Chapter 24: With This Ring
~ The Wedding ~
The big event has finally rolled around, and everyone was in a flurry of excitement. It was, after all, Valentine’s Day. The air was filled with romance, and the current of electricity in the air was enough to charge all of New York city. The wedding was being held in a giant cathedral, the bishop with whom John Jacks was good friends. All the guests, who had been told to show up at another location, had been chauffered in by private limosines. The attempt to delude the press failed however, and the cathedral had to be surrounded by police barricades to keep out the invading paparazzi. There was a traffic jam a mile long getting to the cathedral from all the chaos, and the blocks all around it were jammed packed with spectators who had come to gawk, oo and ahhhh over the VIP and celebrity guests. A compromise had to be made where the doors of the cathedral were to be left open so the ceremony could be seen by all if the reporters would behave themselves.
All the important players were already in the cathedral. It looked beautiful, Lucy had done an incredible job with the decorations. Fresh bouquets framed by gold, red and crystal decorations everywhere. She certainly had spared no expense. Over-eager reporters were crawling over each other while the guests of the bride and groom were making their way in, trying to snap the best pictures for their respective papers and magazines, and television crews were also set up outside, filming the event.
At the end of the deep red velvet carpet that was laid out along the aisle to the alter stood Jax, Ned, and John Jacks, all decked out in their finest suits. Jax, who was already dressed in his white tux with tails, had his hair combed back and a deep red bowtie around his neck, with a matching corsage of red flowers pinned to his breast in honour of Valentine's Day. He looked sleek and sexy. Jake and the Contessa were talking together down by her pew, and Damon and Thao joined Jax, as they chatted and waited for the ceremony to begin. Augustin was on a balcony with the choir, making last minute adjustments to the aria they were going to perform. Brenda was upstairs getting ready with Lois, Lady Jane, Lucy and Robin.
Jerry was standing by Lena, who was sitting in the back pew. She had snuck back there for a moment's quiet when he spotted her and made his way over. She looked like a vision in her light pink, strapless bridesmaid's dress, and upswept hair, and Jerry admired her slender graceful figure.
"Why aren't you upstairs with Brenda?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against the back wall of the cathedral. He looked like the splitting image of Jax, with his white tux and tails. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was more tanned and his hair was rather unruly compared to Jax's, it would have been impossible to tell the two apart.
Lena smiled. "Brenda is in excellent hands. Lois was fussing over her like a mother hen on helium last time I checked." Jerry chuckled at that. "Robin, Lucy, and Lady Jane are all with her as well. I'll be up in a minute, I just wanted to take a peek at what was going on down here."
Jerry glaced around the crowded cathedral. "I think all of New York decided to turn out."
"What a circus!" Lena said, shaking her head. She looked up to the front of the cathedral to see John Jacks greeting an old woman friend by sweeping the frail-looking woman into a giant hug, and spinning her around, causing her hat to fling off, his voice booming. Lena shook her head. "Has he *always* been like that?"
Jerry grinned, and sat down beside her. "Always."
"How does your mother stay in one piece?"
"Mum has a black belt in karate."
Lena laughed, and then turned pensive. "You're very lucky to have them as parents. They seem like wonderful people." She picked up Jerry's arm to glance at his watch. "Oops, time to run."
"See you out on the rug," Jerry called after her as she dashed off to get back up to Brenda. Jerry joined the men up front. "Any last words little brother? If you're going to pray, you better do it quick." he teased Jax.
Jax smirked. "You're so cocky now, just wait until your turn, big brother."
"Bite your tongue!" Jerry laughed.
Upstairs, Brenda had put on the finishing touches. She was wearing a white, pearl-embroidered Yves St. Laurent original that hung off her shoulders and wrapped beautifully around her. Her veil was a mist of lace that draped to the ground and trailed several feet. She had white slippers on her feet. Lena stopped in her tracks when she saw Brenda. Her friend looked absolutely stunning, like a fairy princess.
"You look wonderful, dear," Lady Jane said. "Certainly the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."
"Thanks, Jane. Ohhhhh....I'm so nervous!" Brenda said, getting all gittery. "How much longer?" she asked, starting to do a strange combination of pacing and bouncing around the room.
"Ten more mintutes, Bren." Robin replied looking at her watch.
"Well cara, are you ready to take the plunge?" Lena asked.
"I'm ready. I am *so* ready," Brenda laughed.
The ladies went through the old tradition of something old, new, borrowed, blue. Lois gave her something new: her shiny pearl heart-shaped earings. Lady Jane’s ring, which Jax would put on her finger later, was something old. Robin handed Brenda something blue. It was a box that contained a pearl necklace of the deepest blue. It was one of a kind, specially cultured on Jax's private blue sand beach, and Brenda was completely blown away by it. The man never ceased to amaze her. Lena pulled out a pair of Oriental pearl haircombs for Brenda. They had belonged to her mother, and were to be the something borrowed. Brenda had tears in her eyes by the time the combs were fastened to her hair.
"Don't ya dare cry, Bren," Lois warned, "or ya'll have us all bawling our eyes out before we even get down the stairs!"
Lucy handed Brenda her bouquet of flowers, helped her flip over her veil, and gave her an excited tight squeeze. "Knock 'em dead, Brenda!" she said with a squeal.
"I wish Julia could have been here to see this." Brenda said wistfully.
"Well, Julia sent her regards ta Jax." Lois told her. "She wishes ya both the best 'o luck."
It was time. Augustin stood on the balcony above the altar, flanked by a harpist the choir. His deep, resonating voice accompanied by the choir and lilting harp music wafted throughout the cavernous cathedral, and reverberated off the elaborate dome ceiling. As he sang, the processional, beginning with Lena on Jerry’s arm, then Robin on Damon’s, Lucy on Thao’s and finally Lois on Jake’s marched towards the altar. They took their places as the last strains of the aria played out.
Then the harpist began to pluck out the bridal march on the delicate strings. It was simple, melodious, and beautiful. A ripple went through the crowd as Brenda appeared on the arm of Ned at the back of the cathedral. All the guests stood to their feet and watched as they headed slowly towards the front of the cathedral. She was so nervous she was quaking. It was finally happening. This was for *real* this time. She was getting married in front of all these people - who *were* all these people?? - to the man she was head over heels in old fashioned love with. Brenda felt the weight of everyone's gaze on her and the photographers’ flashbulbs going off in her eyes suddenly made her light-headed.
"Oh boy," she said, under her breath.
"What?" Ned whispered.
"I think I'm going to faint!"
"Oh no you don't!" Ned said. "We're almost there!"
"Why didn't someone tell me there'd be all these *people* here?" Brenda hissed. "I think I'm getting claustraphobic!"
"Come on Brenda. It’s not like you haven’t already done this *twice.*" Ned whispered, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, well this time it's *different!*"
"Well I don't have time to perpetually be giving you away so snap out of it!"
"Very funny Ned Ashton." Brenda muttered. "Some great help *you* are."
Ned grinned at her. "Cut the running commentary and march, Brenda."
Brenda took a deep breath and tried to do as Ned suggested. She locked gazes with Jax, and the butterflies melted from her stomach like butter on an autumn afternoon. Jerry and Jax been watching Brenda’s complexion veer from rosy to suddenly pale to rosy again, and they both silently chuckled.
Jerry leaned over to whisper to Jax, "Looks like she’s not going save your sorry hide by fainting. Last chance to back out before you’re hooked brother."
Jax grinned at Jerry. "Not on your life."
The harpist strummed the final chords of the bridal march just as Ned and Brenda reached the altar. Ned handed her off to Jax, who took her hands in his, and together they turned to face the bishop. He beamed down at the couple from where he stood, and opened his large, elaboratly decorated Bible.
"Dearly beloved," he began, "we are gathered here today, to join this man, and this woman...."
Outside of the cathedral, standing clear of the media and police, stood a man with slick brown hair and dark sunglasses. He was well-dressed, and he had an angular face. He was watching the proceedings with great interest. He had just flown into town, after recieving Miranda's pathetic phone call about her inability to stop the divorce. It was a set back, but merely a glitch in his overall plan to destroy the Jacks family.
"Enjoy it for now, Jasper." Jonas said, darkly. "Because soon, the memories will be all you have left."
+++
Amanda Marshall
Police cars round in circles, the silence gathering
You never know what's next down here
Close your eyes and shut your mouth...
Sonny had been driving around the city of Port Charles since dawn. He finally came to a stop down by the docks. He got out of his car and walked over to where he had left her standing in the rain, the night he had made his decision to stay with Lilly and their unborn child.
He had planned to run away with Brenda, he had told her that he could never stop loving her, and she had told him she understood what being together would cost them. Then Lilly had stunned him with the news of her pregnancy, and he had gone to the docks to think. He reazlied he could never walk out on his child as Mike had walked out on him. He tried to explain it to Brenda, and it was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. He loved her with all his heart, but he couldn't leave his child. Brenda had asked him to be a good father and to make it worthwhile.
And I know I won't last forever
If there's nothing left in your heart for me
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Too young to die and too old
To believe in
Promises...
Sonny walked over to lean against the cold brick wall of a building. He thought back to when they first met. It had been during the middle of the whole mess with Karen Wrexler and Jagger Cates. He was getting over his failed relationship with Karen, and she was getting over hers with Jagger, and somehow, he and Brenda had found their way together. She was this young, wild, little girl, full of passion, desperately looking for someone to love her. And he, well, he was trouble, and a challenge she couldn't resist. He had asked her out, knowing her reckless desire to play with fire. They connected, and loving her was the best thing Sonny ever did his whole life. It was Valentine's Day, a day that had once meant so much to him and Brenda. He couldn't get the image of Brenda wrapping herself up as a present for him out of his head. And now she was getting married to another man.
The ambulance is singing, to streetcars in the rain
Like barracuda waiting
For the guns down in the hood
He thought back to the whole business with the wire. The devastation he had felt when he discovered Brenda had agreed to betray him to the police. He had never felt so hurt by anyone. Somehow, it had all fallen to pieces. Circumstances pulling them apart, their own differences, he didn't know. All he knew was that he felt like his world was caving in on him.
But this ain't no West Side Story
And the curtain's coming down on me
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Too young to die and too old
To believe in
Promises
How had it come to this? He had been forced to marry Lilly, and Brenda had her affair with Miguel. But the fire between them never died. It was why he could never love Lilly the way she deserved, he had never gotten Brenda out of his heart. Stone could see it, and he had predicted they would one day be together.
"Guess you were wrong, buddy." Sonny whispered.
It's all sound and all fury
It's all reach and no touch
It's all life's cold bravado
All grown up and old so fast
He had tried to set things right between them, but once Jasper Jacks entered the picture, it was too late. He even went so far as to dig up Jax's presumed dead first wife in order to break them up, but it didn't work. It only hurt Brenda.
Sonny stared out at the ice-covered waters. There was nothing left for him to do. It was over. It was all over. His heart ached, and his head rebelled at the thought, but he couldn't lie to himself any longer. They had been to hell and back, and she had saved his life so many times. Now, it was time to let go. He had told Luke a long time ago that he could live without love. He had firmly believed that. Well, now he would know.
And I know I won't last forever
If there's nothing left in your heart for me
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Too young to die and too old
To believe in
Promises.
Chapter 25: Show Me the Bubbly!
~ The Wedding Reception ~
The reception was being held at Jax's Manhatten Island mansion. Lucy and Lady Jane had collaborated it's decoration, and it had been completely transformed according to the romantic Valentine theme. The sun was just starting to go down, and the sky was a brilliant array or orange and red lights, shining down on the gathering. The mansion itself and the landscape around it were all adorned with sparkling crystal hearts with red lights reflecting off them. A light snow had blanketed the earth, lending a serene appearence.
The path to the front door was covered with fresh flower petals from red roses, and a giant heart-shaped archway made of roses and decorated with little gold cupids and hearts led the way to the giant double doors. The archway was flanked with ushers dressed as medieval pageboys, who greeted all the guests and directed them inside. Security was airtight, as they made sure the people arriving in each limosine that pulled up through the wrought-iron gates were on the official guestlist. A mass of press had been allowed through, and were kept in a special area behind barricades.
The interior of the house had been transformed into a huge reception and ballroom, and giant ice sculptures stood throughout the room. Upstairs had been roped off, but the main floor was open to everyone. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the crystal of the chandeliers themselves were coloured, so a glittering of rainbow lights filled the room. To one side of the ballroom were the tables, decorated with ornate bouquets of exotic flowers and miniature cupid candles and intricately designed name plates made from rice paper and brass. The bridal table was placed in the middle of the group, and all others surrounded it. A giant table full of food was against the wall, and waiters stood behind it. Beside this, was the wedding cake, standing on a pedistal of its own.
To the front of the room was an elevated stage and several mounted spotlights. The New York Phillharmonic Orchestra was already on stage, energetically sweeping the partygoers into a festive mood. The waiters were walking around the room carrying trays of hor d'oeuvres, consisting of oysters, clams, smoked salmon, crabmeat cocktails and poached shrimp. Celebrities, politicans, business acquaintences, and friends of the family were all milling about.
The reception party had already begun before the newlyweds finally made their grand entrance. Jax and Brenda had finally pulled up in their limosine. Jax stepped out of the limo, and extended his hand inside for Brenda. She emerged to the blinding light of hundreds of flashbulbs going off at once.
"Ready?" He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"Are you kidding?!" Hand in hand, they made their way up the walk, under the archway, and into the mansion. They entered, and were flanked on either side by trumpeteers who blasted their arrival. Jax grinned at Brenda who laughed out loud. Who's bright idea were the trumpeteers?
Lois and Lena rushed over to the couple. "You guys finally made it!" Lois laughed. "We were beginnin' ta think we were gonna have this party without ya!"
"Did you see how many cars there were coming out from the cathedral?" Brenda said in disbelief.
"I know!" Lois exclaimed. "I swear ta god! It was like the Oscars or somethin'! When we were pullin' out, this crazy cabbie came flyin' at us from the *sidewalk*, ya know? There were these insane reporters hangin' out the window, and they almost sideswiped our limo!"
Jax laughed. "I saw that. Honestly, I was about ready to call my helicopter to *fly* us out of there!"
"Well, now that you two have arrived, let's get this show on the road!" Lena said.
The wedding photographers swirled around the couple, as they were ushered to their table and the reception officially began. All the guests were seated at their respective tables. The bridal table had a massive candelabra centrepiece, decorated with peonies, olive branches, and roses. Once everyone was at their tables, the waiters began scurrying around to serve the food. Dinner consisted of a salad of baby lettuces, and the guests were given the choice of lobster consomme, filet mignon with bordelaise sauce or chicken in Champagne sauce, and a medley of baby vegetables. Dinner was followed by a myriad of desserts, including black forest torte, strawberry tart and raspbery-filled chocolate cake. After everyone had eaten, the merriment began.
Lois clanged her spoon against her champagne glass to signal Jerry it was time to toast to the bride and groom. Jerry stood and started things off, waving his hands to to get everyone’s attention and quiet the crowd.
"All right folks. Tradition dictates that the best man be the one to make the first toast to the newlyweds." He turned to his brother and Brenda. "And so, after all that's you guys have been through, I just wanted to say, are you guys sure you're really married this time?" Laughter errupted from the crowd as Jax groaned and buried his face in Brenda's hair.
"I *knew* he was going to embarass me. I should've never invited him."
Brenda giggled. "Shhhh! He's not finished yet!"
"I'm just checking so I know to clear my schedule in case you have any more weddings popping up over the next little while. Not that I don't enjoy these little soirees, mind you, but don't you think three in one year is a bit excessive?" Jerry asked, grinning hugely at his twin.
Jax shrugged and grinned back at his brother. "What can I say? I *like* getting married to Brenda." Cheers errupted from the crowd as Jax and Brenda looked adoringly at each other.
Jerry chuckled. "I don't blame you, she's a real gem. Jax, Brenda, I'm glad you two finally got it right. A toast, to the now officially married Mr. and Mrs. Jacks! I knew the two of you were meant to be when I offered Brenda a chance to run away with me and she refused."
"I'll run away with ya!" Rosie O'Donnell called out from the crowd, and Jerry paused to grin as the room burst into more laughter.
"Thanks!" he said smiling flirtatiously, "We'll talk later." Jerry waited until the commotion died down before continuing. "As I was saying, I figure any woman too stubborn to drop Jax for *me* has got to be either nuts or truly devoted. Brenda, I think you're a bit of both. Now, I've seen Jax with other girls - "
Brenda shot Jax a mock glare. "Woah, woah, when was this!?"
"He's lying!" Jax cried out. "Don't believe a word he says!" More laughter.
"Let me finish!" Jerry shouted over the din. "As I was saying! I knew the moment I met you, Brenda, that you were the woman for my brother. No one else could've turned him into such a - "
"Jerry!" Lady Jane admonished.
Jerry grinned at his mother, then turned back to the newlywed couple. He raised his glass. "Here's to the best, brightest future for the two of you. I love you both. To Jax and Brenda!"
"To Jax and Brenda!" the crowd echoed, all raising their glasses.
Lois rose from her seat as Jerry sat down. "Ok, ok! My turn! Jax, Bren, ya both know how I feel about ya. You guys were meant ta be! It was the luckiest thing when Jax decided ta help me bail out L & B - "
"Something he should be shot for," Edward grumbled to amused laughter.
"Hush!" Lois commanded, her dimples deepening. "As I was sayin' cuz it led ya guys right to each other! Yer two of a kind, and I'm crazy about the both o' ya! You've seen yer share o'troubled waters, and ya made it through together. I couldn't be happier for ya. Here's ta a love that'll last forever!"
Lois was followed by John Jacks, who spoke for his wife Lady Jane, in saying how much it meant to the two of them to see Brenda and Jax married, and happy. Several others also made some poignant and funny toasts. By the time the toasts were through, Ned had gotten into gear. He jumped on stage and beckoned for everyone's attention up front.
"Hey everybody!" he called out. "I'm Eddie Maine, and this here's my band, the Idle Rich. We're good friends of the bride and groom, and we think it's about time that this party got rocking! First off, before everyone goes diving onto the dancefloor, there is a song for the happy couple from their friends. And so, without further ado..." Ned disappeared into the side of the stage, and the lights dimmed.
The attendants scurried across the darkened stage, and lit hundreds of candles until the entire stage was illuminated by the light of candles. Augustin appeared, standing in the centre of the stage, his face lit up by the flickering of the candle in his hands and the crowd hushed. The light of the candles lent a soft, gentle atmosphere, and the mood was one of romance. Augustin strode over to Jax and Brenda, and lit the candles of the candelabra in front of them. Returning to the stage, he addressed the crowd.
"This is an old song, one that Lois suggested to me since it seemed to represent Brenda and Jax's love story so well. It is called Nobody Loves Me Like You Do." Augustin’s voice softly began the love ballad.
Whitney Housten
Like a candle burning bright
Love is glowing in your eyes
A flame to light our way
That burns brighter everyday
But now I have you
Nobody loves me like you do
Like a leaf upon the wind
I could find no place to land
I dreamed the hours away
And wondered everyday
Do dreams come true
Nobody loves me like you do
What if I'd never met you
Where would I be right now
Funny how life just falls in place somehow
You've touched my heart in places, that I never even knew
Cause nobody loves me like you do
I was words without a tune
I was a song still unsung
A poem with know rhyme
A dancer out of time
But now there's you
Baby, nobody loves me like you do
Baby, nobody loves me like you do.
The song ended. A burst of applause came from the guests who were blown away by his powerful performance. Augustin had sung wonderfully, and the emotions he reflected in the song touched everyone in the crowd. Augustin took his bow. He winked at the couple, and strode off the stage as Ned stepped back onto it.
"Ok, now we get to the dedication songs from the newlyweds. Jax and Brenda chose these songs for each other to say what's in their hearts." Jax led Brenda to the middle of the dancefloor for their firs official dance as man and wife. "Now," Ned continued, "this here song is from Brenda to Jax. I'm sure everyone here reads the National Enquirer," laughter from the crowd, "So, everyone knows what happened the last time these two tried to get hitched. Anyway, Brenda asked me to say, this is her message to Jax. So Jax, buddy, listen up." This was the song Lois and Brenda had wanted Celine Dion to perform, but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts. As the light came up, Brenda blinked to make sure she was seeing right. Lena and Robin were standing on centre stage as the Phillharmonic string section backed them up.
Celine Dion
Take me, back in the arms I love
Need me, like you did before
Touch me once again
And remember when
There was no one that you wanted more
Brenda wrapped her arms around Jax's neck, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and together, they swayed slowly to the melody of the song. Other couples made their way onto the dancefloor, and followed suit, and soon, the dancefloor was full of people dancing together.
Don't go, you know you will break my heart
She won't, love you like I will
I'm the one who'll stay
When she walks away
And you know I'll be standing here still
I'll be waiting for you
Here inside my heart
I'm the one who wants to love you more
You will see I can give you
Everything you need
Let me be the one to love you more
Brenda had tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe her friends were doing this for her. It was the most touching thing she'd ever seen. Jax noticed, and kissed her forehead. He knew why she had chosen this song. This was her way of telling him that she loved him more than Miranda ever did or could. And she was right. Brenda smiled up at him. She was happy beyond words. This wedding was everything she had ever dreamed of. Once again, Jax had made her dreams come true. She hoped he understood why she chose this song, and how much he meant to her, and one look into his gorgeous blue eyes told her that he did.
