May 27, 1996
6:45 AM

Brenda cringed when she heard the alarm, and she groaned loudly as she rolled over and looked at the time. This was the eighth straight day that Katherine had scheduled a photo shoot for the summer campaign, which meant it was the eighth straight day that Brenda had gotten up this early. Katherine had even insisted that they shoot straight through the weekend.

As she lay in bed trying to get her thoughts organized enough to get out of bed, Brenda couldn't help thinking back over the past seven days. She rested her arm across her eyes as she remembered the nightmare of the first day of the shoot. Katherine had not only decided to use Lucy's campaign, but she had also arranged to use all of Lucy's contract people.

When she'd first walked into the studio Brenda had been relieved to see Tom Petris and his crew setting up. Tom had done some of Brenda's most successful campaigns for Deception. She was glad to see him on this one so that he could run interference for her with Katherine. Tom had a reputation for his independent style AND for protecting his talent. Both had proven essential so far on this shoot.

It had taken less than an hour for everyone on the set to realize that Katherine had absolutely no idea what she was doing with this campaign. Because of her anger toward Brenda for not wanting to continue as the Face of Deception, she had rushed this campaign into production with little or no planning. There were no layout boards ready; there had been no concept planning; and she had not even allowed time for the set to be dressed, which meant that everyone had to just sit around most of the first day while the set dressers rushed around to put some kind of a set together.

When they were finally ready to shoot, Katherine had tried to set up each shot, but when Tom had threatened to walk off the set and take his entire crew with him, she had backed off. Once Tom took over, things finally started to move, but without a layout board things did not go smoothly. Tom had no idea what he was supposed to be shooting. Katherine had not even decided which products they would be emphasizing this campaign, so she told Tom to shoot the entire line.

As she lay in bed thinking about everything, Brenda had to admit to herself that she had taken great pleasure in seeing Katherine so overwhelmed by everything. She had tried to warn Katherine that things weren't ready to start shooting but Katherine was determined to get the campaign finished before Brenda's current contract expired, in case she was unsuccessful in keeping her on at Deception.

That reminded Brenda that she had a lunch meeting with the attorney Jax had asked to negotiate her new contract for her. As soon as she had met him the other day she understood why Jax had recommended him. Ben Davidson was a very distinguished looking middle-aged man, who had a reputation as a ruthless negotiator. At their first meeting, on the day that Jax had left for Thailand, he had brought the copy of her current contract that Jax had his assistant fax to him. He had already reviewed every detail of her current contract as well as put together a negotiation package that he knew no company in Deception's fragile financial state could ever meet. Everything he had included were standard contract perks for models of her status that she had never demanded before because of her personal friendship with Lucy. Now that Lucy was no longer running the company, she had every right to demand comparable benefits to other models. By the time he had outlined his plan of attack to her, Brenda realized there was no way Katherine would be able to meet all of their demands, which meant she would be legally free to sign with Lucy at Jacks Cosmetics.

Brenda glanced over at the clock again and realized she had to get moving. It wasn't until she got out of bed that she looked around at the seven vases of tulips that were setting on almost every piece of furniture in the room. She had received a new bouquet from Jax every day that he had been gone. She smiled as she pulled one of the pink tulips out of one of the vases on her dresser. She held the flower up to her lips as she thought about the man who had sent it to her. She really missed him! Even though he had managed to call her at least once every day and had sent the flowers, it was not the same as having him here. As she headed into the bathroom to take her shower she realized that she not only missed seeing him but she missed holding him and being held by him even more.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. She smiled as she reached for it. There was only one person who would be calling her at this hour of the morning. "Hi Jax, how are things in Thailand?" she asked with a huge smile.

"Hello, luv! How did you know it was me?" Jax asked with a chuckle.

"Jax, it isn't even seven in the morning yet! Who else would be calling me at this hour, except you?" Brenda answered with a laugh.

Suddenly realizing the time difference, Jax got serious. "I'm sorry, luv! Did I wake you? I guess I forgot about the time difference. It's the late afternoon here. I just got a break in my meetings so I wanted to give you a call. I never gave the time difference a thought!"

"Don't apologize, Jax! You didn't wake me," Brenda said with a laugh.

"Don't tell me you have ANOTHER shoot today?" Jax could feel his concern for her kick in as well as a trace of anger at Katherine. "That's EIGHT straight days!" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly to force himself to calm down. "Are you okay? Really?" he asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, yes I do have another shoot today. You're right, it is the eighth straight day, but Tom promised me last night that it will be the last." Brenda got serious before answering Jax's last question, "I'm fine Jax, really!"

"Are you sure, Brenda? You sound tired." Jax had first noticed a change in Brenda's voice a couple of days ago. Since it hadn't been all that long since her accident, he was worried about her. Every time he asked her about it though, she insisted that she was fine. He could tell by her voice though that she was overdoing it. He had even called Ruby yesterday to ask her to keep an eye on Brenda for him. She quickly agreed after telling him that she too felt Brenda was doing too much too soon after her accident. Ruby had promised to let him know if she thought Brenda needed anything.

"Really, Jax, I'm fine - just a little tired, that's all," she said reassuringly. "You didn't answer my original question, you know. How are things going there?" Jax wasn't the only one to notice something. Brenda could tell by his voice that he was working too hard and not getting enough rest.

Jax exhaled slowly. "Actually, things are finally getting back on track. I think I'm just about finished here. I should probably wrap things up in the next day or so."

