"Jax, check the hall," Brenda said, the next morning as she raced out of the shower and began to slip back on her pajama bottoms and then the top.

"Not yet," he said, turning her to face him and buttoning up her pajama top. He was partially dressed, too. Shirtless, but otherwise dressed, as rising at 5 a.m. was a piece of cake for him. As for Brenda, she would love nothing better than to just strip back out of her clothes and crawl back into the bed and into his arms and close her eyes.

"What?" she asked, gazing up at him and flipping an errant curl out of her eyes.

Jax smiled down at her. "Still love me?" he asked, sliding his arms around her waist.

Her response was to shove him away. "What? How can you even ask me that?! Of course I still love you!"

Jax laughed wickedly and pulled her back to him.

Jax wrapped his arms around her and bent his head to give her waiting lips a long kiss.

"Mmmm," she said.

"Mmmm," Jax said echoed, giving her another quick kiss after that long one. "It's going to be a beautiful day," he murmured against her mouth.

She gave him a dimpled smile, then stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around him for yet another long kiss. "Oh, that is so good," she said, gazing up into his eyes. "I never thought we would be like this again. I never thought this happiness would ever come back to me…"

Jax brushed his lips over hers. "Neither did I. But we are. And it has."

"I know. It's just . . .after everything that happened. The way I realized how life can just change with every breath that we take. It's hard to really make myself believe that nothing is going to mess this up, Jax."

Jax stroked her face and then pulled her to him, holding her to his heart, her cheek warm and soft against his bare chest. "I won't let anything mess this up, sweetheart," he whispered the promise into her hair.

"I won't either this time, Jax. I promise. I won't," she said; clearly still feeling guilty over having allowed herself to be manipulated right out of Jax's life.

"Okay," he said, smiling into her hair at the adamant tone of her voice. "Deal."

"Deal," she echoed, loving him so much for not making her feel any worse about this.

"Would you like to shake on it?" Jax teased her.

"Nah. I'd like to kiss on it!" she countered with a smile, already capturing his mouth with a laughing kiss before he had a chance to respond. When they had quite kissed the living breath right out of each other, Brenda stroked his face with her fingertips and sighed. "You know if I didn't have to bother with this silly little function called breathing, I really think I might never stop kissing you," she murmured thoughtfully.

A mischievous glint lit up Jax's aquamarine eyes. "I know," he said.

She laughed. "Okay, Jax, will you check the hall? I have to get back to my room," she said pulling out of his arms and pointing to the door for him to do something, as she grabbed her camera from off of the floor in front of the couch where she had left it last night.

Jax opened the door and checked the hallway. "All clear," he said. "Although, what difference does it make? Didn't you leave your keycard in your room? I mean, how exactly do you intend to get inside?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Brenda leaned forward and her lips brushed against his chin. "You're right, let's go," she said, shutting the door and grabbing Jax's hand as she dragged him along with her to his balcony. "Climb over with me, okay?" she explained opening the sliding doors and letting in the warm Florida breeze. "And then you can help me get my door unstuck so I can get back inside."

Jax raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, come on, Jax. We used to do stuff like this all the time," she reminded him, handing him her camera to hold as she was already starting to climb over.

Jax took hold of her waist and helped her over and then vaulted over himself.

"We didn't do stuff like this all the time," he contradicted, as he fiddled around with her sliding door and got it open on the third yank, for which Brenda gave him a little round of applause and kissed his cheek repeatedly (truthfully, she just couldn't seem to stop kissing him this morning).

"Yes, we did," she said, breezing inside, Jax following her. "That's why Edward kept saying that you were going to be the death of me."

"Oh, what does he know?" Jax muttered. "And I repeat, we did not do stuff like this all the time, Brenda," Jax insisted.

"Jax, do you recall that time we were stuck in the penthouse elevator when we were coming down from that Fourth of July party on the roof terrace? And we kept pressing the alarm button and it wasn't working? Remember?"

"Yes, but…"

"We sort of did the James and Jane Bond thing to get out of there that night, right?"

He laughed. "You did most of it. All I did was lift you up. You were the one who fit through the ceiling hatch to hit the emergency switch."

She smiled. "Yes, that's right. I saved us. Oh, and how about the time we got locked inside of that…"

Her words were cut off by Jax's swift, passion-filled kiss to her lips. "You are so damn beautiful," he whispered, kissing her again and again, which she loved. "And I am so in love with you, Brenda, that it's driving me mad. I think you really are going to have to marry me as soon as possible. Would today be good for you?"

She laughed and tossed her arms around him in a tight hug. "Nope, not today. But how about you take Justin and me out sailing when we get back to Port Charles today?"

"How about we don't wait until we get back to Port Charles? How about we make a stopover in Clearwater on the way home, and how about I take you guys fishing?"

Brenda wrinkled her nose. "Ummm… fishing? Did you forget that I am incredibly grossed out by putting a worm on a hook? Remember me, you, your friend Thao, and Jerry? That beautiful lake up in the mountains?"

He smiled at her as he opened the door. "No, I haven't forgotten. Jerry hasn't either. You were very entertaining that afternoon," he said with a devious smile. "But you will like these particular fish in this particular lake, I promise you."

She frowned, "Jax, this is not the way to my heart, honey."

"Why don't you just wait and see, honey?" he countered with the cutest grin. "Anyway, I believe I already have your heart," he whispered, giving her a sexy gaze. "Besides," he teased her, "dealing with our wiggly little worm friends might help you get a new appreciation for our son's new reptile."

Brenda folded her arms. "I will get you for this."

"If you marry me you will have the rest of your life to 'get me.'"

She just smiled at him as he blew her a kiss, murmured that he'd see her in a few hours at breakfast, and left her room.

Two hours later at 7:30 a.m., all the birthday party guests gathered over at the Disney's Wilderness Lodge to have breakfast together at the Whispering Canyon Café before everyone began to catch their various flights home.

They were seated at a large family-style table in the Wild West theme restaurant, and the breakfast was buffet-style so one of the adults was always on his or her feet to assist the kids with filling and refilling their plates. Containers of various juices, cold and hot water, coffee and a variety of teas were on the table, so the only thing that required frequent trips to the buffet was the actual food.

Throughout the meal, Jax and Brenda were both yawning a lot, each laughing if they caught the other in a little yawn.

Jerry wondered about the easy laughter between them, the complete lack of the tension that normally existed on Brenda's side to some degree. And Jax, his mood was downright cheerful - even Sonny Corinthos sitting across from him alternately sneering and glaring, didn't seem to faze Jax in the least. Even more curious was the yawning, since neither of them looked particularly sleep-deprived.

