A/N: And for anyone interested in seeing these character profiles & drawings…see my profile.


Chapter 7

CJ watched the bacon sizzle in the frying pan.

And jumped when she felt a hand smack the back of her hip in greeting.

Shocked, she whirled around to find Alex grinning at her.

"Mornin, doc," he greeted.

"Alex, of all the…" CJ blew out a breath, shaking her head, but unable to stop herself from smiling. "Don't do that. You're as bad as he is."

He reached behind her for a piece of fresh, crispy bacon and proceeded to crunch down on it. "Why? He sneak up on you a lot?"

"Yes. When cooking or working in the garden," CJ said, wrinkling her nose. Tim would laugh about the look on her face whenever he'd scare her. She watched as Alex poked at the different type of breakfast food items she had on the counter. She bit her lip to hold a small grin. It was easy to see why the cousins got along so well. They shared the same energetic spirit.

CJ always loved visiting Tim's family. They were loud, funny and always full of surprises. Which was expected from a big family. They'd made her feel welcome from the instant she first met them.

She wasn't sure if they had heard about what had happened between them. Tim might have been too proud to say anything. His parents had quickly welcomed her into the family…when Tim was away at sea, CJ would occasionally call her mother-in-law to talk.

"Mind if I ask what happened?" Alex said quietly.

CJ looked up sharply. "He told you?"

Alex shrugged. "He hasn't told many people…and I'm not one to talk to the family about his business."

CJ sighed, putting the bacon aside and turning off the stove. "I'm…not really sure myself. I think…a couple things caused it all…"

He frowned. "What?"

"It's complicated…and hard to understand," she said, taking a deep breath.

After a couple moments of silence, Alex fixed a plate for each of them and settled on the counter to eat.

"Do you want things to change?" he asked.

"I came here to make sure he gets better," CJ said.

"That's not what I asked."

CJ bit her lip. "Alex…I…I'm not really comfortable talking about this…"

He smiled wryly. "If it means anything…he misses you."

Her head quickly lifted up to meet his serious dark eyes. "What?"

"Even though you two are separated…he misses you," Alex continued. Shrugging, he continued, "I'm no expert when it comes to relationships…" he frowned, "…I know nothing about being married…but I think you should try harder."

"What's the point?" CJ pushed her plate aside. "You know him. He'd never say anything like that to me…and after what I put him through…I don't blame him."

"You think it's all your fault?" Alex asked, shocked.

"That's why he told me to leave, right?" CJ stared at her plate of food, her appetite long gone. Maybe she wasn't even really hungry to begin with. "I'm sure the divorce papers are on their way…"

"Have you talked to him?"

"A little."

"Only a little?"

"I know that he wants to learn from the experience…so we don't make the same mistake later on with someone else," CJ admitted. The thought alone made her sick. Tim and another woman? Her husband? Her imagination went into high gear…and the idea of a strange female in her husband's arms…she felt like throwing up. He was hers, dammit!

"You two are weird," Alex declared. "Why can't you two just make up? Or get naked? Without me around, of course."

She swatted his forearm. "Sex doesn't solve everything."

"According to Alex Dilano's Guidebook to Relationships, it does," he stated firmly.

"You're not even a published author!" CJ argued, laughing.

"CJ," a male voice spoke up off to the side.

Without even looking at him framed in the doorway, she immediately knew by Tim's voice that something was wrong. CJ raised wary eyes to his.

"Your mom's on the phone," he said quietly.

Had she been caught up in her conversation with Alex that she hadn't even heard the phone ring? "Is…she okay?" CJ rose from her seat.

He hesitated. "I'm…not sure. She wanted to talk right away."

"Thanks." CJ hurried out of the kitchen without a backward glance.

Leaving Alex to Tim's dark look.

"What are you doing?" Tim demanded, settling across from him.

Alex grinned. "Helping you get your wife back."

"Stay out of it," Tim ordered.

His cousin narrowed his eyes slightly. "You both are way too stubborn for your own good. I'm surprised no one's smacked any sense into you."

"It's my life, and I don't need you telling me what to do," Tim snapped.

"Yeah. That's why your marriage is so great," Alex retorted dryly.

Tim paused in picking some food off of CJ's untouched plate. "What the hell do you know about marriage, anyway?"

"I know it's hard," Alex responded. "And I know that I don't have enough experience in it."

"Exactly."

Alex shook his head. "But I also know you. You wouldn't settle for anything less than what you really want in life." He nodded his head once in the direction CJ had left.

Tim sighed, staring down at his food. "What I wanted and what I ended up getting were two different things."

"How much different?" Alex pressed.

Tim glared at him. "Why are you giving me relationship advice?"

"Why are you being so damn stubborn?" Alex countered with a grin.

The younger cousin merely began to eat, keeping his injured leg propped up on another chair.

"That's her food," Alex said, watching him.

Shrugging, Tim merely responded, "I'll get her more food later."

"Yeah, right," Alex shook his head. "She'd probably start yelling at you for exerting yourself."

"I can't wait to get this damn cast off. If everything goes right…by the time my leg's fully healed, I'll be back at sea."

"Away from home."

Tim frowned slightly. "Yeah?"

"Away from your wife."

"It's always been like that," Tim declared. "That's one of the reasons why we got married in the first place. We understood each other's careers."

"No…that's what you used as a convincing argument," Alex corrected.

"So what?" Tim said crossly. "I got married, didn't I?"

"But you didn't stay married. Separation doesn't count as being married." Alex paused in his eating before saying, "You think she's been seeing anyone since then?"

Tim froze, swallowing. CJ had said that her personal life had been pretty nonexistent since they separated. Dating…she hadn't done. What about affairs? Did she have any flings at all? He frowned. No…she wasn't the type. CJ wasn't into casual relationships. Never.

CJ slowly walked into the kitchen, looking shell-shocked. As if in a daze, she wandered aimlessly between the fridge and the stove. Alex and Tim glanced at each other, confused.

"Everything okay?" Tim asked quietly.

CJ turned to the two men, her eyes wide. "My mom wants a divorce. She…She…'s…thinking of leaving him for my father…"

"What?!" Tim exclaimed, a tone of incredulity in his deep voice. His amber eyes reflected complete shock. "But…why? How…? Why?"

She shook her head, biting her lip. "I…I don't know. I guess her husband left on business for the weekend…she wants to come visit us…"