Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Denarau Island, Fiji -- 9:45am

Julia sat in the rattan lounge chair on the verandah of the bure house where Jerry was staying as the sun glistened from the clear blue water and white sandy beach. The property had originally been part of the accommodations of a small resort owned by J&J Jacks but when Jerry had sold the resort years before, he had kept the three bure house style bungalows on the western side of the island as private property so this part of the island could remain a private retreat for his friends and family. The property was maintained and provided services by the resort so it was the best of all worlds.

Summer was nearing its end in the South Pacific, as was the rainy season. Today, there was no sign of rain as the scents of the adjacent tropical gardens wafted through the air. Even with the warm morning sun, a cool breeze kept Julia very comfortable under the shade of the verandah awning. She looked at her watch and then smoothed out the wrinkles in the skirt of her teal colored linen sun dress. She had been sitting there for almost two hours and had been through three quarters of a carafe of mango and papaya juices and there still had been no sign of Jerry this morning. Julia was sure he was across the lagoon on the resort's private island where they had spent so much time together on their honeymoon talking about the future. Now she wondered how much time Jerry had spent on the island in the past several days making decisions about his own future and whether there was any room for her in it. As she sat there, Julia slipped off her sandals and stretched her long legs to reach beyond the shade of the awning and get some sun. It was her turn to wait now.

It had been forty-two hours since Jerry had awakened her with the April Fools Day greeting and the request that she meet him at the resort on the private island. Julia had caught the flight he had proposed but between the fifteen hour time difference and the more than half a day of travel, she had only arrived in Denarau late yesterday afternoon. Jerry had been waiting for her at the airport as promised and they had then sailed across the lagoon to reach the resort just as they had done for their honeymoon two and half years earlier. They had later shared an early dinner and talked about the office, Jillian and the twins, Jax and Brenda's trip to the cottage and the weather -- everything but their own situation. Between Julia's jet lag, the time difference and the fact that neither had slept much in the previous few days, it was determined that today would be a much better day to tackle the hurdles that stood in front of them. After dinner, they had said good night and Julia had retired to a bure house a few hundred yards and several palm trees away. This morning she had awakened just after dawn after a surprisingly restful sleep and Julia had been stunned at how calm she had felt after so many months of agitated nervousness. She was not about to tempt fate to delve into the reasons behind her composure now.

Julia ran her hand along the native tapa cloth pillow on the lounge chair and then tucked her hair behind her ear as she laid her head against the back of the chair. Her hair was longer than it had been in several years and Julia was still trying to decide what to do with it. The humidity was already high so she was thankful she had picked up a clip on her way out of the bure house. This afternoon she knew she would need it. Julia had to laugh to herself at times at how she was now a member of the group who endorsed changing one's appearance and lifestyle when life itself brought its own changes. At this rate, she would be reading about herself one day in one of the major women's magazines. Julia closed her eyes and let the peaceful sounds of the breeze and the water flood over her. Somewhere inside her, Julia knew that she would be able to overcome whatever life had in store for her next.

A few moments later, she heard the sound of a familiar whistle being carried through the air. Julia opened her eyes and sat up to see Jerry walking up the beach. The breeze had tussled Jerry's chestnut hair into his face and his gold highlights shined brightly in the gleaming sunlight. His skin was bronzed from the sun and the khaki shorts he wore, showcased the strong muscles of his thighs. Julia sighed softly to herself, Jerry was still the most ruggedly handsome man she had ever seen. As he approached the verandah, Jerry met Julia's eyes and his gaze never left her face until he reached the lounge chair beside her.

"Morning," Jerry murmured as he sat down in the chair next to her and poured himself a glass of juice.

Julia flashed him a small smile. "Good morning."

He took a drink of juice. "Have you been up long?"

"A couple hours," she answered while shifting in the chair. "The sun and the breeze are too inviting." Julia took a deep breath as she met his eyes again. "Do you mind that I waited here?"

"No," Jerry replied with a shake of his head. "Will you answer something honestly for me?" Julia nodded her head and Jerry continued. "Did it ever cross your mind that I wouldn't come back or even not be at the airport yesterday?"

Julia's response was made in an even and confident tone. "No, not for a second." Her chest rose and fell as she exhaled sharply. "Now will you answer me as to whether you had any doubts that I would come off of that plane yesterday? Or that I would be here this morning?" Her voice became barely above a whisper. "Any doubts, Jerry? Even one?"

Jerry moistened his lips as he set the glass of juice down on the table beside him. "Yes....there were some. You could have just walked away again without even trying."

Her voice trembled slightly. "Thank you for that." Suddenly the breeze felt more stinging than cool to her but Julia maintained her composure and her eye contact with Jerry. "I'm not going to say that it doesn't hurt like hell but honesty is the only way now. I'm not just going to give up, I'm not the same person."

"Do you know how much I want to believe that?" Jerry rose from his chair and walked around the verandah. "Most of the time I do -- honestly. But then something pulls me back as if to prevent me from getting burned again."

Julia lowered her eyes to the ground. "That's because of what I did to you."

"It was not all you." Jerry stared out into the crystal blue water as he continued. "I have my own issues with trust, commitment and letting people get close to me."

"Don't sell yourself short, you committed to me just fine." She murmured in a soft voice. "In the end, I was the one with that problem."

He turned around to face Julia. "Yes, so now I have to worry about you as well as me."

"I hurt you, Jerry. There's no point in mincing words." Julia swept the hair from her face and tried to sound more composed that she felt at the moment. "I can't expect you to just forget that and burying it will only create more problems."

Jerry nodded his head. "Yes, you hurt me, Julia. You hurt me more than I ever knew was possible." He sat back down next to Julia as he saw her shoulders sag in anguish. "I'm not saying this to punish you, Julia."

"I know that," Julia murmured in a soft voice. "Not that you wouldn't have every right to do that but that isn't you."

He let out a slow exhale. "I don't know that I'd agree with that."

"I do," Julia said with a bob of her head. "You would do anything you could to avoid hurting the people you love." She paused a moment before completing her thought. "Not too many people are lucky enough to have someone like that in their life and I gave that up without even thinking about it."

He was deeply touched by her words and found himself at a loss of speech for a moment. When he did speak, Jerry found it easier to lighten the mood. "Julia, don't you remember? I'm a ruthless, bullheaded businessman without sentiment, tact or common courtesy."

Julia's mouth broke into a smile at the memories of the multitude of instances she had accused Jerry of such during their explosive dating period. "Occasionally you let your guard down and lose that title." She became serious again. "You can't hide that giving heart from those closest to you. Jillian saw it before she was six months old."

Now it was Jerry's turn to become serious. "Roo... she is something else."

"She loves you the way you love her." Julia caught her breath. "No boundaries or conditions. It's just there."

"No fear," he admitted in a mumbled tone.

Julia swallowed the lump in her throat. "You let Jillian see the real you and have from the beginning. You do the same thing with Tron and it will be the same way with Jessica and Jonathan." She concentrated to keep her voice from wavering. "It's one of the reasons I wanted us to have a child so much. You have so much love to give."