See me. as if you never knew
Hold me, so you can't let go
Just believe in me
I will make you see
All the things that your heart needs to know
I'll be waiting for you
Here inside my heart
I'm the one who wants to love you more
Can't you see I can give you
Everything you need
Let me be the one to love you more
And some way, all the love that we had can be saved
Whatever it takes, we'll find a way
I'll be waiting for you
Here inside my heart
I'm the one who wants to love you more
Can't you see I can give you
Everything you need
Let me be the one to love you more
The women were wiping the tears away. The song ended, and the crowd broke out into appreciative applause for the two girls. Together, they took their bows. Brenda was struggling to maintain her composure. Thank you, Brenda mouthed. I love you, Lena mouthed back as Robin smiled and waved.
Ned came out as the duo disappeared. "Thank you, Robin and Lena! Didn't they do a wonderful job? Think recording contracts you two! And while you're at it, get me a raise!" he said, as the crowd chuckled. He took a seat at the center of the stage, and a spotlight shone down on him. "Jax was having a hard time coming up with just the right song for Brenda. He didn't know whether to choose one to say how much he loved her, or one to say how much she drove him crazy!" All the guests broke out laughing. "So, we reached a compromise. This is part one of it. It's called, Now and Forever."
Richard Marx
Whenever I'm weary from the battles that rage in my head
You make sense of madness when my sanity hangs by a thread
I lose my way but still you seem to understand
Now and forever I will be your man.
Like Brenda, Jax had chosen this song to tell her nothing would never come between them again. He knew how much Brenda had been hurt by Miranda, especially the way he had acted when she first reappeared, and he wanted to say he was sorry. He had been deeply touched by the way Brenda had stood by him, when his mind had been going in circles, and he knew how incredibly lucky he was to be here at this moment. He squeezed her tighter to him, and Brenda laid her head against his chest as she listened to Ned's voice float through the room, captivating the occupants.
Sometimes I just hold you
Too caught up in me to see
I'm holding a fortune that heaven has given to me
I'll try to show you each and every way I can
Now and forever I will be your man
Now I can rest my worries and always be sure
That I won't be alone anymore
If I'd only known you were there all the time
All this time
Until the day the ocean doesn't touch the sand
Now and forever I will be your man
Now and forever I will be your man
The guests at the reception burst in a round of applause for Ned, who took a bow. Jax excused himself from Brenda, and Brenda watched him go talk to the video-taping crew curiously. Lois, Lena and Robin immediately came over to give their friend a giant hug and directed Brenda’s attention towards the stage.
Ned had risen and grasped the microphone stand, as he set his guitar down. "All right! Enough of that sentimental romantic mush stuff!" he cried. "Now we’ll get to some real fun!" The mood shifted from that of romance to comical and chaotic mania.
Jerry had jumped onto the stage with Ned, joining him in the ribald entertaining of the guests. "Is everyone ready to rock and roll?!" A loud ruckus errupted as his answer. "Well all right then! Let's get on with it!"
"Oh my god," Brenda said, laughing. "Don't tell me..." Jerry stepped behind the drum set as Ned sat down at the piano.
"Run for the hills!" John Jacks yelled, and everyone laughed.
"Hold on ta yer horses, Bren," Lois grinned.
Ned adjusted his mike, and called out, "Part two of Jax's compromise!" He leaned forward, and suddenly pounded out a familiar old chords.
Jerry Lee Lewis
You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain!
Jax came sliding across the stage, microphone in hand, and dark shades on. He looked hot, and many whistles, hootin' and hollerin' came from the crowd below. Brenda shrieked and nearly fell over into Lois's arms. Robin and Lena bent over double laughing their heads off, knowing for months now that Jax had planned this.
Too much love drives a man insane
You broke my will, but what a thrill
Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!
"Oh my GOD!!" Brenda screamed with laughter. "I DON'T believe this!" The video crew was busy taping both Brenda's reaction as well as the performance on stage.
Jax flipped his sunglasses and smirked at Brenda as he continued to sing and dance, accompanied by Ned and Jerry in a perfect rendition of the song, although all of them were hamming it up too much for anyone to be able to tell. The girls howled with laughter when he jumped on top of the piano and did a shuffle step and spun around. The guys looked too cute for words and most of the guests were laughing so hard they were crying. John Jacks was almost blue with mirth, and Lady Jane was laughing and fanning him with a napkin at the same time.
I laughed at love 'cause I thought it was funny
You came along and moooooved me honey
I've changed my mind, your love is fine
Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!
Jax jumped off the piano and sat down next to Ned, passing the microphone between them, alternating singing, and Jerry was flailing wildly at the drums. The crowd below had gotten into the act, and were twirling, shaking, and singing along to the rowdy music.
Kiss me baby
Brenda blew a kiss at Jax, who pretended to catch it and put it to his heart.
Woo feels good
Hold me baby, weelll I want to love you like a lover should
Your fine, so kind
I want to tell the world that your mine! mine! mine! mine!
Jax shook his head headbanger style and Brenda collapsed into Lois and Lena's arms. Everyone was on their feet. Jax had moved back to centre stage and Jerry had risen from behind the drum set to join him. He started clapping his hands above his head to keep the beat. The twins were dancing together on the stage, and they were the most adorable thing Brenda had ever seen! The flash of their dimples sent more than a few hearts aflutter. Everyone was clapping their hands to the beat now. They slung their arms around each other and screamed out the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs
I'm real nervous, but it sure is fun
Come on baby, drive my crazy
Goodness, gracious, GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!!!
Aarrrrooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
The boys threw up their heads and howled in unison at the end of the song, and it was almost drowned out by the explosive applause, cheering and ruckus that the crowd sent up in honour of their performance. They exchanged high fives and patted themselved on the back, and then jumped off stage.
Brenda threw herself into Jax's arms. "I can *not* believe you just did that!" she shrieked, laughting so hard she almost couldn't breathe.
Jax grinned down at her. "Only for you would I make such a fool of myself."
"Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" Ned was saying onstage. "And now that the dedications are over, it is time for the real partying to get underway. And to get it all started, we have an old friend of the Jacks who insisted on being here tonight." Ned waved his hand and John Mellencamp walked onto the stage.
Brenda and Jax did a simultaneous double take as Lois and Ned conspiratorially winked at each other. John Mellencamp greeted the crowd full of energy, and told them he was here as a favor to his old friend Jax. He thought he had just the song to get things rocking, and launched into "Wild Nights."
As you brush your shoes and stand before your mirror
And you comb your hair and grab your coat and hat
And you walk the streets trying to remember
All those wild nights breeze through your mind
And everything looks so complete
When you're walking out on the street
And the wind catches your feet
And sends you flying, crying
Oooh, oo-ooh wee the wild night is calling...
They guests were exhilarated, and the mansion rocked with enthusiasm. John Mellencamp's voice blared from the stage, driving the party spirit into everyone. And when the song came to an end, the strobe lights overhead went wild, flashing bright lights, and heart shaped red balloons and flower petals started rain down from the ceiling while sparklers were shot from the back of the stage. A massive applause erupted and Jax swept Brenda off her feet and kissed her soundly.
After the singing ended, the band played on, and the mingling and dancing was well underway, as people went from table to table greeting each other and couples were all over the dancefloor. Brenda went to dance with Augustin while Jax danced with his mother. Thao was spinning Lois around the room. Others filed into the gaming room or the billiards room.
"Excuse me, Miss Raine?" an usher approached Lena who was laughing with Felicia, Robin and Mac.
"Yes?"
"The package you have been waiting for has arrived. It's was signed for, and taken up to the master suite."
"Oh! Thank you!" Lena had contacted her old governess, Marina, in Italy to mail her the wedding gift to Jax and Brenda, and it had just arrived. She was so relieved it had made it through the journey to get here on time. She made her way up the stairs to the master suite to retrieve it. On her way back, she accidentally stumbled upon a hushed conversation between John Jacks and his son. They were blocking her path. Neither Jerry nor John Jacks, who were sitting a few feet away from her on the spiral staircase, noticed her.
"Does your brother know?"
"Does it matter?
"He's still upset that I kept her from him. He doesn't want there to be anymore secrets."
"I think he'd want to be spared the gory details of my sleeping with his wife."
John sighed. "You don't know how I curse the day Jax ever laid eyes on the little hussy."
"Yeah, well, she won't be making any more waves around here."
"How can you be sure of that? It'd be just like her to strike when Jax and Brenda are at their happiest."
"Because it's a lose-lose situation for her. She has leverage only because he cares about her. If he were to know the truth, those feelings would die. She knows I won't hesitate to tell him everything if she so much as glances his way again. So long as she stays away from Jax, she's got nothing to fear. If she tries anything I'll see to it that her life becomes a living hell. I'll unearth every skeleton in her closet, and make sure she pays for them for the rest of her days."
Jake, Damon, and the other members of Jerry's special forces team came in from outside. Their silent pagers had gone off, and they had gone outside to make a mini satilite hookup with Headquarters. They headed over to Jerry and John. "Jer, man, crisis situation in East Cambodia." Jake said in a low tone.
"Who's in the hotseat this time?"
"We are," Damon said. "Scout team's on ground. We stand down until they check back in, then HALO jump and hook up on site. ETA 0600 hours." [HALO = High Altitude Low Opening (parachute jump)]
Jerry glanced at his watch. "Well then, I guess that gives us enough time to party hearty and see the newlyweds off before we go supersonic."
As the group turned to head back into the reception party, John laid a hand on Jerry's arm. "Son, be careful."
"Don't worry dad. This is a walk in the park."
"I do worry. Your mother does as well. You know she was never happy with your joining the Bureau in the first place. What kind of life is it, always on call, chasing maniacs and criminals all around the world?"
"Let's not get into this again. This is who I am. This is what I'm happy doing."
John sighed with resignation. "I know. You don't know how buoyant it made your mother and I to see Jax happily married. Can't fault an old man for wishing you'd do the same, settle down and retire, now can you?"
Jerry grinned at his father. "And break up the team? No way. We're the best of the best. James Bond couldn't hold a candle to any of us."
"You're too cocky for your own good, boy," John said, as he followed his son back to the party.
Lena stood frozen to the spot at the top of the spiral staircase. Her head was reeling over what she had just overheard.
Chapter 26: The Party Continues
Jerry and Miranda. And Jax didnt' know. They were going to Cambodia on what sounded like some sort of secret military operation. Lena was confused. She thought that he worked for the family corporation. It suddenly struck her. Jerry worked for a *Bureau.* He chased maniacs and criminals...Jake, Damon...all of them were all some sort of international...operatives?!
Lena leaned against the railing for support when she felt the blood drain from her head. Oh boy. If Jerry was some kind of agent, that would mean he had access to INTERPOL, or the DEA, or...she didn't want to think about it. If she ever had a doubt that getting involved with Jerry was a mistake, now she *knew* it was. She put her hands to her face. What had she done? She had been so close to trusting him. She stood there, not moving for a long time. She would have to watch her step from now on. Finally, she pulled in deep breath and shoved all her thoughts to the back of her mind, and made her way down the stairs back to the party to give the newlyweds the gift.
Ned and his band were up on stage, entertaining like they did best. Jax and Brenda, meanwhile were oblivious to the world. They were swaying together on the dancefloor as if they were one person, so obviously in love. Lena waited for their dance to end before she approached the happy couple. They were engaged in a soul-searing kiss. She coughed politely to get their attention, and they grinned at her.
"Sorry to inturrupt, but I have something for you two." She handed Brenda the neatly wrapped package. "Open it, it's your wedding gift. I had to get another one since your overly macho husband here destroyed the first one."
Jax laughed at her. "I thought you said you weren't going to hold a grudge."
"Really, Len, you didn't have to. You've already done so much! But oooo, I love presents!" Brenda tore into the package as Jax put his arms around her waist, chuckling at the typical Brenda impatience. Brenda found a box, and inside, it contained a delicate scroll. Lifting it out, Brenda unrolled it and sucked in her breath. The scene painted onto the delicate material was wondrous in its beauty. It was a place Kyle had shown her in Africa, and she had asked an artist friend to convey it onto the scroll. It was one of the few thing she had treasured enough to bring back from Africa.
Lena explained the story behind the scene. It was of a lush waterfall that wound and intertwined into a tranquil spring. "This was a sacred place for the natives. It was believed to bring good luck. Once upon a time, there had been a man and a woman. Their love for each other surpassed anything the gods had ever seen. Nothing could separate them, they overcame all obstacles, and when it came time for them to die, the gods smiled down on them. They turned the man and the woman into the spring and the waterfall, forever vibrant, forever together, their love eternally preserved for all to witness."
"Wow," Brenda said, reverently running her fingers down the parchment.
"This is what I wanted for you," Lena smiled. "I can't wish you any better."
"Thanks so much, Len. We'll treasure it always." Brenda hugged her friend tight as Jax smiled his appreciation at her.
"You guys take good care of each other." Lena ordered.
Lois came over. She was flushed with excitement and joy. "Bren! Jax! I'm so happy for ya! And I can't tell ya how relieved ya finally got hitched without Mirandead's annoyin' presence! No offence Jax."
"None taken," he laughed.
"Oh Lois, thanks so much for all the work you put into this whole thing for me! I know it wouldn't have happened without your help. I will *never* be able to repay you for how perfect everything turned out."
"Awww, ya know all I want is ta see ya happy, girlfriend." She turned to Jax. "Ya better look after Brenda now, or you'll have me ta answer ta! Got it?"
Jax hugged Brenda tighter to him. "I'm quaking in my boots Lois," he smirked.
"Well ya better be!"
Jax kissed the back of Brenda's neck. "I will protect her with my life, and cherish her until the end of time." The couple looked at each other so adoringly that Lois and Lena rolled their eyes at each other.
"Ok, break it up. It's time to cut the cake you two." Lois grabbed Brenda in one hand, and Jax in the other, and hauled them off to where the wedding cake stood on it's special alter.
Everyone gathered around as Jax put his hand over Brenda's on the knife, and together they sliced through the cake as photographers snapped pictures and the video crew taped on. Brenda broke off a piece of cake and fed it to Jax, who licked the icing from her fingers. He took a chunk of cake and grinned at her.
"Don't you dare, Jasper," Brenda warned threateningly. Jax merely laughed, broke off a smaller bite and fed it to her. The waiters and attendants then took over the cutting of the cake, and delivering it to the guests.
The Newmans walked over to Jax and Brenda. "I was just telling John and Jane how wonderful the ceremony was," Joanne Woodward commented to a beaming Brenda. "You made a lovely bride dear."
"The two of you will have to come visit us in Connecticut after the honeymoon." Paul Newman added. Jax and Brenda promised to visit after they returned from their honeymoon.
"Congratulations you two," JFK Jr. said, shaking hands with Jax.
"So, where's the honeymoon going to be?" his wife Carolyn asked.
Jax and Brenda looked at each other, shrugged in unison, and laughed. JFK Jr. smiled at them. "Take it from a man who knows, watch out for the media sharks."
"They won't be a problem," Jax said confidently. "Excuse us for a moment." He pulled Brenda out of the reception room, past the foyer, and into a giant closet, closing the doors behind him, shutting out all the light except that which escaped through the tiny slits in the doors.
"Jax!" Brenda protested, laughingly, "What are you doing?"
Jax slid his arms around his wife's waist and nuzzled her neck. "Alone at last," he said.
Brenda grinned, tilting her head to the side so he could have better access. "Feeling naughty, are we, Jasper?"
"Very." Jax mumbled into the side of her hair.
"You couldn't...ah...think of a more romantic place than your closet?"
"You're here, I'm here, that makes this the most romantic place on earth." Jax said, nibbling on her ear. Brenda gave a throaty laugh as she curled her arms around his neck and kissed his chin. Jax caught her mouth with his own, and ran his tongue across her bottom lip. "Tell you a secret," he said against her lips.
"Mmmmm?"
"I've never done it in a closet before."
"Jaaaax!" Brenda laughed. Jax squeezed Brenda tight, and lifted her off the ground, and she squealed with delight.
"We did it," Brenda said in an awed voice as he set her down on the ground again. "We *really* did it! We are *married* for *real*! I don't believe it!!"
Jax grinned. "Believe it baby! In God's eyes and man's. You are absolutely, without a doubt, stuck with me forever."
"Forever won't be long enough," Brenda said, her eyes shining in the dark.
"I love you, Brenda Barrett-Jacks," Jax said, gazing deep into her soft brown eyes and seeing the overwhelming love he had for her mirrored in them.
"I love you, Jasper Jacks. You are my whole world, do you know that? Nothing and nobody could *ever* make me stop loving you."
Outside the closet, back in the reception room, their friends were sitting in a group discussing the wedding. "I haven't seen Jax this happy in a long time," Thao stated.
"Yes, and I do love Brenda," the Contessa added. "She is the most adorable creature."
Jerry came up behind Lena, and took her hand in his. "Dance with me," he said.
"Oh, I really don't - " but he had already led her to the floor and had her in his arms. Lena put on a serene expression while inside she felt like a fieldmouse trapped in the clutches of a hawk. It alarmed her to be this close to Jerry, knowing now what she knew. His words earlier echoed through her head. "I'll see to it that her life becomes a living hell. I'll unearth every skeleton in her closet, and make sure she pays for them for the rest of her days." He had said it so cold, so detached, with such pitiless, steely conviction. Was this what he was really like?
Madonna
Swaying room as the music starts
Strangers making the most of the dark
Two by two their bodies become one
Jerry saw the disquiet in her eyes. "Something wrong?" he asked gently, as they spun around slowly to the music of the band.
I see you through the smokey air
Can't you feel the weight of my stare
You're so close but still a world away
Lena shook her head. "No...um...no."
"You sure?" Jerry smiled. "You look a little flushed."
What I'm dying to say, is that
I'm crazy for you
Touch me once and you'll know it's true
"I do?"
"You do." he confirmed.
"I...it must be all the excitement."
"Are you sure it wasn't all the champagne?" Jerry's eyes twinkled at her.
I never wanted anyone like this
It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss
I'm crazy for you, crazy for you
They continued dancing in silence for a while. "You're awfully quiet."
"I guess I'm just tired. It's been a long day."
Jerry reached over and brushed away a stray lock of hair that had fallen out of place. "You know, you can call it quits anytime you want to, darlin', I'll be glad to take you home."
Trying hard to control my heart
I walk over to where you are
Eye to eye we meet, no word at all
Lena was struggling valiantly not to be lost in the magnetic blue of his eyes. The pull was too much and she lowered her head and closed her eyes. Why is it she felt so safe in his embrace? So deceptively safe. It wasn't supposed this way. She had come here on the run, looking for reprieve, and she had walked right into the unforgiving arms of justice. She needed time to compose herself. She had to stop herself from falling for him.
Slowly now we begin to move
Every breath I'm deeper into you
Soon we two are standing still in time
If you read my mind, you'll see
They danced in slow circles. Jerry rested his chin on the top of her head, thinking how perfect she felt in his arms. It dawned on him that he was falling in love with her, this beautiful enigma that was before him. Everything about her intrigued him, from her soft smile to her wry humour to her sad eyes. No other woman on earth would've dared to put a knife to his thoat or dump ice down his pants. It was clear as crystal that she was taking up more and more of his thoughts. What he didn't know, was what he was going to do about it.
I'm crazy for you
Touch me once and you'll know it's true
I never wanted anyone like this
It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss
I'm crazy, crazy for you...
"Excuse me," a voice drawled from over Jerry's shoulder. "May I?" Lena looked up to see Val Kilmer standing before her, his hand extended to her. Grateful for her chance to away, she gave Jerry a small smile, and then went to dance with Val.
Jerry shook his head, and made his way back to the bridal table where his brother was sitting with Brenda in his lap, having finally emerged from their closet escape. "What is *with* that guy?" Jerry asked, flopping down in a chair beside them. "Why does he keep cutting into my dances?"
"I think he likes her," Jax said, deliberately needling his brother. Jerry shot him an annoyed glance as he watched Lena smile at something Val was whispering into her ear.
"He sure is smooth," Brenda said laughing, eating a forkful of her cake. "Lena told me he's making a movie in Bangkok, and he's trying to convince her to go with him."
"You're not serious," Jerry said, clearly not pleased with the idea.
Brenda grinned. "Apparently, he thinks she'd be perfect for this character."
"Ok boys and girls!" Ned called out from the stage. "I've just been informed that it's time for the tossing of the bridal bouquet! So! All you single women out there, gather round! Now! If the lovely bride will join me up on stage..." All the unmarried women moved to stand in a massive group in the middle of the ballroom floor. Jax led Brenda over to the stage, and they shared a suspicious grin with each other. He gave her a hand getting up onto the stage, and Ned handed her the bouquet of flowers.
"Me! Me! Ooo Ooo, aim for me!" Rosie O'Donnell called out.
She was muffled by Sharon Stone putting her hands over her mouth. "Forget her! Over here!" and the two started a mock cat fight that had the guests in stitches.
"Okay, here we go," Brenda sang out. "Are you ready? One, two . . . three!" She launched the bouquet over her head and sent it sailing into the crowd of boisterous single females. There was a collective push forward in the crowd, but Brenda had been aiming for the back of the room, where Lena was standing with Val Kilmer, and the flowers sailed right over everyone’s heads. Lena turned, and was alarmed to see the flowers hurtling at them with great speed. Not wanting to catch the bouquet, she grabbed Val and planted him in front of herself like a shield, and a startled Val had no choice but to catch the flowers or be nailed in the head by them. Everyone laughed uproariously.
"Very subtle, cara!" Lena called out to Brenda, who shrugged and grinned.
Now it was Jax’s turn to get the garter, and the men lifted him up onto the stage. Then they hoisted Brenda up on a chair, and Jax and Brenda were flirting outrageously with each other as Jax reached under her dress and touched her leg.
"Oooo, baby," Brenda cooed, batting her eyelashes. "Do that again."
