May 5, 1999

5:45 P.M.

Brenda had not heard Jax come in. She had been on the phone in the library most of the afternoon, trying to resolve a shipment dispute concerning the house she and Matthew were finishing work on. When she finally hung up the phone, she was startled by the sound of his voice, "You look awfully comfortable behind my desk there, Mrs. Jacks!" The amusement was obvious in Jax's voice, not to mention on his face, as he walked over and put his briefcase down on the desk, before reaching down to draw Brenda up into his arms. He was disturbed as he approached her to see how tired she looked. "Rough day, huh?" he asked as he gently stroked the side of her face.

Brenda took a deep breath before answering, taking the time to snuggle tightly into his embrace. "You have no idea! I swear, Jax - I don't remember having this many problems when I was working on *this* house!" Brenda sighed deeply and settled more comfortably into his arms. Suddenly realizing what was happening, Brenda pulled back from him, "Honey - I'm so sorry!"

Jax was startled by her apology. "What for?"

"I should have paid more attention to the time! I haven't even changed my clothes or combed my hair or anything!" Jax was surprised to see the tears forming in the corners of Brenda's eyes.

He cupped the side of her face in his hand and bent down to kiss her gently, "There's nothing to apologize for, Brenda. You have a job, the same as I do. I know there are going to be days when your responsibilities keep you busy. That's the nature of business. I'm just concerned about how tired you look right now. Did you take your nap this afternoon like Dr. Meadows said?" Jax held her back from him so he could look into her eyes.

Brenda looked away from him and didn't answer at first. He gently turned her face back to him, waiting for an answer. "The afternoon just got away from me! One minute I'm sitting here eating my lunch, and the next minute, you're standing in the doorway!" She could see Jax's concern when she mentioned eating lunch at her desk.

The tears that had been forming in Brenda's eyes were now threatening to start streaming down her cheeks. Jax pulled her close to him again, holding her tightly. "Don't cry, honey. It's okay." He gently stroked the back of her hair as he held her close to him. Neither of them said anything for several minutes. They just stood there, holding each other; Jax gently stroking Brenda's hair, and her clinging tightly to him. At first concerned by her emotional state, Jax came to quickly realize that this must be another example of the "raging hormones" that Dr. Meadows had warned them about. He figured the best thing for both of them was to just hold her until it passed.

As Jax and Brenda were standing there, Everett was silently watching in the shadows; his agitation becoming more and more pronounced. Finally, Brenda pulled back from Jax's embrace and looked up at him. "Sorry about that!" she said rather sheepishly. "I guess we can chalk that up to my 'raging hormones,' huh?" Brenda smiled slightly as she looked up at him.

"I guess so. Tell you what: why don't you go upstairs and take a nice, hot bath before dinner? I have some contracts to go over anyway. By the time you finish your bath, I should be done, and we can have some dinner. What do you say?"

Brenda began to protest, when she felt him tighten his arms around her. When she looked up into his face, she realized that that last statement had been for Everett's benefit. "Are you sure you feel up to working some more? Jax, you've only been back to work a couple of days, you know. You shouldn't overdo it!"

Jax smiled when he saw the expression in Brenda's eyes. She had understood what he was trying to tell her and was playing along. "I'm fine, Brenda - really! Besides, there are only a couple of contracts. It shouldn't take me too long. Promise!" He kissed the tip of her nose and patted her gently on her behind. "Now, scoot! You go have that hot bath and let me get my work done, or we'll never have dinner tonight!" The smile on his face and the look in his eyes made it clear that he was enjoying this game.

Reluctantly, Brenda pulled out of his embrace. "Okay, I'm going! Just remember - not too long! I'll be back as soon as I finish my bath!" She smiled up at him and walked past him toward the door. As she passed, she gently swatted his behind. When he turned quickly around in surprise, she laughed loudly and ran from the room.

Jax could hear her singing as she headed up the stairs. He shook his head as he walked around to sit behind his desk. He took off his suitcoat and tossed it onto the couch, as he removed his already loosened tie and tossed it over there, as well. Once he was settled in his chair, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before getting started. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a few, rather thick files. He leaned back in his chair and began reading the material. Out the corner of his eye, he was positive he saw something move in the shadows of the fireplace, but he didn't let on that he saw anything.

As Jax continued to read through the materials in first one file and then another, making notes on some pages, Everett could not resist the feeling of satisfaction he was experiencing. Maybe that unfortunate accident had been more successful than he had first thought. It definitely seemed to have given Jax a better sense of priorities. Now if he could just think of a way to put the next part of his plan into operation. There had to be some way to "suggest" to Jax that he make peace with his father. From the conversations he had heard in this room, John Jacks sounded like the kind of man who could mold Jax into the proper businessman that he showed the promise to be. Just then there was a voice from the doorway, and Everett quickly faded back into the shadows.

