FBI Headquarters, Washington, DC. . .

The Sunday morning meeting in the director's office was unusual. Donnelly wasn't sure what it was all about, but he had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the bombshell phone call from Agent Jacks revealing his newlywed status, and not to the woman he was engaged to be married to either. Donnelly was sure that Director Scorpio was as full of questions about this sudden marriage as he was, and wanted to plot strategy to get to the bottom of Jax's latest rash act.

"Good-morning, Director," Donnelly said, taking a seat opposite Scorpio in Scorpio's large office.

"I'm not sure how good it is," Scorpio said, glancing outside at the falling snow with disdain. "I'm sick of the bloody snow, aren't you? Of course, Anna and Robin love it." He shook his head. "Let's get down to business, Sean. I'm sure we'd both rather be home by the fireplaces with our families than here on a miserable day like this one." Scorpio took out a file from the locked drawers behind him. He slid it across the desk to Donnelly. "This is the Omega Cult file," he said, nodding at the folder Donnelly now held in his hands. "It's gotten to the point where we need Special Forces involvement. We need infiltration and sabotage. We need it to be fast with overwhelming results. In and out, and really quiet."

Donnelly nodded as he perused the file which indicated that the Omega Cult was hoarding quite an arsenal at their heavily guarded compound in Texas.

"I'm sending our 8 man A-Team in," Scorpio revealed. "And I would like to give Special Agent Jacks his first command."

Donnelly nearly dropped the file as his startled eyes looked up at this boss. "What?"

"I think it's time for Jax to get his first command of a squad," Scorpio repeated. "I'm going to assign him the command of this mission."

"He's barely twenty-five years old, sir -- why would you pick the youngest member of the team to command the squad? There are other A-Team members more suitable. Agent O'Monahan for one. Sills for another. Hell, even Agent Wilkie has got a couple of years on Jacks," he muttered begrudgingly.

"O'Monahan has had five commands already. And Scott is crazier than Jax is. I'd prefer the less crazy of the two to head this up, if you don't mind"

"And you think Jax is the less crazy one? Well that is certainly debatable," Donnelly muttered.

"Age is not my concern here, Sean. I just need the one whom I feel is best qualified to lead this particular mission. You know as well as I do that Jax has a very calculating, methodical mind and always manages to get the job done one way or another. We'll need that for this assignment."

"Yes, well, Jax also happens to have a very rash and reckless mind, sir. You know that as well as I do. Sure, he'll get the job done, but at what cost? And is the agency willing to foot the bill? Don't forget what happened with the Casino they annihilated a month ago. Agent Jacks and Agent Wilkie are like peas in a pod when it comes to their way of doing things and... Forgive me, but I'm stunned that you really want Jax to command an assignment like this one."

Scorpio smiled a bit. "For all of your blustering and disparaging, Sean, you know damn well that Jacks and Wilkie are the best men we have, bar none. Sure they’re like wild horses that have to be roped in every now and then, but they both have exceptional combat, strategic, search and rescue and survival skills. And I never question their commitment or their capabilities to successfully complete any assignment they’re given, which gives me a great deal of peace of mind when they’re on the job, despite their propensity to wreck things right and left with their arsenal of agency toys. Jax and Scott are absolutely crucial for this mission to be pulled off with the speed and accuracy and low casualty count the President wants, and I want Jax to have this command," he reiterated.

"Even after the latest stunt he's pulled?" Donnelly asked, uncertainly.

Scorpio sighed and folded his hands on the desk. "Ah, yes. It appears our Agent Jacks has come back to us married to one of the young ladies he was sent to protect."

"And this is just rife with ulterior motives, sir," Donnelly assured him. "Jax certainly didn't marry that girl out of love."

"No? Why do you think he married her then?" Scorpio asked.

"I think it all boils down to ego and control, quite frankly," Donnelly sighed. "I've spoken to Warchester and Flannagan, and they gave me the impression that Jax and Scott were both very uncooperative with them and did not hide their disdain at the prospect of leaving Miss Barrett in the care of two regular federal agents."

"Yes, Jax tried repeatedly to get me to keep him and Scott on the case, or to assign new Special Forces members," Scorpio murmured. "He seems to have a particular lack of confidence in the abilities of the agency he works for when it comes to the well being of that young lady."

"But you told him no," Donnelly continued. "So, as usual, my royal pains in the butt, Jacks and Wilkie, had to come up with one of their cockamamie schemes to make things work out the way they wanted it to and enable them to usurp agency policy once again. Voila! Jax gets the nutty, yet brilliant, idea to legally marry the girl, and, in doing so, gives himself a legitimate agency-untouchable reason to take her away with him and kick Warchester and Flannagan out of the picture permanently. What I don't understand is why the girl went along with this plot? My understanding of things was that she didn't get along with Jax at all."

"Oh, come on now, Sean. Women treat Jax and Scott like movie stars most of the time. You know that. It irritates the hell out of you," Scorpio reminded him with a smile.

"Oh yeah," Donnelly grunted. The Director's 16-year-old daughter had quite the crush on Jax, while Donnelly's own teenaged daughter turned to mush whenever Scott was nearby.

"I'm sure Miss Barrett is not immune to the abundance of charms possessed by our Agent Jacks," Scorpio continued. "However, I find it quite plausible that Jax's reasons for marrying her could have been pure," he added, fingering a photo of Brenda. "Have you seen the girl?"

Donnelly nodded. "She's ravishing," he admitted.

"Yes. And she's the kind that could conceivably inspire love at first sight in a young man, don’t you think?" Scorpio said.

Donnelly nodded. "I suppose so, yes. But don't you think the chances of that are remote? And the timing of the marriage extremely convenient? And let's not forget Jax is already engaged, for gods sake."

"Was engaged. Obviously that’s moot now. And he wasn't exactly happily engaged, in my estimation."

"He's just a kid. He has the right to change his mind," Donnelly agreed, "but would he really just come home with a wife? Wouldn't he break things off with the fiancée first? The timing of this whole thing is incredibly suspicious. He got married the very day before we were pulling him off the case permanently. In light of that, how can we just accept what Jax and Scott tell us about this wedding? Just like that with no investigation?"

"There's no need for an investigation, Sean. That’s extreme. But I do intend to look into this. I'm going to drop in on Mr. and Mrs. Jacks to ascertain for myself exactly what's going on here. If I do discover that this marriage was merely a means of manipulation so that Jax could get his way, or that this girl is under any kind of duress or coercion, I certainly can't give him this command I have in mind. In fact, I would have to put him on suspension for at least six months -- probably more. Maybe worse."