Jax smirked, and tickled the sole of Brenda's foot, causing her to shriek with giggles. The men were catcalling and whistling as Jax inched his hands up her dress, exposing more and more of her leg.
"Need some help there, buddy?" JFK Jr. called out.
"No thanks!" Jax yelled back, laughing.
"You sure? Cuz I'd be glaaaaaaaad ta help ya!" Jim Carey roared, flexing his fingers with extreme exaggeration, much to the amusement of everyone watching.
Jax took so long getting the garter that Lucy yelled "Oh get on with it already!" causing a chuckle to ripple through the crowd.
Finally he pulled off the pink and red garter, and twirled it around his finger. He stood to his feet, scanning the crowd for eligible bachelors, and then whipped the garter in Jerry’s direction, but Jerry, taking a page from Lena's book, ducked out of the way. Jake, who had been behind him, was saved by his quick as a cat instincts, as he tipped the garter back into the air, and it landed, of all places, in Edward Quartermaine’s lap. The guests roared with appreciation as Jerry and Jake patted each other on the back, and old Edward sputtered with outrage and indignation.
Time passed as the reception continued and soon it was time for the newlyweds to embark on their honeymoon. Everyone gathered together in front of the house, as Jax and Brenda stood under the Valentine archway for their final farewell. A hundred doves were released into the air, and fluttered high into the sky as the guests watched below. The newlyweds waved, and were showered, and in some cases pummelled with rice, flower petals, confetti and such as they tried to make a run for it to their waiting limo. Lois hurtled an old shoe at Jax, nailing him in the butt, and whooped it up. The media which had camped outside clicked away like mad, and it was a wonder anyone could see anything among the flashing lights, but they were off.
Chapter 27: Honeymooners
Jax and Brenda had changed into casual wear, and were sitting comfortable on Jacks Lear I as the plane was preparing to taxi out onto the runway.
"So, Mrs. Jacks, have we finally decided where to go on this honeymoon of ours?"
Brenda laughed. "Nope."
"Well, decide soon, sweetie. We need to tell the pilot something, otherwise we're just going to be flying in circles above New York City."
Brenda giggled at the thought. "Ok, ok...hmmm...let me think."
"Don't break anything." Jax teased, tapping her skull.
"Hey!" Brenda whacked him. "Don't distract me!"
Jax tackled her back onto the leather couch. "Oh, I can think of several *better* ways to distract you," he said, kissing her as she shrieked and protested with laughter.
"Jaaax!" she pushed at him. "Come on, help me decide!"
Jax hauled her back to a sitting position, and stroked his chin, pretending to give the matter some serious thought. "Ok, how about I give you a choice?"
"Ok! What's my choice."
"Hot or cold."
"Huh?"
"Do you want to go somewhere hot or cold?"
"Hot. Definately hot," Brenda said with a wicked grin. "Although," she said crawling into his lap, "I'm already burning up, I might need some cold air to cool me off."
"I don't know about that," Jax said, sliding his hands up her thighs. "I think I like you all heated up."
"Oh you *do* do you?" Brenda said, slipping her hands under the shirt he had left untucked, and stroking the muscles on the sides of his stomach.
"Definately," Jax said, capturing her mouth with his, and proceeding to kiss her thoroughly until they both couldn't think straight.
"Mmmmmm," Brenda purred.
"North or south?"
"Pardon me?"
"Would you like to go north or south?"
"Hmmmm...south?" Brenda said, arbitrarily.
Jax grinned. "Somewhere hot in the south it is then!" He lifted Brenda off his lap and deposited her onto the seat beside him so he could rise and walk to the cockpit. He spoke briefly to the pilot, and then returned to his bride.
"So where're we going?" Brenda asked curiously.
"That's a surprise."
"Jax! Honey, come on. Tell me."
"Nope. No way."
"Oh come on. Please?" Jax shook his head. "Pretty please?" Brenda batted her eyelashes to no avail. "At least give me a clue!" she pouted adorably.
The pilot's voice boomed through the intercom. "Mr. and Mrs. Jacks, please fasten your seatbelts. We are ready for take-off."
Jax reached over, and fastened Brenda's seatbelt before doing up his own. "Ok, here's your clue. We are going somewhere *hot* and in the *south.*"
Brenda threw her seat cushions at Jax, pummelling him. "You are *the* utmost aggravating, maddening - "
"But you love me anyways," Jax cut in with supreme confidence, "You know you do."
Brenda beamed at him, not bothering to hide the love shining in her eyes. "Yeah, I do."
The purity of the emotion in her eyes took his breath away. She was finally his. They were finally together. Free of Sonny and Miranda, and all that garbage. Just the thought of that sent Jax's heart soaring. He reached over and caressed her face tenderly. "And I love you too."
+++
Miranda was pacing the floor of the posh hotel room in Manhatten, where Jonas had told her to wait for him. Damn him! He should have been here hours ago! Miranda was going crazy in the room, knowing that by now, Jax, *her* Jax was married to that irritating little minx and probably off on their honeymoon. Miranda seethed. It should be *her* jetting off with Jax somewhere.
"Damnit Jonas, where are you!?" Miranda burst out in frustration.
"Right here, little sister," Jonas drawled, standing in the doorway of the hotel room, regarding Miranda with unconcealed amusement.
"Jonas!" Miranda almost fell over backward with surprise. "I *hate* it when you do that! Where have you been! Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? Do you realize that Jax and Brenda are *married*?? I saw it on TV, Jonas, I had to *watch* that wretched event!! I thought you were coming to put a *stop* to it! How could you let them marry!? How could you - "
Jonas put up his hand to halt his sister's tirade. "Please, Murian, spare me your hysterics. I don't have time for them. Now, if you don't mind," he headed for the bedroom.
"Yes I *do* mind!! Of course I mind! Jonas!!"
Jonas turned back to glare at a rapidly reddening Miranda. "What?" he asked, with calm exasperation.
"I want to know what you're planning to do!" Miranda was desperate to get Jax back. All those years she had stayed away from him, it hadn't been a big deal to her since she knew that Jax was hers, and she had believed the moment she reentered his life, they would pick right up from where they left off. Now that he belonged to someone else, she was going insane. She wanted Brenda to pay for stealing Jax away. "What were you doing? Where were you when I needed you?"
Jonas sighed. He spoke as if talking to a child. "In Peru, Murian. I was taking care of some business in Peru."
"What kind of business?"
"The kind which will soon result in the ruination of all the Jacks."
~ Deep in the Jungles of Peru ~
Cesar Faison sat contentedly in his spacious barracks, the most comfortable and regal room in all the entire compound. His compound. His people. There was a soft knock on his door.
"Come!" he called. He glanced up from where he sat on his couch. A young Peruvian man with a submachine gun slung casually over his shoulder entered the room. He saluted Faison, and Faison nodded in acknowlegement.
"Phase One completed, sir."
Faison smiled his thin, evil smile. "Good," he said. Things were going right according to plan so far. Soon, they will have created enough of a groundswell to completely cripple all the mining operations within the country. Once accomplished, they could proceed to move on to the rest of the large, multinational corporations. But then, profit for profit's sake was not Cesar Faison's goal.They would profit handsomely of course, thanks in part to one Jonas Marbach, and it had been easy enough to stir up the poverty stricken peoples in his favour. Still, Cesar Faison had bigger plans in mind.
Faison stroked his chin. "Tell me, Pedro. How has our newest member been?" Cameron Cohen, Jax's Central American advisor whom he had sent down to investigate the problems in the Peruvian operations had been held prisoner by Faison's people for months now. They had extracted quite a bit of information from him regarding Jacks Enterprises from the man.
"Most cooperative, sir," the young Peruvian replied. The brainwashing techniques they had employed on him were finally taking effect, and he was slowly becoming one of them.
"Excellent," Faison smiled, more than pleased at the turn of events. "Excellent."
~ Two Weeks Later, Down Under ~
"Come on Prince Jasper!! Go! Go! Go!" Brenda was screaming her head off, jumping up and down like a lunatic much to the amusement of the dignified and conservative spectators sitting serenly in the private boxes surrounding her, and much to the comic embarassment of her husband, who had his face buried in his hands. "Faster! Faster! Come on Jasper, you can do it! Go Jasper!!"
"Brenda!" Jax was caught between laughing and choking at how utterly ridiculous she sounded.
Brenda stopped jumping and turned to him, her face alight with excitement and happiness. "What?"
Jax looked at her, she looked at him, and they both burst into uncontrollable laughter. Brenda collapsed onto Jax's lap, and threw her arms around his neck as they continued to laugh. Jax had brought her to Australia for their honeymoon. He had wanted to show her the place he had grown up, and for the past two weeks, they had explored every corner of his childhood haunts, and visited most of the famed tourist locations. It had been a magical two weeks full of fun, laughter, and romance.
They had landed in Melbourne, where Jax had a car waiting for them to take them out into the countryside. They were driven to a huge sheep ranch, which was once owned by rival ranchers, but was now owned by the Jacks family. A giant hacienda-like building stood at the end of a long winding walkway, and sheep were seen grazing peacefully along the open, endless green fields. They had spent a few days there, before moving on to another location. Brenda had been totally captivated by how serene and quiet life in the outback was. It was almost too quiet for her, for at night, the only sounds that could be heard were the quiet chirpping of crickets, and Jax's steady breathing beside her.
Jax told Brenda stories of how he had grown up on a ranch, and although the family had been dirt poor, they were happy. Everyone pitched in with the work, and he and Jerry learned early on how to handle all the tough jobs of ranching. They went on a walk, and they wandered through the tranquil fields and chatted with the various ranchers employed there, all of whom were instantly smitten with Brenda. Brenda was amused to find herself surrounded by so many tanned, topless, hunky men with accents identical to Jax's. If this wasn't heaven, she didn't know what was. Jax had told her not to get any ideas, and Brenda had laughingly assured him that he was the only hunky, shirtless Aussie she had eyes for.
Jax had taken Brenda to where they were shearing the sheep, and convinced Brenda to try her hand at it. A rancher named Hank held onto the sheep while Brenda looked on apprehensively with the clippers. The sheep kept squirming, and so did Brenda, who was squeemish about the whole thing, afraid she would hurt the sheep, and she ended up giving it the world's worst haircut, with clumps of wool stuck all over her and Hank. Jax had laughed and told her the poor sheep looked like someone had taken a lawnmower to it, and she looked more like a sheep than the sheep did now. Insulted, Brenda then chased after Jax with the clippers, threatening to shear the baby blonde locks right off his sarcastic head! Jax ran for it, laughing all the way, and when Brenda finally caught up to him, he wrestled the clippers away from her, and they both fell into a giant baleful of wool.
They had gone horseback riding far out into the outback, right into the desert, where they would spread a picnic, and lounge in the warm morning sun, kissing and cuddling, and reveling in the closeness of each other. When the sun became too hot in the afternoons, they went hiking, mountain climbing, and exploring the various caves and dunes. Jax had shown Brenda part of the route he had taken on his walkabout when he was younger. Brenda had refused to go swimming there because the ranchers had teasingly warned her about crocodiles lurking under the water. No amount of convincing from Jax would persuade her to go anywhere near the water.
One day, they were met by some aboriginals, one of whom was good friends with a childhood buddy of Jax's, and they had invited the couple to dinner. They were just in time to see a ritual right of passage for a young aboriginal male, and Brenda and Jax watched the festivities in fascination. Dinner was roasted oppossums, which were turned on spits by children. The women had taken Brenda along, and dressed her up in the traditional outfits, and the men had streaked Jax's face and body with white warpaint. They laughed, and danced, and sang along with the natives around the giant bonfire until well into the night before getting on their horses and riding back. Back at the ranch, they made love under the stars on the open veranda, and spent the night wrapped in the comfort of each other's arms.
Next stop, after leaving the ranch, Jax had taken Brenda on a tour of the famous wineries in the region, and they had spent a good portion of the day tasting the fabulous wines, and getting tipsy and silly. Afterwards, Jax had taken her to the wildlife sanctuary, where Brenda got to cradle a sleeping baby koala while Jax snapped pictures.
After that, they had gone through the some of the world's last temperate rainforests in Victoria. Jax had rented them a canoe, and they had paddled peacefully down beautiful streams, enjoying the scenery of the emerald rainforests and abundant wildlife that thrived there in the unspoiled region. They let the canoe drift lazily along down the stream, as Brenda leaned back against Jax, who wrapped his arms around her. Their kissing soon turned into something more, as their passions overwhelmed them, and the ended up making love in the canoe once it drifted towards the shore and came to a halt along the riverbank.
They left Victoria behind and flew to North Queensland, up to the Great Barrier Reef where Jax had rented them a place in the incredibly remote and secluded Robinson Crusoe-like Haggerstone Island Guesthouse, the most secluded and unspoilt island retreat in the world. The sapphire blue seas that reflected the sky were a breath-taking sight to behold. They had gone parasailing, taking turns in the air while the other person steered the boat, and Brenda had laughed her head off when Jax's speedos had been pulled off by the weight of the water after she slowed the boat to dunk and drag him in the ocean before speeding up to lift him into the air again. Jax had vowed revenge, and got it by taking Brenda out on a catamaran to go shark feeding. Of course, Jax failed to mention to her that they were going shark feeding, only that they were going snorkling along the reef.
After strapping on their snorkling gear, they splashed into the water, and dived along the reef, taking in the amazing sights underwater, and frolicking with the playful turtles. Brenda had bought an underwater camera to take pictures of all the brightly coloured tropical fish. Jax got out some bait, and soon enough, about eight sharks came swimming by, drawn in by the lure of Jax's bait. They were about 1 1/2 meters long, grey with a white tip to their fins. Brenda turned around, and saw a mass of shark fins swirling around her husband, and screamed bloody murder. She forgot that she was underwater at the time, and ended up gurgling and swallowing her scream instead. Splashing and kicking to the surface, she screamed for Jax while choking out the water in her lungs, and swam like a maniac for the catamaran. She was shrieking so loudly that a passing coast guard vessel whizzed by to her rescue. Jax was laughing so hard he had tears streaming down his face, and could barely tread water and stay afloat. When the coast guards discovered that what Brenda had been screaming about weren't the killer great white sharks from Jaws, but relatively harmless White Tip Reef sharks, and Jax wasn't really being eaten alive, they joined in with Jax's merriment. Brenda, still trying to recover from almost having a heart attack, threw her camera at Jax, narrowly missing his head, and sped off in the catamaran, leaving her husband bobbing in the water.
He had to catch a ride back to shore with the coast guard, and it took him all day before he finally located Brenda, who was basking in the sun on the stretch of beach. She pretended to be angry at him, but he was so cute and contrite about scaring her, that she leaned over and kissed him instead, and they ended up making love on the beach.
Today, on the last day of their honeymoon, Jax had brought her to Sydney. They had spent the morning wandering around the city, shopping, eating, taking in an opera at the famed Opera House. This afternoon, they had come down to the racetrack, where Jax maintained a private box. Brenda had immediately bet on the horse named *Prince Jasper* which was owned by an Arabian sheik. She had found the name too adorable, while Jax had cringed, and had insisted on putting all her money on it, despite the fact that it was a heavily outranked underdog.
"I have to cheer on my bet," Brenda said, dimples flashing. "I bet a lot of money on that horse."
"Did it have to be *that* horse?" Jax said, rolling his eyes.
"I like *that* horse," Brenda smirked. "He reminds me of another stallion I know."
Jax shook his head. "You are absolutely, outrageously - "
"Oh but you wouldn't like me any other way," Brenda grinned, leaning in for a kiss as her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck.
Suddenly, the horses were flying for the finish line. The announcer's voice boomed out, "They're neck to neck now...."
"Come on, Prince Jasper!" Brenda jumped up from Jax's lap. "Go! Go! You can do it!"
"And it's....Prince Jasper crossing the finish line! right in front of Master Oats, Vallant Warrior and Turning Trix!"
"He won! He won!" Brenda screamed hopping up and down like a mad woman. The people in the boxes around them were laughing at Brenda's obvious enthusiasm, and Jax's lack of it, as they had all recognized the young billionaire and his beautiful young wife. "Jax! He won! Jasper won!" She grabbed her reluctant husband and dragged him to a standing position so he could see for himself the racehorse trotting down to the winner's podium. "Look! I *knew* he was lucky! Way to go Jasper!" She whooped it up. "You are *such* a stud!"
Jax was blushing to the roots of his hair as all the people around him within hearing vicinity of Brenda errupted into laughter. He thanked the gods that his family wasn't here to witness this, especially Jerry. He didn't think he would ever live that one down.
Brenda turned to him, and laughed. "Hey! I thought you *never* blushed."
"Brenda, you could make a tomato blush."
Brenda grinned. "I won! I *told* you I would! Ha!"
"Remind me never to take you to a racetrack again," Jax groaned while he laughed.
"Aw, you're just jealous cuz you lost money and I won."
Later that night, they were walking hand in hand along the docks of Sydney after celebrating Brenda's victory at the track. The sun had set, and the brilliant lights of Sydney's harbour had lit up the city, and the reflected imaged of the illuminated skyscrapers danced in the waters.
"This place is so amazing. I'm so glad you brought me here for our honeymoon."
"I aim to please, Mrs. Jacks. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
"Jax?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
Brenda stopped walking and turned to look up at her husband. "Thank you. This has been the best time of my life. I can't ever remember being so happy, feeling so alive, so in tune with someone, so loved. I know I say it all the time, but it's only because it's still so unreal to me sometimes. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I just want you to know, I'll never forget this honeymoon as long as I live, and I'll never take the time we have together for granted."
Jax lifted Brenda's hands and pressed them to his lips. "I know exactly how you feel, I feel the same way. I've never loved anyone the way I love you. You're a part of me, the best part. You don't know how long I've waited to share my life this way with someone, with you, the woman of my dreams."
"We're going to be happy, aren't we," Brenda said, thinking of their imminent return to Port Charles.
"Nothing, and no one can take away what we have together."
Brenda smiled at him. "I always loved your confidence. You are always so sure."
"I'm as sure as the sun."
Chapter 28: Diversions
Jerry breezed into the small diner with the supremely confident air of a gunslinger from the old wild west. He looked the part as well, with his worn and torn Levis, blue flannel shirt that showed off the colour of his eyes, and dark brown Stetson that sat tilted up on his head. He spotted Ruby standing behind the counter. She smiled at him and waved him over. Jerry strolled across the diner to the counter, and swung up onto a stool. He was in a fantastic mood. The mission in Cambodia had been such a rush, going better than anyone expected, adding to the fame and notoriety of his seemingly invincible team. They had celebrated their success at a bar in neighbouring Hanoi, but the bargirls couldn't seem to hold Jerry's attention. Jake had ribbed him mercilessly about his lack of interest. He knew the cause. For whatever reason, Lena Raine never strayed too far from his thoughts. There was something about her, he hadn't figured it out yet, that drew him to her. Maybe it was the challenge she presented, maybe he had been a WSB agent so long it was automatic for him to go after a challenge. He didn't know. All he knew was that he hadn't felt this way since Noelle. But he didn't want to think about that.
He had a few days leave before he was due at headquarters in London and he came by to see if Lena would be interested in taking a little trip with him. He had come to the conclusion that the best way to figure out where he was heading with Lena was to tackle things head on. Same way he dealt with everything else. Why mess with success, after all?
"Hey there handsome," Ruby said affectionately. "What brings you by?"
"Your fine cooking of course," Jerry replied, returning her smile with a crack one of his own.
"I'll bet," Ruby chuckled. "Now, you really here to eat? or just loitering till a certain someone comes down?"
Jerry leaned his towering form over the counter and grinned at the older woman. "Ruby, sweetheart, what makes you think I'm here to see anyone but you?"
Ruby patted Jerry's cheek fondly. "Women's intuition honey. That, and you got the same look your brother did when he was coming in here trying to pry Brenda away from Sonny."
Jerry laughed and shook his head. "Can't slide anything by you can I, old girl?"
Ruby snorted. "Honey, I've been around the block and then some, and I've got more up here," she tapped her head, "than all your generation put together. "
Jerry smirked. "I bet you do. So she's upstairs?"
Ruby nodded as she poured a cup of coffee for a customer. "Study date."
Just then, Lena and a friend from PCU came down the stairs. They were in deep conversation, heading towards the door. She handed the friend a notebook, and some papers. "I'll see you later, ok?" the friend said as she left the diner.
"Lena, honey, look what the cat dragged in." Ruby called from behind the counter. Lena turned, and started at seeing Jerry. He was back already? What was he doing here? Ruby was waving her over, and she approached the counter a bit aprehensively. When he flashed his bright smile at her, she felt her heart surge unexpectedly. She wasn't prepared to deal with him. Best to just play it cool.
Jerry's smile broadened as she approached. "Hey there pretty lady," he drawled, tipping his hat up.
Lena looked at Ruby, who shrugged and laughed. "Hi."
"Cramming for exams?" he asked as Ruby discreetly left for the kitchen to fix some orders.
Lena nodded, watching Ruby disappear with slight dismay. She set her stack of papers on to the countertop. "I thought you went out of the country."
"I did. Did you miss me?"
Lena raised her eyebrows. Jerry was so....Jerry. She rolled her eyes and replied, "No."
Jerry grinned. "Well, I missed *you.*"
"I'll bet," Lena said with a wry smile. It was hard not to be affected by Jerry's infectious charm. He looked so adorable in that cowboy hat. "I've heard the stories Oh Playboy King of foreign ports."
"Ah, those women don't have anything on you," Jerry replied, eyes twinkling.
"I'm sure you say that to all the girls. How was your trip?" Lena asked, sitting down on a stool at the counter and taking a bite from her apple.
"Highly successful," Jerry said in a cocky tone that indicated he never expected otherwise.
