Brenda was stunned. She couldn’t believe Jax had just said what she thought she had heard him say! “What did you just say? Did you just say that you are going to invite your father over to this house? Jax! Why on earth would you want to do that?”

Jax had expected some kind of reaction from Brenda, but he hadn’t expected this! It seemed to him that she was actually angry. Whatever else she was feeling one thing was obvious, she was very agitated at the idea – something that was definitely not good for her or the baby!

“Calm down, Brenda, and let me explain.” Jax took her hand and led her over to the couch. He helped her sit before sitting down next to her. He took both of her hands in his and calmly explained everything that Madeline had told him, ending with the idea of bringing John Jacks into the house. As he was talking, Jax could actually see the wheels turning in Brenda’s brain. He was also sure he could see her starting to calm down. When he finished his explanation he looked into her eyes. "So, what do you think?”

Brenda didn’t say anything. She took a deep breath and let it out. Slowly, she rose from the couch and walked over to the window, where she stood staring out for a long time before answering. “I understand the need for a diversion, Jax. I just don’t understand why it has to be your father!” She turned back to look at Jax.

Seeing how upset she still was, Jax got up and walked over to stand with her. “Believe me, sweetheart, I feel the same way. The LAST thing I’d want is my father in this house – especially with you being so close to your delivery date! I told Madeline that earlier, and she said she totally understood my concerns. She told me that if we could come up with another idea that would completely divert Everett’s attention, she’d be more than willing to go along with it!”

“If that’s true, why did you agree to her idea?” Brenda asked.

Jax found himself unable to look her in the eye when he answered. “I didn’t exactly agree to go along with it – yet!” Jax took a deep breath before continuing. He could see the growing confusion in Brenda’s eyes. He realized he was not making things any easier for her. “I told her I wanted to discuss the plan with Thomas first. I’m hoping he or his grandfather can come up with something else.”

“Thomas? Thomas already knows about all of this?” she asked. Jax could hear the hurt in her voice, so he simply nodded his head as Brenda looked up into his face. She knew that expression too well. “You don’t think they will though, do you?” She was trying her best not to let the growing anger she was feeling spill out. She needed to hear the rest of what Jax had to tell her.

Jax slowly shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not.”

Brenda pulled away from him and walked toward the chair by the fireplace. She stopped and turned around to him again. “I still don’t understand what good asking John over will do. You don’t think he’d actually HELP you, do you?”

A slightly smug smile came across Jax’s face. “Actually, I do – especially since he won’t even know he’s doing it!” He took a deep breath before continuing, “Madeline said that we need something that will totally distract Everett so that she will be able to get into the library. Everything else we’ve tried hasn’t been enough of a diversion for him to let his guard down. I have to admit though that she almost got in this afternoon…” Jax stopped talking as soon as he realized that he had said too much.

It was too late. Brenda had picked up on his slip instantly. “What do you mean, this afternoon, Jax?” She could see her answer written all over Jax’s face. He had been keeping something from her for who knew how long? “Jax, answer me! Have you seen Everett?” Brenda wasn’t sure what she felt more: anger for him keeping this secret or fear for his safety.

Realizing that it was too late to try to keep any secrets, Jax slowly nodded his head. “Yes, I have, luv, a few times.” He could tell that Brenda was about to say something. “Please let me finish before you say anything, Brenda.” She nodded and then sat down in the chair so that he could not sit next to her.

Unwilling to keep any distance between them when he explained, Jax stooped next to the chair. “The first time was several weeks ago. Thomas and I had figured out this plan to lure him out so that Madeline could try to talk to him. We created this supposedly unsolvable merger problem that I brought home to work on in the library. I was sitting at my desk working on it that night when he suddenly showed up to ‘help’ me with it.” He could see that Brenda was at least listening, which meant she still had an open mind about the situation, so he continued. “Anyway, it took Everett about an hour to find the ‘problem’ and fix it. After that, he started giving me all of this advice about work ethic and priorities…”

“Wait a minute! What do you mean, you created a problem?” She looked Jax right in the eyes, suddenly realizing what he was saying. “You purposely lured him out, didn’t you?” Jax didn’t answer her. She could tell by his face that he had more to say. “Finish it!” she demanded.