"But he'd miss the desert in-training session," Donnelly murmured, knowing Jax would be despondent over that. "We can't do that to him. Yes, he drives me to madness, and I often wish he'd quit to save me from getting any more gray hairs and ulcers, but we can't do this to him, Robert," Sean said sincerely.

"Well, let's just hope none of that will be necessary," Scorpio said.

"Do you want me to call Agent Jacks and let him know he should be expecting you?" Donnelly offered.

The director shook his head, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I think it’s best that I arrive unannounced."

Great Falls, Virginia - Jax's house - noon

Her dreams were vibrant, and happy. And … musical? Yes, musical. Her dream was in the form of a musical. Brenda found herself surrounded by grand splendor. Everything was beautiful and elegant and expensive, and she was in the midst of it. Music was playing, and she was walking along gleaming marble floors, able to see her reflection in them, trying to hide her growing awe, when suddenly she was surrounded by a staff of people dressed neatly in silver uniforms. Silver? Yes, well this was a dream, after all.

They were smiling at her, happy to make her acquaintance. The music got louder, and they began to sing and dance as Brenda gazed at them in delight at the display. A plump woman with soft gray hair and a bright smile linked her arm through Brenda's and sang: "Cecile will pick out all your clothes (green -- no blue is my color, I think). Your bath is drawn my Mrs. Grier (peach -- no the strawberry bubbles, I think)." A tall, thin, dark-haired woman with dancing eyes linked her arm through Brenda's other arm and sang, "Annette comes in to make your bed (The silk sheets -- no the satin sheets, I think.) We think you're going to like it here!"

They spun Brenda around, and then a short, smiling, redheaded butler linked his arm through hers and merrily sang in deep baritone while skipping with her around the grand room, "The swimming pool is to the left" (Inside the house?!), "The tennis court is in the rear." (Tennis courts? I've never even picked up a racket.) "We'll have an instructor here at noon. We think you're going to like it here!"

Brenda was twirled in a circle, as a chorus of blonde-haired, smiling women primped and pampered her and sang in harmony, "When you wake, ring for Drake, he will bring your tray. When you're though, Mrs. Pugh, comes to take it away."

All the silver-uniformed staff deposited Brenda in a gorgeous, high backed, red velvet chair that put her in mind of a throne, surrounding her with their welcoming, smiling faces, eager to please, and sang in unison: "No need to pick up anything. No fingers will you lift, my dear. We have but one request; please put us to the test. We know you're going to like it here!

Then the staff all parted as someone entered the room walking through their midst. Brenda, who was now sitting at the foot of the red carpeted stairs, stared in awe at the breathtaking, blonde male dressed in a tux, tails, and top hat, presenting her with a gorgeous bouquet of red roses, kneeling in front of her on one knee, taking off the hat, and handing the roses to her, taking her hand in his as he gazed deeply into her eyes -- oh, and of course, singing: "I've never, ever had a wife," he sang, drowning her in eyes of deep, spellbinding aqua-emerald.

Brenda cast the roses aside and she took his other hand in hers, their fingers sliding together like missing pieces of a puzzle finding each other. She gave him a dazzling smile and sang: "Well, I'm very glad to volunteer!"

He grinned at her and it took her breath away. He kissed her hand and pulled her to her feet. Suddenly she was wearing a spectacular, incredibly sexy, silver dress that reflected the lights from the chandeliers.

He spun her expertly into his arms and she felt her heart racing like the wind as she could not look away from that handsome face, that heartbreaker smile, those breathtaking eyes that just seemed to adore her. And of course he was still singing!!: "I hope you understand, your wish is my command..."

Brenda stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, and then finished off the song with an exuberant: "I know I'm going to like it here!" and threw herself into his arms, laughing.

He was laughing, too, and the happiness in the room was electric. Then he dipped her and slowly bent down, kissing her until she was drunk with passion and limp from the sheer thrill of it all, as the staff cheered and applauded and wiped away overly dramatic tears of joy.

Brenda awoke from the outlandish dream feeling full of life and laughing at what a silly, happy sort of a dream it was. She also felt a swell of happiness trying to burst through her barriers, but not quite managing to, fearful to exert itself lest it be shattered when it realized none of this was real. None of this would last since this happy ending in the dream was completely dependent on Agent Adonis actually falling in love with her. And how likely was that? Not very, considering he was already in love with someone else.

She stretched luxuriantly, admiring the sinful softness of the expensive satin sheets and velvet blankets. Brenda gazed around the large bedroom, noticing that Jax was gone. She pushed the blankets aside and slid out of the bed and over to the window. She parted the curtains to gaze outside and was amazed by her surroundings. Where she stood there was a view of a private dock to which was anchored a gorgeous white cabin cruiser, a speedboat, two waverunners and two jetskis. They were covered, due to the season and the weather, but the coverings were translucent so that Brenda could see just what was beneath them. The dock extended out to a massive deck with and large, oval-shaped, in-ground pool, tables and patio furniture, all covered over for the winter.

Brenda sighed. "Wow," she whispered, running her fingers along the exquisite silk of the champagne colored curtains. "I live here now." But for how long, she wondered? How long did she have before the dream just went 'poof'?

She glanced at the bedroom clock to see that it was already a few minutes after noon. She was eager to see the rest of the house and the view from other rooms, but she dared not just go walking about, exploring -- although, maybe she should? It would undoubtedly get on Jax's nerves for her to take such liberties, she thought with a grin. She walked away from the window and into the bathroom, which was enormous. All the fixtures were gold, she realized in disbelief. Just how rich was Jax anyway? And if he was so insanely wealthy, why did he work for the FBI? Why did he work at all? She noticed that he had laid out clean towels for her, and brought her clothes in here as well, and his thoughtfulness made her smile. She took a shower and when she stepped out to dry herself off she noticed that great charcoal-black, trimmed with cobalt-blue, sweater Jax had been wearing yesterday hanging on the back of the door.

She slipped into her underwear and then reached out, touching Jax's sweater. The man definitely had the taste to go with his bank account, she thought as she ran her hand over the Perry Ellis chenille sweater, thinking she could buy ten pairs of jeans at her local K-Mart for the cost of this one shirt. She took the sweater off of the back of the door and held it in her hands for a few moments. Then she slipped it on. It reached down to her knees, and it felt heavenly against her skin. Warm and soft. It felt like Jax touching her. The faint hint of Jax's cologne was there, too, and it added to the heavenly feeling of being embraced by him.

