Jax had an inescapable hold of Bastian Reese, who was frantically trying to break away anyway. But even as he struggled he knew he could not get out of it. With the kind of training Jax had, Bastian knew he didn't stand a chance unless he shot him or something. And that was out of the question. He couldn't get to his gun for one thing. He could never in a million years shoot Jax, for another.

Keeping Bastian Reese pinned beneath him, face down on the ground, Jax looked around for any sign of Scott. He didn't like the unnatural quietness. Jax took out his walkie-talkie. "Scott, where are you?"

There was no response. "Scott, come in. Did you get him?"

Suddenly there was the static sound of the other walkie-talkie being turned on.

"No, he didn't get me," a muffled voice said into the walkie-talkie. "But I got him. You can find his body in the woods. And the girl is next."

Madison quickly shut off the walkie-talkie and tossed it into the woods, then she lifted the visor of her helmet and watched to see what the agent holding Bastian would do next. She was hoping he would be concerned for the safety of his partner and the girl they were supposed to be protecting and would put them above catching the elusive Bastian Reese.

Her bet paid off when Jax, having to make the choice to let Bastian get away or make sure that Scott and Brenda were okay, chose Scott and Brenda over his captive. With a curse of frustration, Jax got up, freeing Bastian.

"This is not over. I am going to get you," Jax vowed, and then he took off, calling out for Scott.

The minute Jax was gone, Madison rolled the motorcycle quietly over to where Bastian was.

"Hurry! Get on!" she said, glanicng over her shoulder for any more agents.

"What the hell do you mean his body can be found in the woods? What did you do to Scott?" Bastian demanded.

"Scott? Who's Scott?' Madison asked.

"The other agent. Goddamn it, Jenna, you didn't really kill him or anything like that did you?"

"No, Bastian, of course I didn't kill him. And don't you ever call me by my real name again, you idiot!" she said slapping his arm.

"No one is here to hear us," Bastian dismissed. "I can call you whatever I bloody well please. That is, if I could ever keep all of your aliases straight; Madison Kennedy, Eleni Aristotle, oh yes and one of my personal favorites, Belle St. Claire . . ."

"You call me whatever you like, Bastian, but you do not call me by my real name, do you hear me? Now, how about your telling me why these two particular agents freak you out so much? And how do you know that guy's name is Scott? Do you know them?" Madison Kennedy, whose real name was Jenna Serena Robertson, demanded of her partner.

"We have to get the hell out of here. As soon as Ja --Agent Jacks figures out that his partner and Brenda are fine, he'll be after us like a bat out of hell," Bastian said, hopping on the motorcycle.

"I'm driving," Madison said, shoving him back, as she sat in front of him. "Let's not forget who saved whose butt here, Bastian. And let's not forget that we still didn't get the numbers we came here for."

"We'll get them another time," Bastian said quietly. "Let's go."

Madison revved up the engine and took off on the motorcycle, racing over the hilly terrain of the safe house and out onto the lonely highway.

Jax heard the sound of the motorcycle at the same time that he found Scott moaning on the ground and raced over to him. "You okay? Where'd he go?"

"Who?" Scott asked, trying to sit up.

"Madison Kennedy, Scott. Did he go back to the safe house? I just heard a motorcycle engine. Look, are you okay? Cause we have to go check on Brenda," Jax said urgently.

"Did you get Reese?" Scott asked.

"I had to let him go. Scott, can you get up? We have to make sure Brenda's okay," Jax repeated, assisting his friend to his feet. He also noticed Scott's weapon on the ground, picked it up, and handed it to him.

"I need a minute. You go ahead," Scott said, leaning against a tree, still halfway hunched over from the pain inflicted upon him by the swift, strategically placed kick of one gorgeous, green-eyed thief.

Jax was gone in a flash, racing over to the safe house where he was relieved upon seeing Brenda at the window, gazing out. Then his relief turned to anger because both he and Scott had specifically instructed her to stay away from the windows.

He let himself in and walked over to her.

"Why are you by the window? Didn't we tell you not to go near the window?" he reminded her, frustrated at how she seemed to disobey him all the time.

"Did you get them?" she asked as distant as ever. "Is this over now?"