Feeling extremely guilty for having kept this from Brenda, Jax slowly continued, “Yes, we did, but it didn’t accomplish what we had hoped for.

“Thomas and I figured that Madeline had been right all along: the only way to be rid of Everett was with her help, so we came up with this idea to try to lure him out again. Unfortunately, he didn’t go for it. I’ve seen some movement in the shadows every once in a while, but he never made an actual appearance again.”

Things were beginning to make sense to Brenda now. This explained all the work Jax had been bringing home recently. Remembering all of their wonderful afternoon excursions, she suddenly felt very angry. “So THIS is why you’ve been coming home early everyday! It wasn’t to spend time with me before the baby was born – it was to lure Everett out!” When he reached for her hand, she pulled away. “No! Don’t!” She turned away from him, unable to look into his eyes.

Seeing Brenda’s pain, Jax reached over and took her face between his hands and turned her to face him. “That’s not true, Brenda! I’ve been spending the afternoons with you for exactly the reason I said. I want us to have as much time for just the two of us as possible before the baby comes. I swear to you, it had NOTHING to do with getting rid of Everett!”

Brenda could see in his eyes that he was telling her the truth. She was relieved to know that their afternoons alone together had not been just a part of a plan, but his real desire to be with her. She still felt angry with him, but she was now more willing to hear the rest of what Jax had to say. She put her hands on top of his and finally looked him in the eyes. “I believe you, Jax.” She actually felt like smiling when she saw the look of relief flood over Jax’s face. “Finish what you have to tell me. I want to hear all of it.” She gently pulled Jax’s hands from her face and held them tightly in her lap.

Jax smiled, relieved not only to know that she believed him, but also that she had calmed down. He raised her left hand to his lips and kissed it gently. He slowly looked up into her eyes. "Thank you." He kissed her hand again before continuing, "Okay, where was I? Oh right, I've seen or thought I've seen Everett several times since that night, but he's never actually come out. Finally, when I didn't think I could wait any longer, I asked Madeline to keep watch outside the library when I was in there, and if she felt his presence, try to force her way in. She tried earlier today when he put in another appearance, but he still managed to keep her out."

He felt Brenda tense up again at the mention of Everett coming out, but then she slowly seemed to relax as he continued, "When I talked to her a little while ago, we decided we needed to create a situation that Everett would get so involved in that he would let down his guard and Madeline could get in undetected." Jax chuckled softly. "You've got to admit there isn't anything more likely to distract Everett than a 'meeting' between me and my father!"

Brenda couldn't resist the urge to chuckle herself. Any anger she had been feeling toward Jax had long since been replaced by fascination with his plan. "You've got that right!" She squeezed his hands tightly as she got very serious. "I'm sorry for what I said before, Jax. I should have known you wouldn't use me." She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. "Forgive me?" She smiled at him as she cupped the side of his face.

Jax put his hand on top of hers. "There's nothing to forgive, sweetheart. I'm just grateful you were willing to hear me out!" Jax leaned forward and kissed her this time. Seeing how tired she was, he smiled and whispered, "Why don't we call it a night? We can finish this discussion tomorrow." Brenda nodded slowly and got up. She wrapped her arm around Jax and the two of them walked into the bedroom.

September 22, 1999

8:45 A.M.

Jax lay quietly in bed holding a soundly sleeping Brenda. He had decided before falling asleep last night that he would not be going in to work today. He had already called Allison to let her know that he would be staying home and that if anything came up, she could reach him here. He had also asked her to give Thomas a call and ask him to stop over before going into the office.

He kept going over everything that had happened yesterday. He realized now that not telling Brenda what he was doing had been a mistake - a huge mistake! He shuddered when he remembered the hurt in her eyes when she realized that he had been keeping something from her. He had not seen that look in a long time and had thought to never see it again. Without realizing what he was doing, he tightened his arms around her as she continued to sleep peacefully.

