Jax couldn't resist the urge to laugh at the expression on Sonny's face. He couldn't help thinking of a small child having a temper tantrum. "What on earth are you talking about, Sonny?" He turned and looked over at Ned and Lois. "Do you have any idea what he's talking about? Has Brenda gone somewhere?" The look of total innocence on Jax's face caused both Lois and Ned to smile as they both shrugged. Turning his attention back to Sonny, Jax tried to look concerned. "I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific. What exactly are you accusing me of?"

All the while Jax had been talking, Sonny could feel his anger growing. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, pretty boy! You took Brenda out of the hospital against my specific orders, and then against her will you took her God knows where!" A smug expression came across Sonny's face as he felt his anger subside and his control of the situation return. "I'm sure even someone like you realizes that is kidnapping!"

Feeling like he now had total control, Sonny continued, "It's over now, kid. Tell me where you've taken her. If you come clean right now, I'll do what I can to get you a reduced sentence!" Sonny was surprised when Jax started to laugh. As he looked over at Ned and Lois he saw that they were laughing as well. "What exactly is so funny, Lois?" He felt a sudden knot develop in his stomach.

Lois put her hand over her mouth as she tried desperately to control her laughter. She even looked away for a moment to try to regain her control. "I'm sorry, Sonny. I shouldn't laugh at you." She took a quick deep breath and cleared her throat. "It's just that I cannot believe what you just said! What gives you the right to issue orders concerning when Brenda leaves the hospital? That is a decision for her doctors and no one else! On top of that, where did you get the absurd idea that she was kidnapped?"

"She's still my woman, Lois! You know that and so does she! I have every right to give orders concerning her whereabouts!" Sonny couldn't believe Lois did not understand. "Come on, Lois, you've known me long enough to realize that once something is mine it STAYS mine!" He looked triumphantly at Lois before turning to face Jax again. "NOW do you understand? Brenda is mine and always will be! SHE understands that, so I know she didn't go with you willingly! Why can't you understand it as well and leave her alone?"

Unable to control his anger any longer, Jax stepped right into Sonny's face. "You're the one who doesn't understand, Corinthos! Brenda is NOT your woman anymore! She's her own woman now - maybe for the first time in her life! You gave up any say about what she does and with whom she does it when you dumped her to get married!

"You made it very clear to her that you were through with her. You took every public opportunity you could to rub her nose in the fact that you had chosen another woman over her! Now, just because YOU have changed your mind about that decision and want her back, you think you can just snap your fingers and she will come running!"

Jax poked Sonny in the chest with his index finger as he continued, "Get this through your thick skull, Corinthos! Brenda is through being your doormat!" As he saw Sonny start to say something, Jax quickly spoke up again: "Actually, you know, I should thank you. If Brenda hadn't been hit by that car because of you I never would have had the chance to show her what she had been missing out on!" Jax patted Sonny on the shoulder. "Thanks for your help!"

Jax turned to Lois and Ned as he glanced down at his watch. "I've got to go. I'm late for an appointment." He leaned over and gave Lois a quick kiss. "Thanks for your help with everything," he whispered. After giving Ned a quick nod he turned and walked away without ever acknowledging Sonny was still there. Walking away, he smiled as he heard Sonny yelling for him to come back.

As he walked up to Kelly's, Jax knew things were far from over with Sonny. At least now Sonny knew that Brenda was no longer alone. He would be there for her, for whatever she might need. As he walked through the door and saw the packages still sitting in the corner, he smiled. Brenda had remembered his promise to help her take them upstairs. He realized that they had just taken the first step - admittedly it was a small one - but it was a step all the same. Brenda had believed his promise to come back and help her.

He picked up several of the bags and headed up the stairs. Things were definitely looking up. All he had to do now was wait for Sonny to make his next move. After what had just happened on the docks, Jax was sure there would be one! As he reached the top of the stairs Jax decided that whatever Sonny tried next would be his last attempt to control Brenda - he'd make sure of that!

Jax put down the bags he was carrying in his right hand to knock softly on Brenda's door. When she didn't answer he knocked again. Becoming concerned when she still didn't respond, Jax tried the knob and found it unlocked. He slowly opened the door and looked in. Everything seemed to be in order, so he walked further into the room. He felt a sense of panic start to set in when he still didn't see any sign of Brenda. It wasn't until he finally looked around the corner toward the bed that he was able to relax. There was Brenda, curled up on her side, sleeping soundly, looking like a little girl with her hair spread out on the pillow and a slight smile on her lips. Jax set down the bags he was carrying before walking quietly over to the bed and stooping down next to her. He gently brushed her hair back from her face, hoping she would wake up.

When she still didn't stir, Jax could not keep from smiling. He reached up and ran his finger gently down the bridge of Brenda's nose. Her only reaction was to twitch her nose slightly. He had to gently tap the bridge of her nose several more times before she slowly opened her eyes. It took a couple of seconds for her to realize that it was Jax she was looking at. When she did, Brenda could not keep from smiling. She smiled at him and reached over to caress the side of his face. "Hi, there," Jax said, as he put his hand on top of hers on his cheek.

"Hi, yourself" Brenda said with a sleepy smile. "What time is it?" She was really happy to see him. She was surprised when she realized that it seemed so natural for him to be the first thing she saw when she woke up.

Jax glanced down at his watch. "It's about 5:30," he said, as he pushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "Sorry it took so long for me to get back. I ran into a little delay on my way back here." Jax wanted to chuckle at his last statement but settled for smiling.

Brenda could tell by that statement that he had run into Sonny. She immediately sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed so that her feet were on the floor. She patted the bed next to her to let Jax know she wanted him to sit down. When he did, she tucked one leg under her as she looked up at him. "Tell me everything! Did he threaten you? Are you okay?" She reached up to stroke his arm as she spoke, before taking hold of one of his hands in both of hers.

Jax was amazed. How could she have figured out that he had seen Sonny from what he had said? He had tried not to give her any hint that he had run into Sonny, but she had figured it out anyway! He chuckled as he slowly shook his head. "How did you know?" he asked with a smile.

"It wasn't hard, Jax - but never mind that! Are you okay? Did he threaten you?" Brenda reached up and cupped the side of his face. "Please! Tell me what happened!"

He put his hand on top of hers. "It was nothing much, Brenda. I had run into Ned on my way back here to Kelly's. He was meeting Lois down at the ELQ dock, so I walked along with him so I could thank them both for all they did to help with our little 'getaway'!" He smiled slightly as he continued, "Anyway, as we were walking over to where we saw Lois standing, Ned noticed she was not alone. She was talking to someone - SONNY! Since it didn't look like a very friendly discussion, we quickly walked up behind her." He could see Brenda tense up as he spoke, which made him reluctant to continue. But when he saw the look in her eyes, he knew he had to.

Jax couldn't help chuckling as he remembered the expression on Sonny's face. "You should have seen the expression on Corinthos' face when he saw me!" Jax suddenly realized that had been the wrong thing to say when he saw the color quickly drain from Brenda's face. He reached over and gently stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry, luv! That was a stupid thing to say!" He shifted his gaze to the floor, feeling suddenly ashamed of himself.

Brenda lifted his chin with her finger so she could look him directly in the face. She smiled slightly. "Don't you dare apologize, Jax! You didn't say anything wrong." She then took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing, "I want you to tell me the rest of what happened. You never answered my question. Did he threaten you?"

After taking a deep breath of his own, Jax slowly shook his head. "No, he didn't threaten me," Jax chuckled. "Actually, he offered to use his 'influence' to try to keep me out of jail if I told him where you were!"

"JAIL!" Brenda yelled, as she jumped up and started pacing around the room. "Why would he think you'd be going to jail?" she asked, as she finally stopped pacing and stood next to the window but facing him.

Jax got up to stand in front of her. "Well, he seems to think that I kidnapped you out of the hospital and held you against your will!" Jax couldn't resist chuckling as he spoke.

"WHAT! Why would he think you kidnapped me?" For the first time in a long time, Brenda found herself feeling angry. What surprised her though was not that she was angry but who she was angry with - SONNY!

Seeing the building anger in Brenda's eyes, Jax couldn't help thinking it was a good sign. It was obvious to him that her anger was directed at Sonny. This was the first time since he had met her that Brenda had not blamed herself for Sonny's actions or been intimidated by them. He now found himself reluctant to tell her the rest. He quickly decided that he had no right to keep anything from her. Besides, it might just help her start to close the door on her past if she knew what had been said.

