The Jacks parlor erupted with infectious laughter as Juliet did her impression of Rachel Bradburry excusing herself from the dining table, belching loudly, her hand covering her mouth in horror, the other hand holding her stomach as she raced to the bathroom. Rachel had performed this hilarious ritual eleven times in the space of an hour after eating dessert, and everyone had been staring at her in disbelief, wondering what on earth was with her dreadful table manners and her constant trips to the bathroom.

     Finally, after another unladylike belch erupted from her, Rachel had burst into tears and heatedly accused the exotic psychic, Desdemona, of putting a voodoo mojo on her. Not knowing what in the blazes the woman was talking about, Desdemona - not a fan of the Bradburry girl - had played along with her fears anyway, insisting that Rachel's "mojo" was self-inflicted, a result of her stomach curdling because of all of the bitterness in her heart.

     In the midst of Desdemona's creative explanation, she had caught Brenda desperately trying to muffle her laughter into Jax's shirt and realized with a smile that Jax's mischievous little bride was the orchestrator of Rachel's "mojo." Desdemona then spun a voodoo tale about how bitterness and envy will turn the body against itself and eventually kill you.

     Brette Montague had blanched, and perspiration had formed over Rachel's lip as she swallowed, looking ill and terrified.

     Desdemona went on to offer to make Rachel a gris-gris bag that could ward off the effects of the "mojo." She then went on to list the horrid ingredients the gris-gris bag would contain and then told Rachel that she would have to sleep with it under her pillow for a year.

     Rachel's eyes had bugged out in offense as Desdemona was talking about the chicken gizzards, snake venom, graveyard dirt, pig hooves, turtle eyes, and head of a live turkey that would have to be put into the gris-gris bag.

     It was enough to send Rachel jumping up from her seat, clutching her stomach, grabbing her coat from the grinning Niles, and go running, screaming out into the night, while her father watched her, incredulous at how seriously his daughter was taking Desdemona's ribbing.

     "Lord, my sides were positively splitting!" Jane Jacks said in between gasps of laughter, as they relived the events of the evening.

     "I was trying so hard not to laugh that I was literally choking on my pent-up hilarity," Joanna said, laughing freely now.

     "She was trying so bloody hard not to laugh, she kept digging her fingers into my poor leg," Jerry revealed.

     "Oh, was that why you were popping around in your seat like that?" Juliet mentioned.

     "What exactly did you put in Rachel's chocolate mousse, Brenda?" Jax asked.

     He sat Indian-style on the floor, near the Victorian couch, his tuxedo jacket tossed over the knees of his little sister, his bow-tie loosened, his arms encircling his grinning wife, who was in his lap, her dark curls leaning comfortably against his chest.

     Brenda gazed up at Niles as they recited their recipe for disaster.

     "One-half a teaspoon of Ex-Lax," Brenda said.

     "A dash of cod-liver oil," Niles added

     "And a pinch of cactus sap," they said together, as everyone burst into laughter.

     "Cactus sap?!” John howled with laughter. “Now where in god's name did you ever find that?" he asked, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.

     "Vince had some," Brenda responded with a shrug and a smile. "He said it turns sour in your belly once you ingest it and gives you uncontrollable urges to belch. In Rachel’s case, extremely loudly."

     “Oh yes, her belches sounded positively demonic!” Juliet said, laughing.

     "That little witch got exactly what she deserved," Justin said. "You know, after she said that vile thing about your father, Brenda, I did attempt to kick her under the table."

     "Only his aim is bloody atrocious, and he got me instead," Jerry muttered, glowering at his brother and rubbing the black-and-blue mark on his knee.

     Justin shrugged. "You should have had better sense than to be sitting next to that marked woman."

     "Brenda, you were a smashing success tonight," Joanna told her, bending down to give her a hug. “You handled yourself spectacularly in the face of those awful women.”

     "Definitely!" Juliet agreed enthusiastically. "Why, you had them thinking you were the queen of the land, Brenda! And those wretched ex-girlfriends, my brother had the lack of good taste to ever date, were certainly put in their places," she laughed.