After a while, Jax reached up and gently lifted her hair from her face. Brenda stirred a little and slowly opened one eye. As she continued to wake up, she smiled at him. His heart fluttered at the sight of her smile. He truly hoped it meant that she had forgiven him.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he whispered, as he leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead. "Did you sleep well?" He gently smoothed her hair as he spoke.

Brenda sighed as she looked up at him. "Definitely!" She gently ran her hand across his chest as she tilted her head to kiss his shoulder.

Jax moved his hand to gently run his fingers up and down her back. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I never should have kept a secret – especially a secret like that!"

"No, you shouldn't have, Jax!" Brenda lifted her head from his shoulder to look up at him. "Why did you? I thought we promised never to keep ANY secrets?"

When Jax looked into her eyes, he saw that a trace of the hurt from yesterday had returned. "At the time I thought it was the only thing to do. I knew how frightened you were of Everett, so I wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible!"

Brenda saw the sincerity of his words in his eyes. "I understand that, honey. What I don't understand is why you didn't just explain it to me the way you did last night. I would have understood, Jax. I wouldn't have liked it, but I would have understood."

Jax couldn't resist the urge to smile "I'm sure you would have understood, luv. I'm also sure you would have insisted on helping me!"

"So? Why shouldn't I want to help my husband?"

Before saying anything, Jax moved one of his hands down to caress Brenda's protruding abdomen. The baby seemed to know its father's touch because it chose that moment to let both Jax and Brenda know it was awake. "This is why, Brenda. I had no idea what Everett was likely to do, and I wasn't about to let you do anything that could unintentionally endanger you or the baby! I was sure that if I told you what we were planning and that I didn't want your help, you'd try to do something on your own to help anyway!" He looked her right in the eyes. "Am I right?"

Brenda looked away and chuckled. "You're probably right. You know I wouldn't stand by and not do anything." She leaned forward and kissed him quickly on the lips before settling back down in his embrace. "So, how are you planning to get your father here?"

Jax wrapped his arms around her again. "I haven't actually decided to do that yet. I told Madeline I wanted to talk to Thomas about it first. He's supposed to come over this morning so we can talk about it." Jax glanced over at the bedside clock. "He should be here pretty soon."

Brenda pulled back from Jax's embrace and sat up next to him. "What do you think he'll say?" she asked, trying not to sound too curious.

Before Jax had a chance to answer, the phone rang. He reached over and picked it up. "Yes?" Jax listened for a minute. "Thanks, Benton. Tell Thomas that Brenda and I will be down in a couple of minutes. Why don't you get him some coffee and have him wait in the breakfast room?" Jax put the phone down and looked over at Brenda with a smile. "Well? Are you going to at least put a robe on or are you going to meet with Thomas in your nightgown?"

Brenda leaned over and kissed him full on the mouth. “Are you kidding? I’ll be ready before you are!” She said with the sound of a challenge in her voice, as she threw back the covers and started out of the bed. Unfortunately she had forgotten the disadvantage her distended abdomen created. When she tried to get out of bed, she found that she couldn’t do it – at least, not without a little help from Jax. She turned back to him with a plaintive look on her face. “Well?”

Jax knew what she wanted. He got up and walked around to her side of the bed, extending both his hands to her. She took his hands and let him pull her closer to the edge of the bed so that she could finally swing her legs over the side. Once her legs were over, Jax gave a pull and got Brenda up on her feet. Just as she leaned up to kiss him the baby kicked very hard, causing both of them to laugh.

Jax gently caressed her abdomen as he smiled down at her. “Well, if you’re going to get ready, I guess I’ll jump into the guest bath real quick.” He grabbed his robe off the chair next to the bed and headed toward the closet to get his clothes. He stopped and turned back to face her as he asked, “Do you want me to wait for you, or should I go on down when I’m finished?”

Brenda thought for a minute. “Why don’t you go ahead down. I’ll be down as soon as I can.” As Jax turned to go back toward the closet, Brenda called after him. “Jax? Just don’t discuss anything until I get there, okay?” She could tell by the expression that suddenly came across his face that he regretted what had already happened. She swore to herself that she would never mention it again.

