Brenda moaned softly as she let herself relax and enjoy what was happening. She slid her fingers up into Jax’s hair as she felt their kisses intensify. She slowly became aware that his hands were no longer caressing her back. Before she could end their kiss though, she felt his hands slide up her arms to the top of her shoulders and then up to cup her face. When she finally leaned back and ended the kiss it took a second for her to focus her eyes and look down at him. “Wow,” she said softly as she leaned back further and rested her hands on Jax’s shoulders. “That was some kiss,” she said quietly as she exhaled slowly.

Jax looked up at her with a seductive smile. Without looking away from her face, he reached up and slowly unbuttoned Brenda’s shirt. When he had unbuttoned the last button, he held the edges of her shirt together as he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to make sure she wanted this as much as he did. He was still staring into her eyes when he felt Brenda put her hands on his and slowly pull the shirt open. As she spread the shirt wider, his eyes slowly drifted downward.

Brenda watched Jax’s face as she opened her shirt and then pulled it down her arms. She let the shirt slide completely off and then gently tossed it on the floor.

A slight smile spread across Jax’s face as he watched her remove the shirt. He reached up to gently caress her breasts. When Brenda moaned softly and leaned further into his hands, he became more aggressive.

From Jax’s first touch, Brenda knew there was no way she would be able to stop what was happening between them. With her last rational thought she promised herself that she would not let Jax take control of the night, no matter how much she wanted him to. She forgot everything else and let her passion and physical need for Jax replace any trace of common sense that might still remain. She leaned further forward and cupped his face in her hands to kiss him passionately.

Jax was the one to finally end the kiss. He leaned his head back into the pillow and looked deep into Brenda’s eyes as he took a deep breath. “Whew,” he said softly with a slight smile as he slid his hands around her sides, and rested them on her ribs. He was relieved as he looked into her eyes to see nothing there but love and desire - all trace of uncertainty about their lovemaking was gone. He slowly slid his hands around to her back and pulled her down to him again. He kept one hand flat on her back between her shoulder blades as he slid the other up to the back of her head and wove his fingers through her hair.

As their kisses became more demanding, Jax slid further down in the bed until he was lying flat on his back. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his side for just a moment as he slid down. The pain disappeared as quickly as it started. As soon as it ended, he slowly started a trail of kisses across Brenda’s cheek and down the side of her neck.

Brenda moaned as she felt Jax’s mouth on her neck. When his kisses reached the base of her throat she moaned again softly.. She leaned closer when she felt his lips on the upper curve of her breast.

Jax cupped her breasts in his hands as his tongue caressed first one and then the other. When he felt her weave her fingers into his hair and lean down into his mouth, he closed his eyes and moaned softly.

Brenda groaned when she felt his mouth release her. Before she could protest though, she felt his mouth on her other breast and sighed. When she realized that she was letting Jax take control of what was happening between them, she reluctantly pulled back from him and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Whoa,” she said as she sat up and rested her hands flat on Jax’s chest.

“What? What’s wrong?” Jax asked as he rested his hands on Brenda’s ribs. When he saw the look in her eyes he reached up to hold her upper arms. “Please don’t tell me that you’ve changed your mind!”

Brenda smiled at him seductively before leaning down to give him a quick but passionate kiss. When she ended the kiss, she smiled against his lips. “Not a chance,” she said before kissing him again. Seeing the confusion in Jax’s eyes when she ended the kiss, she leaned a little further back and gently brushed the backs of her fingers across his cheek as she smiled seductively. “I want this as much as you do sweetheart,” she said with another quick kiss.

“Then why did you stop me?” Jax asked softly as he stroked his hands gently up and down Brenda’s arms before pulling her down to him for another kiss.

“Because you promised to let me do this,” she said softly as she gave him a kiss. “You are supposed to lie there, enjoy what’s happening, and not move,” she said as she leaned up enough to rest her hands on his chest under her chin. She softly kissed his lips once more before kissing her way across his cheek and down the side of his neck, softly brushing her hands across his chest as she did. As her kisses continued downward, she gently brushed her fingertips across his chest. She slowly kissed a path down his breastbone and then to the right until she replaced her fingertips with her lips.

Jax let out a soft moan as he felt Brenda’s tongue caress his chest. He wove his fingers into her hair as she kissed across his chest. He tightened his hold as he felt himself responding to her actions.

“Mmm,” Brenda moaned as she slid down Jax’s body. As she continued kissing down his chest to his navel, she could feel his body respond to her touch. She looked up at Jax’s face as she slowly licked around his navel. When she heard him moan softly she flicked her tongue into his navel several times. She smiled as she felt his body respond to her even more intensely.

Finally, his self-control weakening, Jax reached down to grab Brenda’s upper arms and lift her up so that he could see her face. When he saw the satisfied expression on her face and the passion in her eyes, he pulled her up so that her face was close to his. He kissed her passionately as he wrapped his arms around her and slid his hands across her bare back. As he slid his hands lower, he hooked his thumbs into the waist of her pajama bottoms.

