The problems in Toronto turned out to be far less serious than Jax had anticipated. As a result he and Brenda were on the plane heading back to Port Charles less than four hours after leaving the Nurse's Ball. He had tried to persuade Brenda to stay over in Toronto for the night and fly back in the morning but she insisted on going home, telling him that she wasn't the slightest bit tired. They had barely cleared the Toronto Airport when he felt the slow steady rhythm of her breathing. When he looked down at her snuggled against him on the cabin sofa he saw that she was sound asleep.

Jax couldn't help smiling as he gently slid out of her embrace, slowly easing her down onto the couch. After covering her with a blanket he sat down at the table on the other end of the cabin. Not wanting to wake Brenda he reached for the radio headset that was sitting on the table. He tuned the radio to the Port Charles station that Brenda had gotten him listening to. Once he had the station tuned he sat back in his chair to relax and enjoy the rest of the flight. He glanced over to make sure that Brenda was still sleeping before getting comfortable in his chair.

Just as he closed his eyes the local news report came on the radio. The lead story caused Jax's eyes to open immediately as he sat up straight in his chair to listen closely to the reporter. When the report was over he ripped off the headset and picked up the phone. By the time he finished his calls the steward came in to let him know they were on final approach to Port Charles and needed to buckle in.

Jax nodded to the steward as he got up and walked over to wake Brenda. He stooped down next to the couch and gently stroked her hair. She stirred slightly but didn't wake up so he leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. Brenda slowly opened her eyes. She smiled and reached up to stroke his cheek.

"Time to wake up sleepyhead," Jax said as he tapped the tip of her nose. "We're about to land in Port Charles." In spite of what he had heard on the radio he couldn't resist the urge to laugh when he saw the expression on her face as he helped her sit up and buckle her seatbelt.

"We're landing? Already?" she asked, still not fully awake as she snuggled close to him when he sat down next to her. "How's that possible? We just took off?"

"It's easy. You slept most of the way home," he said as he slowly ran his hand up and down her arm.

Brenda sat back from him, fully awake now, as she slapped his chest. When she looked up at his face she saw the smile on his lips but there was something else, something in his eyes. She reached up to caress his cheek. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

Jax put his hand on hers and turned to kiss her palm. Before he could answer her they felt the plane touch down. As soon as the plane came to a stop the steward came out to open the door and lock the stairs in place. Once he was sure the stairs were locked in place he quickly went down ahead of them, carrying Jax's briefcase.

When they got to the foot of the stairs Jax took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around Brenda. As she looked around she was surprised to see several security guards waiting for them. She was even more surprised to see the J&J Jacks limo pull up right to where they were standing. As the rest of the guards kept a close watch on the area one of them opened the door. Jax firmly clasped her elbow and directed her quickly toward the car.

As soon as they got in the guard closed the door and slapped twice on the roof to signal the driver to leave. Before the driver turned back to them or said anything Brenda knew who it was. "Hello Edward, sorry to get you out of bed at this hour," she said with a smile. She was shaken by the serious expression on his face when he turned around to them.

"I'm glad to help Mrs. Jacks." He then looked directly at Jax. "I've checked everything out as you ordered sir. There will be a car in front of us and one behind all the way as you instructed." He waited until Jax nodded to continue. "Your father called to let you know the other car will be here by noon and that you are both to use it and only it until this is resolved. He also said you should give him a call if either of you need anything else," Edward said as he handed Jax a file folder. "Mr. Ashton sent this for you to look over."

"Thank you Edward, I knew I could count on you." Jax could see there was something else. "What else?"

"Ah… your father 'suggested' that you and Mrs. Jacks might want to move up to the Alaska compound for a while - at least until the police figure out what's going on down here."

Brenda couldn't stand it any longer. "Jax what's going on?" she asked as she looked over at him. "Tell me!" she demanded.

Before answering her Jax looked up at Edward. "Let's go Edward," he said before pushing the button to raise the privacy window. Once the window was up he tucked his leg underneath himself and turned to look directly at Brenda. "Something happened after we left the Nurse's Ball that I need to tell you about. Before I do though I want you to promise me that you'll hear me out to the end before you say anything. Okay?"

"I promise Jax. Now please! Tell me what happened! You're scaring me!" Brenda reached for both of Jax's hands as she felt herself start to tremble.

"I don't have all the details yet but apparently there was a shooting last night…"

"Oh God Jax!" Brenda started to tremble harder. "What happened? Did someone try to rob the Ball?" All the color drained from Brenda's face. "Are Ned and Lois okay? The rest of the Quartermaines?"

Jax reached up to put his finger on her lips. "They're all fine luv. I talked to Ned from the plane before we got back. Apparently they were all still inside the ballroom when it happened."

"When WHAT happened Jax?" Brenda drew in her breath suddenly and put her hand over her mouth. "It's Robin! Something happened to her!"

"Brenda stop! Robin is fine. Let me finish, okay?" Jax took both of Brenda's hands in his again and waited for her to calm down a little.

"I'm sorry Jax, go ahead. I won't interrupt again," Brenda said as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly to try to calm herself down. It didn't really work.

"From what I've been able to find out so far right after we left the hotel Lily Corrinthos decided to go home. She and a bodyguard left the hotel by cab not long after we did." He took a deep breath before looking her in the eyes. "The authorities figure that someone followed them and at the first opportunity attacked the cab with automatic weapons."

Brenda squeezed Jax's hands as memories of the attack on her in the shower at Sonny's apartment flooded her mind. She could feel tears forming in her eyes. "Is she dead?" she asked softly as she looked away from Jax and out the window.