Brenda could feel her mood lifting when he said he would be back soon. "Good!" she declared. "I've missed you, Jax - more than you know," she added so softly that he hardly heard her.

"I've missed you, too, luv." He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was feeling down, so he tried to change the subject to lighten her mood. "By the way, did you like the flowers?"

"Did I like the flowers? I love them, Jax, but now my room is so full of flowers that I don't have anyplace to put anything!"

"What do you suggest we do about that, Ms. Barrett?" he asked with a trace of a laugh. He could not believe how much he had wanted to hear her say she liked them.

"That's easy, Mr. Jacks. You should finish up your business as soon as possible and come home!" Brenda had surprised herself with that statement. She knew that Port Charles was not Jax's home, but she felt like he belonged here - with her.

Her statement surprised Jax as well because it said exactly what he was feeling. Port Charles did feel like his home - especially when he was with her. "I'll see what I can do about that, luv," he said. He glanced down at his watch and frowned. "I'm afraid I have to go. It's time to get back to my meeting."

Brenda looked over at the clock. "I have to get going myself. I'm supposed to be on the set in about an hour." She fingered the tulip she was holding and bit down on her lip for a moment. She really didn't want to hang up but she knew he had to get back to work if he was ever going to get back. "I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow…"

"You can count on it, luv." Jax knew he needed to get back to work but he really didn't want to hang up, especially now that he had heard how tired Brenda sounded. Jax didn't say anything for several moments as he tried to figure out how to ask his next question without having Brenda think he was smothering her. "Are you really okay, Brenda? You haven't had any 'trouble' with anyone have you?"

It took Brenda a minute to figure out what he meant. "Everything is fine, Jax - really. I haven't seen 'anyone' since that night at Luke's. Between this endless shoot and my negotiations with Ben and Katherine, I haven't had the time or the energy to go anywhere." She took a quick deep breath before she continued, "Besides, I promised you I would tell you if I had any problems, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did - sorry. Hey now that you mention it, how are the negotiations going? I've been so wrapped up in what's going on here that I keep forgetting to ask. Is Katherine still trying to get you to re-sign with Deception?"

Brenda chuckled as she thought about their last meeting. "Actually, things are going very well - at least from my point of view. Ben has been great in the meetings. I can see why you asked him to help me out. He really knows what he's doing." She glanced over at the clock again and saw that she was going to be late, but she didn't care. She decided to give him a quick summary of what had happened so far. "Katherine is not very happy though. She was very upset at our first meeting that I had brought an attorney to negotiate my new contract. She thought that since we were 'friends' that we could discuss things on an informal basis. Ben let her know in no uncertain terms that friendship had nothing to do with the negotiations, and he insisted that she have the corporate counsel present before he would even present my demands. Jax, you should have seen Katherine's face! She looked like she was about to faint." She couldn't resist smiling at the memory of that day. "Anyway, the long and the short of it are that Ben presented my demands at our next meeting and Katherine had a fit. She said they were excessive and I was not approaching the negotiations in good faith because I was asking for too much. Her attorney was strangely quiet, especially when Ben presented them with copies of contract of several other prominent models who already had the things I was asking for and even more in their contracts. Ever since then we have been 'talking' item by item. In fact I have a meeting with Ben for lunch today to go over her latest offer."

Jax had to smile at the excitement in her voice. Obviously Ben was doing what he had promised. He was stretching out the negotiations until the end of Brenda's contract so she could refuse to re-sign. "Sounds to me like you're enjoying yourself."

"I am actually, thanks to Ben." Brenda glanced over at the clock again. "I really have to get going, Jax. I'm already going to be late. I don't want to give Katherine any reason to schedule another shoot tomorrow. Tom promised me that today would be the last day, so I have to get going."

"Okay, luv, I'll talk to you later. Bye." Jax reluctantly hung up the phone. He sat staring at the phone for a long time after hanging it up. It wasn't until he heard a knock on the door that he came back to reality. As he got up the answer the door, he made a decision. He was going back to Port Charles tonight whether the deal was finished or not. He realized for the first time in a long time that he did not like being alone. He walked quickly out the door, determined to finish things up and be in the air back to Port Charles by nightfall Bangkok time.

As promised, Tom wrapped up the photo shoot in the late afternoon. When Katherine insisted there was not enough material for the campaign, Tom told her very calmly that she had enough material to produce three campaigns and then proceeded to pack up his equipment, kiss Brenda goodbye and leave, taking his entire staff with him. Shortly after Tom left, Brenda finished removing her makeup and changing into her own clothes. She said a curt goodbye to Katherine and told her that Ben would be in touch to schedule their next contract meeting. She felt a great sense of satisfaction as she left the studio for the last time as the Face of Deception. She also felt a great sense of relief at not having to work with Katherine Bell ever again.

Since it was too early for dinner, which she wasn't looking forward to eating alone anyway, Brenda decided to go for a walk. As she started down the block heading toward the docks, she realized that what she was really doing was trying to get so tired that she would be able to fall asleep early. Early enough that she wouldn't be able to think about how much she missed Jax. She also wouldn't be able to think about his marriage proposal. How could she not think about his proposal? It was the first thing she thought about in the morning (after how much she missed Jax) and the last thing she thought about before going to sleep (after how much she missed Jax). The longer Jax was gone, the more she missed him, and the more she found herself thinking about his proposal.