Brenda lifted her hips to let Jax slide her pants off. She moaned softly when she felt his hand stroke softly across her bare bottom. As she felt her control slipping away, she kissed him with even more passion.

It was Jax who finally ended the kiss and slowly slid his hand from her backside. He took several quick breaths as he looked into Brenda’s eyes, cupping the sides of her face in his hands. “I want you so much I ache,” he whispered hoarsely as he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs.

With a slight smile, Brenda looked down into Jax’s eyes for a moment before rolling off of him. As she hooked her thumbs into the waist of his pants, she looked deeply into Jax’s eyes. Her gaze slowly drifted down his body as she began to pull his pants down. She glanced back at his face for a second to see if he was in any pain when he lifted his hips to help her. Seeing only passion, she looked back down his body.

Brenda quickly slid his pants down his legs and tossed them onto the floor with hers. She leaned back on her knees as she looked slowly up Jax’s body until she was once again looking at his beautiful face. She smiled seductively, locking eyes with him as she knelt his legs, resting her hands on his thighs. Without looking away from his face, she slowly slid her hands up his body, leaning closer to him as she did.

Not sure how much more of Brenda’s sweet torture he would be able to stand, Jax groaned as he reached for her and lifted her up to him. “Please,” he whispered as he pulled her face down for a passionate kiss. As the kiss continued, he slowly slid his hands down her back until he reached her bottom. He couldn’t help smiling as he continued to kiss her when he felt how much she wanted him as well. He gently slid his hands across the backs of her thighs to bring her even closer.

Brenda groaned when she felt his hands on her thighs. Unable to wait any longer, she ended the kiss and sat up, staring at the love and desire in Jax’s eyes. Without looking away she raised up on her knees and slowly lowered herself onto him.

Neither of them moved as they enjoyed just being together again. Jax loved the feeling of being so completely one with Brenda. Brenda loved the feeling of Jax being so completely a part of her. Brenda began to make love to him, slowly at first, but quickly giving in to her body’s need for him.

Not sure how much longer he could hold on and wanting to be sure that Brenda found her release first, Jax began to match her movements. Feeling how close she was to finding her release, he reached his hands up to caress her breasts, paying special attention to her sensitive nipples. It wasn’t long before he felt her body explode in a powerful climax. He pulled her to him one last time as he found his own release deep inside of her.

Brenda collapsed on top of Jax, for a moment unable to breathe, let alone move. When she finally felt her senses beginning to return, she gently brushed her fingertips across his chest before leaning over to place a kiss above his heart. “Good God,” she said softly as she exhaled slowly.

Jax couldn’t resist chuckling as he wrapped his arms loosely around her. “My feelings exactly,” he said softly as he tilted his head down to kiss her hair. When he felt Brenda start to move off of him he clasped his hands tightly on her butt. “Don’t please,” he said as he held her close to him. “Not yet. Can we just stay like this?” he asked as he held Brenda’s body close to his.

Brenda lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. She looked into his eyes for a long time, trying to be sure he wasn’t in any pain. When she was satisfied that he wasn’t, she smiled at him for a moment before resting her head back on his chest. Brenda slowly shifted her lower body a little to get more comfortable but not allow herself to release her hold on Jax.

They lay silently for a long time, Jax gently running his fingertips around Brenda’s back as she gently ran hers across his chest, stopping occasionally to circle them around his nipple then stroke once or twice across it. Finally, Brenda took a deep breath and let it out slowly before lifting her head to look at him. “I thought I told you not to move,” she said sternly. She slowly slid her hand around his side to brush it across his bandage. When she pulled it back she looked at her fingers. “I don’t see any blood, but maybe I should check just to make sure,” she said as she started to slide off of him.

“Don’t,” Jax said firmly but softly as he held her hips close to his. He brought one hand up to cup the side of Brenda’s face. “I’m fine luv, really,” he said as he slid his fingers to the back of her head to pull her face to his and leaned up to give her a passionate kiss. When the kiss ended, he rested his head back on the pillow and looked up at her with a mischievous smile. “I can honestly tell you that I haven’t felt ‘this’ good for quite a while.” With that he pulled her face back to him for another passionate kiss. As the kiss continued, his hands drifted slowly down her back until he got to the bottom edge of her butt. He slid his hands to the backs of her legs, pulling them up so that her knees were around his hips again.

Brenda suddenly ended the kiss and leaned back a little when she felt his growing hardness inside her body. She looked down at him for a moment. “So soon?” she asked nervously. “Are you sure?”

Jax didn’t say a word. He looked deep into her eyes as he reached up both hands to cup her. When he looked up at her face, he saw her eyes closed and a smile of pure pleasure on her face. He slowly slid his hands around her back and then slid them up, pulling her face close to his. “Oh, I’m very sure,” he whispered against her lips just before kissing her. They began moving together, slowly at first, but as their passion took control they both became lost in their need for each other until they climaxed together with even more intensity then they had experienced the first time.

Afterward, they lay wrapped around each other in their favorite position. Jax was lying on his back with Brenda snuggled close to his right side, her head resting on his chest just above his heart and her leg draped over his. They lay silently enjoying the closeness of each other as their exhausted but totally satiated bodies wound down from their lovemaking. “I love you my beautiful husband,” Brenda whispered before placing a soft kiss on Jax’s chest. She sighed as she snuggled close to him again and quickly dozed off.

