Both Jax and Brenda had slept later than usual this morning. It hadn't surprised either one of them though since they had made love several more times during the night. It was nearly 9:30 by the time Jax was ready to leave for the office. He was surprised to see Brenda coming down the stairs, dressed and ready to leave at the same time.

"Where are you off to so early?" He looked up at her as she came down the stairs. "I thought you would be working here at home today so you could get some rest." He winked at her as he spoke. "After all, you didn't get too much sleep last night…"

When Brenda got to the foot of the stairs she came over to the foyer table where Jax was standing and picked up her purse and briefcase. She gave him her best, little girl expression and stuck her tongue out at him. Quickly regaining her composure Brenda said, "I have a meeting with Ben this morning about the foreclosure sale of the Ashford house." Brenda glanced at her watch and took a quick deep breath. "Yikes! I'm supposed to meet him at his office at 10:00! I've got to go or I'm going to be late!" She quickly stood up on her toes and gave Jax a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later, Jax! I've got to go!"

Jax wrapped his arms tightly around her, preventing her from leaving. "I wouldn't worry about that, Mrs. Jacks. I'm sure he'll wait a few minutes for you. After all, you are his 'boss' you know." The smirk on Jax's face and the twinkle in his eyes were too much for Brenda to resist. Since her hands were full with her purse and her briefcase, she just leaned back in his embrace and looked up into his face.

"Is that how you see it, Mr. Jacks? What exactly did you have in mind for me if I don't leave right this minute?" She returned Jax's smile while waiting for his answer.

"I suggest that we ride into the office together. Thomas is due back from London this morning, and I thought the three of us could have lunch in my office so he could let us know what he found out about Everett." He looked expectantly at Brenda waiting for her answer.

She didn't say anything at first and took a deep breath before she finally did say something, "I have no objection to riding in with you, Jax, and I'm sure you're right about Ben not minding if I'm a little late for our meeting. I'm just curious as to why you want to talk to Thomas at your office and not here, that's all."

"Well, considering that we'll be talking about the people who are currently 'sharing' the house with us, I thought it would be a good idea to hear what he has to say in a place where neither of them can overhear. Sound reasonable to you?" Jax smiled down at her as he waited for her answer.

"I guess so. What time?" Brenda set down her briefcase and started to open it to get out her day planner. Jax stopped her. "What?"

"Why don't you just come to my office after you finish with Ben? If Thomas isn't ready yet, I'm sure we can think of something to do until he gets there…" Jax winked at her with a big grin on his face. "Don't you?"

Brenda swatted him gently on the arm. "You are so baaad!" she laughed softly. "You are also right though. I'm sure we can think of SOMETHING to do until Thomas is ready." She started to lean up to kiss Jax and just as he angled his head down to meet her eager lips, she quickly kissed the tip of his nose, pulled away and grabbed her purse and briefcase. "Are you coming or not?" she said with a laugh, as she headed toward the front door. Jax quickly grabbed his own briefcase and walked quickly to catch up with her. The two of them headed down the front stairs, holding hands and laughing.

Jax and Brenda pulled into the underground garage for Jacks International with no time to spare. As they approached the elevators, Jax nodded to the guards stationed there and Brenda waved to them. Both men stiffened as Jax approached and nodded politely to Brenda. All members of the Security staff were familiar with the beautiful Mrs. Jacks. Many of them had drawn the pleasant duty of guarding her during the early days of renovations on the house. Several of them were sorely disappointed when Thomas had arrived from Australia to be Mrs. Jacks's personal bodyguard. Many of them had been resentful when he had received a permanent appointment as International Security Consultant, thinking the appointment was the result of his obvious friendship with Mr. Jacks. In the months he had been here though, every member of the staff had grown to respect Thomas and realize he had been appointed for his ability and no other reason.

When the elevator had opened on the executive floor, both Brenda and Jax had gone into his office. Jax put down his briefcase and called Ben's secretary to let him know that Brenda was on her way. Jax then walked Brenda down the hall to the Legal Department. He opened the door for her and gave her a quick kiss. "Have a good meeting Mrs. Jacks. I'll see you in my office when you're done." Brenda smiled up at him and went past him through the door. Jax closed the door behind her and went back to his own office. When he passed Allison's desk, she handed him the stack of messages that had already arrived for him. Jax looked at the slips of pink paper and just shook his head. Allison smiled as he walked past her desk and into his office, mumbling under his breath as he went.

