A light snow started to fall as they were driving through the streets of Port Charles. Neither Brenda nor Jax said a word. Brenda's silence was caused by total confusion as to the nature of her Christmas gift. Jax's silence, on the other hand, was caused by a growing concern that he had made a terrible mistake. Her silence only added to his concern. "Brenda, are you okay?" he asked quietly, never taking his eyes off the road to look at her.

"Sure, why do you ask?"

"Well, you haven't said a word since we left the hospital garage. Are you disappointed in your gift? If you are, we can forget this whole thing and go together to get you something you'll enjoy." He was afraid that his panic was beginning to show in his voice.

"Absolutely not!! I've just been sitting here trying to figure out what you got me. I know it's not just this beautiful, old key because you told me it was the key to our future. But for the life of me I can't figure out what it opens. We've been driving for almost twenty minutes and I have no idea where we are going, so I'm just trying to figure this out before we get there.

"Honey, don't you think for a minute that I would ever be disappointed in anything you gave me. It's just that sometimes it takes me a little while to figure out my gifts. Remember the magic lamp? That took a little explanation for me to figure out I needed to make a wish to make it work. Do you remember my wish?" she asked as she looked closely at his profile as he drove.

He couldn't help smiling at the memory. "Of course, I do. You asked for a day with your prince. But being you, the request came in the form of a riddle that the gift giver had to figure out. I think I'd probably still be working on that one if Robin hadn't had the answer for me." He smiled for the first time since leaving the garage. He was sure now that his gift was perfect for their first Christmas as husband and wife!

They drove on in silence a little while longer. Suddenly Jax turned into a driveway and pulled up under the roof. He parked the car, got out and came around to open the door for Brenda. She got out, looking around, trying to figure out where they were. They were parked next to a very nice, old, Victorian-style house. It was not a mansion by anyone's standards, but it was a rather large house. She looked around the neighborhood and recognized it from a story on TV the other night about the rebirth of these great, old houses: how they were being restored to their original grandeur and being lived in by some of the most prominent people in Port Charles -- those who did not want the showy homes of River Road, like the one owned by the Quartermaines.

They walked slowly around to the front of the house, with Brenda falling more in love with the house every minute. "Jax, who owns this house? It's just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!!!"

He smiled at her, gently lifting her hand that was still clutching the golden key. "Why don't you find out?"

Totally confused but willing to follow Jax's instructions, Brenda allowed him to lead her to the front door. "Okay, try your key," he instructed and stepped aside so she could do just that.

It suddenly dawned on Brenda what her Christmas gift was. Her hands shook as she inserted the key in the antique lock of the front door. It opened immediately. Brenda held her breath as she pushed open the door and walked into the foyer. The inside of the house was as fantastic as the outside. There was a marble floor in the foyer with dark wood paneling on the walls. As they moved further inside the empty house, she found each room more perfect than the last. Even the kitchen, a room in which she had very little experience but was intent to learn, was perfect. When they came back into the foyer from exploring the first floor, Brenda had tears in her eyes. "Jax, did you buy this house?" she asked holding her breath, waiting to hear the answer she wanted.

"Only if you like it," he replied. "I took an option on it contingent upon my wife's approval. So what do you think? Would this make a good first 'home' for Jasper and Brenda Jacks?" he asked, holding his breath as well.

She didn't answer him at first. She stood still for a second and then suddenly jumped into his arms wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his waist in a now famous 'Brenda hug.' "You bet it does!! It's better than good -- it's PERFECT!!!" she said as she started kissing him over and over again.

"Can we really live here? Do you really like it, Jax? I mean, I don't want us to live somewhere simply because I like it. You're going to live here, too, so you have a voice in this decision. But, Jax, I just love it. Can we go see the rest of it?" All of this said in just one breath without her even being winded left Jax stunned. She had managed to cover at least three subjects at one time and the worst part was, he had managed to follow each of her statements/questions.

"Whew!! Take a breath and let me answer. Yes, we can live here if you want. Yes, I like the house. In fact, I fell in love with it the minute I first drove past, so, yes, I want to live here. I get the distinct feeling you would end our marriage if I said no to the house. Finally, to answer the last question, yes, we can go see the rest." With that said, he planted a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose and set her feet back down on the floor. As soon as her feet hit the floor she was heading for the grand staircase pulling him along behind her. Jax was overjoyed that his first instinct about the house had been correct. This was the perfect first home for them.

Brenda could not get over the upstairs rooms. She knew immediately which was the master bedroom suite. It was huge! There was a beautiful sitting room area with a huge fireplace with a marble front and an ornately carved mantle. Then you went through the glass French doors in the sitting area to what was, in Victorian times, referred to as the bedchamber. It had leaded glass doors along one entire wall that opened to a large wrought iron balcony overlooking a landscaped backyard with an in-ground pool. The bedchamber was large with another ornate fireplace. Brenda could just imagine them in an antique, four-poster bed, making love by the light of the fire.

