Jax was up early the next morning, feeling absurdly like a teenager getting ready for a date with the most beautiful, most elusive girl in school. He changed his clothes three times, and then finally sat down and gazed at the address in his hand, while tapping a pencil against the coffee table with his other hand. He had been practicing all night what he would say to her once he got there. And bracing himself for unpleasant surprises: like a man answering the door.

It felt like a brutal kick in the stomach for Jax to think of Brenda with another man, falling in love with someone else, giving that smile to someone else, laughing with someone else, gazing adoringly into someone else’s eyes, living these past four years with someone else. Jax was not - had really never been - the jealous type, but this possibility, planted in his head by his brother last night, was unsettling him.

Brenda with another man. Jax bristled at the very idea… and yet she was so very beautiful, such a treasure of irresistible proportions. How could he really have thought that other men had kept their distance from her in some imaginary deference to him and his phantom claim on her heart? Quite the contrary. They would have swarmed about her like wily wolves ready to hunt down and try to lay claim to the sparkling princess that Jax had let get away. Let get away? No, she had run away, he reminded himself, the coldness, hurt and anger seeping back into his heart. Why had she done that? It was inconceivable to him to think this, but had she perhaps met someone else that summer?

Jax knew his and Brenda’s love had been as real as it gets, as deep as it gets, as all consuming wonderful as it gets. And he she had truly loved him - he knew that, too. But was it possible that when he had left with Jerry to search for Miranda that Brenda’s insecurities had gotten the better of her? Maybe her sister Carly had even fueled her fears that Jax would not come back to her - Carly could be like that sometimes, drama queen that she was. And maybe Brenda, in her insecure frame of mind and all, had met someone that summer and her doubting heart had been vulnerable? Maybe she had met a man who had done all the right things and said all the right things and had simply hit her with the force of a lightning she could not resist - the way Brenda had first hit Jax when she had walked into his hotel suite in Port Charles that first day they had met February. The sight of her had made him forget all about his flirtation with Lois Cerullo Ashton, Ned’s ex-wife. And Jax and Brenda had been inseparable ever since that first meeting.

Oh, Jax had known she had been sent there by Ned to lure his attentions away from Lois, but Brenda had ended up luring Jax’s heart right out from under him and delivering it gift-wrapped right into her beautiful, little hands instead. And he had lured hers right to him as well. But had Brenda perhaps found some other man that summer who had hit her with the kind of life-altering force she had hit Jax upon their first encounter? Had Brenda met such a man? Jax had always thought he was that man. The only one. That there was no one for her but him, as surely as he knew there was no one for him but her. And why shouldn’t he have believed that? He felt it every time she had looked at him, every time he had touched her, kissed her. And she had told him that, for god’s sake. Over and over.

How was he to know she was a liar? Was someone else now tasting the heaven of her kisses? Was someone else now reveling in touching the softness of her skin, the silken wonder of her dark hair?

Her hair had gown, he realized absently. It was down to the center of her back now, even more beautiful than he’d remembered. She was even more beautiful than he’d remembered. Was someone else gazing down at that beautiful sleeping face each night thanking god that she was his? Was someone else looking deeply into her lovely, sun-flecked brown eyes and shuddering with indescribable ecstasy as her soft, gorgeous body tangled with his in urgent, breathless lovemaking? Magic from heaven…

Jax was unaware that he snapped the pencil he was holding in two.

Tell me his name, I want to know
The way he looks and where you go
I need to see his face I need to understand
Why you and I came to an end

Tell me his name I want to hear
Who broke my faith in all these years
Who lived with you at night when I was all alone
Remembering when you were my own

Jax hoped to heaven there would be no man to answer the door. No man to be standing there with love, possession and adoration lighting his eyes when he looked at Brenda. Because Jax had absolutely no idea how he would react to such a scenario. But he was sure the reaction would be a bad one judging from the way the very thought of all of this was making him feel right now.

Jax got up and placed Brenda’s address in his pocket. It made no sense to sit here trying to understand what had happened and making himself alternately angry and heartsick wondering why she had left him, wondering if she was in love with someone else. He just had to go to her, that was all. All the answers lay there. On the lips of his sweet Brenda. If she were still his. And if those sweet lips would tell him the truth.

Jax glanced at the note from Miranda that said she’d gone to meet her friend Felicia, who was in town too, for breakfast. He wrote her a note of his own explaining that he’d be gone for several hours, and then he left the hotel suite and went down to his waiting limousine.

“I’ve never seen you like this,” Felicia said, spreading some jam on her croissant, as she and Miranda sat in the little outdoor café, having breakfast.

“Well, I’ve never seen Jax like this,” Miranda responded, stirring her coffee in agitation. “I don’t know what to do. Jax and I were so close when we were engaged the first time. When we were kids. I could read him like a book then, know his every thought, his every need. Now he’s so much like a stranger to me, Felicia. Just this beautiful stranger. You know, there’s just this wall around him and her name is Brenda, and I can’t smash through it or climb over it or burn it down - or do anything to get rid of it or make it crumble. Last night he didn’t even come to bed, Felicia. He was up all night on the phone with every person in Paris, I think, trying to look for her - where she lives. He was pacing up and down with the phone in his hand. He was up so late, he’s probably going to sleep the whole day through today.”

“After what you told me about how Brenda just up and left him, with no good-byes or anything, I don’t see how Jax can even stand her.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But, Felicia, you should have seen the way he looked at her when he realized it was her. I mean, sure, I did see anger. But hurt more than anything else. And there was something else… like this subtle magnetic thing, this wild euphoria he was trying to keep a lid on - and believe me, he had to try really hard. It was like this electric current was flowing in the room, wrapping around the two of them. I could tell he wanted to jump out of his skin - or jump all over her maybe. And then he saw his son, and forget it, he was just completely stunned.”

“I still can’t believe Jax has a son,” Felicia marveled. “Is that what’s really bothering you? That they’ll always have the connection of a child?”

“That,” Miranda said with a nod, “and the fact that she gave him his first son. I can’t tell you how significant that is.”

Felicia looked confused. “Why? You can just give him other sons.”

“The first son is the one that matters,” she said with a sigh.

Again Felicia asked “Why?”