He would probably not like her taking the liberty of putting on his clothes, either, she thought, smiling as she slid her wet hair into a ponytail and walked out of the bedroom, in search of her "husband."

She heard him before she saw him. Actually she heard them, Jax and Scott arguing about something. She scurried in the direction of the voices and came to a halt in the arched entryway of the elevated living-room as she saw Jax and Scott, both on the floor in front of a huge TV, glued to the Sony Playstation, deep into a game of Metal Gear Solid. Jax was at the controls, and Scott was berating him for messing up an infiltration technique on level 5 and detonating a bomb in enemy territory too fast -- not doing enough damage. Jax was trying to explain his reason for doing it that quickly, and as they went back and forth comparing strategy and skills, Brenda watched them, feeling a pleasant little warmth stirring in her heart. She noticed that Xander was with them, crawling over and under their legs as he determinedly chased his own tail and occasionally stopped to growl at the animated secret agent soldier on the screen.

How amazing would it be to wake up every day and see Jax like this, she thought, unable to prevent a smile from touching her lips. And Scott, too. Scott was so great and so much fun. She was accustomed to seeing him in a playful, very relaxed, approachable light because Scott was always like that with her. But Jax -- seeing him like this was a rare treat indeed. It was like getting to peek at a secret treasure.

She really adored seeing this side of her Agent Adonis - a side that seemed to come very naturally to him and was probably more the real him than the version of him she had gotten to know in Port Charles. She had never seen this side -- this relaxed, contented little boy side of him. She was so accustomed to the emotionally detached "protector" role Jax always played with her -- the serious agent just doing his job and not getting personal about it. The man who made ignoring her, not touching her, not looking at her, and scowling at her every smile, a way of life for the past month back in Port Charles. But ever since they had stepped foot into this grand house, he had been positively charming and dangerously irresistible.

He was certainly not ignoring her any longer. He talked to her all the time, touched her all the time, looked at her all the time, and seemed to no longer have a problem with her smiling at him. He had been flirting with her a lot this morning, teasing her about who would be sleeping in the bed, and kissing her. He had been kissing her. Kisses he had instigated this time. Kissing her until she had been putty in his hands, and yet not taking advantage of that.

When had everything so suddenly changed, she wondered? And why? And could she possibly trust this? Her eyes gazed at him as she chewed on her lip, knowing that her feelings for him were stronger than she ever wanted them to be, and also knowing she did not trust him.

But look at him, no woman in their right mind could ever resist that, or would ever want to resist that, she chastised herself. The scene of Jax totally relaxed and playful with his best friend in this spectacular home was positively enchanting, and she sighed as she realized that her attraction to Jax was not dissipating, but in fact intensifying. But she had to be careful of him. He might be attracted to her as was evidenced by his kisses, but his heart was still tied up with another woman. Brenda had to sternly remind herself that Jax could not be trusted with her heart ever. He had taken her to incredible heights before, only to allow her to plummet like a fool to the ground mere moments afterwards, she reminded herself. She couldn't trust him, or her own feelings, or any of this, no matter how wonderful it looked and felt. It wasn’t like he was ever going to actually fall in love with her. He was in love with someone else. That was the way it was.

Tearing her eyes away from him for a moment, Brenda wondered if Jax's mother and the ‘somebody else’ he was in love with were still here. She heard her stomach growl and was about to go in search of the kitchen to make herself something to eat when she heard Jax saying to Scott, "Did I tell you what Brenda tried to pull on me just before she went sleep?" Jax asked with a laugh of amusement. "She fakes as if she's dreaming, right? And she did it so badly."

Scott laughed, too, while Brenda felt herself steaming.

"And then she . . ."

Brenda walked into the living room, making her presence known and effectively stopping Jax's conversation.

"Excuse me for interrupting such important business," she said, indicating the Playstation, "but is it your intention to have me starve to death while I'm here? I can't find your kitchen."

Scott grinned. "Hi," he said, getting a kick out of the way Jax seemed mesmerized by seeing Brenda dressed in his shirt.

Brenda smiled sweetly at Scott. "Hi." And then she turned back to glare at Jax, and Jax knew that her instant bad mood meant that she must have heard him about to tell Scott about how she had pretended to be dreaming so that she could get him to kiss her without his knowing that she wanted him to.

"You're hungry?" he asked her. "What do you want?" he got up, prepared to get her anything she desired, even if he had to have it flown in from another country.

"I don't want or need you to make anything for me," she said, still looking mad at him. "I just want you to show me where your kitchen is, that's all."

Jax reached to take her hand to lead her to the kitchen, but she pulled away. "Just tell me," she said.

He sighed, seeing they were off to a stellar start this afternoon. Maybe he could brighten her mood when he took her to the jewelers later. "Go straight until you go past the spiral staircase. Make a left, go down three doors and it's right there on the right."

She nodded and walked out of the room.

When she was gone, Scott tugged on Jax's shirt. "So finish telling me," he said with a smile.

But Jax decided he'd better not. He had a feeling that Brenda overhearing him just about to tell Scott about the funny "Brad Pitt" episode had cost him in his quest to gain Brenda's trust. He had a feeling he'd just been knocked a few pegs backward in that endeavor.

"Oh, it was really nothing," Jax said, shifting the Playstation controls over to Scott. "I'll be right back," he said, thinking that if he let this go without apologizing to her, it would only make any efforts on his part to make her want to stay, that much harder.

Jax passed the stairs on the way to the kitchen and saw the room to his door closed. He knew that Ariel was still up there and if she didn't come down to talk to him soon, he was going to have to go up there and make her face this. Jax walked into the kitchen and saw Brenda standing on top of one of the many marble counters to enable her to reach the cereals on the top shelf.

Jax walked up behind her. "How did you get up there?" he asked her.

She did not answer him, but just pointed to the chair she had used to boost her up onto the counter. Then she reached for the granola and closed the cupboard.

"If I'm going to live here with you -- for a little bit --" she said, "you're going to have to not keep certain things so high up."

He smiled at her, and she felt her anger at him melting and cursed his bewitching affect on her.

