June 10, 1999

8:45 A.M.

Jax and Brenda were just finishing reading the morning paper and their last cup of coffee in the breakfast room when they heard a familiar voice from the hallway. "Thanks, Benton. I know my way." Both Jax and Brenda looked up when they heard Thomas approaching. He stood in the doorway for a minute looking at them before saying anything. "Well, isn't this a pretty picture!"

Both Jax and Brenda got up and started toward the doorway. "You're just jealous that's all, mate!" Jax said with a chuckle. He was startled to see the sudden change come over his friend's face. "Thomas? Is something wrong?" Brenda had noticed the change as well and placed her hand comfortingly on Thomas's arm. Thomas looked down at her and saw her slight smile of support.

Thomas looked first at Jax and then at Brenda, as he placed his hand over hers. "Actually, I think I am." The gentle smile that came across his face as he looked at Brenda was comforting, but confusing to her. "Not of the money or the power you have Jax - Lord knows I wouldn't know what to do with that! No, what I just realized I was jealous of is this - the two of you. After Leita died, I just figured that was it. I had my shot at happiness and now it was gone. I think I just shuffled thoughts of any kind of a relationship to somewhere in the back of my brain, kind of filed away under 'miscellaneous.' I didn't realize how much I still missed it until I came here to Port Charles. After spending so much time with the two of you, I've come to see how rich you two actually are. You are totally in love with each other and that love has resulted in the upcoming birth of your first child. That is what I'm jealous of." Thomas got quiet again.

Jax came over to his friend and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't be jealous Thomas. I'm sure you'll find love again." Thomas started to protest, but Jax held up his hand to stop him. "I know what you're going to say: that no one can replace Leita. I know that, and I would never try to tell you that someone would. All I'm saying is that one of these days you'll meet someone that you'll be able to love - differently than Leita - but love her just the same. When you do find that someone, you'll know what I'm talking about." Jax had been looking directly at Brenda the entire time he was talking.

"Jax is right, Thomas. Take it from someone who learned the hard way. You can't go looking for love again - it has to find you! Believe me, when it does, it'll be the most amazing thing you've ever felt!" Brenda squeezed Thomas's arm again before letting go. She looked over at the mantle clock. "Isn't it about time you two got going? I mean you don't want to be late for this appointment!"

Jax looked at his watch. "She's right, mate. We should get going. I'll just go get my briefcase from the library and we can be off." He looked at Brenda and smiled, "Want to come with me?"

Brenda winked at him and reached for his hand. "I'd love to. We'll be right back, Thomas."

As Jax and Brenda walked into the library, they were in the middle of discussing Jax's plans for the morning. Everett had been pacing the library when he heard them coming and had faded partly back into the shadows, curious about what they were discussing.

As they reached Jax's desk, Brenda put a hand on his arm as he reached for his briefcase. "Honey, are you sure you want to do this? I know what they did was awful, but if you go through with this, it is something that you can never take back."

Jax reached up and stroked the side of her face. "I understand that, Brenda, and I love the fact that you're worried about the backlash of all this for me, but I don't have any choice. They tried to destroy Jacks International for their own selfish reasons, not as a simple business acquisition or a sound business deal. All they wanted to do was undermine the company so they could teach me a lesson. Unfortunately, it didn't work as they planned, and now they have to pay the price for their actions. Too many people could have been hurt by their attempt for me to let this slide. No, this is something that I have to do. Hopefully, they'll get the message to leave Jacks International and me alone! I intend to make it very clear to them that if they try this again, I'll go straight to the authorities and report their actions." Jax looked deeply into Brenda's eyes, trying to read what he saw there. "Are you okay with this?"

She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Of course. I agree that they have to be taught a lesson. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with doing it this way. I mean, this is not your normal way of doing business, you know."

"I know it's not. In fact, I had hoped I would never have to do something like this to a competitor. This is something my 'family' would do. Unfortunately, they left me no other choice." Jax pulled her closer, and before kissing her, he smiled slightly, "Besides, I can't wait to see the look on their faces when I walk in the door."

Now Brenda was confused. "What do you mean? I thought you said Allison confirmed your appointment with them for 9:30?" She leaned back in his embrace so she could see his face when he answered.

Jax chuckled slightly, "She did. It's just that she made the appointment in a different name. I had her make the appointment in the name of Mr. Alexander." Jax waited for Brenda to figure it out.

