**GETTING TO THE TRUTH**

Chapter 29

by: Holly Jo

"Damn!" Miranda said as she watched the flight schedule show her flight had been delayed due to fog. She looked wildly around the airport and saw several of the other passengers make themselves comfortable as if they were going to be there for a long time. She didn't have much time...she needed out of this god forsaken place. Her future depended on it. She headed for the ticket counter where the ticket handler was getting harassed by an irate passenger. Miranda shoved him out of the way and faced the stoney face of the ticket handler. "How long is this flight going to be delayed?"

"I have no idea," the stone-faced man said, "I don't control the weather. But as soon as the fog lifts, you will be on your way."

"Listen, I need to get a flight out of here. Aren't there any planes leaving?"

The man looked at her exasperated, "No ma'am. ALL the planes are grounded. The fog is here, you see. If we can't get out, no one can. Now if you would please step aside."

Miranda glared at the man, but did as he said and took a step back. She looked towards the window and saw the thick fog and groaned.

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"I knew it!" Jerry exclaimed as he jumped out of Libby's bed. "I knew that witch hadn't been hurt in that explosion." He pounded himself in the head, "I can't believe I fell for her lines. I can't believe Dad fell for her lines. He's usually more astute than that."

Libby pushed the laptop computer off her lap and stood. She went to her closet and found a pale pink satin robe and slipped it on while turning back to Jerry. She didn't know what to say.

Jerry was still pacing and pounding his head, "I can't believe all the trouble that....that..."

"Bitch?" Libby supplied.

"Yes! I can't believe all the trouble that Bitch put me through. God! All the years I lied to Jax...all for nothing."

Libby looked at him quietly for a moment, then said, "Maybe it wasn't for nothing. Maybe you were right and you saved him from her."

"Excuse me?" Jerry said, turning angry eyes on her. "Now you agree with me? What happened to all that stuff you said about how if Jax had known Miranda was alive, then maybe he wouldn't have nearly committed suicide. How if he had known, then he would have found out what kind of a person she was, all the sooner."

Libby shrugged her shoulders, "All I'm saying is that, you and I will never know what would have happened if he had known. Maybe he wouldn't be the person he is now. Maybe he would never have met Brenda and had experienced honest to God love." She shook her head, "No one can say what could have happened. We go on from where we are now. We live with what we know now."

Jerry looked at her in confusion. What was wrong with her? She should be rubbing it in that he was so wrong. She should be yelling at him for lying to her all those years...all for nothing. And then the thought hit him....

Jerry grabbed Libby's arm as she walked past him towards her dresser. She wouldn't look at him, so he tenderly took her chin in his hand and pulled her face up to his, "Libs?" She sniffed and shut her eyes, refusing to look at him. "Oh Libby," he said as he pulled her into his arms, "I'm sorry. Here I've been carrying on with how much I hurt Jax....when I should have been saying how sorry I was for hurting you all those years." A tiny sob escaped her body and pulled her in tighter. "I'm sorry Libby! I'm more sorry than you'll ever know that I put her before you all those years. I'm sorry I lied to you."

Libby wrapped her arms around him and mumbled through her tears, "That's the first time you've apologized...you know? I didn't think you ever would."

"I'm an idiot! Please say you'll forgive me." Jerry pleaded with her.

Libby sniffed again and pulled back, "I forgive you." She smiled at him, her eyes still shining from her tears, "That's all I wanted. I just wanted you to say you were sorry."

Jerry grinned at her, "You mean that's why you've been mad at me all this time?"

She nodded and laughed, "Yeah that, and of course, you've done plenty of other things to make me mad since we got to Port Charles."

"I have a feeling I'll be making you mad until we are old and gray," Jerry teased.

Libby nodded, "Probably so."

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Mel threw her keys on the dining room table as she headed for the kitchen, "Can I get you something?"

"I'll take some coffee," Jax said as he looked around the unkempt apartment. It wasn't that it was dirty so much as it was messy. The dining room table was covered in junkmail, tax forms and a couple of diet coke cans. There was a newspaper strewn out on the coffee table in the living room and a laundry basket filled with what he assumed were dirty clothes, sat in the recliner. A jacket was thrown over the back of the couch and he spotted a pair of tennis shoes littering the hallway.

"I'm sorry I don't keep coffee in my house. I never touch the stuff. Can I offer you some orange juice?" Mel's voice came from the kitchen area.

Jax headed towards the kitchen and was surprised to see the small kitchen was spotless, except for a couple of glasses drying in the drainer next to the sink. Mel was bent over looking into her refrigerator presenting her small rounded rump to him. She straightened up and Jax saw that she was now holding a glass container filled with orange juice. She turned and was startled to see him standing there. A small smile crossed her lips as she raised the orange juice to him and he nodded. She opened the cabinet and pulled out a juice glass, filled it then handed it to him. She turned and pulled another glass down and filled it, then put the container of juice back in the refrigerator. Picking up the glass she motioned for him to go to the living room.

The two made themselves comfortable on the couch, sitting in silence and sipping their juice. Finally Jax asked the question that was hanging between them, "What are you going to do?"