Jerry leaned his head against the back of the chair. It was obviously not a day meant for easing into all the obstacles before them. "I know what you wanted, what we both wanted. It may never happen and that has to be dealt with by both of us."

"I understand that now," she whispered. "It's our problem, not mine. That fact doesn't make me any less angry about it or make the situation any less unfair but it would have helped the loneliness I felt." Julia sniffed back the tears which threatened to spill out. "You tried to make me see that but I was too enamored of my self pity party to listen. As a result, I just ended up hurting both of us more."

"Hurting each other seems to be all we've been able to do of late," he said in a low voice. Jerry raked his fingers through his hair. "After all that, are you sure you still want to try to pick up all the pieces and move forward?"

"Jerry, I understand the full spectrum of love now, how much it can hurt and how much it can heal. It's time for the healing." Julia met his gaze. "I love you more than I did the day we were married and were here on our honeymoon. I never thought that was possible."

"I've never questioned my love for you, Julia, or even yours for me." He stammered a bit. "But sometimes love isn't enough."

Julia took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't prepared to fight for us. Jerry, I'm not going to just give you up, not after everything we have been through." She looked directly into Jerry's eyes. "Are you ready to walk away from us?"

His response was instantaneous. "No." Jerry heard himself sighing in relief. "There were times when I tried to give you up and it was impossible. Even with all the pain, you still haunted me. You were everywhere and the more I tried to stop thinking about you, the more I was plagued with you. Julia, my heart won't let you go."

"I'm going to be indebted to your heart forever." Julia closed her eyes as a tear trickled down her cheek. "Now what do we do?"

Jerry brushed away the tear from her cheek. "I wish I had a good answer for that. We can't just brush everything under the rug and forget it. That will come back and bite us again. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day...."

Julia interrupted him. "Let's just take this one day at a time. I don't need any promises from you." She took Jerry's hand in hers. "I know you don't completely trust me. I'm going to change that. I promise."

"I don't doubt that you will," Jerry replied with an involuntary smile.

"Until then, we'll get through this one step at a time. We're not under any time limits." Julia returned his smile. "Brenda told me once that love heals everything. We'll prove that to ourselves."

Jerry squeezed Julia's hand. "You've got a deal, kiddo." He rose from the chair. "How about the first steps being part of a walk?"

"You've got a deal yourself, Jeremiah Jacks." Julia responded as Jerry helped her to her feet.

They walked hand in hand toward the water as the sun danced around them. With each stride, they hoped they were taking baby steps toward the healing process of love.

The Cottage -- 4:00pm

Jax continued to push the stroller as he watched Jillian and Lady chase a butterfly around the wishing well in the front yard. He then glanced down at his watch to see that it was four o'clock. Brenda would be returning to the cottage soon from her trip to the stables. She had taken Kayla home after the sleep-over with Jillian and then Brenda was going to meet with Abby and Steve about the final details of the upcoming thoroughbred season. Jax wondered if the distraction would stop Brenda's curious mind from racing about what was going on half a world away with Jerry and Julia. Brenda had been a complete chatterbox the night before as she tried to speculate what had transpired upon Julia's arrival in Fiji. She had kept Jax up half the night with her excited gabbing and even though there were other ways he would have preferred Brenda to have kept him up all night, her enthusiasm was intoxicating.

Jax could not help but to beam, even after all this time, she was still his Brenda -- the hungry little girl who wanted everything in front of her. Jillian displayed similar traits at times and it was very evident from whom she had inherited her loquacious tendencies as well as her bouts of over zealousness. Even at moments when Jax wondered if Brenda and Jillian would drive him over the edge with their frenzied eagerness, he was grateful for every minute of the fervor. They would not have been his adored two princesses without it.

As Jax stood there, Jillian's enthusiastic squeals rang through the air as she raced to reach the butterfly before it disappeared into the lilac bushes. Jax flashed her a grin and then looked down at the twins who had settled down after their walk. Now that the sun was beginning to lower in the sky and the breeze was beginning to pick up, Jax motioned for Jillian and Lady to follow him up the hill. "Let's go inside and wait for Mommy to come home."

"Come on, Lady, I'm gonna win," Jillian chirped as she began scampering up the grassy knoll toward the cottage.

A grin covered Jax's face as he strategically clapped his hands. "Go princess, she's right behind you."

Giggles echoed in the fresh spring air as Jillian stumbled slightly but quickly regained her balance as she raced up the hill. "I'm goin' fast."

Jax moved the stroller up the cobblestone steps as Jillian reached the bottom step of the porch a full stride ahead of the dog who had momentarily stopped running at the sound of Jax's clapping hands. Jillian immediately jumped up and down and began her version of the "Brenda dance." She beamed as she saw Jax. "Daddy, I runned so fast."

"Yes, you did." Jax stroked the top of her brunette ringlets. "All that running the past few days with Kayla has made you very fast. Just like the wind."

Jillian let out a deep exhale. "Whew! Now, I'm thirsty."

Jax smiled as Jillian imitated Lady's panting. "We'll get something to drink for you and your worthy opponent. You and Lady lead the way."

He watched as Jillian and the dog walked up the two steps to the porch and then Jax carefully maneuvered the stroller onto the porch. Jax purposely allowed the back right wheel of the stroller to gently tap against the wooden step to slightly jostle the stroller and Jonathan responded with a loud coo at the thrill. As Jax and Brenda had quickly discovered, Jonathan's preference was for the bumpiest and fastest motion possible. The baby was in paradise at the cottage since the driveway was stone and gravel and sidewalks were non-existent with the exception of the cobblestone walkway between the ascending stairs leading up to the cottage. Jonathan had cooed and even squealed with each bounce of the stroller's wheels on the gravel and cobblestone. He had not uttered his first laugh yet but on the stroller rides, Jonathan's whole face seemed to light up and his mouth would position itself as if laughter was about to erupt from him. Brenda had been convinced that Jonathan was trying to give them soulful smiles and laughter from the time he was two weeks old, his body movements had just not completely caught up with his soul yet.

Miss Jessica, on the other hand, was not a huge fan of the bumps and jostling. She much preferred to be carried and snuggled rather than to be on a roller coaster ride. If she had her druthers, the baby would have been held every hour of the day. Since no one had four hands, that was impossible so Brenda had told her youngest daughter early on that she was going to have to cope with the stroller. Jessica was not so pleased with that at times and made sure everyone knew about it. Brenda had taken to calling her "Double O Jess" for the "Obstinate One." Jessica was already learning that on most occasions, her father was much more of a push-over than her mother. This afternoon was no exception as she was now contentedly cuddled up against Jax's chest in a snuggle sack while Jonathan had enjoyed the roller coaster stroller ride to himself.

Jax opened the front door and Jillian and Lady went inside the cottage. Jillian then held the door open as Jax lifted Jonathan from the stroller and carried him inside. Jax put Jonathan into his infant seat and then sat down on the couch and started to unfasten the snuggle sack as he looked up at Jillian. "Okay, princess, you know what to do."

Jillian pulled the ends of the material as Jax securely held onto Jessica. The snuggle sack came free and he laid Jessica down on the sofa cushion as Jillian helped Jax push the straps of the snuggler down his arms. "Thank you Jillian."