"No, she survived - so far. But the bodyguard and the cab driver died instantly. Last report I heard Lily is in extremely critical condition at General Hospital." He squeezed Brenda's hands gently to get her to look back at him. "She's in a coma luv. They aren't sure if she'll make it. The next twenty-four hours will tell the story."

Without saying anything Brenda snuggled close to Jax, wrapping her arms tightly around him. After a minute or so she leaned back from him and tilted her head to look up into his face. "Wait a minute," she said as she pulled further away and turned in the seat to completely face him. "As horrible as this is, I don't understand what it has to do with us. Whoever did this must have a problem with Sonny. Why all the security for us?" When she looked into Jax's eyes she could tell that he was keeping something from her. "What haven't you told me?" she asked.

Jax almost smiled for the first time since he had heard that first news report. She was really learning to know him. "You're right there is one more thing." He stopped to take a deep breath and let it out quickly. "Not long after the attack the police found the car that was used by the gunmen. When they searched it they found a picture of you and me on the floor under the front seat." He stopped when he saw the fear in her eyes. "So until we find out why I'm not taking any chances with your safety. The car Edward was talking about is a special 'secure' car that J&J Jacks owns. It's designed to provide maximum protection for its occupants. You and I will use it whenever we leave the hotel until this is resolved. Okay?"

Brenda could hardly believe what he was telling her. "Who would want to hurt us like that?" she asked softly. She couldn't stop the tears that suddenly started flowing freely down her cheeks. When Jax held his arms open to her she quickly moved over next to him and wrapped her arms around him very tightly and just cried. Neither one of them said anything the rest of the way to the hotel. Brenda's tears finally turned into sniffles as Jax gently ran his hands up and down her back.

Just as they pulled into the driveway of the hotel Brenda jerked back away from Jax. "I know why our picture was in that car! WE were their target not Lily!" When she looked at Jax she knew he had suspected the same thing. Trying to prove she was right she asked one more question. "Which bodyguard was with Lily? Did they release his name?"

Jax thought for a moment. "I think his name was Frances something. Why? Did you know him?"

Brenda slowly nodded her head. "I was afraid you were going to say that," she said as she slowly let out the breath she had been holding before continuing. "He's very tall like you and has light hair. If someone was looking for us and saw Lily and Frances drive by they could easily think it was us - Especially from behind!" Tears started down her cheeks again. "Oh God Jax! Someone thought that Lily was me! Lily got hurt because she looked like ME!"

Before Jax could say anything the car came to a stop and the door opened. Jax immediately stepped out and looked around before reaching in to help Brenda out. She quickly wiped away her tears before taking his hand to get out. She was startled to see four uniformed guards standing around them. Jax squeezed her hand reassuringly and led her inside with the guards circling them. They walked straight to the elevator. Two guards got on with them as Jax inserted his key to start the elevator up to the penthouse. The doors closed immediately. When the doors opened again one of the guards stepped in front of them as the other got out to check the hallway. When he signaled that it was clear the guard stepped off the elevator and stood off to the side to let Jax and Brenda get out.

When they got to the door there was another guard already waiting for them. He nodded to both of them. "Hello Mr. Jacks, Mrs. Jacks. We've checked the apartment as Mr. Ashton ordered and everything is clear." He nodded toward the guards who were standing by the elevator. "One of us will be on duty at each of the doors as well as in the lobby until your own people arrive tomorrow."

"Thanks," Jax said with a slight smile.

"One more thing, the Port Charles Police will be here this afternoon to speak to you and Mrs. Jacks about what happened last night."

Jax nodded to the man before wrapping his arm around Brenda's shoulders. "Now if you'll excuse us, my wife and I are exhausted. I'll talk to you later about further details." The guard nodded to them again as he opened the door and stepped aside to let them in.

Once they were inside Brenda walked over to the mantle as Jax turned on the small desk lamp. She took of Jax's suit jacket and threw it on the couch before picking up the little yacht and running her finger across it. She gently set it back down and turned to face Jax. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

Jax came up to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "What are you sorry about luv? You haven't done anything wrong - neither one of us has," he said softly.

"How can you say that? Just look what's happened in the last twenty-four hours. Lily's in a hospital fighting for her life and you're a prisoner in your own home - all because of me!" Brenda pulled away from him and walked over to the couch. She sat down and covered here face with her hands for a moment. "Someone wants to kill you because of me," she said sadly when she put her hands down and looked up at him.

Jax came over and sat down next to her. He took her hand in his. "We don't know that's true Brenda. You know the type of reputation I have in the business world. We might find out that I'm the one they were after." He reached up to run the backs of his fingers across her cheek. "Let's wait until we talk to the police before either of us jumps to conclusions. Okay?"

She took his hand in hers and kissed the palm before looking up at him. "I don't deserve you Jax," she said sadly.

He smiled at her. "You know what the really sad thing is? You really believe that. When the truth is that you deserve so much more than me."

She tried to smile as she looked up at him again. "You're more than enough for me."

Jax cupped the side of her face. "Is there anything that I can do for you?" he asked softly.

"Will you hold me?" Brenda asked as she reached out to him.

Jax smiled again as he lifted her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled here face into the side of his neck. "Tell you what," he said as he traced small circles on her back with his fingertips. "Why don't we forget about this for now? Let's just enjoy being together like this. Okay?"

For the first time since he had told her about all that had happened he saw the beginning of a real smile on Brenda's face when she looked up at him. "Okay," was all she said before snuggling back against his neck. They sat silently like this for several minutes before she pulled back and reached up to turn his face to her. "I need you Jax - please," she whispered before leaning forward to kiss him passionately.