It was just after 11:30 when Jax heard a soft knock on his door. "Come in," he called without even looking up from the contract he was reading. "Have you heard if my wife is out of her meeting yet, Allison?"

Brenda smiled as she stared at Jax, so involved in his work that he had not even bothered to look up to see who was at the door. "Yes, she is, Mr. Jacks. Can she come in?" Brenda chuckled as she saw Jax's head shoot up and a large smile spread across his face.

"She most certainly can!" Jax got up from his chair and came around to her. Brenda had closed the door after she came all the way into the office. Jax wrapped his arms loosely around her and kissed her forehead. "How did the meeting go?"

Brenda wrapped her arms around his waist before answering, "Pretty good, actually. Ben thinks we have a pretty good chance of getting the house. He said he had a meeting with the Finance Department at your suggestion and that since they told him that funding would not be a consideration, we should have no problem getting the property, whether it's sold at auction or open bid. What exactly did you tell them, Jax?"

Jax could not really tell what Brenda was thinking. He was hoping she was not going to be angry and think he was trying to take over. "I simply told them to make available whatever funds or financing was necessary to purchase the property for Jacks Designs. Ben had submitted the prospectus he showed you to the acquisitions officer, and she agreed that the property was a sound investment and a viable business expense for Jacks Designs. All I did was give my approval for the expenditure - same as any other subsidiary investment." Jax could not believe how desperately he wanted Brenda to believe him. He watched her face closely to try to judge her reaction. He was relieved when he saw a small smile.

"I know that, Jax. I just needed to hear you say it, that's all." She tightened her arms around his waist and snuggled her cheek against his chest. "Besides, you are just so cute when you try to talk yourself out of a tight spot - even if it's only in your mind." She chuckled when she heard his sudden intake of air.

"You little sneak! You already knew everything I just told you, didn't you?" Jax pushed her back a little so he could look at her face. The expression of child-like innocence he saw was more than he could take. He started to laugh, softly at first, eventually it was a full-fledged laugh.

Brenda could not keep from laughing herself. "Actually, I did. Ben told me pretty much the same thing you just did. I would have stopped you, but you seemed so concerned that you explain what you did that I didn't have the heart to stop you." She looked up at him with what could best be described as doe eyes. "Am I forgiven?"

Jax managed to keep it together until she fluttered her eyelids. As soon as she did that, all Jax could do was shake his head slowly. He grabbed hold of both sides of her face and kissed her deeply. "Does that answer your question?" he asked before kissing her again.

When the kiss finally ended, Brenda took a deep breath. "I guess so." Just as she reached her arms up to wrap them around his neck to continue what they had started, the phone on Jax's desk rang. "Darn! I always knew Thomas had lousy timing." She gave Jax one last quick kiss before letting him go so he could answer the phone.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid you may be right." Jax released Brenda and went over to his desk to answer the phone. "Yes, Allison…" Jax nodded once to Brenda as he listened to what Allison was saying. "Great, send him in. Also, would you call down to have our lunch sent up now? Thanks, Allison." Jax hung up the phone. "Thomas is…"

Just then there was a knock at the door; without waiting for an answer, Thomas came in. He smiled broadly when he saw Brenda. He came up and gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. He glanced down and rested his hand on her abdomen. "Hello, luv. How are you and little Jax doing?" He patted her gently.

She chuckled softly before answering, "I'll have you know Little Jax here started moving the other day!" Brenda was delighted to see the look of happiness spread across Thomas's face. "Of course, he's still too small for anyone but me to feel him, but I have a feeling that pretty soon he'll be kicking you both like mad." Brenda stopped suddenly and moved Thomas's hand on her abdomen. "Did you feel that?" She looked up into Thomas's face, waiting for his response.

Thomas didn't say anything for a moment. "I don't think so. You're probably right though. It's too soon to feel anything on this side."

By now Jax had come around his desk to where they were standing. "Hey, mate! Get your hand off my wife! Getting a might touchy aren't you?" Jax had managed to say all of that with a very stern expression on his face. Just as both Brenda and Thomas looked at him, he was no longer able to control his laughter. He started laughing and wrapped his arms around his friend. "I missed you, mate! It took you long enough to get back here." The two friends hugged each other for a moment and then separated.