Beyond the bedchamber was the bath. This room was the first, other than the kitchen, that had obviously been not only upgraded for current building codes, but had also been modernized. There was a large tub, big enough for the both of them as well as a two-person shower. What amazed her about the shower was that it had no doors, simply high marble walls. Across from the shower were the sinks, antique pedestal style with beautiful chrome and brass fixtures. Next to the sinks was the doorway to the dressing room. This must have been another bedroom before the house had been renovated. It was huge. Brenda could not remember ever seeing a larger closet. It even had built-in, full-length mirrors and dressers so the bedroom would not need to be cluttered with extra pieces of furniture.

After they finished in the master suite, Brenda led Jax into each additional room on the second floor, a total of four additional bedrooms and four adjoining baths. It was obvious that a lot of time and planning had gone into the restoration of this great, old house. Brenda was even beginning to picture what kind of furniture she wanted in each room.

They then made their way to the third floor. This had obviously been a ballroom in the original design. There were two large fireplaces, one on each end of the room. The floor was a beautiful marble tile. This was the first room that Brenda realized had a perfectly straight floor. Whatever had been done in the original construction had allowed the house to age but this floor had not settled or dipped or warped. It struck her instantly that this entire house had been built with a great deal of love and had been restored in the same way.

As they headed back down to the second floor she suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway. Turning to look at Jax with a frightened look in her eyes she began to tremble.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Jax asked, suddenly concerned by the fear in Brenda's eyes.

"I just realized how big this house is. How am I ever going to decorate it properly? If we stay here, and I truly do want to, then it has to be furnished to match the beauty it was built with. How am I ever going to do that? I'm scared that I'm going to ruin it," she said as she looked to Jax for support.

"Honey," Jax said, wrapping his arms around her, "you don't have to do it alone. You did a beautiful job on the cottage with the help of a decorator. All we have to do is find a reputable decorator who specializes in period houses. Between your natural sense of style and taste and a professional to steer you in the right direction, it'll be a snap," he said as he kissed her gently on top of her head.

"How do you always know exactly what I need to hear whenever I need to hear it?" she asked, tightening her arms around his waist. "Jax, I love this house. It's the most wonderful present you could have ever given me. Even empty, it feels like it's our home. I just feel like the house wants us here, as well. Thank you!!!" She followed up with a kiss that let him know immediately that his fears earlier about the house being a mistake were groundless.

They headed back down to the main floor. As they took one last look around the rooms on this floor, Brenda suddenly got a feeling that only good things would happen for them in this house. She was sure that the bad times were at last behind them. Never again would Sonny, or Jason, or Miranda, or anyone ever come between her and Jax. She knew that no matter what they faced they would face it together and conquer it. She could picture them raising children in this house. That was the second time today she had thought about children. She made a mental note to talk to the decorator, when they found one, about setting aside that beautiful room with all the windows next to the master suite, to be a nursery someday.

"When can we start furnishing the house?" she asked. "I want us to be able to move in as soon as possible."

"Well, the realtor said if you approved the house he could start escrow the day after Christmas. Since the house is vacant, he didn't see any reason why we couldn't begin decorating as soon as the financing cleared. We probably could have the keys for decorating purposes just after the first of the year, and take possession by the end of January." Jax told a very delighted Brenda.

"Great!! How do we go about finding a decorator who specializes in period house?" she asked. "I want this house to be perfect when we move in. I have some great ideas on how I want to furnish a lot of the rooms, especially our bedroom," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'll bet you do," he replied, matching her twinkle with one of his own. "Seriously though, I'm sure either the realtor handling the house or the Port Charles Restoration Society could recommend someone. They have to have used someone with expert knowledge just to restore the house itself. The only restriction in the deal is that we cannot change the structure either internally or externally. It was restored according to blueprints in the Port Charles Library. The Restoration Society put in all of the wallpaper and paint based upon paint chips found during restoration or known patterns and colors of the time period. I think they did a beautiful job. Do you think you can work with the papers and paints in the house? If you can't, we can probably file an appeal with the Restoration Society to make some decorating changes, as long as they are not too extensive."

"Absolutely not!!! Everything is just perfect the way it is. I wouldn't dream of changing a thing," she declared, planting her feet firmly on the floor in front of him. "How could you even think of changing a thing? Whenever we find a decorator, I want to make sure you'll support me if they want to change anything that's already in the house," she said as she looked him straight in the eyes.

Jax could not get over the change in her in just the short time they had been in the house. She seemed to truly feel at home and ready to protect it from anyone who would change or harm it, regardless of who they were. "Okay, I promise. Nobody changes what's already here, unless you want it changed. Besides, the sales contract only states that it has to stay as purchased for 3 years. After that, if you want to change anything or everything you can do whatever you want. Okay?"

"Okay."

This was truly going to be a great Christmas. They had each other, a new marriage, a new home, and a start on a life that could only get better.

They wrapped their arms around each other as they headed back out to the car. The snow was beginning to fall heavier as they drove away from the house that very shortly was going to be their first, real home. Brenda couldn't wait to put the yacht on the mantel of the parlor, signifying that it truly was home.