It took a minute, but Brenda soon realized the significance of the name. "Jax, that's your middle name!" She let out a hearty laugh before continuing. "You mean to tell me that they didn't catch on to that?"

Jax slowly shook his head and started to laugh as well. "Nope, they are expecting Mr. J. Alexander and associate to discuss an acquisition." Jax glanced at the clock on the mantle and smiled when he was sure he saw something move in the shadows of the fireplace. He then glanced toward the doorway and saw Thomas pacing in the foyer. "I think I'd better get going, if I'm going to make my appointment." He released his hold on Brenda and picked up his briefcase "Ready?"

Brenda smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his waist. The two of them walked out the door to meet Thomas in the foyer. As the three of them headed toward the front door, Everett came out of the shadows, grinning from ear to ear. He was ecstatic at what he had just heard. Obviously someone had made an attempt at Jax's company, and he had gotten wind of it. Everett cursed softly under his breath, wishing he had known about this, so he could have seen what Jax had planned in retaliation. From what he had heard, it would be swift and substantial. Everett headed back into the shadows, hoping to find out the details when Jax returned home tonight.

9:20 A.M.

1 Harbor Plaza

Thomas pulled the car up in front of the impressive office tower. The doorman opened the passenger door for Jax, while the valet came around and opened the driver's door for Thomas. As Jax stood waiting for Thomas to come around behind the car, he slowly shook his head, amazed at the opulence this building had to offer. He was glad he had decided against locating his corporate offices here. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted for his corporate image at the time, but one thing he knew for sure, this wasn't it! After seeing all of this again, he was glad he had decided to use the older Ashton Tower for his headquarters. Once Thomas came around the car, they looked at each other and both took a deep breath before turning to head into the building. Just as they approached the door, it automatically opened, making Jax wonder what exactly the doorman did all day.

The two men strode quickly across the lobby to the information desk. Since Travis had informed them that this was a security building, it would be necessary for them to check in before going up to the office. As they approached the desk Jax smiled at the receptionist. "Hello, we have a 9:30 appointment in the penthouse suite. The name is J. Alexander and associate." He waited while she checked the appointment log. When she found the name, she looked up at Jax with a smile.

"Yes, here you are Mr. Alexander. Here are your visitor passes." She smiled again at Jax, obviously flirting; Thomas noticed, as did Jax. It wasn't until now though that Jax made her aware of his marital status. He shifted his briefcase to his right hand and raised his left hand to accept the visitor's passes she was holding. Thomas almost burst out laughing at the sudden change in expression on the girl's face when she saw Jax's wedding ring.

"Thank you. Do you have to announce us?" Jax was doing his best to be polite to the young woman and control his urge to chuckle. He settled for a friendly smile, hoping she didn't read anything more into it.

"Yes, sir, I'll let them know you're on your way up. The elevators are right around that corner. Have a good day." She smiled quickly and then turned to the phone to announce that Mr. Alexander and associate were on the way up.

Once Jax and Thomas were on the elevator, they both burst out laughing. "How do you do that, mate? As soon as a woman sees you, it's like they have radar or something!" Thomas tried again to control his laughter. "Do they always react that way to your ring?" Thomas was trying very hard to control his laughter. The last thing they needed was for the elevator doors to open, as they were standing there laughing like a couple of schoolboys.

Before Jax had a chance to answer the elevator came to a stop. Both men quickly got their laughter under control. By the time the doors opened, they were able to walk out into the hallway giving off the image of two very serious-minded business executives. When they reached the heavy, oak door with the company name in large, gold letters, they stopped. Both men unconsciously adjusted their ties and cleared their throats. With one last look at each other, Jax opened the door.

As they stepped into the outer office, no one noticed them at first. All of a sudden, one of the secretaries looked up at the two visitors and let out a short, high-pitched scream, getting the attention of everyone else in the office. Everyone looked up at the door and was startled at what they saw. No one moved or said anything; they all just stood, staring at the visitors. Eventually one of the secretaries came over to the reception desk. Jax recognized her immediately. She had worked for J&J Jacks of Alaska for several years before the government shutdown. "Hello, Madeline. How are you?"

It took the startled secretary a minute to answer. "Very… very well, sir." She just stood staring at him again.

Finally Thomas spoke up, "We have a 9:30 appointment. I believe we are a couple of minutes early. I hope that won't pose a problem. If so, we'll be more than happy to wait." The syrupy sweet tone in Thomas's voice was almost more than Jax could take. He purposely kept silent for fear he would start to laugh.