Before answering her question Jax rested his arms on her shoulders. "According to Mr. Corinthos, he gave specific orders that you were not to leave the hospital without his permission. He said that he knew you would understand that, even if I didn't! As a result of me not only taking you out of the hospital without his permission but also taking you out of town against your will, I am guilty of kidnapping!" Jax had tried to sound as nonchalant as he could as he told her the story. He did not want Brenda to think that he was even slightly concerned about Sonny's threats.

Brenda could not believe what Jax had just told her. She could not believe that after all that had happened - after all of the horrible things Sonny had said to her in public and in private - that he thought she still belonged to him! Suddenly concerned that Jax might believe that Sonny did have the power to do what he was threatening, Brenda looked up into Jax's face. She was relieved at what she saw. He was smiling. Obviously he had not believed one word of Sonny's threats! She immediately relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest so that she could hear his heart beating.

Jax wrapped his arms around her as well without saying a word. They stood there in front of the window holding each other for several minutes. Finally Jax gently pushed her back and looked down at her with a smile. "What do you say we bring the rest of your 'booty' from Malibu up here? I'm sure Ruby would appreciate having her restaurant back!"

Brenda could not resist the urge to smile even as she blushed. "Oh, my goodness! I completely forgot about that! I probably should have brought some of them up when I came up, but I wanted to wait until you got back so we could do it together." As she turned to leave she noticed the bags he had already brought upstairs. She couldn't resist smiling when she turned back to him. "I see you got a head start on me," she said, as she pointed to the small pile of bags he had already brought upstairs.

"Considering the size of that mountain of packages down there, it seemed kind of silly to come up empty-handed!" Jax said with a smile. "Come on, let's go get the rest of your stuff." He reached out his hand to her, and, as she took it, they headed out the door.

It took two trips each for them to finally bring all the bags and boxes up to Brenda's room. Once they had everything in her room, they began putting things away. It took almost two hours before they had the new clothes and accessories put away.

Surrounded by empty bags and boxes, Brenda plopped down on her bed. "Whew! I didn't realize how much stuff we bought!" She looked over at her closet and found herself suddenly feeling grateful Ruby had insisted that she take this room, even though it overlooked the street. There had been a small storage room off the window alcove of the room that Ruby had converted into a walk in closet for her. The new clothes Jax had bought her in California had pretty much filled both sides of the closet!

After checking the boxes strewn about the room to make sure they had gotten everything out of them, Jax glanced down at his watch. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked with a chuckle. "It's almost 8:00! No wonder I'm hungry!" He looked around at the mess. "What do you say we just leave all this for now and go get some dinner?" When he saw Brenda's eager nod, he walked over to her and reached out his hand. "Come on, this can wait!" he said with a smile.

Brenda jumped up from the bed and checked her hair in the mirror. "Yikes! Why didn't you tell me I looked a mess?" she asked with a scowl on her face. She quickly ran the brush through her hair several times before pulling it up into a loose ponytail. "That's a little better!" she said as she looked over at Jax, who nodded his agreement. "Let's go!" she said as this time she reached out her hand to him. She laughed out loud when Jax tripped over one of the empty boxes on the floor as he walked over to her. He kicked the box that he had tripped over out of the way as he took her hand and they headed out the door.

The Outback Restaurant

Robin, like everyone else in the Outback, noticed Jax and Brenda the minute they came through the door. Some people noticed them because of their extraordinarily attractive appearance, some because of the childish way they acted, but Robin noticed with more than a twinge of sadness because of the obvious affection she saw between them. She walked quickly over to the door to greet them. She had not seen Brenda since the day before the accident at Luke's. She had tried to visit her while she was recovering at General Hospital, but was refused permission since she was not on the list of approved visitors. Sonny had told her that Jax had banned all of Brenda's friends from the hospital, but Robin had later found out that wasn't exactly true. Ned, Lois, Lucy Coe, and most of the Quartermaine family had been on the list. It was only Sonny, Jason, and she that were missing from the list.

As soon as Brenda saw Robin coming toward them, she squeezed Jax's arm. "Look! Here comes Robin! I was hoping she'd be here so you could meet her!" Jax smiled and squeezed her hand. Brenda squealed as Robin came closer and finally wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug as soon as she was close enough. "Hey you! How are you?" she asked as she released Robin, and, without even thinking, wrapped her left arm around Jax's waist. Even though Brenda had not realized what she was doing, Robin certainly had.

"Hi, Brenda," Robin said with a polite smile as she gave Brenda a thorough look from head to toe. "I don't have to ask how you're feeling - you look terrific!" Before Brenda had a chance to say anything, several more people came through the door, so Robin quickly showed them to a table.

When they got to the table, Brenda waited until Jax pulled her chair out for her and pushed it back in as she sat down. He then took his seat across from her. Robin was surprised at the ease with which they acted. She could not remember Sonny ever pulling out a chair for Brenda nor could she remember Brenda waiting for him to pull her chair out. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Brenda's voice. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.

"I asked if you could sit with us for a few minutes," Brenda said as she looked up at her friend with a smile.

Robin looked around the room to make sure everyone was taken care of. Her Uncle Mac had left her in charge while he worked on the orders for tomorrow in his office. When she didn't see anyone needing her attention, she nodded and sat down with them. "Sure, I can sit for a few minutes," she said. Turning in her seat to look directly at Brenda, Robin asked, "Where did you go when you left the hospital? Wherever it was, it certainly agreed with you! What a beautiful tan!"

Brenda smiled and looked over at Jax, as she reached over to hold his hand. "Mr. Jacks, here, took me to his house in Malibu!"

"Malibu!" Robin squealed.

"Yep!" Brenda said with a laugh. "Robin, it was the most amazing house! It was kind of like a dream! It was all white and was built into the side of a hill overlooking the ocean. There was a stone terrace, where we had breakfast every morning, and there were these steps that led right down to a private beach, where we took walks every night at sunset. Oh, and we went swimming in the surf…"

"You went swimming in the surf so soon after getting out of the hospital?" Robin asked, as she turned and gave Jax a disapproving look. She was trying to decide if he was the one responsible for Brenda doing such a reckless thing so soon after getting out of the hospital.

Brenda looked over at him as well, which caused him to smile and roll his eyes. With a slightly embarrassed chuckle Brenda looked back at Robin. "Okay, so Jax went swimming and I walked in the surf! The point is the ocean was unbelievable! In fact, the entire trip was amazing!" With a huge grin on her face, Brenda looked directly at Robin. "The BEST part though was the shopping! We went to every store and shop on Rodeo Drive! Right?" she asked as she looked back over at Jax.

"And then some!" Jax said with a laugh as he stared into her eyes.

"Sounds like a fantastic trip," Robin laughed. She glanced around and saw a crowd waiting to be seated. "I have to get back to work. Can we have lunch soon? I want to hear all about your trip!" She looked directly at Jax for a moment before turning her attention back to Brenda and continuing, "And everything else you've been doing!" She got up and walked toward the people waiting to be seated without waiting to hear Brenda's answer. She knew that Brenda had understood that she wanted to talk about Jax AND Sonny! She had left quickly so that Brenda wouldn't have a chance to refuse.

Brenda had figured out Robin's meaning almost immediately, especially when she saw the way she had looked at Jax as she had said it. When Robin had gotten up and left without giving her a chance to say anything Brenda started to get up to go after her. She stopped when she felt Jax's hand on her arm. She immediately sat back down and looked at him. "What?"

"Don't bother, Brenda; it's not worth it!" Jax said very quietly.

Brenda was surprised at how calmly Jax was acting. She had known by the change in his expression that he had known what Robin had meant by her last remark. Yet here he was telling her it wasn't worth bothering about. "What do you mean it isn't worth bothering about? Of course, it's worth it! You're worth it!" Suddenly realizing what she had just said Brenda stopped and put her hands over her face and rested her elbows on the table.