Their kisses quickly escalated to full-blown passion as Jax trailed kisses down the side of her neck. He suddenly stopped and looked into her eyes. When he saw that they were clouded with passion and not filled with fear or need he stood up with her in his arms. He carried her up to their bedroom where they passionately made love, eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

It was after noon before either of them woke up. Jax woke first when he felt Brenda stir against him. He lifted his head to look down at her just as she opened her eyes and looked up at him. He pushed the hair that had fallen across her face back behind her ear as he leaned down to kiss her. "Good morning luv," he said with a satisfied smile.

Brenda smiled as she glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. "Actually it's good afternoon," she said before leaning back down to kiss his chest.

Jax slowly ran his fingers through her hair as they continued to hold each other. After several minutes Jax finally broke the silence. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked without looking at her. He was relieved when he felt her smile against his chest.

"Why wouldn't I after what we shared last night?" She lifted her head and smiled back at him. She slowly started to draw circles on his chest with her fingers as she continued to look in his eyes.

"I'm afraid we've got to be getting up pretty soon," Jax said as he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her close to him. "The guard said that the PCPD would be coming by this afternoon to ask us some questions about what happened last night."

"I know, but I don't want to get out of this bed - or your arms." She rested her head on his chest for a moment before lifting it again. She stacked her hands on his chest before resting her chin on top of them to look at Jax. "I need to say something and I don't want you to interrupt me until I finish."

"Sounds serious, sure I'll listen," Jax said as he tightened his arms around her.

"I want you to promise me something. If we find out that what happened to Lily last night was because of me I want you to divorce me." When Jax started to say something Brenda put her finger on his lips to stop him. "Let me finish," she said as she waited for him to nod his agreement. "You have to Jax! I won't be responsible for anything happening to you! I couldn't survive if it did! Promise me!" She looked expectantly at Jax for his answer.

Jax took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know I'd do anything for you Brenda - except this!" He caressed the side of her face. "I love you Brenda and nothing you say will ever get me to leave you." He could tell what she was thinking. "If you leave I'll follow you." He smiled slightly when he saw her shocked expression. "Nobody leaves Brenda. It's as simple as that."

She knew immediately that he meant what he had said. She leaned forward to kiss his chest again before resting her cheek against it. "Nobody leaves," she said very softly as she wrapped her arms around him.

They lay wrapped around each other for several more minutes before Jax finally broke the silence. "Why don't you go take your shower? I'll order something for us to eat," he said as he tilted his head to look down at Brenda.

"Okay," she said with a sigh. She leaned up to kiss him one more time before slowly rolling out of his arms. She reached over to the chair for her robe and put it on before getting out of bed. "Just order coffee for me Jax," she said as she turned back to him, tying her robe as she spoke. "I don't think I can eat anything," she said as she scrunched up her face.

"I'll take care of it. You just go take a nice long shower," he said with a smile. He waited until he heard the shower turn on before picking up the phone on the bedside table to call room service. After hanging up the phone he pushed back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He rested his face in his hands for a moment before running his fingers through his hair. Grabbing his robe he walked quickly over to the closet to get his clothes before heading over to the guestroom to shower and shave.

When Brenda came out of the bathroom about twenty minutes later she was not surprised to see that Jax was no longer in the bedroom. She quickly finished dressing before going out to find him. First she checked the den. When she didn't find him there she headed out to the living room.

As soon as she got to the landing she saw him. He was sitting on the couch sipping a mug of coffee as he read the newspaper. She stood watching him for a while, unable to believe that he was willing to stand by her no matter who or what they faced. No one had ever loved her the way that Jax did - not even her own father! As she continued to look at him she suddenly got the feeling that she wasn't sure what scared her more - the possibility that someone might be out to kill her or the depth of Jax's love for her.

Jax smiled when he looked up and saw her. "There you are," he said as he got up and dropped the paper on the couch. He walked over to meet her at the dining table. After fixing a mug of coffee the way he now knew she liked it he held it out to her. "Here you go," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," she said as she took the mug. "This is good, thanks," she said after taking a sip. She looked at the table. "What's all this?" she asked as she inclined her head toward the assortment of muffins and pastries spread out on the table. "I told you I didn't want anything to eat."

"I know that's what you said but I decided WE needed to eat something if we're going to have to deal with the Port Charles police," Jax said as he pulled out a chair for her.

Brenda looked at Jax over the rim of her mug. She couldn't help smiling at the expression on his face as she sat down. When she looked more closely at the spread in front of her she decided Jax had been right about eating and reached for a blueberry muffin.

It was a little less than an hour after they had finished eating that the phone rang. Jax and Brenda looked at each other before Jax got up to answer it. "Hello?" he said. He listened for a minute. "Of course, send them right up." After hanging up the phone he looked over at Brenda. "The police are on the way up."

Brenda took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. "That's what I figured," she said nervously as she came over and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her forehead against his chest for a moment. She finally looked up at him, "We can do this. Right?" she asked expectantly.

With his arms wrapped loosely around her waist Jax smiled at her. "WE can do anything," he said before he bent down to kiss the tip of her nose. They stood resting their foreheads together until there was a loud knock at the door. Jax leaned back and looked into Brenda's eyes. "Ready?" he asked.

After taking another deep breath Brenda answered. "No… but you better let them in anyway."

Jax smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss before walking over to the door. "Who is it?" he asked through the still locked door.

"It's Dennis Mr. Jacks. The police are here to talk to you and Mrs. Jacks."