"I'll bet you missed me! Who else would put up with you, besides this beautiful lady?" Thomas angled his head toward Brenda as he spoke. "She has no choice anymore; she's married to you!" Everyone laughed again. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Thomas went over to open it and was surprised to see a waiter pushing a lunch cart. He looked over at Jax for an explanation.

"I figured we could have an early lunch while you tell us what you found out in London. Okay?" Jax waited for Thomas's answer.

"Fine with me" Thomas said. He opened the door the rest of the way so the waiter could come in and set up the food. "I'm always ready to eat!"

After the waiter left, the three friends sat around eating their lunch, spending most of their time discussing Brenda's upcoming purchase of the Ashford property and her plans for it. Once they were finished with their meal, Jax decided it was time to discuss what they were there for. "Okay, now that we've all enjoyed a pleasant lunch, why don't you fill us in on what you found out in London?" He settled back in his chair and crossed his legs to wait. He looked over at Brenda and saw that she had now removed her shoes and tucked her legs up underneath her; her favorite position lately.

Thomas looked at both of them before he said anything. He got up and went over to Jax's desk, where he had left the file folder that he'd brought in with him. He came back over to his chair and sat back down. "Actually, the people I had checking into Everett and the rest of the Stanhopes did most of the work for me. I did find out some interesting things though that may explain some of his actions." Thomas opened the folder before continuing.

"It seems that up until the time that Madeline got sick, he was considered a rising star in the business and social community of Port Charles. He had taken the Stanhope family business from a comfortable statewide company to a national corporation in a matter of a few years. He was well known for his deal-making skills and also for his sense of family and community. Both he and Madeline were very involved in several charitable projects here in Port Charles. Here are some newspaper articles about the opening of some new office or factory that make a point of mentioning that not only was Everett present but also his beautiful young wife and later his children." Thomas handed Jax several photocopies of newspaper articles and photographs. "It seems that Everett knew the secret to success. He had figured out how to divide his time between work and family."

Jax looked over the articles and pictures Thomas had given him and then handed them to Brenda. He looked over at Thomas, "If he was such a family man, why is he so opposed to me spending time with my family?" Jax looked over at Brenda when he saw her head shoot up to look his way. He smiled at her to reassure her and then looked back over to Thomas for his answer.

"I'm getting to that," Thomas said. He shuffled through the papers in the file before continuing. "About six months after the birth of their third child, Elizabeth, Madeline attended a charity event at the Port Charles Fairgrounds. It was a fundraiser for the construction of a new charity hospital. Just before the event ended, a sudden thunderstorm came up. Madeline and several of the other women stayed out in the rain, making sure that all of the children were accounted for and out of the rain. You can imagine that all of them were pretty well soaked by the time they rounded up all the kids." Thomas let out a long, slow breath before continuing. "Anyway, once she got all the kids taken care of, it took her a while to get home. As you can imagine, most of the streets in Port Charles were just dirt roads in those days, so with the heavy rain it took forever to navigate the muddy streets in a carriage. By the time she got home, she was chilled to the bone. She quickly developed a severe cold that turned into a bad case of pneumonia."

While Thomas had been talking, Brenda had unconsciously moved closer to Jax. By the time she even realized she had moved, she was sitting at the opposite end of the couch, right next to his chair. When Jax noticed she had moved closer to him, he held out his hand to her. She took it quickly and snuggled close to the arm of the couch, waiting for Thomas to continue.

"Since antibiotics had not been developed yet, there was very little a doctor could do for a pneumonia patient in those days, except wait and hope." Thomas stopped for a minute looking at both Jax and Brenda before continuing, "As Madeline's condition worsened, Everett began spending less time at the office and more time with her. Even Madeline's insistence that he go back to work would not get him to leave her." Thomas paused for a moment, "Sounds kind of like some people I know." Thomas smiled briefly at Jax and Brenda.

He quickly turned away from them and cleared his throat before continuing, "When Madeline died about six weeks later, Everett was devastated! He wouldn't see anyone - even Madeline's family. He never left the house. He hardly slept and almost never ate. He spent all of his time with the children, even going so far as to sit up at night just watching them sleep. After the funeral, he pretty much pulled into a shell."