Jessica began fussing and wiggling against the cushion. Jax flashed the baby a smile. "Is this the thanks I get for carrying you around for the past forty-five minutes? Your mother would have put you in the stroller."

The baby flailed her legs and arms in the air as her fussing became louder. She then gave Jax a heart tugging, sorrowful look with her huge pools of blue/brown rimmed with violet. A ragged exhale fell from Jax's lips. "You are way too smart, Jessica Noelle, and one day I am going to get back at your mother for giving you the genes for those huge expressive eyes."

As Jax picked Jessica up from the sofa, Jillian put her hands on her hips and dramatically sighed. "Daddy, she's gonna spoil."

Jax bit his lip to suppress his mirth first at Jillian's misuse of the word and then at her perfect imitation of her mother's stance when Brenda was chastising him for spoiling Jessica. "That's the favorite thing for a daddy to do." He tickled Jillian under her arm. "I spoil all of my angels rotten."

Jillian squirmed as she laughed. "Daddy, no tickling."

"You don't really mean that," Jax replied as he continued his tickle attack. "You love it and want me to spoil you rotten too with lots of tickles."

Jillian giggled louder. "Tickles and lots of stories. And candy too."

"All that?" Jax chuckled deeply as he wrapped his arm around Jillian and pulled her down next to him on the couch. "I'll have to remember that." He kissed Jillian's cheek and patted her leg with his hand. "Now, it's time for you to go wash your hands. Then you and Lady can get something to drink and when you come back in here, we'll do our check."

Jillian bobbed her head up and down as she scooted off the couch. "I'll be back. Come on, Lady, time to get a drink."

Jax smiled brightly as he watched Jillian and the dog scurry out of the room. He then looked down at Jessica who was sitting comfortably in his arms with her eyes surveying every inch of his face. Jax's breath still caught in his throat at times when he looked into her eyes. They were spellbinding and completely captivated his heart just as Brenda's had from the first moment he had seen her. "Jessica, those eyes are going to make somebody the second luckiest man on earth one day. Your mother's eyes already gave away the title of the luckiest man. To me."

Jessica cuddled deeper into his arms and Jax closed his eyes at the image of holding Brenda in his arms just the morning before in this same spot. Jillian had spent the night with Kayla and the girls were not coming to the cottage for Kayla's sleep-over until later in the afternoon. The twins had enjoyed their breakfast and were down for their morning naps and Jax had gone downstairs to start breakfast. Breakfast plans had quickly changed when he had seen the smoldering gaze of his vixen as Brenda had then come into the kitchen. Jax was certain that one day that gaze was going to allow him to prove that a human could spontaneously combust. Brenda had stood at the doorway in her bare feet and sensually traced her tongue over her lips. Jax had been momentarily hypnotized as the rosiness of Brenda's full lips outshined the ruby hue of her satin pajama set. Each nerve ending and every inch of him had been set aflame at the raging inferno of desire shimmering in her eyes. When Brenda had picked up a grape from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table and then floated across the room to him, Jax had heard a small gasp escape from his throat. The gasp had become a moan as Brenda had then pressed her body against his arousal. It that were enough for him to bear, Brenda slowly trailed the silkiness of her bare foot up the calf of his right leg.

With another blazing gaze, Brenda had then bitten the grape in half and squeezed the juice of one half of the fruit onto Jax's lips. She immediately had trailed the tip of her tongue along Jax's lips to capture every morsel of the fruit's sweet juice. Brenda had then overtaken his lips in a searing kiss. She had slipped her tongue into Jax's mouth and his tongue had swept against hers to savor the taste of the juice. The kiss had been quickly turned into a scintillating burst of passion and when Brenda had finally released Jax's mouth, he groaned with pleasure at the feel of her aroused points against his chest. Brenda then had put the remaining half of the grape into her mouth and shot Jax a seductive look. "Hungry, Mr. Jacks?"

Brenda had lifted her hands to Jax's face and her lips again had captured his mouth in a sensual caress. Jax had groaned into her mouth at the electrical current which had raced through him as Brenda's tongue had served breakfast. Brenda had gently sucked on Jax's bottom lip before finally releasing his mouth to savor the taste of the grape. Their eyes had locked while Jax had devoured the fruit and Brenda's hands had slowly stroked Jax's arms. In a sultry tone barely above a whisper, she had murmured to him. "You still look ravenous, my darling." Brenda had then slithered her thigh up and down his aroused manhood. "Care to see what we can do to satisfy that appetite too?"

Somehow Jax had fought the urge to ravish her right there on the kitchen floor. He had immediately cupped the firmness of her bottom and had lifted Brenda into his arms while her legs had wrapped around his waist. Their lips had then united as Jax had carried her from the kitchen into the living room. As Brenda's lips had made love to his and her hips had rocked against him, Jax found the fortitude to get to the couch before losing all traces of sanity. There, the barriers of their clothing had been dispensed with quickly as Brenda had purred exactly what type of banquet she had planned for Jax. He then moved on top of her as Brenda entwined her legs with his.

There would be no deliberate slowness to this feast as Brenda's body had writhed beneath him. Brenda had then driven him wild as she had countered each kiss, caress and stroke with a more delectable reply of her own. Jax had been bordering on delirium when Brenda's whimpers of ecstasy became completely uninhibited with the distance between the couch and the upstairs nursery. Never had Jax been so thankful for the invention of a baby monitor. He had quickened the pace of his prolonged moves and had moaned in pleasure as Brenda had arched her back higher and higher to meet each passionate drive. As Brenda had then loudly cried out from the pure bliss he was giving her, Jax screamed out her name. His breathing had become labored as Brenda had tightened the muscles of her internal warmth to seal their union as the tremors of ecstasy then overtook both of them.

As Jax was brought out of his reverie, a grin of fulfillment covered his face as he looked down at the couch. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel the love they shared and hear the sweet murmurings of Brenda's devotion. The recalled images of yesterday morning then brought back the many memories of all the delectable moments in the penthouse living room during their newlywed days when the bedroom had been just too far away. He did not know how it was possible, but Brenda was now even more of a tigress. Jax had to chuckle to himself at the remembrance of Brenda's query from those early years when she had wondered if she would be able to keep up with him. That was the laugh of all time -- Aphrodite only wished that she could have been half as enticing and one tenth as passionate as his vixen.

The sound of Jillian and Lady's footsteps halted the silence in the room. "Daddy, you look like a big happy face."

Jax cleared his throat as he glanced over at an approaching Jillian. "That's because I'm very happy with all my little ones and Mommy will be here soon with us." He tweaked Jillian's nose. "Okay, are you ready?"

"Ready," Jillian replied with a bob of her head.

"All right, pumpkin, Daddy has to put you down now and even that look won't get you anywhere." Jax kissed Jessica's cheek and put her into the infant seat on the floor next to Jonathan. He then pulled Jillian into his lap and ran his hands carefully through her hair.

Jillian tilted her head back further. "Did you find some?"

"No, you're all clear," Jax said as he squeezed Jillian's shoulders. "No ticks."

