Jax wearily kicked the front door of the cottage shut and flipped on the lights, as he carelessly dropped the day's mail on the table behind the couch and shrugged out of his suit coat. He dropped back on the couch and loosened his tie, leaning his head back against the pillows as he swung his long legs up onto the coffee table and sighed deeply. It had been an unbelievably long day, and he felt more tired than when he competed in a triathalon.

He had been in with the lawyers and his family since before 8 this morning, trying to hammer out the last details of a settlement with the feds, and when Alexis had shoved him out the door at 6:00 p.m., the settlement was still not finished. He had not wanted to leave, but Alexis had told him that things would probably go a lot smoother and a lot faster without his presence there, since he had spent most of the afternoon snapping at everything and everyone. His attitude had irritated the government's lawyers so much that they were dragging their feet. Alexis assured Jax she would call him as soon as the deal was finalized, and she also assured him that she was not letting any of his family's lawyers or the government's lawyers out to see daylight again until it was finalized. And since Alexis was a woman of her word, in addition to being a damn fine lawyer, Jax had no doubt that this nightmare would finally be over before the morning came.

He rubbed his eyes and thought about Alexis's comments about his behavior today. He had been abhorrent to nearly everyone - the lawyers, his family, the waitress at lunch, and the poor operator who had checked the phone line for him. It seemed like his entire equilibrium was off today. He knew what his problem was - he hadn't been able to talk to Brenda today, and now he missed her so much that he ached. And it wasn't just their active physical relationship that he was missing so acutely. It was more than that. He missed seeing her face as soon as he woke up in the morning, and hearing her humming as she listened along to demo tapes from prospective L&B clients. He missed the clean smell of her hair as they cuddled in bed, and the feel of her skin after one of her bubble baths, and he missed the taste of her lips on his after a long, trying day like this. Dammit! He just missed her period! "It won't be much longer, Brenda," he said aloud. "And then I'm never letting you out of my arms again!"

He glanced at his watch: 6:25 p.m. His family would be here soon, and he really needed to get a shower before they arrived so he could gather his thoughts as well as get rid of some of the tenseness he felt all over from the stress of the day. There are other ways I'd rather get rid of this tenseness, he thought, grinning as he remembered Brenda's "gift" for helping to "relieve him" of his stress after a particularly strenuous day. He closed his eyes, ready to allow himself the luxury of a sensual memory of Brenda's gentle ministrations to his work-weary body, when rapping at the door interrupted his contemplation. "Damn!" he swore, as he tore himself off the couch and headed toward the door, knocking the day's mail unceremoniously on the floor as he passed by it.

He jerked the door open to find Jerry standing there. "You're early!" Jax snapped.

"Nice to see you, too, little brother," Jerry said as he walked past Jax and down into the living room. "You know I've never been one to follow a schedule very well, now have I?" He grinned a Cheshire cat grin at Jax, and Jax slammed the door shut in response. "We're in a mood tonight, aren't we?" Jerry needled.

"Don't start, Jerry!" Jax warned. "It's been a very long day, and I'm afraid it could turn into an even longer night."

"What makes you say that? Are you worried about this little meeting with Mum and Dad? I thought you called it because you wanted to make peace with them - and me - and to tell them about Brenda."

"Yeah, I did," Jax sighed, as he leaned against the railing of the stairs.

"Well, what are you dreading? Mum and Dad will be beside themselves with joy when they find out that Brenda and the baby are both very much alive," Jerry pointed out, wondering what had Jax so apprehensive. "It will be good to see them happy again," Jerry added.

"I know it'll be good for both of them to know this," Jax admitted. "That's not what's bothering me. It's just..."

"You're missing Brenda," Jerry finished for him.

Jax nodded. "Even more than usual today, for some reason. And the phone line at the cabin's been busy every time I've tried calling, so I haven't been able to talk to her today, which is driving me crazy!" Jax said, his frustration evident in his voice.

"I can see that," Jerry laughed. "In fact, I think everyone who had the bad luck to cross your path today saw that! Listen, why don't you go grab a shower before the folks get here. Having just recently stepped out of a nice, hot shower myself, I can tell you it'll make you feel like a new man. And Lord knows we could certainly use one around here!" Jerry smirked at Jax.

