The three days since the discovery of the secret entrances to their home had been very busy ones for both Jax and Brenda. Jax had been occupied with making sure all deals Jacks International had pending were moving along properly. He had immediately appointed a replacement for Nikolas Spencer to insure that his responsibilities were covered immediately and by a loyal staff member. He had ordered Travis to get the security division to run a check on all current employees having access to the upper management level of the company. He wanted to make sure there was no one who would be a target for his family to use to gain entrance into Jacks International. If he accepted Brenda's logic that his brother was not responsible for the strange goings on at the house, then he just wanted to make sure Jerry was not going to interfere with his business dealings either.

Brenda, on the other hand, was consumed with completing the house by their February 14th deadline. She had been there every day, unpacking shipments of linens, dishes, antique silver serving pieces, silver flatware, and on and on and on. She had contacted all of the suppliers she and the consultants had been dealing with to give them the deadline for receipt of all goods ordered. There would be no delays accepted. If these people wanted to continue to receive her business and her future recommendation of customers, they would make sure everything ordered arrived in time and in perfect condition.

Even Jax had noticed the change in her. He had told her at breakfast just this morning, after she had finished her third phone call, that he didn't recognize this take-charge person sitting across from him. He was afraid he had created a monster by setting the deadline. Brenda smiled, as she remembered sitting in his lap and reassuring him in the best way she knew, that as soon as the house was finished and they were moved in, "his" Brenda would return -- just a newly improved, more self sufficient version. He had liked that idea.

Matthew was not left out of the flurry of activity. He felt like he had the phone rooted to his ear because of all the calls he had been making, securing exact delivery dates for the missing furniture. Since all the pieces for the library were due to be delivered today, Matthew had been making his calls from the cell phone Jax had provided for him. He was using a small table, set up in the kitchen as a work center while at the house. The invoices and other purchase documentation were locked in the files at his office. Jax had become very conscious about security and record keeping. Considering what Brenda had told him about Jax's family and the animosity there, Matthew totally understood Jax's concerns and was more than willing to go along with them.

Just then, another large moving van pulled up in front of the house. When Matthew answered the door, four very large men in uniform met him. "Yes?"

"Are you Matthew Rollins? I'm Rich Bennetti from Stratford Antiques. I believe you're expecting us?" The middle-aged man standing slightly in front of the others extended his hand to Matthew.

"Yes, I am. It's good to be able to finally put a face to the voice I've been dealing with for the past several weeks. What brings you all the way over here from Stratford? I wasn't aware that delivery was among your responsibilities at Stratford Antiques." Matthew couldn't help but smile at the thought of the owner of one of the largest antique firms in England also doing the moving and setup.

"Normally I don't accompany the pieces, but since we have been shipping such a large quantity of furniture to this address, I couldn't resist the urge to come see where all of our hard work was going. But most of all, I wanted to make sure that these beautiful pieces would be appreciated and not abused." He looked very intently at Matthew, almost too intently for Matthew's comfort. It struck Matthew that he was like a parent protecting his children.

"You might be interested in a piece of information I just discovered about the history of the library furniture that we brought you. Actually, this is the real reason I came along. I wanted to let you know what we discovered when we found these pieces."

"Of course. Would you like to meet the owner of the home? She's in the back." With that, Matthew showed Mr. Bennetti into the parlor, allowing the remaining deliverymen to wait in the foyer. "Brenda, would you come out here please? There is someone I'd like you to meet."

Rich Bennetti was stunned when Brenda came in from the kitchen. He had been expecting an older woman, who either was the spinster antique-collector type, or a rich dowager who had more money than she knew what to do with -- not the beautiful, young woman standing in front of him. This had to be the owner's daughter. He was sure.

"Brenda, I'd like you to meet Rich Bennetti. He's the owner of Stratford Antiques, the company that has found many of the pieces in the house. Rich, this is Mrs. Brenda Jacks, the owner of what is temporarily still called Stanhope Manor."

Brenda held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Bennetti. You have no idea how grateful my husband and I for all the work you and your staff have put into tracking down the furniture for our home. What brings you to Port Charles?"

It took Rich a minute to speak. He was amazed at the poise of the young woman in front of him. He couldn't believe she was more than 24 or 25-years-old. How could she be responsible for such a large decorating project? "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Jacks. I'm glad we have been able to find the correct furniture for such an amazing home.

"As to the reason for my trip… My men and I have brought over the furniture for what I believe Matthew said is going to be your husband's office or library. I came along because I just recently discovered some surprising information about the pieces we brought, and I wanted to share it with the home's owner. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, won't you have a seat?" Brenda's curiosity was peaked. Why would an antique dealer find the information about her library furniture so important that he traveled 3000 miles to deliver it personally?