Lena thought back to the conversation she had overheard between Jerry and John Jacks. She still couldn't believe it was true. It sure explained his frequent absenses and even more so his hotshot attitude. "When did you get in?"
"A couple hours ago. Bren and my brother back yet?"
"If they are, they're keeping it a secret."
"So how've you been?" Jerry leaned over and stole a bite from Lena's apple. She glared at him, and got a smirk in reply.
"Busy. I did a shoot for Lucy, and Nikolas and I've been visiting the shelters."
"Are you free this afternoon?"
Lena tilted her head. "Why?"
"Just curious." When Lena continued to just look at him, Jerry smiled. "Ok, I have a few days off. Come to Indiana with me. We'll have some fun!"
Lena blinked a few times. "Are you serious?"
"Deathly." Jerry gave her such a sexily rakish grin it made her heart do strange flip flops.
No, going anywhere with Jerry and doing anything with him would be serious trouble. She shook her head. "I don't think so. I have classes and I'm on rotation at the hospital this week."
"Come on, a couple days can't hurt. I know you've played hookie before."
"Sorry, I really can't." Lena stood and picked up her papers from the counter. Jerry got up in front of her.
"Where's your sense of adventure?"
"Under a ton of exam material," Lena replied. "I have some stuff to mail. Tell Ruby I'll be right back. I promised to help her out this afternoon."
Ruby came out of the kitchen to find Lena gone, and Jerry leaning alone against the counter. "Where did she go?" she asked.
"Post Office. She said she'd be back in a while."
Ruby took in Jerry's thoughtful expression and chuckled. "Strike out, buckaroo?"
Jerry smiled at her. "She's stubborn, that one. She's refusing to come on a trip with me."
"And you're giving up just like that?" Ruby raised her eyebrow. "What have you done with the real Jerry Jacks?"
Jerry laughed. "Well what would you suggest I do, Ruby?"
"Strategy, honey. You've got to have the right strategy," Ruby smiled. "Now you gonna order or what?"
Jerry suddenly got a gleam in his eyes. "Yeah. Two tuna sandwiches to go."
"Two?"
"Yes."
When Lena returned to the diner, Jerry wasn't in it. Relieved, yet at the same time a bit empty, she was on her way to find Ruby when Ruby came back out from the kitchen. "Honey, would you take these sandwiches out to Jerry? He's waiting on them." Lena glanced outside the diner and saw a limo pull up to the front.
Giving Ruby a curious look, Lena took the brown paper bag, and headed outside. The driver got out of the car and opened the limo door for her.
"Where's Mr. Jacks?" Lena asked. The driver gestured inside the limo, and Lena peered around the door.
"Jerry?" She leaned a bit inside. She didn't see anyone. "There's no one in here - AAHH!!!" she exclaimed, startled, as the driver pushed her into the limo, and shut the door behind her.
"Hey!" Lena exclaimed. "Let me out of here!" she shouted through the window but the driver ignored her and walked around to the front of the limo. She started tugging on the door handle, only to find it locked. Irrationally, she began to feel the cold fingers of panic start to squeeze her heart. An all too familiar feeling. This wasn't happening. Not again. What was going on?
Lena watched in disbelief as the car began to pull away from Ruby's. "Damn you! Stop this car!" Lena started pounding on the shield seperating her from the driver. "Stop!" He merely kept on driving. By the time the limosine drove into the airport, Lena was almost in tears. She had tried everything, but the doors wouldn't budge. Then the limo pulled right up onto the airstrip where she saw a jet was waiting. A bright Jacks Enterprises logo was painted on its tail. Jerry. She should have guessed. She couldn't believe his audacity! He was standing at the foot of the stairs leading into the plane, an infuriatingly amused expression on his face.
As soon as the limosine came to a halt, the locks popped open, and Lena flung open the door. "Have a nice ride, darlin'?" Jerry asked, stepping forward. His reply was the tuna sandwichs hurtled at his head. He ducked, and caught the bag.
"I have *nothing* to say to you!" Lena said angrily, and she turned to storm off.
"Oh no you don't." Jerry strode swiftly to her, and heaved her like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder.
"Jerry! Jerry Jacks!" Lena exclaimed, indignantly trying to free herself. "Put me down!"
He paid her no heed, and climbed up the jet's staircase, waving at the ground controllers as if it were an everyday occurance to have a furious woman, kicking and screaming over his shoulder. He made his way into the cockpit and dumped her into the copilot's seat.
She squirmed to stand up. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Revenge! For the ice down my pants," Jerry said, flashing his dimples.
"Are you crazy? You can't just abduct me in broad daylight!"
"I just did." He pushed her down back down, and buckled her belt up with one hand as he flipped switches, and started up the jet's engines with the other.
"Let me off!" Lena yelled. Jerry merely grinned, and ignored her, continuing to flip and turn dials. Lena shot him a thunderous expression, and began to flip off all the switches he flipped on.
"Hey!" Jerry exclaimed, slapping her hands away. "If you can't behave, you're going to have to sit in the back!" And with that, he herded her into the back of the jet, and shut the cockpit door firmly behind him. Lena let out a string of curses in several languages that would have had sailors blushing, but before she could figure out how to open the hatch door, the jet lurched in take-off, sending her tumbling towards the tail end.
When the jet reached a safe altitude, Jerry put it on autopilot, and opened the cockpit doors to find Lena turning the jet's interior inside-out. "Looking for something?" he drawled, leaning one arm against the doorway.
Lena hurtled the closest, largest object she could find at him. The parachute bounced off his chest as he chuckled. For some reason, that Stetson still arogantly perched on his head only made her madder, and she was about to clock him with the medical kit, when he grabbed it from her and caught her wrists.
"Hey! Settle down!"
"Let go of me you ogre!" Lena exclaimed.
"You don't really think I'm an ogre." Jerry smiled, amusedly unconcerned by the daggers shooting out of her eyes, thinking how incredibly cute she looked all flushed and angry.
"Don't tell me what I think! You are such a - "
"Ogre?" Jerry said helpfully. "That's only the outside. On the inside, I'm a suave, sophisticated, supremely superior - "
"Bastard!"
Jerry looked down at her furious face. Her eyes flashed and it finally clicked that she was truly upset. "What's gotten into you? Why are you so riled up?"
"Who gave you the right to just drag me off whenever you felt like it?" Lena shot back. She was beyond agitated, Jerry's prank had managed to stir up old feelings of terror from deep within and her instinctive response was to lash out. She pulled herself free from his grasp.
Jerry's expression was genuinely confused. "Excuse me?"
"You don't own me! Nobody owns me!"
"What are you talking about?!"
"I'm talking about *you* and your neanderthal complex!"
"Why are you so uptight?" Jerry asked, upset as well now. "It was just a joke!"
"It wasn't funny!"
They stared at each other in a standoff. Her behaviour baffled Jerry. "Look," he finally said in a flat tone, "I apologize. I thought, maybe....never mind. I'll take you back." He turned on his heel, walked back to the cockpit and took the plane off autopilot.
Lena stood still, watching him. His movements were smooth and fluid, but angry. She had overreacted. She knew that but she hadn't been able to stop herself. Jerry wasn't the bad guy, he was just being himself. She walked into the cockpit, and sat down in the co-pilot's seat. "I'm sorry," she sighed.
Jerry kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. "I'm not in the habit of forcing anyone to do anything they don't want to."
"I know that," Lena bit her bottom lip. "I didn't mean it that way." She paused. "Hey," she put a gentle hand on his wrist as he steered. "I'm sorry."
Jerry looked at the small hand on his arm, then turned to look at her and saw she was truly apologetic.
"Is spending time with me really so horrible to you?"
"No! It's just...I'm just not... I don't like surprises," she finally said.
Jerry thought back to how he had surprised her when they first met, and she had put a knife to his throat. He nodded, accepting it if not really understanding it, and relented, turning up a corner of his mouth. "I forgive you if you forgive me, ok?" Lena nodded. "Great. Why don't we start over. Do you still feel like coming with me, or do you want to turn back?
Lena looked down for a minute. "I can't be gone long."
"Two days at the most, I promise."
She nodded. "Ok. We've already come this far, we might as well go all the way." She dug into Ruby's bag, and produced a semi-mashed tuna sandwich. She broke a piece off and handed it to Jerry. "So what's in Indiana that's so fascinating?"
Jerry took a bite from the sandwich and grinned. "The Indy 500 of course."
~ New York City ~
Jonas sifted through the hundreds of photographs, magazines and newpapers detailing the momentous wedding of Jasper and Brenda Barrett-Jacks. The very name Jacks buned like acid on his tongue. His master plan to bring down the Jacks family and take over their empire wasn't enough. He wanted to destroy them, annihilate them. They deserved it for what they had done. Years ago, he had originally planned to torture the youngest Jacks by "killing" his beloved wife, and then have her come back to haunt him to insanity and turn him against his family, thus slowly breaking them from within. But that had been foiled when somehow, Jerry had led Jax into outmaneuvering him in a business dealing, and landed him in jail. Murian, his self-centered sister, hadn't been able to carry out the plan on her own. She had been seduced by the lure of the Jacks money, power, and prominence. It had taken him years, but once he was finally out of jail, he again set out to eliminate the Jacks, this time with renewed vigour. What he needed was to find a weak link. That had once been Jax, because for the life of him, he couldn't seem to find any chinks in Jerry's armor. But with Jax's new love and devotion to Brenda, things had changed. Of course, he could use Brenda to hurt Jax, but how? How to get her to turn against her husband?
Jonas flipped through the mess of papers in front him some more. Then, a particular photograph caught his attention. His cold, calculating eyes narrowed. Now this, this was a very unexpected development. How very interesting.
+++
Jerry flew them to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he had a car waiting at the airpstrip to take them directly to the track. When they got there, they stepped out of the limo, and Jerry led Lena into the stadium. She was now wearing his Stetson, but it was much too big and kept falling forward. As they walked out onto the racetrack, a group of men around several cars spotted them. One of them stepped out and waved, and Jerry waved back. He left the group to approach them.
"Jerry! Good to see you!" a man with wavy brown hair and kind brown eyes grasped Jerry's hand in a firm handshake and patted him on the shoulder.
"Lena," Jerry said, smiling, "this is my friend Michael Andretti, and those guys are his race team. Mike, this is Lena Raine."
"Always a pleasure to meet a pretty lady," Michael Andretti said extending his hand to Lena and winking at Jerry at the same time. Lena smiled. So Jerry knew the Andrettis. Was there a famous person the Jax and Jerry weren't acquainted with?
"So, where are the toys?" Jerry asked.
"Right here." Michael walked over and patted a pair of racecars. "Leeman left them for you. Knock yourself out. I gotta get back to my team." Michael jogged back to where the group of guys were, and they went back to working on his racecars.
Jerry ran his hand down the shiny hood of one car and turned to Lena. "So, how 'bout it, darlin'?"
"How about what?"
"Jacks Enterprises ownes chunks of different race teams. Once in a while, I check out our investments."
"You brought me to the Indy 500 to watch you test drive?" Lena laughed.
Jerry grinned. "No, to race."
"What makes you think I can even operate one of these things?"
"Because, sweetheart. Brenda told me who taught you two to drive."
Lena laughed at the memory. She had met racecar driver Emerson Fittipaldi when she lived with Marina in Italy. He had maintained a sprawling villa not far from them, and often lived there when not in his native Brazil. One day, when she was very young, she had wandered, and ended up slipping through his gates to look in awe at his estate. He had discovered her playing with his dogs by his pool. From then on, they became fast friends. He had liked Lena, and her impish ways had made him laugh. She had no idea he was a famous driver, just that he was a cool guy. Marina had been aghast when she found out he was teaching her and eventually Brenda how to drive, but they had loved it. The speed thrilled them. Brenda was soon distracted, as always, but Lena had taken to it like a fish to water and surprising even Emerson. She got so good, eventually Emerson took her along with his protoge and nephew Christian, onto the international racecar circuit. They were quite the wild young things, and they would have a blast doing trial runs on new engines for Emerson. That was how she had ended up catching Draco's eye. Her smile faded.
"So, you think you can beat me?"
Lena raised an eyebrow at Jerry's tone. "Are you any good?"
"Only one way to find out, darlin'." Jerry tossed the racesuit and helmet to her like he was tossing down the gauntlet.
Lena caught the suit and helmet, and all common sense was shoved aside. "You're on," she said. "One condition."
"What?"
"I get a practice run first. I'm a bit rusty."
Jerry nodded and grinned like the Cheshire cat. He had bet she'd be up for the challenge, and she didn't disappoint him. The both stepped into and zipped up their racesuits. "Take your pick." Jerry gestured to the two cars. A red and white Penske Mercedes-Benz and a black and white Swift Ford Cosworth, identical to Andretti's .
Lena slid into the Penske Mercedes and slipped on her helmet. She started her engine, and it hummed to life. Jerry gave her the thumbs up sign and she pulled out onto the track. She gunned the engine and took off. It felt foreign at first, but she soon got the hang of it back. She threw her head back and laughed with exhiliration. She had missed this. Adrenelin was pounding through her veins as she quickly sped around the track, and pulled back up to where Jerry was waiting.
When she came to a stop, he leaned into the netted windowframe. "Impressive, darlin'. Now, are you ready for the real deal?"
"What do I get when I win?" Lena asked.
"*If* you win, you mean. My undying admiration, and your choice on dinner. However," Jerry's blue eyes flashed with merriment, "if I win, you have to do whatever I say for the rest of the trip."
"That's not quite fair," she protested, laughing.
"My cars, my rules darlin'."
Lena weighed the conditions for a split second. "Deal."
"Ten laps. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. See you at the finish line."
"I'll be waiting for you," Lena grinned, her eyes dancing.
Jerry laughed as he strapped on his helmet, and climbed into his racecar. They cruised the cars to the starting blocks, and waited. "Let's see what you got, darlin'," he said as he revved his engine.
Red light. Green light. Tires screeched as both cars shot off and flew around the track. Andretti and his team stopped what they were doing to watch. Lena had gotten the jump on Jerry out of the blocks, but Jerry was an aggressive driver, and soon made up for it. He was right on her tail. Around the third corner of the second lap, he passed her, but Lena stayed close behind him.
"Hey Mike, they're not half bad," one of the mechanics said, watching them speed by. Andretti nodded.
Lena cut around a sharp corner on the fourth lap at an appalling speed, taking Jerry by surprise, and managed to squeeze by him to retake the lead. "Yes!" she exclaimed. She could see Jerry in her rearview. She caught his eye, and he smirked. Damn if she wasn't a daredevil. Now he knew why he was attracted to her. She was crazy as hell.
"Ok, no more Mr. Nice Guy," Jerry grinned. "Hold on tight, baby." Jerry lightly bumped her aside, and regained his lead on the sixth lap. Her car jumped, but she gripped her steering wheel, and kept it from spinning away. She clenched her jaw as Jerry chuckled, impressed by her tenacity. Each time she tried to pass, Jerry managed to block her. Then she faked high, and when Jerry followed, dropped down and shot out ahead. It was lap eight. Jerry was trying to pull up beside her, and they drove like that in tandem around another corner. Lena closed the gap, trapping him between her and the wall. Still, he tried to force his way by. Lena was determined not loose the lead, and boxed him in further. They were both too competitive to let up even an inch. Jerry took a turn too wide and the side of his car scraped against the wall. Lap nine.
"Those crazy kids," Andretti commented. "They're gonna kill each other." Jerry tapped his car against Lena's to give himself some room. She held on tight and tapped him back and he bounced off the wall again. "What do they think this is? Demolition derby?"
"Chick's givin' Jacks a run for his money," another mechanic laughed.
They approached the finish line at breakneck speed. Jerry bulldozed his way up, sparks flew as the side of his car scratched along the wall, and they crossed the finish line with Lena a hair ahead. They cruised to a stop. Jerry slid out of his now smoking vehicle. With his rumpled hair, slightly smudged face and unshakebly confident air, he looked cooler than Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder.
Lena pulled off her helmet and scrambled out of her car. Jerry was leaning his tall frame over, surveying the welts in his bodywork. "Ha!" she exclaimed in triumph. Her face was flushed and her eyes alive.
He looked over at the scratches and dents in her vehicle. "Look what you did to my cars," he laughed.
"You hit me first," she laughed back. "I won! I won!"
"Why don't you say it a little louder? I'm sure there are people in Wyoming that didn't hear the first time." Jerry teased as Lena laughed.
"Don't be such a sore loser." She smiled, eyes sparkling. Standing there, hair wild, face dirty, in a man's racesuit with her helmet tucked under her arm, Jerry thought she was the most fetching thing he'd ever seen. He'd never been into the conventional beauties anyway. Noelle, his brain echoed faintly. Noelle, Noelle. She had been a daredevil as well.
"Sore loser! I'll show you sore loser," he growled playfully, advancing on her. She backpedaled away, laughing. Jerry smiled and snatched her helmet from her. "Come on, we'll stop by the hotel and get cleaned up before dinner."
"What about the undying admiration?"
"Oh, I already gave you that when you tried to slam me through the concrete wall." They laughed together, and Jerry slung his arm around Lena's shoulders. They waved goodbye to the Andretti race team, and made their way back to the hotel.
The ate a fantastic steak dinner at a nearby restaurant. The waiters told them about the carnival that had pulled into town, and they decided to go. They were like a couple of kids, sharing cotten candy, and going on all the rides. Jerry tipped the ferris wheel operator to stop the wheel as soon as they reached the top, so they could get a long look at the city. They went into the fun house, and laughed until they cried over their distorted images. They had their pictures taken, and laminated into tacky key chains. Jerry managed to knock a pile of pins off their pedestal, and won a giant stuffed gorilla. They decided to give the gorilla to Brooke Lynn when they returned. It was midnight when they wandered into the deserted staduim. The Indy 500 was to be held there the next day, and all the preparations had been made.
They climbed up into the bleachers, and sat down taking in the silence of the night. Lena tilted her head up to face Jerry, feeling lighter and happier than she had been in a long time. "You know," she said quietly, as if afraid to disturb the stillness, "I haven't had this much fun, or felt this good in longer than I can remember. Thank you," she said leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek.
"Anytime." He brushed his knuckes along her jaw and sent a slight shiver down her spine. "Cold?" Jerry asked, unzipping his jacket to give it to her.
"No." Jerry stopped. "It's so clear here," Lena said, mesmerized. "You can see all the constellations. It never was this clear in Italy. Only in - " she stopped herself.
"Africa?" Jerry finished for her. She nodded. Jerry's curiosity was awkened. Why did she clam up evertime the past was brought up. He thought back to how she had almost drowned during the storm. Why would't she talk about it? he wanted to know. "What happened when you were in Africa?"
"Nothing that hasn't been happening for centuries," Lena replied evasively. "Lots of death and disease..."
"So why were you there?" Lena shrugged nonchalontly.
There was a long pause. Then, "How long were you married?" The question took her by surprise. She froze, not knowing how to answer. When Lena didn't reply, Jerry continued. "How long's he been gone?" Lena looked away. "Why won't you tell me?" Jerry asked, frustrated. "Why can't you talk about your past?"
"My past would bore you."
"You've never told me anything. Everything I know, I had to hear from Brenda."
"There' s nothing to tell."
He grasped her chin, and forced her meet his gaze. "If there's nothing to tell, then why won't you tell it?"
I'm a fugitive. her brain echoed. My husband tortured me to the point of insanity. I killed people but I'm not a murderer. I'm not crazy. Do you believe me? Do you believe me? How can you when I don't believe myself? It was all messed up in her head. "It's not important."
"If it's not important, you would tell me, so I can only conclude that it's of supreme importance."
Lena pushed Jerry's hand away. "It's the past. What does it matter to you?"
"It matters."
"Why?" Lena demanded, angry at Jerry for bringing all this up after such a perfect evening, angry at herself for having to lie.
"Because I care about you." It was as simple as that. "You mean more to me than you probably realize."
Lena shut her eyes, mentally forcing herself not to feel anything for what he said. "I'm not who you think I am," she whispered.
"Who are you then?" he asked, reaching over to frame her face with his big hands. So strong, so tender. His deep blue eyes bore into hers like he was looking right into her soul, trying to uncover her darkest secrets.
"I can't do this." she ripped her gaze away pulled his hands away from her face.
"Why can't you let yourself go?" Jerry demanded somberly. "What are you so afraid's going to happen?"
I'm afraid if I let go, I'll fall. And you won't be there to catch me. Lena got to her feet and walked several feet away from Jerry. "You want more from me than I can give you."
Jerry got to his feet and walked to stand in front of her. "How are you so sure what I want?"
They stood there, unmoving, tense and silent for a long time. Both at an impass. Finally, he broke the stillness. "It's late. We should head back." It bothered Jerry that she would't talk to him. He wanted her to trust in him, but pushing wasn't going to get him anywhere. Not tonight anyhow. He stood and held out his hand to her. "Come on." Lena looked at it for a moment, then she sighed and put her hand in his. They made their way out of the stadium, and back to their hotel.
Chapter 29: Tears in Heaven
It was mid-afternoon. The limosine slowly pulled to a stop in front of Ruby's Diner, and the driver stepped out. He came around and opened the door for Lena. She thanked him, and he quickly sped away, leaving her standing alone outside the diner. She had parted company with Jerry when they landed at the airport. He had some things he needed to take care of - Lena figured it was WSB business. After a cordial morning at the racetrack, they had made the best of an awkward goodbye. Just friends. It was the best she could offer. It wasn't enough, not in Jerry's opinion, but he figured it was better than nothing. There was no mistaking the chemistry between them, and if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he could outlast her in every department. He could afford to play this one out.
