Heaven's Here on Earth

by Denise

Part 17: A Good Man's Love

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Down on your knees,

And thank heaven, fasting,

for a good man's love.

Shakespeare, As You Like It

III, iii

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"How is she?" Ned asked Amy, glancing down the corridor where Robin and Lancaster Corey were holding a quiet vigil outside Brenda's room. Beside him, Alexis clutched his arm tightly and waited for Amy to answer.

"She's fine....really, she's going to be fine. She has three bruised ribs, a sprained wrist, and a concussion. That's why Tony wouldn't release her to go home last night---he wanted her here for observation. He's going to run a couple more tests on her this morning, but I heard him tell Monica he thought she'd be able to leave the hospital today."

Ned and Alexis exchanged a look of relief, and Alexis said, "Where's Jax? I can't believe he's not here."

Amy smiled and made a "come with me" gesture. "Of course he's here. He never left. Come on, I'll show you....I need to check her vitals anyway."

They followed as Amy led the way. "Hi Ned, Alexis." Robin hugged Ned, who looked over her shoulder questioningly at the professor. "Your face looks familiar, but I don't believe we've met."

"Ned, this is Lancaster Corey, the new professor of Russian history at the University." Alexis was as smooth as always.

The professor inclined his head gracefully as Ned said, "Of course, how stupid of me. I've read your book about Anastasia, Professor Corey. Interesting theory." He glanced at the closed door, then at Amy. "But right now, the only thing I'm really interested in is Brenda. She really is going to be okay, right Amy?"

"Sure," Amy smiled and said in a theatrical whisper, "Now for those of you who wanted to know where Jax is.....ta da!" With a flourish, she threw open the door to Brenda's room, and the little group crowded closer to look inside. Brenda was sleeping peacefully, one small hand enclosed in

Jax's. He too, was asleep, leaning back in the chair by her bedside, his crossed legs resting comfortably on the bottom rung of the bed, his sheepskin jacket draped casually over him, blanket-like. There was something so innocently intimate about the scene, that the watchers at the door felt as if they were intruding on a precious thing, not meant to be seen by the prying eyes of outsiders. Amy blinked, for once erring on the side of tact, and

pulled the door shut. "You know....maybe I'll just wait until she wakes up to take her vitals."

"Excellent idea, Miss Vining," Corey said approvingly, and Amy retreated to the Nurses Station.

"Well, it looks like Brenda was in good hands all night," Alexis commented, genuinely relieved. Since her banishment by Stefan, she was appreciating the friendship Brenda had extended more and more.

"I agree, Miss Davis. She still is. May I suggest that we all go down to the cafeteria for some coffee? It looks like it will be awhile before Miss Barret"---he smiled---"and Mr. Jacks wake up." He put an arm around Robin affectionately. "And Miss Scorpio must be exhausted."

Robin smiled up at him, liking him. During the long night of watching over Brenda, she and the Scots-Russian professor had formed a strong, instinctive bond. "I AM tired.....a cup of coffee would be a great pick-me-up."

"Let's do it," Ned agreed. "Alexis and I haven't had breakfast this morning either---I picked her up at the hotel, and we came straight here."

The foursome moved to the elevators, chatting quietly, completely oblivious to the auburn-haired young woman standing at the far bank of public telephones. Scowling, Venus Ardanowski watched the elevator doors close behind them, and then half-whispered into the phone, "No, damn it! She's going to be all right. I overheard Dr. Jones talking to Amy Vining earlier this morning. The woman has more lives than a cat---first she survives the shooting at

Luke's and now this."

Miranda replied caustically, "I knew it was too good to be true." Her tone turned accusatory. "You were supposed to see to it that her steering would fail!" She glanced over at a scowling Helena. "Now we'll have to come up with another 'accident' for her."

"I did!" V was defensive. "She just got lucky and rolled over into a snowbank when the steering went out, that's all. It's not my fault."