The dumbfounded secretary didn't respond at first. Finally, she looked down at the appointment book and back up at Jax. "You're Mr. Alexander?"

Jax smiled and nodded. "Yep, that's me! This is my associate." Jax inclined his head toward Thomas. "Can we go in?" Again he smiled sweetly at the secretary.

She looked from Jax to Thomas and back at Jax again. "I'll announce you first. Will you wait here for a minute?" She started to turn toward the managing partner's office, when Jax reached out and touched her arm.

"Be sure you announce us exactly as the appointment is listed. I want to surprise them. By the way, are they both in there?" This time it was Jax doing the smiling.

"Yes, sir. They're waiting for you." Jax released his hold on her arm and patted it gently. The secretary turned and went over to the door and knocked softly. She didn't bother to go all the way into the office. She stood in the doorway and simply said, "Mr. Alexander and his associate are here." When she was given instructions to show the gentlemen in, she turned back to Jax and Thomas and opened the door wider.

As they had previously arranged, Thomas went through the door first; Jax hung back a little, waiting for the surprise at Thomas's presence to subside.

To say they were surprised would have been an understatement. Both men jumped up from their chairs at the same time. "What are you doing here?" they bellowed in unison.

Chuckling softly Thomas answered, "I'm the associate of Alexander and Associate. This is Mr. Alexander!" At that Thomas stepped aside and Jax came through the door, smiling broadly.

"Hello, Father. Hello, Jerry. Shall we get right to business?" The smile on Jax's face could only be described as that of the cat that ate the canary.

"YOU! Wha… What are you doing here? Who's Alexander?" John's shouts could be heard in the outer office, even with the door closed.

Jax sighed loudly. "My, my, father, don't you even remember your own son's name?"

After staring at Jax dumbfounded for a minute, John Jacks finally spoke, "Your name?" Suddenly John dropped down in his chair. He slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand and started to laugh. "Of course! Now I get it. Your full name is Jasper Alexander Jacks! I should have known!" John just sat there, slowly shaking his head, unable to believe that his youngest son was standing in his office. "What brings you to our humble offices, Jax? Looking for a merger maybe?" John said with a smirk.

Jerry had not said a word during all of this. He simply stood behind his father's desk watching his little brother. He knew Jax better than anyone, with the possible exception of Brenda or the man standing next to Jax, Thomas. Jerry was convinced that Jax's presence in this office did not bode well for J&J Jacks. He sat back, on the edge of the credenza behind his father's desk, to wait for Jax's explanation.

Jax approached the desk and set his briefcase down, opening it slowly. Thomas came up to stand right next to him. Jax took several files out of the case and closed it, setting it on the chair next to him. He looked quickly at Thomas, who nodded slightly, before beginning, "I'm sure it comes as no surprise to both of you that Jacks International purchased a rather large, failing conglomerate several months ago. Well, for the past few months they have started to experience a substantial financial rebirth. Until, that is, someone made an attempt to purchases managing control of one of the subsidiaries." Jax looked directly at his father as he continued, "This particular subsidiary was the lynch pin in the financial rebirth of the entire conglomerate - a fact I'm sure those who made the run at it knew. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful and the conglomerate remains intact." Jax paused briefly to look at both men sitting in front of him.

"This attempt got me thinking though, so I asked Travis to do some checking for me. You can imagine my surprise when I got his report the other day." Jax paused for effect, noticing the uncomfortable fidgeting of both his father and brother. "It seems that the buy-out attempt came from none other than J&J Jacks! In fact, a representative of M&M Investments placed the actual bid, a subsidiary of this firm, owned exclusively by Mr. Jerry Jacks! Imagine my surprise when I read that!" Jax paused again, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Now, since everyone in this room is aware of the terms of Jerry's probation prohibiting him from owning stock in a company, I automatically figured that some low level executive, out to impress the boss, had taken it upon himself to make the bid. When Travis did a little further digging, he found that the authorization for that bid came directly from Jerry!" Jax felt an intense feeling of satisfaction as he watched the color drain from his brother's face. When he looked at his father, he saw much the same thing. Jax glanced over at Thomas with a smile.

John looked up at his son standing before him. "Why are you here, Jax? Why didn't you take this information to the authorities? After all, you seem to think you have enough evidence to send your brother to prison. Why didn't you just do it?" John was starting to get angry. He wasn't sure if it was because of Jax's arrogance in coming here or if it was because they had been caught.