Jax reached over and pulled her hands away from her face. He smiled as he reached over and cupped her cheek. "I appreciate the fact that you want to defend me to Robin, Brenda, but it's really not necessary." As Brenda tried to interrupt him, he put his finger on her lips. "Let me finish, okay?" he said, as he waited until he saw her nod. "Good. Listen, the reason it's not necessary is because what we feel for each other is no one's business but our own! You've told me enough about Robin and her relationship with Sonny for me to know that she is going to try to talk you into going back to him. Why put yourself through that right now?" He could see that what he had said was making sense to Brenda, so he continued.

"Let's just enjoy our dinner and forget about Robin AND Sonny! Okay?" Jax smiled at her, as he gently rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand.

"When you put it that way, how can I refuse?" Brenda asked with a smile. She took a quick glance over at Robin and was surprised to see her watching them. She smiled at her and turned her attention back to Jax. "Let's have some dinner. I'm starving!"

Jax and Brenda spent the next couple of hours lingering over their dinner. They spent the time reminiscing about things that had happened while they were in Malibu, which made one or both of them laugh out loud several times. After they had ordered their dessert, Brenda excused herself to go to the ladies' room. As she started walking toward the back of the restaurant she looked to her left and stopped as she felt the breath rush from her lungs. Sitting near the stage were Sonny and Lily. It suddenly made sense to her why Robin had seated her and Jax on the far end of the club. She had not wanted to upset Sonny by letting him see her here with Jax. Brenda felt herself becoming afraid just because he was in the same room. She glanced back toward Jax and saw him talking on his cell phone. For some reason that she couldn't explain, Brenda felt a sense of calm come over her. She took a deep breath and continued on back to the ladies' room. She couldn't help smiling when she realized that she stopped feeling afraid when she had looked back at Jax.

On her way back to the table, Brenda again glanced over to where Sonny and Lily were sitting. She was surprised to see Lily sitting alone. She looked around to see where Sonny had gone, and when she saw him standing by the bar talking to Robin's Uncle Mac she decided it was time she thanked Lily for saving her life. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before walking over to the table. "Hello, Lily," she said when she reached the table.

Lily quickly looked around the see if Sonny had noticed Brenda. She was relieved when she saw that he had his back turned to them. It wasn't until she was sure Sonny could not see them that she answered Brenda. "Hello, Brenda. You look very well, considering what you've been through."

Brenda smiled slightly. "Thank you. I won't keep you long. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life the night of the accident. Jax told me that if you hadn't pushed me out of the way of that car that I probably would have been killed." She extended her hand to Lily. "I know we've never been friends, but I just wanted to thank you and let you know that I'm no threat to your marriage Lily. I'm done with Sonny. I've got a good life now with Jax, and I want to keep it that way." She looked down at her hands for a moment before looking back at Lily and continuing, "I just wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to realize that."

Lily believed what Brenda was saying. She could tell by the way that she talked about Jax that he was very important to her now. Feeling a new sense of security in her marriage, Lily reached up to shake Brenda's hand. "You don't have to thank me, Brenda. I'm just glad you've recovered." She paused for a moment. "I do want to thank you for letting me know how you feel about Sonny though. I think I already knew it, even before the accident. It was obvious, at least to me, that you were moving on with your life. I had seen you out several times with Jax, and you seemed to be having a wonderful time with him. I hope things go well for you - for both of you!"

"Thanks, Lily, so do I. Well, I'd better go. Jax is waiting for me." As Brenda turned to go back to her table, she was surprised to see Jax coming toward her.

When he got up to her he put his hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Sure. Why do you ask?" She could see he was concerned. "I saw Lily and Sonny sitting here when I went to the ladies room. When I came out, I saw that Lily was alone so I came over to thank her for saving my life the night of the accident." She could see the concern leaving Jax's eyes. "I appreciate your concern for me, but I'm fine, Jax." Seeing Sonny finishing his conversation with Mac, Brenda suddenly got a little nervous. "Why don't we go back to our table and finish our dessert?" She took his hand and started back to their table. By the time they got there, Sonny had returned to his table. They finished the rest of their meal pretty much in silence. Brenda could not help worrying that Sonny would see them and come over to make a scene.

Once they had finished their coffee, Brenda reached over to turn Jax's wrist so she could see his watch. "It's getting late. What do you say we go back to my place?" She looked over at him and smiled. "You do remember that mess we left there, don't you? It's going to take us hours to clean up all that stuff!"

Jax returned her smile. "I guess you're right. We should get going." He signaled for the waiter to bring them their check. As soon as he did, Jax checked it over quickly and paid him, along with a generous tip. "Ready?" he asked.

As Jax and Brenda were walking up the stairs to the door, Sonny happened to glance up and see them leave. He started to get up but quickly remembered his wife sitting across from him and sat back down. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone and gave the person who answered several terse instructions, before ending the call and turning his attention back to Lily.

Brenda and Jax walked through the front door of Kelly's just as Ruby was closing. She held the door open for them as they walked in. "Hello, you two. Did you have a nice dinner?" Once they were inside, she locked the door, turned off the outside sign, and flipped the open sign to 'closed.' "Thanks for getting that mountain out of here," she said with a chuckle, as she pointed to the empty space at the foot of the stairs.

Jax and Brenda both chuckled. "That reminds me, Ruby, could we have a couple of big garbage bags? Now that we've got all that stuff put away, there is an even bigger mountain of trash all over my room!" Brenda said, as she laughed out loud.

"Sure, I'll get them for you dear." She looked over at Jax with a twinkle in her eyes. "I assume you're planning to stick around and help her clean up that mess!"

"Of course, I do, Ruby." Jax gave her a wink before he continued, "After all, there wouldn't be a mountain of trash if I hadn't taken Brenda shopping in the first place! It seems only fair that since I helped make the mess that I help clean it up!"

Ruby nodded as she laughed, "Good answer, Jax!" She touched Brenda's arm. "You two wait here. I'll get the bags for you." Ruby walked into the kitchen. When she came back, she handed Brenda several large, black bags. "Here you go, dear," she said to Brenda. Turning to Jax she said, "You can just put them inside the kitchen door when you're done. I'll put them in the dumpster in the morning."

"Thanks, Ruby," Brenda said as they started toward the stairs.

"Would you two like anything before I clean up the kitchen?" Ruby asked as she smiled at both of them.

Jax and Brenda looked at each other before Brenda answered. "I don't think so, Ruby. Thanks." As if suddenly thinking of something, Brenda spoke up again. "On second thought, Ruby how about a pitcher of ice water and a couple of glasses? I have a feeling it's going to take us a while to clean up that mess!"

"You've got it, dear. You two go on up, and I'll bring it up to you in a little while," Ruby said as she headed back into the kitchen.

Brenda reached for Jax's hand as they headed up the stairs. As they turned the corner at the top of the stairs to start down the hallway, they saw someone trying to open the door to Brenda's room. Jax started to move ahead of Brenda to confront the man, but Brenda put a hand on his arm to stop him. When he looked at her, he realized she was quite capable of taking care of this on her own, so he immediately backed off.

"What are you doing here, Jason?" Brenda asked as she walked up to the man standing by her door, all the while tightly squeezing Jax's hand. She glanced quickly up at him and was relieved to see the slight smile of support on his face as he winked at her. "Well? I asked you a question. What are you doing here?"

"I was trying to get in to wait for you, but the key Sonny gave me didn't work this time." Jason didn't seem to have the slightest concern for the illegitimacy of what he had just admitted. "You better give Sonny a key to the new lock right away."

Brenda was obviously shaken by Jason's last statement. In all the time she and Sonny had been together, she had never given him a key to her room nor had she asked Ruby to give him one. She found herself feeling very uneasy at the idea of Sonny having a key to her room all this time. She felt herself becoming angry at his intrusion into her privacy.

When he saw how shaken Brenda was to discover Sonny had a key to her room, Jax was glad Ned had changed the lock and that only he and Jax currently had keys. "You never answered Miss Barrett's original question. Why are you here?" Jax squeezed Brenda's hand quickly before gently pushing her slightly behind him so that he was between her and Jason.

Totally focused on his job, Jason started toward Brenda. He reached to grab her arm, but Jax moved quickly to block him. "Come on, Brenda. Sonny's waiting for us." Jason tried again to grab her arm, but this time Brenda moved out of his reach and stepped further behind Jax.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Jason! You can tell Sonny that for me!" Brenda declared as she stepped out from behind Jax but still stood very close to him, wrapping both of her arms around Jax's left arm as she continued. "You can tell Sonny I do not want to see him tonight or any night! We no longer have ANYING to discuss!" Feeling a sense of calm pass over her, Brenda took a deep breath, and, as she let it out, she took Jax's hand as she started toward her door, walking right past Jason. Turning back toward Jason she said, "One more thing. I want that key you have!" She held out her hand for the key he was holding.