"I can understand how he felt," Jax said very quietly. He squeezed Brenda's hand tightly. "I felt that way once." He gazed wistfully into Brenda's eyes before continuing, "But I was lucky. I got a second chance." Brenda smiled softly at him, wiping away a tear that had started down her cheek. Jax returned Brenda's smile before looking back over to Thomas. "What happened then?"

Thomas had watched the brief exchange between Jax and Brenda and quickly realized what Jax was talking about. He realized that Jax was indeed one of the lucky ones to get a second chance. He had lost his Leta in much the same way that Everett had lost Madeline. He could understand the devastation that Everett had felt. He shook his head slightly to clear his memories in order to continue with the details of Everett's life. "Eventually, Everett withdrew from everything. He locked himself in the library and never came out. He ignored the children as well as his business. When the business was on the brink of closing, his brother finally broke down the door to the library. He forced Everett to listen to him, and after about two hours, Everett came out of the library and came back to the real world.

"Unfortunately the Everett that came out of the library was a changed man. He was cold and calculating. He worked tirelessly to save the company. Within a few months they were back on firm ground. Everyone thought that Everett would start spending more time with his children then, but they were wrong. He started to ignore them completely. He refused to have them at the dinner table in the evening. They were fed earlier in the nursery and were usually in bed by the time he even got home. As soon as they were old enough, he sent them off to boarding schools in different parts of the country, not even bringing them home for holidays."

"Are you sure about that, Thomas?" Brenda could not believe that any father could be that cruel to his children, especially so soon after the death of their mother. Even Harlan Barrett had not sent her off to boarding school until she was twelve!

"Unfortunately, it's true. We found the school records for each of the Stanhope children. At the time Everett decided to move to London, only the youngest, Elizabeth, was still living at home, and she was sent away as soon as he could find a school that would take her at her young age." Thomas just shook his head in disgust.

"We were not able to find any logical reason for Everett to move his base of operations to London, other than his decision to take the company international. When he moved the business, he simply packed up the furniture, closed up the house, and left, leaving all three children in different school in the states, each with a legal guardian on the school staff so that he would not have to be bothered with their care. He had no actual contact with them again for several years. The children even spent their summer holidays with their guardians. By prior arrangements, they spent Christmas together and their birthdays. Other than those few occasions, the children very rarely saw each other."

Brenda quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks with the hankie Jax offered her. He had seen the effect Thomas's information was having on Brenda and was beginning to have second thoughts about having her here. He rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand. "Are you sure you want to hear the rest of this, luv?" Brenda looked up into his eyes and was comforted by the love and concern she saw there. She didn't answer, just smiled slightly and slowly nodded her head. Jax looked back over toward Thomas, who had also become concerned about Brenda's reaction. "Go ahead, mate."

"Well, from that point on, there is very little specific information about Everett. The company flourished, and he soon opened branches in Paris, Rome, Athens, and several other European countries. During this time he had very little, if any, contact with the children. He got progress reports on all of them from their schools and always financed their trips to visit each other, but never went to visit them himself.

"When his oldest son was ready for college, Everett made arrangements for him to attend Oxford. His son, on the other hand, had been offered a position at Harvard, his father's alma mater. When he cabled his father that he wanted to attend Harvard, Everett sent back a message saying that if he didn't come to England and attend Oxford he would have to find his own means of financing his education. Everett, Jr. chose to attend Harvard anyway, since he had been offered a full scholarship. He had not wanted to go to Oxford because he wanted to stay close to his younger brother and sister. For several years, he had come to think of himself as a kind of father figure to them, and he wasn't about to leave them when they needed him."

"Good for him!" Brenda blurted out. She looked sheepishly at Jax, who just smiled at her.

"I agree! Anyway, Everett, Jr. graduated from the Harvard Business School, summa cum laude. His uncle brought Everett, Jr.'s younger brother and sister to his graduation, but his father didn't bother to attend. After graduation, Junior applied for a job at the family firm and was hired immediately for the Port Charles office by his uncle. The boy quickly proved himself to be nearly as astute a businessman as his father. He quickly helped make the Port Charles office one of the most profitable in the company, and he rose rapidly to upper management status.