And neither of them was… exactly. Truthfully, it was the incredible lovemaking that had worn them out, and then having to get up frightfully early so Brenda could be back in her own room before Carly brought Justin back bright and early, since the little guy was such a notorious early-riser and after a night away from his mother would be anxious to be with her.

Bobbie leaned over in her seat and whispered to Jerry, "I could be wrong, but it looks like love is in the air over on the other side of the table there. And Lois and Julia agree with me. We were all commenting about it."

"I don't think you're wrong," Jerry said, gazing at the two people in question. "At least I hope you're not. You know she's the one thing he's always wanted with a single-mindedness that doesn't compare to anything else."

"No kidding," Bobbie said. Back when Jax and Brenda had first been falling in love one would have had to be blind not to have seen that this was something extraordinary happening with those two. One of those once-in-a-lifetime things.

"I have always wanted Jax to have anything his heart desires, but never have I wanted him to have something as much as I want him to have Brenda," Jerry confessed.

"Because you love him, and you know how much he loves her," Bobbie guessed, nodding.

"Yes. And I know that no one else can make him happy. It's true, Bobbie."

Bobbie smiled and kissed Jerry's cheek. "Has Jax told your parents about his breaking the engagement with Miranda and canceling the wedding?"

Jerry shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I don't think he has. Not yet. He only told Miranda a week ago. You know she hasn't even bothered to contact him at all."

"Maybe she hasn't checked her messages? Oh, my god, Jerry, maybe she doesn't even know!" Bobbie gasped.

"Bloody unlikely," Jerry snorted. "Who goes away and doesn't check their messages for a week? No, she bloody well knows. I'm just wondering what she's up to now that she knows Jax is lost to her?" Jerry murmured, as he gazed over in amusement at the pretty, young restaurant employee who was hovering around Jax.

Dressed as a cowgirl, who had a trick rope and a gift for making balloon animals, the young lady was making the rounds in the restaurant delighting all the children in attendance. Although everyone, not just Jerry, noticed that she kept buzzing around one particular non-kid, very often.

It was cute at first, but by the fifth time she'd stopped by to ask him how his food was and if everything was okay, Brenda, who was at the buffet with Julia taking their turn at getting refills for the kids, was beginning to get annoyed.

"I think that cowlady likes your dad!" Carson whispered to Justin.

Justin nodded in agreement as he looked at his mother, who, he could tell, was getting more and more annoyed. He grinned.

"Ewww. Her hair is orange like Mikey's," Becky declared, making a face.

"It's red, you colorblind little dope," Michael said, knocking his sister's little cowboy hat off of her head and onto the floor.

"Hey, Justin, what'd you wish for yesterday?" Brook Lynn queried. "A pet lion?" she asked hopefully.

"A scooter?" Carson guessed.

"A piano, you dumb dumbs!" Becky announced with certainty.

Justin rolled his eyes. "A baby sister," he answered. "So I could put spiders in her bed!"

His father swiveled around to look at him.

"Oh, and I'd protect her and everything, too," Justin added quickly. "And play with her and all that kinda junk. I'd even sing her the yellow submarine song. And she can play with all my toys mostly. But she can't play with my jeep," he insisted. "Or my snake."

Jax was smiling at him. "A baby sister? That's what you wished for, Justin?"

Justin nodded. "Didn't you know? 'Member I told you I wanted one?"

"Yeah, you also told me you wanted a snake, a Komodo dragon, an . . . antelope?"

"Aardvark," Justin giggled.

"Right, an aardvark, a swimming pool in your bedroom, an airplane like mine, and, I believe, your own hockey team."

Justin laughed. "You remember everything, Dad, just like me. Mommy says I never forget anything. Guess what, Uncle Jerry told me his cell phone number yesterday and I still remember it," Justin boasted. "But anyways, Daddy, I know I said I wanted all those things. And maybe I even do - especially the aardvark. But I want you and me and Mommy to live together more than I want all that other stuff. And if I had a baby sister then you guys would have be together then, right?"

Jax grinned. "I really do love the way you think."

"Relentless," Justin said, remembering the word.

Jax winked at him and nodded. "Yeah. But you may have to wait a while on the baby sister," he said, although even as the words tripped from his lips, he wondered… was Brenda on any kind of birth control? He certainly hadn't used anything last night, nor this morning when they'd made love with such wild abandon.

Brenda made her way back over to Jax and slid into her seat, her hand on his arm to get his attention.

He leaned in towards her, "Brenda, ummm… are you tak-"

"Jax!" she cut him off excitedly, "Do I have some 41l for you! Julia just told me that Colin told her that the sponsor responsible for his coming to Justin's party was listed as - you ready for this? - Miranda Jameson."

"What?" Jax said in disbelief.

Brenda nodded. "Yep. Apparently she called Colin's manager over a week ago and offered to be a sponsor of the upcoming race in Italy, but the stipulation was that he had to sign autographs at a children's party. He had no idea it was Justin, so he was thrilled, of course. But isn't that strange that Miranda would do that? I mean, I don't know her, but I still think it's strange."

"It's not only strange, I believe it's impossible," Jax murmured. "She could never afford to sponsor an Indy car race. No. Someone else is really behind this."

"But why would they want Colin here? I don't get it," Brenda said.

"Well… I didn't have the best of reactions to his presence," Jax confessed to her. "I thought that his interest in you was more than that of a friend."

Brenda grinned. "I see."

"And knowing that he was the one in the delivery room with you made me bloody insane…"

"How did you know that?" Brenda asked, knowing she had not mentioned that to Jax.

"Justin told me," Jax responded.

Brenda just arched a slender eyebrow. She had almost forgotten about the instant karma between father and son. Yes, Justin would probably tell Jax anything, Brenda realized.

"Maybe," Jax said thoughtfully, "Miranda and whomever backed her financially knew about Colin's connection to you and thought that bringing him here would be enough for me to give up on you."

"Then they obviously don't know you very well," she said with a flash of divine dimples in his direction.

"No, they don't," he agreed, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Wait a minute, Jax. If this is true, then it looks like whoever wanted us apart four years ago is still around and still wants us apart now. Oh, my God, why? And if Miranda is a part of it, then I'm starting to think she maybe has a little psycho in her…"

"Well, honestly, I don't think Miranda would do something like this," Jax mentioned.

"But how well do you really know her? You knew the woman a week, Jax. And then didn't see her again for five whole years."

Jax laughed. "You actually have a point there."

"Yes, I do."

"Yes, you do. But I still don't think she could have orchestrated anything on this scale. If she's involved she had help, Brenda. Someone with a very large cash flow. And, Sherlock, we do seem to be missing a motive on her part."