Jax laughed and shook his head. "You never stop with the smart ass quips, do you, Jerry?"

"No, and you'd hate me if I did! Now, go on up and get showered before I'm forced to open the windows to air out the stench of the nasty odors emanating from your unwashed body. I'll just tidy up a bit down here!" Jerry kidded, as he bent to pick up the mail that was scattered across the floor.

"I'm usually the one cleaning up after you, Jer. Cleaning up after me will be a new experience for you, won't it?" Jax sarcastically called back to Jerry, as he ran up the stairs to the promise of a hot shower and then some privacy so he could call Brenda.

"Hmm...Let's see what we have here..." Jerry murmured as he gathered up the mail from the floor. "Electric bill... phone bill... Dear Occupant... another Dear Occupant... gas bill... What's this? Hey, little brother, Ed McMahon says you may already be a winner…" but he stopped when he turned over the final piece of mail, a large, manila envelope, and read the return address, 'Dr. Stephen Eckhart, General Hospital.' He recognized the name from the phone message on Brenda's machine the night of her accident, and he realized that the genetic test results that Jax and Brenda had been waiting on for so long had finally arrived. He stood up and laid the mail back on the table behind the couch, with that envelope on the top of the pile, and said a silent prayer that whatever was in that envelope spelled happiness and not more pain for Jax and Brenda.

Tom sat at the bar of the restaurant portion of the Pine Cone Motel and Restaurant, drumming his fingers and waiting impatiently for the pizza he had ordered. He glanced at his watch. The person who had taken his order when he had called had promised him that it would be ready in 30 minutes, but that had been 55 minutes ago, and still there was no sign of his pizza.

"Um.... Excuse me, Miss!" Tom called to the buxom, blonde waitress who was scurrying past him, carrying a tray laden with several pieces of pie. "I need some help here."

"Just one minute, sir!" the waitress, whose nametag said she was 'Betty,' called back to him. "I'll be with you as soon as I get these served."

Tom just sighed loudly and pulled out his cell phone. "I'd better check to see if Angel's okay," Tom muttered to himself, as he punched in the code for the cabin. But the cabin phone rang busy. She must be talking to Jax, he thought, as he flipped the phone shut and shoved it back into his jacket.

He closed his eyes and tried to block out the hurt that was swelling up inside of him as he thought about Brenda and Jax and the love that they seemed to share, but he couldn't make the pain stop. His head was fine with the fact that she belonged with another man, but his heart couldn't seem to understand that, no matter how hard he tried.

"Sir, are you okay?" It was Betty, the waitress.

Tom's eyes snapped open. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, you didn't look so good just now..." she said, eyeing him strangely.

"It's probably from low blood sugar," Tom quipped. "Listen, I ordered a pizza nearly an hour ago, and I haven't gotten it yet. I was wondering what was going on here. Could you check on it for me?"

"Sure, but I can tell you what the problem is. See that group back there?" Betty asked, pointing to the three large tables full of people in the back of the restaurant. "They were on that tour bus you saw parked out front, and they came in about an hour ago. The kitchen kinda got overwhelmed, and your order was probably lost in the shuffle. I'll go back and see how much longer before it's ready," she offered.

"Thanks. I'd appreciate that," he told her, as she raced off toward the kitchen, stopping by the cash register to take care of a couple of departing patrons on her way. He glanced down at his watch again. It was nearly 7:00 p.m. He hated leaving Brenda alone for this long, but he knew that Charlie wouldn't let anyone into the cabin. And besides, he thought sadly, she's busy talking to Jax, and she probably doesn't even realize I'm still gone.

"Sir, here it is. Sorry for the wait!" Betty said as she returned from her trek to the kitchen, carrying a large pizza box. "That'll be $12.95 for one large pizza with mushrooms, onions, and green peppers all over, and pineapple on half of it," she grimaced as she read off the cashier's slip. "You actually gonna eat this thing?" she asked skeptically.

Tom just laughed. "Well, I'm gonna eat the half without the pineapple," he replied, as he pulled a five and a ten out of his wallet and handed them to Betty, as she slid the box across the bar to him.

"And who's gonna eat the interesting, exotic side?" she asked, as she retrieved his change from the cash drawer.