"Once he was promoted to director of operations for the Port Charles office, Everett, Jr. finally contacted his father directly and requested permission to reopen the family house and move in. He never received any type of response from his father. He simply received a visit from one of his father's attorneys with a lease on the house for him to sign and a set of keys to the place. Junior took it upon himself to hire someone to furnish the house for him, and, unbeknownst to his father, he then brought first his sister and then his brother to come live with him to finish their education here in Port Charles. Since he had taken physical custody of his siblings, it had been necessary to notify his father to ask him for legal custody. Again no response from Everett; simply the signed custody agreements were forwarded to Junior's attorney."

Jax sat silently shaking his head. How could a man, who started out so loving, have turned so cold? It was something that Jax could not comprehend. "Was there anything else on Everett?" He looked back to Thomas, hoping that he would be able to tell him something to explain Everett's actions.

"Not much really. For the remaining years of his life, Everett never returned to the States. He continued to send birthday and Christmas gifts to the children for a while, but they were never accompanied by any type of a person greeting. Eventually he lost contact with his family completely. He devoted his life entirely to his business and making it grow even larger and more profitable than it already was. It seems to have been his whole life. In fact, he died sitting at your/his desk!"

Brenda was frightened by what Thomas had just said. "What did you just say?" She looked over at Jax, who could read the fear in her face and just smiled sweetly at her.

"One morning the butler came into the study to bring him his morning coffee and found him dead at his desk. The London coroner ruled it a heart attack. Seems old Everett had been in failing health for quite some time, but had not let on to anyone, even his household staff. He had been under a doctor's care for almost the last year of his life."

"So how did he end up being buried here in Port Charles, if he died in London?" Jax had become aware of Brenda's increasing tension and had decided to sit next to her on the couch for the balance of Thomas's story. He wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders to try to reassure her, but he could feel how tense she was and did not see any signs of it relaxing. He figured he had better put an end to this discussion for the sake of Brenda and the baby.

"Well, from what I could find out, the butler contacted Junior about what to do about a funeral, and apparently the kids decided to have him returned to the States and buried next to their mother. Seems they all agreed that the one thing in his life that he had loved more than work was Madeline. He was prepared by a London undertaker and shipped back to Port Charles on the next steamer out of London. There was a private burial, with just the children and the remainder of Everett's family."

Jax could feel Brenda beginning to relax. Obviously the end of this story had come none too soon for her. He softly ran his hand up and down her arm until she looked up at him. When she did, he smiled softly and kissed the tip of her nose. Brenda returned his smile and snuggled closer to him to hear the rest of what Thomas had to say. Jax looked back to Thomas to get the end of his report. "Anything else?"

"Well, that's pretty much everything. When Everett died, Junior had the staff close up the house in London and sell all of the furnishings, including the furniture that is now in your library. Even though it had originally come from the family home Junior did not want anything of his father's in his home. The rest of the story is pretty much public record, concerning the children and their children, on up to the current generation of Stanhopes. By the way, did you know you not only own Everett's house and some of his furniture but you also own his company as well?" Thomas looked smugly at Jax waiting for his reaction.

Jax and Brenda both sat up straight on the couch. "WHAT! What do you mean I own his company?"

Thomas chuckled before answering. "Remember about six months ago you bought a floundering international conglomerate?"

Jax thought for a minute before answering. "Yeah, the one that John and Jerry made a run at… Wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me…"

Thomas nodded his head slowly, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. "That's the one. That conglomerate was the remainder of Stanhope Industries. Over the years, none of the family members wanted to continue running the company, so outsiders were brought in to run it and they did - right into the ground! The first chance they got to unload it, they took the money and ran!"

Jax and Brenda were speechless! Thomas wished he had a camera so he could show them both the expressions on their faces! Since he didn't, he satisfied himself with just making a mental picture of the two stunned people sitting across from him. He slowly closed the file that had been sitting on his lap. "Well, that about sums up the life and death of Everett Stanhope. I actually think there is quite a bit of information in here that will help us deal with Everett." He looked directly at Jax before continuing, "I thought what I would do is take this information to my grandfather and the elders and see what they can come up with. Okay?"

Jax had finally regained his senses when Thomas had started talking about leaving. When he glanced over at Brenda, she was as white as a sheet. "Brenda, are you okay? Brenda?" Both Jax and Thomas became concerned when Brenda did not answer him. Jax looked down at her and shook her gently. She finally looked up at him. "Are you okay, luv?"