She scooted off Jax's lap and turned around to face him. "Daddy, now I gotta check you. Just like Mommy showed me."

Jax leaned over and lowered his head. "Okay, I'm ready."

Jillian brushed her fingers in Jax's golden locks for a few moments. "No ticks in there."

"Thank you princess," Jax exclaimed with a bright smile. He then looked over at both Jessica and Jonathan who were both starting to fuss in their seats. "I think your brother and sister are ready to be checked too."

Jillian moved to the middle of the floor where a blanket and toys had been laid out for Jonathan and Jessica's earlier playtime. "Then we gotta do Lady."

"We'll brush her outside on the porch when Mommy comes home," Jax remarked as he lifted Jonathan from his infant seat. "Hey peanut, how about laying beside Jillian and she'll show you the keys." Jax laid Jonathan in the center of the blanket and then picked up Jessica from her seat. "We have your bear to play with, sweetie."

Jillian shook the toy keys next to Jonathan as Jax showed Jessica her favorite teddy bear. Jillian then bent down and looked at Jonathan's head. "He's still got no hair and no ticks."

"Your brother will grow some hair soon." Jax stroked the side of Jessica's head where a few wisps of light brown hair were beginning to appear. "No ticks here either but Jessica is starting to get some hair now."

Jillian's eyes grew wider as she spoke. "Grandpa says Jonathan's head is handsome with no hair."

Jax flashed Jillian a lopsided grin. "Grandpa just likes having someone else in the family who is balder than he is."

Jessica began to fuss again and Jax leaned down and tickled her stomach. "Hey there, does someone need their tummy kissed?"

"We do," Jillian chirped in an excited tone. "Time for tummy kisses." She then laid down next to Jonathan.

"Okay, kisses time." Jax tickled Jessica again and then kissed the middle of her belly.

"Kisses for me too," Jillian murmured with a giggle.

"Okay, your turn." Jax chuckled at the sound of Jillian's excited laughter. "There's a kiss for you." He then moved next to Jillian and tickled Jonathan's stomach. "And a kiss for the peanut."

Jonathan flailed his legs in the air and gurgled as Jillian pleaded for another round of the kissing game. "More kisses, Daddy, and tickles."

Jillian's loud squeals echoed across the room as Jax began the next round of the game. They were so focused on the enthusiastic game that no one had heard Brenda's footsteps coming up the porch stairs. The open front window had given Brenda a first hand look at the sights and sounds of the living room frolics. She knelt down at the window and simply watched the love shared between the four most important people in her life. One day she hoped that her children realized what a gift that their father was to them. Brenda was convinced that no one on earth could ever love his children the way Jax did.

With a huge smile covering her entire face, Brenda stood up and walked to the door. Before she opened it, she looked up to the heavens and gave silent thanks for all the gifts that she had received. She then quietly opened the door and stood on the landing of the living room. "Okay, now it's my turn to play."

"Mommy," Jillian exclaimed as she sat up. "Come get kisses."

"Here I come," Brenda replied as she crossed the living room and reached the blanket and smiled at Jax. "I think it's time for Daddy to get kisses."

Jillian clapped her hands together. "Yeah! Kisses for Daddy."

Brenda pushed Jax down onto the blanket on the other side of Jonathan and then proceeded to tickle and kiss Jessica, Jillian, Jonathan and then Jax's stomach. "Okay, kisses for everyone."

Jax picked up Jonathan as a happy Brenda lifted Jessica into her arms. Jax returned her smile and then winked at Jillian. "Now it's Mommy's turn."

"Yeah, Mommy," Jillian said with a screech.

Brenda squealed herself as Jillian and Jax pushed her onto the blanket and then kissed her while Jessica and Jonathan cooed in their parents' arms. The five of them ended up in a heap in the center of the living room as joyous laughter resonated throughout the room. Never had a room been filled with so much love.

Friday, April 5, 2002
Fiji -- 11:30am

There wasn't a cloud in the sky as the steady breeze provided ideal conditions for a sail in the South Pacific. Jerry had chartered a large sailboat and its crew to take them to the northeast coast of the island where the small coral reefs provided a boundary for the island as the reefs did so frequently in the archipelago. The rain had come in a heavy downpour yesterday afternoon but not before Jerry and Julia had spent the morning on the beach together. The weather induced afternoon indoors had given them time to talk at length about their feelings. After that intense session, they had spent some time apart and later decided they both needed an evening of distractions. They had then gone to the other side of the island for dinner and a traditional meke dancing and firewalking ceremony.

Today's sailing trip was planned to enable them to spend some time together and make some more inroads. They had sailed to the coral reef on the opposite side of the island while on their honeymoon so the crew was sailing them to the smaller reef this afternoon. A strong gust of wind fluttered the sails and Julia quickly grabbed the rim of her sun hat to keep it from flying off her head.

Jerry watched her out of the corner of his eye and a snicker escaped his lips. "I knew those reflexes could be quick when you wanted them to be."

As the breeze died down, Julia took off her sunglasses and glared at him. "Next time, they won't be and you can fish this hat out of the water."

"I don't think so," Jerry said with a shake of his head. "I met my lifetime quota of hat rescue missions the last time we were here."

"Two instances is not a lifetime quota of anything," she retorted.

He pulled up the deck chair next to Julia and sat down. "No, one was the quota. The second was not my choice since you pushed me overboard."

Julia controlled the smile from appearing on her face. "I didn't push you. It's not my fault you were clumsy and it was just perfect timing that it happened to be immediately after my hat hit the water."

"No jury would ever believe that," Jerry replied.

"If my memory serves me correctly, a jury did." Her mouth curved into a grin. "Let's see, the captain and the steward saw the facts just as I did and then when we returned home, Jax and Brenda dismissed all of your claims."

Jerry rolled his eyes at Julia as she laughed. "First of all, the captain was nowhere around when it happened and the steward's hormones were in overdrive all day long around you. I'm not even going to discuss that sorceress sister of yours and my defenseless brother. All that woman has to do is bat those doe eyes and he is putty in her hands." He groaned. "It is utterly disgusting."

Julia bit back her mirth and cleared her throat. "I seem to recall that you fell victim to that sorceress on several occasions."

"Yes, it's like hitting your head against the wall. That woman can be completely exasperating." He shook his head again. "And she's already seen to it that Jillian is a sorceress in training. She's probably whispering some magic spells to Jessica now. It's over for Jasper."

"She is something else." Julia took a deep breath as she continued. "I don't think Jax would have it any other way, even with the sorceresses in training."

"He wouldn't, not for a minute," Jerry said as he sat back in the chair. "He's living the life he always dreamed about."

"Shared dreams," Julia thought to herself as she stared off into the vast ocean waters. It had been a day like this on their first trip to the tropical paradise that they had dreamt about the family they would have together. Now they had obstacles to overcome to rebuild their own life together, never mind the hurdles which would have to be mastered for them ever to raise a family.

Jerry looked over at Julia and saw how lost in thought she was. "What is it, Julia?"

"Dreams that may never happen," Julia murmured as she turned her head to face Jerry again. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. If we'd had a crystal ball then..."