Quickly skirting that issue entirely, Miranda said, “And, my god, you’ve got to see this kid - he looks exactly like Jax,” she sighed. “And the way Jax looks at Brenda, Felicia,” she said with an angry coolness, “you’d think he’d at least try to shield that look, to not let the rest of us see it - especially me. But it’s as if he can’t do anything to prevent it. His eyes just can’t lie. I told his mother that Jax looks at Brenda like she’s this precious treasure someone stole from him… and he damn well wants it back. He wants it back, Felicia. I could see it in his eyes.”

Felicia swallowed a bit of croissant and gave her friend a sympathetic look. “Oh, wow. So you think he’s still in love with her then? That even after her leaving him that summer he’s never stopped loving her?”

Miranda didn’t say anything, refusing to say the words out loud.

“What are you going to do, Miranda?” Felicia asked her. “I mean, if you want my suggestion, I think you need to talk to him. See where you stand with him as soon as possible now.”

But talking with Jax was the last thing Miranda wanted to do. For she was fairly certain he would not say anything she would want to hear. No, what she wanted was for John and Jane to make good on their promise to take care of this “Well, Jax’s parents are most assuredly in my corner. I think I can count on them to champion my cause with him.”

Felicia was frankly surprised to hear that, recalling how much John and Jane Jacks had adored Brenda when she was their son’s girlfriend and then fiancée. But Felicia just shrugged. “I think it’s Jax you ought to be worried about though, Miranda. From what I know of him, he’s not really the type to listen to mommy and daddy when it comes to things in his personal life.”

She was right, Miranda knew. Hadn’t it been only last night that Jax had all but told them to butt out of the situation completely? That it was about him and Brenda and no one else?

“I think what I need to do is not let him be alone with her. In fact, I know he’s going to try to go and see her today - I just know it - and so I’m going to make him take me with him,” Miranda said. “I think I just always need to be there. To let him know that I’m there and that I’ll help him through this. I need to be in between them. Like a buffer. You know, to help Jax deal with this.”

Or more like a brick wall to keep Jax from Brenda, Felicia thought, knowing her friend too well. Knowing Miranda was preparing to do battle to hold on to Jax’s love. “Well, good luck, Miranda. I hope it all works out for you,” Felicia said, raising her cup of coffee to Miranda in a salute. Felicia had no idea why, but she felt Miranda would need all the luck she could get.

“Hey, don’t forget to call me the minute you guys land in London,” Carly said, as she played thumb wrestling with a giggling Justin, while Brenda placed all the bags by the door for the taxi that would soon be there.

“I won’t forget,” Brenda said, watching her son charm Carly into losing all concentration in their wrestling war. That devilishly attractive little smile of his and those blue-green eyes that sparkled like precious gems could charm the venom right out of a snake. Just like his father, she thought, feeling equal parts wistful and angry.

Jax.

Why, oh, why did she have to see him again? It had been so much easier to harden her heart to him and see him for who he really was when he was nowhere near her. But now she had seen him and been close to him, and, damn it all, if that magic that always wove itself around them hadn’t had the audacity to actually spring back to life with a vengeance. And her heart - wasn’t it still jumping traitorously at the memory of locking eyes with his last night? Brenda closed her eyes, angry with herself. She could not wait to be on the plane and out of Paris!

“You’re really bad at this, Aunt Carly,” Justin said to her, shooting her a grin that had the effect of being zapped by lightning.

“That’s just because you’re so distracting, little Romeo,” Carly said, ruffling his blonde hair, which was the color of richly spun gold and as soft as a dream. Carly’s own four-year-old daughter, Rebecca, had quite the crush on little Justin Christopher Jasper Barrett, which was a constant source of amusement to Sonny and 7-year-old Michael, but just a plain, old annoyance to Justin and to Becky’s twin brother Carson (whom Sonny had simply dubbed “C”), who could never play in peace with Becky around. Carly then turned to Brenda. “You do realize, Brenda, that your son is 3 going on 30.”

“I’m almost four,” Justin reminded her, as he hopped down from the chair at the dining table and made his way over to the piano.

“Yes, almost four. I stand corrected,” Carly said. She turned to Brenda again. “He’s going to be getting marriage proposals by the time he’s five. You do know that, don’t you? The child is obscenely beautiful.”

Brenda laughed. “Becky will intercept them all.”

Now Carly laughed. “Are you kidding? Becky will hunt down those other five-year-olds and chase after them with her Betty Crocker playset rolling pin, if they so much as look at him.”

Justin’s small fingers glided over the black and white piano keys, as he plinked out a tune of his own creation. It was beautiful, as were all the little tunes the boy made up. He was a very musically gifted child. He had told Brenda once that he could just hear the music in his head and then his fingers just knew what to do on the piano to make the music in his head come to life. Brenda had been open-mouthed with amazement and had immediately started him on piano lessons to nurture this talent, but the teachers all bored Justin. He was not interested in learning “Chopsticks” and “Heart and Soul” or doing endless scales. As soon as he learned to read notes, he began writing his own songs. And they were not child-like melodies like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” No, these were a child’s full-blown, little symphonies that Justin came up with.

And Brenda saw that the piano lessons were boring her son, that he was beyond the redundancy of all of that now. He was a brilliant child and therefore bored easily when things did not challenge his young intellect enough. So she had stopped the lessons and bought Justin sheet music from the stores: Mozart, Beethoven, complex jazz pieces - things that would challenge and fascinate him to learn how to play.

And he met every challenge beautifully, Brenda thought as she smiled at him, closing her eyes as the beautiful sounds of her son’s little fingers gliding across those keys filled the room. Carly would always tease him by calling him “Schroeder,” in reference to the little piano-playing genius from the Peanuts cartoon, but Justin loved his Aunt Carly’s teasing and her many nicknames for him.

And Brenda loved her little Justin. That little boy was the love of her life, just as his father had once been… She quickly placed all thoughts of Jasper Jacks out of her head.

“God, he is amazing,” Carly said in a fascinated whisper. “Those looks, that kind of talent, that adorable little Euro-accent he picked up living in London since he was born, that devilish streak in him that makes you want to strangle him and kiss him at the same time. And C is forever rambling about how great at ice hockey Justin is. You realize you’re raising a modern-day prince charming. It’s really no wonder my Becky is in love with him. She may be only four, but her taste in men is fab. I keep having to remind her that he’s her cousin so she’d better go get a crush on someone else, but she’s not having it, so I think we should just give up and should start planning the wedding now,” Carly joked.