"I'll take care of it," he promised, and then he offered to lift her down. She hesitated, trying to hang onto some of her anger at him, but the desire to feel herself in his arms overwhelmed her other emotions, and she allowed him to reach up and pull her into his arms, off of the counter. "I'm sorry, by the way," he said, surprising her with a kiss that disoriented her as he slid her down the length of his body and set her on the floor. "You're angry with me, and I think I know why, so I'd just like you to know that I'm sorry."

He could not figure out her expression as she gazed at him, looking not angry, not exactly happy, just sort of dazed, perhaps.

Dazed was how she felt. There he went kissing her again for no apparent reason. The man who never even wanted to look at her before, and now he was always kissing her. Why had he kissed her? It was a brief but awfully passionate kiss, and it had come out of nowhere. He was confusing her beyond belief.

Jax assumed her silence signified she was not receptive to his apology or not thrilled at his spontaneous affection. He chose to think it had to be #1. "I really am sorry," he said, trying to convince her. "I didn't say anything else about it. I swear."

Brenda met his eyes, and she smiled at him which left him feeling disoriented.

"How many bedrooms are in this house?" she asked curiously as she poured her granola into a bowl."

Jax watched her, thinking that she just belonged here. With him. She really did. "Can I ask you why you're having cereal at 12:30 in the afternoon?" he asked, absently reaching out to touch her hair.

"I think my body clock is all off," she confessed, trying to breathe normally and ignore the caressing feel of his fingers in her hair. "I feel like it's morning," she added with a shrug, and she peeled a banana and sliced it up into her bowl, splashed on some skim milk, and then sat down at the table. "So how many bedrooms are in your house?" she repeated.

"Only twelve," Jax said, sitting down opposite her. "Is there any particular reason why you put on my shirt?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I think you have fabulous taste in clothes. Do you mind that I'm wearing it?" she asked, and he definitely saw the spark of challenge in her lovely, brown eyes. She was trying to see if she could get on his nerves, he realized with a smile.

"Not at all," he responded, allowing his eyes to gaze upon her with a familiarity he knew would make her blush, which it did. "I think my clothes look exceptional on your body."

He thought she might choke on her spoonful of granola, but she managed to swallow it.

"In fact, you can go through my closets whenever you wish," he added, and he saw her trying to suppress a grin.

Her lowered eyes gazed up at him, and he reveled in being able to gaze upon that extraordinarily pretty face.

"Only twelve bedrooms? As if that's a small amount?" she said, getting back to the subject of his house. "Why would you buy a house so grand and elegant and with twelve bedrooms when you live here all alone?" she asked him.

"Well, I didn't plan on it always being just me who lives here," he said.

Brenda laughed. "Hmm. You must want a lot of kids. Or a lot of wives."

He smiled at her. "A lot of kids, yes. One wife, will do."

Brenda's eyes gazed at him with interest. "You want a lot of kids?"

"At least four," he said. "The goal is ten though."

Brenda rose her eyebrows. "Ten? Ten kids? My god, shouldn't your poor wife have a say in the matter? She's the one who's going to have to give birth to them. I mean, ten kids, Jax?"

And then he gave her that smile that made her know he had been teasing her. "I was just kidding about ten kids. I want four," he said. "Do you think my wife would object to that?"

Brenda shrugged. "How would I know?"

"Well, you currently are in the position," he reminded her. "Would you mind?"

"This is just hypothetical, right?" she asked.

"If you need it to be."

She gave him a glance that said 'what do you mean by that?’ But then she decided to answer him.

"I've always wanted three kids," she told him. "Two boys and one girl," she smiled and then stopped smiling, not wanting him to think she was smiling at the thought of having his kids. "But I guess one more would be fine. I don't want to even think about having kids for another five years though," she added.

"That's not always in your control," he reminded her. "You might have a five-year plan waiting to deal with the possibilities of motherhood until you're 25, but your baby might have a completely different plan."

She nodded. "Don't I know it. That's how I came to be. I was not planned. I sort of surprised my mom and dad."

It was the first time she had ever mentioned her family. "Where are your parents?" he asked.

"Deceased," she responded.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"They died a long time ago," she said. "Tell me something about your family," she said, taking another spoonful of cereal and very much enjoying having breakfast for lunch, and having it with Jax sitting across from her.

"Well, you've sort of met my mother. There's also my dad, my grandmother, and I have an older brother."

"Do they all live in Virginia, too?" she asked, pulling down on the sleeves of his sweater she was wearing.

"No. My parents and grandmother live in Florida now -- an estate in Palm Beach."

"Are they retired?"

"No," Jax said with a laugh. "My father plans on never retiring. But they prefer the climate there."

"And what about your brother?"

"His name is Jerry, and he lives in New York," Jax provided. "He's very much the swinging bachelor type." Jax leaned across suddenly to touch her face. She realized with some disappointment that he was merely checking for her fever. "You're a lot better today," he said.

She nodded. "I feel a lot better, too," she said, remembering how wonderful she had felt awakening from that rollicking, musical dream.

"I wonder why," he murmured, giving her a look that set all sorts of things to meltdown inside of her. "Could it be because you're here with me?"

"It's because I've been taking my medicine," she said, refusing to acknowledge that being with him had anything to do with her feeling better. "Is your mother still here?" she asked, and he knew it was not really his mother she was inquiring about.

"Ariel is still here, too," he supplied. "In fact, I need to go and speak with her right now. When you're done, get dressed, okay? We need to go get something," he said, rising to his feet. Then he bent down, and she felt his hand stroke her hair and held her breath as his lips touched her cheek. "I know you won't believe this," he said softly to her, "but I'm glad that you're here."

And then he was leaving the kitchen, and Brenda stared after him not knowing what on earth to make of his consistently affectionate behavior and his puzzling words. He was glad she was here? Why would he be? That made no sense. Him being mad she was here would make sense, but glad? Surely he didn't actually mean that?

Brenda got up form the kitchen table and made her way across the marble floors out into the hallway, deciding she'd chat with Scott while Jax was undoubtedly upstairs whispering sweet nothings to Ariel and begging her to be patient until he got his annulment.

She halted by the living room archway again, however, as she heard male voices there, one of which was definitely Jax's. So he had not gone upstairs yet. She carefully peeked her head inside to see what was going on, and she saw a gentleman dressed in a suit, carrying a briefcase, talking to Jax, seemingly reprimanding him about something, while Scott, still absorbed in the Playstation game was oblivious to the conversation of Jax and this man.

"I had to come when I heard about he wedding, Jax," the man said.

"How did you find out?" Jax wanted to know.