After looking back at Brenda for a moment Jax unlocked the door and slowly opened it. Standing in front of him were three men as well as the uniformed guard. Two of the men he did not recognize but assumed they were police detectives. The third man he knew all too well but had hoped to never see again - Mac Scorpio, the Police Commissioner of Port Charles.

"What do you know Jax, we meet again," Mac said with a distinct tone of hatred in his voice. "It sure didn't take you long to end up in trouble did it? How long have you been in town? Three months?"

"Actually, its four months," Jax said sarcastically as he stepped aside to let the three men into the penthouse. He was startled when he stepped back to realize that Brenda was now standing right next to him. As soon as he closed the door she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I would suggest Mac, that if you cannot treat my husband with more respect you leave now and remove yourself from this investigation," Brenda said in a strong clear voice, which surprised everyone in the room except for Jax. "I would also suggest that once you have introduced these gentlemen that you allow them to ask the questions." Seeing that Mac was about to explode she decided to shut him down quickly. "Considering your obvious prejudice against my husband in front of witnesses should you choose to ignore this suggestion I will have no choice but to ask you to leave my home. We will then make ourselves available to answer your questions only after our security people have had an opportunity to conduct their own investigation of what happened here last night."

Mac smirked at them. "You cannot refuse to answer questions unless you are a suspect in a crime Brenda. Didn't Sonny teach you that when you were living with him?" He was hoping Jax would attack him for what he said so that he would have an excuse to arrest him but instead he just stood silently next to Brenda, allowing her the opportunity to deal with him. Even though his intention had been to provoke Jax all he had succeeded in doing was to insult Brenda, his niece's best friend. He also realized that it was too late to turn back so he decided to try one more time to provoke Jax. Acting as if Jax had attempted to defy him he directed his full attention at Jax. "You can send as many 'corporate' security people as you want Jax. They will get no cooperation from any member of my department. This is a police matter not a case of corporate corruption!"

This time it was Jax who answered. "You're wrong again Mac. You WILL cooperate with our security people since they are working directly with the FBI. In case you have forgotten I do business on an international level so the Justice Department is very interested in the outcome of this investigation." He pulled Brenda a little closer to his side before finishing. "So if you reject my wife's suggestions you will have this case taken out of your hands and turned over to the Feds. How do you think that will sit with the new mayor of Port Charles?" he asked calmly.

Not wanting to loose control of a case involving Sonny Corrinthos one of the detectives spoke up before Mac could answer. "I'm sure that won't be necessary Mr. Jacks." When Jax looked over at him the man introduced himself. "My name is Marcus Taggert and this is Alex Garcia. As you and your wife have already guessed we are the detectives assigned to investigate what happened last night. We'd like to ask you both a few questions if you don't mind." He looked expectantly at first Jax then Brenda.

"We'll be happy to tell you whatever we can detective," Jax said politely. He looked down at Brenda for a second before looking back at the detectives. "Have a seat. We'll tell you whatever we can." As the three men walked over and sat down on one of the couches Mac Scorpio leaned over to whisper something to Det. Taggert which caused an immediate frown on his face. Jax and Brenda walked behind them to sit down on the couch opposite them.

"What time did you leave the Nurse's Ball last night?" Det. Taggert asked as he and Det. Garcia both took out their notebooks and opened them.

"I think it was about 9:30. I got a message that there was a business emergency and that I needed to fly to Toronto immediately," Jax said calmly as he looked at the detective while holding Brenda's hand.

"How did you get the message? Was it delivered? Was it a phone call?" Det. Garcia asked.

"One of the waiters brought a phone message to our table from the front desk during the first intermission," Jax answered. "After I read it I came up here to the penthouse to get some papers I knew I would need for the trip while Brenda waited at the Ball for me to come back down."

"Same old Jax. You make a big show of announcing your marriage to Brenda in front of Sonny and then you take off and leave her alone to face him! Typical!" Mac almost spat the words out.

Jax slowly shook his head as he smiled sarcastically at Mac. "You haven't changed a bit have you Mac. You still talk before you know what you're talking about," he said as he squeezed Brenda's hand. "I asked Brenda to come with me before I went upstairs but she thought that she should stay at the Ball. She had promised Robin that she would be there for moral support during her speech."

Realizing that Mac was getting angrier at being put down - again Det. Taggert spoke up. He turned his attention to Brenda this time. "I understand that you had an altercation with Sonny Corrinthos while your husband was out of the room Mrs. Jacks. Would you mind filling us in on the details?"

"There's not much to tell really. Sonny came up to me while I was waiting for Jax to come back down and started giving me a hard time about my marriage. When he wouldn't let me leave to meet Jax I threw a glass of champagne in his face and walked away while he was screaming for me to come back. Jax came back a minute or so later." Brenda looked over at Jax as she ran her fingers through the hair on her neck.

"When I saw Brenda I could tell that something had happened while I was gone, probably with Sonny, so I asked her again to come with me. This time she agreed." Jax looked at the detectives. "Why is that important?" he asked.

Ignoring Jax's question Det. Garcia continued. "Did anyone other than the two of you know that you were going to be leaving the hotel?" he asked as he continued writing in his notebook.

Jax looked at Brenda for a moment before answering. "Only the crew of my plane - but they didn't know what time we were leaving or that Brenda was coming with me until we got to the airport."

"Any idea who saw you two leave the hotel?" Det. Taggert asked.

"Well the doorman of course. I asked him to get us a cab since I had given our driver the night off." Jax paused for a moment to try to remember what he had done the night before. "Other than that I don't remember seeing anyone around the front door of the hotel. The entertainment had barely begun when we left so I guess most people were still inside or in the bar." Jax leaned back and crossed his legs as Brenda continued to sit forward with her elbows resting on her knees.