For a minute Jason didn't move. When he saw Brenda wiggle the fingers of her outstretched hand, he finally put the key in it. "You might as well take it. It doesn't work anyway! I'll get a new one from Ruby on my way out." His smugness sent a shiver down Brenda's spine. He extended his arm toward the stairs. "Come on. I told you Sonny is waiting for us."

Brenda couldn't help but shudder when she realized that Jason had ignored everything she had just said. He only seemed to know one thing - Sonny wanted him to bring her to see him and that was what he was going to do!

Before Brenda could say anything, Jax gently pushed her completely behind him as he turned to face Jason. "I don't believe you heard Miss Barrett. She said she was not going with you - now or ever! Now why don't you run along and tell your boss that she's not interested in seeing him tonight or ANY night?" As he saw Jason again start to reach for Brenda, Jax pushed his hand away. "She told you that she's NOT going with you!" Jason looked like he was trying to look through Jax to Brenda. Jax could suddenly feel Brenda take a deep breath and let it out quickly before coming out from behind him to face Jason herself. When he saw the way she was standing to face Jason, Jax couldn't help smiling with pride.

"You may as well leave now, Jason. I have no intention of going with you - now or ever!" Brenda quickly looked over at Jax with a smile before looking back at Jason. Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, they were all startled by the sound of a new voice.

"Jason! What are you doing up here?" Ruby demanded, as she came around the corner carrying a tray with the pitcher of ice water and glasses that she had promised to Brenda. Handing the tray to Jax, Ruby poked Jason in the chest. "Let's go! You have no business up here!" When Jason stood his ground, still staring at Brenda, Ruby placed her hand on his arm and squeezed. "I said: let's go!" When Jason looked down at Ruby, he realized that he didn't have any choice but to leave. He let out a long, slow breath and turned and walked toward the stairs with Ruby right behind him. When she got to the top of the stairs, Ruby stopped for a moment and turned back to Jax and Brenda. "I'm so sorry about this! I didn't realize he had come up here."

"I know that, Ruby. It's okay; you don't have to apologize," Brenda said with a slight smile. As Ruby turned to follow Jason down the stairs and let him out, Brenda called after her. "Oh, Ruby?" She waited until Ruby turned back. "Did you ever give anyone a key to my room?"

"Never!" Ruby declared. She paused for a moment and then put her finger on her chin. "I remember Sonny did demand one from me once, but I refused. Why do you ask?" Ruby looked concerned by Brenda's question.

"No reason, I was just wondering, that's all. I promise we'll try to be quiet. Good night, Ruby." Brenda smiled at Ruby and watched her walk down the stairs before saying anything to Jax. "Since we know my key isn't going to work on this door, would you mind letting me in?"

Jax could hear a slight twinge of anger in Brenda's voice. Even though he did not want to make her any angrier he could not resist the urge to tease her. "What makes you think your key won't work? Why don't you try it?" Jax gave her a broad smile as he nodded toward the door. "Besides, in case you hadn't noticed my hands are a little full at the moment," he said as he glanced down at the tray he was holding.

Looking at Jax with a frustrated expression, Brenda took her keys out of her jacket pocket and inserted the room key in the lock. She was startled when the door opened immediately. "How is that possible? This is the same key Jason had, and his didn't work." Brenda looked up at Jax before opening the door the rest of the way so they could go into her room. Once Jax was inside, she closed the door behind them. She set her keys down on the edge of the dresser before turning her full attention to him. "Okay now, do you want to explain this to me? I'd like the whole story please - from the beginning!"

"It's really very simple, Brenda." Jax paused for a moment before continuing. "Where did you find your keys when we got back?" he asked.

Brenda thought for a moment before answering. "They were in my jacket pocket. Why? What does that have to do with anything? I always keep them in my jacket pocket."

Jax had never wanted Brenda to know what had happened while they were in Malibu, but he could see now that it was important that he tell her everything. "Let's sit down. This will take a little explaining." He took her hand and led her over to the bed so they could sit down together. "Okay, here goes… Do you remember that day that Ned called while we were in Malibu?" He looked at her, waiting until she nodded that she remembered. "Well, he was calling to warn me that Sonny was looking for you. He said Sonny came over to the gatehouse demanding to know where you were. He said that when they told him they didn't know you were gone, Sonny blurted out that he had your room searched to try to find out where you were. When his men didn't find anything in your room, he told them he figured they knew where you were and he demanded they tell him immediately. Eventually they convinced him that they didn't know, so he went looking for Alan or Tony. He figured since they were your doctors they would have to know where you were!"

Brenda felt like a light had gone on in her brain. Suddenly a lot of things started to make sense to her. "That's why you were so insistent that there was no reason for us to come back, isn't it?" She saw Jax nod 'yes' before she continued, "That also explains why you tried so hard to reassure me that no one - even Alan and Tony - knew where we were… You already knew Sonny was looking for us!" Suddenly feeling guilty for keeping this from her, Jax looked down, unable to meet her gaze. Brenda got up and picked her way through the boxes and paper on the floor to stand by the window. She stood with her back to him, staring out at the city for several moments, before she turned back to him. "All of that still doesn't explain the key."

Jax came over to stand in front of Brenda. He gently rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "After Sonny left, Ned realized that Sonny must still have a key to your room, so he had ELQ Security put a new lock on your door the next day. When I was making the arrangements for our trip home, I called Ned to tell him we were coming back and he told me about changing the lock and suggested I have Edward stop by the gatehouse to pick up a jacket for you. He said he'd make sure your keys were in your pocket. I guess he put the new key on your key ring then."

When Brenda looked up into his eyes, she knew immediately that he was telling her the truth. "I believe you, Jax." Remembering what Jax had said about Sonny still having a key to her room, she put both of her hands on his arms. "Jax, I NEVER gave Sonny a key to my room!" When she saw the smile on his face, she couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "I just wanted you to know that."

Jax said, "Thanks for telling me that." He couldn't help smiling when he saw the look of relief on Brenda's face. It seemed like only a moment before it was replaced with a look of concern. He couldn't help but notice the way she suddenly shuddered. "What's wrong?" he asked, as he wrapped his arms loosely around her waist.

"Do you know if Ned gave Ruby a copy of the new key?" she asked, no longer able to keep the sound of fear out of her voice.

Remembering Jason's promise to get a new key from Ruby, Jax pulled her closer to him and held her for several moments before reaching up to cup the side of her face. "No, luv, she doesn't have a key. Ned told me there were only two keys to that lock."

Brenda smiled up at him for a moment before she grew serious again. "Who has the other key? You?"

"NO! I wouldn't do that Brenda. Ned has the other key. He said he would talk to you about what you wanted to do with it." The expression she saw on Jax's face told her he was telling her the truth.

When she saw how concerned he was that she believed he didn't have a key to her room, Brenda put her hand on his arm. "It's okay, Jax. I believe you." She looked around the room. "What do you say we clean up this mess? We're going to be here all night at this rate!" she declared with a smile. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze before letting go and walking over to the dresser to pick up one of the garbage bags. She immediately started picking up tissue paper and discarded wrappings and putting them in the bag.

Jax stood looking at her for a moment, enjoying how relaxed she finally looked. Before starting to help her, he glanced out the window and happened to catch sight of someone standing by the lamp across the terrace from the front of Kelly's. It took a minute for him to recognize who it was - JASON! Jax could tell he was talking on a cell phone and watching the front door, obviously waiting for Jax to leave so he could come back and get Brenda for Sonny. Jax decided that he would not be leaving Brenda alone tonight. When he looked over at her and saw how happy and relaxed she was, he decided not to tell her what he suspected. Tomorrow was soon enough to ruin her mood. As he started picking up and crushing the boxes that were on the chair next to him, he decided that tomorrow they would sit down and figure out a way of keeping Jason and Sonny away from her - even if that meant bringing in some people from Jacks Security!