"Your grandmother placed a frantic call to me informing me of it this morning," the man responded. "Look, Jax, as your attorney, I'm glad she called me and filled me in. You and I have a lot to discuss," he said.

So this was Jax's lawyer, Brenda realized.

"We don't have anything to discuss," Jax refuted. "And I really wish you'd call first before barging in here, Marty."

The lawyer named Marty shook his head and sat down. "I rang the doorbell, Jax, I would hardly call that barging in. And will you please be serious for a moment? This out-of-the-blue marriage could have serious financial repercussions for you. You're lucky your grandmother is looking out for that, since you obviously were not. Did you have her sign anything?"

"No," Jax said.

Marty sighed. "Okay, well it's still not too late. We can have her sign a prenuptial agreement with her agreeing not to touch a dime of your fortune in the event of a separation. Of course, we might have to allot her a certain amount to keep her happy," he murmured, jotting down figures. "And of course, Jax, you have to treat this girl like a princess, okay? Be very nice to her, make her think your would revolves around her until she's out of your life. Don't give her any reason to want to do you in, otherwise we are screwed, my friend."

Brenda's eyes narrowed at this revelation. Now this made sense. So this was why Jax was so different now. This was why he was being so nice to her and so affectionate and almost treating her like … well, like a wife. It was because he had to because he feared she would try to take him for everything he was worth. Well, he obviously knew nothing about her if he thought such a stupid thing! Her bad mood, which he had lifted so cleverly back there in the kitchen with his devastating charm, had returned, and she vowed she would not be fooled into giving into those happy feelings he aroused in her ever again. And she'd be damned if he were getting any annulment either!

"Just for god's sake, whatever you do, don't piss her off," Marty was saying. "And look, I don't know what's going on with this marriage, or your reasons behind it. But if it was something you went into unwillingly and by some miracle you haven't had sex with her yet, then for the love of god don't. Because if you do, that blows any chance of an annulment, meaning you'd have to get divorced, and man, can she ever take you to the cleaners if that happens. She can also take this house, your Porsche or your Lexus, and damned well half of everything you've got Jax, and she can drag this thing out for years."

Jax was not even listening to him as he was suddenly absorbed in some remarkable move Scott was doing with the Metal Gear Solid covert spy on the TV screen. "How did you do that?" Jax demanded in astonishment. "Is that in the strategy manual?"

Scott just laughed like a mad scientist would, and raised dark eyebrows tauntingly. "I'll never tell."

Marty groaned out loud. "Jax! Are you listening to me? Look, I know that I can trust you to look out for yourself. It's not that I'm worried that you'll blow this, but just keep in mind that you're not to upset her, and if this marriage is something you want to get out of, you're not to sleep with her, okay? Unless you already have, of course, then this part of the conversation is a moot point. Hello -- can I just get a nod of confirmation from you, please?"

Brenda walked into the living room, and Jax and Scott turned to see what had caused Marty to softly gasp.

"Hello," Brenda said, innocently smiling at him. "Sorry to interrupt, but, Jax, when are we leaving?" she asked.

"Leaving?" he echoed, in confusion.

"For the jewelers?" she reminded him.

"Oh, in about half an hour," he told her.

Marty gulped and looked a bit wild-eyed at Jax. "T…this would be… no… this would not be your wife, would it?" he asked in what sounded like a croak as he hoped this alluring young beauty was Scott's girlfriend or Jax's long lost cousin or something.

"Yes, this is her," Jax said. "Brenda, this is my attorney, Martin Kimball. Marty, my wife, Brenda."

Brenda shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

He smiled rather weakly and shook her hand in return. "Likewise. Congratulations," he said.

"Thanks," she smiled, and his eyes popped open at the dazzling effect.

"I'm going to go get dressed," Brenda said, leaving the room and thinking she'd done a good job of letting that lawyer-person know she was not some pushover easily gotten rid of.

But Marty was only thinking that if Jax did want a way out of this marriage, he was in serious trouble. How on earth could he expect Jax to keep his hands, lips, and other body parts off of a woman who looked like that? The annulment was already shot to hell in Marty's eyes.

"Jax, we have got to talk!" Marty whispered fiercely. "You have got to get this annulment as soon as possible, do you hear me? I'm talking like tomorrow!"

Jax gazed at him. "Can I ask you why you keep talking about an annulment? Whoever even put that into your brain?"

"Well, your grandmother seems to be positive that this marriage can't possibly be based on any genuine feelings or…"

"Marty, go home," Jax said wearily. "I have a million things to do today, and I really don't have time for one of your fits or to hear my grandmother's incorrect opinions. Now, you can thank my grandma for trying to look out for me, but you can also tell her that I don't need her to hold my hand and that whatever assumptions she's made are totally false. I'm married because I want to be married. And the words annulment and divorce disappeared from my vocabulary the day I got married. Tell her that." And with that Jax led the protesting Marty to the front door. "See ya," Jax said giving him a gentle shove out the door and locking it. Then he went upstairs to talk to Ariel.

Jax rapped on the door and then entered to find his mother and Ariel sitting on the chaise lounge by the window, talking.

"Oh, good afternoon, luv," Jane said. "Is everyone up?"

"Yes," Jax said. "Mum, could you please excuse us for a moment," he asked.

Jane sighed a bit, hoping there would not be another round of unpleasantness. "Yes, I suppose I can go make myself useful by getting started on those decorations. And perhaps go find that er…wife … of yours and have a nice, long, get-to-know-you chat with her."

Jax paused, not wanting his mother to ambush Brenda in any way and somehow figure out the truth behind the marriage situation. The situation with Brenda was too delicate and too volatile right now for anything to push it in a direction Jax did not want it to go. He wasn't going to be very convincing in his attempts to offer her a life of paradise with him if his mother was badgering her about how they met, whether or not she loved him, whether or not she was a gold digger or a homewrecker, etc. etc.

"Brenda's getting dressed, mum. We're going out in a few minutes," Jax informed her. "I'm sure you can talk to her another time. When's your flight back to Palm Beach? I'm sure dad must be missing you."

Jane got that hint loud and clear. Her son wanted her gone. He wanted to deal with this bizarre situation with his new mystery-bride and his angry ex-fiancée in private and at his leisure with no family interference.

"I can take a later flight, Jax," Jane offered anyway, knowing he would decline her offer. "I think perhaps I can help, if I stay. This situation is very…awkward and . . ."