Det. Taggert looked up from his notebook. "The uniformed officers we had working security at the front of the hotel didn't see the two of you leave in a cab. Their report indicates that a woman left alone a short while before Mrs. Corrinthos and her guard. Can either one of you explain that?" he asked as he looked directly at them. He was surprised at both of their reactions to the question. Jax was trying not to smile and Brenda had put her hands up over her face.

When she finally put them down she turned to look at Jax for a moment and smiled before turning back to the detectives. "That woman they saw leave alone was me." When she saw the confused expression on their faces she couldn't help but smile. "We were barely in the cab when I pulled Jax down so that his head was resting in my lap. We stayed that way until we got to the airport."

This time Mac spoke up. "Now why would you ask her to do that Jax? Hiding from someone?"

"Jax did not ask me to do it Commissioner. It was my idea. I happen to love looking at my husband so I pulled him down in my lap so that I could run my fingers through his hair as I watched his face." The coldness in Brenda's voice startled Jax. He reached forward and began to slowly rub his hand up and down her back. She turned back to look at him and when she saw the slight smile on his face she turned back to the detectives. "We are, after all, newlyweds you know!" With that she stood up causing Jax to get up with her. "Considering the Commissioner's unwillingness to accept our answers I think this interview is over. If either of you detectives has any further questions please give us a call and we will try to help you out." She walked over and opened the front door. "As I said gentlemen, this interview is over!"

Det. Taggert and Det. Garcia closed their notebooks and put them back in their jacket pockets. They both looked disgustedly at their boss before getting up. When they got up Jax walked over to stand next to Brenda at the open door. "Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Jacks, Mrs. Jacks. We'll be in touch if we need any further information," Det. Taggert said politely.

Mac and the detectives walked up to them at the door. "This is far from over 'Jasper'. You can't hide behind your wife forever you know. Eventually your part in all of this is going to come out!" Mac said as he walked out into the hallway.

"Thank you for your cooperation, both of you," Det. Garcia said as he extended his hand first to Brenda and then to Jax. "Taggert and I will be expecting to hear from your security people shortly. We'll provide any cooperation we can for them and I hope we can expect theirs."

"That I can promise you detective," Jax said as he shook the detective's hand. "I'm sure the Attorney General will appreciate any information you and Det. Taggert can provide to her." He shook hands with Det. Taggert before he left and waited with Brenda until the three men got on the elevator before they closed and locked the door.

Once they were alone again in the suite Brenda wrapped her arms tightly around Jax. "Robin told me once that there was bad blood between you and Mac from back in Australia but I didn't realize he hated you!" she said as she snuggled tighter against his chest. "Will you tell me what's behind that kind of hate?" She was surprised to feel Jax tense up. She looked up at him and saw him staring off into the distance. "What's wrong?" she asked as she reached up to turn his face toward her.

Jax looked down at Brenda. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine luv," he said as he gave her a half smile.

Brenda gently ran the backs of her fingers across his cheek. "Jax please tell me. I want to understand why Mac treated you like that. I've never seen him act like that before." She looked into his eyes. "You don't have to tell me but I'd like it if you did."

Jax pulled away from her and walked over to the fireplace. With his back turned to her he ran his finger across the edge of the mantle just below the little yacht. "Let's just say that the Mac Scorpio I knew in Australia liked life on the wild side. He wasn't above crossing over to the other side of the law if there was money or a thrill involved."

Brenda was stunned by what she had just heard. That did not sound like the straight arrow Mac Scorpio that she knew. Even though his back was turned Brenda could tell that Jax was still shaken by his encounter with Mac. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's okay Jax, you don't have to tell me anything more," she said as she rested her cheek against the center of his back. She slowly brought her hands up higher on his chest.

Jax put his hands on top of hers for a moment before turning around to face her. He took her face in both of his hands and just looked at her for several moments. Finally he leaned forward to give her a quick kiss. "I'm not trying to keep things from you Brenda. It's just that it was a long time ago. Mac was a different person then - and so was I."

Brenda took his hands from her face and held them tightly. She looked deep into his eyes and saw what she was sure was a flash of pain in them but it was gone so quickly that she couldn't be sure. "Tell you what," she said softly. "Let's forget about Mac and whatever happened. Whatever happened in Australia is the past. We are NOT going to live in the past or let it affect our future. Okay?" she asked as she smiled at him.

"Sounds good to me," he said before leaning down to kiss her. Still holding her hands he reached up and ran his index finger along her chin. "What have you got planned for the rest of the afternoon Mrs. Jacks?"

"Actually I was hoping to spend it with you. I don't have to meet with Katherine about my final decision on my Deception contract until tomorrow so I thought we could turn off the phones and spend the rest of the day together." She could feel her smile fade away as she looked into his face. "Do you have plans for this afternoon?" she asked.

Jax slowly let out the breath he had just drawn. "I'm suppose to meet with Lucy at General Hospital this afternoon to go over the bills from the Nurse's Ball." He looked away from Brenda for a moment before looking down with a big smile. "If you don't think you would be too bored you could come with me…" he said as he arched his eyebrow at her.

"As long as I get to spend the afternoon with you I won't be bored," Brenda said with a smile as she stood up on her toes to kiss him. As one kiss led to another and another Jax wrapped his arms loosely around her waist as Brenda linked her hands together at the back of his neck. Their kisses continued until the phone started to ring. "Damn!" Brenda said softly as she leaned her forehead against his chest. "Now what?"