Jax took a deep breath before continuing. He looked at both his father and brother as he began to speak again. "Unlike the two of you, I don't deal in revenge - at least not that kind. I came here to give you a little information and a warning. Since you both know the significance of that company to the conglomerate, I wanted to let you know that it, and each of the other satellite companies of the conglomerate, have been absorbed into one big, private company to prevent any future attempts at a takeover.

"Secondly, I wanted to also let you know that the component suppliers for that company have also been purchased by Jacks International. That means you cannot attempt to hold up production by cutting off the supply of materials." Jax looked directly at his father before continuing, "I also found out that Port Charles Community Bank holds several large loans in the name of J&J Jacks."

John sat up straight in his chair at the mention of the loans. Jerry stood up behind his father, astonished at what he had heard so far from his little brother, and nervous about what he was going to say next. John looked at his son, the contempt for him obvious on his face. "What has that got to do with anything?" It was easy for Jax to sense his father's concern despite his gruff appearance, just by the tone of his voice.

Jax looked to Thomas to let him explain the next part. "Well, as of 5:00 p.m. yesterday Jacks International is now the sole owner of the Port Charles Community Bank. They own all assets and outstanding loans of the bank." A smiling Jax handed Thomas a legal document in the standard blue cover. Thomas, in turn, handed the document to John Jacks. "This is formal notice that the Port Charles Community Bank is calling your loans - all of them! You have ten days to pay them in full or forfeit the assets supporting them." Thomas waited for the shock to sink in before continuing, "I'm sure you won't have any problem finding new funding to pay off these loans. I just want to assure you that Jacks International will in no way do anything to prevent you from establishing a new line of credit with another bank." Thomas looked back to Jax. "It's your turn." He smiled and took a step back, closely watching Jerry's reaction, ready to protect Jax from any possible physical attack, which he knew was a distinct possibility.

"Why are you doing this, Jax? We're family for God's sake!" John sank back into his chair, not realizing what he had said.

For the first time since coming to his father's office, Jax was becoming angry. Thomas saw it and briefly touched his arm to calm him. Jax took a deep breath before answering his father's question, "You didn't seem to remember our family connection when you insulted my wife and blamed her for what happened to you, when it was your own actions that did that - or when you tried to undermine my company, did you? This has nothing to do with family and everything to do with business. Weren't you the one who taught me the importance of not getting bested in a business deal?" The smug expression on Jax's face hid his anger well.

Jerry spoke for the first time. "What do you want from us, Jax? There's got to be more to this visit. You could have done this much through a lawyer!" Jerry stood behind his father's chair, his hands resting on the top of it.

Directing his attention to his brother for the first time, Jax addressed him directly. "You're right; I could have. I just wanted to give you both a warning, as well. Any attempt at retribution against my company - or Brenda's - as a result of my actions here today will result in all the information Travis uncovered during his investigation being turned over to the authorities for their action. Considering the close scrutiny you are both under, I would remember that if you are ever tempted to come after me or my wife again."

The cold steel in Jax's eyes was enough to cause a shiver to run up Jerry's spine. He had never seen Jax like this. If he hadn't been on the receiving end of his retribution, he'd have been proud of Jax. This was obviously something he had learned from watching them. Unfortunately, this was not how he had wanted to learn about his brother's business skills.

John Jacks sat dejectedly in his chair, his hands tented in front of his face with the fingers interlocked. "Your message has been received and understood, Jax. Is there anything else?" He looked up at his son, wishing, for the first time in his life, that he would just go away.

Jax thought for a minute before putting his hands on his father's desk and leaning up close into his face. "There's one more thing, old man. Any attempt by you or Jerry to get information about me or my family from Lady Jane will not be tolerated! If I find out that you've tried to use her to spy on me, I'll turn everything I have on the two of you over to the government so fast you won't know what hit you!" John's face blanched again at the cold look he saw in his younger son's eyes. Jax leaned back a little from his father so that he could look at both of them. "Be warned, both of you: Brenda and I both are willing to give her a chance to be a part of our child's life! If I find out you tried to use her to get information on me or Brenda, any attempt at reconciliation between Lady Jane and my family will be terminated - PERMANENTLY!!" Jax chuckled briefly before he straightened up and looked at the shocked men in front of him. "I'd hate to be either one of you if Lady Jane ever found out that her attempt to be a part of her grandchild's life was destroyed by the two of you because of business!" He reached for his briefcase and once again set it on the edge of John's desk. He opened it and put the files he was holding back in. After closing the case, he picked it up and looked at Thomas, who nodded slightly.