Jax smiled as he felt Brenda’s slow, even breathing against his chest. He brought one hand up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “I love you too my beautiful wife - more than life itself,” he whispered before leaning down to kiss the top of her head and pull the covers snuggly around her. He then rested his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms tightly around his precious wife. He could feel himself slowly drifting off to sleep as his mind drifted back over the love and the passion that they had just shared. This was what his life was about from now on, he decided. His top priority was Brenda - her safety and her happiness. As he was dozing off he made himself a promise that no one was ever going to hurt her again - not Sonny, or Miranda and DEFINITELY not Julia!

9:00 AM

Brenda woke slowly to the feel of what she thought were Jax’s kisses on the side of her neck. She was not sure at first if it was a dream or reality. It wasn’t until she felt his thumb brush across her already sensitive nipple that she knew it wasn’t a dream. She moaned softly as she pushed her body against his since he was spooned tightly against her back. “Mmm, what a wonderful way to wake up,” she said softly as she reached back to run her fingers through Jax’s hair and tilted her head slightly to give him better access to her neck.

“You know,” Jax said softly between kisses. “I was just thinking the same thing.” He moved his hand from one breast to the other as he gently nipped the side of her neck, running his tongue over the skin afterwards to soothe it. “In fact, I can think of only one thing better right now,” he whispered in her ear as he pressed his knee between her thighs and slid his hand down over her stomach. He leaned in to kiss Brenda’s neck again as he held her tightly against him. He rolled further on his side so that he could enter her eager body. When he heard Brenda gasp, he waited until he felt her move against him before he began to move within her. He started out at a slow, steady rate until he felt her begin to push back against him. Their movements became faster and harder as they both neared their climax. Suddenly, he felt Brenda’s body tighten as they both found their release at the same moment.

Brenda collapsed forward as the power of her climax washed over her. She moaned softly into the pillow as she felt Jax collapse on top of her. When she heard him draw a quick breath as he moved off of her, she turned her head to look up at him. “Jax? Are you okay? Are you in pain?” she asked as she looked closely at his face. As she studied him she saw that his eyes were closed and his jaw was clenched. “You ARE in pain,” she said firmly without giving him a chance to answer. “Come on, lie back,” she said as she rolled over beneath him and gently pushed him onto his back against the pillows.

Once Jax was settled against the pillows, Brenda propped herself up on one arm and looked at him closely. His eyes were still closed and he was breathing slowly through his mouth. “Honey? Are you okay?” When Jax didn’t answer her right away, Brenda reached over to stroke his cheek. “Jax?”

Jax slowly opened his eyes. “I’m okay luv - really,” he said reassuringly as he took another slow deep breath. He winced as he shifted against the pillows to try to get more comfortable.

“You’re not okay,” Brenda said in a shaky voice as she cupped the side of his face. “This is all my fault. I should have stopped you!”

Jax reached up to cup the side of her face in his hand. “Stop that,” he said in a soft but firm voice. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Why should you stop me? All I did was make love to my wife - something that I haven’t done in a very long time. I was just, you know, making up for some of the time we lost. Besides,” he said with a smile. “Why should you get to have all the fun?”

Brenda looked at him for several moments as she held the sheet tightly around her. She was relieved to no longer see any trace of pain in Jax’s eyes or on his face. “You promised me last night that you wouldn’t move if we made love,” she said with a trace of anger in her voice.

“I didn’t move last night - at least not much,” Jax said in an innocent voice. “I never promised anything about this morning though.

Brenda stared at him for a moment in total disbelief before letting out a low growl and dropping her forehead on his shoulder in total frustration. When she lifted her head she was surprised at the serious expression on Jax’s face as he looked at her. “What?”

Jax looked away for a moment before looking back at her. “You’ve got to stop doing that Brenda,” he said firmly. “You have to stop worrying that every time I wince I’m having a relapse. I told you last night what Dr. Felton said. My body will know what it is and is not ready for. Last night was unbelievable - and this morning was even better.” He looked deeply into her eyes as he reached to cup the side of her face. “So I was in pain afterwards, so what. It was to be expected and it passed quickly. No harm was done - believe me.”

Not sure what to believe at this point, Brenda just stared at him for several moments. “I believe what you’re saying Jax - really! But when I saw you in so much pain before, all I could think about was the night you were shot - your blood all over me and your moans every time the car hit a bump in the road on the way to the hospital. I was so scared,” she said with a crack in her voice as the tears she was trying to hold back spilled down her cheeks.

“Come here,” Jax said softly as he opened his arms to her. When Brenda was snuggled close to him with her cheek resting against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and rested his cheek on top of her head. “Shh,” he said reassuringly. “I’m fine. I’m safe. I’m right where I should be - lying in bed with the woman I love wrapped around me.” He kissed the top of her head before turning to rest his cheek back on top of it again. “I’m not going anywhere and neither are you, so why don’t we just relax and enjoy life?”