"The motive, would be you, Jax."

Jax was shaking his head. Brenda was nodding hers.

"Yes, Jax," she insisted.

"So you think it's possible that from her little bungalow in South America she somehow found out about us getting engaged that July, decided out of the blue that she had to have me back, and then somehow orchestrated the whole thing with me leaving you back in PC to go and find her?"

"She could have done it," Brenda insisted, spitting fire at the very idea of this scenario. "For all we know, she could have been keeping track of your life all along, Jax. You know, while she was recuperating from the explosion. When she found out you were getting married, it could have pushed her to an act as desperate and despicable as what was done to us."

"That would make sense," Jax conceded. "Though I have not ever known her to be one to act in such desperation, as you pointed out, how well do I really know her? And following your line of thinking, if this desperation drove her to want me back and want to prevent my marrying someone else, then she'd want you to be alone and vulnerable to questioning and ultimately doubting the faithfulness of my commitment to you, and she'd want me in a place where I would be unable to talk to you. That was accomplished once Jerry and I hit the jungles. But that wouldn't explain the phone calls, Brenda. You said the voice was mine."

"It was, Jax. I mean it sounded just like you. So much so that I never even doubted it was you, for which I will be eternally, eternally, so eternally sorry by the way. Jax, please tell me you forgive me for that? I know I messed up, but . . ."

He just smiled at her and placed a finger over her lips to quiet her. "Shhh. I forgive you for that," he said softly. "But we really do have to figure out how you heard 'me' talking to you when it wasn't even me."

"They can do anything with technology these days," Brenda pointed out. "Maybe she used computers or some kind of digital something or other . . ."

"Yes, but you have to be able to afford to do that, honey. I'm telling you, Miranda has no capital. Nothing that could remotely finance a scheme as elaborate as this one. Someone else is in on this with her. Someone who has a lot of money, knows a lot about me and wanted us apart as much as she did."

"Who?"

"I don't know. But at least now," he said, "I finally have a legitimate place to start to look."

"We have a legitimate place to start to look," Brenda corrected him, sliding her hand intimately into his.

"Yes, we," he agreed, stroking his index finger sensually along her palm.

"Mommy, could I go get a chocolate donut?" Justin - who was on the other side of Jax - asked.

Jax glanced at his watch. It was 9:19. "That's going to have to be to go, JC. We need to leave now. I told my pilot to be ready to take off by ten" Jax looked over at Brenda, who nodded.

"Me and Mommy are goin' home with you? On your plane?" Justin asked, clearly delighted by this change of plans.

"Yep," Brenda said, her heart touched by the happiness that lit up her son's eyes. "Except we're not going home. Your daddy's going to take us fishing."

Justin looked from one parent to the other, not quite believing all of this awesome news.

"Fishing?" he said, his eyes so big and hopeful. "Really?"

"In a magical lake with magical fish," Jax said.

Justin chewed on his lip - a trait definitely inherited from mommy - and then he said, as if still afraid to believe it if he was only going to be disappointed: "All three of us are going, right?" he wanted clarified, looking at his mom.

Brenda nodded. "Yes. You, me and your father. We're going to be doing a lot of things together, all three of us. Would you like that?"

Justin's smile could have lit up all of Manhattan. "Yeah! I would love that, Mommy! You're not just fooling, right? This is so wicked-cool!" he said, hugging her tight. Over her shoulder he exchanged the most devilish young grin with his father and seemed to be barely able to contain his youthful excitement over this development. They were going to be together! They were going to be together! Just the three of them, like a real family even! At least for a little while…

Then Brenda turned her attention back to Jax. " Jax, I'm just going to go get some donuts for all the kids to take for the road," Brenda said, getting up, although all the kids followed her, insisting she wouldn't know which donuts they wanted and so they'd have to pick them out themselves.

Jax watched Brenda, who was by the buffet placing the donuts the kids were picking out into bags for them to take.

As she handed the kids their bags and herded them all back towards the table (Justin rushing ahead of her and scrambling back next to his father), the restaurant cowgirl - seeing that it looked like the party at table 11 was getting ready to leave - decided it was time to sidle up to Jax and make yet another inquiry into how his breakfast had been and if everything had been satisfactory, then try to maneuver for a phone number.

Brenda thought the rope-twirling woman had buzzed around Jax once too often and she stood by Jax, addressing the woman.

"Hi. Excuse me," Brenda said. "I just thought I should tell you that his meal was fine, really. Thank you for asking. And asking. And asking. And everything else about him is fine, too, if you need to know that - so you can stop coming over here to ask him the same question every fifteen minutes. We just really need the check now from our waitress, if you don't mind. And really, come on - shouldn't you be paying more attention to mingling with the kids?"

The cowgirl blushed with embarrassment, seeing that she'd clearly been flirting with a man who was taken, and the girlfriend, while petite and angelic looking, was clearly a fiery sort not to be messed with.

"Sorry," she said, walking away from Jax hastily and making balloon animals for the kids to take with them instead.

Jax took a sip of his water and just grinned over at Brenda, who gave his head a playful shove in return.

Carly, Julia and Lois all observed Brenda's territorial behavior towards Jax as well as the happiness that had been in her eyes ever since they'd sat down to breakfast an hour or so ago. Not to mention the lightness in her mood, the frequency of her smile, the glow of her. The way she and Jax had been whispering together nearly throughout the entire meal.

With a little gasp of sudden comprehension, Carly shot out of her chair and dragged her sister aside to an empty table before Brenda could sit back down next to Jax.

"Pull my arm out of the socket, why don't you," Brenda laughed.

"Oh, my god, you had sex with him!" Carly whispered.

Brenda rolled her eyes at Carly's outburst. She had to admit that Jax was right when he would always refer to her sister as a drama queen. Carly definitely had the penchant for drama. Although Brenda freely admitted to having a bit of it herself - just nothing on Carly's level.

"No, I wanted to have sex with him," Brenda responded. "That is, I merely wanted it to be sex, you know? Something amazingly erotic and purely physical and pretty much meaningless. But we ended up most definitely making love. And meaningless it was not. Although the amazingly erotic part definitely happened."

Carly gasped. "Last night? You did this last night?"

Brenda nodded. "Most of last night."

Carly gasped again. "More than once?!" she squeaked, reminding Brenda more and more of Minnie Mouse.

Brenda nodded again, a reminiscent smile fluttering across her lips. "Oh, my God, Carly, it was so amazing!" she confided gleefully. "It was like we had never been apart from each other. It was beautiful. And perfect. And basically incredible!"

Carly sighed. "I cannot believe what I am hearing! Oh man, Brenda this is bad. I mean, one roll in the hay I can see because, hey, the guy is totally drool-worthy. But two?"

