Jax was the first to wake. He looked down at Brenda's sleeping form wrapped tightly around him. As he lightly stroked his hand over her hair, memories of the previous night raced through his mind. In all the time they had been together Jax could not remember ever having been so satisfied by their lovemaking. He had always felt a special bond to her and immensely enjoyed their passion, but there had been something very different about last night. It was almost like it had been the first time they had been together-- wild, free, passionate, and totally absorbed in pleasing each other, with no worries or problems. Jax kissed her gently on the top of the head and snuggled closer to her.

Brenda began to stir when she felt his kiss. She very slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Hello, there," she said, softly placing a gentle kiss on his chest before she snuggled more deeply into his embrace.

"Hello, yourself. Are you okay?" he asked, sounding concerned about her.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be? After all, I'm here in my new home, in my bed, with my husband after a night of the most amazing lovemaking I've ever experienced. Why would you think something would be wrong?" She propped herself up on his chest to look up at him, waiting for his answer.

"That's just it. We got pretty 'aggressive' in our lovemaking last night, you know. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't… you know, hurt you." Jax looked at her with a look of true concern for her well being.

"Relax, honey. I'm perfectly fine -- exhausted, but fine. I know you; you would never hurt me, especially on a night like last night. Anything we did last night I was a VERY willing participant in, trust me!" She left a trail of kisses across his chest and up the side of his neck. When she reached his lips, she placed a truly loving kiss there, before lying back down on his shoulder. "I probably should be asking you the same question though, are you okay?"

"Other than being more satisfied than I have ever been in my entire life, not to mention more exhausted, I'm fine. That was some night, huh? I guess you could say we've christened our new home." He said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I don't know about that, after all, we did confine our lovemaking to just this one room, you know…" she never finished the sentence since Jax grabbed her, flipped her onto her back and began to tickle her. "JAX!! STOP!!!" she cried out between fits of uncontrolled laughter.

Jax only stopped his tickle attack when it became evident that her writhing around beneath him on the bed had awakened more than just their memories. He leaned down to her and kissed her passionately. As the kiss continued, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and rolled them over so that she was lying on top of him by the time the kiss ended. She looked down into his eyes, feeling his arousal brushing against her, and finding it more and more difficult to concentrate as it did. "Are you sure you're ready for this? After all, you did expend an awful lot of energy last night, you know…" She had that evil twinkle in her eyes as she slowly moved herself against him, feeling the effect her movement had, knowing he was fast approaching loosing control.

"I'd watch what you do, luv. Or else you may find yourself expending a lot more energy of your own!" He kissed her again as she started to laugh softly and rolled them over again so that she was now beneath him. "In fact, I think it's time to see just how much energy you do have!" With that said, he began to kiss her passionately again and again, and before either of them realized it, they had passed the point of reasonable thought and were making love with almost the intensity they had last night.

After they had been both satisfied and brought satisfaction to each other they again were laying in bed, trying to regain some sense of control. "Wow! You are truly amazing, Brenda! " Jax said as he slowly stroked his fingertips over her naked back. "After last night I cannot believe you were able to do that! No wonder I love you so much; if you keep that up you are DEFINITELY going to find yourself pregnant before we even get out of this bed for the first time!" He kissed her on the top of the head and tightened his arms around her.

"Look who's talking! I already knew you were an amazing lover, but after last night and now this morning that description doesn't seem adequate! Thank you for loving me, and I don't just mean physically, Jax." Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Brenda, loving you is not something you need to thank me for. It is something that is a part of me, just like breathing. I know we've had some pretty rough times in the past, but I promise you that is where it will stay! I'm not saying we won't have arguments, but we'll always know in our hearts that we are one person, so no matter how much we disagree, we'll always find some way to work it out, right?"

Before she had a chance to answer, they both heard a low rumble from their stomachs, which caused them both to burst into laughter.

When Brenda could finally bring her laughter under control, she propped herself up on one arm and looked down at him, "I think we should continue this discussion at a later time. What do you say we head downstairs and have some breakfast?" She smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on his lips.

"I think that's a great idea. Benton and Mrs. Kelly are probably wondering if we're ever coming down!" Jax returned her kiss and quickly got out of bed, grabbing his robe from the bedside chair. "Brenda, when did you put this out? I didn't notice it when I was up earlier?" he asked as he tied the belt snuggly around his waist. He looked back at the chair and noticed her robe there as well. He picked it up and walked over to her side of the bed, holding the robe open for her. As she got out of bed, he wrapped the robe quickly around her, leaving his arms around her as she tied the belt.