"No," he said quietly. "Put your jacket on, Brenda. We have to go get Scott."

Brenda's eyes suddenly registered alarm. "What's wrong with Scott?"

"Nothing. It just looks like he got the wind knocked out of him, or something. But Bastian Reese and his partner could still be in the vicinity, so I don't want you to stay here alone. Please don't argue with me, Brenda. Just go get your jacket and come with me," Jax said.

Without arguing, Brenda put her jacket on and followed him outside into the cold. They went into the woods where Jax had left Scott, and then they saw Scott approaching them.

"You okay?" Jax asked him.

Scott nodded.

"What happened?" Jax wanted to know. "I thought you were right behind him?"

"He ... tricked me," Scott said with a shrug, not about to admit that the he was a *she,* and the trick was the oldest trick in the world, and one that any former Navy Seal would never want to admit to being the victim of. "How'd you let Bastian Reese get away?" Scott countered.

"Well, let's see, I had the choice of holding him and getting him back to the safe house to cuff him, or saving your butt, Scott," Jax told him. "For some ungodly reason I actually chose you."

"My butt did not need saving, Jax."

"Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that? I was trying to contact you on your radio and some strange, muffled sounding voice answers telling me that they 'got you,' alluding to me being able to find your body in the woods and that Brenda was next. I had to let Bastian go so I could make sure you and Brenda were okay."

Scott blinked in confusion as he felt for his two-way radio and found it was indeed missing. She'd gotten his radio? When had she done that? God, she was good. He hadn't even noticed....

"So did you get a good look at Reese?" Scott wanted to know.

Jax shook his head. "I got no look at all. He had this black tinted motorcycle helmet on, and every time I tried to get it off of him, he fought me like his life depended on it. How about his partner? Did you get a look at him?"

Scott hesitated and then just shook his head. "No--he had on a helmet too."

They reached the house and all went inside.

"Well, we can't stay here anymore," Jax said. "The security has been compromised since they know where to find us now, and I'd love to know how the hell they found that out."

"What happens now?" Brenda asked, taking her jacket off.

"We call headquarters and let them know what happened here today, and then we get a new safe house," Jax told her.

"No," Brenda said.

Jax sighed. He was so not in the mood for this. He'd shared an incredible moment of passion with this woman. Intense, dream-like, unforgettable. Forbidden. Immediately following that he'd been this close to catching the most elusive, mysterious thief in the world, then he'd had to let him go. He'd had moments of panic wondering if Scott was dead or alive and if Brenda was okay. And now he had to deal with her frosty, combative attitude. His emotions were on a roller coaster ride that was making him dizzy and moody. And he had no idea how to handle 'moods', since he'd never had any before meeting her.

"What do you mean 'no'?" he asked, willing himself to just be calm and to try to understand that she was probably sick and tired of having to hide out like this and that she was also still angry with him over what had happened between them earlier.

"I mean, no, I will not do this anymore," she said firmly. "Who is your boss, because I want to speak to him. I don't want to be a part of this anymore, Agent Jacks."

Oh, so she was not even calling him Jax anymore. This was worse than he thought.

"Brenda, you are a part of this," Jax reminded her.

"No, I am not," she said. "Those people want that paper with the number on it. I no longer have that, you do. So they can come after you now. I am no longer a part of this, do you hear me? When you guys take me to school on Saturday for the Benefit show, I intend to move back in my dorm and resume my life. And never, ever to see you again," she added, looking pointedly at Jax. Then she turned to Scott. "You, I do hope I see again," she said, smiling a little at him. "You were very sweet to me, Scott. You made this ordeal tolerable to a point." Brenda finished and then sneezed.

"Bless you. Listen, Brenda," Scott said, "you really have to stay with us. You're still in danger. They don't know that we have the numbers now. As far as they're concerned, you still have them. Or you could have memorized them, or made copies of them. Seriously, Brenda, you're not going to really be out of danger until they're caught."

Brenda shook her head. "I can't stay here," she said. "I won't. I want out of this, and I don't care who I have to talk to in order to make it happen."

Scott glanced at Jax, wondering what in the hell had transpired between Jax and Brenda that had gotten her so damned adamant about leaving?