Tom pushed the change back for Betty to keep, as he scooped up the pizza and headed toward the exit. "A very interesting, exotic woman," Tom smiled as he walked out the door.

Jerry was just finished brewing a pot of coffee when he heard a knock at the door. "Punctual, as always, Mum and Dad!" he chuckled, glancing at the clock on the coffeemaker, which read: 7:00. That was something Jerry truly loved about his folks - you could literally set your watch by them.

He walked into the foyer and opened the door to see John and Jane Jacks, carrying boxes of food. "Don't just stand there, Jerry!" his father scolded. "Take some of this food before we have moo goo gai pan and egg drop soup all over the entryway!"

"I take it we're eating Chinese tonight," Jerry joked, as he took the boxes from his father and headed down to set them on the table.

"Smart boy we raised there, Mum," John laughed, as he shut the door behind Lady Jane.

"Where's Jax?" Jane asked, glancing anxiously around the room, as she removed her coat and handed it to Jerry. "He is here, isn't he, Jerry? I mean, he hasn't changed his mind about talking with us, has he?"

"No, he hasn't," a voice from behind her said. Jax descended the stairs, wearing black jeans and a black tee shirt, his hair still damp from his shower.

Both Jane and John wheeled around at the sound of his voice, relieved that he was really there and he was finally talking to them.

"I hope you don't mind," Jane began tentatively, "but we took the liberty of bringing dinner. I hope that you haven't eaten yet."

"It's Chinese, from that little restaurant on Claremont. The concierge at the hotel said that it has the best Szechuan shrimp this side of Chinatown in San Francisco," John added, trying to counteract the uncomfortable silence that was threatening to engulf the room, as John and Jane and Jerry all waited to see how Jax would act to this blatant attempt on their part to commune as a family once again.

"Dinner sounds good. I hadn't even thought that far tonight," Jax said, as reached the landing and surveyed the vast array of boxes on the table.

"Well, you know your Mum - she can never go anywhere empty-handed, and she always feels that you boys never eat right, so it makes her feel better when she can actually see you eat," John laughed.

"Mothers are like that, I guess," Jax said, as a slight smile crossed his face.

Tears came to Jane's eyes as she realized that the damnable wall that Jax had built around himself, separating himself from them after Brenda's death and his subsequent arrest, was finally beginning to crumble.

"Let's eat before everything gets cold!" Jerry said, bringing everyone out of what was threatening to become a warm and fuzzy moment. "I'll get some plates."

"I'll get us some drinks, and some serving spoons," Jax said as she followed Jerry into the kitchen.

"You look a lot better than you did a little while ago," Jerry said, as he pulled some plates out of the cupboard and some napkins out of the drawer by the door. "And you smell a helluva lot better, too!" he added.

"Yeah, the shower helped a lot. But I'd feel even better if I could get through to Brenda."

"Line still busy?" Jerry asked.

Jax nodded. "Most likely Tom or Brenda is online, and I'm worrying for nothing."

"Most likely," Jerry agreed. "Have you tried Tom's cell?"

"I was just about to do that..." Jax started toward the phone on the wall, but his mother popped her head into the kitchen.

"Don't forget some bowls and soup spoons for the egg drop soup," she said, unaware that she was interrupting anything.

"Coming right up!" Jerry replied cheerily, as he added four bowls to his stack of plates. "Jax, you grab the spoons, and then let's eat, 'cause I am starved!"

"When aren't you starved?" Jax shot back, as Jane beamed at the playful squabbling of her two sons. She had missed this so much!

"Come on, you two! Szechuan shrimp is always best when it's piping hot!" Jane chided them both, as they followed her into the living room.

Just as everyone had filled their plates and settled themselves around the room to eat, the phone rang. Jax jumped up to answer it, hoping that it was Brenda, despite the fact that it was their arrangement for him to call her.

"Jax, here," he said, his heart in his throat, as he willed it to be Brenda on the other end of the line.

"Jax?" a woman's voice answered. "This is Alexis Davis, and I wanted to let you know that we have finally reached a settlement that is equitable to all concerned."

"Yes!!!" Jax shouted, as John and Jane and Jerry all looked on with surprise.