Brenda laughed, unable to rid herself of the cute image of an irate Jax thundering that his son was never going to marry the daughter of Sonny Corinthos! Forget about the fact that the kids being cousins was plenty of reason to balk at anything remotely romantic; the fact that she was Sonny’s daughter would be enough to irritate Jax to no end. Jax and Sonny had been at odds ever since Brenda could remember. Ever since Jax bumped Sonny off of the ELQ board when he’d first come to town, to be exact, and Sonny had never forgiven him for that move and had made it his mission to get into Jax’s face and Jax’s business ever since. The two were constantly at odds over everything under the sun, and Brenda could only imagine how irate Sonny must be now that Jax was apparently in charge of ELQ. She was amazed with the way Jax could accomplish anything he set out to do. She actually wanted Justin to be just like his daddy in that respect.

She wondered then for the millionth time if she should have told Jax that she was pregnant that summer? Would it have made a difference? Would it have made him choose her and not Miranda? And then Brenda grew angry with herself at the thought of using her precious child to hold onto Jax, like some desperate, clingy woman. No, she would never have wanted that. She would never have wanted him to stay with her out of some kind of duty or guilt or pity, while his heart and desires were elsewhere. She was glad she’d never told him! And then she groaned as she realized that she was allowing Jax back in her thoughts, when she had only two seconds ago vowed to keep him out of them.

“Mommy? Hey, mom? Did you like that one?” Justin was asking her as he scribbled the notes of the song he’d just finished creating down in his little music book.

“I loved it, sweetheart,” Brenda said, looking at him with all the love she felt for him in her heart. She would die a thousand times to protect her son from anything and anybody. Including his father’s family.

“I named it ‘Brenda’,” he said, glancing briefly at her with a grin on his lips that was so much like Jax that Brenda’s heart nearly shattered.

It was the tenth time he had named a song after his mother, and Brenda grinned right back at him. “You know, you really can call it something else, Justin,” she said, and Carly laughed, recalling how Justin named nearly every song after his mother.

“I like Brenda,” Justin insisted. “Brenda number 10 - leaving Paris.”

Both Carly and Brenda burst out laughing. And then Brenda sobered, wondering if Justin was upset about leaving.

“You want to stay here?” she asked, walking over to him and kneeling in front of him at the piano bench, stroking the soft blonde curls atop his head.

Justin shook his head. “I know you want to go,” was all he said. Then he added, “To get away from those people. And the man who looks like me.”

Brenda swallowed, feeling oddly guilty. Jax was Justin’s father. He had every right to know his father, didn’t he? She should not let her own animosity for his father cloud her son’s perception of the man. Justin would have to come to his own conclusions about Jax. Perhaps if it were Jax, and only Jax, Brenda could live with that. But that family of his. She would rather God strike her dead than allow her son to be influenced and molded by people like his duplicitous parents. People she had thought had actually loved and cared about her, only to find out they had not at all.

Carly watched in complete fascination as Justin slowly wrote the words “BRENDA 10” down at the top of the page in neat, straight, but very child-like, little handwriting. She could still not get over the fact that he could already read and write so well and was still two weeks away from his fourth birthday.

“So the birthday bash will be at Julia’s this year?” Carly asked Brenda.

Brenda turned to look at her sister. “Actually, my son has requested Disney World. He’s developed a sudden fascination for Pumba and Timone ever since I took him to The Lion King in New York,” Brenda responded.

It always delighted her how, despite his brilliant gift for music and his overall precocious nature that made him far advanced than other children his age, Justin was simply all wild, little-boy at heart. He loved cartoons, running around the house like a little madman, playing video games, yelling at the top of his lungs for no reason, jumping in mud puddles, collecting bugs, and he was obsessed with Nickelodeon. Unlike other kids his age though, he was also obsessed with PBS and The Discovery Channel. He also loved the water like his father did. He was a wonderful bundle of fascinating little contradictions that made him so incredibly lovable. Jax would love him. No, he would adore him, just like she did. And then Brenda gritted her teeth, as she realized she was once again letting Jax into her thoughts. “Do you think you could fly the kids down to Orlando for that weekend?” Brenda asked Carly.

“April 27th and 28th,” Carly said. “The Corinthos family will definitely be there. Becky would come even if she had to fly the plane herself.”

Brenda got up and gave Carly a hug. “Thank you so much for always being there for me. I have no idea what I would have done without you these past four years.”

Carly hugged her back. “Hey, you’re my sister. And you’re also the best friend I have ever had. You’re the only one I ever had. Everyone else in Port Charles, including my own mother, normally seems to equate me with Satan’s spawn or something. You’re my family, Brenda, and I can’t stand the idea of anybody hurting you or my little godson over there. And like I said, I don’t care who the Jacks family is or even that my own mother is a part of them now, I won’t let them do anything to hurt you. I’m still determined to get you back out on the market, by the way. You need to fall in love again with someone worthy this time. Some fabulous guy who’ll blow Jax out of the water.”

Such a man did not exist and Brenda knew it.

“I’m sorry I’m running off on you like this,” Brenda apologized. “You came to Paris to see me and here I am leaving you here with a week left in your vacation. You could come to London with us, you know. Say hi to Julia. Spend your remaining week there.”

Carly shook her head. “No, thanks. You know Julia and I barely get along as it is. I’d never last a week in the same house with Miss Perfect. I’ll just go back to PC. I’m sure Sonny’s got his hands full with Michael and Carson. And I think by now Mike and Tammy are ready to bring Becky back, too, so Sonny will have all three of the kids driving him nuts. I probably should go home and make sure they haven’t tied their father to the couch and covered him with ketchup and M&M’s.”

There was a knock on the door.

“That’ll be the taxi,” Brenda said.

Justin scrambled to finish up putting the last notes of his song down and then dumped his music book into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder with a little “whoop!” “Bye Aunt Carly,” he said, kissing her cheek as Carly bent down to grab him into a tight hug.

“Goodbye, Schroeder. I love ya.”

“Love you, too.”

“Oh, yeah? So then when are you gonna name one of your songs after me, huh?”

Justin smiled at her, and Carly was floored by his smile. He was Jax’s son in every way, she realized with a sigh. And would undoubtedly break as many hearts as his rotten father had.

“I’ll see you on your birthday in sunny Florida, okay?” Carly said, giving him a final kiss on his soft cheek right where his dimple was.

“‘Kay,” he said, zipping away.

Brenda opened the door to start handing the driver their bags and was shocked to find not the limousine to the airport, but John and Jane Jacks, a man she didn’t recognize, and two police officers.