Lena walked into the quiet diner. Ruby was sitting on a stool by the counter, listening to Luke Spencer who was gesturing and talking animately. He was spewing everything from Dorman's suspicious activities to Emily Quartermaine's unfortunate expirament with drugs to Luke Spencer's version of the Cassadine conspiracy. Sonny and Mac were actually working together to dig up the dirt on the doctor, and the Quartermaines were all tied up in knots over Emily's predicament. Luke was especially concerned with how this whole drug thing was affecting Lucky, who had been pretty close to Emily, but his main preoccupation was with the suspicious behaviour of Stefan and Alexis as of late, and how his sister Bobbie fit into it all. It didn't make matters any simpler once one added Katherine Bell, Carly and Tony into the mix. Ruby was especially shocked to learn that Carly Roberts was in fact Bobbie's long lost daughter, and that Luke knew but didn't tell.
They both turned when they heard Lena come in. Luke grinned his patented old grin when he saw her. "Hey ya doll. Haven't seen you around lately."
Ruby smiled warmly. "Honey, did you have a nice trip?" Lena nodded. "That's good. Nikolas came by to see you," Ruby continued, oblivious to Luke who didn't bother to hide his scowl. "Said they're looking for you at the hospital."
"Oh no," Lena groaned. It had completely slipped her mind to call and let her supervisor know she wasn't going to make her shift. She guessed she was in trouble now. "I'd better go to the hospital."
Lena spun around to head back out again when Ruby added,"Oh, and you've got a stack of mail. I put them under your door for you."
Lena waved and smiled as she stepped out the door. "Thanks Ruby."
Luke's voice called out after her. "Come over to the club sometime! And watch your step around Count Chocula!"
~ Port Charles Hotel, Penthouse Suite ~
"Jax!" Brenda exclaimed, laughing in surprise as Jax swept her off her feet and into his arms as soon as the elevator doors opened to the top floor. "What are you doing?"
Jax grinned as he managed to balance Brenda and open the doors at the same time. "Walking you over the threshold. Or what serves as a threshold here." He flung open the massive oak doors, and stepped inside the penthouse suite. "Welcome home, Mrs. Jacks," he said, swinging her around, his cheerful voice echoing through the spacious foyer. There was no mistaking the joy and pride in his voice at that statement. He was finally able to say it, free and clear. Jax slowly lowered Brenda to the floor.
"Welcome home, Mr. Jacks." Brenda said, wrapping her arms around her husband's waist and hugging him. "I love you."
"You'd better. I'd be heartbroken if you didn't," Jax smiled as Brenda laughed.
Brenda flopped onto the couch and let out a contented sigh. Jax chuckled as he sat down beside her. He could hardly get over the change in her. Only months ago, she had been miserable and embroiled in the underworld of Sonny Corinthos. Now she was beaming, her beautiful eyes radiant. This is what he would have traded the world for all those months ago. For her to realize how wonderful they could be together, and thank the stars she had finally come to her senses.
"It is good to be back." Brenda said, stretching out like a cat.
"Back in Melbourne, you said it was the most gorgeous place on earth and you never wanted to leave," Jax teased.
Brenda dimpled. "You know what I meant. Australia *was* beautiful and fun, and I had the time of my life, but I missed good ol' Port Charles. I even missed this sofa. Our sofa."
"If I'd known you were so attached to it, I would've brought it along," Jax laughed.
"I was being serious Mr. Smartmouth," Brenda said, hitting him lightly with a pillow cushion.
"Seriously pining after a piece of furniture," Jax chuckled, deflecting her blows.
"We made some moments to remember on this particular piece of furniture," Brenda said archly.
Jax grinned at her. He had to agree. He thought for a split second, and decided it was a good time to bring up a subject he had been pondering ever since their wedding. "Brenda, sweetie, how do you feel about this place?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you really like it here?"
Brenda gave her husband a curious glance. "Sure! Why wouldn't I?"
"No reason," Jax replied, his eyes twinkling.
"All right Jasper," Brenda poked Jax in the ribs, "what are you up to?"
Jax laughed as he squirmed away, ticklish. "Nothing, oh suspicious one," he said, catching hold of her hands before she could continue to poke at him. "But seriously, wouldn't you like to live somewhere more ... spacious?"
"Spacious?" Brenda repeated raising her eyebrows. "This isn't spacious?" Her gaze swept across the luxurious suite.
"More spacious than this. And a bit more permenant." He paused for a beat. "Sweetie, I was thinking about us buying a house."
"A house?" Brenda echoed in comic surprise.
"A dwelling place," Jax provided helpfully. "A building people live in, you know, with windows and doors and a yard - "
"And a white picket fence." Brenda rolled her eyes and smiled. "I know what a house is you dweeb. I'm just surprised you'd want to actually buy one."
"Why?"
"I don't know. You're always so pick up and go. I never pictured you as the house type."
"Well that was before I met you." His eyes spoke volumes.
Brenda became serious at his tone. "Jax, I don't want you to change for me."
"Change can be both good as well bad." Jax reached over and took both of Brenda's hands into his. "We made a commitment to each other, right? Well, a house would just be another way to define that commitment. I want a place to make a home with you. But I want to know how you feel."
Brenda opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again and smiled. No man had ever cared about what she thought or how she felt like the one sitting before her. Her smile widened into a grin. "You know, they say that home is where the heart is."
"So I hear," Jax replied.
Brenda pulled one hand from Jax's grasp to lay it across his cheek and leaned forward, gazing directly into his clear, bright eyes. "Well my heart belongs to you, so home for me is wherever *you* are."
+++
Lena sighed and rubbed her eyes. Her supervisor had not been amused. Her behaviour had been unacceptably irresponsible. No more screw ups. She had spent the last few hours running around like mad trying to make up for the work she missed, and catching up on the assignments from school. She had only to make up the oncology shift and then she could go home.
She decided to take a short cut across the quiet rehab wing. She caught sight of a movement out of the corner of her eye as she passed the exercise rooms. Turning, she glanced into the hopital pool, and gaped at the sight that met her eyes. Two lone figures were bobbing in the water. Katherine Bell, supported by none other than the head of General Hospital himself, Stefan Cassadine. So the rumours she had heard flying around were true. They were in the midst of a stolen embrace, their arms wrapped around each other, eyes closed. It was rather revolting. Lena blinked a few times. Poor Bobbie. Poor Nikolas. She heard footsteps approaching, and ducked back out only to run into Nikolas.
"There you are!" The younger Cassadine exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you! Where've you been?"
"I, uh," Lena threw an uneasy glance over her shoulder. Things could get very ugly should Nikolas walk into such a scene. "Come on, I'll tell you on the way to oncology."
Lena and Nikolas went through their rounds in oncology, and afterward, sat down outside the emergency wing to talk. Lena briefly mentioned her adventure to the Indy 500, but what they were more concerned about was the welfare and well-being of Melissa, the abused teenager they had befriended.
"She was doing fine in therapy until she heard that that crazy father of hers was ranting around the hospital looking for her," Nikolas explained, a worried expression marring his handsome young features. "He terrorized several staff members before security caught up to him and threw him out. For a while, she just curled back up into her shell and she even refused to eat, but Gail Baldwin got Kevin Collins to go talk to her, and it looks like he's getting through to her."
"Lucy told me some of what happened when Kevin became mentally unstable, and how it had to do with the abuse his brother suffered from their mother," Lena said thoughtfully. "And Brenda told me Kevin was a wonderful psychiatrist before he lost his liscence. I think Mrs. Baldwin is on to something. There's nothing like understanding abuse than having seen it first hand," Lena added in a low tone.
"You know, she opened up to me a couple times. She told me what he used to do." Nikolas's expression hardened into a mixture of horror and disgust. "The man is an animal. Why is he free to roam the streets?" Lena was silent. "Alexis could have him behind bars in no time but Melissa won't testify against him."
"She's scared," Lena said. "What if he gets out and comes after her?"
"I just don't get it." Nikolas said, pounding his fist into the wall in frustration. "How can one human being hurt another like that? Especially someone so much more vulnerable?" He couldn't make sense of it. Even before he had met Melissa he had tried to figure it out. They did nothing to deserve to be treated that way. It bothered him even more to know that such violence was in his blood. He knew vaguely how his father Stavros had treated Laura during her captivity, and he knew firsthand how Helena was. It made him sick to know that this was part of his heritage. That he was sensitive to this, even hurt by the knowledge made him more his mother's son than anything.
"Not everyone works on a code of honour, Nikolas. For some people, power is the only thing that matters. And inflicting pain on others is just one way to demonstrate power over them."
Both became quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Then, Nikolas spoke up. "I promised I'd go look in on Emily Quartermaine. Do you want to come along?"
Lena shook her head. "No, I saw her earlier. It's been a long day, I think I'll just head home."
Just then, Carly Roberts and Tony Jones burst out of the emergency rooms into the lobby, yelling loud enough to wake the dead. They were arguing about Carly's unfaithfulness in sleeping with AJ, and her involvement in Bobbie's recieving the custody papers regarding Lucas. They were starting to draw a crowd.
"Well I guess this is what they call turn about and fair play," Tony said bitterly, referring to how he had cheated on Bobbie, and now he was the one cheated on.
"Tony please!" Carly pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Just listen to me!"
"I was a fool to think you actually loved me." Tony yelled angrily. "How could you? How could you betray me like that? Don't you know you could have just cost me my son? Are you so damn insecure that you're willing to do anything for attention?"
"That's not what I was trying to do! What did Luke tell you?"
"This isn't about Luke!" Tony shouted. "*You* slept with AJ Quartermaine. *You* sent those papers to Bobbie!"
"Yes I sent the papers to Bobbie!" Carly screamed as Stefan Cassadine quietly stepped into view. Malice dripped in her voice. "She doesn't deserve to keep your son! Not after she gave her own child up! Not after she gave *me* up!"
The entire lobby fell silent. Tony turned pale as he fixed unbelieveing eyes on his young lover, and for the first time saw the resemblance. "I don't believe it," he said, almost trance-like. "You set me up." Then, without another word, he turned on his heel, and strode swiftly out of the lobby.
Carly looked stricken. She took off after him. "Tony!!"
The crowd disappated and everyone resumed functioning again after the bickering lovers were out of sight, as fresh gossip prepared to make the rounds of the hospital.
+++
"Jerry. Hey amigo!" Jake's cool but urgent voice broke into Jerry's train of thought. "As much as I trust your instincts and respect your abilities, don't you think we're flying just A LITTLE TOO CLOSE TO THE MOUNTAIN!!" Jake hollered the last bit just as Jerry snapped out of his trance and yanked the nose of the prototype stealth fighter jet into a full vertical climb to avoid smashing into the rocky Nevada mountains.
"Sorry," Jerry said sheepishly. "Drifted off for a minute there."
"Not that I'm complaining, but I don't think Wellington would appreciate you tapdancing his 60 million dollar plane across the landscape. Where is your brain today, man?"
"You don't want to know."
"Something tells me I already know," Jake said half humorously, half sarcastically.
A handful of WSB special task force agents were training with prototype machines deep in the desert, testing out the new equipment. Jerry and Jake, Damon and another pilot, Daniel Logan, were up in the sky, getting familiar with the supersonic jets. Jerry and Jake were flying together, while Damon and Daniel were solo in smaller jets. They would be in Nevada for a couple of days before jetting off to headquarters in London for debriefing.
A crisp voice came through on their headsets. "Cobra to Nitro, Cobra to Nitro, what's up with Wolverine? He aiming for the moon?"
"Wolves and moons have a special bond, Logan" Jake laughed as Jerry realized he was still in a full 90 degree, mach 20 supersonic climb. The ozone layer was just moments away.
"You guys are a riot," Jerry said wryly as he broke the jet out of the vertical climb, spun it around and leveled off the altitude.
"Ah, welcome back Wolverine," Logan chuckled. "I was going to ask you to to bring back a souvenier."
"Even at mach 20 it'd take a while. You think Wellington has sign-out sheets for these babies?" Jake chimed in.
"Stingray is in the air," Damon's voice came through, the final jet to join the two already in the sky. He flew up alongside Logan's plane. It was time to put the jets to the test. "Care to join us, Wolverine?"
Jerry spiralled his plane into a tight nosedive that would have sent normal human beings running for the bathroom to puke their guts out just witnessing it, but they had been conditioned long ago to withstand incredible g-forces. Jake let out a rebel yell as Jerry pulled even with the other two jets to fly in formation. "Let's rock and roll!"
+++
The diner was dark, as Ruby had locked up and turned all the lights out except for those in the walkway. Lena unlocked the doors, and headed upstairs. She picked up her mail that Ruby had collected for her. Inside her appartment, she threw down her things, and went to change out of her hospital uniform. After taking a long, hot bath, she emerged in her bathrobe, and sifted through her mail and messages. Nothing important.
Then a letter caught her eye. Addressed to her, it's return address, a law firm in Germany, was unfamiliar to her. Curious, she tore open the envelope and quickly scanned its brief contents.
Miss Madelena Raine,
As you may or may not be aware, Schlieman & Kohl represented the interests of one Joseph Osodi Kwetu, and it is with this firm that he left his last will and testament. With the recent demise of Mr. Kwetu, his Will has been read, and it was to you that Mr. Kwetu bequethed his estate. Also, he has instructed that his remains be placed in your care for proper burial.
Mr. Kwetu's body was retrieved from the Congo River and cremated by World Aid Corp., and his ashes rest with the firm awaiting further instruction from you. Upon contact, they will be transfered into your custody, and the estate turned over to you.
Please be advised that according to German law, should you fail to contact this firm within one year of this letter, all will be turned over to state custody and disposal.
Regards,
Schlieman & Kohl.
The signatures were monogramed. Lena reread the letter several times, sitting still as a statue. She had no idea. But then, Joseph had often told Kyle and her how he regarded them as his family, since he had none of his own. She took a deep breath, and shuddered. It had been weeks since she first heard of his murder on CNN. She had had to mourn the best she could, quietly, and though she had tried to put it behind her, inside, it still hurt to think about it. She had no idea how the firm had tracked her down, but she was grateful they had. She had to contact the firm, and get his ashes from them. Joseph deserved a proper burial.
~The next morning ~
"Who is it?" Lena called, cradling the phone on her shoulder against her ear, and writing on a pad of paper. She was finalizing flight reservations to Ireland.
"Robin, Lo, baby Brooke and me!" Brenda called from outside the door.
"Just a sec!" Lena set the phone down, and went to open the door for her friends. She gestured them in, and picked up the phone again to finish her conversation.
Brenda, Lois, Brooke Lynn and Robin, who was back for a short visit, made themselves at home, flopping down on the various chairs. Brenda had run into Robin on her way to see Lois, and at the gatehouse, Ned had told them Lois was at the Outback. They met up there just as Lois was walking out, and they decided to come pay Lena a visit. Brenda was telling everyone about the fabulous time she had. She looked great, tanned, relaxed, and a lot happier than she had been in a long time.
As Lena wrapped up her phone call, the discussion turned to the nurses ball to be held next week. It was to be a costume ball, and the theme this year was Myths and Legends. Everyone had to come as one or the other. It was a joint venture to be thrown by ELQ and Jacks Enterprises, and once again, it had become a grueling organizational duel between Katherine Bell and Lucy Coe. This year, Lucy was determined to come out on top - perferably with her clothes on.
Robin was bemoaning Jason's lack of creativity in the costume department. "He absolutely will not dress up for it."
"Don't mind him," Lois advised just as Lena hung up and walked over to join the conversation. "It's gonna be so excitin'! I love dressin' up. So, Lena, who are ya thinkin' of going with?" Lois asked. When she failed to answer, Lois waved a hand in front of her dazed face. "Yoohoo, earth ta Lena, are ya there?"
Lena looked blank. "Oh, sorry. Were you talking to me?"
"We were talking about the annual nurse's ball next week." Brenda explained. "Don't tell me they didn't tell you about it at the hospital? Jax and Ned are underwriting the thing."
"Oh, right!" Realization dawned on her face as she remembered Amy telling her about the fund-raising event being held at the Casa Pavillion. "I won't be able to make it."
"Why not?"
"I'll be in the UK."
Lois raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Really? Why?"
"There's...something I need to take care of there."
Brenda noticed her friend's rather sombre mood. "Are you ok, Len? Did you get some bad news?"
Lena shook her head. "Just some loose ends I need to tie up."
"How long is this trip going to take?" Brenda asked.
Lena looked uncertain. "A few days I guess."
"Well then you'll have plenty of time before the ball," Robin said. "It's not until Wednesday."
"Yes, but I can't get a flight out until Thursday. The airlines are booked solid."
"Hmmmm," Brenda chewed on a strand of her hair. "I know! You can use Jax's plane. He can send his pilot to the UK and fly you back on time!"
"I don't want to - "
"It's no trouble at all," Brenda cut in, anticipating her friend's thought trail. "You have to be back for the ball. It's for a worthy cause, and it's usually a blast, especially if Lucy pulls another one of her stunts."
"But I don't have a date." Lena said with a sad smile.
"That's ok. Who says ya need one?" Lois said. "'Sides, I'm sure AJ'd love ta take ya." Robin and Brenda laughed as Lena chuckled.
"What about the costume?"
"Not a problem," Brenda grinned. "Trust me. When I go to get my costume, I'll get one for you too."
"It's all settled then!" Lois declared. "Ya gotta come back for the ball."
Lena turned her palms up in defeat. Robin, Brenda and Lois burst into excited chatter about the plans and participants of the big event as Lena's thoughts drifted absently off.
~ March, several days later: North Ireland ~
Eric Clapton
Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven.
It was a grey Irish afternoon, and it was raining lightly. Lena was standing in an old cemetery, empty except for the priest beside her. They were standing in front of a freshly placed marker. She was struggling to keep a tight hold on her emotions. The father finished his prayer, and offered her his condolences before slowly taking his leave of her. She seemed not to notice. Joseph Osodi Kwetu, dead at the age of 36.
"Rest in peace Joseph," she whispered. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." She had flown to Ireland to make the necessary funeral arrangements. It had taken several days for for Joseph's cremated body to be transported here from Germany. He had stated in his will that she was to be given custody of his body should he die, and Lena had arranged for a proper burial for him. Lena knew it was strange, to be burying her African friend in Irish soil, but Joseph had no other family but her and Kyle. And so she had him placed here, in the old Catholic cemetery.
She bent to lay some flowers in front of the marker, paused, and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I hope that you're in a better place now, wherever you are. I know you and Kyle will take good care of each other."
Would you hold my hand if I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand if I saw you in heaven?
I'll find my way through night and day,
'Cause I know I just can't stay here in heaven.
Beside the new marker was an older one. She went over to it, and knelt down before it. Looking at it, the words of the marker seared into her brain. The hollow ache in her heart had dulled, but she still had to blink rapidly against the tears that threatened to overflow her eyes. She reached out to lightly brush his name etched in stone. Kyle Loarken Reece. Born December 19, 1970, died May 6, 1994.
Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please.
The tension was so thick it had practically become visible. Everyone knew the situation had become critical. It was political anarchy in Zaire, with the government splintering into different factions, and warlords carving up large chunks of the country. Every day, more and more refugees flooded past the village. They looked like walking zombies, fleeing on foot from the ravages of civil war. Their faces reflected the horrors they had witnessed. Some simply dropped dead in their tracks. And the children. Their deadened eyes were the most heartbreaking thing in the world. They held the expression of ones who had witnessed atrocities far too harrowing for their young minds to fully understand. The mayhem was incomprehensible to the adults, much less the children. The stench of death hung so heavily in the air it was difficult to breathe. The shelters and clinic the mission had set up in the village were overflowing with victims. They did the best they could to treat the people and alleviate the suffering, but they were overwhelmed, and the immediate need to evacuate hovered over their heads. It seemed cowardly to run, but it would be sheer insanity to stay.
Soldiers from General Zahir Kabila's private militia were crowded close to the mission camp. They had stopped there for several days, and there was an uneasy, charged atmosphere from their presence. Soldiers were feared by everyone. No one knew their disposition, no one could really control them and they were prone to savage violence. A fact that became all too evident one dark, humid night.
Lena was walking to her cabin from the clinic when she heard the screaming. It was coming from behind one of the other more remote cabins. She ran aroundside and stared in horror. A handful of soldiers were mercilessly beating and kicking a young teenage boy to death. The youth was curled into a little ball, rolling on the ground crying out in pain, trying unsuccessfully to protect himself.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Lena screamed, running forward. She shoved several soldiers away from the boy. "Leave him alone!"
The soldiers pushed her away as they continued to beat on the boy. He had stolen some of the soldier's food out of desperate starvation. One of the soldiers drew his gun.
"NO!" Lena screamed. She made a grab for the gun and pulled on the soldier's arm, her momentum causing them both to lose their balance. The other soldiers rushed to their comerade's aid, and they all began to shove and grab at Lena. She screamed and fought back, kicking and punching.
"Bitch!" exclaimed one soldier as Lena's fist split his lip. He wiped the blood off with the back of his hand, then narrowed his eyes maliciously. "You like play rough, eh?" He backhanded Lena and pushed her to the ground. "Arman play rough best," he snarled as he began to tear at her clothes. The men hooted and hollared the more she tried to fight.
Lena screamed and she twisted and turned, struggling against the myriad of hands that clawed at her body and ripped at her clothing. Hands that slapped and struck her senseless. She felt herself sinking, sinking, sinking into the safety of her coccoon. The familiar reaction of retreat, to surrender and let it pass. Her struggles eased as she started to go limp. As her hand fell, it brushed against the sidearm of the soldier on top of her. She jerked back to consiousness and pulled it out of its holster. Without thinking, she fired three times. The soldier slumped over her.