"I know exactly how you feel luv," Jax said with a chuckle as he let her go and walked over to the desk to answer the phone. "Jax here," he said. After listening for a minute he looked at his watch. "Good, we'll be down in about ten minutes." He listened again. "We will, thanks Edward." Jax hung up the phone and turned back to Brenda. "The J&J Jacks Security team has arrived with the new car," he said seriously. "They'll be taking over our protection from now on." He could see the smile fade from Brenda's face at the mention of protection. "I promise luv, as soon as we find out what's going on they are out of here!"

"I believe you Jax," she said sadly. "I'm glad the car is here. We can use it to go to General Hospital for 'our' meeting with Lucy." Brenda walked over to the table and picked up her purse. "Have you got your checkbook?" she asked with a wink as she held out her hand to him.

Jax couldn't resist chuckling as he got his checkbook out of the desk drawer and picked up his keys before walking over to take her outstretched hand. "After you Mrs. Jacks," he said as he opened the door and let her walk out in front of him.

"Thank you kind sir," she said as she walked out the door, never letting go of his hand until they were both out in the hall. Jax locked the door before turning to the guard. "We'll be back in a couple of hours Dennis."

"Yes sir, we'll be here when you get back. I understand that your security people have arrived," the guard said politely.

"Yes they have. They'll be taking over at the end of your shift this evening," Jax said as he looked over at Brenda for a moment before looking back at the guard. "I want to thank you all for your help. My wife and I appreciate you dedication." Before anything else could be said the elevator doors opened and they got in.

When they came out the front door they saw Edward waiting for them next to a different limo than the one they had been using. There was an unmarked car in front of the limo as well as one behind it. There were two men standing by the car with Edward that Brenda figured were the new security guards. When she glanced up she saw that Jax recognized the older of the two men standing with Edward.

Jax extended his hand to the man. "Hello Ben, I'm glad to see you here." He wrapped his free arm around Brenda's shoulders as he looked down at her. "Brenda, I'd like you to meet Ben Johnson, the Head of Security for J&J Jacks. Ben, I'd like you to meet my wife Brenda."

Brenda extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Johnson. I'm just sorry it has to be under these circumstances." She smiled as she firmly shook his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine Mrs. Jacks," Ben said as he looked over at Jax without letting go of Brenda's hand. "I have to admit that I couldn't resist coming myself when Jax's father called me about the situation here in Port Charles." He winked at Jax before looking back at Brenda with a broad smile. "I had to meet the woman who was able to win the heart of not only young Jax here but also Big John." This time he winked at Brenda and leaned closer to speak quietly to her. "Now that I've met you I understand completely. Congratulations and best wished to both of you."

A deep blush crept up Brenda's cheeks as she looked down at her feet. "Thank you Mr. Johnson," Brenda said softly.

"Please call me Ben, everyone in the family does." The smile suddenly left his face as he looked back to Jax. "Let's get you two into the car. We can talk about what's been going on around here in the car." He nodded to Edward who opened the car door for them and then closed it quickly as soon as they were inside. Ben immediately got into the front seat and Edward got in behind the wheel.

As soon as they were all in the car Edward looked up at the mirror. "Where to sir?" he asked.

"General Hospital" Jax said as Ben turned back to face them. "Okay Ben, what you found out so far?"

"Surprisingly, there were enough fingerprints in the car to identify the shooters. They are free lance contractors out of Buffalo. The Feds have a file on each of them about three inches thick. They usually work as a team and are suspected in five current federal investigations." Ben opened a file that he had picked up from the car seat. After skimming over it he slowly closed the file before looking back at Jax and Brenda. "Now for the bad news. They both seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. The Feds have been able to track them as far as the Port Charles Airport taxi stand and then - nothing!"

"What do you mean nothing? Did they get on a plane? Did they meet someone? What?" Jax demanded as he sat forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

"As far as the FBI can find out no one saw them board any commercial flight out of Port Charles. No one at the private terminal saw them either. Other than two skycaps that saw them get out of a cab and walk into the commercial terminal not one person at the entire airport remembers seeing them. It's as if they just walked through the doors and disappeared!"

Before Brenda or Jax could say anything in response to the news the car came to a stop at the main entrance to General Hospital. Ben immediately got out and closed his door. After quickly looking around he slapped twice on the roof of the car signaling that it was clear. Edward then got out and walked quickly around to open the door for Jax and Brenda.

It wasn't until she got out of the car that Brenda realized that the car that had been parked behind the limo at the hotel was now parked behind it here at the hospital. When she saw the two men get out she recognized them as the security men that Ben had brought with him. When she looked over in front of the limo she saw another guard watching the area as a fourth man walked over to join Ben and the others. She shuddered slightly as she looked back, memories of past bodyguards flashing through her mind.

Jax saw Brenda shudder as she watched the guards approach them. When he saw the frightened expression on her face he knew she was thinking about something in her past, something that seeing the guards had dredged up. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. He was surprised at the sadness he saw in her eyes when she looked up at him. "I'm sorry about all of this luv. I promise it's only for a little while - just until we figure out what happened last night."

Brenda looked up at him sadly as she tried to smile. "I know. It's just that…"

"It reminds you of when you were with Sonny doesn't it?" Jax asked as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss. When she nodded slightly he whispered in her ear, "I'm with you now so you know you'll be safe. I promise. Come on, Lucy's waiting for us," he said with a reassuring smile.

This time Brenda gave him a real smile. "Jax really! This is Lucy we're talking about. She's never on time! I know, I work for her!" Brenda said as she actually laughed out loud.

With a silly grin of his own Jax squeezed her to his side. "True, but this is to take some of my money for the aids unit - a LOT of my money! She'll be there - I'm sure of it! Come on," he said as he nodded to Ben.