"Don't let your stubbornness jeopardize your safety," Jax suggested to her.

She gave him a hostile stare. "Don't let my safety concern you," she told him, and then she sneezed again.

"Bless you. It concerns me a great deal," he told her.

"Me, too," Scott added. "Come on, Brenda. We're supposed to be the three Musketeers, remember? You're like a part of the team now."

"I'll tell you what, when the FBI pays me a salary, I'll be part of the 'team,' okay? As long as I don't have to be a part of any team with him," she said, gazing at Jax. "I meant what I said, I won't be a part of this anymore. I won't."

Jax could not get over how hurt he was feeling by her cool, dispassionate treatment of him and singling him out as the one she did not want to be around. Why should he care that some college girl hated his guts? Why should her frosty glances and cool dismissals make him feel like he wanted to die?

"If the problem is me," Jax said slowly, "we can take care of that."

Brenda's cool facade cracked, and he saw what looked like a flash of regret in her eyes as she looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"You need to be protected. If you don't like me protecting you, we can arrange for someone else to take my place," Jax informed her. "Would that be to your satisfaction?"

No, I don't want you to go, Jax. I want for you to not be in love with someone else...

Jax was surprised to see that Brenda looked very much like he felt. Like everything was all wrong and the whole world was out of whack. She looked about to decline his offer to have himself replaced, but then a stubborn look of hurt leapt into her eyes.

"That would be fine," Brenda mumbled, and then she quickly turned on her heel and headed for the bedroom.

"Brenda, hold on. We're getting ready to eat," Scott told her. "Thanksgiving, remember?"

"No, thanks, I'm not hungry," she said, walking into the room and closing the door.

Scott looked at Jax. "Okay, what the hell is going on with you two?"

Jax just shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm sure once I'm off this case, she'll be fine."

"Jax, what did you do to her?"

What did I do to her? Why don't you ask her what she did to me? What she always does to me every time I just look at her . . . .

"Can we please not talk about this?" Jax muttered.

"Fine. You know if you're off this case, so am I," Scott informed him. "But do you really want to give up this case when we're so close to getting him? And do you seriously think for one second that Donnelly will ever allow us to get off this case?"

Just then Jax's agency cellular phone rang.

"Speak of the devil," Scott sighed, anticipating it was Commander Donnelly.

Jax covered the speaker portion of the phone. "Try the devil's boss," Jax whispered as the voice of FBI Director, Robert Scorpio, came over the phone.

"Agent Jacks, is Agent Wilkie there with you?" Director Scorpio asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I need you both to get back to headquarters within the next three days."

"The next three days?"

"Yes, Jax. That would be Sunday."

"I know, I just . . . isn't that rather sudden?"

"Yes, but something major has come up that I need you and Scott to be a part of. Besides, as much as I'd hoped you would, we all know how unlikely it is that you'll ever actually get your hands on Bastian Reese."

"Well, actually I had my hands on him five minutes ago," Jax said.

"What?! Good god, you mean to tell me you actually caught the bastard?"

"For about five minutes. Then I had to let him go. I thought Scott was down, and Brenda . . .I mean Miss Barrett's safety might have been jeopardized."

"So Reese tracked you down at the safe house?"

"Yes, he had his partner with him. He ambushed Scott in the woods somehow, got his radio, and led me to believe he was more seriously hurt than he actually was. The point is that Bastian Reese and Madison Kennedy got away. But look how close we got. We can definitely get them if you just let us stay on the assignment for a few more weeks."

Scorpio was silent, thinking about it. "Tempting. Very tempting," he said. "You know how badly I want the pleasure of capturing that son of a gun. But this mission I'm organizing is much more important. National security is involved. I need you both back here within three days."

"Well, what about Miss Barrett? She's not out of danger," Jax said.

"Yes, I realize that. We've already set in motion contingency plans."

"May I ask what those plans are?"

"We've arranged for two local federal agents from Buffalo to be assigned to her and see to her safety."

"Regular federal agents?" Jax asked.

"Yes."

"With all due respect, sir, they would have no clue how to protect her from someone like Bastian Reese. He would run circles around them. He's made fools of the FBI in the past."