“I promise, luv! We won’t make any plans until you come down.” When he saw Brenda smile at him, Jax returned the smile and then headed quickly out of the room to shower and change.

It had only taken Jax about ten minutes to shower and dress. He headed quickly down the stairs and into the breakfast room. As he came in, he saw Thomas sitting at the table, reading the morning paper. When he heard someone coming, Thomas looked up. “What’s this? I’m paying you to read the morning paper?” Jax couldn’t resist the urge to chuckle.

“Hey, I’m not the one who called this meeting and then isn’t even out of bed yet!” As Jax came into the room and poured himself a cup of coffee, Thomas looked quickly over his shoulder. “I’ll have to admit I was a little surprised that you asked me to meet you here this early. Has Brenda already gone out somewhere?”

“No, Brenda’s right here, Thomas!” she declared as she came through the door. Jax looked over as she came into the room and smiled when he saw that she had managed to not only shower but she had also dressed and pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail.

When Jax and Brenda saw the confusion on Thomas’s face, they both had to laugh. It was Jax who finally explained things to him. “Brenda knows everything, mate! She found out last night and I told her everything we’ve been doing.” Jax saw a look of guilt come across Thomas’s face. “It’s okay, she’s forgiven us!” he declared with a smile, as he leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

Brenda looked over at Thomas. “There were conditions on that forgiveness though.” When she saw the questions in Thomas’s eyes, she explained. “From now on I’m going to be a part of anything and everything you guys are planning.” When she saw Thomas start to protest, she held up her hand. “I may not be able to be a participant, but I will know everything that is going on. Understood?”

Thomas looked over at Jax. He could see that Jax was okay with this, so he looked back at her and smiled. “Fine with me! So what’s happening? I presume that something has happened since I’m here!” He looked first at Brenda and then at Jax.

“You’re right, actually. There is something I need to run by you concerning Everett. Madeline came up with some interesting information yesterday and a suggestion that I wanted you to discuss with your grandfather and the elders. If they agree, this might actually be our key to solving the Everett problem!”

Both Jax and Brenda could tell that they had Thomas’s undivided attention. “Sounds intriguing. What is it?”

While Brenda ate her breakfast, Jax spent the next twenty minutes explaining everything that he and Madeline had discussed last night, ending with her suggestion about bringing John into the house to distract Everett. When he finished, he waited for Thomas to say something. Jax was surprised when he didn’t say anything. “Well? What do you think?”

Thomas got up and walked over to the windows before saying anything. He turned back to face his friends, who were still sitting at the table. "I understand the reasons for doing this, but are you guys sure you want to bring John into this?" His concern for them was written all over his face. "You have no way of knowing what he'll do…" he looked directly at Brenda "or say!"

Jax and Brenda both knew what he meant. "It's a risk, I know," Jax said. He reached over and took Brenda's hand. "We decided that there is nothing he can say that would be as bad as the risk that Everett presents. Besides, the more trouble he causes, the easier it'll be for Madeline to get in." Jax could see that there was something Thomas wanted to say, but he didn't seem able to say it. He looked over at Brenda, who had noticed the same thing, and then back at Thomas. "What?"

"I was thinking about Brenda. We all know John's opinion of her. Isn't this just asking for trouble?" Thomas came back over and sat back down at the table.

"I don't think so, mate. Brenda won't be anywhere near the library when he's here!" Brenda was startled by Jax's statement. As she started to say something, Jax spoke up, "I know how much you want to help, luv, but you know as well as I do that the last thing you need at this point in your pregnancy is a confrontation with my father. I was hoping that you and mum would go somewhere while we talked, so that you couldn't be a target. That way I can focus my full attention on the situation at hand, instead of worrying about my family!"

Realizing that what Jax said made sense, Brenda reluctantly nodded her head. "I guess when you put it that way, I have to agree." She seemed resigned to not being involved. "When do you plan to put all this into motion?" she asked, looking from Jax to Thomas and back to Jax again.