Mel stared out of the living room window for several minutes, not answering him. Jax, using the patience that he had cultivated growing up, sat and waited for her answer. He watched as she suddenly stood and went to her window, looking out at the dense fog. After a few moments, she whispered, "I don't know what I'm going to do." She turned and faced him for the first time since he had asked the question. She held out her arms in gesture of helplessness. "I don't know where to begin. I don't know who the two other men are. How do I know that the third man isn't a cop also? Do I go in and arrest the cop we know is dirty, without proof except with what we heard, or do I wait and start quietly digging for information on him, hoping that the third man will make himself known?" Jax sat quietly realizing she wasn't asking his opinion, but rather trying to sort through all her thoughts. He watched as she started pacing, tapping her fingernail against the glass that she still carried, her mind searching for answers. "If I wait to arrest the one man we know about for sure, will that keep us from ever finding the second man that was on the docks. The one that isn't a cop...or at least he isn't a cop in Port Charles. Do I take this to internal affairs? Can I trust them with it? Who can I trust?" She turned to Jax again, "Who can I trust?"

Jax looked at her for a moment before responding, "You can trust me."

"You?" Mel said, "How does that help me? You aren't a cop."

"No, but I do have the resources to help you investigate this, leaving the Port Charles finest out of it." Jax stated.

Mel shook her head, "I can't get you involved in the investigation."

"I'm already involved in this investigation...I think it's time you brought me in as your partner. Your silent partner."

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Amy handed the patient file to Bethany, who popped the last piece of toast in her mouth as she took it. "Thanks" she said, her voice muffled. Amy smiled at her and turned back to a couple of other nurses at the station on the 3rd floor. Bethany looked at the patients chart and made some notations on it, then slid it back into the filing slot. She turned and bumped into Dr. Dorman. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't see you there."

"That's okay. You can bump into me any time." Dorman said with a leer.

A shiver went up her spine at the way he was looking at her. The man gave her the creeps. She ignored what he had said and turned to leave. Dorman grabbed her arm, "Hey, what's your hurry?"

"I've got a room full of medical students waiting to go on rounds with me. I really need to get to them." She tried to pull her arm loose, and after a moment Dorman reluctantly let go.

"I was hoping you would have time to go over a couple of patient cases with me." Dorman said.

She shook her head, "Not right now."

"Of course, you need to get to your students, but how about lunch?"

"I've already got lunch plans. Why don't you call my secretary. She can give you a time to meet." She started walking away.

"I'll do that," Dorman said to her retreating back. He smiled wickedly as he leered at her backside as she walked away. He started whistling as he walked away, not noticing that Amy had witnessed the whole exchange.

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"The police station said that Mel called in sick today," Libby said as she stepped into the living room where Jerry sat reading through some legal documents. When he didn't say anything she cleared her throat to get his attention.

His glance came up and he smiled at her, "Did you say something, Sweetie?"

Libby rolled her eyes and sat down across from him, "Yes, I said that Mel called in sick today."

He turned his eyes back to the documents, "Maybe she's got the flu or something."

Mel shook her head, "She looked perfectly fine yesterday. In fact...she looks like she's never been sick a day in her life." Jerry continued to look at the papers in his hand until she got irritated and slapped the papers down, getting his full attention, "Are you listening to anything I've said?"

Jerry leaned back in his chair, "I always listen to everything you say," he said with a grin.

Libby was about to launch into a list of times when he hadn't listened to her, when the doorbell rang. Janet yelled out that she would get it.

"Where is he?" An angry voice yelled.

Jerry and Libby both stood up as Mac came storming into the room and confronted them, "Okay, where is he?"

"Where's who?" Jerry lazily asked.

"You know who. Where's your brother?"

"What do you want with Jax?" Libby asked.

"Once again Jax has managed to run Miranda out of town," Mac said in a snarl.

"And the problem with that would be.............?" Libby asked.

Mac glared at her, "Who do you people think you are? You think you can treat people like dirt and get away with it?"

Jerry refused to be drawn into the same old argument with his former friend, "What do you mean Miranda's gone? Where did she go?"

"As if you didn't know." Mac stated.

"I wouldn't be asking if I knew, now would I?" Jerry answered back sarcastically.

"All I know is that I went by to see her and her bags and clothes are gone. So I want to know what that brother of yours did to make her leave this time."

"My brother didn't do a thing. He's too busy mourning the death of his wife. As far as I know, he hasn't even spoken to the witch, let alone done anything to her." Jerry walked over and began to pour himself another cup of coffee. "You know, I'm getting pretty sick and tired of you accusing my brother and myself of doing something to little Miss Priss. I don't think it's mentally healthy for you to be so deluded about another human being...especially when that human being, and I use that term loosely, is Miranda Jameson."

Mac took a threatening step towards Jerry, "I'm not deluded....you people are the ones that need psychiatric help. The way you are always trying to make her out to be some sort of conniving murderer." He whirled around and confronted Libby, "And you! You are the worst of the lot. The way you talk to her and the things you say about her. You are as much to blame for her leaving as Jax and Jerry are."