"Jax, they can handle it. I need you here. The girl will be safe, I promise you."

"I don't think she will."

Scorpio sighed. "Agent Jacks, what's going on here? Are you personally involved in this?"

"No, sir, of course not," Jax said quickly. "I just think this is a mistake."

"Duly noted. But I really don't need you to argue with me about this, especially since this is an order. Your assignment is for you and Agent Wilkie to return here on Sunday and be at HQ on Monday for an extensive briefing about your new mission. No excuses. Just be here. Agents Warchester and Flanagan will be replacing you in the Bastian Reese matter."

"Sir, if you'd just reconsider and at least send two other Special Team members to replace us . . ."

"The answer is no, Jax. Now do you think Reese and Kennedy will attempt to come back there tonight?"

"No, I don't."

"Fine, then stay there. Some time tomorrow I'll get in touch with the new agents I've assigned and make the arrangements for them to get a new safe house. They'll pick up Miss Barrett either tomorrow or the following day."

"She's got some kind of performance at her school on Saturday," Jax said. "It's really important to her."

"Fine. Then we'll arrange the transfer for Sunday. Now clear the line. I'll be in touch."

Jax hung up the phone.

"Bad news? Good news? What's the 411?" Scott asked.

"We're off of this assignment," Jax told him.

"As of when?"

"This Sunday. We're supposed to be back in Washington by then."

"Off of the assignment from hell? Well, that should qualify as good news," Scott said.

"Well, you don't look too cheerful about it," Jax noted.

"Well, neither do you."

"Scott, they're going to have two regular federal agents take our places. Can you believe that? You know as well as I do that she is not going to be safe with them."

Scott nodded. "I know. But Jax there's nothing we can do about it. Messing with Donnelly and disobeying him on occasion is one thing, but disobeying a direct order from the director is something I don't think either one of us wants to do. At least think of it this way -- baby sitter duty is finally over. Do we have a new assignment?"

"Yes, I don't know what it is yet, but I could tell it's going to be something huge and covert, we'll probably love it," Jax said. "I'd just like to finish this one first."

"Well, so would I. You don't think I want to get my hands on that girl after what she did to me today?"

Jax's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What girl, Scott?"

Scott balked. "Uh...girl? Did I say that?"

"Yes, you said that. What girl?"

"No girl. I must have been thinking about something else. What I meant was. . . ."

And suddenly it dawned on Jax. "Madison Kennedy is a girl?"

"No," Scott said, trying to look as if that idea was ludicrous.

"She is, isn't she? You got your butt kicked out there in the woods by a girl!"

"Hey! There was no butt kicking going on, okay?" Scott said defensively. "She just surprised me, that's all," he added, coming clean. "I was totally in control of the situation for the most part. I mean one minute I'm frisking her for concealed weapons and the next minute my hands are getting a hold of . . ."

"Uh huh, I get the picture," Jax said with a grin. "Must have shocked the living hell out of you."

"I'll say. So then I pulled her helmet off of her head and Jax . . . there I was staring into the most gorgeous green eyes I have ever seen. And then this mass of dark auburn curls comes tumbling down over a face that looked like an angel. She had the advantage because I was momentarily stunned -- you can understand that, right?"

"No."

"The hell you can't. You practically froze in place the first time you laid eyes on Brenda, Jax, and don't even try to deny it because I was there and I saw you."

Jax relented and nodded.

"So in my state of shock, that's when she hit me and took off," Scott finished.

"Hit you where?" Jax teased.

"Would you like me to demonstrate?" Scott offered.

Jax laughed. "No thanks. I don't need to be rolling around on the floor in agony the way you were when I found you. I should have figured it out then and there, but I never would have guessed Bastian's partner was a woman."

"Jax she's no older than Brenda is. Twenty years old max."

"Obviously she made quite an impression on you," Jax said.

"No less of an impression than Brenda made on you, partner. Speaking of Brenda, are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two? She always says she hates you, and today is the first time I actually believed her. What happened?"

Jax sat down at the table and Scott sat across from him.

"She kissed me," Jax told him.

"Ohhhh...." he said as if that were terrible, but he was laughing.

