again a paragon compared to your foolish, silly, selfish mother.  So to give you all the ammunition you need, C.J., yes... yes, I have put ParTech in danger.  And I've bared myself to come here and ask for your help fixing it.  Happy?"

Matt watched as C.J. opened her mouth to reply but stopped short, fighting for control of her anger.  He moved forward, his hand coming to rest in the small of her back, and she glanced toward him, then turned her attention back to Caroline.

"What, um... what exactly has Daniel done?"

"There are millions missing from the discretionary accounts... and Daniel has disappeared.  And... ParTech has a rather large loan payment due at the end of the month that we may not be able to cover now."

"What?" C.J. asked, her anger replaced with confusion.  "What loan?  Since when has the company needed to borrow money?"

The older woman took a long, deep breath in an effort to calm herself as Houston moved his hand up and down his girlfriend's back, hoping he was doing something to settle her nerves.

"Sloan and I disagreed on the course the company should take a few years ago.  So he allowed me to take control of several projects.  Daniel and I made some very aggressive acquisitions, and... things didn't go well.  Sloan approved the loan to repair the damage, but I had to hand control of everything back over to him.  Daniel was left with a title, but no power and we were waiting until after the shareholders meeting to allow him to quietly resign, but... before we could cut off all of his access... well, the damage was done."

"So if you can't recover the funds... we'll lose Daddy's company?"

The sound of C.J.'s voice broke his heart.  She so rarely talked about her father because the pain of his loss still ran too deep.  To face the possibility of losing the one tangible piece of himself Jason had left behind...

"It was never my intention to cause this kind of damage, C.J.  You have to know that I was so sure... I trusted Daniel.  I'm not the first woman to be betrayed by a man she put her faith in."

C.J.'s only response was to pull free from Houston's embrace and walk away from them.  The door of her office slammed loudly a moment after she disappeared from sight.

"I see my daughter is still as unreasonable as ever."

"Caroline, you had to know the affect this would have on her.  You know what that company means to her."

"Of course I do.  Why do you think I'm here, Mattlock?  I have money.  I could live without that damn company, but if I'm the reason it's lost... she will never forgive me."

And that's when he knew he would help her, that he would chase Daniel Gregory to the ends of the Earth if need be.  Because Matt had just seen that despite the enormous distance between them, Caroline was feeling truly distressed at the idea of once again disappointing her only child.

"You're heading back to Texas?"

"Unless you need me to stay."

Matt shook his head.

"I'll be in touch.  Meanwhile, I need you to contact Sloan Hargrove.  Tell him that I'll need access to all of Daniel's records--phone logs, computers, the works--and he'll also be contacted by a man named Murray Chase, who'll be working with me on this."

Caroline nodded, then picked up her purse, and he walked beside her toward the elevator.

"Tell me, Mattlock, does she hate me this much when I'm not around or does seeing me bring it out in her?"

Houston knew he couldn't win with any answer to that question, and so he simply shook his head and stepped back as the elevator doors opened.

"You have a good night, Caroline."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, and then the doors closed between them.  And with his visitor gone, Houston headed to C.J.'s office and quietly walked inside.  She was sitting on the edge of her desk, her back to him, her eyes fixed on the skyline outside the window.

"She's gone," he said, his voice soft, his form moving to hers.  When his arms slipped around her, C.J. leaned into him and sighed.

"I want to tell you that you don't have to help her... that she doesn't deserve it because she made this mess in the first place."

"I know," he said, "but you can't, and I will.  For you, I'll do whatever it takes to fix this."

When she pulled out of his grasp and stood up, he saw that she'd been crying and he drew his fingers down her cheeks to wipe away the moisture before wrapping his arms back around her waist.

"We'll fix it... together... the way we always do."

He smiled and gave her a small nod of his head.

"Yes, ma'am.  Whatever you say."