Libby smiled at her, "Thank you. I'll take that as high praise."

Mac, who was now so furious he was totally out of control advanced to Libby, but a fist in his eye laid him out on the floor. Stunned he looked up at the beautiful slender blonde that had knocked him down with one blow.

"Nice shot, Sweetie. Remember to remind me not to make you mad at me." Jerry said with a smile as he leaned over to look at the damage to Mac's eye. "Ahhh, nice positioning of the punch. Should bring on a very nice shiner." he said as he turned to Libby and applauded her.

Libby curtsied at the praise, "Well, I always say, if you're going to do something, do it right."

Mac scrambled to his feet, "I'll have you arrested for assaulting a police officer."

Jerry and Libby looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Do I hear laughter in here?" Jax's voice came from the doorway. Libby, Jerry and Mac all turned to look at him. Mel was standing next to Jax, trying not to laugh. She and Jax had witnessed the whole fiasco. Mel silently applauded Libby, she had wanted to do that several times to the Police Commissioner herself.

"Detective Langley, I want you to arrest this woman for assault." Mac said.

Mel stepped into the room, "Who did she assault?"

"Why me, of course."

"I see, and were there witnesses to this....assault?" Mel asked innocently.

Mac stared at her in disbelief, "Were there witnesses? Of course there were witnesses. Jerry saw the whole thing."

Mel raised her eyebrows and turned her eyes to Jerry, who noted the sparkling humor in them, "Is this true, Mr. Jacks?"

"That's not what I saw." Jerry said, playing along with Mel's game.

"And what exactly did you see?" Mel asked.

"Well, as I recall, the Police Commissioner here, overcome with anger at my fiancé, advanced towards her and tripped over his own big feet."

"Is that so?" Mel said, barely able to keep the laughter out of her voice, "And how exactly did he get the nice black eye?"

"Why, he must have hit the edge of the couch when he was going down," Jerry explained.

"Ummmmm," Mel pondered for a moment then turned back to her boss, "I'm sorry Commissioner, it doesn't look as if Mr. Jacks here is going to back your story. Do you have any other witnesses?"

Mac stared in disbelief at all of them, "The whole lot of you can go straight to hell," he said as he turned to leave the room.

"I'm sure we'll see you there," Libby yelled out at him as he left the room and then the house.

The four burst out laughing when they heard the slamming of the door. "Very nicely done, Detective Langley," Jerry said as he sat down on the couch and pulled Libby down beside him.

"Well, I couldn't very well arrest Libby for doing something I've wanted to do more times than I can count," Mel said as she too took a seat.

"Mel, I just called the police station and they told me you had called in sick," Libby said. "You look perfectly fine to me."

Mel shrugged, "Let's just say I'm sick of spirit."

"What's wrong?" Jerry asked.

"That's what we want to talk to you two about," Jax piped in. "We've got a problem, and it's going to take all of us to figure it out."

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Miranda sighed in relief as the plane finally took to the air. She had waited nearly all day, but finally the fog had lifted and she was able to be on her way. She leaned back and closed her eyes. It would take her a few days to get things squared away, and then she would be back to reclaim her Jax. Miranda felt a body take a seat next to her, thinking that she had the row to herself, she opened her eyes to see who had sat next to her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared into the cold hard eyes of Sonny Corinthos.

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"Granny should have called by now," Libby said worriedly as she paced the floor of her bedroom. "It's after 1 AM."

"Maybe the flight was delayed," Jerry said as he leaned back against the pillows on her bed and watched her pace. "Don't assume the worst just yet."

"You know as well as I do, she's not coming back to the states. She went to the Philippines to do some more digging on Miranda."

"Now Libs, we don't know that for sure," Jerry said.

"I'm worried sick Jerry. What with Miranda disappearing and now Granny not reporting in....something's wrong. I can feel it."

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"Here, take a look at these files. I'll check this stack," Mel said to Jax as she handed him an armful of personnel files. The two had snuck into the police headquarter's filing room and had pulled the personnel files of several of the police officers. They had waited until after midnight, when the station wouldn't have very many people in it. And Mel had been surprised at how easy it was to access the room.

Jax and Mel started going through the files, looking for anything that might help them figure out who the 3rd robber could be. She had pulled all the files of the officers that associated with the known robber/cop.

They had gone through about half of the files, when Mel heard the jangling of keys in the file room door, she quickly turned off the desk light and grabbed Jax and pushed him into the corner that was hidden by a couple of file cabinets. She squeezed in next to him. She listened intently as the door was opened and the overhead light came on. She squeezed in closer to Jax. Jax put his arm around her to help keep their balance. They heard several file drawers being pulled open and shut again. Mel closed her eyes for a moment, the fear of getting caught nearly making her pass out. Jax tightened his hold on her and she turned her face into his neck. The smell that hit her made her forget the possibility of getting caught as she inhaled the scent of Obsession for Men. Mel smiled, she was a sucker for that particular cologne. And here she was in the arms of one of the most attractive men she had ever met, and he was wearing it.

Her attention was drawn back to the person in the file room, as footsteps drew nearer.

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End of Chapter 29

HollyJo