"Jax, what is it?" Jerry asked, wondering if it was Brenda, and, if so, what she could possibly have told Jax to elicit this kind of a response.

Jax covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "It's Alexis. They've reached a settlement at last!" he said to the room, as a chorus of whoops erupted from Jerry and John and Jane. "How soon can we read it?" he asked Alexis.

"I'll messenger a copy of the final agreements over within the hour, and you can read and sign them, if they meet with your approval, but I think they will," Alexis informed him. "It's a very good settlement, Jax, for all concerned."

"And how soon will the FBI be bringing in Leone?" Jax asked, as he realized that he was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that separated him from Brenda.

"As I understand it, based on what your family has promised to tell about Leone and his operation, they are swearing out warrants as soon as the ink is dry on those papers," Alexis informed him.

"Then we'll get them read and signed and back to you as soon as possible! Oh, and Alexis...thanks for everything...this means more to me than you can possibly know!" Jax said as Alexis bade him goodbye.

"Oh, John, this is turning out to be a wonderful night," Jane choked out through her tears.

Buoyed by the thought of having Brenda home soon, Jax spoke up. "I have something to show you that will make tonight even more wonderful," he said, as he pulled what appeared to be a piece of paper from his back pocket, smoothed it out, and then handed it to both of his parents. "Mum and Dad, I'd like you to see the first picture of your first grandchild..."

Tom's trip back to the cabin was fraught with bad luck. He had a flat tire just three miles from the restaurant, and the 13-inch spare tire, that came standard with the car, made driving at maximum speed an impossibility, so he had had to poke along at 45 mph, instead of speeding along at his usual 60 mph. It was nearly 8:00 p.m. by the time he pulled into the cabin's driveway. He had tried to call Brenda before he changed the tire, but the line continued to ring busy, and he figured she was still talking with Jax, since their nightly phone calls usually lasted for hours.

"I guess we can reheat this in the oven," he murmured, as he stepped out of the car, carrying the stone cold pizza. "Charlie, you may be getting a new taste treat tonight!" he chuckled, as he raced up the steps and into the house.

"Well, I'm finally back!" he yelled as he came through the door, expecting to see Brenda curled up on the couch, talking on the phone, but instead he was greeted by silence; neither Brenda nor Charlie was anywhere around. A cold fear seized him, as he threw the pizza down on the table, and ran into the bedroom. "Angel? ... Brenda! ... Charlie!" Tom screamed, racing from room to room. He grabbed his revolver from inside his jacket and a flashlight from under the sink, and headed outside.

He walked slowly and stealthily around the cabin, looking for signs of a struggle. His flashlight beam found the telephone cable's entrance to the house: it had been neatly cut, which explained the constant busy signal Tom had gotten each time he'd called. "Shit!" Tom swore. "I should never have left her alone!" He carefully followed the path down to the riverbank, the beam of his flashlight spotting small footprints that were most likely Brenda's. He raised the flashlight higher to illuminate further down the path, when he saw something yellow about 150 yards directly in front of him. "Charlie!" he cried, as he realized it was the motionless body of his dog.

Tom knelt down and touched Charlie's body, and as he did, the dog whimpered slightly and stirred. Tom ran the beam of light quickly over his body. There was no blood and no sign of trauma. Charlie appeared to be drugged, but coming out of it. He had found Charlie, but there was no sign of Brenda. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in Jax's number, praying that Brenda would be unharmed, and bargaining with God to take him before allowing Brenda or the baby to be hurt.

John and Jane both looked at the ultrasound, stunned by what Jax had just said. "Our grandchild? How can this be?" John asked, as Jane remained silent, slowly running her fingers across the grainy image in her hand.

"Brenda survived the accident, Dad. She and the baby both did," Jax replied.

John looked from Jax to Jerry, who nodded in agreement with what Jax was saying. "But how? And where is she now?" John grilled Jax for details.

"It was nothing short of a miracle, Dad. She washed up downstream near the little town of Brighton. The man who found her literally brought her back to life, and nursed her back to health. She had no idea who she was, and neither did he for a couple of weeks. And then she fainted one night, and the man who was caring for her - Tom Langan - rushed her to a clinic, and that's when she found out she was pregnant and when he saw a picture of us in a magazine, and he realized who she was. It was right after that that Brenda got her memory back, and he brought her back here."