The two men turned to leave. Jax stopped as Thomas reached for the doorknob. He turned back to his father and brother. With a satisfied grin on his face, he looked at his father. "Is that more the style of business you had in mind, 'dad'?" Jax started to laugh, causing Thomas to smile as well. As Thomas opened the door, Jax turned and walked out the door ahead of him, his head held high. He walked straight out the door, never looking back at his father or his brother. Thomas quickly closed the door behind them.

As they were walking across the lobby toward the door, Thomas stopped at the desk of the secretary who had greeted them. "I think it would be a good idea if everyone left them alone for a while." Thomas winked at her and followed Jax out the door. Once they were in the elevator, they both leaned back against the walls, loosening their ties and exhaling slowly, suddenly feeling drained, but yet very satisfied. Jax couldn't wait to tell Brenda how things had gone.

6:30 P.M.

Brenda was waiting for Jax as he came through the door. He barely had time to put his briefcase on the foyer table when she started at him. "FINALLY! I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to get home!"

Jax smiled at her before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her full on the lips. "Well, hello to you, too!" He chuckled before kissing her again. "It's nice to know you missed me so much!"

Brenda took a quick swing at him, connecting lightly with his upper arm. She made what Jax always called a scrunchy face and stuck her tongue out at him. "Very funny! I'll have you know I really did miss you." She stood up on her toes to kiss him again. "Now, tell me everything that happened this morning! I want details!"

Jax laughed again and slowly shook his head. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you everything! What do you say we go into the library, so I can put my briefcase away first?" He looked down at Brenda for her approval. Instead of saying anything, she quickly pulled out of his embrace, took his hand and started toward the library. She barely gave Jax enough time to grab his briefcase. "I guess this is a 'yes' then?"

Once they were in the library, Jax closed the doors. He put his briefcase down on the desk before coming over to sit beside Brenda on the couch. "Before I get started on all of that, is there any news on your problem? How did your meeting with Ben and the Ashfords go?"

Brenda sat back and let out a heavy sigh. "Not much, really. As we expected, the Ashfords have no intention of honoring the restoration requirement, even after Ben threatened to report them to the city. They told him that they were not bound by some silly agreement about maintaining the house. If we caused any trouble for them, Mr. Ashford said he would simply have his father destroy us." Brenda's lack of concern about what she had just said startled Jax. Obviously, there was something she had not yet told him.

He looked expectantly at Brenda, "And… Come on, Brenda - tell me the rest!"

Suddenly a huge smile lit up Brenda's face. "Well, when he said that Ben simply told them that it would be a little difficult for Mr. Ashford's father to destroy us since we were a part of Jacks International. When that didn't seem to sink in, Ben simply told him to go home and ask his daddy why he would not be able to do anything to Jacks Designs." Brenda chuckled briefly before continuing, "Also, Ben warned them that he was not making idle threats. And to prove it, he handed them copies of the reports we filed with the city planning commission and the Port Charles Restoration Society, notifying them of the Ashford's intention to violate the terms of the purchase agreement."

Jax could not help smiling and shaking his head. "How did they react to that?"

Brenda pulled her legs up under her as she continued her story, "Well, at first they didn't believe that he had filed the reports; they thought it was just a threat to force them to do what we want. Until, that is, Ben pointed out the stamp from the Clerk of Courts for the City of Port Charles on the report. When they saw that, both of them turned this lovely shade of green." Brenda couldn't help but laugh at the memory.

Jax could not believe that Brenda had not had any part in this meeting, since he knew she had gone along with Ben. "And what did you say about all of this?" He gave her a look that could only be described as all-knowing.

Brenda looked down at her hands and then back up at him before answering. "Well, I simply pointed out to them that if they insisted on attempting to modernize the house, that we would have no choice but to support the city in a foreclosure action against them for violation of their purchase contract. I also asked them how they planned on explaining the loss of that much money - not to mention the property - to Mr. Ashford's father." Brenda looked down at her hands again as she continued, "I have to admit, Jax, I got a great deal of pleasure out of that."

Jax softly rubbed his thumb across the top of Brenda's hand and reached up with the other hand to lift her chin so he could look into her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with that, luv. From what you've told me, they deserved it - and a whole lot more. What's your next step?" Jax was glad to see her face brighten as he spoke.