Brenda wrapped her arm around Jax’s waist and held him tightly. Finally, she sniffled a couple of time and lifted her head to look up at him. After a moment, a slight smile started to spread across her lips. “I never knew it was possible to love someone as much as I love you - or to feel as loved as you make me feel. When I’m here, with you, like this, I feel like nothing and no one can ever hurt us again.” She leaned upward to give him a quick kiss. “I can’t promise that I’ll stop worrying about you - I love you to much to do that,” she said as she leaned back to look up at him. “But I can promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure we both enjoy every day of the rest of our lives.”

“I like the sound of that,” Jax said as he leaned forward for another quick kiss. When he leaned his head back on the pillow, Brenda rested her head on his shoulder and her hand flat on his chest. They lay silently holding each other for several minutes. They were both startled by the low rumble of Jax’s stomach. When Brenda lifted her head to look at him they both started to laugh. “Think maybe it’s time we get up and have some breakfast?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I think you may be right,” Brenda said with a big smile. “Why don’t you call Charles and have him bring us some breakfast while I go take a shower and get dressed?”

“You’ve got it luv,” Jax said with a smile as he sat up in bed.

Brenda leaned forward to give Jax a quick kiss before throwing back the covers to get out of bed. She was glad her back was to him when she felt herself wince. She was surprised as she reached for her robe at how sore she was from their lovemaking. She couldn’t help smiling though as she tied the belt of her robe as her mind drifted back to the last time she had felt like this - physically sore but blissfully happy. She glanced over her shoulder to see Jax watching her. “What?” she asked as she turned to look at him, her hands on her hips.

“Nothing,” he said with a smile as his eyes slowly drifted down her satin covered body and back to her face. “I was just admiring my beautiful wife.”

Brenda ignored the twinge in her lower body as she knelt on the bed to give Jax a quick kiss. When his stomach rumbled again as they kissed she couldn’t help but giggle. “Saved by the growl,” she said with a laugh against his lips before giving him another quick kiss and crawling off the bed. She stopped at the dresser to grab fresh underwear and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Jax sat staring at the closed door for a long time. Finally, when he heard the shower turn on, he reached for the phone next to the bed. After giving Charles their breakfast order and asking him to bring it to the bedroom in about thirty minutes, he hung up the phone and looked at the closed bathroom door again before throwing back the covers and swinging his legs around so that his feet were on the floor. He drew in a quick breath as he stood up when a sharp pain shot through his side. The pain slowly disappeared as he exhaled. He took a couple more deep breaths before reaching over to grab his pajama pants off the chair where they had somehow landed last night and put them on.

Hoping yesterday’s rain had passed, Jax walked over to open the drapes. He was relieved when he saw the trees gently swaying in the bright sunshine. He leaned against the doorframe and stared out at the ocean. He didn’t realize how long he was standing there until he felt Brenda wrap her arms around him from behind. He smiled and leaned back slightly when he felt her cheek against his back. “Hey you,” he said softly.

“Hey yourself,” Brenda said as she slid over to his side and wrapped her arm around his waist as he lifted his arm and rested it on her shoulders. “What were you thinking about? You looked a million miles away.”

Jax looked down at her for a second before answering. “I was just watching the ocean. It usually makes me feel better, more peaceful,” he said with a reassuring smile.

“Did it work this time?” Brenda asked as she looked up at him and reached up to rest her hand on his chest.

“Not sure,” he said as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss. “It was either the ocean or making love to you,” he said with a wink.

Brenda gave him a quick slap on the chest as she leaned back a little. “You better go take your shower while you still can,” she said with a slightly exasperated expression. She started to pull away from Jax but he gently pulled her back. As he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, she rested her hands flat on his chest to stop him. “Come on Jax. You better get moving if you’re going to take a shower before breakfast gets here.” She looked at him closely to try to see if he was in any pain. “Or would you rather go back to bed?”

“Now THAT sounds like a VERY good idea,” he said with a familiar twinkle in his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her passionately.

“Oh no you don’t!” Brenda said with a chuckle as she pushed against his chest. “That’s NOT what I meant and you know it!”

Jax looked down at her with a pouting expression on his face before leaning back. “Okay, okay,” he said with a sigh. “Can’t blame me though, we’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for,” he said softly as he leaned his forehead against hers.

Brenda leaned back slightly to look up at him. She couldn’t help smiling when she saw the expression on Jax’s face. “I know, I feel the same way. I just don’t think we need to do it all in one day.” She reached up to brush the backs of her fingers across his cheek. “We don’t have to rush it sweetheart. We can stay here for as long as we want. Like you said, why don’t we just let things happen as they may?”

Jax looked at her for a second as he brought his hands up to cup her face. “I think that’s a very good idea if I do say so myself,” he said as he leaned down to give her a deep kiss. When he finally ended the kiss, he looked into her eyes without letting go of her face. “I think I’ll go take that shower now.” He leaned in to give her one more quick kiss.