     Brenda tipped her head back so that she could see Jax's expression. His blue eyes gazed down into her hazel ones, and he just smiled at her and winked to let her know that he agreed with his sister.

     "You made us very proud, darling," John said, beaming over at his daughter-in-law. "Very proud indeed. A true Jacks you are, young lady."

     "Brenda, I agree with one and all. You were magnificent, my dear," Jane agreed, giving her a round of applause. "I was never prouder! In fact, so impressed am I by your skills as a hostess and your devilish diplomacy in handling the likes of the Bradburry woman, that I've decided to let you and Jax do the honor of delivering our Christmas bounty to that bear of an aunt of mine in Colorado," Jane said with a roll of her eyes at the mention of "the aunt."

     "Oh, good god, Mum, that's more of a punishment than a reward," Justin murmured.

     "Well, I'm so glad you think so, because you're going as well," Jane told him, wagging a finger at him. "And you can take your sister with you."

     Brenda furrowed her brows and snuggled closer to the sensual warmth of Jax's body. "What aunt would this be?" she queried, her fingers stroking Jax's hand.

     "Aunt Violet," Juliet explained. "She's very old and very stuffy and very nosy and very controlling and utterly boring, and she can't abide traveling down here to this 'city of sin,' as she refers to New Orleans. So, since she refuses to come here, we must always pay her a visit around the holiday season to drop our gifts off."

     "You look so thrilled about it," Brenda laughed.

     "Well, it's not that she's some kind of complete ogress or anything," Justin said, choosing his words carefully. "She's just… well, she's very much a busybody and has a controlling nature, as Julie pointed out, and for some reason once we're in her company for a few hours, we just long to be rid of her."

     Brenda giggled.

     "But she adores Jax," Jerry added. "He's her little pet, you see. And Jax seems to be able to tolerate her far better than the rest of us can."

     "She’s not so bad. She just needs to feel useful," Jax said with a shrug, his chin resting on top of Brenda's head.

     “Useful at being an intolerable nag?” Justin asked.

     "Useful at being an interfering, old bat?" Jerry added.

     "Now then, boys, show a bit of respect for the old bat, will you?" John said, giving them a most insincere scowl.

     "Oh, you are so very bad, John Jacks," Jane admonished him, but her eyes were aglow with her obvious happiness at the joy her wild, unconventional and loving family gave to her. "Now, family, I know Aunt Violet can be quite the royal pain, but she's family, and she's old, and she’s all alone in that big, old cabin of hers in the middle of nowhere. She's as entitled to some holiday cheer as the rest of us, and I think Brenda is just what the doctor ordered. Aunt Violet will be so delighted to see Jax, of course, and so surprised that he's got a wife," Jane chuckled. "So, luv, are you game for this little trip?" Jane asked Brenda, who was looking deliciously relaxed in her husband's arms.

     "I'd love to go. Do we just drop off gifts and leave?"

     "If only it were that simple," Justin sighed, spreading his arms out to his sides, like a wounded martyr.

     "Aunt Violet always insists that we stay for a few days," Juliet explained. "Then she commences to stuff us full of her pot roasts, her overly rich sauces, her pies, her cakes, her dreadful figgie puddings…"

     “Oh! Good lord, the figgie pudding!” John grimaced in remembrance.

     "And that godawful fruit cake of hers," Justin added, shutting his eyes in horror. “Better known as the ‘the rock.’”

     "We always feed ‘the rock’ to her dog, Humphrey," Juliet whispered to Brenda. "So far, he's still alive."

     "Now, the two of you, just stop it this instant," Jane ordered, struggling not to laugh. "You're going to terrify Brenda into not wanting to go."

     "Terrify Brenda? The woman who stomped on a crocodile's head?" Justin asked.

     "The woman who fell in quicksand and was laughing about it?" Jerry added with a grin.

     "The woman who fought off the amorous attentions of a besotted, bloodsucking bat?" Juliet added with a laugh.