"Okay, Mr. Jacks - ready or not, here I come!" Brenda yelled as she ran through the door and threw herself at him. Jax was glad that he had stood up when he heard her voice, before she ran into him. He grabbed her around the waist and spun her around before sitting back down in his chair with her in his lap "Wow! I like that kind of reception! Did I interrupt something?" She looked expectantly at the stack of closed folders on his desk.

"Actually, your timing is perfect! I just now finished the last of my notes on the last contract! What do you say we have some dinner? I'm starved!" Jax reached up and pulled her face down to his for a deeply passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" a rather flustered Brenda asked.

"Nothing. I just had a yen for some pre-dinner dessert - that's all! Come on, let's go!" Jax quickly stood up, carrying Brenda out of the room, both of them laughing easily as they headed into the dining room, Brenda still in his arms.

After they left, Everett came out from the shadows again. The anger was starting to build in him once more as he approached Jax's desk. He quickly looked through all of the files there and realized that what he had told his wife was true: he had finished with the contracts before she got back. Admittedly, he would have preferred that Jax worked later into the night, but he had to admit that, since this was only his first week back at work and he was already bringing work home, maybe this really was all he needed to finish for tomorrow. A feeling of satisfaction came over Everett once again as he faded back into the shadows. Yes, things really were going quite well right now…

9:45 P.M.

Jax and Brenda had finished dinner, had their coffee, and had been enjoying each other's company in the parlor for a while. They were snuggled up together on the sofa, staring into the fire. Jax was gently stroking Brenda's hair as she drew small circles on his chest with her index finger. Jax glanced down at Brenda and noticed her trying to stifle a yawn. He glanced over at the clock on the mantel and pulled her back from him. "What do you say we head upstairs? You look exhausted!" When she started to protest, he put a silencing finger to her lips. "Tell you what: how about if I give you a backrub?" He looked down at her with THAT look in his eyes. Unfortunately, Brenda was not sure she was up to staying awake long enough to participate.

"Sounds like a great idea. Let's go." She slowly got up off the sofa, allowing Jax to get up as well. Once they were both standing, they wrapped their arms around each other and headed toward the foyer. Jax flipped the lights off as they went out. As they walked up the stairs, Brenda snuggled her head into his chest, tightening her arm around his waist. Jax smiled as he looked down at his beautiful, but exhausted, wife.

While Brenda went into the bathroom to change for bed, Jax closed the hallway doors and turned off the lights in the sitting room. He removed his clothes and got into bed. About five minutes later, Brenda came out of the bathroom, wearing her nightshirt. As he watched her walk toward the bed, Jax couldn't get over how much like a little girl she looked, with her hair hanging loose on her shoulders and no makeup. He held up the covers on her side of the bed for her to get in. Once she was settled in the bed, she quickly snuggled close to him, not bothering with the backrub. Almost as soon as her head had rested on his chest above his heart, Jax could hear her slow, even breathing, letting him know she had already drifted off to sleep. He gently wrapped his left arm around her sleeping body and reached over to the bedside table with his other, for the book he kept there. After reading for about an hour, Jax felt himself dozing off as well, so he put the book back and turned off the lamp. He slid slowly down, making sure not to disturb Brenda. He wrapped both arms around her and quickly drifted off to sleep.

4:45 A.M.

Jax woke up when he realized what was happening. When he opened his eyes, he was not surprised to find Brenda wide awake and looking down at him. When she saw his eyes open, a sultry smile crossed her face. "It's about time you woke up!" she said, just before she kissed him passionately.

When Brenda finally ended the kiss, Jax couldn't resist the urge to laugh. Brenda looked down at him with a pout on her face. "Hey! What are you laughing at?" She started to pull back off of him, but he was too quick for her. He tightly wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from moving.

"Where do you think you're going? I didn't say anything about not liking your method of waking me up!" Jax lifted one of his hands from her back to gently stroke the back of her hair. He reached up to lift her face to his, "What do you say we try that again? This time with both of us wide awake!" Jax smiled at her and pulled her face to his. The intensity of the kiss they shared left them both breathless when it ended. He looked deeply into her eyes before saying anything. "Now, that's what I call a kiss!"

Brenda smiled at him without saying a word. She shifted her position so that she was now lying completely on top of him, her hips against his, and both her legs resting between his. "You think THAT was a kiss? What do you call THIS then?" With that said, she leaned down to kiss Jax again and again, each kiss more intense than the last. When she finally broke the kiss to take a breath, she smiled at him, "Well?"