"No thanks, I can handle this. You should be with dad. I'll see you at Christmas, like I always do," he said, kissing her cheek. "Scott's downstairs if you need a ride to the airport."

With the tender but firm dismissal from her younger son, Jane Jacks gave Ariel a sympathetic smile and left the room to gather her things and return to Palm Beach.

Alone with Jax Ariel grew nervous, wishing Jax's grandmother were there to lend her support. His grandmother was one tough cookie and would not be dismissed as easily as his mother had been.

"What have you decided?" Jax asked her. "I need to know, Ariel. How do you want to handle telling people that the wedding is off?"

She put her hand to her forehead dramatically. "Jax, darling, I need more time. This is all happening too fast! If I could just stay here for a week or so and gather my wits. . "

"You can't possibly stay here," Jax said. "That's out of the question, Ariel, how can you even ask that, knowing what you do now? How can you think I would disrespect my wife like that by allowing you to stay here when you have a perfectly lovely townhouse of your own in Georgetown? You're not homeless, Ariel. There's no point to your staying here with me for any reason at this juncture. And as for time -- well, I can't really give you any more time. I'm sorry. Brenda isn’t invisible, you know. She’s here, and people are going to see her and ask about her, and meet her, and know about her. Now, I need to know what you want me to tell people about the way you and I ended things."

Ariel thought if she had to hear him put Brenda first one more time, she would erupt like a long-dormant volcano! She had some choice words about that wife of his, but she held her tongue, knowing it would only incur his displeasure.

"I suppose it would be best to say it was a mutual decision for us to part," she said stiffly. "Anything else would only make me look pitiful, and I detest pity."

"We could say we decided we were better off as friends," Jax said gently. "That is the truth, after all."

"That is your truth, Jax. You're the one who claims not to love me. I still love you. I still want to marry you. You're the one who just wants to be friends, so that truth is yours, not mine," she said, biting off her last words.

"Do you still want to be friends?" Jax asked. "I'll understand if that's not possible for you. I just need to know. And if you do want to be friends, I need you to understand it's never going to go beyond that."

She nodded. "I want us to stay friends." And then she grabbed her overnight bag, needing to flee this house before she had to spout any more hypocrisy. "I should go home. I have a lot of things to cancel concerning the wedding and people to talk to."

"Scott can give you a ride home," Jax offered.

She shook her head, having never been a fan of Scott's and knowing the feeling was mutual. He was the last person she'd want to have to share a ride home with now. "I have my car," she said. It's in the garage, which is why you didn't see it when you came home."

Jax escorted her to the front door. "Perhaps I can drop by tomorrow to put up those decorations your mother and I got for you," she said. "I'd still like to do that, Jax. I've always loved decorating this house."

Jax shook his head slowly. "That's not a good idea," he said. "And it's Brenda's job to do things like that now."

She nodded stiffly, more choice words for Brenda swirling around like a cyclone in her mind. She could only imagine the horrible job that child would do decorating this elegant house! "Then I'll come by tomorrow to pick up my decorations. I'm sure I can use them at my own home," she said. She opened the door and walked out and then turned around. "Since we are still friends Jax, is my family still invited to spend Christmas Day with you as we have for the last five years?"

Jax nodded. "Yes."

Ariel forced a smile. "Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow when I pick up my decorations. And I'll plan on seeing you for Christmas," she said as Jax followed her outside and used the remote control genie to open one of the six garages where Ariel's Mercedes was parked. She paused and kissed his cheek. "Until tomorrow," she said climbing into her car.

Since he was already outside, Jax opened another one of the garages and backed out his silver Lexus jeep. He parked it at the foot of the steps and then climbed back up the stairs and inside the house where he saw Brenda passing the open door on her way into the living room. She had that relaxed, carefree, playful look on her face that told him she was looking for Scott. Jax squelched the idiotic jealousy he felt rumbling within him, and he grabbed for her as she passed the open door.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Brenda tried not to have a pleasure rush at his touch. "Ahh … sure. I just wanted to talk to Scott for a second. I'll be right . . ."

"He's not here," Jax said, cutting her off. "He went to take my mother to the airport."

"Oh," she said, realizing that for the first time she and Jax were all alone.

"Go get your jacket," he said, as he slipped on his own.

Brenda put on her parka and followed him outside. She raced to the silver vehicle to try and avoid the biting cold as much as possible, and he held open the door for her as she climbed up into the warm interior of the luxury Sports Utility Vehicle and slid on her seat belt. Jax got behind the wheel and began to pull away from the house. His eyes wandered over to her as he noticed her eyes soaking in everything about the block: his house, all of the other estate houses, the immaculate block with its many trees and stunning landscape, the lake. She was trying to hide her awe of all of this from him by keeping her face turned to the window, but he could see her reflection in the tinted glass, and he saw the stunned wonder in her eyes.

"So what do you think of your new home?" he asked her.

She could still not get used to thinking of Jax's beautiful, fancy mansion as her home. It was overwhelming. She paused for a moment, thinking of the mansion with its gleaming floors and marble pillars, its cathedral ceilings, tons of crystal clear windows with astonishing views; elegant archways and bathrooms the size of her dorm room. "I guess, I think it's pretty much a paradise," she confessed.

Paradise? Jax smiled to himself. Perhaps he was on the right track after all . . .

When they got to the exclusive jewelry shop on Lakeland Drive, Jax explained to the store owner what they were looking for, and he told him to let Brenda pick out anything she wanted.

"May I make a suggestion?" Mr. Marsham asked. "Newlyweds who want new rings do this all the time. You pick out a set for your wife, and she'll pick out a ring for you."

Jax thought that was a bad idea. The last thing he wanted to do was pick something Brenda hated. But she seemed up to the challenge and cut him off before he could decline Mr. Marsham's suggestion.

"Okay," Brenda said, following the proprietor over to where the men's rings were, while Jax was assisted by the manager who showed him their fine selection of women's wedding and engagement ring sets.

Jax glanced back at Brenda curiously, wondering why she had decided to do it this way. She probably wants to pick out the most hideous thing she can find for me, he decided.

"Would you like some suggestions, Mr. Jacks?" the manager, whose name was Gail, offered, seeing that Jax looked totally lost as he stared at the dazzling array of rings. "You could go with a birthstone engagement ring setting. When's your wife's birthday?"

Jax realized he had no idea when Brenda's birthday was. "I think we should just stick to diamonds," he decided.

"All right, well, then here's our most exclusive selection," she said, pulling out a velvet tray with the rings on them for Jax's inspection.