"It's not funny, all right? She really kissed me. And even worse is that I kissed her right back. I couldn't help myself, I couldn't stop myself." He played around with the utensils on the table. "I want her like you would not believe."

"Like this is news to me? So, why is she so mad at you exactly?"

"Well, naturally after she kissed me I had to tell her."

Scott groaned. "Tell her what? Oh man, you mean about Ariel?"

"Why the hell are you looking at me like that? Of course, about Ariel. Ariel is the woman I'm going to marry, in case that significant fact slipped your mind, best man."

"You're sitting here telling me that today you kissed another woman, you're telling me how much you want this other woman, and in the same breath talking about marrying Ariel? Jax, are you just plain crazy?"

"Why do I have to be crazy? I love Ariel, but I'm also very attracted to Brenda. Doesn't that happen to men all the time? What's the big deal, really?"

"The big deal is that you don't love Ariel," Scott said with a sigh.

"I do, Scott."

"One day you really have to tell me how the hell you always manage to say that with a straight face, because that truly is a talent," Scott marveled. "Do you know why you're marrying her, Jax? I'll tell you why. It's because you grew up with her and she's safe to you. She worships the ground you walk on. She's predictable: you know her family; she knows yours; both of your families have been planning this wedding since the two of you were born. That's not love. That's like . . . some kind of weird fulfillment of familial duty or something. You marrying Ariel is going to make her happy and her family happy, and your family happy and guess what -- it's not going to make you happy, Jax. And Jesus Christ I sound like Oprah. You know what? If you marry Ariel it's not going to make me happy either 'cause I'm the one who's going to have to listen to you lament about how unhappy you are every damned day on your way to divorce court."

Jax felt that Scott, sarcasm and all, was making perfect sense, and he rebelled against that fact.

"Scott, I know we've known each other a long time, but you have no idea what will and won't make me happy," Jax stated.

"You're half right. I don't know exactly what will make you happy, Jax. I'm not crazy enough to say that Brenda will. But Ariel sure as hell won't. That much I do know."

Jax did not want to talk about this anymore. He did not like the feeling he was getting. The feeling that Scott was right and that this wedding was a mistake he would live to regret for the rest of his life.

An hour later Scott was knocking on Brenda's bedroom door. "Brenda? Hey are you sure you don't want anything to eat? This food is gooooood"

Brenda opened the door. Her eyes were watery and she was sniffling. "What's wrong?" Scott asked

"I think I'm sick," she said miserably. "I think I have a fever."

Scott reached over to feel her forehead and then her throat. "Yep, you do have a fever."

Jax stood a few feet away, pretending to be programming his phone as he watched them.

"And my head aches, too," Brenda said.

"It sounds like you have the flu, Brenda. And if you really do have the flu, you're not going to be better in two days. You should probably forget about this charity performance thing on Saturday."

"No, I have to do it. I've been looking forward to doing this all year. Do you know who my understudy is? Eve! I'd rather die than be replaced by her," she said, grabbing hold of his hand. "I have to go, Scott."

He nodded. "Okay. Well, then let me just run out and get you some Nyquil or some other kind of flu remedy. Maybe some Tylenol, some chicken soup, and a whole bunch of juices and stuff like that."

Brenda gazed past him to Jax who gazed up at that moment and met her eyes. Her heart contracted with a miserable combination of joy and pain.

Brenda leaned on her tiptoes to whisper to Scott. "Can you please make Jax go and you stay here? I don't want to be alone with him," she said.

Scott raised a dark eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I . . .," she bit her lip miserably. "Scott, I made the biggest fool out of myself earlier today. I . . .kissed Jax," she confessed in a mortified whisper.

Scott nodded sympathetically. "Oh, I see. And he didn't like that, huh?"

"No, I think he did like it, actually. I mean he kissed me back. A lot -- and for a long time. And it felt so good. No, the truth is that it felt so great. It didn't feel wrong or awkward like it could have -- and maybe should have. It felt perfect and right and like it was always meant to be. Like he was born to kiss me -- just me -- only me. Do I sound totally ridiculous and delusional? Wait - don't answer that. Anyway, there I was feeling wonderful and falling for him like a ton of bricks and then he told me he was engaged to be married to someone else! And I felt like such an idiot! I mean I actually thought that we could. . .him and me . . ." she shook her head and looked both furious and miserable at the same time. Then she just looked sad -- like a despondent angel, Scott thought. "Why did he keep kissing me if he already knew I could never have him? Why would he do that? I don't want to be alone with him. I don't want anything to do with him at all. Please don't leave me alone here with him, okay?"