When Jax was finally able to speak again he returned the sultry smile, "Point taken! To what do I owe the pleasure of this romantic wakeup? Someone having pleasant dreams?" He gently ran his hands up and down the length of Brenda's back, stopping every once in a while to caress her bottom. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you!" he was quick to point out.

The twinkle in Brenda's eyes was visible even in the darkened room. "I guess you can thank my 'condition'. Now that the morning sickness has stopped, I seem to have developed these 'cravings!'" She kissed him again, this time gently sliding her entire body along his.

After this latest kiss finally ended, Jax reached his hands along her butt and pulled her closer to him, letting her know the effect of her kisses. "And just what exactly are you craving, wife of mine?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer was going to be.

Brenda pulled herself up so that she was straddling him, one leg on each side of his hips. As she slowly sat up, Jax reached up and began to unbutton her nightshirt. After opening the last button, he gently pushed the shirt from her shoulders, leaving her sitting above him, naked. Brenda could see the admiration in Jax's face as he looked at her body in the moonlight. She gently took his right hand and rubbed it softly on her abdomen. Jax was startled when he realized that something was different. He looked quickly up into Brenda's eyes when he realized what it was. "The baby?" he whispered. Brenda just nodded her head. "So soon? I thought babies don't start to show until in the second trimester?" Jax never stopped rubbing Brenda's abdomen, first up-and-down, and then from side-to-side, with a caress so gentle and so loving that Brenda was having a hard time controlling her tears.

"That's true, but I'm almost at the end of my first trimester, and Dr. Meadows did warn us that this might happen - especially if your son takes after his father physically! You could be looking at the beginnings of Brenda the whale here!" she couldn't resist the urge to chuckle at her own joke.

Jax reached up and placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "Don't say that, Brenda! You'll never look like a whale to me, no matter how 'healthy' our child gets. Every time I look at you, I'll see the child you are carrying and feel the love that created that child, and that will simply make you even more beautiful to me." He reached up to her face and pulled her down for a passionate kiss.

Brenda eagerly responded to his kiss, rubbing herself against him. When she finally sat back up, she became increasingly aware of the affect she was having on him. She leaned down and placed a series of quick kisses down the center of his chest. When she reached his navel and felt his strength against her, she looked up with a smile. "Well, husband of mine, have you figured out what I'm craving yet?" She gently nipped at his navel to prevent him from answering. She suddenly sat back and raised herself from his hips. She reached for the waistband of his boxers and started to pull them down. Jax quickly took over and pulled them completely off. When she felt him against her, she slowly made them one. From that point on, neither Jax nor Brenda had a clear memory of what happened.

It was more than two hours before either of them could feel like they were in control. The intensity of their lovemaking was increasing every time they made love. When he finally felt his breathing returning to normal, Jax took one deep breath as he gently stroked Brenda's back. She was still lying on top of him, neither of them willing to break the union between them. He gently lifted her chin to look at her, his concern for her evident in his eyes and his voice. "Are you okay, Brenda?"

With a slight smile on her face, Brenda sighed softly, "Oh, yes, I'm fine." With that said, she put her head back down on his chest, resting her cheek against him. They lay like that for several minutes, with Jax gently stroking her back, neither of them saying anything, when Brenda was startled to feel Jax within her. She looked up at him with a surprised expression "Are you sure?" Jax just smiled and rolled them over so that she was now beneath him. He proceeded to show her how sure he was. It was nearly dawn when they finally fell asleep again.

Jax could not believe the noise the alarm made when it went off. He quickly reached over and turned it off, before snuggling back into Brenda's arms. She had barely stirred when he had reached for the clock, so he was startled when he heard her voice.

"Don't tell me it's time to get up already!" She shifted her head to the side and opened one eye to look at Jax's face. "Good morning, my love" was all she said before kissing him softly on the chest.

Jax gently stroked her back and kissed the top of her head, "Good morning to you, too. How did you sleep?" He tried very hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He knew full well that neither one of them had slept much last night. He was relieved that at least she would be able to go back to sleep after he left.

Brenda tried to swat him, but he grabbed her arm and rolled them both over so that she was now beneath him. "Well, if SOMEONE hadn't kept me up most of the night…" She never finished her sentence because Jax began a tickle attack. As she tried to defend herself, they just became more entangled with each other. "Hey!"

"I certainly hope you are not referring to ME keeping YOU up! Who was it that woke me in the middle of the night to satisfy her cravings?" The glint in Jax's eyes was enough to make Brenda blush.