"According to Ben, it's their move now. The city will serve them notice to comply sometime tomorrow, and then they'll have ten days to respond. Ben told me they have three options: abide by the agreement they signed; defy it and lose the property and the money already paid to foreclosure; or sell the property for the balance of the outstanding mortgage - meaning they cannot make a profit on the sale - to another buyer willing to abide by the terms of the restoration contract."

Jax could not keep the look of pride off his face as he looked at his wife. "What do you and Ben expect they'll do?"

Brenda thought for a minute before answering, "We talked about it in the car on the way home. We both came to the same conclusion: we think they'll try to defy the agreement and risk the foreclosure. Personally, I hope that's exactly what they do!" Brenda reached up and gently stroked the side of Jax's face. "Because that way it will cost Jacks Designs a lot less money to buy it at the foreclosure sale than having to buy it for the balance of its market value!" Both Jax and Brenda couldn't resist the urge to laugh.

Brenda finally regained her composure again. "Enough about my business. I want to hear everything that happened this morning. Don't leave ANYTHING out!" Brenda snuggled comfortably against the arm of the couch away from Jax, so she could listen to everything he was about to tell her without being distracted.

Jax spent the next hour giving her all the minute details of this morning's encounter. Just when he thought he had told her every possible detail, she started asking questions. Finally Jax had run out of things to tell her. He threw up his hands in exasperation. "Hold it! Brenda, I appreciate your interest in what happened, but there is nothing more to tell you! We've covered every possible detail of what was said. The long and the short of it is that they have ten days to pay up those loans in full or forfeit the assets they used as collateral. End of story!" Jax reached over and softly stroked the side of her hair.

Just as Brenda was getting ready to ask another question, there was a soft tap at the door. "Come in." Jax called out eagerly, hoping for some kind of interruption.

Benton opened the doors and came into the room. "I wasn't sure what time you wanted dinner served, so I wanted to let you know it's ready whenever you are."

Jax got up from the couch and extended a hand to Brenda. "Thanks, Benton. We'll be right there." Once Brenda was up, Jax started leading her toward the door. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

Brenda stopped walking and looked up at Jax with a very serious expression. "Are you really hungry or just tired of answering my questions?"

"Honestly, luv, I'm starved! I guess it must be the adrenaline from everything that happened today. Really!" Jax smiled a reassuring smile at Brenda.

All the time Brenda and Jax had been talking, Everett had been listening from the shadows to every word they said. He had been delighted at the swift retribution that Jax had taken against those who had attempted to undermine his company. He was more certain than ever that he had been right about Jax. He had the makings of a first-rate businessman.

Accepting Jax's explanation of his sudden urge for dinner, Brenda started toward the doorway again, stopping one more time before leaving. "Oh, Jax! I just remembered something: what did they say when you warned them about using Lady Jane to get information about us?"

Jax took Brenda's hand in both of his and looked her fully in the eyes. "Actually, they didn't say anything. I think they were both in shock. I'm hoping that they got the message though. I will not have mum used by either one of them in some plot for revenge against me. I think they both believed me when I told them, family or not, I would not think twice about turning them over to the authorities for what they tried to do." Jax squeezed her hand quickly before letting it go. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder before saying anything else. "Now what do you say we go have that dinner?"

Brenda wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up at him with a slight smile. "Okay. Jax… thanks for telling me everything." She snuggled herself up against him, as they went out the door and headed toward the dining room.

Once they were gone, Everett came storming out of the shadows. He started pacing furiously around the room; his mind rushing a million miles an hour, trying to understand what he had just heard! How was this possible? How could he have heard what they had just said? Everett stopped briefly to stare out the window, before returning to his pacing. How could he have misjudged Jax so badly? Admittedly, based purely upon the facts as he had heard them, he would probably have taken the same action as Jax. The problem was that Jax had taken such drastic action against his father and brother! Two men who Everett felt embodied his own philosophy of business. It suddenly seemed to Everett that his hopes for a reconciliation of the family were now seriously in jeopardy. What he needed to do now was figure out if there was a way to salvage this situation. As Everett headed back to the shadows and started to fade away, he promised himself he would find a solution to this. It suddenly dawned on him that his inability to leave the library was turning out to be a much greater hindrance than he had thought. Just before fading away he vowed to find a way - a way out of this room AND a way to get Jax to realize the errors he was still making in his business dealings.