*****

It had been a given that Jason Parsons was going to medical school since medicine had been the family profession of the Parsons men for three generations.  He'd gone to Harvard to express a mild rebellion... his family was made up of Yale graduates... but otherwise, he was the kind of son a family dreams about.  Handsome, smart, a man people genuinely liked, he'd also had his pick of ladies who dreamed about a future husband like him.  But from what Matt could gather, no one was sure what exactly had drawn him to Wellesley student Caroline Fillmore.

They were both trust fund babies, but polar opposites otherwise.  Whereas Caroline was in college looking for a husband and rounding out her foreign language studies for world traveling, Jason came from a family that considered their money something that made good works possible.  His mother was the chair of three different charitable foundations, and she was a hands-on participant, even baking her own cakes for the parties they held for children at the local state hospital.  The closest Caroline's mother had probably been to her kitchen was the entry to tell the cook what she wanted made for a dinner party.

Still, Jason and Caroline had fallen in love and married, and though they appeared ill-suited personality-wise, she did seem fit to be a surgeon's wife, especially when the man in question was probably on the fast track to a chief of surgery position at one of the country's best hospitals.

The plan had gone slightly awry, though, when Jason fell in love with pediatrics instead of surgery and decided he wasn't interested in being anyone's chief of anything because he wanted to focus on treating his patients and researching ways to cure the illnesses his own beloved daughter had been spared.

ParTech has been the brainchild of Jason and his closest friend, Sloan Hargrove.  They had both invested half of their trusts to found the research company and had recruited heavily from the top researchers from their own college programs as well as from the numerous hospitals their families served on as board members.

They left Boston behind, needing more room and wanting to be away from old-fashioned thinking when it came to how aggressively childhood leukemia should be treated or whether or not surgery was a good option for a newborn with malformed organs.  It had been Jason who suggested Texas because the children's hospital in Houston was being rebuilt, and bringing in big research dollars and big names would ensure them the right to run the company they way they saw fit while providing them with a locked in hospital affiliation.  Bill Houston, who was the powerhouse behind the hospital's new facility, had been thrilled to bring in ParTech, and he and Jason had become close friends through their work together.

Caroline had, by all reports, hated the idea.  Leaving her life in Massachusetts had been a possibility, but she'd always assumed she would end up in Connecticut or New York.  Texas was the middle of nowhere, and even as a child, Matt Houston had felt the woman's disdain for the state he loved so much.  He'd felt it for himself, too, and his father.  Caroline viewed them as new money, and she didn't see what the attraction was to her husband or her little girl when it came to the Houstons.

The company had become successful quickly, largely because his money and his name gave Jason the freedom to try what others would've deemed insane.  And Sloan's business sense led to well-negotiated deals with major pharmaceutical companies, which served to make both men even wealthier than when they started.

And then Jason Parsons had been killed driving home from a late night at the hospital in an accident that had left Sloan badly injured as well.

The loss had devastated C.J., and Houston and his father had done all they could to provide her with a safe, loving place to grieve when her mother had disappeared to Europe to "give herself some time to heal."

Looking back with adult eyes, Houston knew that the two women had never recovered from that moment between mother and daughter, and what had begun as a small rift had grown into outright dislike on both their parts in the years since.  But none of that past anger freed him from feeling obligated to help Caroline Parsons find some way out of her present-day dilemma.

Though Murray was more than content in his role as head of Houston Charities, the accountant enjoyed a little P.I. work now and again, so Houston had recruited him to finish off the Smith-Gowen-Levison background checks, after which he'd pore over the ParTech financial data.  From the disk that Caroline had brought with her, though, Matt and C.J. were able to see that the main problem stemmed from the contracts Daniel Gregory had been given sole leadership over thanks to Caroline's deal with Sloan.  And while the legalese of the contracts was all in order, the deals themselves were making both C.J. and Houston's heads spin.

Caroline, either on her own or under Daniel's influence, had made a push to acquire several small international companies all professing to be in the late development stages of some rather incredible new surgical equipment and medical devices, the gamble being that technology was about to make a huge jump forward, and no industry would likely capitalize on that faster than medicine.  ParTech had its own high-tech research division, but Sloan had always moved cautiously in that regard, wanting to make sure quality was never sacrificed for expediency.