"Three," Brenda corrected.

"Three?!" Carly repeated, once again doing her Minnie Mouse impression. "Three times?"

"Twice last night, once this morning. That would make three."

"Oh, my God, Brenda, what were you, drunk or something?"

Brenda shook her head, looking a tad insulted. "No, of course not. I happen to be insanely in love with the man, okay?" she confessed with a cute, helpless shrug. "I love him so much, Carly. I do. So sue me. Hey, can we talk about this when we get home? I know you guys have to catch your flight. And I have to help Jax get Justin's gifts into the limo to take them to Jax's jet."

Carly looked at her sister sharply. "You're flying home with Jax instead of with the Q's?"

"Mmm hmmm."

"Brenda!"

"Don't worry. We'll talk it about it when we get home, all right?"

"You bet we will! Are you crazy, girl?! This is JAX we are talking about here!"

Brenda smiled. "Yes, I know," she said with a happy, little sigh.

"The Jax who dumped you!"

"Actually, he didn't. And I - you know, Carly, I never should have ever believed he did."

"What? He's got you blaming yourself now?" Carly asked incredulously.

"No. Jax never blamed me - and he doesn't blame me. I blame me, Carly. I just should never have believed that it was him. Jax never would have believed it was me."

"Brenda, why are you defending him? This is the same Jax who is engaged to Miranda Jameson!"

"Actually, he isn't. Not anymore."

"Brenda, what is going on?" Carly demanded. "Jax told you that he broke his engagement?"

"Yes."

"And you believe him?

"Yes."

"He is playing you, sis."

"No, he isn't."

Carly tossed up her hands in frustration. "One night of passionate sex with the guy and you lose your mind?! Damn, he must be good."

"He is phenomenal, for your information, but that's beside the point. I have not lost my mind, okay? In fact, I feel like I got it back last night. I feel like I got my whole life back. Look, I promise I will explain everything to you later."

"The minute you land, you drop off your stuff at the Q's and get your butt over to my place pronto," Carly ordered her.

"Actually, it'll have to be later because Jax is taking Justin and me fishing over at McElligot's Lake before we head back."

"McElligot's Lake? Where's that?" Carly asked.

"I have no idea. I'd swear Jax was making it up, but he said he's going to take me and Justin there so… it must exist. I think he might have said it's over in Clearwater. He claims the best fish are there, as if I would possibly know the difference," Brenda said with a little laugh and a wave good-bye, heading back to the table, where Jax was just lifting Justin up onto his shoulders and Justin was waving his cowboy hat (all the kids had gotten one upon entry into the restaurant) around in the air.

Carly was left eating her sister's dust, as Brenda sped back over to her men.

"Where is this lake?" Carly yelled out to her sister. "Where in Clearwater?"

Brenda turned about and shrugged. "I really don't know anything else except that it's in Clearwater. But don't worry, Jax knows where it is - we'll be fine. So I'll stop by and see you later on tonight after we get home. See ya," Brenda said with a smashing smile. And then she was gone, jogging over to Jax and Justin, the three of them bidding their good-byes to everyone at the table, Justin running over to the other table where Carly was to give her a hug and shrink back from Becky's attempt to kiss him and then racing back to leave with his parents.

"Sonneeee!" Carly summoned him.

"What, what?" he grumbled in response to her bellow, as he had his hands full trying to soothe his spoiled, ill-tempered daughter who was all riled up that Justin had run from her attempt to give him a kiss on the cheek goodbye. Man, he'd had it up to here with Becky's crush on Jax's kid!

"We're changing our flight."

"He shrugged. "Fine, you want to hang out here in the Magic Kingdom for a couple more days?"

"No. Not here. We're making a pit stop in Clearwater before we go home."

"What's in Clearwater?"

"You are taking me and the kids fishing out at McElligot's lake," Carly informed him.

All three kids cheered crazily at the unexpected family outing; their father growled like an ornery bear. "What?" he barked after his wife. "Where the hell is McElligot's Lake?" Then suddenly her full sentence dawned on him. "Fishing? Are you crazy?! I don't know a damn thing about fishing!"

"Jax can show you," Carly said irritably. "'Cause we are going, Sonny," she said firmly, determined to keep an eye on her obviously looney kid sister.

"Yayyyy!!!" Becky screamed, because if Justin's daddy was going to be there, Justin would probably be there, too!

Sonny put his daughter down, as he believed her screaming had just made him deaf in one ear. "Jax?" Sonny roared at his wife. "He's gonna be there? We are not going!!" he roared louder, as his kids laughed at the way their father's eyes were bugging out and his face was turning purple.

The manservant found his employer in a frightening looking pallor the next morning when she summoned him, and the bags beneath her eyes indicated she had not slept a wink last night. Her mood was the worst he had ever seen as she barked orders at him.

"Maximus was not at home - I assume that is how you got your hands on the contents of his safe?" she said in chillingly business-like tone of voice.

"Yes, Madam. The house was deserted."

"Where was he?"

"Out of town, I gathered, madam. Unopened newspapers were gathered in front of his home - His mail appeared to be forwarded to the post office to be held there. It appears he has been gone for some time."

"I want Maximus located," she said in a voice as cold as steel.

The manservant swallowed. "I hear the urgency with which you appear to need him found, madam, but I fear that will be very difficult. You yourself told me that he never remains in one place and seems to enjoy trotting the globe and squandering his life on women and wine."

Her mood blackened, for Andreas was correct. "Then find that cousin of his, Dimitrius," she ordered. "They used to get foxed together all the time. Find Dimitrius. He will know where Maximus has gone. Get the information from him even if you have to beat it out of him."

"Yes, madam." Andreas paused, knowing his employer's intolerance for stupid questions. "Dimitrius would be living in Greece?" he asked.

"I don't see why not. Granted I have had no contact with him, nor any of the other Cassadine relations who never want anything but to challenge me for control of this family in years, but, yes, I believe that lump of misery is still in Greece. He lived by the ocean with that shrewish beast of a lover he's supposedly taken up with." Her eyes hardened to granite. "Listen to me very carefully, Andreas. I want Maximus Cassadine found. Immediately, if not sooner. Now go!"

"Yes, madam," he murmured, taking his leave. He didn't know what had madam so agitated and in such a rage. But he guessed it was something big. It had to be to rattle madam clear to her bones like this.

The dark blonde-haired man watched the manservant leave and then boarded the yacht.

"Mother!" Stefan Cassadine said, holding out his arms in mock adoration towards a mother he loathed, as he descended into the yacht. "And just whom do I have to thank for that becoming death-pallor on your lovely face and the murderous look in your eyes?"