"I didn't put them out. Benton must have when he came up to light the candles last night. It's the 'practical' type of thing he would do. To be honest with you, I never thought of it." Brenda thought nothing of the robes being out until Jax mentioned it.

Now that it was daylight Jax got his first look at their bedroom since he had, after all, been a little too preoccupied last night to notice his surroundings. He was truly amazed at what Brenda had done with the room. Like the sitting room, it was beautiful! Jax could not have imagined a more perfect room; he could see them sharing this room for the rest of their lives. Slowly he walked around the room, looking at everything, touching many things, but just totally amazed at the entire package.

Brenda realized that this was the first time Jax had seen the room, and she suddenly became nervous. "Well? What do you think? Do you like it? Please be honest with me, Jax!" Brenda's nervousness showed in her voice.

"Brenda, it's amazing! I love it!" Jax walked quickly over to where she was standing, wrapped his arms tightly around her, and spun her around. "You are incredible!" Just then his stomach rumbled again, causing their laughter to return. Jax set her down and they headed toward the door to go downstairs for breakfast, hand in hand, totally in love and deliriously happy!

Jax and Brenda spent their first day in their new home just kind of roaming around it together, making sure that everything was where they wanted it and had arrived undamaged from the penthouse. They quickly came to realize that they had nothing to be concerned about because Benton and Thomas had made sure that everything had been done exactly as Brenda had planned. Everything was easy to locate and in perfect condition. Even the clothes in their dressing room had been arranged in perfect order, much more so than they had been at the penthouse -- once again thanks to Benton. Brenda and Jax quickly realized that they had found the perfect person to run their home in Benton, and made it a point to thank him after they finished their exploration of the house.

Later in the morning they had decided to bundle up and take a walk around the grounds of the house. Admittedly, since this was a city home and not an estate, the grounds were not expansive, but there was sufficient property in back to give them the privacy they desired and yet the closeness of their neighbors as well. The snow that had fallen last night had not been excessive, just enough to make everything a beautiful white -- undisturbed until they came out. Very quickly their exploration led to an unplanned snowball fight, which left them both covered in snow and chilled to the bone. They returned to the house through the kitchen door, so as not to track snow into the house. Mrs. Kelly stuck her head into the mudroom as they were taking off their snow-covered boots and coats, "My goodness, you two look chilled to the bone! Come on now, take off those wet clothes and put these on! There is hot chocolate waiting for you in the kitchen when you're done. Hurry up before you catch your death of cold!" She handed Jax both of their heavy terrycloth robes and warm, dry socks. After she closed the door and went back into the kitchen, Jax and Brenda looked at each other and burst out laughing yet again.

After removing their wet clothes and putting on the warm robes, Jax and Brenda came into the kitchen. Mrs. Kelly had moved her worktable over near the stove, which was already warm from her baking, positioning the chairs so they could both enjoy the warmth the stove gave off, and she had set the mugs of hot chocolate on the table. She had also set out a plate of tiny marshmallows to go with the chocolate, as well as a plate of fresh baked cookies. "Come on, you two. Sit down over here before you catch your death!!" Mrs. Kelly gently shoved both of them toward the table and hovered over them until they sat down. She made sure that they were both close to the warm stove and comfortable, before she excused herself to go take care of their wet clothes and give them some privacy.

After putting several marshmallows into one of the mugs of steaming chocolate, Jax handed it to Brenda. "Here you go, hon'. Did I ever thank you for hiring that woman? She's a treasure, Brenda! Kind of like having our mother living here watching over us…" Jax never finished the thought as his mind drifted back to his last meeting with his own mother. He shook his head gently to clear the memory before Brenda had a chance to notice. She was a part of a past that was better off forgotten. Jax wanted to look forward to the future with Brenda and their children. In that future, Mrs. Kelly was a perfect candidate for the role of surrogate grandmother in his book. She would always be around if he had anything to say about it, and he knew any child of his and Brenda's would be in need of a grandmother with some common sense, and more importantly, fresh baked cookies!!!!

Brenda had noticed the changing expressions on Jax's face and was about to ask what was wrong, when she noticed a slight smile start to form. "What are you thinking about, Jax?"