"Well, that all depends on what Thomas's grandfather has to say. I told Madeline that we wouldn't do anything until he and the elders gave their approval." Jax looked over at Thomas. "When do you think you can get in touch with him?"

Thomas looked at his watch. “I’ll give him a call as soon as I get to the office. If he can get the elders together, we should have an answer by tomorrow.” Thomas got up to leave. “You guys are sure you want to do this?” he asked, his concern for both of them obvious in his voice.

Jax and Brenda both nodded. “We have to, mate. I can’t have Everett hanging around here after the baby is born.” He looked over at Brenda and smiled. “Besides, there could be a side benefit to all of this.” When he saw the confused looks on both Thomas’s and Brenda’s faces, he continued, “What better way to get my father out of our lives forever?” Brenda and Thomas were both startled by his comment.

Thomas came over and quickly hugged Brenda before saying anything. He looked down at her with a slightly guilty look on his face. "I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry if our secret caused you any sadness. I know how much the two of you cherish honesty, so I’ll be honest with you. I’m glad Jax told you everything, but I have to admit that I agreed with him at the time that we should keep you out of it. I hope you understand.”

Brenda looked up at him and smiled. “I do understand and I appreciate you wanting to protect me and the baby. Just remember, from now on though there will be no secrets – of any kind!” She looked him straight in the eyes. “AGREED?”

Thomas smiled sheepishly. “Agreed!” He kissed her quickly on top of the head and then turned his attention to Jax. “I’m off then, mate! I’ll call you as soon as I hear from my grandfather.” Noticing for the first time Jax’s casual attire, he asked “Are you coming into the office or will you be staying here?”

Jax wrapped his arm snuggly around Brenda’s waist. “I plan to spend the entire day making up with my wife. I already called Allison and told her if anything comes up that she can reach me here.” His playfulness quickly disappeared. “Call me as soon as you hear from your grandfather. I want to get this plan in motion as soon as possible.” When Thomas nodded his agreement, Jax slapped him on the shoulder. The three friends walked out to the foyer, where Thomas picked up his coat.

Jax and Brenda stood in the open door watching Thomas walk down the front steps and get into his car. Once he pulled out of the driveway, they closed the door and walked back into the parlor. Brenda turned to look up at Jax, as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Did you mean what you told Thomas about spending the day making things up to me?”

Wrapping his arms loosely around her before answering, Jax smiled. “Of course! What would you like to do with the rest of the morning?” He smiled as he saw the wheels spinning in Brenda’s brain.

The mischievous twinkle in her eyes made Jax laugh. “Oh, I’m sure we will think of something to do!” Before he had a chance to say anything, Brenda began a serious tickle attack, which sent them both rolling onto the couch. At one point, even the baby got into the act, kicking both of its parents at the same time, causing more laughter.

After a morning of doing nothing but playing, Jax and Brenda enjoyed a leisurely lunch. After lunch they took a long walk around the neighborhood. In an attempt to keep his promise to spend the entire day with her, Jax lay down with Brenda when she took her afternoon nap. Enjoying the feel of Jax’s arms around her, Brenda quickly fell asleep. Jax was surprised when he realized how tired he was as well. It wasn’t long before he snuggled down and fell asleep himself.

The sound of the bedside phone ringing roused him from his sleep. He quickly reached for the phone in an attempt to prevent it from waking Brenda. When he felt her stir against him, he knew it was too late, that she was already waking up. “Hello?” he said quietly.

“It’s a go!” was all Thomas said. He knew there was nothing more to be said. He waited until he heard Jax hang up the phone. For some reason he had a bad feeling about this plan of theirs. He had realized it as he was driving to the office this morning. Even though his grandfather and the elders considered it a very good plan, something about it was setting off all kinds of alarms in his head. He decided to wait until tomorrow to get together with Jax and Brenda to work out the final details. Maybe by then he would be able to figure out what it was about the plan that bothered him so much. But at this point, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go very wrong if they continued…