"Get out!" Helena Cassadine snapped. "I am in no mood for your trifling nonsense, Stefan!"

He folded his arms and perched his hip on the desk. "Yes, I can see that. But, come now, how can I leave, Mother? Without knowing the identity of the person who is responsible for 'rattling your cage', as they say. I'd dearly love to shake his or her hand. Perhaps buy them a bottle of champagne."

Helena gazed over at her son with disgust. "My cage is hardly the only one in this family that will be rattling if . . ." she abruptly caught herself and grew silent. Her disgust for him had almost made her foolishly blurt out what she had discovered.

But Stefan had seen her abrupt halt and knew something was going on. Something big.

"Do tell, Mother," he invited.

"We've made it!" the man said as he squeezed through the hole in the wall they had managed to create with the help of the heavy rains and their porous effect on the aging stone.

"But made it to where?" the woman said, gazing around them in some distress. "It looks like we've ended up in some sort of maze."

He got to his feet, brushed off his hands filthy with dirt and mud, and gazed about at what his wife was talking about.

Indeed it appeared as if they had broken out of the captivity of the little stone cottage only to enter some dark maze of tunnels.

"Bloody hell," he muttered.

It was dark, the smell of earth rich and strong, and no indication of which way to get to precious sunlight and fresh air and freedom.

"What do we do? Which way do we go?" his wife asked, looking around at the winding tunnels and hearing the distinctly grating sounds of rats running about. Good lord, did they just flip a coin and decide which direction to take?

"Well, we don't stand here waiting for those people to come back here and finish us off, that's for certain," he said, taking her dirty hand in his own. He brought them to his lips and kissed them as tears of tenderness swept into her eyes. "We will not die here, love. We will bloody well not die here! We are going to find the way out," he swore, picking a direction, praying it would not lead them to disaster, taking her hand… and going forth.

At the Port Charles hotel, John and Jane sat at a table in the Grille, strategically selected to have the best view of the hotel entrance, awaiting the return of the birthday goers to see if Colin Christopher's presence managed to be the death knell for any aspirations Jax might have had of getting Brenda back in his life.

They were grim-faced to have had a lengthy lunch and still witnessed no sign of Jax retuning home to his penthouse.

"Could they still be in Orlando?" John wondered.

"I don't like it," Jane said. "If Jax were upset about Colin Christopher, he would have come home straight after the party. I am beginning to fear this is yet another plan gone awry."

"Possibly," John admitted grimly. Too many of their plans were being shot to hell. They did not have this kind of time to waste. "We are then down to our final attempt before we take the boy," he stated. "And if this final attempt to coerce Jerry into persuading his brother to let us see the boy fails, then we are all out of options and out of time. Agreed?"

"Yes."

"If the plan with Jerry fails, the next option will be to take the child and disappear."

"I'm starting to think we should proceed to that plan right now," Jane admitted, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"I think we should try the Jerry angle first," John stated. "And if and when we do implement the plan of last resort, we would not be able to act on it with that kind of haste. We would have to make sure Jax and Brenda are at ease and think that we are gone - perhaps back to Alaska, as Jax seems to wish so badly. Let them think us out of the way. Let them think us a non-issue in their lives and that of their son. Then," he said softly, "we pounce."

"Well, in preparation of that eventuality," Jane said, "I have taken the liberty of contacting the architect who designed the Quartermaine mansion - on the pretense of wanting a similar home built myself. I have a meeting with him tomorrow," she smiled. "And when I come back I shall have in my hands the exact floor plan of the exterior and interior of that house."

He nodded in approval. "Very good. And I shall see to getting the drug to ensure the child does not struggle. All must be ready. For if we have to implement that plan, nothing - and I mean nothing - must go wrong."

Jax's jet was taxiing into the Clearwater airport, as he and Brenda were being entertained by their son who was making use of the Discman and CD's Lois had gotten him. He had the headphones on and clearly had no idea how loudly he was singing.

Listen baby I'm so-orry
Just wanna tell you don't wor-orry
I will be late don't stay up and wait for me
I say again you're dropping out my battery is low
Just so you know
We're goin' to a place near by
I gotta go

"How do these kids memorize all the words to these songs?" Jax mused, watching his son's little head bopping back and forth.

"Well, I don't know about other kids but Justin just has to hear something once and he never forgets it," Brenda said.

"That's an amazing gift," Jax murmured, grinning as Justin hit a high note with perfection.

"He's got another amazing gift," Brenda said with a smile.

Jax gazed at her. "What?" he asked.

"I'm, not going to tell you because I really want you to have the awesome thrill of that discovery for yourself," she said, her eyes dancing in anticipation of Jax's reaction when he got his first sample of Justin tickling the ivories. Jax had already missed out on so many 'firsts' with his son. Brenda wanted him to have this pleasure.

"When did he start walking?" Jax asked, not believing he had never asked this before.

"Eight months!" Brenda said. Can you believe that?"

Jax's blue eyes revealed his surprise. "Seriously walking?"

"Well, you know, stumbling along, but yeah, walking," Brenda said. "Julia nearly had a heart attack."

Jax managed a slight smile and nodded. He felt a strange, heavy sadness in his heart at having missed all of this. They had so much to make up for.

He leaned forward and brushed his lips lingeringly over hers. "You are going to marry me, Brenda," he said.

"Well, probably. But not today," she said.

"Sooner than you think," he insisted.

She let out a little sigh. "That's my Jax. Look up the word relentless in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of him there."

"I am in love with you. And I have lost enough time with you. With both of you. Time that I can never get back."

Brenda's hands came up to stroke his face. "We are not going anywhere, Jax. We're right here." She kissed him again. And then again.

Watching them, Justin was mesmerized as he watched his mother kiss his father. He blinked as he could have sworn he saw some of that sparkly magic stuff (that you always saw in the cartoons) swirling all around them.

A couple of hours later they were all on a boat in McElligot's Lake, fishing rods cast over the side as they were soaking up the Florida sunshine, chatting and laughing as they waited for the fish to bite.

"Daddy, I'm not catchin' any fish. I think something must be wrong with this stick," Justin said, shaking it.

Brenda gazed over at her son. "Rod, honey. It's called a fishing rod, as your father and your Uncle Jerry kept telling me when they were teaching me how to fish and I kept calling it a stick."

Jax sent her a wicked grin. To his son he said, "Well, can you see the fish down there, JC?"

Justin nodded. "Yep. Lots of em'! They're everywhere! But they're not comin' near my stick - uh, my fishing rod thing."

"I think I know what the problem is," Jax said. "You need to talk to them."