"A lot of things. I was thinking about our last meeting with my mother, and I was feeling sorry for her actually."

"Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that if we really did conceive our child last night like we wanted, then she's going to miss out on seeing her first grandchild; watching them grow and develop into an independent person with their mother's spirit and courage and their father's lust for adventure."

"What else? I figured you were thinking about Jane when you made that remark about Mrs. Kelly. But then I saw a smile start to form on your face, what was that about?" Brenda reached over and grasped his hand.

"Well, once I decided to put Jane and the rest of them where they belong -- the past -- I realized that our children will be very lucky to have Mrs. Kelly around here. I mean, think about it -- she'd make a perfect surrogate grandmother! As far as I'm concerned, she's going to be around here forever, and the one thing our children are going to need with us as parents is a grandmother with common sense and a practical nature -- which she definitely has. More importantly, our children, and their father, for that matter, will need someone to have fresh baked cookies and hot chocolate ready on days like this. So for my part, I nominate Mrs. Kelly as the official 'surrogate' grandmother for any and all future Jacks children born into this family! All in favor, raise their right hand!" With that said, Jax raised his hand. When he looked over at Brenda she had her hand up as well, and he noticed tears in her eyes. "Brenda, what's wrong?" he asked as he squeezed her hand tightly in his.

"Are you so sure there is no way to make peace with your mother, Jax? I mean, she was only trying to protect you through all that happened! Don't you think that after a little time passes you might be able to forgive her?" The tears had started to run down her cheeks as she spoke. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her free hand.

"Honey, if it had just been what went on with J&J Jacks, I probably could have let that go. It was the way she treated you when she came to the penthouse after Jerry was arrested. Brenda, I didn't know that woman! She was blaming you for everything her husband and son had done! She has so little respect for me that she thinks you control my every thought and make my decisions for me. No, the person who loved me doesn't exist anymore -- at least not to me!"

Brenda could feel his pain and decided to change the subject. She would try another day to find a way to bring Jax and his mother back together. For now she just wanted to get back to the fun they had been having today -- no more bad memories. She reached over and softly caressed his cheek with her free hand. "Well, in that case, Mrs. Kelly is unanimously elected surrogate grandmother for all future Jacks children!" With the tension resulting from their discussion of his mother quickly going away they both were able to let out a soft chuckle.

Just then Mrs. Kelly came back in from taking care of their wet things. It was not part of her job to clean up after them, but she loved being around them so much that it brought out her maternal instincts. In the short time she had worked for them, she had grown to think of Jax and Brenda as her children. Watching them enjoy the snow like a couple of children and now seeing the love between them sitting by the stove, she knew she had found a place that was more than a job -- this was an extension of her family. Doing a few little extras for them, like making sure they didn't get sick, was an easy decision to make.

After finishing their hot chocolate, Brenda and Jax decided to try out their new soaking tub. They spent a long time relaxing in the tub before returning to their bed. After spending the balance of the afternoon making love and just relaxing in each other's arms, they finally decided to get dressed and come down to dinner. Because of the relaxed attitude of the household, Mrs. Kelly had taken it upon herself to set up dinner in the breakfast room instead of the dining room. Jax and Brenda thought it was a great idea and asked that she make it a regular practice. They both enjoyed looking out the three walls of windows as they ate, looking forward to the longer days of summer, when they would be able to watch the animals in their yard as they enjoyed their dinners and each other's company.

February 16, 1999

Jax and Brenda had slept in late again this morning. After spending much of last night making love, they were both finally so exhausted that nature had caught up with them. It was nearly 10:00 before either of them woke up. Brenda had been the first to wake, slipping gently out of Jax's embrace and their bed, she wrapped herself snuggly in his white robe, making sure that his navy blue one was waiting for him on the chair beside the bed when he awoke. She walked quietly into the sitting area, closing the doors to the bedroom as she left. She picked up the intercom in the sitting room and asked Benton to bring their breakfast up to the suite. After giving Benton the menu to be served, she walked over to the tall windows next to the fireplace to gaze out at the world.

When Jax had awakened and realized that he was alone in the bed, he quickly got up and put on his robe. As he stepped out of the bedroom, he saw Brenda standing by the window, lost in thought. He quietly came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "What's up, luv? You looked a million miles away when I came out." Jax reached his fingertips under her chin to lift her face to him. He kissed her lovingly on the lips and waited for her response.