The reason behind the co-founder's philosophy was obvious as Matt and C.J. read through the terrible reports that had followed... a new drug that had been in Phase III human testing and set to revolution high blood pressure treatment had ended up a huge failure due to safety issue not uncovered until the human study; a surgical microscope intended to help in neurosurgery was too fragile and had such high repair costs, it wasn't worth the initial investment for any hospital; a new prosthetic had a weaker joint than initially planned, resulting in ineffectiveness; a process to speed up blood typing had yet to produce any viable evidence of success.

Reading the details had only cemented C.J.'s long-held disdain for Daniel, an old friend of Caroline's from college, who had charmed her on a trip to Europe a few years ago and come back on the ParTech payroll.  Then he had moved into the Parsons' home.  The romance had only deepened the chasm between mother and daughter.

As duplicitous as he'd been, however, Daniel was much better at manipulation than he was at plotting.  Within hours, Baby had navigated some back doors into several banks and found transfers that led to the location of the money... a bank account in San Carlos, Mexico.  A few more hours of effort on C.J.'s part both on the computer and calling in a few favors from a law-school friend who now worked for the CIA got them the name of a P.I. in Mexico they could trust and a location on where Daniel was staying... a yacht he'd purchased just after arriving.

John Santos had been a deep cover operator for the CIA for years before retiring to the sun of his father's native Mexico, but he still worked on contract for the agency from time to time as he saw fit.  He was currently between assignments and in need of a new engine for his speedboat, an effort that was going to take four weeks thanks to shipping issues from Canada to Mexico.  When Houston offered to have the engine flown in within 48 hours, Santos agreed to conduct 24-hour surveillance on Daniel until Matt and C.J. could arrive and deal with him themselves.

Before they confronted Daniel, they had to make sure the money he'd stolen was secured and back in the ParTech accounts.  They could have done that through official channels, but involving the Feds and the Mexican government was going to take time, and the balloon payment on ParTech's loan was looming.  So Houston ordered dinner in, and he and C.J. began trying every alphanumeric combination they could think of based on Daniel's life, his ParTech deals, basic code structures... and after more than six hours, they had come up with nothing.

Houston wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, but he nearly jumped off the couch as a glass crashed against one of the office's brick columns.  After catching his breath, he stood to look around for the source of the noise and found C.J. pacing furiously behind him, a coffee cup in pieces on the floor near the piano.

"C.J., what is it?"

"My entire life, she passes judgment on everything I do, including you.  Do you know how many lectures I had to listen to about how you were never gonna amount to anything more than a playboy living off his daddy?  And she drags this piece of trash into my family..."

Matt remembered the last time he'd seen C.J. this angry, and it was not one of his better memories.  He'd confronted her with his suspicions about Robert Tyler, her almost-fiancé, being a kidnapper and been met with a fury he'd rarely had to endure throughout their friendship.  The truth was, she'd walked out on him that day, and Houston remained grateful for the instinct that had made her realize he really was looking out for her and brought her back to him just as suddenly as she'd left.

Now, though, she was threatening to tear the Berber off the office floor with her frantic movement, and so Houston put his hands on her arms as she neared him, stopping her.

"What happened?"

"Do you know what that... do you know what the password was on the account?"

Houston shook his head.  C.J. sighed heavily and shook her head.

"My father's birthday... and my initials.  He steals from the company my daddy started, and has the nerve to use the two of us to hide the money.  I..."

She stopped, clearly so outraged and hurt she couldn't really convey it.  It was a final slap in the face from Daniel... a private joke he'd assumed he could enjoy for years to come.  But the last laugh was theirs, a fact about which he wasted no time in reminding her.

"Can you imagine the look on his face the next time he tries to access his account and there's nothing there?"

Despite her anger, a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"I left 50 cents behind.  And I changed all the ParTech accounting passwords, so he'll never be able to access the funds again."

Houston smiled and reached out his hand, brushing his fingers against her right cheek.

"That's my girl."