“Okay,” Brenda said as she put her hands on top of his. “Let me take that bandage off before you go.” She gently lifted his hands from her face and turned him back toward the window. She gently pulled the tape off the edges of the bandage. Once she pulled it off she leaned a little closer to look at the wound. She was relieved to see that his exertion last night and this morning had not done any obvious harm. She pressed gently around the wound before lifting her eyes to look up at him. She was startled to see him looking over his shoulder at her. “Okay, you were right,” she said with a smile as she gently ran her fingers across the developing scar. “It doesn’t look like you did any damage last night.”

Jax turned around and cupped Brenda’s face in his hands. “Now, will you stop worrying and just relax?” He brushed his thumbs across her cheekbones as he looked into her eyes, waiting for her answer.

Brenda looked into his eyes for a second before reaching up to rest her hands on his with a smile. “I can’t promise you that I will stop worrying about you.” She stopped to put her finger on his lips when he started to say something. “But I will promise you that I won’t let it control our lives.”

After looking into Brenda’s eyes, Jax leaned forward to gently kiss her forehead. “Sounds fair to me,” he whispered as he leaned down again to give her a quick but passionate kiss. When he ended the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers. “I better go take that shower. Charles will be here with breakfast in a few minutes.” He gave her another quick kiss before turning and heading to the bathroom, stopping to pick up a change of clothes.

When he came out of the bathroom he was a little surprised not to see Brenda waiting for him. “Brenda?” he called out. When she didn’t answer right away, he grabbed his shirt off the back of the couch and slid it up his arms. He winced as he pulled it onto his shoulders. He headed for the terrace door without bothering to button it. Just as he got to the door Brenda came through the door. “There you are,” he said as he exhaled the breath he hadn’t even realized that he was holding. He wrapped his arms around her as soon as she was close enough. “What were you doing outside?” he asked as he rested his forehead against hers.

Brenda leaned back and looked up at him with a smile. “It’s such a beautiful morning I asked Charles to set up our breakfast outside.” She reached for his hands. “Come on, let me put a new bandage on your side so we can eat.” She looked up at him for a moment before leading him over to the table by the couch where Charles had set the fresh bandages. Jax lifted his shirt so that she could work. It only took her a couple of minutes to dress his side. When she was finished she leaned forward to place a kiss between his shoulders as she straightened his shirt. “Let’s go, I’m starving,” she said as she stepped around to his side and wrapped her arm around his waist.

Jax looked down at her with a smile as he rested his arm on her shoulders. Without saying a word he leaned down to give her a quick kiss. “Me too,” he said as he gave her another quick kiss. He reached his hand down and Brenda reached to link her fingers with his. She looked up at him and he nodded toward the open doors. “Breakfast,” he said with a big smile and another nod toward the open doors. Brenda smiled up at him for a second before nodding and resting her head against his chest as they headed out the door to the terrace.

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast in the bright sunshine, Jax took his medication when Charles brought it out to him. Once they were alone again, both Brenda and Jax leaned back in their chairs and stared out at the ocean. Brenda finally broke the silence. “Feel up to taking a short walk on the beach?” she asked as she leaned forward and reached for Jax’s hand.

“I was hoping you’d suggest just that,” Jax said with a smile. He stood up and reached to pull out Brenda’s chair as she stood up. He held out his hand to her. “Ready?”

Her expression grew serious as Brenda looked up at him. “In a minute,” she said softly as she held his hand in both of hers. “I need you to promise me something first.”

“What’s that?” Jax asked as he looked down at their joined hands.

“If you get tired or your side starts to hurt, you’ll tell me and we’ll come right back,” Brenda said as she reached to lift his chin so she could look into his eyes. “Promise me Jax,” she said firmly.

Jax looked into her eyes for several seconds before answering. “I promise,” he said before leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Let’s go,” he said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Charles stood looking out the kitchen window as Jax and Brenda sat at the table hand in hand. He watched them as they stood up, talked for a few moments, and then started toward the steps to the beach. He couldn’t help thinking about how much Jax had changed since meeting Brenda. He had actually noticed it the first time Jax had brought Brenda out to the house to recover from her accident. The first word that came to his mind to describe the change in Jax was peaceful. Even with his constant concern for Brenda’s well being, Charles could see something different about his employer. He definitely smiled more, especially when he was looking at Brenda. The most obvious thing though, was when he looked into Jax’s eyes. The pain and loneliness that he had seen there since the day he had first interviewed for his job was gone. The first thing he noticed when he had picked them up at the airport was the light in his eyes. There wasn’t a trace of the coldness he had seen in his eyes that day. Instead they were warm, relaxed and definitely the eyes of a man in love.

When Charles glanced out the window again he saw Jax and Brenda disappearing down the steps to the beach. He immediately walked over to his desk and picked up the security radio to let the guards on the beach know that Jax and Brenda were headed their way. As he put the radio down, he looked off into the distance again. He had no way of knowing what the future held, but one thing he did know for sure was that Jax and Brenda would face it together.

When they reached the bottom of the steps, Jax and Brenda stopped and looked out at the ocean with their arms wrapped around each other. “That has got to be the most amazing site,” Brenda said softly as she rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. “Ready?” she asked as she looked at him closely.