One of the men walked ahead of them through the front doors as Ben walked next to Brenda and the other two men walked slightly behind them. They all walked across the lobby to the elevators. The entire group entered a waiting elevator and after Jax pressed the right button waited for the doors to close. When a young woman tried to get on with the Ben held up his hand and politely asked her to take another elevator just as the doors closed.

When the elevator stopped at the seventh floor, two of the guards got off to quickly look around before signaling Ben that it was clear. One of the guards remained at the elevators, another stopped at the beginning of the hallway leading to the boardroom and the third took a position next to the door. Ben opened the door and walked in first. He quickly looked around the room. When he saw that Lucy was the only one waiting for them he stepped aside to let Jax and Brenda into the room, closing the door behind them and standing with his back to the door facing them.

As Brenda and Jax and come through the door Lucy, who was actually waiting for them, stood up. Jax and Brenda looked at each other with big smiles on their faces. Jax leaned down to whisper in Brenda's ear. "I told you she wouldn't be late," he said with a chuckle.

Brenda chuckled as well as she shoved her elbow into his ribs, causing him to grunt softly. Without saying anything to Jax she walked straight over to Lucy and gave her a hug. "Hello Lucy. I hope you don't mind that I tagged along with my husband?" she asked as she looked back at Jax.

"Of course not Brenda. I'm delight to see you. I didn't get a chance to talk to you guys at all last night. Every time I stopped at your table you weren't there. Then when I looked for you after the Ball you two were already gone." Lucy smiled at them both, "Still on the honeymoon I guess…"

"I'm afraid it's nothing so pleasant Lucy. I was called out of town on a business emergency early in the evening and I was able to convince my wife to go with me. We didn't get back to Port Charles until almost sunrise," Jax said as he smiled at Brenda. "I'm sorry we missed the rest of the Ball. We really wanted to be there for Robin's speech. I hope everything went well."

Lucy started to pace slowly back and forth next to the table. "Oh yes, the Ball was a great success!" she said brightly. Slowly they saw the smile fade from her face. "Did you guys hear about what happened to Lily Corrinthos?" she asked sadly.

"Yes we did. Jax heard it on a radio news report while we were flying home." Brenda shuddered slightly as she linked her fingers with Jax's. "Have you heard any new about how she's doing?" she asked as she glanced at Jax for a moment before looking back at Lucy.

"I stopped at the desk on my way up to ask about her. Bobbie said that there's been no change in her condition," Lucy said sadly. "She said Sonny's been with her all night. Amy told me he's been running around screaming orders at the doctors to do something to make her better immediately." Lucy shook her head slowly. "I can't imagine what he must be feeling - knowing he's responsible for something so horrible happening to his own wife."

Jax was startled by Lucy's words; his thoughts drifted briefly back to his own past. He immediately shut that door in his mind and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "What do you say we get started on these bills?" he asked to change the subject as he nodded at the papers Lucy had spread out on the conference table.

"Oh sure," Lucy said as she walked over to the table and sat down. She finally noticed Ben standing by the door and looked over at Jax as he pulled out a chair for Brenda. "Ah Jax…" she said as she tilted her head toward Ben.

Jax looked over at Ben who smiled knowingly at him before looking back at Lucy. "I'm sorry Lucy. This is Ben Johnson. He's going to be 'escorting' Brenda for a little while." Jax put his hands gently on Brenda's shoulders. "At least until we find out what really happened last night."

Brenda put her hand on top of one of Jax's as she looked over at Lucy. "Come on, let's get started." She looked up at Jax with a twinkle in her eyes as she squeezed his hand. "I'm sure Jax can't wait to start writing all these checks…" She didn't get to finish her sentence because Jax pulled his hand out from under hers and started to tickle her. She giggled loudly as she squirmed in her chair. Jax leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Okay, let's get started," he said as he sat down next to Brenda and pulled out his checkbook.

It took a little over two hours to go over all of the invoices from the Nurse's Ball. Jax wrote checks for each supplier or facility until each outstanding invoice was paid. He also looked over the ledger entries of paid invoices and wrote a check to General Hospital to cover the full amount. After handing the last check to Lucy and signing the ledger Jax leaned back in his chair as he put his checkbook back in his jacket pocket. "Is that everything?" he asked as he looked at Lucy.

"That's everything Jax. I'll send you copies of all the receipts as soon as I get them." Lucy put the checks and invoices in the ledger and then put the ledger into her briefcase. "I can't thank you enough for doing this for us."

"It was my pleasure Lucy. Let me know if I can do anything else for you," Jax said with a sincere smile.

"You can count on it Jax," Lucy said picking up her briefcase as the three of them stood up. She walked over to give Brenda a hug. "Let me know when you decide about working for Jacks Cosmetics," she said as she looked expectantly at Brenda.

"I'll probably be calling you in a day or so. I have a meeting with Katherine tomorrow to give her my 'decision'. I felt I owed her the news first." Brenda said with a wink.

"Wish I could be there," Lucy said with a laugh. She turned and gave Jax a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you again for doing this. I owe you a big one!" she said. She looked up at him as the smile faded from her face. She leaned closer to speak quietly, "Have you told the Quartermaines about our 'deal' yet?" she asked as she looked over at Brenda.