Meanwhile he saw that Brenda had already made her selection, and Mr. Marsham went to get it altered in Jax's ring size. She was done already? Boy, she must have gotten him the worst thing she could find, Jax thought, staring at her and trying to glean something from her expression, but she was not looking at him. In fact, she was quite lost as he noticed she was gazing rather longingly at an exquisitely cut, bright ruby heart, encased in diamonds, dangling from a delicate gold necklace, encased securely behind the glass in the rare jewels section. Brenda felt his eyes upon her and looked away from the necklace quickly and began walking around the store, trying to look bored.

Jax went back to the selection of rings before him and thought about just doing eenie, meenie minie, mo as a means of choosing.

Gail saw how much trouble Jax was having, and she smiled at him. "Why don't you just pick the one you that makes you think of her," she whispered. Jax figured, why not? He certainly didn't have any other ideas.

He chose a gold wedding band fully encircled with diamonds, which Gail told him was called an "eternity ring." Jax liked the sound of that. Then he chose an engagement ring whose diamond was in the shape of a three-dimensional heart that sparkled brighter than anything else on the velvet display did. It was almost as if the diamond heart had life.

"Excellent choices!" Gail said, smiling at him. Jax grinned as he caught Brenda trying to peek and see what he had chosen, as she saw Gail going to size the rings for Brenda's hand.

Brenda walked over to Jax, standing next to him. He gazed down at her.

"You got me the ugliest thing in the store, didn't you?" they said simultaneously to one another.

Jax laughed at their identical thoughts. "No, I didn't" he told her. "I'm sure you did though."

She just gave him an ambiguous smile and said nothing.

"Engraving?" Jax murmured, gazing at Brenda who was deliberately looking away from him pretending to have an inordinate amount of interest in a gaudy, emerald choker.

"Try them on please." Marsham encouraged, handing them the rings they had chosen and waiting for them to exchange them.

Jax opened his hand and let Brenda see her rings. Brenda's eyes lit up in disbelief at what Jax had chosen for her. She could have kicked herself after she let out her gasp of delight, but too late. The sound had escaped, he'd heard it, and only a blind and deaf person would not know she was thrilled.

Gail gave a relieved Jax a thumbs-up sign at Brenda's reaction, as Jax slid both rings on her finger. Then Brenda gazed up at Jax, and he was momentarily stunned into immobility by what he saw in her eyes. She was worried. She was worried about what his reaction would be to what she had chosen for him. Now either that meant she really cared about his feelings, or she was just afraid to incur his wrath. He chose to believe it was #1. And he vowed that even if she had gotten him the ugliest ring on the face of the earth, he would act as if he thought it was perfection. She opened her hand, and his ring was there. It was a thick band of gold styled with an effect that made it appear to be subtly covered with diamond dust. Inside were engraved the letters: ADONIS.

Jax smiled, very pleased by her choice and intrigued by the inscription. Adonis? Was she saying that was the way she thought of him? He gave her a questioning glance as she slid the wedding band on his finger.

"Don't let it go to your head," she advised, trying, as he noticed she often did, to minimize any significance. She made him smile. She always made him smile, he realized.

"I'll try not to," he whispered, deliberately brushing his lips against her ear and laughing softly as she whispered to him "Stop that!" and yet she made not even the slightest attempt to move away from him. So he defied her and kissed her again, and this time he heard her laugh. "Excuse me," he whispered to her, "but Adonis has to pay for these."

She just rolled her eyes at him. "You're letting it get to your head," she said, walking away from him so he could not see her happy little smile. Why, oh why, did he make her so damned happy anyway? This was madness, she decided with a helpless sigh as she gazed out at the falling snow and then held up her rings, staring in fascination at them. How could he have picked out something so absolutely perfect? He was crazy if he ever thought he was getting these rings back, she thought. There were two ways she could keep them. She could simply refuse to give them back in the event of an annulment, or she could find a way to stay married to him. She certainly preferred #2. But then that would depend on the intentions of Agent Adonis, wouldn't it? And he could just not be trusted, she remembered with a despondent sigh. But she had only to gaze upon her beautiful rings again to lift her confused spirits. He'd gotten her a heart. Of all the things - a heart-shaped engagement ring. Why?

Jax finished up paying for their purchases, slid his credit card back into his wallet, and slipped something into his pocket, and then waked over to her.

"Okay, let's go," he said, automatically taking her hand, which she noticed more and more, he seemed to like to do. She assumed it was his ridiculous way of trying to keep her in line and show her that he was running the show. But it was hard to hold onto that thinking when the way he held her hand was so intimately, fingers entwined, occasionally caressing her wrist. There was nothing commanding or controlling about it. It was just tender and sexy. Of course, that was probably what he wanted her to think. That it was just a sweet, sexy, intimate gesture, meanwhile it was really just his way of intimating that he was the one in control here.

She gazed down at his fingers, loosely threaded through hers as they walked down the block to where the Lexus was parked. Well, maybe she would show him who was in control, she decided as she tightened her hold on his hand, their fingers interlocking deeper.

She looked up at him to see his reaction, and her heart stopped as she saw his eyes lit with a compelling blue fire that set fire to her very soul. She was so distracted by the unexpected, intense gaze of desire she had seen in his eyes that she stumbled in her step.

Pretending to have simply slipped on the icy sidewalk, she averted her eyes from the smoldering aqua gaze that was kissing her soul. And as he helped her into the jeep, she wondered if these increasing yearnings for him would ever go away?

As they were headed back home, driving down the street leading to Jax's hilltop mansion, a black Jaguar was pulling out of one of the vast estates and it tooted to get Jax's attention.

Jax rolled down the window as Brenda tried to peer over his shoulder curiously at the neighbor.

"Hey, Jax, back in town?" a man with very dark hair and dark brown eyes was asking.

"Yeah, I got back this morning," Jax said.

"Well, are you going to be around for a while this time? Or are they sending you off again?"

"I'm not sure," Jax responded. "I should be here for a little while though."

"Wonderful! Then you and Ariel can come to the charity gala Edmund and I are throwing in a couple of weeks. I'm sure you must have gotten the invitation."

"I did," Jax confirmed. "Umm…Ariel and I are not together any longer though. We decided we just wanted to be friends. Actually," he said, leaning back so that Brenda was more visible, "this is my wife, Dimitri. This is Brenda."