Jax looked down at her and smiled. “You bet,” he said as he squeezed her closer to him. He leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the top of her head. Since neither of them had bothered to put shoes on when they got dressed they were able to start down the beach right away.

Since this was their first time out, Brenda insisted that the walk be a short one. When they got back, they stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked out at the ocean. Jax leaned down slightly and wrapped his arms around Brenda’s waist from behind as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “Are you happy Mrs. Jacks?” he asked softly as he kissed the side of her neck.

Brenda sighed as she leaned back against his chest and pulled his arms tighter around her. “Very, Mr. Jacks,” she said in almost a whisper. “What about you?”

“How could I not be?” he asked as he rested his chin on top of her head. “With a view like that,” he said as he pointed his hand toward the ocean without taking it away from her waist. “And this beautiful beach.” He looked off into the distance for a moment before moving his hand up under her chin to turn her face up to him. “Most importantly, because I’ve got you in my arms.” He leaned down to give her a kiss, which quickly turned passionate as Brenda turned in the circle of his arms and wrapped her arms around him.

It wasn’t until he remembered that they were standing out in the open on the beach that Jax finally ended the kiss. He leaned back from her a little to catch his breath before leaning his forehead against Brenda’s. “Why don’t we take this some place a little more private?” he asked softly as he brought his hands up her back to her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as he did.

Brenda looked up at him without leaning back. She could see in his eyes how tired he really was. She reached up to caress his cheek. “I have a better idea. We’re going to go up to the terrace and you’re going to take a nap.” When she saw him about to protest, she put her finger on his lips. “You can’t fool me. You’re exhausted, Jax. You still need to take things slow for a while, until you build your strength back.” She looked up at him silently for a moment as she cupped the side of his face. “Don’t fight me on this, honey.”

Seeing how concerned and how determined she was, Jax slowly smiled at her. “All right luv, I won’t,” he said as he lifted her hand from his cheek and kissed the palm. “Let’s go,” he said softly as he kissed it again before taking her hand in his and starting up the steps.

When they got to the terrace, they stretched out on the oversized chaise that was hidden in the shady corner of the terrace. Jax winced as he moved around to get comfortable. Once he was settled, Brenda sat down and snuggled close to his side and gently resting her hand on his chest. She slid her fingers inside the open neck of his shirt and rested her fingers on his bare chest. It wasn’t long before she realized by his slow, steady breathing that he had fallen asleep. She lifted her head to look at his face and smiled at his expression. She couldn’t help thinking how much he looked like a little boy. The breeze had blown a lock of his hair onto his forehead and he had just a trace of a smile on his lips. It took a moment, but she finally realized that what she was actually seeing on his face was peace. He looked completely relaxed, without a problem in the world. She leaned over to place a quick, gentle kiss on his shoulder before slowly sliding away from his side and off the chaise. She stood looking down at him, watching him sleep for a couple of minutes before heading inside so that he could sleep undisturbed.

Jax woke with a start when he realized that Brenda was not next to him. When he sat up a little too quickly he couldn’t stop a slight gasp from escaping his lips. “Brenda?” he said anxiously as he leaned back on the chaise and took a deep breath.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Brenda asked as she walked over to the chaise and sat down next to him.

“I’m fine luv,” Jax said as he rested his hand on her knee. “I guess I moved too quickly when I realized that you weren’t next to me anymore.” He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath before looking back at her. “Why did you leave?” he asked as he reached for her hand.

“Brenda looked down at their hands and linked her fingers with his. “You were sleeping so peacefully. I didn’t want to disturb you. Since I wasn’t tired, I went into the house to make a call, then I came back out and sat at the table to read the newspaper.” She squeezed his hand and smiled. “You’re really cute when you sleep. Did you know that?”

Jax chuckled and glanced away for a second, slightly embarrassed. After taking another deep breath and letting it out quickly, he looked back at Brenda. “Ah, okay,” he said softly before clearing his throat nervously. “So who did you call?”

Brenda put her other hand on top of their linked hands. “I called you mom to talk about our Christmas plans,” she said, a trace of nervousness in her voice this time.

‘And?” Jax asked.

“And, how would you feel about us spending our first Christmas with your family?” Brenda asked nervously.

Jax looked at her for a minute with a very serious expression. “That all depends on what you have planned. I take it you and mum have something in mind?”

“Weelll…” Brenda said as she fidgeted slightly.

“I was thinking we could stay here until just before Christmas and then fly up to Alaska to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the family. Mom said Jerry would be there.” Brenda looked at Jax for a second, trying to figure out what he was thinking. When she didn’t see any reaction she couldn’t help feeling that he hated the idea. “If you’d rather, though, we could just stay here for the holiday - or go back to Port Charles.”

A smile slowly spread across Jax’s face as he shook his head slightly. “Jerry is willing to spend Christmas in Alaska?” he asked with a chuckle.

Brenda wasn’t sure what to make of Jax’s question. “Why wouldn’t he want to spend Christmas with his family?”