Brenda was so involved in her thoughts about Jax that she wasn't paying any attention to where she was walking. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice call out her name that she looked around to see where she was. She stopped short when she found herself in front of Luke's Place. She recognized the voice as Mike Corbin's.

Brenda looked over at him and smiled. "Hello, Mike, how are you?" she asked. It wasn't until she walked closer to him that she saw how nervous he looked. "Is something wrong, Mike?" she asked, her concern for him obvious in her voice.

"Uh, no, I'm fine. I'm just surprised to see you here alone." Mike looked around quickly. "Is Jax meeting you soon? You're a little too early for dinner, you know. We don't open for dinner until six."

"Unfortunately, no, I'm not meeting Jax tonight. He's still out of the country on business," Brenda sighed. "Actually, I'm not really sure when he'll be back," she said sadly.

"That's the best news I've had in days, babe!" Brenda froze at the sound of Sonny's voice. She turned slowly in his direction to find him leering at her. "Now you and I can have a 'real' talk." He turned toward Mike. "You can leave now, Mike. Brenda and I want some privacy."

Mike looked uncertainly at Brenda. "Are you okay with this, Brenda? I can stay if you want." He glanced over at Sonny before leaning close to Brenda so Sonny couldn't heard what he was about to say, "Let me drive you home, Brenda. I really don't think you should be alone with him."

Brenda looked up into Mike's eyes. She could see his concern for her written all over his face. "Thanks, Mike, but I'll be okay." She reached over and put her hand on his arm. "I can handle it." She could see the uncertainty in his eyes. "Besides, even Sonny wouldn't try something out in public. I have no intention of moving from this spot, and as long as he's out here I'll be okay." She smiled at him again as he pulled back after kissing her on the forehead.

"Okay, you win. I'll leave you alone. But listen, if you need me, just holler. I'll be just inside the door." He squeezed both of her hands in his.

"Thanks, I'll remember that," she answered, as she squeezed his hands back before letting them go. She watched as Mike walked slowly back toward the club. She was surprised at what she heard him say when he stopped next to Sonny.

"If you do anything to hurt her, Michael, I swear to you I'll do whatever is necessary to take you down - including helping Jax!" Mike looked deep into his son's eyes and was unnerved at the coldness he saw there.

"Come off it, Mike. Who are you trying to kid? You know as well as I do that neither you nor old 'Jasper' is going to do anything to me," Sonny said as he started to leer at Brenda again. "Now get out of here! I need to get some things straight with Brenda."

Mike looked back uncertainly at Brenda, who gave him a slight nod to let him know she was okay. He returned her nod and walked slowly back inside.

When Mike was gone, Sonny walked the rest of the way over to Brenda and laughed, "Can you believe him? He really thinks that guy cares for you! He doesn't realize that you're just using him to make me jealous so I'll take you back!"

Brenda couldn't help laughing. "Sonny, do you really believe that? That I'm using Jax to make you jealous?"

Sonny was surprised at Brenda's question. "Of course that's what I believe since it's the truth." As she continued to chuckle, he could feel himself getting angry. "What exactly is so funny? Are you trying to tell me that you really 'like' that guy? How could you? How could you settle for a 'boy' like him when I'm willing to take you back?"

That made Brenda angry. "You're WILLING to take me back! Sonny, I don't know how many times that I'm going to have to tell you before you'll understand me. I DON'T WANT YOU TO TAKE ME BACK!!! Oh, I admit, when you first dumped me, I wanted you back - desperately!" She paused for a moment to calm down and organize her thoughts. "But things have changed. When I met Jax I began to realize what a relationship is supposed to be like. It's about having fun and enjoying each other's company." She looked Sonny right in the eyes. "You and I both know that that car that hit me was no accident. It had something to do with the business you're in, and we both know it. I don't know if I was the target, or Lily, or you, but the point is that I was the one who was hurt."

"I know that, Brenda. That's why I was so angry when you disappeared with pretty boy. I needed to protect you, and you were nowhere to be found." Sonny could see where Brenda was heading with this conversation and it was a direction he did not want to go. "You should never have gone away with him. You weren't safe without me to protect you!"

Brenda couldn't help but shake her head. "Sonny I wasn't safe with you! It's taken me awhile to figure things out, but the time I spent in the hospital and the time I spent away from here helped me do just that." She put her hand on Sonny's arm. "We're over, Sonny. I've moved on with my life, and for the first time that I can remember, I'm looking forward to the future - whatever it holds. I'm standing on my own for the first time in my life, and I like how it feels."

Brenda stepped back when she saw the coldness in Sonny's eyes. "Is that why you're trying to walk away from your contract at Deception?"

"How do you know about that? That has nothing to do with you! That is between Katherine and me."

"You forget, Brenda, that I'm a stockholder in ELQ, so anything that concerns Deception also concerns ELQ, which in turn concerns me," he said very calmly as he once again began to smirk at her. "Besides, I always know everything there is to know about you, and I always will."

This time it was Brenda who smiled. "Sonny, you're behind the times. ELQ doesn't own Deception anymore. Edward sold the entire company and all of its assets to Katherine Bell a few weeks ago, so whether I stay or go will have no effect on the profits of ELQ." She could tell that he had not known about the sale until just now, which gave her a perfect opportunity. "I guess you should keep in closer contact with the Quartermaines in the future. Who knows what other corporate assets they may be thinking of selling out from under you?"