Then, all hell broke loose. Lena fired without looking, without thinking about who or what she was shooting. It wasn't until Joseph expertly grabbed the gun from her that she stopped, stunned. She stared in a daze at the soldiers, all lying on the ground. Two of them were still alive, and moaning in pain.
"Oh my god, what happened?" Kyle exclaimed as he came around the cabin. He stared at the torn clothes and warm blood dripping off of Lena, and paled as understanding dawned. "Maddie - "
"No time for this. We go now!" Joseph said hastily. He had a plane stashed out close to the jungle for their emergency evacuation. He grabbed hold of Lena's numb hand. He and Kyle half dragged Lena as all three made a run towards Joesph's plane.
Kyle glanced behind, back in the camp that was just starting to stir from the commotion. "I'll clean up. You take Maddie and go! Quickly, before Kabila's soldiers come!"
"No, Kyle!" Lena shook her head furiously, as Joseph tried to drag her into the plane. She wasn't going to go without Kyle.
"Maddie don't argue! Get on the plane!"
"No, I'm not leaving you!"
"This is not up for debate! If they find you, they'll execute you. I'm not going to let you die here!"
"NO! Kyle - "
"Madelena please, come on the plane," Joseph said. "You waste time by arguing."
"I won't go. Not unless you come too." Tears streamed down her face. She knew the soldiers would be out for revenge. Theywouldn't hesitate to kill him, and she was terrified she was going to lose him. He had become everything to her.
"Maddie, I swear, I'll be right behind you after I take care of things."
"Then I'll wait!"
Joseph cursed. There wasn't time for this. He looked at Kyle. Kyle looked back at his friend, then at the girl who's face he had come to love so much. He nodded at Joseph, who grabbed Lena from behind, taking her by surprise.
"Joseph! What are you - " she gasped as Joseph pressed on her pressure points. "Nooo..." she whispered before passing out.
Kyle caught her as she fell and hugged her close. "I need for you to be safe. I love you," he murmered into her hair. Kyle turned to his friend. "Take care of her," he ordered.
Joseph shook his head. "You should come too."
"No. Get her out of here. I'll see if I can clean up this mess. The people here need me. Now go." Kyle handed Lena back to Joseph, who picked her up off the ground and carried her to the plane. He turned to look one last time at Kyle, who waved at him.
"I'll meet up with you in Cairo," Kyle called.
By the time Lena had woken up in Cairo, the village had ceased to exist. It had been a brutal retaliation. Joseph told her as simply as he could. Lena heard the words but they didn't register. The ancient black and white television droned on with a CNN broadcast of the massacre. The rebels had gone through in less than two hours. The television crews clearly showed the devastation. The rebel leader General Zahir Kabila was shown inset, as the man who ordered the slaughter to set an example against resistance. There were no survivors. The broadcast reran a video of the medical staff of the clinic being lined up and executed, their bodies jerking as the bullets hit them.
No sound would come from her throat. Lena felt her legs give way, and she sank to the floor. The blood rushed from her head and she felt faint as the realization set in. Kyle was dead. He was gone. They had killed him. She felt the bile rise to her throat and fled to the bathroom, where she spent the next three hours throwing up. When she had nothing left to throw up, she had huddled on the floor, retching.
Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure,
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven.
Joseph had cleaned her up, and smuggled out of Africa. Somehow, he had managed to get in contact with Trevor, and sent her to stay with him. She had been catatonic. She saw nothing, ate nothing, felt nothing for days. Joseph had stood by her, unable to help yet trying his best to. In her state of mind, he fully expected her to try to kill herself. But she didn't. The initial shock passed and she began to function again, although she never lost the haunted look in her eyes. And Joseph had returned to Africa once he was sure she was safe with Trevor.
Lena sighed and rested her head against the cold headstone. Trevor Loarken, Kyle's younger brother, IRA protoge extraordinaire. She brushed her damp hair from her face and wondered where he was now, if he was even alive.
Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven.
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven.
~ Back in Port Charles ~
"It's gone." Laura Spencer said, as soon as her husband walked into their house. She had their baby daughter in her arms, and was standing in the foyer, concern etched on her normally etheral features.
"What's gone, babe?" Luke asked, slipping his coat off to hang up in the closet.
"The egg."
"Excuse me?" Luke looked a little confused. He had just been with Sonny all morning, they had just about figured out Dorman's connection to the drugs infiltrating the city. Sonny's foray into the docks that fateful night he and Brenda ended up swinging from a container had managed to turn up the name and origins of the suppliers, but not the distributers. Still, they were almost ready to nail Dr. Dorman.
"The Fabrige egg Nikolas gave LuLu, Luke. It's gone." Laura emphasized.
Luke frowned. "Damn. That can only mean two things. Either Lucky pawned the thing like I asked him to, or Steffin made good on his word, and darlin' I'm willing to bet the farm that the egg's at Wyndemyre."
Laura furrowed her brow. "Do you really think Stefan broke into our house to get it back?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Stefan had been inscenced when he discovered that Nikolas had given away the priceless heirloom to his baby sister, and for some reason, demanded that it be returned. He had declared it Nikolas's inheritance, and because Nikolas was still too young, he did not have the right to give away family property. Luke had refused, if only to irritate the man, and Stefan had vowed to get it back.
"What is so important about that egg that Stefan would want it back so desperately?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Luke replied.
+++
Stefan sat in his dark room, eyeing the Fabrige egg he held in his hand. Silently, his fingers found the switch, and he popped it open. Inside, sat a tiny, gleaming microchip. Stefan gave an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. It was still there. The secrets and plans were still safe.
"Stefan?" Alexis called out, sounding far away. "Where are you?"
"In here," he replied, in his deep, resonating voice, his eyes still on the egg.
Alexis entered the gloomy room, and was surprised to see Stefan holding the egg. "I thought Nikolas gave that to his sister. How did you..." Stefan looked up at her, and Alexis stopped. "Don't tell me," she said shaking her head. "I don't want to know."
Stefan's mouth lifted slightly in a dark smile. "Like I told you, cousin. I have it all under control."
"Really," Alexis said dryly. "The Spencers are bound to notice it's missing. Just how are you going to explain this to Nikolas?"
Stefan carefully removed the microchip from the egg, and placed it into a secret compartment in the wall. He then snapped the egg shut again, and walked down the hall to place it into the giant display case. "When the time comes to explain everything to Nikolas, he will understand," Stefan stated confidently. "His loyalty is to us, not the Spencers."
Alexis wondered if her cousin truly believed his statement, or if he had said it in the effort to convince himself. Stefan's voice inturrupted her pondering. "Pardon me?"
"I asked about our contribution to the hospital fund raising event."
"Right. That's what I came here to discuss with you." Alexis pulled out several large folders from her briefcase, and together, the two Cassadines went to work.
~ North Ireland ~
Trevor stood, several feet behind her. He had been watching her for a while now, silently. He still couldn't believe she was right here in front of him, like a vision . He shifted, and a twig under his foot snapped. Lena heard, and turned swiftly around. Their gazes locked. Lena blinked the raindrops from her eyes and she slowly rose to her feet.
"Trevor?" she half-whispered, not sure if she was seeing right, or her mind was conjuring things up again.
He smiled at her. "Hello angel," he said in his lilting Irish brogue. He closed the distance between them, and stopped short in front of her. They stared at each other for an eternity. "I've missed you." Unable to help himself, he reached up, and touched her cheek with his hand. He pulled her into his arms, and hugged her fiercely, pressing his lips to the top of her head. She held on just as tight, tears filling her eyes.
Then she pushed him away suddenly. "What are you doing here? Someone could see you!"
"You're here." he said simply. "But you're right. Come on, let's go somewhere safer."
Trevor ushered Lena down the sloping hill, and into the dark car that had been parked at the foot of it. As they drove out the cemetery, Jerry stepped out from where he had been leaning against several trees and watched them go.
Chapter 30: Beautiful Goodbye
Jerry had hopped over to Ireland when he heard that Lena was there. The team was at headquarters in London for a brief stop before embarking on their next assignment. He had called her on a whim, just to talk to her, but couldn't reach her. He finally found out from Brenda that she was here, and it had been a simple matter to use WSB tracking computers to locate her. Jerry discovered she was staying at the Europa - incidentally the most bombed hotel in Europe, and decided to come and surprise her. He had arrived, just as she was leaving in a taxi, and he had tagged along out of curiosity. He hadn't expected her to show up at a cemetery.
Then he saw the priest. He felt guilty for spying on what was obviously a private moment, but he had been concerned. Belfast, North Ireland was not the safest place to be. At least, that was the rationale he kept trying to convince himself with, but deep down, he knew it was a desire to uncover some of the mist surrounding this girl that had spurred his pursuit. He had planned to go back and meet her at her hotel when he spotted a man walking up behind her. Jerry had been ready to pounce but stopped himself when he saw that Lena obviously knew the man, and they obviously meant something to each other. A fact that didn't sit well with him. He watched their car pull out and started to follow them when a man stepped into his path.
"Can I help ya ther son?" He was a rugged looking groundskeeper, as tattered and battered as the land itself, and he spoke with a strong Irish accent. When he smiled, several teeth were missing.
Jerry was impatient to get rid of him. "Uh, no. No thanks." He moved, but the man moved with him.
"Lookin' fer anyone in particular? I know wher most everyone be. Hell, I buried most of 'em!" he guffawed good-naturedly, although Jerry noticed that his laugh didn't quite reach his eyes.
"No thank you." Jerry repeated, firmly.
The man shrugged. "Suit yer self then." He heaved his shovel over his shoulder, and went about on his way, whistling a ghastly tune.
Jerry glanced down the lane. The car was gone. He bit off a curse of frustration. The groundskeeper had distracted him. He sighed, and ran his fingers through his blonde locks. Walking over to where Lena had been a few moments ago, he looked down at the headstones there. He read the name of the first one. Joseph Osodi Kwetu. Well, at least now he knew who Joseph was, and why Lena had been so upset. Jerry glanced at the next one. Kyle Loarken Reece. Kyle. Lena's husband? What was the connection? For that matter, who was the other guy? And how did he know Lena? He stood there, staring hard at the words as if they could give him the answers. Slipping out his phone, he dialed a coded number to the WSB computer labs.
"Carla, it's Jerry Jacks. I need you to do a favour for me."
"Whatever happened to unconditional love?" came the sarcastically-amused reply.
Jerry half-smiled. "I need you to run a couple of names for me." Jerry read the names off succinctly. "Kyle Loarken Reece. Born December 19, 1970, died May 6, 1994. Joseph Osodi Kwetu. No date of birth or death."
"Can I ask why you want to run a search on a couple of dead men?"
"Thanks Carla, I owe you." Jerry snapped his phone shut, glanced one last time around the silent cemetery, and then made his way out. There was no telling where Lena was by now. He decided to head back to London. He would get some answers there.
The groundskeeper watched as Jerry left the cemetery, then dropped a coin into a phone box. He punched in several numbers, and listened to it ring. After three rings, it was picked up.
"McGaffney," a gruff voice spoke.
"Keogh," the groundskeeper replied.
"William. How the devil are ye?"
"No' ta well I'm afraid. Folks come 'round here, they be gettin' the spooks."
Immediately, McGaffney's ears perked up. "Havin' problems wi' yer visitors, Laim?"
"Ya. I done just saw me a tall, blonde foreign fellow. Now, he looked like he saw a *ghost*."
"Don't we all sometimes, though."
"Bloody buggers, them spooks. I think I see me boss headed this way."
"Well, ya best be gettin' back ta work, Liam. Come over for a pint sometime."
"Will do, Robbie."
+++
After driving for almost an hour, they reached their destination and Trevor undid Lena's blindfold. She opened her eyes, blinking to adjust them to the light. She looked around, and found herself in familiar surroundings. She was in O' Malley's Pub. It had been a quiet ride getting there. Too much had happened, and all the old feelings were churning around for both of them, making it difficult to make any sort of small talk.
Trevor could sense her hesitancy. Lena, for her part, was finding it difficult under Trevor's blunt scrutiny, and his dark eyes seemed to burn her. It was like stepping back into the past. He was the epitome of the modern day outlaw. He had been there, and had seen her through some of her darkest hours. They had shared the same losses. They were alike in so many ways. He had not Kyle's calm, rational approach to life. Trevor was ruled by his passions, and so unflinchingly honest with his feelings. Those feelings had scared her, because she had felt their intensity, and felt their dangerous pull. And still did.
The pub was deserted, though she recalled it usually was during the day. There was no one there but her and Trevor. She walked over, and took a seat up at the bar. Trevor sat down on the stool beside her. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked.
"No thanks," Lena replied as he leaned over the counter and got himself a beer. She ran her hand down the smooth wood of the counter. "I never thought I'd ever see this place again."
"I never thought I'd ever see *you* again. I was sure you were dead."
She had been in Ireland for several months now. Everyone had become used to her presence, and treated her as one of them. They had grown close in the months after Kyle's death. It was almost midnight by the time he made his way back from Dublin to Belfast. He had been gone for over a week on a mission. In that time, whatever had been holding her together had snapped. He had been worried when he couldn't find Lena anywhere in the safehouse, and went out scouring the streets for her. He finally found here, at the pub. Sirens were blaring into the night, it was pouring rain, and she was standing outside the pub, soaked to the bone, leaning against the worn old bricks with an almost empty bottle of Irish whisky in her hand.
"What in the bloody hell are you doin'?"
"I'm leaving." she said calmly, the only hint of her intoxication was in her eyes. "Tomorrow."
"Oh you are, are you? Where to?"
"Zaire."
"To do what?"
"I have unfinished business there." Her voice was defiant, her eyes dared him to challenge her.
Trevor reached out to take hold of her arm. "That's the whisky talkin'. Let's get out of the rain."
She shook him off. "No."
"Will you stop being so damn mule-headed!" She jutted her jaw in stubborness and he threw his hands up in frustration. "Fine!" He could see the vengeful blaze of her eyes, a mirror of the same inferno that burned in his. "This isn't what Kyle would've wanted."
"Well Kyle's not here, is he?" she said flippantly, but there was no mistaking the bitterness in her tone.
"So what, Mz. John Wayne, you think you can just waltz on down into Africa and blow those bastards away?" he demanded. "You can't fight an army. They'll kill you before you get within fifty feet of them."
Lena shrugged carelessly. A gesture of the recklessness of youth. "What have I got to lose?"
"Everythin'! For god's sake, you're barely twenty-two! You've got your whole life ahead of you!" Trevor shouted at her. They were both dripping wet now, their clothes plastered to their bodies.
"What life?" Lena shouted back, the pain and anger the whisky had dulled finally rising to the surface. "Tell me!" she pushed at him, "You god damned hypocrite!"
He grabbed onto both her wrists. "Listen to me! You are not me. You still have a choice!"
Lena laughed. It was bitter and hollow. "I ran out of choices long ago."
"That's not true! Don't you think I know you're hurtin'? It rips my guts out every night when you cry in your sleep, knowin' nuthin' I do can make it better. But you're strong, you will survive this!"
"What if I don't want to survive this?"
He shook her, trying to jar some sense into her. "Gettin' yourself killed won't bring Kyle back! It won't change anything!"
Lena broke away from him. "Maybe not! But still have to do this Trevor. I have to! You of all people should understand." Everytime she closed her eyes, she saw the rebel General's face, gloating, boasting, arrogant and above all, blatently fallible. She saw Draco, tracking her down, forcing her back. It was like a poison eating away at her brain. "It's driving me crazy. I need to make it stop. I have to do something."
"And if I refuse to let you go?" he demanded hotly.
"You can't!"
"Watch me! I'm not going to sit idle while you go commit suicide!"
Lena smashed her whisky bottle against the side of the building and stared up into his eyes. The jagged edges of the broken glass bottle gleamed under the streetlamp. "You can let me finish things there, or I can end them here. Now." Her voice was shaking, but she was dead serious. She couldn't live like this anymore, it had to stop.
Amanda Marshall
Fed up with my destiny
And this place of no return
Think I'll take another day
And slowly watch it burn
Anger mixed with anguish, flashing across Trevor's young face. "Don't do this." For all his bravado and experience, he was still the little boy who watched his parents get killed in the streets of Belfast. He still bore the scars of losing everything he held dear within a blink of an eye. "I lost my brother, I don't want to lose you too."
Seconds ticked past that felt like hours. Lena's face softened. The broken bottle slipped from her rain-numbed fingers and shattered onto the street. She reached up and gently touched his face. "Don't you see? He saved my life. I owe him. Please understand."
Trevor covered her hand with his, almost crushing it with his intensity. "I don't want you to die." he said softly, beads of water streaking down his face.
"Evil victorious, and the good they die young," Lena said quietly.
"Angel." Trevor's voice broke, and he looked at her, his fierce brown eyes blazing with everything he felt for her.
It doesn't really matter how the time goes by
Cause I still remember you and I
And that beautiful goodbye
Lena pulled him to her, hugging him fiercely, as the rain poured down on them. Their lips met. They kissed like it was the last night on earth, this intimacy the one sure thing in the midst of all the uncertainty in their young lives. Trevor backed Lena up against the wall of the building, pushed her wet hair back, cupping her face and continued kissing her. Passion and pain mixed together as they poured all their turbulent emotions into each other, on their last night together.
Lena wrapped her legs around Trevor's waist, as he picked her up and carried her into the bar, past the people there, and into the back room. There, they tore into each other, ripping off the soaking clothes that clung to them, and crushing their bodies together. Their passion exploded with a force that stunned the both of them, as they gave in to some primal, instinctive drive that carried them through the night. When Trevor woke the next morning, she was gone.
We staggered through these empty street
Lauging arm in arm
The night had made a mess of me
Your confession kept me warm
And I don't really miss you, I just need to know
Do you ever think of you and I
And that beautiful goodbye
"No such luck." Lena's voice broke into Trevor's thoughts.
"I don't understand. I saw the pictures of the wreckage on TV. How did you survive?"
Trevor remembered the day, not too long after she had left, when he heard about the explosion. The rebel general, his family, and several of his top aides had been mysteriously killed when the mansion they were in, purchased with the bribes and blood of hundreds of thousands, suddenly blew up. If not for the bodies, which had been found chained together, the explosion would have been ruled accidental. But once they were discovered, it was clearly an assasination. No one had claimed responsibility, though, and the international community had been baffled. The assasination had paradoxically been both professional and completely amateur. Trevor had guessed Lena had hit her target, but he had thought she had died as well.
"I wasn't inside." Lena replied.
She explained that when she arrived in Africa, she had seen Joseph. He had somehow known she would be there. He had thought her insane to go after the general. Nothing could persuade her otherwise. In the end, he had gone along, calling in a few favours from him mercenary days. It hadn't been too difficult. The general was far too egotistical and believing in his supreme infallibility. Lena had entered the mansion as part of an enterage of "dancers." Joseph had managed to slip past the guards and together, they had the general's group under their control before anyone could react. When the general realized what had happened, he tried to bribe them for his freedom.
"He offered us money, jewels, guns, anything we wanted." Lena continued in a low monotone. "But I told him I wanted revenge. I wanted him to suffer, to watch as everyone he cared about was killed. Just like he and his army had done." she paused. "And then we detonated the bombs, right in front of his eyes." The general had screamed, and lunged at them, but his bonds had made the effort futile. Joseph then grabbed Lena and lunged out of the building, leaving the party to spend their last minutes together. Somehow, they must have been spotted for him to be later identified.
When I see you now
I wonder how
I could've watched you walk away
If I let you down
Please forgive me now
For that beautiful goodbye
"Ironic, isn't it? I went looking for death, and here I am. Alive." Lena put her head down into her arms on the bartop. "He died because of me. I got him involved."
Trevor knew she was feeling guilty over Joseph. "He knew what he was gettin' into angel. We all make our own choices," he said putting his hand on her shoulder.
Something in his tone made Lena look up. Joseph had known. There was only one way he could have known. "You told him." Trevor didn't deny it. Lena shut her eyes in angry frustration. "God Trevor, why?"
Trevor tilted Lena's face up and looked straight into her eyes. "I told you. I wasn't going to let you die." He stated it matter-of-factly. In his world, there were no easy choices, all the lines had long been drawn. There was nothing, no one he would not sacrifice for her. He had contacted Joseph as soon as Lena had left, and when he had not heard from either of them afterwards, he had assumed they had both perished.
Lena shook her head and sighed. She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I wanted so badly to get revenge. I went after it blindly, and I did the one thing Kyle would never forgive me for."
"Kyle would've forgiven you anythin'."
"No, not this. We both know, he hated violence. And I helped kill them in cold blood."
"You did what you had to."
Lena lifted her head. "How did you know to come to the cemetery? How did you know I was there?"
"Instinct, I guess. I just knew."
"Your instincts were always uncanny." Lena said slowly.
In these day of no regrets
I'll keep mine to myself
And all the things we never said
I can say for someone else
She smiled, finally. "You don't know how good it is to see you." She laughed and ran her fingers lightly through his curls. "Look at your hair." It had gotten long since she had last seen him.
Trevor covered her hand with his and clasped his fingers through hers. "It's good to see you too."
Before either of them could say anything more, someone entered the pub. Trevor whipped around, alert. It was Robert McGaffney. Robert looked startled when he saw Lena. Like everyone else, he had believed her dead.
"Hello, Robbie," she said. He nodded in acknowledgment. He could tell he inturrupted something, but it couldn't be helped.
"Loarken, you were spotted by a spook. Ya best get goin'."
Trevor nodded, and turned to Lena as Robbie went out again, as quickly as he came in. "Will you come with me?"
Lena shook her head. "I can't."