Justin glanced up at his father. "What?"

"Talk to them. Go on, try it."

Justin looked down at the water skeptically. "What do I say?" he asked, perplexed. "Fishies, would you please let me catch you?"

Jax was shaking his head. "No, I don't think that would be a very good opening line. How about you ask them their names? Try to make friends."

Brenda was gazing back between Jax and Justin and loving it. She had no idea what Jax was up to, but she was having a hard time keeping her laughter contained.

"Make friends? With a fish?" Justin squeaked and then looked at his mother as if to say 'what's wrong with Daddy?'

Brenda just shrugged and said. "Hey, why not? Go ahead . . ."

Justin gazed back into the water at all the colorful fish. "So… what's your name?" he asked no fish in particular.

A bright green fish with yellow and peach-colored stripes leapt right out of the water, up into the boat, and landed onto Justin's lap, as the astonished four-year-old stared open-mouthed at the thing with his huge blue eyes.

"Well, it's about time you asked, young man. Frederick's my name," the fish greeted him in a voice that was a dead ringer for Star War's C3PO. "And do you think you could perhaps get some more enticing bait? A double cheeseburger would work wonders, you know. Nothing too terribly appetizing about a worm, is there?" he sighed. Then the fish eyes blinked. "My, but you have the most stunning blue-green eyes!"

Justin's eyes popped open wider as the fish's mouth moved and it sat upright on his leg, its tail swishing back and forth.

Justin's head whipped around to look at his parents. "This fish is talkin' to me!"

Jax was grinning and Brenda was gazing at the talking fish, as astonished as her son.

"Oh, my gosh, Jax, that's fantastic!" Brenda whispered in wonder.

"Isn't it?" Jax said. "The inventor, a former Hollywood special effects guy by the name of Harry McElligot, came to me to fund this idea of his for this magical fishing pond. I was skeptical about the profitability of such a venture, but then he sent me an aquarium of these mechanical fish of his and I was blown away! They look so real and the things he had them programmed to say had me and Jerry laughing 'til our sides hurt. It was then I knew that I would back him. And so McElligot's Lake of Clearwater, Florida, was born. And now they have live mechanical animators who have real conversations with the visitors. Tiny cameras are in the fish eyes so they can see us. And the voices are familiar because they imitate cartoon characters and TV show and movie personalities."

"What a fabulous idea! Well, the guy is clearly a genius, and you are a genius for backing him! And for taking us here, Jax. Thank you!" Brenda said, kissing him and soaking up their son's delightfully wondrous expressions then reaching over into her backpack to retrieve her camera and preserve the moment.

"You can talk!" Justin screamed at the fish.

"So can you!" the fish screamed back. "And I see you're a countryman of mine. I can detect a bit of an accent. Cheerio! Pip, pip!"

"You mean you swam here alls the way from England?" Justin asked skeptically.

"The waves were huge!" Frederick insisted, but his eyes were humorously shifty to indicate he was fibbing, and Jax and Brenda were both laughing.

"What kinda fish are you anyhow?" Justin demanded, "'cause I don't know any fish that eat hamburgers, 'kay? And I watch the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet and everything," Justin said, eyes widening as the fish leapt over to his other leg and perched there - upside down!

"Well, now, how do you know that, young man. Have you ever asked us?"

Justin cocked his head to the side. "I never really talked to a fish before," he admitted.

Jax and Brenda both gazed at each other and grinned wildly.

"There, you see? So how could you know our favorite foods? By the way, I never did catch your name?"

"Justin… So, do you like ice cream then?"

Another fish, this one bright orange, jumped out of the water and perched on Justin's other leg. "I do! I do! Pistachio Egg Roll is my favorite flavor, what's yours?" he said in a voice suspiciously reminiscent of Gomer Pyle.

Justin busted out laughing. " 'S'pistachio egg roll?"

"Yeah! With ketchup all slopped over on top. Isn't that right, Freddie?"

Frederick swished his tail. "I prefer mine topped with chocolate-covered grasshopper legs, myself," he sniffed.

"Ewwwww!!!!" Justin said in a fit of giggles.

A large blue fish, who's tail lit up amber, leapt out of the water and Brenda squealed as this one landed on her lap, splashing them all. "Madam, is 'at your son? And is 'e laughing at my sons?" the fish demanded in a loud 'Eliza Doolittle' voice.

The movements of the gaping fish's mouth combined with that outrageous voice were so funny that Brenda was convulsing with laughter.

Soon the boat was full of yammering fish, and Jax, Brenda and Justin were all rolling with laughter.

When they were getting ready to leave a few hours later, Brenda and Jax could barely tear Justin away from the fish.

"Daddy, can I keep one?" Justin begged, still astounded over the talking fishies.

"I'm afraid not, kiddo," Jax said. "The magical fish need to stay here in the magical lake, otherwise they won't be magical anymore."

"Ohhhh," Justin said. "I get it." He slipped one hand in each of his parents' as they walked slowly along the long pier headed back to the limo to take them back to the waiting jet.

By the time they reached the end of the pier, Justin was in his father's arms, out like a light.

"Too much excitement for two days," Brenda said with a grin, shifting a lock of her son's soft golden curls off his forehead. Then she stood on her toes and gave Jax a soft, tender kiss on the cheek. "Today was so wonderful and so much fun, Jax. Thank you for this. We felt like a real family."

"We are a real family," Jax told her. "You're my family, Brenda."

She nodded. "You're mine, too," she whispered in a soft emotion-filled voice. "Hey, do you want to go hiking tomorrow? Just you and me? Emily has plans to take Justin and Brook Lynn to the zoo."

"Oh, baby, I'd love to, but I can't. I have meetings at ELQ all day tomorrow. Big deal going down."

"Oh. Okay, I understand," she said, but he saw the disappointment in her beautiful eyes.

"So I'm unavailable for the day," Jax continued. "However, in the evening I can be all yours. Would you like to go out to dinner with me? Say Top of the Sixes? Eight o'clock?"

Her smile was dazzling. "I would love to."

He nodded. "And now tell me you love me," he whispered.

She giggled. "I love you," she said in a sexy voice. And she sealed it with a kiss.

A few minutes before Jax was scheduled to arrive to pick her up, Brenda whispered something into Justin's ear, and the little boy giggled and nodded and zipped off into the living room.

Reginald let Jax in a few minutes later and after exchanging some pleasant chitchat, Reginald told Jax Brenda would be right down and he should feel free to wait in the living room.

Jax bent down to play with Cooper for a few seconds.

Hiding behind one of the large ficus plants in the foyer, Brenda watched with anticipation as Jax, who looked nothing short of breathtaking in a dark blue suit with a burgundy tie, patted Cooper on the head, sent the dog trotting back upstairs to Justin's room, and headed towards the living room.