"Well, first of all, I wanted to let you know that all of the pieces we found that matched the descriptions and dimensions that Matthew provided, turned out to come as a complete set. The only exception is the chair for the desk. I'm afraid that the chair that came with the set did not even come close to meeting Matthew's description of large and comfortable. I guess your husband will either have to purchase a modern chair, or I can give you the names of several companies that specialize in furniture replications, that would probably be able to meet his requirements and still give it the correct period style."

"I'd appreciate that, Mr. Bennetti. My husband spends a great deal of time at his desk, both at the office and at home. If he said he wants a comfortable chair, then he will have a comfortable chair!"

The longer he was around Brenda, the more fascinated he became by her. It was obvious that her husband's needs were important to her. Rich couldn't help but wonder what kind of a man she was married to. He seemed to be her number one priority.

"What was it about the history of the set that you found so surprising that you came all this way to tell us?" Brenda was becoming a little uncomfortable at the long silence and Mr. Bennetti's staring.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry. Well, when I was getting the Customs papers ready, I found that one of my staff members had done some research on the set. It seems that when we bring the pieces in there should be no problems with them fitting the room."

Matthew couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean: they can't help but fit?"

"Well, it seems that the original owner of these pieces was none other than Everett Chandler Stanhope, the original owner of this house!" Rich couldn't help smiling, as he looked at the expressions on both Brenda and Matthew's faces.

"Are you serious? The entire set is original to this house? Are you sure?" Brenda could not believe their good fortune. Wait until she could tell Jax about this!!!

"Absolutely! When I read the report, I had my staff check it again, and I verified the authenticity of the research myself. There is no doubt -- all five pieces are from this house. I'm sure they'll feel right at home. That is, if we ever bring them in..."

Matthew suddenly realized that the movers were still standing in the foyer, "Oh, God, I'm sorry. Yes, definitely have them set it up in the library. I'll show you where." With that said, the three of them started toward the front door, when it suddenly opened and Jax came in.

"Brenda..." was all he got out before he realized he had walked into a very crowded foyer. "Oh, sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Jax!! Your timing is perfect, as always! Honey, I want you to meet someone. Rich Bennetti, I'd like you to meet my husband, Jasper Jacks, the man who will be using the furniture."

Rich was dumbstruck for the second time. This was her husband?? Why, he couldn't be much older than her! But yet, there was something about him that gave Rich the feeling that he was old beyond his years. He finally put out his hand to shake the hand extended to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jacks. As I told Mr. Rollins, I couldn't resist the urge to meet the people who had purchased so many pieces from my gallery. It has been an honor for us to locate so many pieces for you. I can see they have found a good home. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get my crew started in setting up the furniture." With that said, Rich gave a quick tilt of his head to Brenda and then to Jax and walked over to start giving directions to the three deliverymen who had come with him.

Jax never got a chance to respond to Brenda's introduction before the man was on the move. He reminded Jax a little of Matthew -- laid back, but still capable of instant motion. He walked over to where Brenda was standing and put his arms around her, "Hello there, pretty lady, what have you been up to today?"

"Too many things to tell you. What I really do want to tell you is why Mr. Bennetti is here. You already know he brought the furniture for the library… Oh, by the way, we have to contact some furniture company to make you a replication for a chair because the chairs of the period are not even close to being comfortable… Anyway, the reason he came is to tell us about the furniture..."

"Slow down Brenda. You need to breathe every once in a while, remember? Now take a deep breath and tell me what's so important about the library furniture." Jax waited to make sure she did as he asked. "Okay, now tell me."

"Well, according to Mr. Bennetti, all of the pieces comprise one original set. They meet the dimension and style requirements that you and Matthew provided. But that's not the best part. The best part is the name of the original owner." She looked at him with an expression that reminded him of the cat that ate the canary.

"Who?"

"Everett Chandler Stanhope! Can you believe it, Jax? Your office furniture is original to the house! Now that has got to be a good sign, don't you think?"

"Really? Is he sure about that?" It seemed unbelievable that the pieces Jax needed to hide his office equipment would also have fit the needs of the home's original owner over a hundred years ago. He looked at Matthew to make sure Brenda had heard the information correctly.

"That's what he said, Jax. He said they double-checked the information when they were putting the Custom's paperwork together, and he personally verified the authenticity." Matthew had seen Jax's disbelief. "Rich said he had put a copy of the research in the with invoices, so I'll read through it when they're done unpacking."

Jax just nodded. He was amazed at their good luck. How often did you find pieces original to an old house when redecorating? He could see by the expression on Brenda's face that she was excited and very, very pleased. This pleased him to no end.