Trevor nodded again, in acceptance. "Will I see you again?"
Lena paused and blinked, not knowing how to answer. She nodded.
He smiled at her then. The sad smile of a fallen star. "Goodbye then, angel." He ran one gentle finger down her cheek, then, wordlessly, he walked away. When he reached to doors, he turned, one last time, and then he was gone.
She stood there, alone, long after he had gone, past and present racing through her head like and old black and white film. Lena put her hand to her face where he had touched her. She blinked, and a tear coursed silently down her face.
Cause nothing lasts forever, but we always try
And I just can't help but wonder why
We let it pass us by
When I see you now
I wonder how
I could've watched you walk away
If I let you down
Please forgive me now
For that beautiful goodbye
+++
Jerry burst into the WSB computer labs with his usual energy and made a beeline for the sharp-looking techie seated in front of what looked like a NASA space panel.
"Carla, tell me some good news."
"Hello and nice to see you too," Carla replied without taking her eyes off the monitor she was staring into.
Jerry grinned. Carla never cut him any slack, it was one of the reasons he liked her so much. "Darlin' you know how much I love and appreciate you. Now, tell me what you got."
Carla granted Jerry a wry smile, and punched in a few key words. "What you got is a mess. Do you know how many people there are with the names you gave me? Do you know which one it is you're looking for? And this Reece guy, total fiction. Man doesn't exist, or if he did, it wasn't on any register known to us."
Jerry narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Sure as sure with what you gave me. I'm gonna need more detailed info to run a more accurate scan."
Jerry's expression turned shrewd. "You'll get it."
Chapter 31: Myths and Legends
Up in the Jacks's penthouse, Lois, decked out as Maid Marion, had just arrived. Ned had dropped her off, and would meet her at the Casa Pavillion later. "You guys! Would ya hurry it up? We're gonna miss the cocktails and opening act of the ball!"
"We have to look absolutely perfect! Don't rush us!" Brenda hollered back.
"At this rate, hell's gonna freeze over before we make the party" Lois muttered, stalking towards the bedroom.
Jax laughed at Lois's thunderous expression. He was dressed in his Sir Lancelot costume, and his blonde hair was dyed a rich chestnut hue, contrasting sharply with his bright blue eyes. He had on the full suit and chain mail, and a glinting sword was strapped to his side. A huge Pendragon insignia was draped across his chest. He looked like an awe-inspiring version of mythical hero. Brenda was to be his Guinevere. He had been ready to go hours ago and was sitting patiently on the couch, idly scanning a stack of business proposals as he waited.
In the bedroom, Robin was dressed as Joan of Arc. Her uniform was completely authentic. She had metal plates across strapped to her chest, and a wooden crucifix hanging from a leather strap around her neck. Lena had just finished braiding her hair into coils on her head, which gave Robin the effect of looking more Princess Leia than Joan of Arc, but she looked great nonetheless. Robin had finally persuaded Lena to try the dress that Brenda had chosen for her. When Lena saw herself in front of the mirror, she was not amused. Brenda had chosen a white silk sheath with gold trim, that draped from her shoulders, across the top of her breasts. Her stomach and back were completely bare. The skirt was separate and slung low on her hips, and there was a long slit along one side of the dress. She was flashing a lot of skin.
Robin whistled. "Hello!" Brenda grinned at them as she pinned flowers into her hair. She was dressed in a soft, shimmering pale blue gown, made of misty material that seemed to float and waft with her when she moved. Her hair was down in a mass of curls and waves, and she wore a large Arthurian medallian chained around her waist to match Jax's. She looked absolutely etheral, if not for the wicked gleam of mischeviousness that flashed from her big brown eyes.
Lena glared at her mock-accusatorily. "There is no way I am going out like this."
"Why not?" Brenda asked. "You look fabulous."
"I look like a bad cross between a slave dancer and Victoria's Secret." Lena snorted. "Who am I supposed to be?"
"The Greek goddess Aphrodite!" Brenda declared happily.
"I do not look like Aphrodite." Lena said making a face at Robin who made a face back and shrugged.
Lois heard this last statement as she came in and grinned. "Well that's cuz ya haven't put on yer wig yet!"
Lena's eyes widened. "Wig?" she repeated ominously. Lena looked from Lois to Brenda, and both were grinning slyly as Robin giggled. Lois pulled a long blonde wig out of a box. Lena shook her head, retreating, "Oh no."
"Come on, Lena, be a sport." Lois said, her dimples deepening. She set the wig on Lena, and stepped back to examine the results. Lena looked adorably disgusted with her blonde curls hanging down.
"There! Now you're perfect!" Lois said with a relish.
"Brenda!" Jax called from outside, "phone for you."
Brenda went out to take the call. It was Jerry. "Hey you! Where are you?"
"On my way." Jerry replied.
"Well hurry up! We're about to get going."
"Is my costume ready?" Jerry asked.
"Yep. All you're stuff is waiting for you in your suite. You're gonna look great!"
"Yeah, but what am I?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? I decided you should go as Hercules," Brenda declared as Jerry laughed. "I'll see you soon, ok?" Brenda handed the phone back to Jax, and headed back to the bedroom.
Moments later, Jax rapped lightly on the door and strode into the room. He let out a low whistle, impressed by the sight of all the women before him. "So this was what it's like to own a harem," he said grinning.
Brenda hit him in the arm. "In your dreams, Jasper."
Jax laughed. "My dreams and Jerry's reality. It's time to go." Jax said.
Lena shook her head. "I'm not budging until someone brings me the rest of this dress. What?" she said as everyone laughed at her. "You guys think I'm kidding?"
"Come on Lena, where's your sense of daring? If I remember correctly, you've been seen in public wearing things a lot more provocative in the past." Brenda said with a smirk.
Lena scowled at her comically. "I was young and crazy then, I'm older and wiser now."
Brenda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're a veritable ancient now," and grabbed Lena's hand and dragged her along, ignoring her friend's protests. Jax shook his head, chuckling at their banter. He didn't want to imagine these two as they must have been growing up together. Lois and Robin trooped behind them, grinning.
"You look glamorous and besides, it's fashionable!" Brenda said, as they went through the penthouse.
"I never knew draping a sheet on myself a la Julius Caesar could be so fashionable," Lena said sarcastically.
"Lena, you're being ridiculous. You're going to stun all of the guests tonight."
"Oh they'll be stunned all right," Lena muttered, "Once this dress blows away with the wind."
Jax coughed to smother a laugh and Brenda crossed her eyes at him as the group trooped into the waiting elevator. The elevator opened at the lobby and the group spilled out, drawing admiring glances from the hotel's patrons as they made their way outside to the waiting limo.
+++
"Explain to me again why you're insisting on attending this stupid function? Are you *trying* to give yourself away?" Miranda demanded.
Jonas ignored her. His gaze was fixed on the newspapers in front of him. He had kept a huge pile of articles pertaining to everything related to the Jacks family, especially the wedding. He had no doubt the mysterious sillouette of a man the paperazzi had caught was Brenda's former lover, Sonny Corinthos. Jonas had some interaction with him from previous "business" acquaintences, although they had never actually delt face to face. Miranda had explained to him who the other people were, including the girl who was an old friend of Brenda's. Jonas had been struck by an odd feeling of familiarity looking at her, and he was going to figure out why. "I'm going to find us an ally...or two," he finally said.
"An ally? Jonas, what are you talking about?" Her brother was making less and less sense these days. He didn't answer him, busy with his plans. A slow smile spread across Jonas's face. This was going to be more fun than he thought.
+++
Ned met them in the lobby of the Casa Pavillion. Ned looked great in his dashing deep green outfit, jaunty hat and killer dimples. He had, like his predecessor Kevin Costner, refused to wear tights, and Lois had to settle with his wearing deep green cords. Lois rushed right up to him and gave him a big kiss as they turned to walk down into ballroom. Jax, with Brenda on his arm followed the Ashtons. Lena and Robin linked arms followed behind the Jacks.
As they approached the ballroom, Brenda squealed with glee. "My god will you look at this place?"
The festivities were held in the giant ballroom of the pavillion, and Lucy and Katherine had decorated it to the gills. Each trying to out-do the other in outrageousness. Everyone who was anyone, or who aspired to be anyone was expected to attend. The hospital board members were lined up in a reception line at the entrance of the ballroom to greet the guests as they entered and were shown to their tables. As they walked up to the reception line, Brenda turned to smile at Robin and Lena.
Lena rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and made one last attempt. "Are you sure I can't borrow your sword?" she whispered to Jax. "Maybe I can go cut some extra fabric off the curtains." Robin laughed as he chuckled and Brenda stuck her tongue at her.
Their arrival was announced, and the usher boomed their names, along with their alter egos, and after walking through the receiving line and exchanging pleasantries with Alan and Monica Quartermaine and various other board members, they were taken to be seated at their tables. AJ, dressed as Agemmemnon, came over to greet the group, as he was Lena’s date for the evening. He had not been planning to attend, since the whole affair with Carly was still very much a sore point, but Keesha had talked him into it, if only to come to watch her perform.
The seating arrangements had been hilariously messed up during one of Lucy and Katherine’s heated battles, and due to this, Jax and Brenda were seated with the Quartermaines, much to Edward's chagrin and Jax and Ned's amusement, while Lois and Ned were at a table with Tom, Felicia, who came as Helen of Troy and Paris. Old Edward had come as Napoleon, and Lila looked serene as always as Josephine. Although Robin had come as Jason’s date officially, Mac had wanted her seated with him, so she occupied a table with Mac, who was Marco Polo, and Kevin, who was Marc Antony to Lucy's Cleopatra. Sonny had come as Blackbeard the Pirate, and was seated with Luke and Laura who were, fittingly enough, Bonnie and Clyde, and Jason, who was himself. They were across the room from Stefan, as Ivan the Terrible, Bobbie as Florence Nightingale, and Alexis who was strangely enough, Bodecia. Everyone was gazing around at all the other people, taking in who had arrived, dressed as what.
Once all the guests had milled in, the lights dimmed, and the evening of entertainment began. The antics of Lucy and Katherine, each trying to outperform the other on stage kept the crowd in stitches. Katherine, determined not to be upstaged by Lucy because of her paralyzed condition, had hired a troupe of handsome, scantily clad males to carry her around.
Lucy and Kevin performed the classic suicide scene of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. Melodramatic and overacting, Lucy was milking her performance for all it was worth when she reached into her basket and withdrew...a live snake! Katherine had sneakily substituted the rubber snake for a real one and Lucy shrieked! She threw the snake away from her, unfortunately though, right towards Kevin, who was equally shocked. He stumbled out of the reptile's way just as Lucy was making a frantic, hysterical leap off of her lounge chaise. They collided and the crowd roared with laughter. Kevin fumbled to get his footing while hanging onto a tripping Lucy. She stepped on the hem of her flimsy gown as she staggered, and the whole thing came ripping off, and she was in her underwear on stage once again. In all this time, the poor stunned reptile was slithering in agitated circles, and Lucy had yet to cease her shrieking. Edward and Alan Quartermaine were laughing so hard they were in danger of convulsions. Even Lila was seen to be wiping away a few tears. Finally, as Lucy and Kevin struggled to get backstage, an usher arrived to dispose of the snake.
Lucy avenged herself on Katherine, though. Katherine, as Lara, hoisted on the shoulders of her troop of men, was performing a rendition of Man of La Mancha with Mike Corbin as Don Qxiote. As Katherine and entourage were descending down a spiral staircase, Lucy dashed across backstage, and under the stairway. Peering not so stealthily from around the stairs, she waited until a leg approached, and deliberately tripped it up. The audience, who was able to see everything, broke out into rackous laughter once again. The whole group collapsed and tumbled towards the front of the stage. Mike, seeing the avalanche, quickly jumped off the stage. Katherine ended up in an undignified heap at the centre of her stage, and Stefan Cassadine had to bite his lip to refrain from breaking out into a laugh. Lucy, obviously unconcerned about concealing herself, whooped it up.
After their rousing acts, various other acts followed, each funny or poignant in their own way. Emily Quartermaine and Lucky Spencer performed an excerpt from GREESE! looking just sweet and adorable under all that mouse and hairspray. Robin gave an extremely touching speech, and thanked everyone who supported Stone's AIDS wing.
--
The orchestra struck up, after dinner had been served and eaten, and the guests spilled onto the dancefloor. Ned swept Lois off her feet. Jax was twirling Brenda around, ignoring her fears for the flowers in her hair. AJ led Lena on to the floor, and they chatted lightly as they danced. Jason appeared to whisk Robin away for some privacy, and they stepped off to a quiet corner by themselves. Mac had gone to see Katherine, oblivious to Stefan's hawk-eyes following their movements. Bobbie would surely have been upset to see where her husband's attentions were focused, if her own attention was not focused, along with a number of other guests, on the explosion of an argument between Carly and Tony, who had come to the event separately. Tony had elected to stay long enough to contribute his part, and then skip the festivities. Carly was still trying desperately to make him understand.
AJ tripped up in his movements against Lena as soon as he noticed the argument. He appeared very distracted, and they stopped dancing. He didn’t seem to notice that while half the room was watching Carly and Tony, the other half was engrossed in watching him watching Carly and Tony. Tony stormed out, and a very flustered Carly rushed off after a very angry Tony.
AJ took an immediate step forward. He turned back to Lena, his eyes clearly distressed. "I hate to do this," he said glancing after the departure of Carly, "but I ..."
"It’s ok," Lena replied. She had, regrettably, not been immune to the rounds of the hospital gossip that had spread through the hospital after the major public confrontation between Carly and Tony that had errupted and resulted in Tony moving out yet again. "Go ahead."
"I’m really sorry."
"Don’t worry about it."
AJ nodded briefly and took off after Carly and Tony. Alan and Edward Quartermaine simply shook their heads in resignation, as Luke Spencer eyed the situation and whispered his thoughts to Laura. Lena watched AJ depart as well, and then slowly made her way unobtrusively across the ballroom, stopping beside a staircase.
She thought to the night before, when she arrived back from Ireland. Brenda had stopped over at the apartment above Ruby’s to drop off Lucy’s new shoot schedule, as well as to tell her about the ball. She had been full of questions about Lena’s trip.
Brenda plopped down on the edge of the bed. "You know, you never did tell me what the big emergency was."
Lena slowly unpacked her suitcase. It had been a draining trip and she was exhausted. Laying to rest Joseph's remains and returning to Kyle's gravesite had been extremely hard. On top of that, Trevor's unexpected appearance had left her feeling disconcerted and vulnerable. All of this was taking its toll.
"I had some personal matters to straighten out," Lena replied, rather subdued.
"Wow, sounds rather serious."
"You could say that."
"So what was it about?"
"I'd really rather not talk about it," Lena replied, haphazardly shoving her clothes into a dresser drawer.
"Len, it's Bren you're talking to. I mean, if it's something serious, maybe I can help."
"You can't, so don't...don't worry about it."
"Lena - "
"Brenda please!" Lena banged the drawer shut. Brenda looked at her surprised. Lena shut her eyes, took a deep breath and released it in a long sigh. "I'm sorry cara." She sat down on the edge of the bed beside Brenda. "I didn't mean to snap at you." Rubbing her eyes ruefully, she added, "it's not you I'm angry with."
"Who are you angry with then?" Brenda asked gently.
Lena shook her head. "I don't know...myself mostly." She dropped her head into her arms.
Brenda put her arm around her friend and gave her a squeeze. She was about to ask what she meant by that when it struck her. Lena had gone to Ireland. Brenda groaned inwardly at her own denseness. "Oh Len. This is about Kyle isn't it?"
Lena lifted her head in surprise. Before she could say anything, Brenda shook her head and held up her hand. "You know what? I've been so caught up in my own life since you got here, the whole Miranda deal, the wedding... I wasn't paying attention to how you were. Some friend I am, huh?" she said disgustedly.
"You had a lot going on. And you've been the best friend."
"Right." Brenda smiled. "We really haven't had the chance to talk like we used to. Remember those all-nighters we used to pull?"
Lena smiled in spite of herself. "Yeah," she replied, resting her head on Brenda's shoulder. "I do."
"We talked about everything and nothing."
Lena wrinkled her nose. "Mostly nothing."
Brenda laughed. "God I miss those days. You don't know how much I missed you when I first got here. I mean, it was no fun being the only black sheep around. I kept thinking of all the hell we could've raised."
"You managed to raise enough hell on your own."
Brenda chuckled. "So how is it we haven't had a good talk since you got here?" Lena shrugged. "Well I think it's about time we did." Brenda glanced at her watch, "oops! But not tonight. I'm late." She scooped up her belongings and made for the door, leaving Lena sitting rather forlorn on the bed. She leaned against the frame of the door. "Reincheck?"
Lena nodded, and Brenda was off.
Lena was so engrossed with her thoughts she didn’t see Nikolas in front of her until she almost tripped over him. Lena looked at him startled. "Nikolas!"
Nikolas smiled, looking much older than his years in his Alexander the Great costume. "Lena! I almost didn't recognize you with that wig." He took his her apparel. "Aren't you cold?"
Lena gave him a wry smile. "What happened to respect for your elders?" she demanded mussing his hair after they hugged. Nikolas laughed and ducked to avoid getting his hair tousled. "What are you doing hiding behind the staircase?"
He shrugged. "Waiting." As if on cue, Melissa appeared, looking much healthier and happier than she had when they had first found her bedraggled form in the hospital. She was dressed timidly as Juliet, and had come as Nikolas's date after much persuasion. She had made great progress, and had even managed to curb her drug habit.
"Melissa, hi!" Lena said, hugging her young friend, delighted to see such an improvement in her.
"Hello," Melissa smiled shyly.
"I think I see my uncle calling me," Nikolas sighed as he spied Stefan's disapproving glance and unmistakable beckoning from across the room. He exchanged a look with Lena, and she knew that it had been no small task to allow Nikolas to come with Melissa at all. He had strictly forbidden Nikolas to come as Romeo, a character Stefan deemed too far beneath his nephew’s station. "Excuse us."
Lena wended her way over to Jax and Brenda's table and sat down in the seats that weren't occupied. Brenda was sitting in Jax's lap, trying to pin her flowers back on properly, but Jax was hindering her efforts by kissing her neck playfully. She swatted at him, giggling.
"Jax!" He laughed and stopped.
--
"Careful Corinthos, you're starting to drool," Jonas's smooth but unmistakably snide deep Australian accent startled Sonny from his pained observastion of Brenda with Jax. He turned to face the man, and the burning jealousy in his eyes was apparant despite the pirate's patch.
"Marbach," Sonny said in a bored voice, "what do you want?"
Jonas stepped forward, and gazed at the happy couple for a moment longer before turning his full attention to Sonny. "I see you still haven't gotten her out of your system," he commented dryly. "Not that I blame you, she is very beautiful."
Sonny shrugged nonchalontly and made to move off when Jonas's next comment stopped him. "What if I told you I had a way you could get her back?"
Sonny turned and glared at the smug expression on Jonas's face. "I believe we've danced this dance before."
"Ah, but this time, we have advantages we didn't the last time."
Sonny studied the man hard, but Jonas gave nothing away. "And what makes you so eager to do this for me?" he paused. "What's the catch?"
"No catch," Jonas said simply. "Like I said, I only want to see my sister happy with the man she loves. That Miss Barrett becomes available for you is merely an added bonus."
Sonny knew Jonas was lying. He was silent for a long time, trying to fight the urge to jump at this chance. Finally his feelings for Brenda caused him to give in. "I'm listening..."
--
"I'll never forget how much you loved Pedro," Brenda said, laughingly from her perch.
"I can't believe you even remember Pedro," Lena replied, laughing while fanning herself with her hands, feeling quite hot under her long wig.
"Who's Pedro?" The deep resonating voice came from behind her, and she stopped fanning. Looking up, she saw Jerry grinning down at her. Her eyes widened, and the flush on her cheeks deepened.
"Jerry! I didn't see you come in." She hadn't known he was even in town.
"I like to be fashionably late," he replied, winking at Brenda and taking a seat at the table. Lena noted Jerry's attire and narrowed her eyes at Brenda who put on her best innocent look.
Jax grinned at his brother. "Nice get-up," he said. "Maybe we ought to make a statue out of you too."
Jerry had indeed come as Hercules and he looked good. He looked better than good. He had on a white toga with a dark gold trim to match Lena's dress. It showed off his incredible tan and strong lean arms and legs. He even had leather sandals tied to his feet. His sun-kissed curls were adorably messy - a clear indication of the rush he had been in to get to the ball. His baby blues flashed with a mischief to match Brenda’s.
"Well, at least now I know what happened to the rest of my dress," Lena said, and Brenda burst out laughing.
"So, who's Pedro?" Jerry asked.
Brenda and Lena looked at each other, both thinking of the easiest way to explain. "He was Lena's donkey," Brenda said, fighting off a smile and not succeeding.
"Donkey?" Jerry echoed.
"Donkey," Lena confirmed.
"Ah, ok," Jerry nodded.
Jax laughed at his brother's bewilderment. "Don't ask, Jer, you don't want to know."
Jerry chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I don't."
"An now," the bandleader announced, "we would like to ask everyone to please clear the floor for Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Jacks!"
Brenda was startled to hear their names called and looked to Jax for an explanation, but he simply lifted her off his lap and led her to the centre of the floor while the rest of the ball-goers watched.
"This is a song especially dedicated to Brenda Barrett-Jacks, who's adoring husband bought the rights to this song and donated all proceeds to the foundation." A roar of applause went up as the first strains of "How Do I Live" were heard.
How do I, get through a night without you?
If I had to live without you What kind of life would that be?