Helena picked up the extension. "You are proving as inept at dispensing with Miss Barrett as Miranda was in holding onto to Jax." Miranda flinched. "We have to make other arrangements. You will come here immediately so that we can begin."

"But I just got back from Albany an hour ago," V whined. "I drove for 6 hours through the

blizzard. I haven't gotten any sleep, I haven't even changed clothes."

"NOW, Miss Ardanowski." Helena's tone was positively venomous and struck fear in V's heart even through the phone lines.

"Yes, ma'am. I mean, yes Mrs. Cassadine....uh...MS. Cassadine. Ah---"

"Just get here, you little fool!" Helena snarled, slamming down the receiver in V's ear. A

thoroughly cowed Venus crept past Amy at the Nurses Station and took the first elevator going down.

~*~

Black night. White snow. And the sensation of falling, twisting out of control. Brenda moaned and tried to fight her way clear, but it was as if she were inside a spinning top whirling faster and faster and all around her, the thick white snow was rising, threatening to suffocate her......

Jax awakened, sensing Brenda's panic. He leaned forward, throwing his coat to the floor and laid his free hand against her cheek. "Hey, sweetie, it's okay. It's okay."

The spinning stopped. The blinding, suffocating whiteness receded as Brenda clung to the soothing voice that was guiding her out of her nightmare. Instinctively, she gripped Jax's hand more tightly and was answered with the gentle pressure of his fingers on hers. Jax. She opened her eyes, turning her face into the palm of his hand, loving the feel of his skin against hers. It always amazed her how his touch could be so strong and yet so tender.

"Jax?"

"Well, yes. Who else would spend all night in a chair by your bedside---risking permanent spinal injury, I might add---just to make sure you didn't wake up alone and scared?" His voice was light, teasing, but his eyes were deadly serious.

"You're the only one," she smiled back drowsily.

"Right. But I lied."

That made her eyes open wide in astonishment as they fixed on his face.

He bent his head to kiss her hand, obviously trying to control his emotions. "That's only part of it. Not wanting you to wake up alone, I mean. The other part was strictly selfish. It was just for me." His voice was thick with unshed tears. "I just had to stay....to watch you breathing." He glanced up at her, and the look in his aquamarine eyes took Brenda's breath away. "I couldn't break the connection. I felt that maybe if I did.....you'd

go.....away....." He blinked, and two tears fell on his cheeks, shimmering.

Brenda struggled to sit up, alarmed. "Hey....I'm okay, I'm okay." It was her turn to comfort him, and she did, pulling his golden head down to her breast. She laid her cheek against his hair and whispered, "It's really okay, Jax. I feel kind of bruised up, and my head hurts, but hey"----she gave a soft Brenda-chuckle---"I'm not seeing two of you or anything. Not that that would be so bad...." Jax's only response was to grip her tighter. Her

ribs ached from the pressure, but it was a sweet ache, and she welcomed it.

"Hey....Jax, honey?"

"I'm sorry, Brenda. It's just.....you don't know how it felt. Seeing that Jeep spinning out of control, flipping over the guardrail. My heart just went up in my throat. I knew it was you before Robin even got the words out. And then seeing you lying there in the front seat. You were so white and so still." He choked out a short laugh. "And God knows, you're never still, Brenda. You've got too much energy to spare. I just"---he swallowed hard,

composing himself, and raised his head---"I was just so scared I was going to

lose you."

"Jaaxxx... I know exactly how you felt, you silly," she chided him gently. "Why do you think I was driving around in that snowstorm? I couldn't wait another second to see you." It was her turn to get teary-eyed. "Your Manhattan office called me, did you know that?" She was caressing his face with both hands now, unable to stop touching him. "They thought for awhile that your plane was lost. Robin and I called every airport between here and

Dulles, trying to find you...." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I thought I'd lost you, too."

He leaned in to touch his forehead to hers. "Well, looks like we both got scared for nothing. I'll let you in on a secret: I'm not going anywhere."