From the living room drifted the amazing sounds of a Johann Sebastian Bach Allegro as someone's fingers flew across the keys with utter perfection.

"That can't be Ashton," Jax said in amazement. While Ned was efficient with a guitar, he'd only started tottering around on the piano a year ago. He could never have gotten this good already.

Maybe it was Emily. She could knock out a tune or two from what Jax recalled. But this, this was poetry in song. This was a gift. Were the Quartermaines aware of her tal-?

He stopped short as he saw the person responsible for filling the room with stunning song was none other than his own four-year-old son, who was sitting atop a phone book on top of the piano bench, his little fingers flying across the keys with meticulous perfection, the piano seeming to come alive beneath his touch.

Jax was completely floored. Felt his breath shaky in his lungs.

With ease and fluidity and no sheet music, Justin played the excruciatingly difficult composition as if Mr. Bach himself had somehow been reborn within those brilliant little hands. It was as if musical notes had leapt off of some imaginary page and were filling the room in a manner that stole one's breath. So beautiful was the song, so unbelievable was the scene of this little four-year-old boy playing like an accomplished master that Jax felt tears swimming in his eyes.

When he ended the composition with a dramatic flurry of notes, a hop off of the piano bench and a perfectly executed little bow, Jax let out a shaky, emotional laugh and went down to his knees, enveloping his child in a tight embrace.

"Oh, my god," Jax said softly.

"Did you like it, Daddy?" Justin asked him, rather used to this overwhelming reaction on the part of adults anytime he played.

Jax pulled back and cradled his son's little face, gazing into eyes that matched his own as if searching for all the mysteries of the world and suddenly sure he would find them in this boy. His son.

"Did you like it?" Justin repeated in a whisper, tugging at the shirt of his Pokeman pajama top.

Jax nodded, unable to speak for a moment. "You . . . are . . . remarkable," he finally said. "Remarkable." And then he pulled the boy back into his arms for another hug. "Remarkable!" Jax said once more, this time in a laughing shout, as he picked Justin up into his arms and spun around with him, the both of them laughing and laughing.

Watching them from the doorway, Brenda smiled and wiped away a tear of her own. She knew just what Jax was feeling and was so happy that she was able to arrange it so that he discovered Justin's extraordinary talent in as shocking a manner as she had. With no preparation at all. Just finding him in front of the piano playing it, moving your heart, touching your soul, stealing the breath from your body - the instrument seeming to worship at each touch of his fingers against the keys.

Yes, remarkable was the perfect description.

Brenda sighed happily, swatted away another tear and then quickly turned to re-do her make-up

Much of Jax and Brenda's dinner conversation, not surprisingly, centered around their son's amazing musical talent and Brenda filling Jax in on how she'd discovered it and how bored Justin had been with piano teachers and the like. How Justin wrote his own little symphonies and named them all after her, which made Jax grin. Although Jax had known that Justin could read, he was amazed when Brenda informed him that their son could write, too. Not only music, but words, sentences, whole little paragraphs.

"He's just so smart, Jax," Brenda said in amazement. "I mean, on the one hand, he is all rambunctious, loud, boundless energy little boy. But then there's that other side to him, his reflective little moods, his brilliant little mind that seems fueled by this unquenchable desire to forever figure things out. Like the meanings of words, the proper names of every species of snake that ever existed, how come the earth is spinning all the time but we can't feel it. I mean most kids want to know where Barney lives. Our kid wants to know why we can't feel the earth spinning on its axis. Doesn't that just blow your mind?" Brenda grinned. "And remember I told you how he takes his toys apart to figure out how they work?' she laughed. "And, oh, my gosh, Julia got him this alien spy kit thing with a magnifying glass and little fingerprint kit, a little ugly black bug and a bug swatter which are really like a baby monitor-slash-intercom. The bug is the listening portion; the bug swatter is the talking portion. Then there's this can of slime green-colored silly string in there that's supposed to make the aliens jump out of their skins if you spray it on them. The whole thing is hysterical."

"So our son has aspirations of being assigned to The X-Files?"

Brenda laughed and just leaned across and kissed Jax, as happiness tickled at her. She was still getting accustomed to feeling this happy after so many years of desolation without him and thinking he didn't want her.

"Remember the last time you took me here?" she whispered, gazing around at the fancy, romantic restaurant. "I had just gotten that huge raise from Deception, thanks to your brilliant advice on how I should handle Lucy."

Jax nodded. "And I took you here to celebrate with dinner and dancing."

"We had the best time," she murmured, gazing into his eyes.

"The very best," he agreed. "Just like we are now," Jax said.

She nodded. "Yes. Just like we always do."

"Yes. So will you marry me?" Jax asked her, making good on his vow to ask her every day.

Her laughter was utterly delightful. "No. Not yet. But I will dance with you, how's that?"

"That is not the answer I wanted. But while I am waiting for the answer I want, I would love to dance with you," Jax said, getting out of his seat and standing behind her to pull out her chair for her. He took her hand and led her to the section of the restaurant that was set aside for romantic dancing.

The restaurant manager, recognizing the stunning couple from their frequent patronage of his establishment four years ago, murmured to the band leader to play a song he knew the young people had danced to when they were here before on some celebratory occasion.

As soon as Jax and Brenda got to the dance area, the band abruptly cut short their rendition of "Stranger In Paradise" and began to play "Moonglow"

It must have been moonglow
Way up in the blue
It must have been moonglow
That led me straight to you

Brenda laughed with delight. "Jax! Do you remember this?"

He nodded, sending her a heart-melting smile as he pulled her into his arms, moving slowly and gracefully with her in an intimate circle.

Brenda was transfixed by that intimate little smile he'd sent her way; equally transfixed was she by the dazzling gem-like quality of his eyes in the silvery lighting. But nothing could have been more transfixing than the love shining - no, burning in his eyes.

Brenda had to catch her breath as Jax pulled her even closer.

I still hear you saying,
Dear one, hold me fast
And I started praying
Oh, lord, please make this last

We seem to float right through the air
Heavenly songs seem to come from everywhere

And now when there's moonglow
Way up in the blue
I always remember
That moonglow gave me you

The dance was so intimate and beautiful that many patrons felt that looking at the young couple was intrusive, yet at the same time it was impossible to look away. They were stunning, first of all, and clearly very much in love. And it was a captivating combination.

We seem to float right through the air
Heavenly songs seem to come from everywhere

When Jax's lips lightly brushed against hers, the touch of his lips, light as they were, set off a mini inferno in the young lady he was kissing.