Again Sonny looked at her with those cold eyes. "Whatever!" He took a minute to calm himself before he tried one last attack. "So tell me, Brenda, what do you plan to do if you don't re-sign with Deception? I don't see any other company hiring you as a spokesmodel once I put the word out that I don't want you leaving Deception. Are you planning to live off your boyfriend? Because you can believe me when I tell you that if you don't sign with Katherine your career is over!"

The coldness in Sonny's voice sent a shiver down Brenda's spine. "I guess I'll have to take my chances then, Sonny, because I don't think Katherine and I will be able to agree on terms for a new contract." Brenda suddenly realized that the calmer she acted, the calmer she felt. For the first time since she had known Sonny she did not feel intimidated by him. She was still terrified of him, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing it.

When Sonny reached for her arm, Brenda pulled away. "If you'll excuse me, Sonny, I need to get home." She glanced down at her watch more for effect than to find out the time. "I'm expecting a call from Jax soon, and I don't want to miss it." She started to walk away but stopped and looked back at him. "I guess I should warn him that I'm probably going to be out of work soon." She turned again to hide her smile. Without turning back to look at him she said, "By the way, thanks for the warning about killing my career. I'll be sure to let my lawyer know about everything you just told me so he can mention it at our next meeting with Katherine." With that she calmly walked away, leaving Sonny screaming at her back as she continued to walk away.

Unable to wait any longer when he heard Sonny yelling, Mike came out the front door of the club just in time to see Brenda walk around the corner. He walked up to Sonny, who was now standing silently watching her walk away. "What did you do to her, Michael? Is she okay? Should I go after her?"

"Stop worrying, Mike. She's fine - at least for now that is." Sonny rubbed his hands across his face. "Come on! We've got a club to open." With that, Sonny turned and walked back into the club. As soon as he was inside, he walked straight to the bar and picked up the phone. He quickly dialed a number and waited for an answer. "Jason? What have you got for me?" He started tapping his fingers on the bar as he listened. "What do you mean: nothing? There has to be SOMETHING! FIND IT!" With that he slammed down the phone and turned to see Mike standing behind him, staring at him. "What are you staring at?" Sonny demanded.

"You, Michael. What's wrong? Can't you find anything to use against Jax? Maybe that's because there's nothing to use. Did you ever think of that?" Mike walked closer to Sonny before continuing, "I don't know what was said out there between the two of you, but I do know what I've seen between Brenda and Jax. She's happy with him, son. Why can't you accept that and leave them alone? You should be working on fixing your marriage, not trying to destroy Brenda's happiness. Lily is a wonderful girl…"

"Don't talk to me about Lily!" Sonny poked Mike roughly in the chest. "In fact, don't talk to me at all - especially when you have no idea what you're talking about!" Sonny turned and walked back toward the office before he said something to Mike that was better left unsaid at this point.

After walking away from Sonny, Brenda walked quickly back to the docks. The farther away from Luke's she got, the calmer she felt. When she realized that neither Sonny nor one of his men was coming after her, she gradually slowed her pace until she was once again taking a leisurely stroll along the docks. Before long she reached the small park on the far side. When she saw the bench where she and Jax had sat when he proposed, she walked quickly over to it and sat down.

Brenda sat for a long time staring off into the distance without really seeing anything, as her mind raced over everything that had happened since that day. She thought about what Jax had said that day about what their life together could be like, which made her smile. Then she thought about what her life had been like with Sonny and she shuddered. Finally she thought about what had just happened outside of Luke's, and she realized that Sonny had actually helped her make up her mind. She chuckled softly as she thought about what his reaction would be if he knew.

Slowly her mind drifted back to Jax. She smiled as she remembered the fun they'd had together in Malibu. She ran her fingers across her lips gently as she remembered the kisses they had shared on the terrace there. She also thought about how much she missed him now. Without realizing she was doing it, Brenda got up and started walking back to Kelly's to wait for the call she desperately hoped would come.

As she walked up the walk to Kelly's, Brenda could not bring herself to go in and go upstairs alone, so instead she stopped at the edge of the patio out front to look out at the harbor. She was quickly lost once again in thoughts of Jax and how much she missed him. She was so lost in thought that she never noticed that the sky had quickly clouded over and that a steady rain had started to fall. In a way the rain was a good thing though, because it covered the tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Jax hurried toward Kelly's front door just as the rain started to increase. When he stopped to open the door, he happened to glance over to the patio and saw a familiar figure standing silently facing away from him. "Brenda?" he called out but got no response. "Brenda?" he called again as he started walking toward her. She still didn't answer, which bothered him. When he reached her, he put his hands on the outsides of her upper arms and slowly turned her around to face him.

Even with the raindrops running down her face, Jax could see her tears. He lifted her chin with his finger so he could look into her eyes. "What's wrong, luv? You can tell me."

It wasn't until she looked into his eyes that Brenda realized that she had not imagined hearing his voice - Jax really was back. As soon as she realized he really was standing in front of her, holding her, she smiled even as her tears continued. Now though, they were tears of happiness at his return instead of loneliness at his absence.

Without saying a word, Brenda slowly wrapped her arms around him and held him close, her ear resting against his chest to hear the sound of his heart beating. Her smile broadened as the sound seemed to reassure her that he was really there. Without looking up, she snuggled closer to him and softly whispered her first word since seeing him, "Jax…"

Jax was relieved when he heard her whisper his name. It wasn't until he had heard it that he realized that he had wrapped his arms tightly around her at the same instant that she had embraced him. Now that he could feel her relaxing against him, he brought one hand up to lift her wet hair from her face, causing her to look up at him. Something in her look made him sweep her into his arms and hold her close to himself. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled her head against his shoulder where it met his neck. When she did this, Jax rested his cheek against the top of her very wet head.