*****

San Carlos, Mexico, was mostly a resort town that catered to the sailing crowd and had a beautiful marina.  So it was just one more boat arriving when the "Endeavor" made its way to the slip that John Santos had pre-arranged as a rental space for Houston and C.J.  The position, acquired with one or two well-placed bribes, gave them a perfect view of Daniel Gregory's recently purchased yacht, "Fool's Gold."

Santos had been busy since C.J. had safely recovered the ParTech funds.  Along with surveillance, he had reached out to the marina manager and several other merchants that Daniel did business with, guaranteeing them payment on the outstanding accounts if they would hold off on alerting Daniel to the bounced checks and denied credit cards until further notice.  Because Santos was known in the area, the businesspeople had all agreed, and Daniel was none the wiser that his stolen booty had disappeared in the middle of the night.

With the "Endeavor" safely moored, Houston donned a baseball cap and shades and headed on a stroll to the local marketplace, where he picked up some food and a six-pack of beer.  On his way back, he stopped and sat down by a fisherman wearing a San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl Championship hat. The man idly adjusted his line, spinning the reel forward and backward as Matt reached into the bag and offered him a beer.

"Your boy is calm and relaxed, enjoying his breakfast," Santos said as he popped off the top of the beer bottle using the wooden railing in front of him. "He's been on the phone all day, looking into real estate in the Cayman Islands.  Last house had a three-million-dollar price tag."

"Nice to see he enjoys spending stolen money.  I can't wait till he finds out C.J. already stole it back."

Santos laughed and took a sip of his beer.

"I can't wait to meet his lady of yours.  She sounds like someone my old bosses might want to hire."

Houston chuckled.

"You don't know the half of it, John, believe me."

A half-hour later, Houston easily rose up and strolled back to his boat.  C.J. was lying out on the deck, his favorite scarlet red bikini letting the sun brown her skin.  He sank down beside her and started to rifle through the brown paper bag he'd brought back from town.

"Can I interest you in some lunch, Ms. Parsons?"

"You can... so long as there are tamales in there."

"I might have picked up one or two of them.  And Santos says Daniel is still in the dark about the money.  I'd say we shouldn't press our luck, though.  Someone might think they can get a bigger payday by going to him with the truth."

C.J. nodded as she sat up.  Houston offered her a pair of paper-wrapped tamales, which she took, unfolding the covering carefully before she began peeling back the husks that had protected the delicate masa during cooking.  Matt grabbed his own lunch from the bag, and the two ate in silence until C.J. bundled up her trash and stood.

"I'll get cleaned up and changed.  The sooner the better, right?"

Houston stood and reached out, taking her right hand in his.  But before he could speak, C.J. shook her head.

"I'm fine. Let's just finish this."

He knew better than to argue, so Houston followed her below and changed his own clothes while she got ready.  As they left a short while later, he signaled to John Santos that they were making their move, and the P.I. fell into step a few feet behind them, taking up a backup position near "Fool's Gold."

Daniel was sitting on his deck drinking a glass of champagne.  He nearly spit the bubbling beverage out, though, when he saw C.J. step in front of him.  Matt watched from the railing behind her, ready to move if Daniel decided to bolt.

"Well... I bet you have dreamed of this moment," the man said, his glass clanking against the table as his arrogance was unleashed.  "You finally get to prove to mommy that you were right all along."

"I'm curious, Daniel."  C.J. said, her voice so calm and even, she might have been questioning a witness on the stand.  "Did you plan all along to steal from my mother and run out on her or was that just a side effect of your total lack of business acumen?"

The embezzler didn't have the sense to downshift and find a shred of remorse as he stood confronted with his crime.  Houston felt his neck tighten as he watched a smile cross Daniel's face.

"I planned it all along, actually.  It was really just a matter of where and when I made my exit.  Caroline made it easy."

Daniel stood, and Houston moved in a bit closer to C.J.

"No man will ever be her precious Jason.  Truth is... no matter what she says, she only stayed with me to try to prove you wrong.  So I bided my time... and then I found the magic piece that holds ParTech together, and I just... pulled until it started to fall apart."