"Not yet. I thought I'd wait until the board meeting next week to spring it on Edward. He won't have received the notice of transfer from the SEC yet so my presence should make for a lively meeting." When he saw Lucy look over at Brenda he smiled and touched her arm. "It's okay Lucy, I told Brenda about our deal. She's fine with it - especially since it means she'd be working for you at Jacks Cosmetics and not me if she decides to work at all." He got very serious as he glanced over at Brenda again. "We don't keep secrets from each other Lucy so you never have to worry about talking to me about business in front of Brenda. Okay?" he asked as he reached for Brenda's hand.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that Jax!" Lucy looked from Jax to Brenda and then back to Jax. "It's obvious that you two have something very special. Don't let anyone do anything to change that." She smiled at both of them before turning to leave. She returned Ben's smile as he opened the door for her.

After Lucy was gone Brenda turned to face Jax and rested her hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. "Now will you please tell me why you did this?"

Jax smiled at her. "It's not a big deal Brenda. I've always given large donations to various aids charities because they needed the money so desperately. When you told me about your friend Stone it finally put a face on the disease. I saw the pain and the sadness on your face when you talked about him and I finally understood a little of what this disease really does, not only to the people who have it but also what it does to the people who care about them."

Brenda smiled at him. "You amaze me you know. You're like two totally different people. On one hand you are this ruthless businessman who buys and sells companies without a second thought. On the other you're a caring generous man who does things for people he doesn't even know simply because they need help." When she saw a trace of pink creeping up his cheeks she leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the lips. "On top of all that you love me like no one else in my life ever has. How did I get so lucky?" she asked as she gently stroked her fingers across his cheek.

After giving Brenda a quick kiss Jax looked into her eyes. "Luck had nothing to do with it luv," was all he said as he smiled at her. "Come on, lets go home," he said as he gave her another quick kiss.

"Good idea," Brenda said as she reached over to pick up her purse from the table.

Jax nodded at Ben to let him know that they were ready to leave. Ben nodded once before turning to slowly open the door. He looked over to his man in the hall and when he got the all clear signal he opened the door the rest of the way and nodded to Jax and Brenda to go ahead. The guard who was stationed in the hall walked ahead of them as Ben trailed slightly behind. As soon as they got to the end of the hall Ben again came up next to Brenda and the guard who had been stationed at the head of the hall took up the position behind them.

When he saw the group approaching the guard at the elevators pressed the button. Just as Jax and Brenda reached the elevators the doors opened. After a quick check by the guard they all got on. As the doors closed the four men moved slightly to encircle Jax and Brenda in the elevator. When the doors opened in the lobby Ben and one of the guards stepped out to quickly look around before nodding for them to step out.

They were almost at the front door when a voice called out to them. "What the hell are you doing here? Come to see the damage you caused?" Sonny screamed as he came charging at them with Robin and Jason close behind. Ben and two of the other guards positioned themselves between the charging man and their employers. The fourth man remained behind them to make sure they were not approached from behind.

Jason grabbed Sonny's arm just as he got to Jax and Brenda. "Sonny don't!" he yelled as he roughly pulled on Sonny's arm, forcing him to turn and face him. "You can't do Lily any good if you're in jail!"

Sonny pulled his arm out of Jason's grasp and turned to look directly at Brenda. "You did this to Lily! Are you happy?" he demanded as Brenda flinched and snuggled close to Jax. The guards standing between them moved closer together to form a human wall of protection for Brenda. "All you had to do was dump the Pretty Boy and be my mistress like I told you to do and none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have had to keep publicly reminding you that you are my PROPERTY and no one would have known anything about our relationship!" He glared at Brenda. "Are you satisfied?"

Jax wrapped his arm tightly around Brenda's shoulders as he bent down to whisper in her ear. "Ignore him luv, he's crazy," he whispered in her ear. He stood back up "Let's go," he said loud enough for Ben and everyone else to hear.

As they started to move forward everyone was surprised by the sound of Brenda's voice. "Wait!" she said firmly, surprising everyone - including herself with the confident sound of her voice. She looked up at Jax for a moment. When she saw the concern in his eyes for her she put her hand on his chest and nodded that she was okay before turning her attention back to Sonny. "I'm really sorry about what happened to Lily last night but there is no way it was my fault! YOU left me to marry Lily Sonny! I didn't leave you! I had every right to move on with my life - which is exactly what I did. I made it clear to you and anyone who was listening that I was no longer interested in you - regardless of what you wanted! I am married to Jax. He is who I want to be with - NOT YOU! Whatever you and I may have had is over. You are my past Sonny. Jax is my future!" She took a deep breath as she felt Jax tighten his arm around her. "If ANYONE is to blame for what happened to Lily it's YOU!!!"

Brenda looked up at Jax. "Can we get out of here now?" she asked, trying not to let her emotions show in her voice.

Jax could see in her eyes how upset she was and how much she didn't want Sonny to know. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "You bet," he said softly. Lifting his head and looking directly at Sonny Jax spoke to the men in front of them. "You heard my wife Ben, let's go home!"

"You got it" Ben said. He glanced at the men on each side of him before turning his attention on Sonny. "If you'll kindly get out of our way we'll be leaving now!" he said firmly as he and the guards stepped right up in Sonny's face.

"Sonny please! Let's go! We have to get back to Lily!" Robin pleaded as she put her hand on Sonny's arm to get his attention. When Sonny turned and glared at her she looked calmly into his eyes. "Come on, let's go," she said as she gently squeezed his arm.

"Yeah, okay," Sonny said as he finally got control of his anger and calmly focused his eyes on Robin. When he turned to look back at Brenda he was surprised to see that she and Jax were already walking out the door. "This isn't finished Brenda! I promise you that!"

Brenda tightly wrapped her arm around Jax's waist and leaned her head against his chest. "That's what I'm afraid of," she said softly to no one in particular as they walked out the front door and got into their limo without ever looking back.