Jax couldn't hear what they were saying, but he already knew it was about him.

Scott approached him a few moments later. "Brenda's sick," he said.

Jax nodded. "Does she have a fever?"

"Yes. Do you think you can run out and pick up some flu medication for her? And some soups and juices?"

Jax looked at Scott. "You offered to go get those thing for her, didn't you?" he said, knowing that Scott would have done that.

Scott nodded.

"And she said she didn't want you to go because she didn't want to be alone with me," Jax guessed, feeling an odd coldness seeping into him.

"Right. Jax, she feels like she made a total fool out of herself by kissing you. She just wants to forget it ever happened and forget you, too, while she's at it. She's very serious about this, and I think we just need to respect that. I'm starting to think that us getting pulled off this case couldn't have come at a better time as far as this situation goes."

Jax swallowed, nodded, grabbed his jacket and the keys to the jeep, and left without a word.

Brenda watched from her doorway as he left without so much as a glance or a word to her. Not that she had expected one. As he shut the door she saw that it was beginning to snow heavily outside.

An hour later when Jax was still not back, a frantic Brenda was pacing the living room while Scott was getting dizzy watching her.

"Why isn't he back yet?!" she asked, feeling woozy from the flu, but still pacing back and forth all the same. If anything had happened to Jax she would never forgive herself.

"Brenda, it's snowing heavily. He's just got to go slow, that's all. Wanna play cards?"

"Excuse me, but how can you think about playing cards at a time like this? Jax has been gone for over an hour now, Scott!"

"Will you please calm down? Miraculously enough, I can tell time, too, you know. So I know how long he's been gone. I also know that we're way out in the boonies here, and the roads are a lot worse. It's going to take Jax a little while to get back, that's all. You should be in bed, Brenda. You're sick, remember? And you look ready to pass out, by the way."

"I can't sleep," she said, sneezing and then going over to the window and looking out at the huge flakes of falling snow. It was beautiful outside. All white and glittery. But she didn't care about any of that. She just wanted to see that jeep coming up the drive and see her Agent Adonis come out of it. "I should never have made him have to go," she said remorsefully.

"So you would rather it have been me out there battling the elements? You wouldn't have been worried if it was me out there?" Scott asked, with mock pain.

Brenda ignored his joking, though, as she chewed nervously on her lip and continued to gaze out of the window, depressed at the sight of the empty driveway, no headlights, no sign of Jax at all.

"I think he was mad at me when he left," she said sadly.

"No. He was just moody," Scott assured her.

As she began her pacing once more, she glanced over at Scott. "Do you know this woman that Jax is going to marry?" she asked.

"He's not going to marry her," Scott said.

"That's not what he says. Do you know her?"

"Yep."

"What's her name?"

"Ariel Hanesworth-Lexington."

"Ariel Hanesworth-Lexington," Brenda repeated. "She sounds like an heiress."

"She is one," Scott told her. "Her father owns the biggest shipping fleet in America."

Brenda sighed. That just figured. "Tell me about her," Brenda said.

"Why?"

"I don't know why," she shrugged, looking so forlorn and beautiful, that Scott knew if Jax were here now he would not be able to resist her. "I just want to know."

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"How long has he known her? Is she pretty? Is she nice? Does she love him? Does she make him happy?"

Scott tilted his head to the side. "He's known her all his life. Yeah, she's pretty, occasionally she's nice, yes she loves him, and no she doesn't make him happy."

"No, she doesn't make him happy? How do you know that? Are you sure? Did Jax tell you that? How do you know?" Brenda asked and he saw the hope spark in her eyes.

"I've seen Jax happy, so I know when he is and when he isn't. And he isn't happy with her. He's happier when we're jet skiing on the beach at breakneck speed or gambling recklessly in Monte Carlo or outsmarting a terrorist. This whole wedding thing is making him miserable."