The action forward would've caught many people off guard, but C.J. wasn't most people.  She was as well-trained a fighter as Houston had ever seen, and when Daniel attempted to grab hold of her, she instead spun away from his grasp and delivered a blow to his midsection, which sent him reeling momentarily before he turned tail and raced down the opposite side of the deck, jumping to the gangway below.

Houston turned and went back the way he had boarded, knowing he couldn't cut Daniel off, but certain that he could catch up to him quickly.  It turned out there was no need, however, because as the disgraced lawyer rounded the corner toward the marina exit, John Santos' large tree trunk of an arm darted out in his path.  Daniel spun up into the air and crashed down onto his back, the air bursting out of him as he laid prone on the ground.

"Why do they always run?" Santos asked, shaking his head. "Don't bad guys ever watch TV?  Running never works."

Matt chuckled and then glanced over his shoulder. C.J. had watched the brief chase from the deck and she waved to him now acknowledging that she was okay.  And for a moment, Houston let himself believe that was true.  Daniel had been caught, the money was back where it belonged, and ParTech was safe again.

It was an all-too brief moment, however, because no sooner had Santos turned Daniel over to the local authorities to face numerous charges now that the local merchants Mr. Gregory owed money to had been released from their promise to the local P.I., than Matt was racing to the radio on the "Endeavor" as Murray's voice called out to him.

"Houston here."

"Murray here.  I hear you caught the guy."

"We did."

"Excellent work there, boss.  And since I had some time after finishing off those background files, I made some notes on how ParTech could restructure, gain some extra solvency going forward.  You know, it's a damn fine company outside of this mess.  No wonder C.J.'s so furious.  Their in-development project for the new asthma medication?  Fantastic stuff."

C.J. walked over after saying good-bye to Santos and sat down next to Houston.  He mouthed a "just a minute" to her as Murray continued his accountant-like recap of his activities since they'd left L.A., the words mostly circling in Matt's brain until he heard one detail that caught his attention.

"Yeah, Murray, can you translate that last part into English for me?"

"All the companies that Daniel Gregory and Caroline Parsons purchased... they all trace back to a corporate shell called Providence Microsystems."

"Wait," Houston asked, needing one more bit of confirmation.  "You're telling me that one company was responsible for all the failed deals?"

"Yes," the account confirmed.  "And there's something else.  Providence Microsystems is buried in about eight layers of protection, but I found a wire transfer that he must have missed somehow, dated back four years."

"He who, Murray?" C.J. asked.

"You're not gonna believe this, but...  Sloan Hargrove."

"But we checked his financials," Houston said.  "There was nothing with enough money involved to be funding something like this."

"He didn't use his money," C.J. answered, her face paled as the reality of what Murray had revealed hit her full force.  "Murray, there's a trust account set up at Cattlemen's Bank under the names of Sloan's grandchildren.  He asked me to handle it years ago because he doesn't like to have company lawyers handle personal business.  Find the bank records for those funds."

"Will do.  I'll be in touch as soon as I can."

Houston clicked off the radio as Murray's end went silent, and then he let his hand fall on C.J.'s shoulder.  She looked up at him and the tears in her eyes were unmistakable.

"That's what he meant," she said, her voice breaking.  "He found the magic piece and pulled on it until they fell apart."

His brows raised as confusion set in, but C.J. didn't leave him in the dark for long.

"He blackmailed Sloan into giving my mother those projects.  And Sloan set her up to fail to get back at her."

"For what?"

"For breaking her promise."

*****

The flight to Texas had been largely silent save for a few calls to Murray, with Houston mostly taking advantage of the time to just hold C.J.'s hand and offer what little silent comfort he could.  As he'd come to realize what promise had been broken, he knew that there was little else he could do but be here for her as she finished the drama her family had dragged her into against her will.

They made one brief stop after landing, then drove straight to the Parsons' Estate.  The car parked at the top of the circular drive made it clear their audience was in place.  Houston had made her agree he could go in with her even if his job was to stay quiet and let her do the talking.  As it turned out, this wasn't his case to solve, and she was the only one left who had a right to decide how it ended.