Brenda had been pretty close to being correct about how long it would take them to clean up her room. It was nearly 3:00 am before they had the last of the trash picked up and put in the garbage bags. They had ended up with five full bags of tissue paper, boxes and other wrapping materials. When he looked over at her, Jax could tell that Brenda was exhausted. As he was tying up the last bag, he looked up and caught her in the middle of a yawn. He finished with the bag and put it with the rest near the door before coming over to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Why don't we call it a night, and you go get ready for bed? I'll take this stuff down to the kitchen while you change." He smiled a gentle but determined smile.

When she saw the look in his eyes, Brenda didn't bother to even try to argue with him. Besides, she was just too tired! "Okay. I'm too tired to argue with you."

Jax squeezed her shoulders before turning her toward the bathroom. He looked out the window again and saw that Jason was still standing by the lamp looking up at the window. He made a point of being seen as he closed the drapes before walking back into the room. He walked over to the door where the garbage bags were stacked. As he opened the door, he quickly picked up her keys from the edge of the dresser. Turning back to pick up a couple of the bags, he looked over at her. "I'll take these with me so you don't have to keep coming out to open the door for me," he said as he held up the keys. Brenda just nodded her approval and headed into the bathroom.

It took Jax two trips to get everything out of Brenda's room. Once he had the last of the bags stacked by the back door Jax started back toward the stairs. He couldn't resist checking one more time, so he walked over to the front door and looked out. He stood off to the side so that he could not be seen. It only took a moment for him to see Jason still standing across the terrace, watching the door. Jax slowly shook his head in disbelief as he turned and headed back toward the stairs. He could not believe Jason's tenacity.

When he got to Brenda's door, he stopped for a minute to try to figure out a way to convince her to let him stay in her room for the night. By the time he opened the door, he felt he had a valid argument ready for her. Unfortunately, he never got the opportunity to use it. By the time he got into the room, locked the door and looked around for Brenda, it was already too late. He found that she had already finished in the bathroom and gotten into bed. When he walked over to the bed, he realized that she was sound asleep. He smiled as he stooped down next to the bed and pulled the covers up around her shoulders. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead and gently brushed her hair back from her face before getting up. He stood next to the bed looking down at her for several minutes before walking softly over to the window one last time. He wanted to make sure Jason got the message that he was spending the night, so he made a big show of removing his shirt in full view of the window before reaching over and turning off the light. Even though the drapes were drawn he could tell that his silhouette had been clearly visible to anyone looking up at the window.

As soon as the lights were off, Jax put his shirt back on and walked back to the window. He opened the drapes a crack to look out and saw exactly what he had expected - Jason was still there, but he was talking very animatedly on his cell phone. Jax continued to watch him until he finally closed the phone and walked over to a nearby bench to sit down and wait. Once he saw that Jason was planning to wait him out, Jax slowly let the drapes close and walked over to the overstuffed chair that was near the closet and pulled it over next to the bed. He sat down on the chair and took off his shoes before putting his feet up on the edge of the bed and settling more comfortably in the chair. He looked over at Brenda one more time to make sure he had not disturbed her sleep. When he was satisfied that she was sleeping soundly, he relaxed and closed his eyes. Considering the late hour, it didn't take long for Jax to doze off himself.

Just before dawn, Jax woke with a start. He knew he had heard something but it took a few seconds for his brain to focus on the sound and identify it. When he realized that it was the sound of someone outside the door, he jumped into action. He quickly got undressed, leaving on only his black silk boxers and mussed his hair to make it look like he had been in bed. He reached for the doorknob just as he again heard the knob rattle. He gently turned the lock button so as not to alert the person on the other side that he was awake. He wrapped his hand slowly around the knob and jerked the door wide open!

As the door flew open Jax stepped back quickly as the man outside the door stumbled forward into the room, trying to regain his balance. Jax reached over and turned on the overhead light so he could see who was standing in front of him. He was surprised when he did not recognize the man. He had expected to see Jason. This man was obviously someone who worked for either Jason or Sonny, probably doing jobs like this all the time.

As soon as he regained his balance the intruder went on the attack. He lunged at Jax, pushing him up against the wall leaving him momentarily stunned. He took advantage of this opportunity and quickly started toward the bed to get Brenda. It only took Jax a minute to regain his senses and when he did he tackled the man from behind, knocking him to the floor.

Brenda woke with a start at the sound of the struggle. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did, she looked quickly around the room until she saw Jax struggling with someone on the floor. As soon as she realized what was happening, she jumped out of bed and ran over to help him. She looked around for something to use as a weapon, finally grabbing a vase off the nearby table. She lifted it over her head with both hands and brought it down as hard as she could on the man's head. The man immediately collapsed on top of Jax, who lay unmoving on the floor for a minute before pushing the unconscious man off of himself.

Brenda immediately knelt down next to Jax. "Are you okay, Jax?" she asked, as she gently stroked the side of his face.

Jax smiled up at her as he raised himself up to rest on his forearms. "I'm fine. Thanks for the help," he said as he nodded toward the unconscious man lying next to him. When he saw the sudden look of shock come across Brenda's face as she sat back on her haunches and looked at him, he remembered his lack of clothing. He immediately got up and grabbed his clothes off the chair where he had thrown them. He turned his back to her as he quickly put his clothes on. It had only taken a minute for him to finish, so when he turned around he saw that she was still sitting in exactly the same position she had been in when he had gotten up. "I can explain this - HONESTLY!" was all he had a chance to say before Ruby came rushing into the room.

"What's going on?" she asked, as she looked around the room. She stopped suddenly when she saw the unconscious man on the floor. She walked gingerly over to him and stooped down, relieved when she heard him moan. She stood back up before turning her attention to where Jax was helping Brenda up from the floor. "Are you two okay?" she asked. "The police are on the way. I called them as soon as I heard the commotion up here."

Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, three uniformed officers came through the door. "What's going on here, Ruby?" the sergeant asked as he came in. "Who is this guy?" he asked as he walked over to examine the unconscious man. After checking for a pulse, he turned to one of the younger officers. "Bailey, get on the radio and call for EMS. This guy's still breathing, but he's out cold!" The younger officer gave the sergeant a quick nod and walked out into the hallway to radio for an ambulance. As he was standing back up, the sergeant pulled his notepad out of his jacket pocket. "Now, who's going to tell me what happened here?" he asked as he looked from Ruby to Brenda and finally to Jax.

Jax squeezed Brenda's arm to get her to look up at him. When she did, he smiled slightly at her and released her arm. "I guess I will. Just before dawn I heard a noise that woke me. When I got up to look around, I heard a noise in the hall outside the door and I noticed someone turning the knob, so I quietly unlocked it and jerked the door open, hoping to knock whoever it was off balance." He looked sheepishly at Brenda. "It worked, too - at least for a minute. As soon as the guy regained his footing he charged at me, shoving me into the wall and knocking the wind out of me." He looked over at the officer and saw that he was writing down everything he said. "It took me a minute to get my senses back. As soon as I did, I saw him heading toward Ms. Barrett, who was still asleep in bed, so I tackled him from behind and knocked him to the floor."

As she was listening to Jax, Brenda realized why he had been wearing only his boxers when she woke up. He had expected this to happen. He wanted to give whoever broke in the impression that they were sleeping together! But why? Suddenly it dawned on her. Jax had expected someone all right; he had expected JASON!

Brenda picked up the story at this point. "I guess the noise of them fighting must have woke me up. As soon as I realized that someone had broken in, I jumped out of bed to try to help Jax. The only thing I could think to do was to try to knock the man out, so I grabbed the vase off the table and hit him as hard as I could." She looked over at Jax and winked at him. "I guess it worked because he collapsed on top of Jax, out cold!" She reached for Jax's hand before continuing, "I started to get scared at that point because Jax wasn't moving. I was afraid this guy had hurt him - or I had! But after about a minute or so he pushed the guy off of himself and got up." She squeezed Jax's hand before looking at the sergeant "That was when Ruby came in and then you guys showed up - end of story!"

While Brenda had been talking, the EMS crew had arrived and had begun examining the man on the floor. After an initial exam, the medic stood up to talk to the sergeant. "It doesn't look like he's hurt too badly. He's got a couple of lacerations on the back of his head that will probably need a couple of stitches, as well as a lump the size of an egg." He looked around at the pieces of broken glass on the floor. "I take it this is what hit him? What was it?"

"A vase, according to the lady here" the sergeant answered.