Jerry met her gaze. "What? Do you think I wouldn't have married you? Do you think I would treated the situation as if I were part of a royal monarchy and therefore somehow deemed you an `unsuitable' partner?"

"No, of course not," she responded in a firm tone. "I know you didn't marry me to merely give you a child." Julia fingered the pair of sunglasses she held in her hand. "It's just that sometimes it seems even more unfair that we dreamed about something that may never happen."

"We talked about this with Melanie. No one has a crystal ball for what obstacles will be thrown in our path, life doesn't work that way." Jerry let out a slow exhale. "Jax and Brenda didn't know they were going to lose their son before they even had a chance to know him and Teddi didn't know she was going to lose the man she expected to spend her whole life with before their son was even two years old. They couldn't have changed anything even if they had known."

"I understand that most of the time," Julia said with a sigh. "Sometimes the anger just gets in the way. I'm still trying to get used to it."

"I can deal with the anger," Jerry declared to her. "I would have given anything for you to have been able to let me see it a year ago."

Julia lowered her eyes momentarily and then looked up at him again. "I wish I could have let myself be angry then. Shutting myself off to everyone who loved me was the only thing I seemed to be able to do. Old habits die hard."

"I'm not your father, Julia." His voice softened to a reassuring tone. "I want a wife, not some paragon of infallibility that you destroy yourself trying to attain."

Julia bobbed her head slightly as she took an extended breath. "It's still a scary process at times but I'm trying, I really am."

The corner of Jerry's mouth curved up into a smile. "I know you are, we both are."

"A pair of slow learners it seems." Her mood brightened somewhat as she continued. "Now, you're going to see so much of my anger and all the rest of my emotions that you're going to be sick of them. I promise -- so don't say I didn't warn you."

"Duly noted." Jerry flashed her a trademark grin as he reached for Julia's hand.

"The same goes for you." Julia traced her thumb along the soft skin of his palm. "Whatever you're feeling, I want to know. Even if it may hurt, I need to hear it."

"You've got it, kiddo," he answered with another smile.

"As long as that happens for both of us, I have to think we can get through whatever life throws at us." Julia winked at him. "Even without a crystal ball."

Jerry nodded his head. "As a few wise but completely stubborn women reminded me, life is too short to not try. That's what brought me here."

"Which wise, stubborn women were they?" Julia laughed softly. "You seem to have such an abundance of them in your life."

"That's the understatement of the year. Sometimes I think Lady Jane gave birth to both Brenda and Teddi. At a minimum, they have all memorized the same script." He then sighed dramatically. "That doesn't even address you who takes that level to new heights."

Julia shrugged her shoulders. "Only a stubborn woman could put up with your bull-headedness and `charm' and I do use that term loosely."

"You wouldn't know charm if it hit you in the face," he quipped.

Julia pointed her finger at him as she laughed again. "See what I mean, only you would think that was charming."

Jerry sat up in his chair and reached over and grasped both of Julia's ankles with his hands. She reacted too late to scoot away and found herself holding onto the arms of the lounge chair as Jerry grabbed her. He snickered as she tried to kick her feet away. "What is it, Julia, don't you enjoy my charm?"

"Jeremiah Jacks, let go of me," Julia warned as the deck chair began sliding toward Jerry.

He continued to laugh. "Excuse me, did you say something?"

The forward motion of her chair stopped as it tapped against Jerry's chair. "You are no gentleman." Julia was halfway in his chair now as Jerry had managed to pull her legs across his lap.

"Now what kind of fun would that be, Julia?" Jerry chuckled even louder as she squirmed. His laughter stopped suddenly as Julia managed to swat him square in the chest with her hand. "Owww."

"That's what you get for being such a beast," she stated in retort.

Jerry shot her a devilish grin. "That was not being a beast, this is." He then grabbed Julia's free arm and pulled her completely into his lap. Her hat flew off in the commotion and hit the deck of the boat.

Julia shook her head at him as she reveled in the feel of his arms around her. "Believe me, buster, you would have gone right into that water if that hat would have ended up there."

"I don't doubt it," Jerry murmured as his eyes met hers. He then reached up and pulled the clip from her hair. "That hat was covering up this gorgeous hair anyway." He threaded his fingers through her blonde tresses as the sun glistened from Julia's golden highlights. It felt so good to have her this close.

Julia felt the electricity course through her veins at the sensation of his touch. She was hell-bent on giving Jerry all the time he needed but she only had so much willpower and all she wanted now was to feel her lips on his. It was much too dangerous to be this close to him and Julia started to get up to return to the "safety" of her own chair. Upon her movement, Jerry's hand wrapped around Julia's waist tighter and pulled her even closer to him. Julia looked into his eyes and whispered defenselessly to him, "Jerry..."

Jerry responded to Julia not with words but with the cupping of her face with his hands. His lips touched hers in a soft caress and then another before Jerry heard Julia moan. She could feel Jerry's smile before his lips captured hers in a lingering kiss. Julia wrapped her arms around his neck as Jerry deepened the kiss. It felt like heaven to both of them. She moaned again as Jerry's tongue tickled her bottom lip before he released her lips. He kissed the corners of Julia's mouth and then dropped a tender kiss on her forehead as their eyes met again.

"I do love you," Julia whispered as she stroked his jaw line with her finger. "I'm going to be here for you and for us."

"I know," Jerry murmured as he stroked her lips with his thumb. "I love you too."

Julia smiled at him and then rested her head against Jerry's shoulder. All they needed were some more days like today and more of those obstacles would slowly come down. Slowly but surely, love was going to prevail and they would both be the victors.

The Cottage -- 3:00pm

Brenda fastened Jessica into the infant seat on the kitchen table and then turned on the portable cassette player to appease the baby. Today's selections were arias as both Jessica and Jonathan had already developed a taste for opera that Brenda attributed to all the hours of listening to Augustin's performances during her pregnancy. Music had definitely saved the household's sanity and eardrums on numerous occasions. As Brenda pulled out the pan of chicken that had been marinating all night in the refrigerator, Jessica wiggled her feet and squealed to the sounds of "Carmen." Brenda laughed at the baby and sang along to the aria as she continued to empty the food onto the counter. Jillian came skipping into the kitchen and stopped to watch Brenda's activities.

"Mommy, I wanna help," Jillian said as scurried over to the counter.

Brenda turned her head toward Jillian. "Did you pick up all the toys off the floor in the playroom so everything is neat?"

Jillian bobbed her head up and down. "Uh-huh and I patted the pillows on the sofa just like Corrine does."

"Thank you sweetheart. Now you can help me start to get dinner ready," Brenda stated as she flashed her a smile. "What's Daddy doing?"

"He's flying Jonathan like an airplane." Jillian made an up and down motion with her arms to imitate an airplane. "He's drooling lots."

"Daddy's drooling lots?" Brenda let out an exaggerated sigh. "Do I have to get him a bib?"

A loud giggle fell from Jillian's lips. "Jonathan's drooling, NOT Daddy."

"Pffeeww," Brenda exclaimed as she dramatically wiped her brow. "That's a relief since I don't have a big enough bib for Daddy to wear."