"But where is she now, Son?" John persisted.

"Well, it seems that Tom Langan is an FBI agent, who just happens to work out of the organized crime unit in New York City, and he was vacationing in his cabin near Brighton when he found Brenda. He realized how much danger Brenda would be in if Leone ever found out that she was alive. We figured that Leone would try to use her as leverage to keep you and Jerry from making a deal, so Tom thought it would be best if we just let Brenda 'remain dead' until this deal was signed, sealed, and delivered, which it now appears to be! He's been keeping her with him at his cabin for the past several days, but she can come home now."

"Praise God, she's alive!" John shouted as he jumped up and hugged Jax, who hugged him back.

"Mum?" Jax asked, as he knelt down in front of his mother, who was seated on the love seat next to John. Jane had remained silent, still staring down at the ultrasound she held in her hand. "Are you okay?"

Jane looked up at her younger son, her eyes glistening with tears, and embraced him. "Jax, I am so happy for you and Brenda. This is the most wonderful gift you could ever have given us. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this," she whispered, as her tears began to flow freely.

Jax smiled as his mother tightened her hold around his neck. He'd made the right decision when he chose to let them know about Brenda and the baby. They were a part of him and a part of his child, and he wanted his child to have the chance to know and love all of its family.

True, his family had lied to him, and that still hurt him, but he couldn't go on punishing everyone - himself included - for something that was now over and done with. He had learned a long time ago - from his parents - that forgiveness is the greatest gift a person can give, not only to the person you are forgiving, but to yourself as well-because anger and bitterness can eat you alive and rob you of your humanity and your ability to love completely. His life was so full once again now that he had Brenda back and they had a baby on the way, and he wanted nothing to prevent him from loving them fully and completely. This reconciliation with his family was the first step in being truly happy once again.

Jerry had been watching Jax and his parents, and he felt a lump in his throat as he realized that he had Brenda to thank for bringing Jax back into the fold. The love that she and Jax shared was what drove Jax, and Jax measured everything else in his life against that love. Jerry may have been older than Jax, but everyday he realized how much wiser Jax really was than he. Unlike him and their dad, the pursuit of power or the promise of enormous wealth had not driven Jax in his life. Instead, Jax had gone after and found what was truly important in life - a pure and unending love that grew and nurtured every part of him. Jerry only hoped that he could do the same one day.

Suddenly realizing that all the sentimentality in the room was threatening to overtake him as well, Jerry finally broke in, "Alright, everybody. Enough with the bloody blubbering! Let's eat before everything gets cold. Some of us are hungry here!"

Jax shook his head, as he and his mother broke apart and he stood up. "As I said before, you are always hungry, Jerry!"

"Well, at least I'm consistent then, aren't I? Can we get to the bloody food now?"

Jax just shook his head and laughed, as he shoved Jerry's plate into his hands and then grabbed his own plate and sat down on the couch to enjoy the meal with his family. It had been a long struggle to this - and things still were not where they once had been for all of them - but this was a good beginning for all of them. He grabbed his chopsticks and dug eagerly into his Szechuan shrimp, enjoying the food and the experience of eating for the first time in weeks. I have my family back and now all that is missing is Brenda, and she'll be home soon, he thought, smiling.

The family ate and laughed and talked for nearly an hour, and it felt to Jax like old times again. He had only been estranged from his family for a few weeks, but it had seemed like forever. He had missed times like these. But there would be lots of time ahead for more of these moments, and Brenda - and soon, the baby - would be here to join in the merriment.

Brenda… Jax hadn't called her yet because he was waiting for the papers that Alexis had promised would be arriving soon. He wanted to have those signed, sealed, and delivered back to the courthouse, and then he was jumping in the car and driving at breakneck speed to get Brenda. Or maybe he'd simply call Tom and have him meet him halfway. Or, better yet, he'd rent a chopper and fly up there and get her! As soon as those papers were signed and official, he'd have his personal fortune back, and he planned to put it to good use spoiling both Brenda and the baby.

Jax leaned back on the couch and smiled, thinking about all that he wanted to do with Brenda once she was home again. It felt good to dream again; it had been too long since he'd allowed himself that luxury. But now...now, dreams were possible again, and the reason for those dreams - Brenda - was coming home before the dawn.