"That's what I figured. Anyway, his vital signs are stable and he's starting to regain consciousness, so I doubt they'll even keep him at GH. We'll take him in to the ER to get patched up." He looked over at the two younger officers for a second before looking back at the sergeant. "I presume one of your guys will be riding with us?"

"Definitely! He'll be put under arrest as soon as he's able to understand his rights! In the meantime, I want an officer with him at all times." The sergeant nodded to the officer who had called the ambulance. "Bailey, you ride over to GH in the ambulance with this guy. Your partner can follow in your squad car. As soon as the doctors say he's able to understand, read him his rights and put him under arrest. For now the charges are B&E and assault. There will probably be more later, when I finish here.

Officer Bailey nodded and walked over to the stretcher, where the man had been placed. He bent over and handcuffed him to the side rail of the stretcher before they started out of the room. As they went down the stairs, Officer Bailey went in front of the EMS crew carrying the stretcher and his partner walked behind.

Once they were gone, the sergeant turned his attention back to the people still in the room. "Any idea how he got in here, Ruby? Were you already open downstairs?"

"I have no idea. I was just opening up when I heard the commotion up here. He must have picked the lock on the front door because there is an alarm on the kitchen door that sounds like the end of the world when it goes off!" Ruby chuckled as she thought about the racket that alarm made.

"I'll check that when I get downstairs." The sergeant turned back to Jax and Brenda. "Any idea what he wanted?"

"Actually, yes," Brenda answered calmly. "He wanted me!"

Brenda's calm answer startled both Ruby and the sergeant. "I think you're going to have to explain that remark, Miss Barrett." The sergeant opened his notebook again and looked around the room quickly before speaking again. "I think we should move this discussion downstairs. Why don't you two get dressed while I wait in the hallway? Then we can go downstairs and have a cup of coffee as you explain yourself." He looked directly at Brenda, who nodded her agreement. "Good. I'll be right out here in the hall. Oh, by the way, don't touch anything in here. I'm going to have a crime scene team come check this place over, so leave everything as it is!" He nodded curtly to both Jax and Brenda and went to stand in the hallway, leaving the door completely open as he left.

Once they were alone Brenda began to quickly gather some clothes to put on. As she was pulling clothes from the dresser drawers, she looked over at Jax. "I know why you were dressed like that before - you were protecting me. AGAIN!" She smiled at him as she closed the last drawer. "I think we do still need to discuss this though - after we're through with the police! Okay?"

Jax smiled back at her as he sat down to put his socks and shoes back on. "Okay. How about we have a nice leisurely breakfast after we finish with the police? There is something else I need to discuss with you as well."

Brenda was intrigued by Jax's remark. She nodded as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. As he heard the water turn on in the sink, Jax walked over to the mirror above the dresser and tried to smooth his hair back into place. He was surprised at what he saw in his reflection. Not only did he need a shave, but there was also a rather large bruise forming on his left cheek. Apparently the intruder had gotten in a better hit than Jax had thought. As he was pressing at the edge of the bruise, he saw the bathroom door open and Brenda come out.

She walked over to where he was standing and when she looked up she saw the bruise on his face. "Oh, Jax! You're hurt!" She reached up and gently stroked the deepening bruise on his cheek.

Jax smiled as he put his hand on top of hers on his cheek. "It's okay. It doesn't even hurt." As he looked into her eyes, Jax couldn't help smiling as he realized there was more to her concern than just his possible injury. He could see that she was worried about him. As he continued to look into her eyes, he could see the confusion return. "We'd better get going. That policeman is going to come looking for us." He put his hand on the small of her back and gently pushed her toward the door.

Once they each had a cup of coffee and were settled at a corner table in the diner, the sergeant opened his notebook again and looked directly at Brenda. "Okay, Ms. Barrett, would you mind explaining to me exactly what you meant upstairs when you said that the intruder was after you. How can you be so sure?"

Jax was amazed at how calm Brenda was acting. She sat back in her chair and rested her elbows on the arms of the chair, tenting her fingers. "When Jax and I got back to my room after dinner last night, we found someone trying to open my door. It was Jason Morgan!" When she saw the startled expression on the sergeant's face, she couldn't resist the urge to chuckle out loud.

"Are you telling me that Jason Morgan was trying to break into your room yesterday?" the sergeant asked.

"Not at all, sergeant. He was using a key I had not authorized that he had gotten from Sonny Corinthos. Unfortunately for him, the lock on my door had been changed while I was away recovering from an accident I had recently suffered. When Jax and I confronted him about why he was there, he said he had come to bring me to see Mr. Corinthos. When I told him I had no desire to see Mr. Corinthos then or at any time, he became insistent. It took a little convincing, but eventually Jax convinced him that I was not going with him."

"A little while later I happened to glance out the window of Brenda's room, and I saw Jason standing across the terrace, watching the front of this building. It looked like he was waiting for me to leave so he could come after Brenda again." Jax reached over and put a hand on Brenda's arm before continuing, "When I took some garbage down to the kitchen a little while later, I looked out the front door and saw that he was still there, so when I went back upstairs I made sure to lock the door. I guess when I fell asleep I must have been sleeping pretty lightly because I woke as soon as I heard someone outside the door. You know everything that happened from there."

The sergeant put down his pen when he finished his notes and looked over at both Brenda and Jax. "Do you want to press charges against either Morgan or Corinthos, Ms. Barrett? From what you've just told me, I think you could probably get at least Morgan put away for a while!"

Brenda smiled at the officer as she put her hand on top of Jax's, which was still resting on her arm. "I don't think so, sergeant. I'll be quite happy with pressing charges against that man who assaulted Jax this morning." As if as an afterthought she looked over at the officer. "I would appreciate it if someone from the force could tell Mr. Corinthos that I would appreciate it if he would leave me alone from now on! If he doesn't, I will press charges in the future."

The sergeant slowly closed his notebook and put it back into his jacket pocket. He looked over at Brenda with a rather large smile on his face. "I think that can be arranged, Ms. Barrett. In fact, I think I have a pretty good idea who will be delivering your message." With that, he got up and extended his hand first to Brenda and then to Jax. When he saw the deepening bruise on Jax's cheek, he leaned down as if to speak to him in confidence. "I'd ask Ruby for an icepack, son. In an hour or so that's going to hurt like the dickens!" He patted Jax on the shoulder and gave Brenda a quick nod before leaving. Once he was gone, Jax and Brenda looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Once they had finished a huge breakfast that Ruby insisted on fixing for them, Jax and Brenda were sitting, lingering over their coffee. Brenda reached over and put her hand on top of Jax's. "I think we've put this off about long enough, don't you?" she asked. When she saw Jax nod, she continued, "On second thought, I think we should get that ice for your face first. That is really turning into an ugly bruise!" Before Jax could say anything, she got up and walked into the kitchen, coming back a couple minutes later with a towel full of ice. She wrapped it tightly together and placed it gently on Jax's face, holding it there for several moments, before Jax reached up to hold it himself.

"Thanks. That feels a lot better. That cop was right. It is starting to hurt like a son-of-a-gun!" When he saw Brenda barely smile, he realized that she was trying to figure out how to start the conversation, so he figured he'd start it for her. "When I looked out the window and saw Jason standing across the terrace last night, I knew I couldn't leave you alone. When I came back from taking down the garbage bags and saw that you had already fallen asleep, I made a big show of taking off my shirt right in front of the window before I turned off the light so he could see I had no intention of leaving. As soon as the light was out I put my shirt back on and peaked out the edge of the drapes. I saw him talking frantically on the phone, and then he went over and sat down on that bench over by the lamppost to wait.

"As soon as I knew for sure that he was planning on staying out there until I left, I pulled that overstuffed chair of yours over next to the bed, took off my shoes and settled in to sleep. When I heard someone outside the door this morning, I took of my clothes and messed up my hair so that he would think that I…"

Brenda saw how uncomfortable Jax suddenly became, so she picked up the story as she guessed it went. "…So he would think that you had been in bed with me last night. Except it wasn't Jason but some hired goon! Am I right?" She looked at Jax with a gentle smile.

When he saw that she was smiling and not angry Jax nodded. "Exactly. I wasn't trying to embarrass you or take advantage. I just wanted to send a message to Sonny that you were moving on with your life." He felt his face get warm as he realized he was blushing. "Can you forgive me?"