Brenda tilted her head back to look straight into his eyes, putting all her soul in hers. "I'm not going anywhere either."

Jax grinned impishly, his mood lightening, his joy infectious. "Yes, you are. Alan and Tony came in at the crack of dawn this morning and said if your test results turn out okay, you'll be a free woman."

"I will?" She stretched luxuriously and looked at him expectantly, her smile like that of a greedy eight-year-old, anticipating the goodies to come. "Where are you taking me?"

Jax pretended to look surprised. "Back to the cottage, where else?"

"Jaaaxxxx." She gave him a Brenda-pout.

He squelched the wild desire to squeeze her tight, afraid of hurting her bruised ribs. "What did you have in mind? And why would you think I'd be taking you anywhere except home?"

"Jax." Brenda put on an expression of mock sincerity. "You're Jax."

"I should hope so. I'd hate to think I was impersonating myself. And?"

"And you don't just 'take' someone who's been in the hospital 'home.' No. You'd say to yourself, 'This person has been sick; they've been confined. I know how that feels. I know I hated it. This person deserves to go someplace fun---someplace they can get some R and R and forget ever being in the hospital.' That's what you'd say to yourself."

Jax shook his head, pretending to be amazed. "I never realized I had such conversations with myself. Thanks for pointing that out." His eyes were twinkling a bright blue-green. "So....where to, m'lady? We've done Malibu. How about the house in Cap D'Antibes?"

"NOOOOO......you're supposed to 'surprise' me, remember?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm slipping."

"Yes, you are. I'll make it easy on you, though, and give you a hint. I want snow."

"Snow!?" Jax was genuinely shocked. "Brenda, we're in the aftermath of a blizzard here. You rolled your Jeep over last night because of.....snow. Don't you want to go to a nice warm place with a deserted beach and lots of sun? How about Kronos? We could go back to Kronos..."

"No." Brenda was decisive. "Kronos is for Thanksgiving. Just because we go someplace where there's snow doesn't mean we'll be out IN it. I want someplace with snow, because I want to look out the window and see it white and shining and cold and know I'm warm and safe inside with you."

"Cup of hot chocolate in hand, no doubt."

"Well, yeah. Or something else." Her sly smile and all it implied caused an immediate reaction. Relax, Jax, he told himself. She won't be up for that---less than 24 hours ago, she was lying unconscious in an overturned jeep...... His mind was quite calm and rational. It was trying to be sensitive to Brenda's present physical condition. It was the rest of his body that refused to go along with a sensible, considerate course of action. He

was aching---literally aching to hold her---and his heart was pounding with a rhythm that could only be described as violent. Time for a distraction.

"I don't understand what you were doing at the penthouse, sweetie. You said you were coming to pick me up at the airport."

"I was." Brenda glanced away and began fiddling with the blanket, a sure sign that she was uncomfortable about something. "But the roads were so bad.... I made it in to the hotel, and I went up to the penthouse to call you and see if maybe I could send Adam to pick you up...." Her voice trailed off.

"What is it, Brenda?"

"I--" Her eyes searched his face, cognizant of each nuance of expression, knowing that the answer to her question would be there in his eyes before he even verbalized his thoughts. "Jax, who is Ashley?"

Jax's head jerked back as if she'd struck him. His eyes went that cold grey-green, narrowing like a cat's, and Brenda felt a chill, not realizing at first that the coldness wasn't directed at her. "Ashley!? Damn her!" Jax plowed a hand through his hair and sprang off the bed to pace the room as Brenda gazed at him, wide-eyed. "She was at the penthouse?" he fairly snapped at Brenda.

"Yes."

He continued to pace for a minute, and Brenda watched, oddly comforted by his reaction, despite his curtness. Obviously, Jax hadn't brought her back with him, much less invited her to stay at the penthouse.

"You weren't expecting her."

"Obviously." Jax stopped pacing and looked at Brenda, his anger suddenly vanished, his expression enigmatic. "What exactly did she say to you?"