Without saying another word, Jax walked quickly toward Kelly's. Just as he got to the door, a customer came out. When the elderly man saw that Jax had his hands full, he held the door open, a broad smile on his face, as the young man walked past carrying what obviously was something very precious to him.

Ruby turned around when she realized that the door was open and the rain was pouring in. Just as she looked up to say something to whoever was holding it open, she saw Jax walk through the door and across the room to the stairs with Brenda in his arms. Before she could say anything to him, he was already up the stairs. A smile spread across her face as she turned back to continue what she had been doing. She made a silent wish that whatever the future held for them, Jax and Brenda would face it together.

When he got to Brenda's room, Jax stopped as he tried to figure out how to open the door. As if she could read his mind, Brenda reached into her pocket and took out the key. She leaned forward in his arms to unlock and open the door. Once it was open, she leaned back against his chest, again wrapping her arms around his neck.

Jax kicked the door gently and walked into the room. As soon as they were inside he kicked it again, this time hard enough to close it completely. Without turning on a light, Jax walked directly to the bed and gently set Brenda down. She released her arms from his neck and sat looking up at him. He reached down to caress the side of her face, wiping away the tears and rain. "You're soaking wet," he said softly, with a slight smile. "Stay here, I'll be right back." He walked quickly into the bathroom and came back a minute later with a large, soft towel.

Brenda smiled as she watched him walk toward her. When he got back to her, he stooped down and gently wiped the rain and tears from her face. When he brought the towel up to try to dry her hair, Brenda reached up to stop him. He brought the towel down and rested it in her lap as he looked into her eyes, trying to figure out why she had stopped him. She reached forward to hold his face in both of her hands, then kissed him passionately.

It only took Jax a second to respond to her kiss. He reached up to take her face in both of his hands as their kisses intensified. Reluctantly, he forced himself to break the kiss to give them both a chance to catch their breath. He pulled back only far enough to look into her eyes. When he saw the passion and desire in them, he smiled and gently rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks. "Now that's what I call a hello," he said with a chuckle, as he leaned forward and kissed her again.

This time it was Brenda who broke the kiss to breathe. When she looked into his eyes she saw a passion and a desire there that matched her own. "I missed you," she said softly, as she leaned forward to kiss him again. As their kisses continued, she pulled him up to sit next to her on the bed, without ever breaking their connection.

As soon as he was sitting next to Brenda, Jax began to intensify their kisses. Without even realizing it, he slowly eased her down to the bed as he leaned over her. When he finally pulled back, he looked down at her as he gently ran his fingertips across her cheek, pushing her wet hair back from her face. "Are you sure about this, Brenda?" he asked softly, as he continued to stroke her cheek.

Brenda reached for his hand and brought his fingers to her lips and softly kissed them before reaching up to touch his cheek. "I'm sure, Jax. Make love to me." She moved her hand to the back of his head, running her fingers through his wet hair and slowly pulling him back to her to kiss him. As their kisses continued and they both gave themselves freely to their passion, neither of them realized that they were about to do something that would change their lives forever. All they cared about was what they were doing and feeling at this moment.

Jax slowly began a trail of kisses from her lips across her cheek to her neck. Brenda tilted her head slightly to give him free access. He nipped lightly at her earlobe before slowly trailing kisses down her neck. As he was kissing her, Jax began to unbutton her shirt. By the time his kisses had reached the end of her neck, he had her shirt completely unbuttoned. He gently spread it open to continue his kisses across her throat, pausing to pay special attention to the spot at the base of her throat and then slowly up the other side of her neck to nip at her other earlobe. Finally he kissed his way across her other cheek and back to her mouth, which he quickly took total possession of with several deep thrusts of his tongue, which she willingly accepted.

Brenda could not remember ever wanting anyone the way she now wanted this man. Each kiss they shared made her want another. As their tongues began a dance, she was afraid that she would completely lose control. When she felt him start to unbutton her shirt she had reached up to do the same to his, eager to feel his skin close to hers. Unable to wait any longer she roughly pulled at it, sending the last few buttons flying as she roughly pulled it from his arms. Without ever once breaking their kiss, she tossed the shirt aside and immediately wrapped her arms tightly around him, eager to feel him close to her.

They slowly explored each other's body, removing their remaining clothing as they went. Once all of her clothes were gone, Jax pulled back from their kisses to look at her. "Brenda, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he said softly, as he returned his eyes to her face. He slowly ran the backs of his fingers down her neck and across her collarbone, before trailing them lower across the upper curve of her right breast, never once taking his eyes from hers, watching as her control started to falter.

As he softly ran his fingers lower Brenda moaned softly and reached up to pull him back to her for another kiss. Jax continued to kiss her as he caressed her breast. When he leaned down and lightly kissed the fullness Brenda arched up from the bed and wrapped her fingers tightly in his hair, trying to draw him even closer.

As he was kissing her right breast Jax reached up and began to caress her left breast. As she felt him remove his mouth from her breast, she moaned, but it was cut short when he shifted his attention to her left breast, his hand quickly taking its place on her right. When she didn't think she could take much more, Brenda grabbed his face and lifted his mouth from her breast. After a demanding kiss, she looked into his eyes, desperate for release. "Please, Jax! Make love to me!"