Brenda squeezed his hand. "There's nothing to forgive, Jax. I understand why you did it. In fact, I think it was a brilliant idea. It's just too bad it wasn't Jason who tried to get in this morning. I would love to have seen the look on his face when he saw you standing there in your boxers!" Brenda laughed out loud at the vision of Jason's face that was before her eyes. "Really, Jax. I'm fine with what you did. I just feel that I should be the one thanking you for rescuing me - AGAIN!"

This time it was Jax who chuckled. "I think you've got that backward, Ms. Barrett. You were the one who rescued me with that vase!" he said with a smile. When he winced from the pain, Brenda reached over and put the ice pack back on his cheek.

The two of them sat quietly for several minutes, sipping their coffee and looking at each other; neither one of them feeling the need to say anything more on the subject of what had happened upstairs. Finally Brenda sat up straight in her chair. "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" When she saw the confusion in Jax's face, she smiled. "Remember, upstairs when the sergeant said we should come down here to talk, you said there was something else you had wanted to talk to me about over breakfast?"

"Oh, right!" Jax said as he sat up and leaned across the table to speak softly to Brenda, setting down the ice in the process. When she gave him a dirty look, he smiled and picked up the ice again before beginning. "Remember when we were in Malibu, I told you about Lucy's plan to merge Deception and Jacks Cosmetics?" Jax waited until Brenda nodded that she remembered. "Well, it seems old Edward found out that I was Lucy's banker and sold Deception out from under us to someone named Katherine Bell. Do you know her?"

Brenda flinched at the mention of Katherine Bell. "Unfortunately, I do. I guess she's okay as a public relations person, but she does NOT have a clue about running a major corporation like Deception! Jax, if Edward really sold her Deception, he probably did it to keep it away from you!" After thinking for a moment Brenda added, "And he probably also figured he could get it back for a song when it was on the verge of bankruptcy!"

"That's exactly what I told him!" Lucy declared as she walked over to their table and sat down. She sat staring at Brenda for several moments. "You look fantastic, Brenda! Wherever it was you two disappeared to really seems to have agreed with you!" Her smile quickly disappeared as she looked at Jax's bruised face. "What happened to you?" she asked. She shook her head slowly as her mind shifted back to her original thought. "This new image of yours would have been perfect for the Summer Campaign I had planned for Deception…" her voice trailed off.

"Hello, Lucy," Brenda said with a smile that quickly faded as she saw the sadness on Lucy's face. "What's wrong? What do you mean about a summer campaign that you HAD planned? Why can't you use it?"

Lucy looked over at Jax. "I was just getting to that part when you came in," Jax said. He and Lucy both turned to Brenda. "It seems that when Edward sold the company to Katherine, she…"

"SHE FIRED ME!! That's what she did! She just walked in one day and ordered security to escort me out of the building! Can you believe that? She didn't even give me time to get my things out of the office!"

"Oh, Lucy, I'm so sorry!" Brenda said, before turning her attention to Jax. "Can she do that? Just fire her like that, I mean? Doesn't she have to give her notice or something? I mean Lucy is the one who created that company and made it what it is today!" Brenda could not believe what she was hearing. Not only did Katherine Bell now own Deception, but with Lucy gone, that meant that she had to work directly with her!

Jax slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid she can, luv. According to the articles of purchase that were filed, she has complete control of all phases of the company, including hiring and firing of everyone from the president to the loading dock workers."

Brenda reached over and patted Lucy's hand. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked. To say she was surprised at Lucy's reaction to her question would be an understatement.

"Oh, I was hoping you'd say that!" Lucy screeched. Looking over at Jax before turning back to Brenda, Lucy very calmly took a deep breath and started talking. "I want you to quit Deception!" Brenda looked from Lucy to Jax, who was smiling and nodding his head.

"You want me to quit my job? Lucy, I have a contract. I can't just walk in and quit! Besides, I actually like being a model. If I walk out on my contract, I'll never get another job!" Brenda suddenly noticed a twinkle in Jax's eyes, which immediately made her suspicious. "What?" she asked as she looked from Jax to Lucy and back to Jax again. "What are you two up to?"

"It's actually very simple, luv. I've hired Lucy to run Jacks Cosmetics, and WE want you to be the new face of Jacks Cosmetics, just like we planned! What do you say?"

Brenda thought for a minute before answering. "Well, my contract is up for renewal right now, so I am free to negotiate with anyone I want. Plus, there isn't enough time left on my current contract for Katherine to try to put together a new campaign with me, sooo…" When she saw Lucy's growing smile, she could not resist teasing her. "Just what kind of money are we talking here? After all I do have a certain 'lifestyle' to support!" She couldn't help laughing when she saw the fear on Lucy's face.

"Oh, I'm sure we can make you a suitable offer," Jax said. "How about we give you 10% above anything Katherine offers you to stay?"

"How about 20%?" Brenda asked.

"How's 15% sound?" Jax asked, now smiling as broadly as Brenda.

"Deal!" Brenda declared, as she reached over to shake hands with Jax. "Well, Lucy, I guess you just hired yourself a model!"

Lucy jumped up and came around the table to hug Brenda. "Thank you! Thank you! I promise you won't regret this!"

"I'm sure I won't, Lucy. After all, I wouldn't be a model if it wasn't for you!" Brenda said with a chuckle.

"You know, luv, you aren't going to be able to use your room until the police are done with it, so why don't you get your things together and I'll take you back to the penthouse so you can shower and do whatever?" Jax nodded slightly toward the stairs, giving Brenda the impression that there was something he wanted to talk to Lucy about.

"I guess you're right. I'll get some things together. I won't be long," she said as she got up. She turned to Lucy. "Thanks for taking me with you, Lucy. I don't think I could stand to work with Katherine." She then looked over at Jax. "I won't be long," she said as she gently squeezed his shoulder. When Jax looked up at her, he could tell she had figured out he wanted to talk to Lucy alone and that she expected to hear all the details when she got back. He simply smiled and nodded his head. That was all she needed, so she headed toward the stairs to go up to her room.

Once Brenda was gone, Jax set down the ice pack and turned his attention to Lucy. "Lucy, how would you like to be your own boss again?" he asked.

"What are you talking about? I thought you were giving me complete control of Jacks Cosmetics?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I am. I was just wondering if you would be interested in actually owning the company?" Jax smiled when he saw the shocked expression on Lucy's face.

"You're offering to sell Jacks Cosmetics to me? Why? Where would I get the financing? After all, I couldn't get financing when I wanted to buy Deception, and that was a much smaller company!" Lucy still could not believe Jax's offer.

"I'm offering to sell it to you because I want to. That's what you get to do when you own 100% of a company, Lucy. You can sell it whenever you want. As to financing, I'd like to suggest a trade in lieu of cash." Jax sat back in his chair and smiled.

"A trade? What have I got that is worth that much?" Lucy asked, even more confused than before.

Jax leaned forward to avoid being overheard. "I'll trade you complete ownership of Jacks Cosmetics for your 10.3% share of ELQ!"

"Are you serious? Jacks Cosmetics is worth at least twice what those shares are worth! Why would you be willing to do this?" Lucy looked suspiciously at Jax as she too leaned forward. "What are you up to Jasper Jacks? Why do you want into ELQ? Truth!"

"Truth? Okay, here it is. I want to get even with old Eddie!" he said calmly, but with a distinct edge to his voice. "I want to get even for him tricking Lois and Brenda out of L&B Records. I want to get even for him stealing Deception from you so it couldn't be merged with Jacks Cosmetics which, by the way, cost me a lot of money. Most of all though I want to get even for him selling Deception to Katherine Bell, who is obviously someone Brenda dislikes. He keeps claiming to care about Brenda, but he had no qualms about forcing her to work for someone he KNEW that she didn't like! THAT'S why I want your shares of ELQ!"

Lucy was beginning to understand. "Okay, I understand that part of it, but how can you do that by owning my shares?"

Jax chuckled. "I've done a little research into ELQ. According to the company bi-laws you own enough shares to be a voting member of the board of directors, Correct?" Lucy nodded. "Think about it, Lucy. What better way to stick it to the old guy than for him to have to deal with me at every board meeting? He would need my approval for anything he wanted ELQ to buy or sell!"