Jillian snickered again and then watched as Brenda removed the tin foil from the baking pan. "It smells like Josee's."

"I hope so since I had her special recipe," Brenda responded as she washed her hands in the sink. "We're going to have Josee's lemon chicken that you and Daddy like so much."

"Yum." Jillian licked her lips. "Can I put on the lemon pieces?"

Brenda nodded her head. "Of course you can. Josee says you do such a good job of helping her."

Jillian counted out loud how many chicken breasts were in the baking pan. "Lots of chicken. Daddy's REALLY hungry tonight."

The sound of Brenda's laughter filled the kitchen. "We just have to make sure everyone has plenty to eat."

"This little peanut never thinks he has enough to eat," announced Jax as he "flew" Jonathan into the kitchen.

Brenda turned around from the sink and made a face at the baby. "You just ate two hours ago young man so forget it." She then pinched Jonathan's full cheeks. "You also could not pass for being undernourished."

"But you're a growing boy, aren't you, son?" Jax lifted Jonathan higher into the air so that the baby was eye level with him. "I'll remind Mommy of that periodically."

"As if my biceps don't know that already," Brenda replied with a slight shake of her head as she dried of her hands. "He already feels like a ten pound bag of potatoes carrying him up and down the stairs at the house."

Jax loudly whispered in the vicinity of Jonathan's ear. "Ask your mother how many ten pound sacks of potatoes she has ever carried?"

Brenda cleared her throat and shot Jax a glare. "Fine, then five of those two pound bars of Godiva chocolate."

"Okay, Mom's got you there, peanut," Jax replied with a shrug. "She certainly has experience carrying around chocolate."

Brenda helped Jillian move the small stool in front of the sink and adjusted the water temperature of the faucet as Jillian began to wash her hands. "Jillian, Daddy is trying to be such a comedian today."

"You're going to be a very big boy, aren't you?" Jax bounced Jonathan in the air and grinned at him. "At least for Mommy's sake, you weren't ten pounds at birth like Uncle Jerry was."

"No, for YOUR sake, Daddy," Brenda declared with a cock of her right eyebrow. "Otherwise there would have been more snipping in that delivery room and trust me, there would have been NO sharing of the drugs."

Jax exhaled sharply and chuckled out loud at the devilish glint in Brenda's eyes. Jessica then kicked her foot against the rattle attached to the infant seat and Jax turned around and smiled at her. "For all our sakes, Jonathan, that five pounds, six ounces was perfect. Jessica barely had any room to move as it was."

Brenda nodded as she crossed the kitchen and began rubbing circles on Jessica's stomach. "Yes, that is why you are such a wiggle worm now, isn't it, pumpkin? Now you can move those arms and legs all the time." Brenda then began singing along with the aria.

Jessica squealed again and Jonathan answered that with a loud squeak of his own. A deep chuckle fell from Jax's mouth. "Are you two going to start this again?"

Jillian dried her hands with the dish towel and stepped down from the stool. "Daddy, they're singing again."

"Are you two singing with me?" Brenda tickled both babies as she beamed at the memory of yesterday morning when the twins had suddenly begun squealing and cooing as she had sung along to an Ingo and the Angels CD. As soon as one baby would squeal, the other had joined in louder as if they were in competition. Jax had walked into the nursery at the noise and had become hysterical at the scene. Brenda had been as relieved as she had been entertained as the twins were slowly beginning to catch up to what she had remembered Jillian had been like at this stage.

A huge smile lit up Jonathan's entire face as Brenda tickled him and Jax patted the baby's back. "Ever since you figured out how to use those smiling muscles, you can't stop can you, peanut?"

"You're Mommy and Daddy's happy little man, aren't you?" Brenda tickled both babies again and then surprised Jillian with a tickle attack. "And princess, you have taught your little sister to smile just like you do."

Jillian giggled as Brenda tickled her stomach and then reached out and tickled the skin behind Jessica's left ear which caused an immediate grin to appear on the baby's face. "She's smiling like me," Jillian chirped as she returned Jessica's grin.

Jax felt his heart flutter momentarily as he saw the three matching radiant beams cover Brenda, Jillian and Jessica's faces. "Yes, she is. Just like an angel."

"Jessica and Jonathan are so happy to have you as a big sister to teach them so many things." Brenda stroked the curls along the side of Jillian's face. "Now you can show me how you put the lemon slices on the chicken."

"I'll show you how, Mommy, it's real easy," Jillian replied with a clap of her hands.

"While you two are busy in here, I'm going to take these two upstairs for a diaper change." Jax shifted Jonathan in his arms and then lifted Jessica's infant seat from the table.

"Thanks honey," Brenda responded with a smile." "There's a change of clothes for the drooler on the changing table."

Jillian chimed in next as she stood there with her hands on her hips as Brenda so often did. "Remember, Daddy, no messing up the living room with the newspaper. Mommy says it has to be clean."

Jax suppressed his mirth at Jillian's stance. "I'll try to remember that, Jillian."

Jessica began to fuss as soon as Jax carried her away from the music of the CD player and Brenda spoke to her. "It's okay, pumpkin, Daddy will sing to you."

"Yes, Daddy will," Jax murmured as he carried the twins out of the kitchen. "And it will be real music NOT like anything from that Ingo person." Brenda's laughter reverberated from the walls as she shook her head at Jax's remarks.

Jillian looked up at Brenda and giggled. "Daddy is SO funny when he says Ingo."

Brenda nodded her head and tweaked Jillian's nose. "Yes, he is but we love him anyway."

Half an hour later, Brenda had been given her lesson on putting lemon slices and shallots on and around the chicken breasts and she and Jillian had just finished making a salad. Brenda put it in the refrigerator as Jillian dumped the vegetable peelings in the trash can. Brenda set the timer on the stove for the chicken. "Okay, we are done for now. We'll make the rice and warm up the rolls right before we are ready to eat."

Brenda helped Jillian wash her hands and then washed her own as the sound of the doorbell was heard. Jillian looked up at Brenda. "Somebody's here."

"Sweetheart, why don't you look out the window and see who it is," Brenda said with a smile.

Jillian went through the archway to the dining room and looked out the front window onto the porch. "Brooke and Anthony are here," she squealed without even looking back at Brenda. Jillian immediately scurried into the living room to meet Jax on the landing in front of the door.

Jax smiled at her enthusiasm. "Princess, go ahead and let everyone inside."

She pulled the front door open and squealed again in unison with Brooke. "Brooke, you came to see me."

Brooke bobbed head up and down and excitedly spoke. "And we get to sleep here for two nights and see the horses."

Anthony was too busy pushing the porch swing back and forth against the stone wall to pay either of the girls any attention. Ned picked him up as Lois moved Brooke and Jillian out of the doorway so everyone could get inside. Jillian quickly scurried down the step toward the playroom as Brooke followed right behind her.

"You made it," Jax said as he took two pastry boxes from Lois and kissed her. "I'm so impressed you were able to get the city boy to agree to risk a visit to the country."

"Very funny, Jax," Ned replied with a roll of his eyes as he put down Anthony down on the floor.