"I think we should leave," she whispered, puckering her lips so that she could feel the touch of his against hers once more.

"You want me to take you home?" he asked, his thumb stroking along her face down to her chin. He was a bit disappointed. He wasn't ready for the night to end.

She nodded slowly. "Home with you," came her soft reply.

His eyebrow shot up in the sexiest manner Brenda had ever seen.

So it appeared the night would not be ending after all, Jax thought. He bent to kiss her full and hard on her delectable little mouth. "Your wish is my command," Jax murmured against her lips. Then, with one last sexy dip that had Brenda laughing and had the other patrons clapping, Jax led her away from the dance area and back to their table to pay their bill and be off.

All at once there was commotion by the entrance, as a woman appeared to be arguing loudly with the maitre'd.

"I know he's in here!" the woman yelled. "His car is parked outside!"

"Miss! The maitre'd snapped, losing his patience. "If you will give your name, I will see that the party inside is aware that you wish to speak with him."

"Yeah, right! Oh, get out of my way!" the woman demanded, barging her way past.

Miranda Jameson stalked into the restaurant just as Jax and Brenda, hand in hand, were making their way out. The threesome stopped upon seeing each other.

Brenda glanced up quickly at Jax. He was looking ahead at the irate Miranda, but his thumb was stroking Brenda's palm, telling her not to worry about this.

Well, Jax thought, a reaction at last. It only took her a week and two days to acknowledge him.

Miranda stared at them; Jax looking divinely smashing in a dark blue suit, Brenda drop dead gorgeous in a sexy, little cream-colored crochet dress that screamed 'I am woman, pant boys, pant.' Holding hands, obviously out on a romantic night on the town.

"How could you!" Miranda screamed at him. "Did you even wait five minutes before you went panting after her?!"

Brenda's temper flared. "Don't you talk to him like that!" she said.

"You butt out!" Miranda fumed." This has nothing to do with you!"

"It has everything to do with her," Jax countered smoothly, not rising to the level of intense emotions that the ladies were already at. "As you very well know," he added.

"A message!" Miranda spat. "You actually left me a message!"

Brenda's eyes widened. Jax had really broken up with Miranda over the answering machine? Brenda bit down on her lip to keep the inappropriate bubble of laughter from coming out.

"You left me no other choice," Jax said. "And this is hardly the time nor the place . . ."

"I never thought you would do it!" she raged.

"Obviously," Jax responded. "Tell me how is your dying Aunt in Amsterdam?'

Miranda looked at him as if he were crazy. "Who?"

Jax's lips curved into a humorless smile. "Exactly. If you'll excuse us, Miranda," he said.

"Wait!" Miranda said. "That's it? That's just it? You leave me a message on the phone and that's it?! We're over?!"

"That's it," Jax confirmed. "Now, will you stop making a scene? There are a couple of reporters here."

"I don't care!" Miranda shouted, thoroughly humiliated. "How could you do this to me!"

"Oh, please, will you stop blaming Jax. You're doing this to yourself - coming here and carrying on like this," Brenda said to her. "Maybe if you hadn't been playing games and trying to avoid Jax so much…"

"I told you to butt out!" Miranda said, her eyes shooting fire at Brenda.

"Don't raise your voice to her again," Jax said to Miranda. "You're the one who came barging in here screaming at the top of your lungs and having not a care for the other patrons in here, not to mention common decency. Now, if you want to air this in public, fine. But . . ."

"Common decency?!" Miranda shrieked. "This coming from the man who tells me our wedding is off by leaving me a damn message on my answering machine?!"

"Why don't you give your fake dead aunt my regards. Then we can compare common decency. I was onto your games, Miranda."

"I'm going to sue you, Jax!" Miranda hissed.

Brenda laughed, "For what, you psycho?"

"All the money I spent on the wedding plans, proposing to me when you had no intention of going through with it . . ."

"You proposed to him, you idiot!" Brenda snapped.

"Stress! Mental anguish! I'll sue your for mental anguish! Pain and suffering when I got that awful message from you! If you don't marry me, Jax, I will sue you and you might just find that your precious ELQ ends up in my hands!" Miranda threatened.

"The only thing precious to me is standing right beside me," Jax said. "The other precious thing is at home, tucked in his bed. ELQ is hardly precious to me, not that you have a snowball's chance in hell of getting your hands on it with your frivolous lawsuit anyway. You are completely wasting my time here and no doubt giving all these good people indigestion. Although you are giving the reporters some good fodder for the society pages tomorrow," Jax said, his voice cool and letting her know he was reaching his limit with her.

Suddenly realizing just how pubic this scene was and that everyone had heard everything, Miranda turned beet red and began to stiffly turn away.

"Not so fast," Brenda said, grabbing her arm. "Since all three of us are here anyway, why don't you tell me and Jax why you arranged for Colin Christopher to show up at our son's party? And don't try to deny it, Colin's manager can verify it was you who set the whole thing up."

Miranda swallowed in shock. What the he-?

"Yes, Miranda. Would you care to explain that? More importantly, who the hell is backing you?" Jax demanded, pouncing on the opening Brenda had given him.

Miranda was stunned. Why those filthy rats! John and Jane had sold her out! They had given her name as the sponsor… but why? She thought they were on her side when it came to Jax!

"Cat got your tongue?" Brenda asked, folding her arms.

"I don't know what the two of you are talking about," Miranda said stiffly.

"You're lying," Jax said in a tone that let her know his patience had run out. "You know something," Jax said, more positive of that than ever given her nervous reaction. "And you are not leaving here until you tell us the truth!"

Inside of the waiting area of Top Of the Sixes, carefully staying out of sight, Helena Cassadine watched the altercation, her eyes upon Jax, assessing him - trying to convince herself that what she had discovered could not possibly not be true; that Stefan or Maximus or another family member was setting up a clever plot to have her buy into this.

And a few feet behind her, concealed as well, her son Stefan watched her watching Jax. He was wondering why his mother had been following Jasper Jacks around all day. And what it was about Jasper Jacks that appeared to have his mother in such an odd state of what appeared to be growing panic? The only thing that could cause her to panic was… well, that didn't make any sense at all. What could Jasper Jacks possibly have to do with the control of Nikolas' birthright? And yet there was something about Jasper Jacks that had his mother in an unusual state of jangled nerves. She would never tell him what it was, of course, but it didn't matter. He intended to find out.

Song credits: Song: "The Call" written by Ma Martin and Rami from the CD entitled Black & Blue. Artist: Backstreet Boys. "Moonglow" written by W. Hudson/E.Delange/I. Mills from the CD entitled Tony Bennett unplugged. Artist: Tony Bennett.