“Caught her just in time,” John said smugly. “What did I tell you? Look at that. She’s got her bags all packed, ready to abscond with my grandson to parts unknown.”

Brenda’s eyes froze over at the sight of Jax’s parents. But before she could even get a word out, the man she did not know identified himself as Gaston Severin, of the American Embassy. He presented her with a court order from the United States ordering her to return to Port Charles regarding the custody of her son immediately. Brenda saw Alexis Davis as the name of the Port Charles attorney who had petitioned the court on behalf of Jasper Jacks and a fresh wave of rage washed over her. Where was he? The coward! He sent his hateful parents to do his vile bidding! Brenda was so livid she could not even find her voice. The hatred in her eyes caused John to flinch ever so slightly, but Jane merely returned the girl’s hate-filled glare with one of her own. Mr. Severin further explained to Brenda that France had agreed to the U.S. extradition request and would be making sure that Brenda and the boy were on a plane bound for Port Charles today. The police were here to assist in that endeavor. Mr. Severin seemed like a very nice man and seemed to feel very troubled about distressing her. But he assured her she had to comply with the order.

Carly, as livid as Brenda, urgently tried to usher Justin into his room, but the child pulled away from her, refusing to leave his mother, as he gazed with a mixture of curiosity and dislike at the people who were upsetting her. He recognized two of those people from last night. But the man who looked like him wasn’t there.

“Brenda, don’t you worry about this,” Carly said. “I’m calling Sonny right now. We’re getting you the best lawyer in New York State!” Carly fumed, as she picked up the phone and dialed Sonny. She didn’t care that it was 4 a.m. in Port Charles. She was so outraged at what these people were doing to her sister that her hands shook as she dialed.

“Try your best. We’ve already got the best attorney,” Jane said, glancing coolly at Brenda.

Brenda had never wanted to slap someone senseless before. But she certainly did now. She couldn’t believe that she was turning into a tempest with homicidal thoughts, thanks to these people.

“Is that your limousine that has just pulled up? We’ll place your things in the trunk, Miss Barrett. And then we’ll escort you and your son to the airport,” one of the police officers said, as they began to take Brenda’s bags.

Brenda’s fury burst forth, yet she tempered it as best she could for the sake of her son, who refused to leave her side. And also she did not want to give the Jackses any ammunition against her by calling her crazy or violent with the French police as witnesses.

“You and your son have really gone too far this time!” she told them. They were trying to take her son away from her! “Why can’t you just leave me alone? I’m out of your life, which is what you wanted, and he wanted. So why can’t you just leave me alone?! Because I swear on my mother’s grave that I will see you all in hell before I ever let you take my child away from me!”

The limousine that had stopped in front of Brenda’s house was not the taxi, although that pulled up scant seconds later. It was Jax’s limousine. And he got out, angry to see his parents there, alarmed to see the police there.

Spying Jax, John tugged on Jane’s arm to warn her to hold her tongue, as she was about to lace into Brenda.

“What is going on?” Jax asked. His eyes were on Brenda, but the look of hate in her eyes was too much for him to take so he looked at his parents, his displeasure at their presence evident. “Why are you here?” he demanded.

Brenda laughed and thought she must surely sound hysterical. “Who’s this act for, Jax?” she gazed around. “Who’s your audience?”

Jax felt a physical blow from the venom in her voice. And he could see that behind her fury she was scared to death. Why? What the hell was happening?

“Brenda, tell me what’s wrong,” he implored her.

Carly was there then, having finished up with Sonny.

She glared at Mr. Severin. “All right, you’ve served your damned court orders. I don’t see any reason why these people have to hang around here upsetting my sister! We’re going back to Port Charles, you have those two policemen, who’re going to tail us all the way to the airport like we’re criminals, so these people can leave!” Carly shouted, pointing at John, Jane and Jax.

Jax heard the words “court order,” which made no sense to him, but the thing that sang out to him was that Brenda was going back to Port Charles. She was going back!

“You’re…going back to Port Charles?” he asked her, hope springing into his heart. “Today?”

Brenda was so stunned by his gall that she thought she would surely scratch his eyes out and shriek at him like a lunatic. He stood here pretending innocence? Pretending to know nothing about this, when his name was on the bloody court order as the petitioner?!

“Mommy,” Justin said softly, as he felt her hand tightening on his to the point of being painful.

Brenda forced herself to calm down. She forced the stormy anger to leave her. She was not going to allow these people to turn her into a shrieking madwoman, damn it! She completely ignored Jax and turned to Mr. Severin, managing to grace him with a polite, but shaky smile, which he found very lovely. “May I please get my photography equipment and my son’s CD player? They’re on the hall table. And my sister, Carly Corinthos, she is coming with us, so we’ll have to wait for her to get her things together. Once we’ve done that, we will be ready to go.”

Mr. Severin nodded. “Go right ahead, Miss Barrett. We will wait right here. The door must be left open; I hope you understand. I apologize for this inconvenience,” he said, looking so troubled at what he was required to do. She was so young and so beautiful. He hated to be the cause of any distress for her. He disliked families like the Jacks family, who had so much money and power and connections that it was easy for them to just tread upon people at their leisure.

“I understand. Thank you,” Brenda said, taking Justin and turning to head towards the hall table to gather up her photography equipment and his Sony Kids CD player. Carly, who was more or less all packed up herself, only had a few more things to do to be ready to leave.

Jax turned to Mr. Severin. “Who are you?”

“I’m Gaston Severin. I’m with the American Embassy, Mr. Jacks.”

“Fine. I want to know three things from you. Why is Brenda so upset? Why are the police here? And what is this about a court order?”

John glanced down; Jane looked quite agitated.

“Come now, Mr. Jacks, why are you being coy? You know all the answers to what you have just asked of me. You and your family are the cause of the young lady’s distress. Your court order is the cause of the police being here. This was all done on your behalf and at your behest. Rushed through the courts at lightning speed, no less,” Mr. Severin said, handing him the court order. “Or are you going to deny that Miss Davis is your attorney?”

Jax stared at the document in disbelief. He saw his name there as the petitioner, he saw Brenda’s name there and the term “the minor,” which he assumed referred to their son, whose name he still did not know. Alexis’s name was there. A judge’s signature. What the hell…?

Jax’s eyes went to his father, and John stood firm in the face of the dark accusation shooting at him like daggers from those glorious blue eyes. “What have you done?” Jax demanded.