It took about 3 hours for the men to get the furniture in place. It was not difficult to see where the pieces were intended to go. Amazingly enough, the floor plan that Jax and Matthew had devised seemed to suit the pieces perfectly. Once everything was in place, Rich shook hands all around and he and his crew left, leaving Brenda, Jax, and Matthew to admire the furniture. Brenda kept looking around the room with a curious expression on her face. It didn't take long for Jax to notice it.

"Honey, what's wrong? Don't you like it? Remember, they still have to hang the draperies and lay down the rugs."

"No, it's not that. It's just that this room looks very familiar. Like I've been here before. Wait! I know where I've seen it." She quickly ran out of the room, leaving Jax and Matthew looking at each other.

"What got into her?" Jax asked, looking at Matthew.

"How should I know? You're married to her!"

Just then Brenda came back into the room carrying the binder Matthew had given them when he prepared the report on the house. "I knew this room looked familiar. Look at this..." She put the binder down on the desk in front of them. It was open to one of the pictures of the original Stanhope Manor rooms. Jax and Matthew were both amazed -- the room was an exact replica of the one in the picture. At the time they had finished the floor plan, they had not yet seen the photos of the house. "Isn't that just the most amazing coincidence? Not only is the parlor an exact replica of the original, but now the library is as well. You know what else is weird? The draperies and rugs that Matthew ordered for in here are very similar to the ones in this picture. You'll be able to see for yourself when they are installed tomorrow!" Brenda seemed very proud of this fact, but Jax wasn't so sure. For some reason he was uncomfortable with the coincidence. He had no idea why he felt that way, but he did. He knew that there was nothing to be concerned about, but something in the back of his brain was not comfortable with this situation.

One thing he was sure of though, Brenda was thrilled with the house and everything connected to it. That alone was enough to drive away his nagging suspicions. What concerned him now was what he saw in front of him: Brenda was practically out on her feet. Obviously she had been here all day and was exhausted. It was time to put an end to things for today.

"Not that all of this isn't totally fascinating, but I think it's time to call it a day. Brenda, you look exhausted. Did you drive here?"

Brenda looked at him, suddenly realizing how tired she was. "Actually, no -- Matthew picked me up this morning. Any idea where I could get a ride to the Port Charles Hotel, Penthouse Suite?" she asked, trying desperately to smile and look perky.

"Oh, I think we can arrange something. Matthew, will you be here tomorrow?" Jax looked over to see Matthew picking up the invoices and history documents that Rich Bennetti had left for the furniture.

"You can count on it. Brenda has some very special deliveries scheduled for early tomorrow morning, so I'll be here." He looked over at Brenda and gave her a conspiratorial wink.

"You're right! I'll be here as well. What time are they due -- 8:30?"

Jax put his arms around her waist from behind, "Oh, no, you won't! You need some rest, Brenda. I'm sure Matthew can handle the deliveries, whatever they are. You can come up later in the morning. Understood?" He had turned her around to face him as he had been speaking.

"But Jaaaxx..."

"No buts! In fact, I'm going to call the office and tell LOIS that I'll be working at home until at least 11:00, so I can make sure you get your rest!"

She looked up at him, intent upon arguing the point but she realized that it was a lost cause. If Jax was in his protecting mode there was nothing she could do to change his mind, besides, she was awfully tired. Maybe he was right. She could use some sleep. "Okay… okay. I guess there's no changing your mind, is there? I guess I'll see you around 11 then, Matthew, but promise that you'll call if there is any problem with the delivery."

"I promise. Now go home and enjoy your evening with your husband. I can handle things here tomorrow." He looked at the two of them, wrapped in and around each other. He shook his head, thinking that he had never known a couple more in love or more deserving of the happiness he knew they would have in this house. The longer he was around them, the more he felt like they were his children. Well, almost -- he wasn't quite that old, regardless of how tired he felt right now!

After checking that all the doors were locked and the security system was engaged, they all headed down the porch stairs. Jax and Brenda got into his car and drove off. By the time they got to the first intersection Brenda was already dozing off, leaning her head against Jax's shoulder. Jax looked down at her and couldn't resist the urge to smile. She looked like a little girl, cuddled up against his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and started back on the route home.

As Matthew was getting into his car, a small, silver, foreign car pulled into the driveway. A man got out and approached him. The man looked familiar, but Matthew couldn't place the face. Just then the man held out his hand and spoke, "Mr. Rollins, I've been looking forward to meeting you. It seems we have a mutual acquaintance."

Suddenly Matthew knew who this was. The accent, the walk, the stance -- he was standing in front of none other than Jerry Jacks...