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to spend Christmas with us. It’s just that Jerry is not big on cold and snow. He usually spends Christmas with his friends and then gets us to meet him someplace warm after New Years to have a late family celebration,” Jax said with as he exhaled slowly.

“Oh,” Brenda said softly, obviously very disappointed at Jax’s news.

Seeing how disappointed she was, Jax gave her leg a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry luv. I don’t think ANYTHING would keep him away this year though.”

“Why do you say that? What’s different this year?” Brenda asked innocently.

Jax couldn’t help laughing. “You really don’t get it do you, luv?” he asked as he reached up to cup the side of her face. “You’re what’s different this year.” When he saw that Brenda still didn’t understand, he brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. “For the first time in a long time, we’re a family again - not just a group of people who love each other but live their own, separate lives. You’ve brought us back to the family we used to be.”

Brenda was more confused than ever. “How can you say that, Jax? Ever since you met me I’ve brought nothing but trouble into all of your lives. If it wasn’t for me, Sonny would never have brought Miranda back into your life. Not to mention that your dad nearly died of a heart attack because of that! What had to be the worst though, was that if it hadn’t been for me you never would have been shot and none of us would have to be living with armed guards 24/7 now.”

Jax reached up his other hand to hold her face. “You still don’t get it do you darling. It’s because of all those things! We forgot what it was like to take care of each other. We had all become very good at living our own lives and taking care of ourselves. Dealing with Sonny and Miranda and all the trouble that came with them, reminded us just what we had lost in our lives!” He gave her a quick kiss before continuing. “Thanks to you - and in a way Sonny - we have a new sense of family.” He smiled proudly at her. “You’re a Jacks now Brenda, in every way. I just hope once you realize what that means you don’t regret it.”

Brenda reached to cup the side of his face as she looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes even though there was a smile on her lips. “Never,” she said softly as her voice cracked. “This family is everything I’ve ever dreamed of.” She could see Jax ready to say something so she put her finger on his lips. “I mean it Jax.” She suddenly got up from the chaise and walked over to the table to look out at the ocean. “Until I met you, the only person I knew I could count on was myself. But now, now that I have you, Jerry and your parents, I feel like no matter what happens I will never be alone again.” She turned to look back at Jax. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted and I’m NOT about to let that go - EVER!”

Jax got up and walked over to her. He rested his arms on her shoulders and smiled down at her. “That’s good, because we’re not about to let you go. You’re stuck with us - all of us - permanently!” He leaned down to give her a quick kiss before resting his forehead against hers.

“So does that mean we can go to Alaska for Christmas?” Brenda asked as she leaned back a little to look into his face.

“Can’t think of anywhere I’d rather spend Christmas,” Jax said with a big smile as he looked into her eyes. He was startled when she suddenly jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held lifted her up off the ground. When a sharp pain shot through his side he quickly set her down. “Ah, I think we better hold off on that for a bit,” he said through clenched teeth.

Seeing the sudden perspiration drops on Jax’s upper lip and the obvious pain in his eyes, Brenda immediately took a step away from him. “Are you okay? Do you want to sit down? I’m going to have Charles call Dr. Felton!” Brenda turned toward the open terrace doors as she wrapped her arm around Jax’s waist and tried to lead him over to a nearby chair. When Jax wouldn’t move, she looked up at him nervously.

“Calm down, luv. I’m fine - really,” Jax said reassuringly. “It was just a pain. That’s all.” He pulled Brenda around in front of him and lifted her chin with the side of his finger. “You promised me you wouldn’t overreact to every twinge like this. You’ve been through an awful lot the past couple of months. You need this trip as much as I do. Will you please just relax and accept the fact that things are going to happen that will cause me pain. You know that I love to push the limit with things. It’s the same way with this. I can promise you that I will take it easy and be careful but you’ve known me long enough to know that I cannot stand to do nothing.” He waited until he saw her nod her agreement. “So if I’m feeling good I’m going to try to do a little extra. If that little extra is a little too much I’m going to hurt and that’ll make me stop. Will you please just let me do this my way? I’ll know when I’ve done too much. You need to accept that and just relax. Can you do that?”

Brenda looked up at him for a second before a smile spread across her face. She rested her hands on his hips. “I’ll try - I promise,” she said sincerely as she raised her right hand.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Jax said softly as he leaned down to give her a kiss. He held her chin in his fingers as he intensified the kiss. When he finally ended the kiss he did not back away from her. “So, what’s next on the agenda?”

“Actually,” Brenda said with a smile as she reached up to gently stroke her fingers across his cheek. “I don’t really have an agenda.” She couldn’t keep from smiling. “Even if I did, something tells me you’d change it.” She couldn’t help laughing at the expression on Jax’s face. She slid her hands up his arms and linked them behind his neck. “Any suggestions?”

Before saying anything, Jax wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. “Lunch?” he asked quickly. When Brenda leaned back to look up at him, he couldn’t help chuckling. “What can I tell you? I’m hungry. You do keep telling me I need to get my strength back don’t you?”

“When you put it that way how can I argue?” Brenda said with a chuckle. She stood up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. She kept looking up into his eyes until she heard someone clear their throat. She looked over to the terrace doors and smiled when she saw Charles standing there. “Come on out, Charles. I was just going to look for you.”