John and Jane took their son aside for privacy, and then John’s response was calm. “Still your fury for a moment and listen to me, my boy. You’ll be grateful for my quick thinking. She was going to leave!” John said. “Do you hear me? She was all packed up, ready to get on a plane and disappear with your son, Jax! You never would have seen him again! What was I to do?”

“You were to stay out of it!” Jax shouted at him. “Like I asked you to.”

“Then they would have been gone!”

“I would have found them!” Jax shot back.

Jane looked at Jax. She knew he was furious with John, and with her, no doubt. She also knew that he still loved the damnable girl, Brenda, to distraction and it galled her, given the lengths she and John had gone to in order to destroy any bonds of love between those two. But she would actually have to use that very bond of love now to calm the boy’s fury and get her and John out of the line of his wrath - and perhaps, his suspicion.

“I know you’re very angry with your father and me, Jax,” Jane began.

“You’re damn right, I am! I told you both to stay out of this. I told you that!” Jax said. “I swear to god that if you have cost me her, I will never be able to forgive you for that.”

Jane ignored his threat. “Think for a moment, Jax," she continued. “Had your father not done this, Brenda would be gone by now. You’ve come here to talk to her, I presume? Had your father not contacted Alexis and gotten the ball rolling on this, you would have come to an empty house. Think for a moment. I’m not blind, and I can see that you want the girl near to you. Don’t you?” she asked smoothly.

John shot Jane a horrified glance. What the devil was she doing, encouraging Jax’s continued infatuation with the Barrett girl? And yet John noticed that Jax did appear to be calming somewhat, as he took in his mother’s words. Perhaps she knew what she was doing, after all?

“We did do this without your authorization, Jax, so I’m sure you can talk to Mr. Severin and the police and Alexis, and get the court order overturned. You can set Brenda free to go wherever she chooses. With whomever she chooses. As far from you as her fickle, little heart desires,” Jane said.

“We only wanted to give you a chance to know your son,” John added. “She wants to keep him from you, Jax. Face that, will you?”

Jax didn’t really hear his father. He’d heard his mother, though. And, damn it, he knew she was right. If he did anything to stop this court order, Brenda would take their son and go as far away as she possibly could. With the court order in effect, Brenda would have to come back to Port Charles. Where he could see her. Where he could get to know his son. Where he could talk to her and get his answers from her and be with her and try - somehow try - to make right all that had gone so very wrong between them.

Jax said nothing, but his parents knew he would not turn over that court order and they had won. He wanted her back in Port Charles all right. Even this way.

“Where is Miranda?” Jane asked, hoping to turn Jax’s attention towards his fiancée.

Jax said nothing, as he stared at the open door of Brenda’s house, trying to catch a glimpse of her, trying to gauge her mood. She was helping Carly place something in a duffel bag, and it was apparent that Carly was trying to calm her sister down. Then Jax’s eye was caught by movement. A small blonde head appeared in the doorway. Jax was once again struck by how much the boy looked like him.

Emerald-blue eyes of father locked with emerald-blue eyes of son. Jax found he didn’t know what to say to the little likeness of himself. His name. He should ask him his name.

“I know who you are,” Justin said before Jax could say anything.

Jax thought he could never tire of hearing that adorable voice. “Your mother told you?” he asked quietly.

Justin shook his head. “I just know,” he said with a shrug that reminded Jax of one of his own.

He had an excellent vocabulary for a 3-year-old, Jax thought. He expressed himself very well and coherently. What is your name? When is your birthday? Do you like me? Can you like me? he wanted to ask. Instead he just gazed at his son in wonder. Hardly able to grasp that he was real.

“Who is it that you think I am?” Jax asked him.

Justin blinked and gazed at Jax, cocking his head as he assessed him. “I don’t think my mommy likes you,” he said, not answering Jax’s question. Then he gave Jax a curious look and asked, “The way you talk - were you born in England, like me?”

He was born in England? Jax smiled, loving every new piece of information. “No, Australia,” Jax responded. “Do you know where that is?”

Justin shook his head, and then Brenda was there and Jax’s heart was racing in his chest, and he found himself silently cursing her affect on him. Damn, it was like he just reverted to a lovestruck boy, who could do nothing but gaze at her every time she was near him. Speak Jax. Say something to her!

But it was too late. Taking hold of their son, she walked past him as if he did not exist, and she got into the limousine to take her to the airport.

“Heed that court order well, young lady,” John warned her. “If you try to go anywhere but Port Charles, we’ll have you arres…”

John was cut off by both Brenda slamming the car door in his face, and Jax sharply yanking his father’s arm to get his attention.

Jax’s eyes simmered with blue fire, and John knew he had made a mistake.

“Jax,” he began his apology, but Jax cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t you ever threaten her again. Ever. You know, you and Mum are starting to tread on some very thin ice with me here, Dad. Careful.” And with that Jax left, getting back into his own limo even, as he saw Jerry pulling up - Miranda was with him. Jax shook his head. So they all had known where Brenda lived? They all had disregarded his wishes for them to stay out of this?

“Where to, sir?” the driver asked.

“Back to the hotel,” Jax murmured. “And then to the airport. I’m going home.”

“Jax, wait!” Miranda and Jerry both called to him, but the limousine did not stop.

“Was she in that car with him?” Miranda asked John and Jane, alarmed at the thought of Jax and Brenda being alone.

“She wasn’t. Do calm down,” Jane said dryly. Then Jane turned to John, her voice lowered. “Did you hear what he said? About us being on thin ice with him? Do you think he’s beginning to suspect?”

John shook his head. “No. But it may be time for us to take a little trip to Greece and brush up on our lessons, shall we say. Make sure we remain convincing to those whom we must continue to fool.”

She shook her head. “We can’t do that. We can’t let the boy out of our sight. One of us has to remain here. You go. You need some temporary freedom from this pretense far more than I.”

He nodded in agreement. “It’s too bad we couldn’t just work with the girl. Jax would be so much easier to manipulate if he were happy. And she makes him happy.”

“It would never work,” Jane disagreed. “We can’t control the girl.”

Jane had never come up against a force such as Brenda Barrett; someone that could not be controlled by the Jacks power or intimidation; someone that Jax could not relegate to the past and move on from. Brenda was not someone they could control to steer the course of their destiny, a destiny which was all held in the precious little hands of Jax’s son now. The boy who would one day be a…

“I’ll leave within the week,” John said, disturbing her train of thought. “Still a pity we can’t just use the girl to our own end,” he sighed.