"Well, she lied. She point-blank told me that you'd invited her back to Port Charles. She said you were 'old friends.' "

Jax grimaced. "I can just imagine the spin she tried to put on that one."

"Spin doesn't begin to cover it. She twisted it like a pretzel."

"And your rebuttal?"

"I said that you and I were 'best friends'---and you should have heard the SPIN I put on THAT." Brenda tilted her head coquettishly and gave Jax an arch look, hoping to break his grim mood. It worked. Jax's lips twitched in amusement. "I can imagine. What else did you tell her?"

"That she'd better not get too comfortable at the penthouse since she wouldn't be staying."

"Good answer."

Time to get serious, Jax. I want some ANSWERS from you...... "Who is she, Jax?"

"If I said someone out of my checkered past, would you be content with that?"

"Well, it would be more than I initially knew about Miranda---but no."

There was a moment of dead silence. Their eyes locked, each acknowledging that once-ticking bomb, whose effects still lingered.

Jax sucked in a deep breath. "Brenda, I---"

"Jax. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be sarcastic. But between Miranda and my addiction to hydrocodone, not to mention that fiasco in the cave with Sonny----"

"Brenda!"

"Jax.....please, honey. I just meant there have been enough secrets between us. Let's not make Ashley another one."

"Agreed." Jax eased down on the edge of the bed and took her hands in his. "It's just that it's a long and complicated story, sweetie. I don't want to go into it now, okay? Let's get you out of here and off to your winter wonderland first."

"Okay." She looked down, playing with his fingers. "I really trust you, you know that, don't you?"

"Uhmmmm....." Jax nodded as he leaned in to kiss her, sealing their agreement. He intended it to be light and easy, a gesture of affection and reassurance, but Brenda's hand slid around the back of his neck, her fingers sifting through his thick blond hair to pull him closer, and suddenly the kiss wasn't light and easy anymore. Her mouth tasted sweet and tangy all at once, like strawberries and champagne, and Jax felt himself drowning in her

again---the taste and the feel and the smell of her---as he had so many

times before. She wasn't helping him either, her lips exploring his with equal passion.

Hospital room, this is a hospital room, caution whispered to him.

But she's on fire for me, too, and it's still early. Too early for doctors to be making rounds, desire insisted urgently.

She's got two bruised ribs and a concussion. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she was lying comatose at the bottom of a snowbank......conscience admonished.

The internal war raged on, but caution and conscience were no match for desire. He slipped a supportive arm behind the unprotesting Brenda's back and was easing her down to the bed when a discreet cough came from the direction of the doorway. Startled, Jax and Brenda pulled apart, the expression on their faces so reminiscent of two teen-agers caught in the act, that both Tony and Alan burst out laughing.

"I TOLD you she'd be ready to go home today," Tony observed, eyeing the guilty twosome from beneath his brows as he scribbled something on Brenda's chart.

"You do appear to be shaking off the aftereffects of the accident quite rapidly, Brenda" Alan remarked drolly, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "I'm sure all it will take is just a little TLC from Jax to bring about your full recovery."

"Uh......well, yeah." Brenda was still flustered, her lips swollen and slightly bruised from Jax's passionate kiss.

Jax's grin lit up the room. "Oh I plan to see she has plenty of that," he assured Alan.

"Well, let's take it one step at a time, shall we?" Tony was the prim and proper doctor again. "First, we need to run a few final tests....and if everything looks all right, she'll be free to go."

"Go anywhere?" Jax queried. The two doctors exchanged puzzled looks, and Jax quickly elaborated. "I mean, would it be safe to fly her somewhere......a mini-vacation, if you will."

Tony shrugged. "If the test results come back okay, I don't see why not. Brenda, I'll give you some prescriptions for the pain---"

"NO! No drugs!" Brenda sat bolt upright, wincing as she did so, and grabbed Jax's arm in a death grip. "I'm not taking any drugs." She shook her head stubbornly.

"Easy, sweetie."