"Welcome everyone." Brenda hugged Lois and Ned. "I'm so glad we were finally able to arrange this."

Lois returned Brenda's grin. "So am I and this place is so beautiful and peaceful just like you said it was."

Anthony quickly teetered over to the corner of the room and banged his palm on the side of the playpen as he squealed at Jessica who was sucking on her fingers inside the playpen. Ned backed Anthony away from the playpen. "Anthony, Jessica doesn't need you in there with her." Ned smiled at Jessica as she started to fuss and shot him one of her soulful looks. "Hey there gorgeous. You want to come out where all the action is?"

As Ned picked her up, Jessica stopped fussing and quickly flashed him a coy smile. Jax shook his head as he watched his daughter. "Jessica Jacks, you are much too much of a flirt and your taste in men is highly questionable."

"Hey, my goddaughter has impeccable taste, don't you, Jessica?" Ned put the baby against his shoulder and she nestled her head against his neck. He gloated to Jax, "What did I tell you?"

"That's it," Jax announced as he turned to face Brenda. "We start looking at convents as soon as we get home."

Lois laughed as she held onto Anthony's hand as he shook the keys on Jonathan's infant seat. "This little cutie looks likes he's grown in the past week since I saw him last."

"He has," Brenda responded as she looked at Jax. "As his father reminds me, he's a growing boy."

Jillian and Brooke came out of the playroom. "Mommy, I wanna show Brooke the new gzeebo and the fish in the creek. "Pleeaasse."

"I think that can be done," Brenda said with a smile. "Daddy can take you out while I feed the babies."

Jax opened the closet door and took out his and Jillian's jackets. "We'll go out before it starts to get too cold."

Lois took Jessica from Ned's arms as the baby started to fuss again. "You can take the energizer bunny out to run off some energy and I'll stay inside and help Brenda feed these little ones."

Jax gave Ned a smug smile. "You think those lungs can take some fresh air, Nedly, without giving you an asthma attack? All those years suffocating in the Quartermaine mansion have stifled so much."

"Well, if your lungs can handle it, then mine can," Ned retorted. "Yours have had the misfortune of having to try to pump air to that swelled head of yours for years and obviously failing miserably."

Jillian put on her jacket and animatedly spoke. "Brooke, we can get water and throw money in the well."

Ned looked over at Brenda as Jillian picked up a pail from the closet floor. "You are NOT going to tell me that there is no running water in this house and you have to carry it inside from that well out there."

Brenda let out an exaggerated sigh. "Of course not, Ned, there is running water in the house." A cheshire grin then covered her face. "The pail is to take to the outhouse in the woods. That is where there is no running water."

Ned glared at Brenda as Lois and Jax went into hysterics. "I knew he was going to corrupt you."

Jax patted Ned loudly on the back. "Come on, Nedly, and don't forget your pail. Also a snake bite kit may come in handy."

"Lois, I told you we should have checked into the inn when we stopped to get dessert," Ned exclaimed with a deep exhale.

"Dessert?" Jillian licked her lips. "You got dessert?"

Brooke bobbed her head up and down. "Apple pie and a chocolate one too with whipped cream."

"I can't wait then." Brenda winked at Jillian. "Brooke, Mrs. Dion makes Jillian's favorite desserts."

"She lets me taste them when we go to see her at the house." Jillian looked at Brenda. "Mommy's going to learn how to cook the chocolate one."

Brenda cleared her throat at the life-size picture of making the French silk chocolate cheesecake. "We'll have to see about that one, Jillian. Aunt Betsy may want to keep that one as her special dessert for you."

Ned leaned down to Jillian. "Yes, honey, you never saw how your mother destroyed a bread maker the last time she tried to bake." He smirked at Brenda. "By the way, do you have back-up catering plans for dinner tonight?

She returned Ned's smirk. "Take your pail, Ned, and don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Let's go, gang," announced Jax as he grinned at Brenda. "Brooke how would you like to see some fish?"

"I want to see them," Brooke declared.

Jax flashed her a smile. "Good, your father can wade into the stream and get some to give you a close-up view."

"Great idea," Brenda added. "The water may be up to fifty degrees by now. Have fun, Ned."

"Let's go, Daddy." Brooke grabbed Ned's hand. "Hurry, I want to see the fish."

"Lois..." Ned exclaimed as Brooke started to drag him out the door.

Lois' glittering nails sparkled as she waved. "Have fun, honey. See you later."

Both Brenda and Lois laughed as Jax closed the door behind them. The twins decided their patience was over for waiting to eat so they both started screaming. Brenda lifted Jonathan from his seat and hurried into the kitchen to warm a bottle for Jessica as Lois tried to settle Jessica. Two minutes later, Brenda was back and handed Lois a bottle.

Lois sat down in the rocking chair. "Hey there, you can stop all the squawking now, the food's here."

Brenda sat across from her on the couch and unbuttoned her blouse as quickly as she could as Jonathan started squealing and trembling slightly in excitement for his dinner. "Okay. Sorry, sweetheart."

Lois laughed softly. "He's an eager beaver if I ever saw one."

"You can say that again," Brenda murmured as she stroked Jonathan's cheek. "You'd think I was starving him." She then winced. "Hey, watch it there, peanut. I could swear you have teeth."

Her mouth turned up into a devilish smile. "More like his father every day it seems."

Brenda bit her bottom lip and smugly smiled. "I don't know what you could be talking about."

"I'm sure not," Lois retorted with a big grin. "Of course you both look quite a bit more `relaxed' so something tells me you both enjoyed the birthday celebration. Or was it celebrations?"

"How could you ask such a thing?" Brenda could barely contain her mirth as she struggled to get the words out. "I don't kiss and tell."

"Sure you don't." Lois repositioned Jessica in her arms. "Now spill, just how many times did the blonde one make your eyes roll back in your head?"

Brenda could not stop the grin from covering her face. "Lois Cerrullo Ashton..."

Lois shrugged her shoulders. "It's payback time for all the kissing and telling you made me do when you and the gorgeous one were in quarantine."

"What else was I supposed to do?" Brenda sighed loudly as she continued. "Try sharing a bed with Adonis for over five months in abstinence hell while keeping your sanity."

Lois tapped her finger against the side of her face. "See, you kept your sanity. Now spill it, Brenda Jacks, and I mean every cork popping detail."

Brenda laughed as she leaned her head back against the couch. "All right, I had first hand experience with what Mt. Vesuvius felt like on several occasions." The corner of her mouth curved into a smile. "Twice on my birthday.. Well, three times if...

"If what, girlfriend?" Lois' voice raised an octave. "You can't just stop there."

"That's what Jax said too," Brenda stated as she began to giggle again. At Lois' continued prodding, Brenda spoke again. "Three if you count the encore a certain blonde saw to it that I had before the curtain came down."

Lois lifted her eyebrow. "No wonder you both looked so relaxed and fulfilled."

Brenda sighed in contentment. "Yes, the big, blonde master could instantaneously erupt a volcano that has been dormant for centuries."

Lois chewed against the inside of her mouth. "Sooo, Jax is big blonde master?"

"Jax? Oh yes, he is too," Brenda answered with a devilish smirk as both women erupted into laughter.