But, no, Brenda was a loose cannon. Brenda had a connection to Jax that bound him to her soul. He placed no one above her. If she could somehow be under their control, she would be invaluable, but pitted against them as she was, she was a great danger to their painstakingly made and executed plans.

Jerry sent Miranda back to the hotel in the limo, assuring her that that was where Jax had probably gone, even though he knew in his heart that Jax was already on a plane back to Port Charles. Then he walked over to his parents, who still stood on the sidewalk in front of Brenda’s house.

“I think you need to stop this,” Jerry said. “You are pushing Jax too far. Now I know you’re both angry with Brenda for what she did to Jax that summer - hell, so am I. But if you could have seen Jax last night out on that balcony. He loves her…”

“Be quiet, Jerry,” John said in a dismissive manner. “As soon as we secure Jax custody of the child, you’ll see that everything will fall into place. He and Miranda and the boy will bond as a family, and Brenda will slowly but surely become irrelevant in Jax’s heart.”

Jerry shook his head. “That is what I’m trying to tell you, Dad: Brenda will never be irrelevant in Jax’s heart. Jax told me that and I believe him. And he would never take custody of the child from her, for one thing, so if you’re counting on that, dream on!”

Jane saw that Jerry was starting to soften his stance on Brenda. “Jerry,” she said, taking hold of his arm. “We need you now more than ever, son. You have influence with your brother that we do not. You can’t go soft on us now. You know what that girl did to him; you were with him every step of the way in his descent into misery. If you go soft on her and help to push her back into his life, we are going to lose him for good, do you hear me? We’re going to lose your brother. We’re counting on you, sweetheart, to keep our family in tact," Jane implored, kissing his cheek.

Jerry let out a shuddering breath. Affection from his parents was so rare. They usually saved it all for Jax. And now they were counting on him - Jerry - to keep the family together, to keep Jax with them. And as far as his parents were concerned, the one person Jerry would have to keep away from Jax to keep Jax with them, was the one person Jax wanted more than anything in the world. Jerry felt sick and conflicted. He didn’t know what to do. His parents were counting on him, putting their faith in him - something so rare - something he had yearned for all his life. But Jax was his heart. How could he do this to him? Sabotage his chances of reconciling with the woman he loved? How could his parents even ask him to do this?

And then Jerry walked away angrily from his parents, whom he understood less and less each day.

“I agree with Jerry about the custody situation,” Jane said when they were alone. “Jax will never seek full custody. Damn it, he does love the girl - we must face that. God help us if they piece together what happened that summer. Everything will be ruined!”

“They won’t piece anything together,” John vowed. “We’ve taken steps to cover our tracks. It will be her word against ours. There won’t be a stitch of proof she can show against us.”

“Oh, get serious!” Jane snapped. “You don’t think Jax will figure it out? And figuring that out will surely lead to him figuring other things out, if you catch my meaning!” she said, gesturing at the both of them. “You don’t think he will turn over every rock and scale every bloody mountain until he finds the truth?”

John sighed irritably. This was not supposed to be so bloody difficult! “Then there’s but one thing to do. We’ve got to keep the ill feelings and misunderstandings between them alive and festering. We’ve got to make reconciliation impossible. And we’ve got to get Jax and Miranda married as soon as possible. And I know just how to begin,” he said, as he got back into his car and took out his phone, dialing a number.

“Here you go,” Alexis Davis, said as she placed a cup of coffee in front of Jax.

“Where are they?” Jax asked, as he glanced at his watch anxiously.

“We’re early,” Alexis informed him. “Brenda and her attorney will be here soon. I wanted this time alone with you before they get here, Jax, to ask you what it is you really want. Your parents gave me the impression you want full custody of your son.”

“Listen to me, Alexis. You work for me, not for them. I don’t care about their impressions or what they want, you work for me and so you only do what I want. Is that understood?”

Alexis raised an eyebrow. “Perfectly. So, what do you want?”

“I want only to be in my son’s life. Visitation, that sort of thing. And I want Brenda nearby. She can’t go back to Europe. I’ll have to insist on that.”

Alexis nodded. “Well, we may be in luck then. It appears that Brenda will be reasonable about visitation, from what her lawyer has told me. I think she does have stipulations about your parents not being present when your son is with you, however,” Alexis warned him. “Have you spoken to Brenda at all since she’s been back in town?”

Jax shook his head. “It’s only been three days. Besides, the Quartermaines are acting like guard dogs. They won’t let me anywhere near her. Edward insists she’s not staying there. Reginald slams the door in my face. Ned can’t verify for me if she’s there or not because they won’t even let him in the house.”

“I know, Ned told me that. But I also happen to know where Brenda’s staying, Jax. Although I hesitate to tell you because I know you won’t like it,” Alexis said.

“Tell me,” Jax said.

“She’s not staying at The Quartermaine mansion. She’s at Carly and Sonny’s penthouse.”

“What?!” Jax said.

“I know this because I was at Kelly’s last night, and Tammy and Mike were laughing about how Sonny’s daughter was chasing Brenda’s son all over the house.”

Jax was furious. His son was living with Sonny? Sonny?!

“Why isn’t she at the Quartermaines?” Jax demanded.

“Oh, come on, Jax, the Q’s may be like family to her, but Carly is her actual sister.”

“I don’t care about that. I do not want my son anywhere near Sonny Corinthos. You know I personally can’t stand the man, not to mention he is a criminal, no matter how he tries to sugarcoat it. And Brenda should not be there. She’s not safe in that house, for god’s sake! My god, that bodyguard, Johnny, used to always undress her with his eyes back when we were…”

“Jax, she’s twenty-six. That would be a grown woman, She can stay wherever she wants,” Alexis reminded him. “And as I said, Carly is her sister. It makes sense she would stay there.”

“Well, I won’t have her staying there,” Jax said.

“Jax, I’m afraid you have no say in the matter, really. You aren’t her husband, you aren’t her family… they are.”

“I won’t have her staying there,” Jax repeated more insistently. “Sonny Corinthos is a crook; I don’t care how hard he tries to legitimize himself with his ridiculous coffee import business. It is not safe to be around him, and, furthermore… I just don’t want her there!”

Alexis sighed, and it dawned on her that Jax was awfully possessive and protective of Brenda for a man who was engaged to be married to someone else. “Okay, well, I think we ought to change the subject. How would you like some basic information on your son?”