Jax smiled as he leaned down to kiss her again, slowly rolling on top of her. As he did, Brenda slowly opened her legs to him, running her hands up and down his back. When he made them one, Brenda wrapped her legs tightly around him. They lay unmoving, deeply joined for what seemed like an eternity to Brenda. As they began a natural rhythm Brenda felt as if he had touched her soul. They soon achieved a release the likes of which neither of them had ever experienced before.

Jax collapsed on top of Brenda with the power of his release. It took him several moments to regain his senses enough to roll off her. Not wanting to end their connection just yet though, he pulled her over on top of him as he did. Brenda was not ready to let him go yet either so she held him tightly as they rolled over. They lay silently for a long time, Brenda's ear above his heart, listening to it slowly return to a normal rhythm. Finally Jax broke the silence. "Are you okay, Brenda?" he asked softly, as he gently ran his hand in circles on her back.

Brenda looked up at him with a satisfied smile on her face. "I'm fine, Jax," she said softly. She shifted her position slightly to rest one arm on his chest, as she reached up to brush a lock of his hair from his forehead. "That was amazing!" she said, as she leaned down and placed a kiss on his chest. "I don't think I've ever felt anything like that before." She intended to kiss his chin when she leaned her face up to him but was surprised when he instead took her mouth in a passionate kiss. She was startled when she felt something else, too! "Really?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye as she again leaned forward to kiss him.

"Why don't you try me and find out?" Jax said with a smile and the same twinkle in his eyes. It wasn't long before they were again making love, this time slower and more erotically. They again reached their release at the same moment with almost as much intensity as their first. They spent most of the night making love to each other, until finally dozing off totally exhausted but also totally satisfied, shortly before dawn.

It was actually Brenda who woke first, snuggled close to Jax with his arms wrapped tightly around her even in his sleep. She was surprised to see the sun shining brightly through the open drapes of the window until her mind drifted back to last night. She smiled as she remembered everything she and Jax had done since coming back to her room, and somehow closing the drapes had not been one of them.

Brenda shifted slightly so that she could rest her chin on Jax's chest. She began to gently run her fingertips across his chest before working her way up to brush them along his cheek, wishing that he would wake up soon. It wasn't until she leaned forward to kiss his chest that he finally stirred.

Jax had actually been awake for a while enjoying Brenda's attentions. He smiled when he finally opened his eyes to look into her beautiful face and saw her smile at him. "Good morning," he said quietly, as he leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose. He shifted slightly as he moved his arms to pull her close to him again. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked before kissing her several times on the lips, which she eagerly opened to him.

"Definitely - when 'someone' let me sleep, that is!" she said with a smile.

Jax lifted his head from the pillow and tilted it to one side so he could look at her. "Excuse me? As I remember it, I wasn't the only one in this bed last night!"

Brenda laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him. She lightly slapped his chest. "Okay, okay, I admit it - I couldn't get enough of you last night!" She leaned forward to kiss his chest again before continuing, "When I did sleep though, I had these amazing dreams, mostly about you," she said softly, as she smiled up at him.

Jax laughed softly, as he reached up to pull her head back down to his shoulder. They lay wrapped around each other for a long time without saying anything. Jax gently ran his hand over her back, as Brenda ran her fingertips across his chest. Finally, Jax took a deep breath and let it out quickly. He looked up at the ceiling as he tried to figure out how to ask the question that was bothering him. He smiled for a second when he realized that the best way was to just ask her. "Brenda? What happened last night?" He could feel Brenda tense up, so he immediately tightened his arms around her to reassure her.

"What do you mean?" Brenda asked nervously, as she snuggled deeper into his embrace. "I think we both know exactly what happened last night!"

Jax stopped rubbing her back. "Come on, Brenda. You know that's not what I'm talking about. Please tell me what happened before I found you out front." Jax lifted her chin and turned her head so he could look into her eyes. As soon as he did, he was convinced that something had definitely happened - most likely with Sonny. "Did Sonny do something to you? Did he hurt you?"

Brenda pulled away from Jax's embrace for the first time since they had awakened. She sat up facing him, holding the sheet in front of her. "Actually, something did happen, Jax," she said very calmly, which surprised Jax. He sat up ready to say something, when Brenda put her hand on his chest. "Don't say anything, Jax, until I tell you what happened," she said, as she gently pushed him back so that he was leaning propped against the headboard.

She spent the next several minutes telling him everything that had happened outside of Luke's. As she finished her story she reached over and ran her hand across his chest. "You know, as scared as I was when I was walking away from him and he was screaming at me to come back, I suddenly realized that I didn't have to anymore. As I continued walking I knew that he didn't have any power over me anymore, thanks to you." She leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.

Jax was confused by what she had said. He reached up to cup the side of her face. "I wasn't even here, luv. What did I do?"

Brenda smiled at him. ''That's just it, Jax: you WERE here. You're always here," she said softly, as she rested her hand over her heart. "For the first time that I can remember, I don't feel alone." She smiled as she shifted around to face him. "I don't know if I can explain it right, but it's like you've become a part of me. Even when you're not actually here, I feel like you are, so I can face anything because you are with me."

"You can always count on that, luv," Jax said, as he leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose. When he sat back again, 'that' twinkle was back in his eyes, as he lightly ran his finger up and down her arm.