Charles walked over to where they were standing. “Certainly Ms. Brenda, I was just checking to see if you or Mr. Jax needed anything,” he said politely.

Jax and Brenda looked at each other for a moment before they both looked over at him with silly grins. “Lunch!” they said in unison. They both burst out laughing as they wrapped their arms around each other.

“Of course, ma’am,” Charles said with a smile and a nod. “Do you want luncheon served here on the terrace?”

“No, I think we’ve had enough fresh air for now,” Brenda said as she turned to look at Charles. “We’ll eat inside.”

“Certainly ma’am,” Charles said with a slight nod. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll have lunch ready shortly.” He gave each of them another slight nod before walking quickly back into the house.

“Come on, let’s go sit down,” Brenda said as she nodded toward the living room doors. “I think I’ve had enough fresh air for one morning.” When Jax nodded his agreement, she linked her fingers with his and led him inside.

It was only about 15 minutes until Charles came to tell them that their lunch was ready. As they were finishing, Jax set down his fork and looked over at Brenda. “If we’re going to the folks for Christmas I guess you’re going to want to head back to Port Charles soon?”

Surprised by Jax’s question Brenda set her fork down and leaned back in here chair as she looked at him. “Why would you ask that?”

Jax couldn’t help smiling as he looked at her. “Well this is our first family Christmas. I figured you would want to do some shopping before we go.”

“Oh that! I can do that here,” she said as she leaned forward again and picked up here fork. “I’m sure I can find everything I need out here. Besides, I’ve already bought several gifts. I’ll just call Lois and ask her to go to the penthouse and pick them up. She can ship them out here in plenty of time.”

“I have a better idea,” Jax said with a trace of nervousness in his voice. “Why don’t you have her pick up the things you want and take them back to the gatehouse? I’ll call Jerry and ask him to stop over and pick them up. He can put them on a company plane and you’ll have them the same day. That way you can be sure nothing gets broken.”

Brenda looked at Jax for a moment. She could see the trace of nervousness in his eyes. “Sure, we could do that,” she said suspiciously. “But why go to all that trouble for a few gifts? Unless…” She set her fork down and leaned further forward, resting her elbows on the table and tenting her fingers. “Unless you don’t want anyone to know where this house is. Is that it Jax?”

A smile slowly spread across Jax’s face as he leaned closer to her. “And why would I want that?” he asked as he leaned even closer.

Not sure at first if he was joking or not, Brenda looked at him for a minute before answering. “Because you’re afraid Sonny may be having Lois watched, hoping I’ll contact her so she’ll lead him to us.”

Jax couldn’t resist chuckling. “Very good,” he said as he tilted his head to one side. “So, will you do it?”

“You know I will,” Brenda said softly as she reached for his hand. “This is ‘our’ place. I don’t want Sonny or anyone connected to him anywhere near it.” She finally smiled as she slowly exhaled. “Are you sure Jerry won’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? This is Jerry we’re talking about. If it’s for you he’ll do anything!” Jax shook his head as he squeezed her hand. “It’s a good thing I married you before he met you though. I really think he has a ‘thing’ for you.”

Brenda looked at him in surprise, her mouth open slightly. When she saw the mix of love and pride in Jax’s eyes she couldn’t resist chuckling. “Well, I’m afraid he’s just going to have to get over it.” She gave him a wink as she ran her thumb across the top of his hand. “’Cause his ‘little brother’ is all I’ll ever want or need,” she said softly as she looked into his eyes. After staring into his eyes for what seemed like forever, Brenda jumped up from the table. “I’ve got a million things to do if we’re going to leave for Alaska in less than three weeks. I better call Lois and give her the list of things to get from the penthouse. I’m sure Ned can arrange for someone to let her into the penthouse. Then, I’ll need to make a list of the things I still need. Oh, and we’ll need some warm clothes for the trip. I’ll need to make a list of those too.” She completely forgot about Jax until she heard him clear his throat. When she looked over at him she saw the loving smile on his face so she came around the table and sat in his lap. “You won’t mind if I leave you alone for a while this afternoon will you? Besides, after that walk this morning and all this fresh air I think you should try to get some rest. Love you,” she said as she leaned forward to give him a quick but passionate kiss. As soon as she ended the kiss she jumped out of his lap and ran into the house, mumbling to herself.

Not quite sure what had just happened, Jax sat motionless in his chair, staring at the open doorway Brenda had just run through. Eventually, he tossed his napkin on the table and stood up. If Brenda was going to be going shopping, he decided he had better let Ben know so that he could assign some protection units to them. He started to walk toward the house as his mind started planning all the details of keeping her safe while she was away from the house. He had to smile as he walked through the open door as he tried to figure out how he was going to keep up with her when she was shopping. He couldn’t help remembering their last trip to Rodeo Drive. He had hardly been able to keep up with her then - and he had been at 100% for that trip! He stopped for a moment and shook his head. This was definitely going to be an interesting couple of weeks, he thought as he headed toward the den to call Ben.