The front door opened and Jax walked inside and looked at both Brenda and Lois. "I know what's hysterical out there, what's so hysterical in here?"

Brenda fought to compose herself. "Just girl talk, honey. What do you need?"

"The camera, Ashton is already soaked from an unplanned dip in the stream." Jax pulled the camera from the closet. "Can't wait to blow these up and send them as big, poster-size Christmas cards."

"BIG?" Lois murmured between her snickering. "I hear that is commonplace around here."

Brenda tried to muffle her mirth as she shot Lois a look and then turned to address Jax again. "We know how to have a good time, don't we, honey? Enjoy yourself, I can't wait to see it."

Jax walked over to the rocking chair and loudly whispered to Lois. "Just to fill you in further on your `girl' talk, that is by no means the first time my wife has said that to me during this trip and she certainly has been enjoying herself. If only these walls could talk..."

Brenda gasped out loud and threw a sofa pillow at Jax. "Get out of here, Mr. Jacks, or you and your drowned friend will be sharing that guest room tonight."

"See, she even has claws like a tigress," Jax declared as he winked at Lois and then chuckled as he lovingly stroked Brenda's hair before heading to the door.

Brenda smiled at Jax as he closed the door behind him and then she and Lois broke into loud laughter once again. Sometimes life was just too much fun to not just sit back and enjoy.

Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Port Charles Airport -- 6:45pm

Brenda held onto Jillian's hand as Jax pushed the double stroller toward the gate for the incoming private aircraft. The airport was busier than usual due to the spring vacation travel season and the upcoming Easter weekend. John and Jane were due into town in a few minutes to spend the holiday and the last few days of Jillian's school break with the family. It had been almost two months since John and Jane had been in Port Charles and Brenda decided it would be a nice surprise for everyone to meet them at the airport. The twins had also been having a rough day and she was hoping the trip would settle them down for the evening.

A flight attendant passed by them and Jillian frowned as Jax paused and the woman cooed and fawned over the babies. It was already the tenth time that Jax had been stopped to show off the twins. Brenda looked down at her and smiled. "What's the matter, Jillian?"

Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "Everybody looks at the babies ALL the time."

"People like to look at babies," Brenda said as she stroked Jillian's hair. "Sweetie, do you know when Daddy and I used to walk you in the park that people used to stop and ask all about you?"

Jillian pointed to herself. "They looked at me?"

"Yes, you," Brenda responded with a nod. "They wanted to see those pretty blue eyes."

A beaming grin covered Jillian's face. "Like Daddy's."

"Just like your Daddy's." Brenda flashed Jillian another smile. "Now Jonathan has pretty blue eyes too."

"Jessica's are lots of colors," Jillian added. "Daddy says they're gonna be trouble."

A soft laugh fell from Brenda's lips. "We'll have to help Daddy get through all the trouble."

Jax caught up with them again and flashed Jillian a smile. "What are you going to help Daddy with?"

"Jessica's eyes and the trouble they're gonna be," Jillian replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Thank you, I'll need it." Jax chuckled as they continued toward the gate. "Are you ready to see Grandmom and Grandpa?"

"Uh-huh." Jillian opened her mouth. "I gotta show them where my tooth came out. And Uncle Jerry too when he comes home. Daddy, when can I see him?"

Jax looked down at her. "Remember that Uncle Jerry called and said he would be back before Easter?"

"And he said he'd go hunting with me for eggs." Jillian's tone became more serious. "But no stealing from my basket. He likes to do that."

Brenda snickered as they reached the gate and sat down. "We'll have to remind him when he comes home. Now he and Aunt Julia need some quiet time to talk but they'll be back very soon."

Jillian lifted her eyes to Brenda's face. "Mommy, are they gonna be happy after they talk?"

She pulled Jillian into her lap. "We hope so, Jillian, but remember Aunt Julia and Uncle Jerry love you very much."

"I love them and they don't even hafta bring me a present," she announced.

Jax covered his mouth with his hand to hide his grin. "They'll be happy to hear that, princess."

Jax pushed the stroller back and forth to keep Jonathan satisfied. Jessica had fallen asleep so she did not protest about the motion. A few minutes later, the door opened at the gate and Jillian pointed to it. "They're coming now."

Jillian scooted off Brenda's lap and stood waving in front of the doorway as John and Jane appeared. "Grandmom and Grandpa, we're here."

"Jillian, what a wonderful surprise," exclaimed Jane as she hugged Jillian.

"Where's this hole in your mouth?" John asked.

"Here it is, Grandpa, see." She pointed to the hole. Did you bring my quarters?"

"Jillian Jacks," Brenda groaned, "Where are your manners?"

John winked at Jillian as he pulled out a handful of shiny quarters from his pocket. "I promised the child, she has every right to ask me for them."

Jane hugged Brenda and then leaned over the stroller and gasped as she saw the twins. "I can't believe how much these two have grown. They are absolutely adorable."

John walked over to the stroller. "Look at the size of that boy. No one would ever think he came into this world early."

"He has the appetite of a Jacks," Jax informed his father as John patted him on the back.

Jane took Brenda's hand. "Dear, I know what that's like and you look like you're surviving it beautifully."

"The miracles of make-up and a lot of help," Brenda replied as she put her arm through Jax's. "They have a great Daddy here and a wonderful big sister."

Jillian flashed a big smile at Jane. "I teached Jessica to smile just like me."

"I knew you were going to be a terrific big sister," Jane said as she caressed Jillian's cheek.

"I've been good and the Easter Bunny's coming in four more days." She held up four fingers. "That's this many."

John nodded his head at her. "I'm sure the Easter Bunny will be very good to you. You'll have lots of fun."

"Uncle Jerry's gonna hunt with me when he comes home," Jillian remarked. "But no stealing eggs."

Jane laughed as she squeezed Jillian's hand. "We'll all tell Uncle Jerry that when he comes home with Aunt Julia."

The baggage was then brought out by the crew and the family followed behind the luggage cart as they headed toward the airport exit. As they passed one of the other private aircraft gates, Brenda caught sight of a familiar face from the corner of her eye and turned her head to see Jerry and Julia. Julia and Jerry were completely oblivious to anyone else's presence as they moved ahead of the family in the corridor with a crowd of people. Jerry's laughter was then heard as Julia swatted his arm with a magazine while he continued what looked to be their customary bantering. The sound of Jerry's laughter caught the attention of everyone and Brenda put her hand over Jillian's mouth and motioned for her to be quiet.

Jillian cocked her head as she questioned Brenda. "Quiet time still?"

"Yes," Brenda nodded. "We'll keep it a surprise that we saw them. They'll call us tomorrow or the next day."

Jillian looked around the man walking in front of her to get a good look at Jerry and Julia. Jillian smiled as Jerry grabbed Julia's hand and they disappeared around the corner. "Mommy, they're happy."

Yes, Jillian, it sure looks like that." Brenda and Jane shared a grateful look and Jax put his arm around Brenda as they began walking up the corridor again.

There were smiles all around as they continued their trip toward the exit. The journey home would be filled with even more joy as love would lead the way.