Lucy smiled for moment as she thought about Edward's reaction to this, but then quickly grew serious again. "You're not going to do anything to permanently hurt ELQ are you? I mean I know your reputation Jax and as much as I want to get even with Edward, I don't want to do anything that would hurt Lila or the rest of the family!"

"Why would I want to hurt the company Lucy? If I did I'd only be costing myself money! As you said, I'm already offering you Jacks Cosmetics at half its market value! Why would I do anything that would cost me more money?" Jax could see the wheels spinning in Lucy's brain. He glanced up and saw Brenda at the top of the stairs with a small suitcase. Not wanting her to know his plans just yet, he wanted to finish this discussion with Lucy. "Tell you what. Why don't you sleep on my offer? Give me a call before close of business tomorrow."

"Just one more question," Lucy said as both she and Jax got up. "If I say no to selling you the stock, how does that affect our original deal? Are you going to take back the offer to run Jacks Cosmetics for you?" When she saw Jax smile, she suddenly couldn't help feeling nervous. "Seriously, Jax! I need to know!"

Before Jax could answer her, Brenda had joined them. Jax reached for the bag she was carrying and wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. "One has nothing to do with the other. Whatever you decide about the offer, the original agreement stands!"

"I appreciate that, Jax. Thanks. I promise to give you a decision by close of business tomorrow." Lucy then shifted her attention to Brenda. "You, I want to take it easy! I want you ready to start work as soon as you're free to sign with us!" She looked over at Jax when she said the last statement. She started to leave but turned back. "I also expect to hear all about whatever it was that happened upstairs that involved the PCPD and that HUGE bruise on Jax's face!" She leaned over and gave Brenda a quick kiss on the cheek. She looked up at Jax. "I promise I'll give everything you said serious thought. Toodles!" Lucy turned and walked quickly out of Kelly's, calling goodbye to Ruby as she left.

Brenda had no idea what Jax and Lucy had been talking about, but she was glad to have seen Lucy smiling when she left. She looked up at Jax and asked, "Are you going to tell me what that was all about?"

Jax smiled. "Sure, but just not right now, okay?" He waited a moment while she thought before nodding her agreement. "Thanks. Now, what do you say we get out of here? How does a nice hot relaxing bath sound to you?" he asked with a wink.

"Oh, I like the sound of that! Let's go!" Brenda said, as she wrapped her arm around Jax's waist. As they started toward the door, Ruby came out of the kitchen, so they stopped to talk to her. "Ruby, the police are supposed to send a crime scene unit to go over my room, so I'm going to get out of here for a while."

"I'm so sorry this happened, Brenda. I promise I will have a better lock put on the front door this afternoon so this won't happen again!" Ruby looked down at the bag Jax was holding, and her expression quickly changed from apologetic to one of concern. "Where are you two off to? Another mystery trip?"

"No such luck, Ruby. We're heading over to my apartment so Brenda can have a nice hot bath and maybe even a massage by the hotel masseuse." Jax had looked down at Brenda when he mentioned the massage. "Sound good to you?" he asked Brenda and couldn't resist the urge to laugh when he saw her enthusiastic nod. "Good." Jax looked over at Ruby. "Oh, Ruby, don't worry about that lock. I've already asked Ned to send someone over from ELQ's Security office to put a new one in. Ned and the installer will be here later this morning." He smiled at Ruby and squeezed Brenda's shoulders "Ready?" Brenda simply nodded and waved to Ruby, before they turned and headed out the door. Ruby couldn't help smiling as they walked out. She was glad Brenda had Jax in her life now. For the first time since she had known her, Brenda actually looked happy!

10:30 A.M.
Harbor View Towers Apartments

Sonny and Lily were just finishing up a late breakfast when there was a knock at the door. When they looked up, they saw the guard door open the door for two men to walk in. Sonny immediately recognized them as Port Charles Police detectives. He had a feeling they would be stopping by after getting an early morning phone call from Jason telling him what had happened at Kelly's. Sonny got up and walked toward the men. "What brings two of Port Charles finest to my door at this hour of the morning?" he asked with a fake smile. When Lily looked at him, she could almost feel his nervousness, which was very unusual for Sonny. Obviously he had actually done something this time that he was afraid the police could prove. She sat silently at the table, waiting.

The two detectives, Sgt. Alex Garcia and Sgt. Marcus Taggert, stopped just inside the door as Sonny approached them. "Actually, we're delivering a message this morning Corinthos. It's from Brenda Barrett. You remember her, don't you? She asked if the PCPD would tell you that the man you sent to kidnap her this morning failed. Right now he's at GH getting his head patched up before being taken to jail. She also asked us to tell you that she has no desire to see you. Not last night when Morgan came to grab her, not this morning when your 'mechanic' came for her, and not any time in the future!"

Sgt. Garcia was watching Sonny's face as Taggert was talking. Even though he kept a perfectly calm face, Garcia could see a growing fury in Sonny's eyes as Taggert told him Brenda's instructions. It quickly became obvious to him that Brenda had been right in her assumptions concerning the break-in at her room this morning. He also made a mental note to suggest to Commissioner Scorpio that they increase patrols around Kelly's to make sure there was no repeat of what had happened this morning. He was surprised when he looked over at Sonny's wife, who was still sitting at the dining room table though. It was obvious that she had not known about the attempt on Brenda. If she had even suspected that Sonny would pull something like this he did not think she would have allowed the shocked expression that was currently on her face to show.

"I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about detective. I have not attempted to contact Miss Barrett in quite some time. As to any attempt to get into her room this morning, I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about. I can assure you it has nothing to do with me." The angry edge to Sonny's voice only served to provoke Detective Taggert.

"Come on, Corinthos, you don't really expect us to believe that, do you? There were witnesses to Morgan's attempt to force her to come with him to see you. If I had my way, both you and anger boy would be sitting in a jail cell, but Ms. Barrett does not want to pursue this any further at the present time. She did say that if this or anything like it happens again, she will use every legal resource available to make sure both of you are put away for as long as possible!" Taggert could not resist the urge to smile when he saw the absolute fury in Sonny's eyes. "Face it, Corinthos, the woman wants nothing to do with you! From what I've heard, she's got a new man and she's starting to enjoy life! Hear me good - LEAVE THE WOMAN ALONE! You've got a wife. You don't need Ms. Barrett!" With that, he turned and looked at Sgt. Garcia. "You ready to leave, Alex?"

Sgt. Garcia nodded quickly to Lily before looking directly at Sonny. "Just to let you know, Corinthos. Ruby Anderson has asked for an order of protection to keep Jason Morgan away from Kelly's Diner. I have a feeling after what happened last night that she's going to get it. So if you get the urge to see Ms. Barrett again, you're going to have to do it yourself, which really wouldn't be a good idea, considering how angry she is!" Before Sonny had a chance to say anything, the detectives turned and walked out the door.

When they were alone, Sonny grabbed the nearest thing and threw it across the room. It wasn't until he turned and focused his eyes that he saw Lily. Suddenly all his rage disappeared when he saw the look of devastation on Lily's face. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. That crazy broad is so desperate she's telling lies to the cops." When he saw that Lily was not moved by what he said. "Come on, Lily, you can't believe that I would do something like this, can you?"

Lily got up slowly and walked over to look out the windows, keeping her back turned to her husband before she said anything. "I'm not sure what I believe right now, Sonny. What I DO know is that whatever happened at Kelly's was not Brenda's doing! I talked to her at the Outback last night and I saw how she was with Mr. Jacks. She's not chasing you, and we both know it. She's moved on with her life, and she seems to be very happy - which is more than I can say for myself right now." She finally turned and looked at Sonny. He could see the tears threatening to spill over from her eyes. "I'm going upstairs and take a shower. I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone until I come back down." She slowly walked past Sonny and up the stairs.

When he heard the bedroom door close, Sonny grabbed the phone and dialed Jason's number. "Jason? Get over here now! We've got work to do!" Sonny slammed the phone down and started to pace around the room. This was not good. Jason had been seen by witnesses trying to grab Brenda. The mechanic they had sent to get her this morning had gotten himself caught. And now Lily was convinced that he had been lying to her all along about it being Brenda who was harassing him. He needed a plan and he needed it quickly. There was no way he was going to lose Lily because of this. There was also no way he was going to let that pretty boy keep Brenda either. Whatever it took, he was going to get rid of him - for good!