Jax perked up. “Yes, tell me,” he said, leaning forward in his chair.

Alexis smiled. “His name is Justin Christopher Jasper Barrett. Of course, once you take the paternity test on Friday and it’s legally established that you are his father, we can see about legally changing his last name to Jacks, if you’d like. Brenda may fight it - we’ll see.”

“Jasper?” Jax said softly. Brenda seemed to hate him so much, and yet she had given the child his name? And who was the ‘Christopher’ for? Or had she chosen that name at random?

“He was born in London, England, on April 27th, which means your son will be four years old in a couple of weeks,” Alexis told him. “So I’d get to shopping for a birthday present, if I were you, my friend.”

Jax grinned, “I would buy him the world.”

“I think he’d settle for a Game Boy.”

Jax gazed at the shiny top of the conference table, his eyes distant, thoughtful. “I have no idea what he would want. I don’t know him.” He glanced up at her. “I want to know my son.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Alexis said, and Jax held his breath as Brenda entered the conference room with her lawyer beside her. She wore snug, black velvet pants, a matching jacket and a pretty silk lavender blouse. Her hair was drawn back in a beautiful French braid that hung down her back. She was so impossibly lovely. He ached to touch her, to kiss her until they were both breathless from it. He would sell his soul right now to hear her whisper ‘I love you.’

A soft sigh of irritation and surrender passed his lips. Would there ever come a day when she would not affect him this way, he wondered as he gazed at her, unable to tear his eyes away.

“Hi, Brenda,” Alexis said, smiling at her. “Gosh, it’s been a long time. You look just fabulous,” Alexis said sincerely.

“Hello, Alexis,” Brenda said, formally as her lawyer pulled out a seat for her to slip into.

“Mr. Baldwin,” Alexis said, extending her hand to him.

“Miss Davis,” Michael Baldwin said, then he nodded at Jax and took a seat next to Brenda.

Jax ignored Brenda’s lawyer, who he thought looked like a slick eel and was gazing far too lingeringly at her. “Hello, Brenda,” Jax said.

Drop dead, Jax, Brenda wanted to say. But her name rolling so softly off his lips affected her, damn it. She raised her eyes to his. “Hello, Jax,” she responded, and then she wished she hadn’t looked at him. He was so heartbreakingly beautiful. She felt her heart slamming inside of her, felt the tingle of their magic weaving about her. She quickly slid her eyes away from his.

“Shall we get down to business, folks?” Michael Baldwin suggested, and he leaned one hand behind Brenda’s chair. Jax just knew he was going to kill this man.

“I’d like to make it clear,” Alexis began, “that my client is not seeking custody here. We only want it legally acknowledged that he is the father of Justin Barrett, and we would like generous visitation rights.”

“My client is fine with both,” Michael Baldwin said. “We’re not denying he is the father of the child, and we can agree to a reasonable visitation schedule.”

“Reasonable would require both parents living in close proximity,” Alexis pointed out. “As in living in the same country. I don’t think this will work with my client here and yours in Europe.”

“My client is willing to relocate to New York City. She has no interest in remaining here in Port Charles, but I assume your client can get one of his fancy jets to drop him off in Manhattan any time he pleases. However, we don’t want the paternal grandparents, John and Jane Jacks, anywhere near the child.”

“That’s outrageous,” Alexis said. “This is the boy’s family, after all, his father’s family, and…”

“Fine,” Jax said, gazing only at Brenda. “I want you to move out of Sonny’s house. Today, Brenda. I also don’t want my son anywhere near him.”

Brenda’s lovely eyes shot to his. “What?”

“You want something from me; well, I want something from you, too. You want my parents away from Justin, fine. I want you…” I want you… I want you… “…out of Sonny’s house.”

“It’s my sister’s house, too, Jax,” Brenda pointed out coolly. “And by his marriage to Carly, Sonny is Justin’s uncle.”

Yeah, and didn’t that reality bite, Jax thought moodily. “I want him out of that house,” Jax repeated.

“You’re hardly in any position to try to dictate where my client lives, Mr. Jacks,” Baldwin snapped. “It’s because of you that she had to pick up and leave her own home in Europe. So she can stay with whomever she damn well pleases here in Port Charles.”

Jax continued to ignore Brenda’s lawyer. “I agree to keeping my parents away from Justin; you agree to move out of Sonny’s house today and keep Justin away from him,” Jax said, gazing at Brenda.

“No, Jax,” Brenda said, not sure why she was refusing him. Only that she was furious with the way simply looking at him could make her feel and she was in the mood to be defiant with him.

“Then no to you, too, Brenda,” Jax responded.

“Listen to me, Jax, I will not have my son subjected to your horrible family if I can help it!” Brenda said.

“Listen to me, Brenda, I will not have you living with Sonny Corinthos!” Jax responded.

“How dare you try to tell me where I can and cannot live, Jax. And Carly is my sister, for goodness sake!”

“I don’t care if she’s your sister; she is married to a crook! He is dangerous, and I do not want you or Justin living at hoodlum central!”

“It’s because of you that I even have to be here in Port Charles at all!” Brenda yelled at him.

“Yes, it’s my fault that you are here,” he agreed. “So I will take the responsibility and I will house you and our son, all right? I’ll buy you a house. Anywhere in town that you want.”

Brenda looked as if she would reach across the conference table and choke the life out of him. “I would rather sleep in the alley behind ‘Jake’s’,” she informed him. “Do you really think I would accept anything from you? Why, Jax, I wouldn’t even take a sleeping bag from you, let alone a house!”

Jax gazed at her for a long time, and she wanted to both scream with indignation and smile with secret joy when she noticed that his eyes were on her lips. Her heart was slamming around inside of her again.

“We… umm…we seem to have an impasse here,” Alexis offered when the room remained in silence, which was especially deafening after all the passionate yelling back and forth Jax and Brenda had been doing.

“Do you want this to go to trial, Brenda?” Jax asked her, his voice calm and sensible.

“You know perfectly well that I don’t,” she responded.

“Then may I suggest you bend a little?”

“You know what? Fine.” But she wasn’t going to bend the way he wanted her to! “Your parents can be with you when you have Justin. I’ll prepare him to deal with the likes of them. And the first time they do anything I don’t like, I’ll simply get a restraining order keeping them away from both Justin and myself for the rest of their lives. And they can never be alone with him, Jax. That I am not budging on one inch. You have to always be present. I mean it. Even if you have to go to the bathroom, you don’t leave him with them - you take him with you. Do you understand?”