Brenda let out a long slow exhale when she suddenly realized that she had been holding her breath ever since Thomas had said that Jax owned Everett's company, along with his house and his furniture. No wonder he was so involved in their lives. "I'm fine - really! Just a little stunned, I guess." She chuckled softly when she saw the worried expressions on both Jax and Thomas's faces. She smiled reassuringly at both of them.

Once he knew that Brenda was okay, Jax's mind immediately focused on what Thomas had said about going to visit his grandfather. "I think you going to Australia with this information is a very good idea. When do you want to leave?"

Thomas sat back in his chair and slowly shook his head. "Boy, you don't waste any time, do you?" he chuckled. "Actually, I thought I'd leave first thing in the morning. No sense in waiting. Besides, I'm not sure how long it will take for them to come up with some suggestions for us. I may be gone for several days."

Jax just waved his hand. "That's not a problem. You've only been back one day, so I know you are not in the middle of anything, so leaving right away makes sense. I'll have Allison make your travel arrangements."

Thomas got up to leave. "I'll stop and talk to her on my way out. I'll call you as soon as I get to my grandfather's." Brenda and Jax had gotten up as well, and all three were walking toward the office door. Thomas opened the door and turned back to them. "Hopefully, when I get back we'll be able to take some positive action. While I'm gone, why don't the two of you discuss this with Madeline? She might be able to give you some insight into the Everett she knew, as opposed to the one we are dealing with." He leaned over to give Brenda a kiss on the cheek. "Take care," he said to both of them as he went out the door. As he promised, he stopped to talk to Allison about his flight to Sydney.

Jax quietly closed his office door after Thomas left and quickly wrapped his arms around Brenda. He could tell that she was still upset by what they had heard. He slowly ran his hands up and down her back, trying to reassure her. "How are you doing now? Feeling better?" Brenda leaned back from him, but did not break his hold on her. She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "Well, that's not very reassuring!"

Brenda shuddered slightly before answering, "Sorry. I guess Thomas's information got to me more than I thought." She wrapped her arms tightly around Jax again and snuggled close to his chest. They stood like this for several minutes without saying anything. Finally, Brenda pulled away and looked up at him, "I should get going. I'm sure you have a ton of work to do." She started to walk back toward Jax's desk, where her purse and briefcase were sitting.

Jax walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her one more time. "You look exhausted! Why don't I have David drive you home, okay? That way you can take a hot bath and a nap before I get home. How does that sound?" He turned Brenda around to face him. "Hmmm?"

Brenda just nodded. "Sounds good to me. I am pretty tired." As they started toward the door, Brenda stopped and looked up at him. "You won't be late tonight, will you?" The almost pleading look in Brenda's eyes said much more than her words.

Jax smiled at her and kissed her full on the lips. "I promise. I'll be home as soon as I can. Why don't you have Mrs. Kelly plan dinner for about 6:30? Okay?"

"Okay! I'll see you then!" Brenda reached up and pulled Jax's face down to hers for a goodbye kiss. When she finished she reached up and wiped the lipstick off his face. "Don't be late!" As they walked past Allison, Jax stopped and asked her to call the garage to have David bring a car around to drive Brenda home. He rode down in the elevator with her and walked her to the car. He kissed her again before she got in and once more through the open window before they drove away. Once they were out of sight, Jax sighed deeply and headed back up to his office to try to concentrate on the remainder of his day.

7:45 P.M.

Both Jax and Brenda had been very quiet during dinner. Neither one of them seemed willing to talk about what Thomas had told them earlier. Jax was concerned by Brenda's lack of appetite. This was not like her, especially lately. After playing with the food on her plate for a while, she had asked Benton to remove it. She sat staring out the breakfast room window for the remainder of the meal. When he finished eating, Jax suggested that they spend the rest of the evening in their sitting room. Brenda agreed and slowly got up from the table. Before he wrapped his arm around Brenda's shoulders and led her out of the room and toward the stairs, Jax had told Benton that they were not to be disturbed the rest of the evening unless it was an emergency.

Once they got upstairs to their sitting room, Jax opened the door and let Brenda go in ahead of him. He closed the door quietly behind him, and when he turned around he was surprised to see Brenda standing, staring out the window. He walked quietly up to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "What's bothering you, luv? You've been quiet all evening, and you hardly ate anything." He pulled her back to lean against him, and he tightened his embrace.