     "All right, all right," Jane surrendered. "Yes, if Brenda can survive all of that, plus those two despicable young women who were here tonight, then she should certainly be able to take on Aunt Violet."

     "Does Aunt Violet know we're coming?" Jax asked.

     "She knows you are, luv. I've kept the fact that you've got a brand new wife with you as a nice little surprise for her. And seeing Justin and Juliet will be a surprise as well. I'm sure this will be an unforgettable holiday for her with the four of you there. I was thinking you should leave about three weeks after Thanksgiving, stay for a week, and then be back here for Christmas week. Will that be all right with everyone's schedules?"

     The three blonde heads and one dark one nodded.

     "Splendid! Then Joanna and I will get to wrapping up the gifts and ordering the holiday baskets for you kids to take with you on your visit. Now that that's settled, any other family business we need to attend to while we're all remarkably in one room?"

     "Devon's family has invited us to their place for Thanksgiving," Jax said, eliciting a squeal of delight from his sister.

     "She is so transparent, isn't she?" Jerry sighed, as Juliet just laughed and tossed a velvet cushion at him.

     "She's in love. It's downright revolting, " Justin said.

     "Especially since she's never going to get him." Jax added, joining his brothers in their teasing.

     "Leave your sister alone, before I box all of your ears," Jane warned them. "Now, if I forget, Julie, I'm sure you will remind me to call Devon's mum and let her know we'd be delighted to come. Oh, and remind me to find out what she'd like us to bring," Jane said, making a mental note to call her friend, Charlotte McAlister. "Any other business?"

     "Are we still planning another paintball war for next weekend?" Jerry asked.

     "Oh, yes, indeed," John said with a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "And this time we've got some smashing new artillery!" he told them, rubbing his hands together in glee.

     Brenda shot up in Jax's arms. "Next weekend?! Jax! Why didn't you tell me it was going to be so soon?" she asked, turning to face him.

     Jax looked at her. "What difference does it make, sweetie?"

     Brenda gave him an exasperated look. "You know perfectly well that I have to practice," she reminded him, elbowing him in the ribs.

     Justin, watching them, grinned devilishly. "Practice?" he repeated, folding his arms.

     "Why would you have to do that?" Jerry asked, with a similar grin to that of his youngest brother. "After all, Brenda, you annihilated us all single-handedly earlier this year. You were so good," he said, sending her a knowing look.

     But Brenda was not about to admit that Jax had been the one whose perfect aim and incredible agility had secured her victory, while she had bumped into trees, gotten tangled up in bushes, and had shot her own self full of paint more often than hitting anyone else.

     "Well…" she said, twisting her hands around, "I just want to… ahhh… perfect my… umm… skills. What's wrong with that?"

     Justin laughed. "Nothing," he said with a lazy shrug, "if you had any skills to perfect," he added in a quiet voice that only Jerry and John heard, and they both laughed, while Brenda scowled at the three of them, knowing that she was the butt of their secretive laughter. They all realized that Brenda was never going to confess that it was Jax who had gained her that stunning victory in the last family paint ball war and that her own skills at the game were abysmal. You just had to love her.

     Brenda heard Jax's soft, sexy laughter in her ear. "Don't worry," he said. "We can do it just like we did the last time."

     "No," she insisted, shaking her head as she whispered to him. "This time, I don't want you to have to ambush everybody for me. I want to do it myself, Jax," she insisted.

     "You want to do it yourself? Go up against me and my brothers?" Jax asked, giving her an 'are-you-crazy?' glance.

     "Yes," Brenda said with a flash of dimples. “I can do anything I set my mind to, you know.”

     Jax raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, Goddess," he said, running his fingers slowly along her throat and enjoying the way her pulse leapt with delight at his touch. "Have it your way. I do have to warn you, however," he said with a devilish grin and that 'take-no-prisoners' corporate raider gleam in his stunning blue eyes, “my brothers and I are going to annihilate you, my love.”