"I was just standing here thinking about how lucky I am. I have a beautiful home, fantastic friends, and the most amazing husband any woman has ever had the good fortune to come across. My life is just about perfect right now, Jax. For the first time in my life, I feel like the world is mine for the taking, and I have you to thank for that!" She turned around in his embrace and reached up to kiss him again, this time more passionately.

"What was that for? Don't tell me you're ready to pick up where we left off last night?" he asked with a pained expression on his face, just before he burst into laughter.

"That was just to say thank you! I don't think I have the strength to pick up where we left off last night, not to mention the fact that I don't think my body can take any more right now! I know we've always been pretty much insatiable in our lovemaking, Jax, but there has been something very special between us the last couple days. It feels… different! Better!! Am I making any sense here?" She didn't exactly know how to express what it was she was feeling.

"I know what you mean. I was thinking the same thing when I first woke up. I think it's the first time in either of our lives that we feel completely at peace with ourselves. There are no outside forces putting pressure on us. We are together in our own home, just being ourselves."

"That's exactly what I've been feeling, Jax! I just didn't know how to explain it." Just then there was a knock at the door. Brenda quickly kissed Jax and went over to open the door. There stood Benton with their breakfast tray and the morning papers. He set the tray on the small table in front of the windows and turned the chairs to face it so Jax and Brenda could enjoy their meal. He set the pot of coffee on the butler's table by the fireplace and left, leaving Jax and Brenda to enjoy their breakfast in private.

As they were finishing their last cup of coffee, while reading the papers, snuggled up together on the couch in front of the fireplace, Brenda rolled over to face Jax, "What do you have on your schedule for today? Anything special?" She softly dragged her hand across his chest through the opening of his robe.

"Well, I thought this afternoon I'd check out the equipment in the library, just to make sure everything is working. Other than that, I'm all yours. What did you have in mind?" He leaned down and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Nothing specific; I thought maybe later this afternoon we could go for a drive, just to go exploring the neighborhood. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. How about you meet me in the library about 3:00, then we can go for a drive and be back by 6:00, so Mrs. Kelly can get home at a reasonable hour. You have to admit, Brenda, we have been pretty demanding these last few days. I don't think the poor woman has gotten out of here before 9:30 since we moved in. Okay?" he asked.

"Okay. Right now though, I think it's time for a shower. Care to join me?" Brenda got up from the couch and held her hand out to Jax. He quickly got up and followed her lead into the huge stall shower in their bath. After a long 'intimate' shower they found themselves once again in their bed, drawn together by an unbelievable feeling of love for each other.

2:30 p.m.

Jax had been working in the library for about two hours, checking market reports and responding to the ton of e-mails that had accumulated over the past couple days. He was so deeply engrossed in what he was doing that he never noticed Brenda enter the room. She stood in the doorway for a while just watching him. She loved to do that, just stand and watch him when he didn't realize she was there. Suddenly he looked up and saw her standing there, bringing a grin to his face bright enough to light a small town. "Hello, there, Mrs. Jacks, what brings you here?" He got up from his chair behind the desk and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Well, I couldn't wait any longer. Can we go for our ride now? I hated being away from you this afternoon. I want to spend as much time this week with you as I can. I know you have to go back to the office Monday, so I want to take advantage of this time together! So what do you say? Ready?" She looked up at him, hoping he would leave what he was doing and come with her. She was not disappointed.

"Your wish is my command, dear lady. Just let me shut down the computer, and I'm all yours. Brenda gave him a quick kiss and gently pushed him away.

"Hurry up! I've got our coats waiting in the foyer!"

Jax chuckled softly as he walked back to the desk to shut down his computer and lock up the cabinets containing the other office equipment. "I'm all yours, luv; let's go!" He walked back over to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They headed out the door toward the foyer. They never noticed the shadowy figure standing by the fireplace as they closed the doors behind them. After they were gone he came out of the darkness, looking around the room. As he saw all of his familiar furniture, he could not help but shake his head in disgust at the new owner of his home. This man had absolutely no sense of priority. He allowed his wife to take him away from business. That could not be tolerated in this house. He decided then and there that it would be his mission to teach this young man what was really important - business, above all else! Once he made up his mind, he faded back into the shadows by the fireplace, leaving only the unpleasant smell of bourbon in the room.