"But that doesn't make sense. Why would he marry her if she doesn't make him happy?"

Scott shrugged. "Brenda, you can't really be naïve enough to think that people only marry for love. People get married for all sorts of reasons. Do you know what's funny? I think it's only in the rare instances that love is actually the reason."

"Jax doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would marry someone he wasn't in love with," Brenda insisted.

"Well, he thinks he's in love."

Brenda nodded. "Then who are you to say he's not? Don't you think he knows his own feelings?"

"I think if you could see him with her for one day you would agree with me," Scott told her.

Brenda considered that and then shook her head. "Well, it really doesn't matter why he's getting married, does it? He's going to do it."

"Yes, right now it would seem that he is," Scott agreed. "But a lot can happen between now and June 10th. What I'm saying to you, Brenda, is that if you want him, you should bloody well do something about it because the clock is ticking. And lost time is one thing you can't ever get back."

"If you think," she paused to sneeze twice, "for one second that I'm going to lower myself to chasing after a man who just rejected me today, a man who's practically married at that, then you're crazy! I may want him more than I want to breathe sometimes, but I know I can get over that. How hard can it be? And I will never, as long as I live and breathe, allow myself to be stupid enough to fall in love with him. Never. I can promsie you that!"

Scott was about to say something about her protesting a bit too much, but instead just looked at her and said "Okay."

Brenda sat down on the edge of the couch and looked angelic and vulnerable. "Do you really think he's okay?" she asked softly, frowning with concern at the huge, heavy downfall of downy, white flakes.

"Brenda, trust me. He's okay. If he weren't okay I would know it. Go to sleep, will you? I'll make you some hot tea with lemon and honey or something like that."

She shook her head slowly. "I can't sleep until I know that he's back and that he's okay. It's my fault he's even out there on a night like this one."

Scott knew it was no use arguing with the stubborn, sneezing, smitten, young lady.

"Fine, you sit there and mope and worry needlessly, and I'll go make you that tea anyway," he said, rising to his feet and going into the kitchen.

Brenda sat on the couch, her hands pulled up into the sleeves of her oversized, champagne-colored chenille sweater, her knees pulled up to her chest, with her hands wrapped around both knees. She felt ready to pass out. This flu was kicking her behind; her emotions were a mess ever since those intensely blissful kisses she had shared with Jax and his subsequent rejection of her, and now she felt completely out of sorts not knowing where Jax was. She didn't want to even care where he was or if anything had happened to him. But she cared all right. A lot. A whole lot.

When she heard the keys turning in the front door and saw it open and Jax walk inside, she was so relieved to see him that without thinking and despite her dizziness, she leapt up from the couch and rushed into his arms. Jax was stunned by the unexpected display of affection given the progressively hostile way she had been treating him ever since he'd dropped the bomb on her about Ariel.

"You took so long," she said, her slender arms tightening even more around him.

"I'm sorry," he said, not exactly knowing what else to say. Then he felt the warmth of her cheek against his neck. "Brenda, you're so hot," he said, concerned.

She laughed a little nervously. "I'm dizzy too, Jax. That's why I can't let you go, I'm sorry. I think the floor is moving."

He laughed, too, and his lips were drawn to the top of her glossy hair where he placed a soft, kiss. "Don't be sorry. I've got you," he said, lifting her against him and taking her over to the couch. "Where's Scott?"

"He's in the kitchen making me some tea," she said, leaning her head dizzily against Jax's jacket and absently dusting the snow out of his hair. Jax unzipped his jacket and Brenda snuggled against the warmth of his sweater.

Jax took out some of the flu medication he had purchased. "You should be in bed, Brenda. What are you doing up anyway?"

"Couldn't sleep without you," she murmured semi-incoherently. "Jax, the room is spinning."

"I know," he said, brushing away her bangs. "Did you eat something? You're not supposed to take any of this medicine on an empty stomach."

"Scott made me into a sandwich," she said.

Jax grinned. "He made you into a sandwich? So is that why you look good enough to eat?"

"Hmm?" she murmured, wondering when the room would stop spinning like that.