There was a knock at the door, and Jax shot off the couch. "That must be the messenger with the papers," he said, as he ran to the door and opened it. But there was no messenger standing there with papers, but simply a small, manila envelope leaning against the door. He stooped down to pick it up, and then shut the door again.

"Doesn't look like much of an agreement," Jerry said, noticing the size and shape of the envelope.

"That can't be the papers," John agreed. "The cover letters from all of our various lawyers wouldn't even fit in that," John said, pointing to the unopened envelope in Jax's hands. "Who's it addressed to, Son?"

"It seems to be to all of us," Jax said, as he slowly tore open the envelope and pulled out something small, wrapped in tissue paper, and a note. Jax's face turned white as he read the note and then quickly tore the tissue paper apart.

"Jax?" Jane called softly, concerned at Jax's sudden pallor.

"What is it, Jax?" Jerry asked, as he took the paper and the object from Jax's hands and saw for himself what it was - Brenda's engagement ring and a typed note that read: "HER PHOTOS SIMPLY DO NOT DO HER JUSTICE. SHE IS FAR MORE EXQUISITE IN PERSON."

"They have her..." Jax mumbled numbly, before he collapsed into Jerry's arms.

Marco Leone stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of his palatial, Fifth Avenue penthouse apartment, looking out over the city of New York and sipping a brandy. From this vantagepoint it looked as though he had the world at his feet - and he did. He was a wealthy and powerful man, and he traveled in the circles of the rich and the famous. He had rubbed elbows with royalty, and he often dined with political powerhouses, many of whom owed their political standing to him. He enjoyed his wealth and his power and near-celebrity status, and he wasn't about to let that all slip away from him now because of this federal investigation into the Jacks family empire.

Marco had grown up in the projects, and he had known enough hunger and hurt and humiliation in those early years to know that he'd do anything to avoid being poor and weak again. He had been a smart, good-looking kid, who worked his way out of the projects by hooking up with the local crime boss, Johnny "The Man" Rinaldi, and doing whatever he could for him. Most of his friends in the old neighborhood had also gone to work for Mr. Rinaldi, but most of them had died at a very young age, simply because they couldn't think on their feet. But he'd been able to think very well on his feet. So well, in fact, that by the time he was thirty he had outgrown Mr. Rinaldi and simply took his empire away from him. Marco smiled at that memory, savoring the victory he'd felt when he had seen the betrayal in the old man's eyes as he realized that Marco, his trusted first lieutenant, had staged a coup and had taken command. It had been an honor to take the old man out, he remembered fondly.

Mr. Rinaldi had always told him to trust no one but himself, and then he had failed to heed that advice himself. But Marco had learned that lesson very well, and did not fully trust anyone - not his high-priced lawyers, or his underlings, or his political cronies, or his stooges in law enforcement, but most of all, he distrusted John and Jerry Jacks. He had no doubt that the two of them would easily give the feds what they needed against him, which is why Marco had been so pleased to learn of the perfect way to keep their mouths closed - by going after the golden boy of the family, Jax. But then Marco had stumbled upon an even better way to keep the entire clan in line - grabbing Brenda Barrett, fiancée of young Jax, and mother-to-be of the next generation of the Jacks family. Family meant everything to that bunch, and the thought of something happening to either Ms. Barrett or their unborn heir would bring the whole lot of them under control in no time.

The ringing of the phone brought Marco out of his thoughts and then his maid appeared. "Mr. Leone, you have a call."

"Thank you, Sylvia," he said, as he set his brandy snifter down on the glass table near the window and picked up the phone.

"Yes?" he said expectantly into the phone. He listened intently in silence for several seconds then a smile curled his lips as he said, "Good work. Keep her hidden, but comfortable for the time being. I'll tell you what to do with her when the time comes."

He hung up the phone and opened the file folder that was laying on the table next to his snifter of brandy, pulling out the 8X10 glossy of Brenda Barrett that was inside. "What a waste of beauty and youth," he sighed, raking his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair. He knew that no matter how things went with the Jacks family and the feds, there was no way that he could allow Ms. Barrett to live...