Intrigue & Passion
by: Susan
Sorry about Foolish Games everyone, but I completely blocked on it. I hope you enjoy Intrigue and Passion.
Four Years after the current fiasco: (Brenda has joined the WSB at an attempt to forget everything in her life that reminds her of Jax. When he found out about her sleeping with Sonny in the cave he had just walked out of the penthouse. 3 months later she had received divorce papers. Her life crumbled out from under her.
Then she had found out that Sonny really had orchestrated the whole situation, from Harry stalking her, to being trapped in the cave together. She had been furious. After taking some time to wallow in self misery and self destruction she had decided to make a drastic change and so had joined the WSB. At first it had just been an escape for her, but then Brenda had really fallen in love with what she was doing.
In four years she hadn't stepped foot into Port Charles. Occasionally she would see Lois and Brooke Lynne, and Robin, but she tried to stay away from anything that reminded her of Jax or Sonny.
Now, she was is standing in an office building in New York overlooking the slate blue waters of the Hudson. Her arms are wrapped around her shoulders and she's absently rubbing her hands up and down her arms. She looks pretty much the same except a little older, and the sparkle that used to shine in her eyes is gone. She's leaner too, has the body of a well trained agent. Muscular but feminine. She's wearing a pair of Calvin Klein jeans and a plain white T-shirt with a blue sweat shirt over it. The meeting she's about to attend is casual and anyway, she had just come from the gym on the 26th floor.
Nothing helped her stop thinking when she was alone and idle and she hated it. Hated the pain she still felt when she thought about the despair and anger she had seen in Jax's eyes the last night she had seen him. The night she had broken his heart and her own in the process of only thinking about herself.
"Why can't I forget him? " She whispered to herself and sighed.
Four years after he left her Jax still popped into her head without invitation. She read the papers, saw the news, knew about every single fling he had with glamorous and powerful women all around the world, and it killed her. Just this morning she had heard about another one of his escapades with super model Cynthia Nash. Brenda knew her, and hated her. She was one of those waif models that every body loved. But she had given that up 3 years ago.
"Brenda?"
She turned at the voice and smiled. Good, work.
"Johnny, what do you have for me? "
Work was the only thing that kept her mind off everything that had happened, off everything she had thrown away.
"A new partner. "
"But, why? I mean I've handled all my cases well enough. Why a partner Johnny? I work alone! I do my best work alone. "
Johnny Utah smiled and walked over to his desk. Brenda Barrett was still a mystery to him, even though she had been with the agency for 2 ½ years. She was one of their best operatives, but lately she had been getting herself into too many tight situations. On her last assignment in Peru, they had lost contact with her for a week. She had turned up a headquarters a month later, with no clue that everybody had been looking for her. He flipped open the two files on his desk and smiled again. If he had the right information then maybe her new partner would take a vested interest in her reckless ways and correct them.
"Do you remember what happened in Peru? "
She started to protest but he held up his hand.
"Brenda you've been a little reckless lately. You take too many risks and one day that might catch up with you. "
"Johnny…"
"You're valuable to us Brenda. In 2 ½ years you've solved some cases that seasoned agents couldn't figure out. But right now we've got one for you that I know you're not going to be able to handle alone. Have a seat. "
Brenda walked over to the chair Johnny offered her and sank into it.
"Have you heard of the Phoenix yet Brenda? "
"Mythology Johnny? The phoenix rose from the flames to live again. "
Johnny nodded and handed Brenda the file on his desk.
"I meant the agent. Our top agent, The Phoenix. Have you heard of him? "
Flipping open the file Brenda quickly scanned through the top most pages. Of course she had heard of him. He was a legend to the newer recruits. He had joined the agency when he was 20 and had excelled far beyond anyone's expectations.
"Yeah, he was often used as an example in our classes. But what does he have to do with me? "
How was he going to word this. Johnny eyed Brenda carefully, noted the circles under her eyes, the sweat shirt she wore despite the fact that it was a warm day outside, and recalled the Brenda Barrett who had joined the agency to forget about the mess her life had become. He wondered if she knew just how much potential she had, and how much she had achieved. It was time to drop the bomb. Pressing the intercom button on his phone, Johnny called his secretary.
"Debbie, send him in. "
Brenda stood up and watched the knob on the door turning.
"Johnny? "
The door opened and Johnny had to smile. It was perfect. The reaction was, everything he had hoped for.
Brenda's mouth fell open when The Phoenix walked into the room. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and wondered if he heard it to. Four years since she had laid eyes on him. Four years since she had fallen asleep in his arms. She hadn't been warm since the moment he had left her.
"Jax…."