Brenda leaned her head back against his chest and put both hands up to caress his comforting arms. "I've just been thinking about what Thomas told us about Everett." She tilted her head to look up at Jax. "It's just so sad to think what happened to him." Brenda got quiet as she slowly turned around in the shelter of his arms. She reached up to softly stroke the side of his face. "I want you to promise me something, Jax."

Jax turned his face so he could gently kiss the palm of her hand. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that if anything ever happens to me, you won't do what Everett did." As Jax started to interrupt her, she gently placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "Wait, and hear me out! I want you to promise me that you won't do to our children what he did to his. I want you to promise me that you will always put our children and their needs first!" She removed her finger to allow him to answer.

Jax took her hand in his and once again kissed the palm. "You're a silly one, you know that! Nothing is going to happen to you. You're going to be stuck with me until we're both old and gray and tripping over our grandchildren or even our great-grandchildren." Jax leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.

Brenda snuggled deeper into his embrace. "I know. I just want to hear you promise me, that's all." She tightened her arms around his waist as she waited.

Jax took a deep breath before he answered her. "I promise, luv. Our children will always be my priority - now and forever!" When he felt Brenda relax in his embrace, he smiled and leaned his chin down on top of her head.

They stood staring out the window for a long time. As they were watching the stars appear in the sky, they were startled by the sound of another voice, "Are you two okay?" Both Brenda and Jax turned toward the voice to see Madeline coming out of the shadows. "Brenda, you look so sad. Is something wrong?"

Brenda and Jax looked at each other before either of them said anything. Finally Jax looked over at Madeline "Nothing's wrong with us, but I think we all need to have a talk." With that, Jax took Brenda by the hand and led her over to take a seat on the sofa. Madeline followed them and sat down in the chair opposite them. "There are some things we've just learned about Everett and your children that I think you should know. Maybe it will help us all understand what has been going on around here." Jax looked over at Brenda, who just nodded her head to let him know that he should tell Madeline everything.

For the next half-hour, Jax tried as gently as he could to fill Madeline in on all the information Thomas had given them. He was hoping to spare her as much pain as possible as he related the details of Everett's life in London and with his children. By the time he finished the story, he could see how disturbed Madeline had become. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you all of this, Madeline. I was hoping that you might be able to help us figure out how to put an end to all of this, now that you know everything that went on."

Madeline jumped from her chair and started pacing around the room. "I can't believe this is true! Are you sure about this information?" She stopped pacing suddenly and turned to face Jax. "Who told you all of this? Are you sure you can trust them?"

It was obvious to Brenda that Madeline was hoping there was even the slightest possibility that what Jax had just told her was wrong. She walked over to where Madeline was standing and reached out her hand to touch her arm. "The information is unfortunately true, Madeline. Our friend, Thomas, went to London to find out whatever he could about Everett after he left this house. Thomas told us all of this information this morning." When she saw the despair fill Madeline's face, she tried to calm her. "I know this is hard to hear, but maybe now we can figure a way to help Everett finally find the peace in death that he was never able to find in life."

Madeline pulled away from Brenda's touch. "I have to think about this." Before anyone could say anything, Madeline faded away, leaving Jax and Brenda standing there alone.

Seeing how disturbed Brenda was at Madeline's pain, Jax held his arms open to her. She quickly walked over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Jax wrapped one arm around her shoulders and gently stroked her back with his other hand, feeling her relax in his embrace. They stood like this for several minutes. Eventually they settled down on the sofa: Jax leaning against the arm; and Brenda lying on top of him, her ear just above his heart. They stayed like that for most of the evening.

When Jax noticed Brenda try to stifle a yawn, he looked up at the clock on the mantle. "Hey, it's after 11:00. What do you say we call it a night? I don't really think Madeline will be back tonight. We gave her a lot to think about." Jax leaned down and kissed the top of Brenda's head.

"I guess you're right. I am a little tired." This time Brenda did not try to hide the yawn, which caused both of them to laugh. "Sorry about that." She slowly got up from on top of him and waited for him to get up. They walked over to the door to their bedroom. As Jax reached to turn off the lights, Brenda looked up at him. "I love you, Jasper Jacks," was all she said before going through the bedroom door.

Jax followed her through the door as he answered her, "I love you, too, Brenda Jacks.