As they made their way inside the house, Caroline's raised voice reached them, demanding to know why Sloan was involved at all when she'd been the one to go to Houston for help.  Sloan insisted he was only honoring C.J.'s request that he be present.

It had been years since Matt had seen Sloan, and the brunt of those years were obvious as they stepped into Caroline's study.  Hair grayed, face heavily lined, the older man seemed to have carried the weight of the world through the past decade, and Houston wondered if what was about to happen might add to or lighten that burden.

"C.J., why did you involve him in this?" Caroline asked.  "This was between the three of us.  You and Mattlock recovered the money, the loan payment can be made.  What more needs to be discussed here?"

Sloan stood silently, his eyes studying the woman he'd known since the day she was born.  Houston recognized the moment that the other man came to understand that this meeting had nothing to do with the recovery of the stolen ParTech funds.

"Do you want to tell her, Uncle Sloan?  Do you want to be the one to tell her why you're here so I can give my mother the whole story about Providence Microsystems?"

Hargrove sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.  And Houston was grateful to see shame on his face.

"I never thought she'd come to you for help," Sloan said.  "I really thought she'd ask me to fix it all, and I'd... I'd fix it, like I fix everything... everything that I can anyway."

"What are you blabbering on about?" Caroline asked, her eyes fixed on her late husband's best friend.

"I'm talking about your projects," Sloan admitted.  "I'm talking about how I conned Daniel into buying all of those companies, knowing they would fail."

As shock passed over her mother's face, C.J. dropped her purse in a chair and approached the desk that had once belonged to her father.  She leaned into the heavy oak, her hands pressed down on the smooth surface.

"Because Daniel blackmailed you into agreeing in the first place, didn't he?"

Sloan's eyes went from sad to confused and then they widened with horror.

"You... know?"

This was the part Houston had been dreading because it meant she had to say it out loud.  It didn't matter that she'd known for years.  She'd never had to admit that knowledge, never had to put sound and language to the hurt that lived inside of her.

"Houston's friend at the Department of Public Safety showed me the file. I don't even know why I was so sure I needed to see it, but I just... I did.  And I knew as soon as I saw the pictures."

"Saw what pictures?" Caroline asked, her tone demanding.  "What the hell is going on, C.J."

"The ones from Daddy's accident.  Only Daddy wasn't driving the car, was he, Mother?  Uncle Sloan was.  And you knew.  You knew it that day."

Caroline stood stunned into silence as she was confronted with the truth.  Sloan sank down onto the sofa near the fireplace, and a moment later Caroline gripped her chair for support.

"I get it. I do.  It was an accident.  And Daddy was gone, and without Uncle Sloan, the company would've fallen apart.  So you protected him.  And he repaid you by protecting us."

Her eyes moved to her godfather, who seemed to be using every once of his will keep his head up and face her.

"You did.  You were always here for us, and you ran the company and made sure we had everything we needed.  You loved him, too, and you had to live with what happened, but you never ran out on us.  So I understood, and I didn't say anything when I found out the truth.  I didn't think I'd ever have to.  But then..."

Her voice had been tender, but a new edge came into it as C.J. turned back toward her mother.

"Then you told Daniel.  You broke the trust between you and Uncle Sloan.  And Daniel used it to get what he wanted."

Caroline's mouth fell open and she shook her head, struggling to find her voice.

"I still don't know why I told him.  And I swear, Sloan... I swear on everything I ever had with Jason that I did not know he was using it against you."

"I trusted you," Sloan replied, the sound of his words filled with hurt and anger.  "I had no right to your protection, but you gave it, and I took it so that I could... I owed it to Jason to be here in his place, to see you both through the years without him.  I never doubted your forgiveness or your faith in me, and then you... you told him!  You brought that nothing, that outsider into our family business."

"I'm sorry!" Caroline shouted, and Houston knew that the facade this woman had lived to keep in place was fully shattered.

"I'm sorry, Sloan.  I... you have no idea what it's been like.  I've tried so hard to be happy again, and I... I wanted to believe I could be, that Daniel could be that person.  But I never meant to hurt you."