"Is this a complaint I hear?" she asked as she stopped struggling and looked up at him, the teasing still in her voice.

"Definitely not! I'll be more than happy to satisfy that particular craving any time!"

"I'm so glad to hear you say that!" Brenda said as she reached up and pulled Jax's face down to hers. Before either one of them realized what was happening, they were again making love.

As they lay together afterwards, Brenda drawing circles on Jax's chest and Jax gently massaging her back, Brenda began to realize the sense of satisfaction she felt. She lifted her head from Jax's chest and looked up at him. She smiled when she saw the same satisfaction on his face. She kissed him gently on the lips and rested her head on her crossed hands on his chest. "Wow! That was amazing!" She tilted her head forward and kissed his chest again.

"No, my love, YOU were amazing! If I had known that pregnancy was going to generate that kind of 'craving' in you, I'd have suggested having a baby a long time ago!"

Brenda laughed at Jax's remark. "Well, I can attribute my 'cravings' to my pregnancy. What's your excuse?" She smirked as she rested her head on her hands, waiting for his answer. To say she was surprised at his response was an understatement.

"Sympathy cravings!" was all he said.

"Excuse me?" was her startled response.

"Sure - remember one of those pregnancy pamphlets that Dr. Meadows gave us mentioned sympathy pains that the father experiences during labor and delivery? Well, with a wife as desirable as you, it's no wonder that, considering what you were craving last night that I would experience the same thing!" Jax took one look at Brenda's face, and they both burst out laughing. When he finally was able to control his laughter, he looked up at her, "Did that sound as lame to you as it did to me?" He started to laugh again.

"Now that you mention it, YES!" Brenda laughed again, then bent down to kiss him. "Whatever the reason, thank you for last night. Jax, I feel so complete right now. Do you know what I mean? I'm lying here in your arms, after making love for about the millionth time. I can't imagine being any place else right now." Brenda snuggled back down into Jax's embrace. They lay together for several minutes, just enjoying the silence.

A little while later, Jax looked over the top of Brenda's head at the clock on the bedside table. "I'm sorry to have to do this, sweetheart, but I have to get up. Why don't you go back to sleep? We both know you didn't get much sleep last night, and I'm sure you could use some more." Jax started to pull out from under her. Brenda tightly wrapped her arms around him to prevent him from getting up.

"Nooo! Do you really have to get up already? You didn't get any more sleep than I did, you know."

It was all Jax could do to actually get up, when he saw the pitiful look on her face. "I'm afraid so. I have a pretty busy morning set up, and after all the time I missed after the accident, I can't afford to miss any more meetings." He slowly pulled out from under her and sat on the edge of the bed. Brenda knelt behind him on the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was in this position that she got her first look at the time.

"Yikes! Is it really that late? I need to get up myself! Matthew is going to be here at 10:00!" She still had not released her hold on Jax's neck. Suddenly she had a great idea. Before pulling her arms from around his neck she kissed the back of his shoulder. "Tell you what. Why don't you go take your shower and get dressed? I'll go downstairs and have Mrs. Kelly start breakfast. That way we can at least have breakfast together before you leave." She kissed his shoulder again and pushed him gently off the bed. He grabbed his robe from the chair and tossed one at her, as well, on his way into the bathroom.

"Sounds like a plan to me. I'll be down in a few minutes." Jax headed off into the bathroom.

Brenda lay back down on the bed, oblivious of her lack of clothing, until she heard the water in the shower. Then before getting out of bed she gently ran her hand across her abdomen, as she did every morning before getting up. She rested her hand there as she always did. "Good morning, little one" was all she said. She placed a kiss on her index finger and placed her finger on her abdomen. "That's just a good morning kiss from your mom and dad." Having finished her morning ritual, she slowly got out of bed and put on the robe Jax had tossed her way. She pulled the belt of his white terrycloth robe tightly around her, before heading downstairs to check on their breakfast.

As they were finishing breakfast, Brenda looked over at Jax, "Honey, when do you think we should have our next meeting with your mother?" She knew this was a subject he would not be eager to discuss, but it was also one they needed to follow up on.

"I was thinking about that in the shower. I told her we'd get in touch with her in a few days. Do you feel up to meeting with her?" Jax reached over and took her hand in his. "I know you must be too exhausted today to even think about it, so what do you say we set it up for some time next week?"

Brenda thought for a moment before answering. "Actually, I was thinking we should see if we can set it up for tomorrow." The look on Jax's face showed that he was startled by her suggestion. "What?"

"Are you sure you want to do it so soon?" He gently rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand.