"You're really out of it, aren't you? That would explain why you suddenly don't hate me for the moment," Jax said to her, stroking his fingers against her soft, fevered skin, and then he opened the bottle of extra strength Nyquil-PM. "Well, this is gonna knock you right out, sweetheart. And I'm sure you'll be right back to hating the sight of me in the morning," he murmured cheerlessly.

Brenda stared up at the many spinning Jax's gazing down at her. She reached up and touched his face. "I hope so. I have to hate you, you know. I can never love you. Not ever. Do you know that you're cold?" she said to him.

"Well, it's cold outside."

He shivered as her fingers danced across his lips. "Your lips are warm though. I wonder if they want to kiss me?"

"You have no idea what they want to do to you," Jax murmured.

"Tell me."

"No, I don't think so."

She squinted up at him then. "Jax, do you have any idea how fast you're moving? How do you do that?"

Jax poured the liquid medicine in the small cup, stopping at the two teaspoon line, and tilted her head back gently. "Bottom's up, luv. Open up," he said.

Brenda obediently swallowed the medicine and then made a face.

"Do you know what I wish? I wish that tasted like a milkshake," she said.

Jax laughed softly. "Do you know what I wish? I wish I had met you first, Brenda. I wish that with all my heart," he whispered, stroking her dark hair as if he were touching precious gold.

Scott stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching the scene before him. He heard the deep truthfulness in his best friend's voice as Jax confessed his wish.

"Do you really wish that?" Brenda murmured. "I wish I could believe you. I wish I knew which one of you said that too," she said gazing up at the six Jax's she saw spinning above her. "Do you know what else I wish? I wish I could kiss you right now," Brenda said. "But I shoudn't do that, should I? And it would only get you sick."

"Yes. You definitley should not kiss me," Jax said. But his eyes said something else entirely, and Brenda, even in her woozy state, saw that.

"Maybe if I kiss you really fast, you won't catch anything," she said.

Jax grinned at her silliness. "Or maybe if you kiss me really slow the heat of our kiss will just melt all the germs away," Jax said, teasing her.

But it sounded like an invitation to Brenda, not a joke.

"I like your idea better," she said and somehow, despite the six spinning Jax's zooming past before her eyes, she managed to place her lips firmly on one of them. And once she hit her attractive target, her lips began to move slowly and sensually over his and an 'mmmmm' of delight escaped her lips.

Scott expected that Jax would pull her away gently and immediately remove himself from the path of such maddening temptation. But Jax didn't move at all. It was as if, once her lips touched his, he was caught under an enchanted spell and he was glad to be caught. He allowed the spell to take over and temporarily rule his actions and responses.

And what a response it was. He kissed Brenda with a slow, burning passion that probably made her fever pale in comparison. Scott was amazed as he watched the deep, long kiss go on and on and on and on. The firelight burned beautifully in the background, but nothing burned hotter or more beautiful than those sensuously connected lips.

Finally, when it became clear that there was no end in sight for that kiss, Scott headed back in the kitchen, wondering what color he would paint the boat he was going to win from Jax. He thought maybe black and gold. Then his thoughts shifted to wondering about a certain green-eyed, auburn-haired, young female thief who he owed a butt-kicking to, although he was pretty sure revenge was not the reason that he just couldn't quite seem to get her out of his mind.

The living room and the snowy Thanksgiving night belonged to Jax and Brenda and that kiss. They were lost in their kisses to the point where nothing else mattered or existed, and that somehow made it all right. It was as if they were existing on some other plane of life seperate from the world as they knew it. One where they could belong to each other. One where Jax had met her first and had no commitments to anyone else, giving them license to do anything they wanted to. To feel anything they wanted to. It was just a fantasy, but it was their reality right now in the moment. And the feeling was heaven. His mouth angled left and hers right in perfect symetry as the kiss deepened further. Soft, hushed moans of mutual desire whispered into the room, as they closed their eyes and let themselves go to this incredible feeling for as long as it would let them.

The higher you build your barriers
The taller I become
The farther you take you heart away
The faster I will run
You can try to deny me
You can try to turn your heart away
It won't matter cause there's
Something inside too strong . . .

Song Credit: pending...