It was now Alan's turn to look guilty. He remained silent as Tony said gently, "Brenda.....I was just going to give you some prescription strength Motrin for your headache. You have a concussion.....you're bound to have one."

"Sorry." She inhaled deeply, smiling, bracing herself for what was to come. "So.....do we do the tests now?"

"Yes. Amy's coming to get you. And there are some people waiting to see you after that---"

"No kidding," Ned said from the doorway, where Alexis, Robin, and Lancaster Corey were crowded in behind him. "You had us all scared half to death, Brenda."

She gave a Brenda-shrug and flashed a dimpled smile. "Sorry. You shouldn't have worried, Ned. You know me and my hard head."

"Right." Ned gave her his best big-brother smile.

"How long will the test take?" Jax asked Tony.

"Oh....a couple of hours."

Jax glanced at Brenda. "That gives me enough time....." He kissed her lightly on the cheek and grabbed his coat.

"You're leaving, Mr. Jacks?" Professor Corey gave the blond Australian a keen glance, his dark eyes probing.

Jax stepped past him. "Yes. Brenda certainly won't be alone while I'm gone." He glanced over his shoulder and gave her a conspiratorial wink. "I have.....a tenant to evict."

~*~

Ashley paced in front of the windows, looking out into the early Port Charles morning, her agitation growing exponentially as she waited for Jerry's call. Damn you, Jerry! She glanced at her watch. It's early afternoon in Paris......you should have found out if Helena has made it to Port Charles yet. Hell, you should be on your way here yourself. She took a sip of coffee, shaking her

head in frustration, so engrossed in mentally berating Jerry that for a split second, the opening door behind her didn't register. Then her instincts kicked in, and she whirled around to face this new threat.

Jax.

He was so beautiful, even in his anger, that the sight of him took her breath away. An overnight growth of blond stubble only lent him a dangerous edge that made him even more attractive, but it was his eyes that caught her attention---and raised the hair on the back of her neck. They were the crystalline grey-green of an iceberg at sea and just as welcoming. Watch your step, Ashley.......Jax isn't in the mood for taking prisoners.....

"You're getting sloppy." His voice was brittle, devoid of all emotion except contempt as he pulled off his coat and threw it unceremoniously on the nearest couch. She took a wary step back as he approached the stairs. "That split second of hesitation when I opened the door---that could've gotten you killed. What happened to that sixth sense you used to brag about?"

He was closer now, much closer, and she felt her skin prickle in fear as his eyes bore into hers. She'd never seen him so quietly, inexorably angry---except once. The night she'd spiked his drink in Hong Kong and made her last-ditch, desperate effort to seduce him. Just before he'd left the WSB and began his serious pursuit to take over ELQ---and his not-so-serious quest to conquer Lois.

She swallowed hard put two placating hands on his arms, deliberately shifting into seductive mode. "Now Jax.....I still have it. I just knew it was you." She tilted her head to look up at him, knowing that at this range her dark blue eyes, surrounded by thick black lashes, were devastating.

Only Jax seemed to possess an immunity to them. "Stop working me with the eyes," he growled, echoing the words he'd spoken to Brenda long ago in this very spot. "You've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do, Ashley. Get started." Unceremoniously, he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her down the stairs. "Sit down, " he ordered, taking up a position in front of the fireplace. Warily, she sank down on the nearest couch. "And tell me what the hell

you're doing here. I thought we'd finished our discussion in Kuala Lumpur. You stowed away, of course. Why? You could have just followed me----there was another flight leaving for the States right behind me....the damn jet was lining up on the runway when I took off. And don't tell me you couldn't have finessed a ticket on it, either."

Her voice rose in frustration. "Jax, you're not listening to me! Your life is in danger. That's why Jerry sent me! I couldn't wait even a few hours to follow.....I had to stick close to you."

"Oh, too right. You haven't stuck that close.....you chose instead to take up residence in MY penthouse---and then try to make Brenda think there was something going on between us. I hope you took her advice to heart: You needn't get too comfortable. You WILL be leaving shortly."