"Positive! Jax, I really want this to work. I think the sooner we make the attempt, the sooner we'll find out if we have any kind of a chance at a real reconciliation. Do you want me to give her a call?" The commitment in Brenda's eyes convinced Jax that now was the time to follow up on it.

"No, I think it would be better if I have Allison set it up. At this point, the less contact we have directly with her, the better our chances of making this work. What's on your schedule for tomorrow?"

Brenda thought for a minute. "Nothing much. I have to meet with Matthew and a prospective new client at 10:30, and then I have a meeting with a couple of suppliers for the current project at 3:00. Other than that, nothing that can't be rearranged." Jax and Brenda had gotten up from the table in the breakfast room, as she was talking, and started walking toward the library so Jax could retrieve his briefcase.

"How about 12:30 then?" he asked, as he walked over to the desk to put his files in his briefcase. "Any suggestions as to where? I don't think we want to go back to The Grill, especially after what Thomas told us yesterday." Jax was careful not to say too much; knowing that Everett could be listening.

"I think we should meet your mother some place more private. How about the penthouse?" Brenda knew this suggestion would provoke a reaction from her husband. She was hoping he would give her a chance to explain before he refused. When she looked up into his face, she could see a mixture of surprise and growing anger as memories of their last encounter with his mother in the penthouse came back to him. Brenda decided she would take the initiative. "Think about it, Jax: it makes a lot of sense. We both agree that if we are going to have any chance of making peace with your family, we need to do it as privately as possible. There is a lot of hostility we need to resolve, if we are going to make this work. I don't feel comfortable with the idea of airing our family problems in a public restaurant."

"I understand that, Brenda, and I agree, but are you sure you want to do it in the penthouse? The last time Lady Jane was there, it was a pretty awful time for both of us." Brenda was now able to see that Jax's primary concern was her comfort, and she loved him even more for it.

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "I know, sweetheart, but I think that is all the more reason that we should do it there! You and I both have some pretty awful memories of that day. I think meeting with her there would be a way for all of us to put those memories in the past, where they belong. Didn't you say she felt bad about what happened? Shouldn't we give her a chance to wipe the slate clean, so we can all start over?" Brenda looked up into Jax's face, searching for her answer in his expression. Slowly she smiled, when she saw the answer she wanted there.

Jax smiled down at her and kissed her on the tip of the nose. He pulled her into a tight hug and then released her before answering, "You continue to amaze me, you know! You're right, of course! I'll have Allison give Lady Jane a call and invite her to lunch tomorrow at 12:30 - at the penthouse!" Jax kissed her again, this time more passionately. When they finally broke the kiss, he let out a large sigh, "I guess I'd better get going. I'm already running late. If I'm lucky, I should make it to the office in time for my meeting." He reached over to the desk to pick up his briefcase, "Walk me out?" He extended his hand to her, and, as she took it, they started out the door.

Once they were out the door, Everett moved from the shadows, where he had been listening, the smile of satisfaction on his face showing his intense pleasure with himself. As he slowly walked about the library, his mind going over what he had heard, he couldn't help but feel that things in the house were about to change. Finally, someone living in this house would be worthy of it! God knows his own son had not been! Everett just shook his head as his memories of what he considered the softness of his son came back to him. He shook his head as he looked out the window. He may have been disappointed in his own son, but this boy held promise. As soon as the mother was back in his life, the next major step was to bring the father back, as well. Everett knew from what he had heard in this room, that it was going to be more difficult to achieve, but considering how well things were going, he didn't anticipate any great problems.

As he slowly walked around the room, running his hand along HIS furniture in HIS library, he suddenly had the feeling he was being watched. He knew none of the current residents were around, but as he looked about, he couldn't shake that feeling, as well as perceiving an overwhelming sense of sadness and disappointment. Where was that coming from? He took one last walk around the room before fading back into the shadows again.

Unknown to Everett, Madeline had been standing in the foyer, just outside the library door. The sense of sadness and disappointment Everett had felt was emanating from her. She silently wept as she started up the stairs. This was not the man whom she had loved with her heart and soul! She didn't know this man! When she thought back to what she had felt from him, she shuddered. She now knew that there was no way she or the Jacks family could stop until Everett was forced from the house! As she headed toward the morning sun at the top of the stairs, she made a decision to find a way to get to Everett, whatever it took. Jax's friend, Thomas, or Thomas's grandfather and his elders MUST find a way for her to talk to him! She still held a slim hope that if she could just talk to him, she would be able to convince him to accept Jax and Brenda as they were, and stop trying to change them. If that were not possible, they would have to find a way to drive him from the house FOREVER! The tears started to fall again as she disappeared into the morning sunlight.