Dimitri Marick rose shocked eyebrows as he climbed out of the low Jaguar to get a better look at Jax's wife.

"Hi," Brenda said, waving at the stranger.

"Well, hello there," Dimitri said, giving her a bright smile. "I'm utterly charmed, Mrs. Jacks. And also thrown for a loop, I'm afraid. Jax certainly held you a well-kept secret."

Brenda nodded. "You have no idea how well-kept. Even I didn't know," she said, making Dimitri laugh and Jax give her "the look." "You can call me Brenda, by the way," she said as Dimitri kissed her hand.

"Well, I thank you, fair Brenda. Please call me Dimitri, and please allow me to congratulate you on your marriage and welcome you to the neighborhood. I must run, but it was a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to seeing you both at the gala." He patted Jax on the shoulder. "Boy, did you ever make a good trade," he whispered as he laughed a bit and then got back into his car and sped off.

Jax rolled up the window, and they began the climb up the hill toward the house.

"Even I didn't know," Jax mimicked her. "Very funny, Brenda."

"I was just kidding around," she said, laughing. "So he's throwing a gala! That's like a ball or something, isn't it? Wow," Brenda said with excitement. "We're going, right?"

Jax was greatly swayed by the excitement in her eyes and the fact that he could finally give her something she obviously wanted. But then he thought about Dimitri's parties, always filled with suave, oversexed, young aristocrats seeking out the next object of their heated pursuits. That shouldn't bother him, of course, because Brenda was his wife. Except she was not truly, his wife. And what was there to stop her from being wooed by one of these roving Lotharios? It went without saying that she would get hit on right and left if he so much as left her side for a minute at this party. Damn it, why was this bothering him so? He was not the jealous type -- not until he'd met her. He needed to just get over this and let her go to the party. It would make her happy. It would make him miserable, but it would make her happy. He should just say 'yes, Brenda we're going.'

He made up his mind.

"No," he said, and he stared straight ahead so he would not have to see the expectant light go out of her beautiful eyes. He didn't see that although the excitement went out when he said 'no,' a new light entered her eyes in it’s place – a light of determination. She was going to that gala, all right. With or without him, she decided, crossing her arms and deliberately staring away from him and away from her rings, not wanting to look at anything that would remind her of how happy he made her and consequently make her anger melt like snow in the Sahara.

When Jax stopped the Lexus in front of the garage to open it up and drive them in, Brenda jerked off her seat belt and scrambled out of the jeep, storming up the icy walkway to the front stairs and slipping several times on the snow-covered path. Jax jumped out of the vehicle, going after her.

"Hey," he said, taking a hold of her arm "are you just plain crazy? You're going to break your neck!"

"Well, maybe I want to break my neck," she said, shoving his hands off of her and continuing on her way, falling once more.

Jax helped her up. "Yeah, Brenda, and maybe you want to set your eyeballs on fire, too," he said sarcastically. "Can you please find a more constructive way to be angry with me than this nonsense?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, looking contrite. Then she picked up a handful of hard-packed snow and hurled it at him. "Is that more constructive?" she asked. Then she picked up some icy cold, messy slush and splattered it on his jacket. "Or is that more to your liking, your lordship?"

Jax just stared at her for a long moment, and she became unsure of what he was going to do. Desire made her want to run to him, but instinct made her start to back away from him.

"You want to know what's to my liking? I'll show you what's to my liking," he said, and she barely had a chance to turn to run before he had caught her up in his arms and had her over his shoulder, carrying her inside.

"You are crazy! Put me down, put me down, put me do-own!" she yelled at him.

"Oh, I'll put you down, Brenda. As soon as we get to the bedroom," he said.

She was glad that he was concentrating on opening the front door and did not see her eyes, which she was sure reflected what she was feeling right now, which was a thundering excitement that rushed through her every cell.

With Jax having his back to the driveway, Brenda was the one who saw the black car pull up discreetly and saw the man get out and start his way up carefully up the slippery walkway. Somehow she instinctively knew by the way this man was dressed and carried himself that he was Jax's boss. Plus he looked like the FBI Director she had seen on CNN once during some press conference. She gasped and managed to squirm and wriggle until she was off of Jax's shoulder and standing in front of him instead. His hands entrapped her, however, not about to let her get away.

"Allegiance, not affection," she made sure to let him know.

He looked at her as if she were crazy, as he had no clue what she was talking about and then really got a shock when he found himself the recipient of a kiss from her that could have melted all the ice in Virginia.

What is going on here? he thought. And then he couldn't think as sensations shocked his body like a series of earthquakes. He could not stop the passionate ardor of his lips moving with sensual abandon over hers, anymore than he could stop the beating of his own heart. She was insane to tempt him so wildly like this out here, though. Good god, did she want him to take her right here in front of the house?

When Brenda finally pulled away form the steamy, recklessly passionate kiss, they were both breathing hard and suddenly oblivious to the cold and snow as desire whipped through them both like an unleashing storm.

Jax looked at her completely perplexed. "Are you going to explain that?" he demanded, disturbed at how easily she could make him lose his control, his common sense, his entire bloody mind!

Instead of answering him, her eyes just shifted wildly, indicating for him to look behind him. He slowly turned around and saw Director Scorpio coming up the stairs.

"Jax," he greeted him. "Glad to find you home, son. And with the little woman, too. How lucky for me. I was just in your neck of the woods and thought I might stop in for a cup of coffee," he said, giving Jax a long, assessing glance. "I hope I didn't get you at a bad time," he added, noticing their breathlessness, their darkened eyes and their cozy position against the front door.

Jax exchanged a quick, glance with Brenda that showed that he was both stunned by her ability to figure out who was coming up the walkway and grateful for her quick thinking. "No, sir, you're welcome here anytime," Jax said. "This is my wife, Brenda. Brenda, this is the FBI Director, Robert Scorpio."

Brenda gave him one of her dazzling smiles. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Scorpio," she said as Jax opened the door. "Please come in," she said as Scorpio thanked her and walked inside the house.

Brenda quickly turned to Jax, who suddenly appeared uncharacteristically edgy, as if he were not sure what she would do and how it would end up affecting him. She whispered, reassuringly to him, "It'll be okay. I would never do anything to hurt you," and then she brushed soft lips against his cheek as she turned and walked into the house.

And suddenly, he knew it would be okay. For he did have her allegiance -- that much was clear. And damned if he wasn't winning her affection, too, he realized with a shadow of a smile dancing across his lips as he shut the door behind him.