"Jax---"

"As for Jerry," he continued, deliberately interrupting her, "why the hell didn't he come himself? I understand his not wanting to tip his hand, but he could've met me in secret as easily as you did---we've certainly managed that before."

Ashley remained silent, truly afraid of the cold green gleam in Jax's eyes. It was a look that he had never given Brenda. And never would.

"He sent you to get to me......not just to warn me. He told you to follow me back to Port Charles---but it wasn't to protect me, was it? Jerry knows I can take care of myself. He wanted you to come between Brenda and me, didn't he?"

More silence.

"Answer me!" Jax's voice cracked like a whip, and Ashley cringed.

"Yes....I mean, he DID want me to bring you to your senses about Brenda..."

"Bring me to my senses?" Jax's eyes flashed fire. "What the bloody hell! As if Brenda was any of Jerry's damn business to begin with!"

"He doesn't want to see you hurt again, Jax, and neither do I."

"That's my worry. Not that it's going to happen."

"Won't it? She has a history of being unstable.....of turning to the nearest man that's available---"

"ENOUGH!"

"It's not enough!" Anger bolstered Ashley's flagging courage, and she jumped to her feet, ready to do battle. "She's not good enough for you, Jax. Jerry knows it. Lady Jayne and John know it. I know it." Her voice softened, took on its seductive tone again. "You and I were so good together......as partners. And we would have been so good together in other ways, too, only you wouldn't let yourself go. You wanted me once, Jax. You remember

that night in the Sultan's Palace......you told me you wanted me more than you'd ever wanted any other woman....."

Jax's anger vanished, replaced by an unfathomable coldness, and Ashley felt a queer sense of telescoping space, as if a great chasm had opened between her and Jax in the blink of an eye, leaving him beyond her reach forever. "Well, I don't want you anymore. I have the woman I want---and she's worth more than all the Ashleys and all the Mirandas that have ever been put on this planet. And if you do ANYTHING to hurt her.......I'll make you sorry,

Ashley. And the next time you talk to Jerry, you can tell him the same."

"But Jax---"

"Never mind. I'll tell him myself when he gets here." He gave her a keen so keen, she felt as if her skin were being probed by needles. "He IS coming here, isn't he?"

She set her jaw, stony-faced.

"Fine. You and Jerry whip up your plots and play your cloak-and-dagger stunts, Ashley, but you remember what I said. Hurt Brenda at your own peril. Now get your things and get out. I've got places to go and people to see, and I don't want you here while I'm making arrangements."

"You're a fool, Jax." She stomped past him up the stairs to the guest bedroom to pack.

Jax stared after her. "Maybe, Ashley, but not for the reasons you think." I could strangle her---and I could strangle Jerry for siccing her on me, but I honestly think she's scared. Damn! He forced a hand through his thick, blond hair in his usual gesture of frustration. I need to shake up Velcro Venus....she has to be Helena's spy. And I need to find out all I can about Helena herself. His aquamarine eyes glowed with a sudden

burst of inspiration. Time to force the man's hand. When Brenda and I get back from our little trip, it's time for me to talk to Lancaster Corey......

~*~

"Comfortable, sweetie?" Jax murmured softly in Brenda ear as his hair stroked her hair.

"Hm.....yes." Her expression was drowsy, relaxed. The droning of the plane's engines, coupled with Jax's gentle caress was lulling her to sleep. "Where are we going?" She smiled up at him.

"To that winter wonderland you ordered, of course."

"But you haven't told me where," she wheedled, catching his free hand and pulling it around her. She was lying across the leather seats, cradled in Jax's lap, a blanket tucked securely over her.

"Ah. But I'm not SUPPOSED to tell you."

"Of course you're not. But I AM supposed to ask." She turned on her side and snuggled more deeply into him, her eyes closing again as she drifted off to sleep, and Jax bit back a groan. It was going to be a long flight........

~*~