Jax stared at her in surprise. He was not expecting her to go this route. As much as she hated him, she seemed to truly loathe his parents to a shocking degree. He had never expected her to back down from that. He had expected her to agree to move out of Sonny’s house, damn it. He had to get her out of there. He’d have to think of another way.

Jax nodded slowly in consent.

“All right,” Alexis said. “Then it’s agreed that Jax’s family can be around his son as long as Jax is always present, with no exception, and Brenda and Justin can be around the Corinthos family. Now, my client would like to be able to see his son three times a week and alternating weekends.”

“No,” Brenda said. “Twice a week to start and one weekend a month. And no sleepovers.”

Alexis was about to object, but Jax stopped her. “All right,” he said, eyes on Brenda.

Brenda was extremely annoyed by the way the magic of his presence continued to toy so wildly with her emotions and give her a feeling of impossible hope - a feeling that she knew would only destroy her if she ever took it seriously. And she was confused by his conciliatory manner. Aside from his vehement objections over her living arrangements, he was not objecting to any of her stipulations.

“I would like to spend the holidays with you, however,” Jax added.

Brenda just stared at him.

“Don’t you mean with your son?” Baldwin said, giving Jax an annoyed look.

Jax had said exactly what he meant. “With my son,” he said, “which would include his mother, since I do assume they spend the holidays together,” he responded, giving Brenda’s attorney an irritated gaze.

Brenda shook her head, ready to deny him, feeling panic coming on at the idea of spending holidays with Jax. But then she realized that it wasn’t as if they’d be alone together. Justin would be there. And likely other family members, like Carly or Julia, or her extended family, the Quartermaines. Jax was only asking to be included so he could enjoy holidays with his son. And knowing what a pure joy Justin was around the holidays, Brenda found she could not deny Jax the opportunity to be with his son at those times. It wouldn’t be so bad, she convinced herself. It would only be the big ones: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Possibly maybe Independence Day, too. Only five times at most. She could surely manage to be civil to Jax and Miranda for so short a time.

Jax watched her as she stopped shaking her head and seemed to be reconsidering. “All right,” she said softly. A smile touched his lips. Her heart rocketed to the stars and back, and then with a scowl she averted her eyes from his.

Her lawyer frowned at her. “You don’t have to do this,” he advised her.

“No, it’s all right,” Brenda said, staring at Jax’s blue tie, not trusting herself to look into those eyes right now.

“Would this include the child’s birthday?” Alexis asked.

Shoot, birthdays. She had forgotten that.

“Would this include the child’s birthday, Brenda?” Alexis repeated.

Yes, Brenda supposed it would have to. “Yes,” she said out loud.

Jax knew that every concession to him was making her wish him into a black hole somewhere. He wanted to kiss away her confused frown. He wanted to taste her lips and tell her that everything would be all right. He realized, in amazement, that he had already forgiven her for leaving him and the devastation in his heart she had left in her wake. All he wanted to know now was why? What in god’s name had made her do it?

“We should probably discuss child support now," Baldwin said.

“That won’t be necessary. I don’t want any,” Brenda said.

Jax had just known she was going to say that.

Her lawyer frowned good and hard at her and leaned over whispering, “Need I remind you that the man is worth billions!”

“I don’t need it,” Brenda insisted. She had decided that she had to give Jax and Justin the opportunity to know one another, but that was all. She wanted nothing from Jax beyond that. Her career as a freelance photographer paid her bills just fine, and she still had a tidy sum in the bank from her days as a model, as well. She and Justin would manage just fine without a dime of Jax’s money.

Jax knew that stubborn look very well. He knew it would be useless to push her, so he remained silent.

“Okay then,” Alexis said. “Anything else either party wants?”

Neither Jax nor Brenda said a word. Brenda was frankly surprised Jax was not insisting that his son be a part of his upcoming wedding.

“All right,” Alexis said. “Well, Mr. Baldwin, you and I can draw this agreement up right now then. Would you like to step into my office? Jax and Brenda, you both wait here; we’ll need your signatures. This won’t take very long.”

Brenda wanted to scream at them not to go! She watched as they exited the conference room, leaving her alone in there with Jax.

He sat there, opposite her and she just knew he was staring at her. She kept her eyes lowered - trying to affect a bored expression - staring at the wooden top of the conference table, thinking that if she stared at it any harder she was liable to bore a hole through it, like the character Cyclops in the move X-Men. She smiled a little bit to herself. Justin loved X-Men. He had a crush on the character Storm, thinking her ability to conjure up the winds and rains and lightening was ‘wicked cool’ - one of Justin’s favorite phrases. She wondered how his British slang would go over with the kids here in America? She would be damned if anyone was going to be making fun of her son! Yes, she liked this train of thought; it was just what she needed to take her mind off of…

She let out a startled gasp as Jax got up with a very sudden movement and literally leapt across the conference table, landing in front of her, crouching down, his hands resting just above her knees.

Her breathing accelerated dramatically; the magic swirled around her like an intoxicating cyclone, trapping her, entrancing her. She tried to fight it off but it wasn’t working. He was touching her! And it was like a rush of life-affirming electricity was spiraling through her whole body. She wanted to toss herself into his arms and feel his heart beating against hers. Oh, God, she was going to die! She bit her lip, screaming at herself to get a hold of herself.

His hands moved up to her face, cupping it, and Brenda was sure her eyes must have crossed in her efforts to remain calm. She thought she might melt right into the chair. The delectation of his touch was something she had never expected to ever feel again. It jolted her with pleasure, with need. Oh, God, she was not prepared for this… She wished she could stop breathing so erratically; she wished she could stop staring at him. She must look like an absolute fool! She wished she could shout at him to get away from her, to get his hands off of her. But how could she do that when the truth was she never wanted him to let her go?

Jax gazed into her eyes and it took a Herculean effort on his part not to just pull her to him and wildly kiss her.

He let out a deep, slow breath to control his intense emotions for her. “All I want to know,” he said softly but with typical Jax determination, as he gazed into her eyes, “is why you did it. Why did you leave me, Brenda . . .”

Song Credit: “Broken Vow,” written by Lara Fabian & Walter Afanasieff, from the CD entitled: Lara Fabian. Artist: Lara Fabian