C.J. cleared her throat and moved back to her purse, pulling free an envelope they'd picked up on their single stop en route to the house.  She moved back to her mother, dropping the paper container on the desk.

"That's a check from my trust.  Between that and the funds we recovered from Daniel, you can not only make the loan payment, you can pay it off entirely."

Both Caroline and Sloan began to argue, but C.J. cut them both off without hesitation.

"No.  You two... you hurt each other, intentionally and unintentionally, and you almost took my father's company apart in the process.  You owe him better than that.  You owe me far better than that."

She turned and picked up her purse again, moving toward Houston.  As she turned again to face the two people who had so disappointed her, his hand slid into the small of her back as a reminder that he was there for her, no matter what.

"Fix this... for all our sakes.  The two of you made this mess.  I expect you to clean it up."

C.J. turned away from them again and headed out of the door.  Houston was about to follow her when Caroline's voice held him in place.

"Mattlock..."

He looked at her and noted the true concern on the older woman's face.  Then he nodded.

"I'll take care of her.  Don't worry."

Then he followed the lady in question out of the house to do just that.

*****

He wasn't in the habit of making decisions for her.  C.J. wasn't that type of woman.  But when he said, "Let's just go somewhere quiet," she nodded her agreement, and Houston used the car phone to call the airport and give instructions to prepare his plane and file a flight plan from Texas to Northern California.

Cielo Nella Valle was a welcome sight after the insanity of the past few days, and once they were settled into one of the vineyard's suites, Houston had asked her what she wanted to do next.

"Sleep for a week and forget the past few days ever happened."

He couldn't do much about the forgetting, but the sleep he could help with.

C.J. had told him once that she always slept better when she could hear his heart beating, and so they climbed into bed and she settled against his chest, and Matt simply held her and dozed off and on as she finally got some much needed rest.

This was far from the first time one of their lives had been thrown into chaos by family secrets.  His own hidden history had come back to haunt him only a few years earlier, and there were times Houston still struggled with the reality that Bill Houston was not his biological father.  But he knew that his fathers--natural and adopted--had done the best they could for him.  He wasn't sure if C.J. would ever feel that way about her mother, but he was hopeful that maybe if Caroline could actually roll up her sleeves and really commit to ParTech and heal things with Sloan, that it might do something to close the divide between the Parsons women.

He was idly tracing the sun-kissed lines the shutters were creating on C.J.'s back when she woke and announced that if he really loved her, he would feed her.  Houston laughed, and the two of them climbed out of bed, and while she was dressing, he made a quick phone call to let the vineyard manager, Gabriel, know they were on their way.

A walk was the last thing she'd had on her mind, but despite a little grumbling, C.J. took his hand and moved along with him as they enjoyed the last of the afternoon sunshine.  They made their way to the ceremony courtyard where the Lomitas had long ago established a tradition of elegant weddings for their guests.  On this particular afternoon, though, there was no legal union taking place, but rather the fulfillment of a delayed promise.

The table in the center of the brick-surrounded garden was dressed in fine linen, crystal and china.  C.J. eyed it and smiled at him.  She wasn't ever really surprised by his extravagances, but she always appreciated them.

But her smile grew even brighter when she saw what was waiting for them on the table.

"Perino's complete with dark chocolate cake, I believe, was your order, ma'am."

C.J. turned to him, and Houston wrapped his arms around her waist.  He was glad that he'd made her happy despite the enormous weight she was carrying in her heart.  But just as he finished the thought, her eyes began to moisten, and he pulled her into him, holding her close.

"She loves you, sweetheart.  I know sometimes it doesn't feel like it, but she does.  So does Sloan.  They'll find a way to make it right again."

She nodded against his shoulder but remained silent until she pulled back and looked up at him.

"Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's only dinner."

C.J. shook her head and let the fingers of her right hand trace along his jaw line.

"Thank you for being the one person I know will never let me down."

And then it was his turn to feel moisture stinging his eyes, and Houston pulled her against him again, his arms encircling her.

"That's who you are for me, too, C.J.  I'm just glad I get to return the favor."