Brenda saw it immediately, surprised that after what they had shared last night that she was feeling the same way. She slowly let the sheet drop as she crawled over to straddle him. She leaned forward to kiss him, as she rubbed her hands gently across his chest, stopping only to lean down to very slowly run her tongue across it. As soon as she did, Jax grabbed her and flipped them over so that she was beneath him, and he began to give her exactly the same pleasure that she had given him. It wasn't long before they were making love with as much passion as they had last night.

They spent the next few hours making slow, passionate love, after which they again fell asleep in each other's arms. It was nearly noon when Brenda woke again. She was surprised when she reached over for Jax to find his side of the bed empty. She sat up quickly, holding the sheet around her as she looked around the room. She was relieved at the sound of his voice coming from across the room. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up," he said with a smile as he walked back to sit next to her. He leaned in to meet her for several very passionate kisses.

When they finally broke apart Brenda reached up to stroke his cheek. She noticed that he was almost completely dressed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his. "What are you doing dressed?" she asked, as she tried to push his unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders. He reached up to stop her, which surprised her. "What? Are you going somewhere?" She couldn't keep her disappointment out of her voice at the thought of him leaving.

Jax sat back and smiled at her as he started to button his shirt. "I have a lot of arrangements to make if we're going to leave today." With that, Jax got up from the bed and walked over to finish getting dressed.

Brenda reached over to the chair next to the bed to grab her robe. She quickly wrapped it around herself as she got out of bed and walked over to him. "What do you mean we're going to leave today? Are we going somewhere?"

Jax sat down on the chair next to the bed and held out his hand to her. She took it and let him pull her down into his lap. He reached up to push her hair back from her face, as he looked up at her before saying anything. "I guess maybe I was assuming something had changed about our relationship because of last night." He looked away from her for a moment before looking back. "I thought that you had made a decision about my proposal…"

Brenda smiled down at him. "You're right: I have made a decision." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'll marry you, Jax," she said with a large grin, as she leaned forward to kiss him.

Jax wrapped his arms tightly around her as they continued to kiss. When he finally pulled back, he rested the side of his face against her breast for a moment before looking up at her. "I was hoping you would say that!"

She had shocked herself with the ease that she had said yes. Even so, she didn't understand what that had to do with them going away. "I don't understand what my agreeing to marry you has to do with us going away somewhere though, Jax. Where are we going?"

"I want us to have a wedding we'll both remember for a lifetime, Brenda. That's why I have to get busy getting everything ready." Jax put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her back to him for another passionate kiss, as he stood up with her in his arms. When the kiss was over, he slowly set her down on the floor and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist.

"Are you saying you want to get married - TODAY?" she asked, as she started to understand what he was talking about.

"Sure, why should we wait?" He smiled at the confusion on her face. "Brenda, we don't have anyone to answer to here in Port Charles. You've finished your photo shoots for Katherine and Ben can handle the rest of the contract negotiations, so that's not a problem. I've closed that Thailand deal, which means that I've got nothing to keep me here, so why shouldn't we?"

Brenda pulled out of his arms and started to pace around the room. "I don't know, Jax. This is all moving so fast."

Jax walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong, luv? Are you thinking of changing your mind?"

"NO!" she declared. "It's just that I thought we'd have a long time to plan our wedding, that's all." She looked up into Jax's eyes and could see his concerns. "I definitely want to marry you, Jax. It's just that getting married is a major thing to me and I want to do everything exactly right. After all, we've only been engaged for a few minutes and here you are, wanting to get married. I don't know if I'm ready, that's all. Does that make any sense?"

He cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Of course it does, Brenda. I just don't see any reason to wait. We both want this, so why wait?" He looked over the top of her head for a minute as he thought of a solution. "Tell you what. You take this afternoon to think about everything, and I'll go ahead and make all the arrangements. If you decide to go you can meet me at the penthouse at 3:00 this afternoon. Okay?"

"Okay," she said very quietly.

Jax leaned down to kiss her quickly before grabbing his jacket and walking out the door without saying another word. After he was gone, Brenda sat staring at the wall for several minutes. Finally she got up and started pacing around the room, trying to decide what to do next. She paced for a while, then stood staring out the window for a while, then she started pacing again until suddenly she knew what to do. She glanced at the clock to check the time before she started rummaging around her room.

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE
PORT CHARLES HOTEL

Jax sat staring at the door as the clock struck three. He rested his head back against the couch and closed his eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He had been so sure that she would come that he had made all the arrangements for their trip. Now that 3:00 had come and she wasn't here, he couldn't figure out why. He sat silently for several minutes without moving or even opening his eyes. He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the door rattling. He looked over and saw it opening slowly. He was about to call out when the door opened the rest of the way so that he could see the most beautiful sight he had ever seen - BRENDA!

"Hi, there," she said softly with a broad smile.

"Hi, yourself," he answered, as he sat staring at her. She was standing just inside the door, wearing the red pantsuit they had bought in LA, holding a small overnight bag. He got up and walked over to her. "I was sure you'd come," he said, as he rested his arms on her shoulders.

Brenda put her free hand up on his arm as she looked up into his eyes. "I'm glad one of us was sure," she said with a chuckle, "because I sure wasn't!" She moved her hand up to cup his cheek. "In the end though, I realized there is only one sure thing in my life and that's you."

Jax reached up to clasp her face in both of his hands and kissed her again and again. As their kisses continued, Brenda dropped the bag and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. When she did, Jax wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and spun her around as he kissed the side of her neck. When he finally put her down, they stood staring into each other's eyes for a long time without saying a word.

Eventually Jax broke the silence. "Are you ready?" he asked with a smile. Brenda took a deep breath and let it out slowly before looking up into his eyes and seeing the excitement there. She smiled and slowly nodded yes. She went to pick up her bag, but Jax grabbed it first. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Let's go," was all he said as he nodded toward the open door. Brenda smiled at him and headed out, never letting go of his hand as they went.

As Jax stopped to lock the door, Brenda pushed the button for the elevator. By the time it arrived, they were once again wrapped around each other, staring into each other's eyes. The elevator doors opened but they didn't notice. It wasn't until the doors were starting to close that they realized what was happening, and Jax reached out to stop them. Brenda and Jax stepped into the elevator with their arms wrapped tightly around each other, laughing at what almost happened.

When the elevator reached the lobby they stepped off and walked straight out the front door to a waiting limo. Even though she had learned to expect the unexpected with Jax, Brenda had to admit seeing Edward, the Jacks family's driver, waiting for them surprised her. As they reached the car, Brenda extended her hand to him. "Hello, Edward, it's nice to see you again."

He took her hand and shook it lightly with a nod of his head. "Thank you, Miss Barrett. It's nice to see you looking so well." Jax handed him Brenda's bag, as she got into the car with Jax right behind her. Edward closed the door after them and put Brenda's bag in the trunk, as he walked around the back of the car to get in on the driver's side.

It wasn't long before they pulled into the gated parking area for the private plane terminal at the Port Charles Airport. Edward pulled the limo up to the terminal and jumped out to open the door for them. After they were out, he handed Brenda's bag to the terminal attendant, who was waiting for them, tipped his hat to them, and got back in the car and drove away as they walked into the building.

When Brenda realized where they were, she didn't say anything. She just looked up at Jax with a smile and wrapped her arm around his waist. She gave him a quick squeeze and walked into the terminal with him. It only took a few minutes for their flight arrangements to be finalized before they boarded a J&J Jacks corporate jet. They were cleared for take-off and in the air before Brenda had a chance to ask any questions. She had no idea where they were going, but it didn't matter because she was going there with Jax, so it would be perfect. She snuggled down next to him to enjoy the flight into their future.

They flew directly from Port Charles to a small airport on the shores of the Mediterranean. From there, a limo drove them to a nearby harbor, where they boarded a yacht, which put to sea as soon as they were aboard. They had flown through so many time zones that by the time the yacht dropped anchor, Brenda had no idea what time it was; she only knew it was dark outside.

With all that had happened up until now, Brenda felt like she needed some time to herself, to put things in perspective, so she went up on deck to get some fresh air before going to her cabin to change her clothes. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there until she was startled back to reality when Jax walked past her carrying a bottle of champagne. He put the bottle in the waiting ice bucket and turned to go back inside.

He was surprised to see her sitting there, still dressed in her traveling clothes. He walked up to her and rested his hands on her knees. "Is something wrong? Didn't you like the dress I picked out for you?"

Brenda looked into his eyes as she reached up to run the backs of her fingers on his cheek. "Nothings wrong, Jax, and I loved the dress. It's exactly what I would have picked."

"I don't understand then. Why are you sitting out here?" Jax's confusion was obvious on his face.

Brenda took a deep breath before answering him. "I just needed some time to catch my breath, that's all. Everything has been moving so fast that I felt like I needed some time to process everything." A broad grin came across her face "I'm getting married, Jax! I really never thought I would, especially this early. Considering my family's history, I never thought anyone would want to stick with me for the long haul." She stopped moving her fingers to cup his face in her hand. "Until you came into my life, no one ever stuck around for very long. I think I just needed a little time to realize that." She smiled softly at him before looking away.

Jax reached up to take her face in both of his hands and turn it back to him. "Listen to me, Brenda Barrett: I'm not going anywhere - ever! You're stuck with me for life!" He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, before pulling back to look into her eyes.

Brenda put her hands on top of his. "Thank you! I think I knew that, but I guess I just needed to hear you say it." She took another deep breath and let it out slowly as she looked over his shoulder at the night sky. "I'm ready now." She smiled at him. "I think I better go get dressed before the minister falls asleep again." She leaned forward, intending to kiss Jax quickly, but as soon as their lips met, Jax and Brenda found themselves in a deeply passionate kiss that neither one of them wanted to end.

Jax wrapped his arms tightly around her and lifted her off the table she was sitting on, without ever breaking the kiss. He held her like that, with her feet off the deck, for several moments as their kisses continued. Finally Brenda moved her hands from around his neck to rest on his shoulders so she could push herself back from him and break the kiss. She looked into his eyes as she tried to catch her breath. "I think we better stop or we'll never get married!"

Slowly lowering her until her feet were on the deck Jax smiled as he still held her close to him. "I guess you're right. I just hate letting go of you." He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose before letting go. He turned her around toward the doorway and swatted her lightly on the butt. "GO! Before I change my mind!"

Brenda started toward the door and stopped just before walking through it. She looked back over her shoulder at him and gave him a smile that lit up the night sky, then walked quickly down the hallway toward her cabin to get dressed.

After she was gone, Jax walked over to the railing and looked out into the night himself. Resting his hands on the railing, he smiled as he thought about what they were about to do. He knew in his heart that this was the right thing to do - that marrying Brenda was the key to a future full of happiness for both of them.

After standing there for several more minutes, he walked back through the same doorway that Brenda had used to go back to the master cabin to finish getting ready for the most important night of his life - the night he would make Brenda Barrett his wife!