Brenda was floored. She looked up into Jax's grinning face and found herself grinning right back at him. She didn't care how many people were staring at them, lifting herself up on tip-toe, she planted an earth-moving kiss on her husbands lips, and as the kiss continued, the crowd around them began to cheer. Finally they broke apart.
"You are the best," Brenda smiled.
"I know," Jax replied, a cocky smile of perfect peace on his face.
Oh I, I need in my arms need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul
If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything good in my life
And tell me now, how do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, oh how do I live?
Lena shook her head at the couple as Jerry grinned. Then he turned his attention to her. "Well Aphrodite, care to join your demi-god half-brother in a dance?" he asked, pulling her to her feet before she could refuse. He placed a hand in the small of her back and led her to the floor.
Without you, there'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me
"You look beautiful, by the way," Jerry said, smiling down at Lena. "I think I forgot to mention that."
"Thank you. So do you," she replied, and they both laughed. "When did you get in?" Lena asked, curious.
"Just a couple of hours ago. I'm sorry to have missed the opening acts."
"I'm sure Lucy could give you an accurate, rapid-fire summary," Lena said wryly, and Jerry chuckled. They turned to avoid a pair of dancers.
"So, how are you enjoying the evening?"
"It's been quite a show," Lena smiled, thinking about Lucy and her snake. After a pause, she tilted her head up at Jerry. "All your pressing business in Europe taken care of?" she inquired, determined to be polite.
He grinned, and replied, "Yes. And your's?"
"Yes." Brenda had told Lena that Jerry had called looking for her. She shouldn't have been surprised by it but she was. They continued to dance, falling into a lingering silence, neither quite knowing what to say to the other, both drifting off with their own thoughts.
And I, baby I don't know what I would do
I'd be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything real in my life
--
"Excuse me," a husky feminine voice caught the attention of the usher standing at the entrance of the ballroom. He looked up to see a striking woman with long strawberry blonde hair, dressed in Garbo-esque attire. She had sharp hazel eyes, like a cat, and bright red lips. "Could you direct me to the Quartermaine table?"
"Are you on the guest list, miss?" the usher inquired politely, with a touch of awe in his voice.
The woman smiled at him condescendingly. "No, but I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem. You see, I'm Antonia Quartermaine."
--
"Aren't they a cute couple? Their outfits match perfectly." Brenda said, sneaking a peak at Lena and Jerry and smiling.
Jax rolled his eyes, figuring out Brenda's part in his brother's appearance. "You won't quit, will you?"
Brenda turned to her husband with big eyes. "Quit? Me?" and Jax laughed, spinning her around.
And tell me now, how do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, oh how do I live?
As Lena and Jerry danced, a Medieval monk appeared before them, stopping them. "Excuse me, may I cut in?"
Jerry's expression hardened as he saw who was in front of him. "No." he bit out, and turned rudely to ignore him. Lena was baffled by Jerry's sudden hostility.
The man smiled at Lena. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Jonas Marbach."
From behind a pillar, Sonny watched the exchange. Lena looked at the man curiously, he was not familiar to her. "Lena Raine," she replied. He raised an eyebrow at that as he lifted her hand to kiss it, but Jerry yanked her hand away.
"Leave us alone, Marbach." Jerry snapped. Then he half dragged Lena away from the man, and when they were a safe distance, continued dancing with her like nothing had happened. Lena moved along with him, but blinked at him like he had lost his mind.
"Would you care to tell me what that was all about?"
"Jonas Marbach is well known as a slimy business tycoon," Jerry explained. "He's got his hands in everything that's dirty. He's dangerous, and not someone to get involved with. Stay away from him." His tone brooked no disobedience.
Lena paused for a minute at the seriousness of his tone. "Yes father," she replied, causing Jerry to grin down at her.
Please tell me, baby, how do I go on?
If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything,
Need you with me
Baby don't you know that you're everything
Good in my life?
"Hello Lila, Edward," Antonia announced as the usher showed her to the table. She bent down to offer a quick embrace to her grandmother in her wheelchair.
The elderly lady was quite taken aback. "Antonia! My dear! What a wonderful surprise!"
Antonia smiled. "Yes. I thought I'd drop in. I haven't seen you all in ages."
Edward raised a sceptical eyebrow at the girl. "Does your mother of your whereabouts?"
"Yes, grandfather," Antonia replied, in a bored voice, "Tracy has no objections, not that she ever cared." she muttered.
"Ned!" Edward boomed. "Look what the cat dragged in!"
Ned turned from his conversation with Lois, Felicia, Tom and Mac towards his grandfather's unmistakable summons. His eyes popped out of his head when he saw who was standing smugly beside Lila's wheelchair. Making his way over with Lois in tow, he mentally prepared himself for whatever catastrophe had befallen his errant half-sister this time.
"Tonia," Ned said, half-enthusiastically greeting her with a brief peck on the cheek. "We weren't expecting you. What brings you by?"
Antonia smiled icily at her reception from Ned. "I just came to see how you all were."
Lois, in the meantime, was gazing unabashedly at this, who she recognized as Tracy Quartermaine's daughter from one of her illustrious affairs with wealthy men. Antonia Quartermaine had a limited relationship with her mother, an even more limited one with her very married father, and a peripheral relationship with all of the other Quartermaines. From what Ned had told her, this girl was a carbon copy of Tracy. Not a good thing, and her being here meant trouble with a capital T!
And tell me now, how do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, oh how do I live?
How do I live
Without you?
The dance ended, and Lena extricated herself from Jerry's arms. She didn't think it a good idea to keep dancing with him. Seeing her table still vacant, she decided to head towards the bar. She asked the bartender for a glass of red wine.
Jerry followed her to the bar, propped his elbows up and leaned his back against it. He was attracted to her, no doubt. What man wouldn't be? But did he love her? There was so much about her he didn't know. He had never seen anything like her. Those steely grey eyes and her ebony hair hidden under a mass of false blonde swirls. It was a daring gown no doubt, and not many had the body to pull it off. But he already knew what a fabulous body she had. They sat there in silence for several minutes.
"Excuse me sir? Can I get you anything to drink?" The bartender inquired.
Jerry tilted his head at Lena while his gaze swept across the ballroom. "I don't know. What do you suggest?"
Lena thought for a minute. Then she got a wicked glint in her eye. "Oh, I don't know, how about a vodka martini...shaken not stirred?"
Jerry's attention snapped back to her, but she was deliberately and nonchalantly perusing her wine. His eyes bore into the side of her head until she finally turned her head to meet his challenging gaze. When he continued to stare at her, she arched an eyebrow at him. He narrowed his eyes. She knew something. Or did she?
The bartender interrupted Jerry's thoughts. "Sir, would you like a vodka martini?"
Jerry looked at the bartender. "Sure, why not?" he replied sardonically. Lena smiled at that. Jerry glanced sideways at her. "Do the girls and the car come with the drink?"
The bartender looked confused as Lena smiled brightly at Jerry. "Just the girls," she stated, nodding her head at a pair of Katherine's Deception models she saw approaching them from one side, and Antonia Quartermaine from another.
Antonia arrived first. "Jerry, darling! It's been too long!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his rather startled embrace. Lena raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
Seeing that Antonia had rather a firm hold on Jerry, Lena left him standing at the bar flabergasted as she strode back to the tables upon the return of an exhausted Kevin and terminally hyper Lucy.
Antonia, who hadn't wasted a second upon spotting the elusive bachelor, immediately set out to stake her claim. She had her eye on Jerry Jacks since she first met him at one of the endless soiress she attended in London. She knew, as well as every other young debutante in the room, of Jerry's notorious reputation as a ladies man, as well as a rough guess of his estimated billions. Jerry was a catch any woman would be a fool to let get away, and Antonia Quartermaine was no fool. She tugged him to the dancefloor and Jerry had no choice but to turn his attention from Lena.
The exchange was not lost to Brenda and Jax who had been watching it from across the room. Brenda shook her head at Jerry's perplexed expression. "Oh oh, I think this may be trouble."
Jax grinned down at her. "Ned would be inclined to agree with you." At Brenda's questioning look, Jax nodded his head in the direction of his brother and his obvious diversion. "That's Antonia Quartermaine."
Brenda did a double take. "That's Ned's little sister?!"
--
"I don't know how to thank you for all you've done for me." Melissa said in her quiet, earnest voice as she and Nikolas were sitting outside of the Casa Pavillion in the garden.
"You don't have to thank me," Nikolas replied.
"No," Melissa insisted, "if it hadn't been for you, Lena, everyone at the hopital, I don't know...I'd probably be dead by now."
"I'm just glad we were able to help." The honest emotion was evident in the young man's eyes. Perhaps it was his need to prove to people, to Laura, especially to himself that he was not the monster Stavros was that he tied his own salvation so closely to that of this girl. She was not just another patient. She was more, she was his friend.
"You did more than help. You saved my life." Her body had healed, just like her emotional state now that her abusive father was kept far away from her.
It took Melissa a long time to get over her fear and mistrust of everyone and open up to Nikolas. She couldn't believe that he would want to help her without wanting anything back. But his patience - and he had to thank his uncle for cultivating this particular virtue with Tai Chi practices - and gentle persistance eventually won her over.
"Nobody's going to hurt you ever again," Nikolas stated. He seethed whenever he thought about what Melissa's father had done or forced her to do. She was just a child, Emily Quartermaine's age, yet she had seen and been through so much. Her mother had abandonned her as toddler to her alcoholic, psychotic father, and life afterwards had been one long descent into hell. Nikolas was astounded that Melissa had even managed to retain a fraction of her sweet and vulnerable nature, but these past months had made a world of difference.
--
Lena wiped the tears from her eyes from laughing too hard at Lucy's unconsciously sarcastic comments about her take on the evening.
"Excuse me, Miss Raine?" Jonas broke into the conversation. "May I - "
"I thought I told you to leave her alone," Jerry's warning tone inturrupted whatever Jonas was about to say. He had managed to distangle himself from Antonia, no easy task. Putting an arm around Lena, he said, "come on, I think I see Brenda waving at us." Jonas watched them go, only a brief flash of malice through his eyes betrayed his feelings. He smiled benignly at Lucy and Kevin, and wandered away. As Jerry escorted Lena back to where Jax and Brenda were waiting, Antonia Quartermaine took cool note of the pair, and her cat-like eyes narrowed.
"We're going to leave early," Jax said as they approached. "I have an early flight tomorrow morning."
"I should head out as well." Lena chimed in, "Lucy has me in for an early shoot."
"I'll take you home then." Jerry said.
The foursome made the rounds to say good-bye to all their friends and acquaintances before leaving the ballroom. As Brenda and Lena walked out front, Jerry hung back with his brother.
"You won't guess who decided to show their face," Jerry said in hushed tones.
"You mean besides Antonia Quartermaine?" Jax inquired lightly, but he sobered immediately upon Jerry's serious expression. "Who?"
"Jonas Marbach."
"WHAT?!" Jax exclaimed.
"Over there," Jerry gestured to a lone figure, dressed in monk's robes, in conversation with Katherine Bell. "And you know where Marbach is..."
"Trouble's never far behind," Jax finished for his twin. He swore under his breath. "I know."
Jerry nodded. "Where were you going tomorrow?"
"To our division in Atlanta."
Jerry nodded thoughtfully. "I think you and I should do some constructive investigation."
"Hey you guys!" Brenda called. "Are you coming or not?"
The brothers took one last look at their past nemisis before turning to catch up to the women.
Chapter 32: The Calm Before....
Brenda flipped on the lights of the penthouse suite as she and Lena entered. Tossing her things down on a chair, Brenda divested herself of the heavy medallion chained around her waist with a perplexed expression. "Well, that was sudden." Jax and Jerry had abruptly decided to make his trip to Atlanta in the middle of the night, claiming there was some big business emergency they had to look into. "I wonder what they’re up to?"
Lena shrugged as she took a seat on the couch. "I don’t know about Jax, but Jerry was acting odd most of the night."
"Odder than usual you mean?" Brenda said sarcastically, walking into the bedroom and reappearing with two bathrobes, one of which she tossed to Lena.
Lena smiled. "I’m not sure that I’ve seen Jerry at his usual."
Brenda laughed. "Was this before or after the entrance of Antonia Quartermaine?"
"Antonia Quartermaine?" Lena repeated. "You mean the woman who – "
"Threw herself into Jerry’s arms, yep. That’s Antonia Quartermaine. Ned’s half-sister, and according to both Jax and Lois, a complete minx. You haven’t met Tracy Quartermaine so you don’t know, but trust me, if Antonia’s anything like her mother, she’s a viper. I’d watch out if I were you," Brenda cautioned as both girls changed out of their costumes and into the terrycloth robes.
"Me? Why should I watch out? It’s not me she’s after!" Lena said, sitting down on the couch again.
"You didn’t see the look on her face when Jerry left her on the dancefloor to get back to you." Brenda said smiling as she plopped down beside her. "That girl’s obviously got a thing for Jerry, and she’d not going to like you standing in her way."
"You’re assuming that I am in her way, which I’m not, and that I have some sort of monopoly on Jerry Jacks, which I don’t!" Lena protested.
"Ha!" was Brenda’s snorting response.
"Ha?"
"Yes, ha!"
"What is ha supposed to mean?"
"It means, Lena my friend, that you are in a serious state of denial."
"And what would I be denying?" Lena asked, and from the tone of her voice, she didn’t sound too eager to hear Brenda’s response.
"You would be denying Jerry’s oh-so-obvious feelings for you, and your’s for him!" Brenda exclaimed with triumph.
"Brenda – " Lena’s said in a warning tone.
"I’m right and you know I’m right. Admit it Len, you guys are crazy for each other," Brenda sing-songed.
Lena opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind. She shook her head. "How could I have forgotten how obnoxious you become when you get one of those ideas of yours?"
"I might be obnoxious, but you’re being stubborn."
"Can we please not talk about this?"
Brenda was about to pursue her point when the telephone rang. It was Jax, calling from his plane. "Hi honey!…yes, we’re fine, we just got in. No, we were just talking. Ok. Is this something bad? Mmmhmm. Yeah, ok, ok, I'll blame Jerry. I love you too. See you tomorrow." She hung up.
--
"They’re fine," Jax said to his brother as he hung up his phone.
"Why didn’t you tell her about Marbach?" Jerry asked, curious.
Jax rubbed the back of his neck with uncertainty. "I don’t know. I guess I don’t want her to worry. That was pretty ugly business," he said, thinking back. "Besides, how could I tell her and not give away who you really are?"
"That, little brother, is a pretty lame excuse."
"You’re implying?"
Jerry shrugged, "You tell me." The plane was silent as he waited for his brother to answer.
Finally, "Fine. You’re right," Jax said. "We were both such different people back then. I don’t think Brenda would react well to hearing about it."
"You’re afraid it’ll shatter her perfect image of you?"
"Maybe."
"I figured the whole Miranda mess took care of that one."
"Not telling her about Miranda is one thing, but this..." Jax's voice trailed off.
"Jax, for better or worse remember. That girl loves you, and I think she’s a lot tougher than you give her credit for."
Jax grinned in spite of himself. "Was that a piece of marital advice I heard coming from you, big brother?"
Jerry laughed out loud. "Just don’t tell dad, he’d never let me hear the end of it."
--
"Ok, we won’t talk about you and Jerry," Brenda said.
"Thank you," Lena replied, relieved.
"Let’s talk about that trip to Ireland instead."
"Bren-da!" Lena rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"What?"
"I thought we already had this conversation."
"Nope. We had a reincheck, and I’m cashing it in."
"Now?"
"Why not? The guys are gone, there’s no one to bother us, and it’s about time we had this talk! I mean, we were seperated for all those years, and suddenly you pop up in town and get all bogged down with me and my life. I really want to know what you did all that time. Besides, it's not good to keep things bottled up."
"So what, this is your version of pop psychology?"
"Yep. Now, your trip, it was about Kyle, wasn't it?"
Lena sighed and fixed her eyes on the ceiling. "Yes and no. I went to say goodbye to an old friend. But it's hard not to think about Kyle."
"What happened?"
"When?"
"With Kyle? Who was he? What was he like?"
"Stubborn." Brenda's eyebrows shot up and Lena smiled slightly. "He was a doctor, an excellent one. But, it's like it wasn't enough for him, he had to go try and save the world. He was the most honorable, stubborn fool I've ever known." She paused for a beat. "And he saved my life," she added softly.
"What do you mean? How?"
"Do you remember when you were telling me about how you met Jax?" Lena asked. "How he was always there for you? How he was your best friend, how he got you away from Sonny and all your misery?" Brenda nodded. "Well, Kyle was all that for me. He gave me another chance."
"Another chance from what?"
"From the mess I'd made of my life."
Brenda gave her friend a slightly alarmed look. "What did you get yourself into?"
"Everything ..." Lena replied, cryptically.
"What do you mean? Do you mean..." Brenda's eyes widened. "...illegal?" Lena nodded slowly and Brenda let out a low whistle. "And he got you out of that life."
Again, Lena nodded. Then, "Brenda, you have to promise me you won't say anything to anyone."
"But - "
"I mean it. It's very important no one knows."
Brenda bit her lip in concern. "Ok, I promise." She tilted her head somberly. "So what went wrong?"
Lena shrugged. "I don’t know. It was pretty crazy in Zaire."
"How did he die?"
"Some rebel soldiers shot and killed him, along with the rest of the medical staff. It happens all the time," added when she saw Brenda’s stunned expression. "Red Cross workers, missionaries getting killed everywhere."
"But you got away."
Lena nodded staring at her hands. "He made sure I was out before all hell broke loose."
"Oh Len," Brenda said, distressed for her friend. "I had no idea. When you said he died, I thought maybe he’d gotten sick or something. I’m so sorry." Brenda enveloped her friend in a comforting hug.
Lena returned the hug with a squeeze. "Thanks."
"Now, what the hell were you doing in such a godawful place to begin with?"
Lena ran both hands through her hair. "I asked myself over and over again. Why did I go? And the answer is always the same. Because he did. He was everything, and without him, I had nothing."
"Wait a minute, where was Tobbe in all this?"
"Tobbe died before I met Kyle."
"You know," Brenda said seriously, "you never did explain that one to me."
"Well," Lena replied, "I guess you could say it falls under the oldest story in the book category. While I was ...occupied...Tobbe got involved with some bad, dangerous people. Alcohol, drugs, gambling ... he dug himself a pretty deep hole. One day, it got too much for him, and he shot himself."
Brenda was stunned speechless. The Tobbe she had remembered had been so innocent, so sweet. "I can't believe it," she murmered. She looked over at Lena. "You couldn't stop him?"
"No," Lena said in harsh self-recrimination. "I didn't even know. Not until it was too late, anyways."
Brenda studied her friend's expression. "And you blame yourself for what happened."
"Wouldn't you?" Lena demanded. "I should have realized something was wrong. I always had Marina, but he had no one. What kind of childhood can anyone have with Gerard d'Aumont?" Lena paused. " I was so damn busy I wasn't there for him," she said angrily.
"How could you have known?" Brenda exclaimed. "I was there remember? I saw how Gerard did everything he could to keep you guys apart. It was a miracle you guys even got to know one another."
"I tried to help him, but it wasn't enough....I just keep thinking if I'd tried harder..."
"You can't know that you could have changed anything. You were just a kid!"
"So was Tobbe."
"Exactly. You were both kids. You did the best you could."
"Did I?"
"Listen to me," Brenda said, "I know you, and I know you would've chewed glass for Tobbe.You can't blame yourself for something so out of your control." Lena didn't reply. Brenda was silent for a while herself, digesting it all, sorting everything in her own mind. "Afterwards, where did you go? Back to Ireland?"
"I wandered through some countries," Lena replied, deliberately skipping over Trevor, Joseph, and the further bloodshed. "And after I heard about your wedding, I came here."
"I’m sooo glad you did." Brenda said, hugging Lena again and smiling with sincerity.
"You know what? So am I. Something about this town…"
"I know," Brenda said dimpling, "it doesn’t look like much, but somehow it grows on you, and the people grow on you."
Lena returned Brenda's smile. "I never thought I’d find a place I wouldn’t eventually want to leave, but I really like it here. I never want to leave."
"Exactly. When I married Jax – the first time," Brenda clarified, eyes twinkling, "he said we could live wherever I wanted. And I thought about all the places I’d been, and he’d been, and no place felt more like home than good ol’ PC."
"And to think, we used to be such wild bohemians," Lena said laughing a little.
"You know, I think I understand where you're coming from now," Brenda declared. "I mean, obviously I never expected you to stay the same all this time, but it seemed like you'd changed so much. I guess now I can see why."
"Does that make this pop psychology session a success then?" Lena said wryly.
"No, not quite." Brenda grinned, then turned serious. "Confessions are good and all, but the trick is to actually get over the past and move on."
"You don't think I'm getting over the past?"
"Come on, Len. Who are you fooling?" Brenda demanded bluntly. "It's obvious that you're not letting things go too well. I mean, case in point, Jerry's mad for you, and you're letting him slide right through your fingers!"
"I thought you said we weren't going to discuss this."
"I was just making a point."
Lena fixed her gaze skyward. "Point duely noted."
Brenda laughed. "Ok, I won't preach anymore."
"Thank you," Lena said exaggeratedly.
"It's just, I'm so happy, I want everyone around me to feel what I'm feeling!"
Lena chuckled, "I don't think that's possible."
Brenda grinned. "I know, Jax and I have been way over the top. But just the same, I want you to know that you've got this great chance to start over, and you've got all of us behind you this time."
"I know," Lena smiled. "And I love you for it."
For the rest of the evening, the girls chatted about lighter topics, Lucy and the ball, the Cassadine paranoia, and gossiped about all the news they had heard recently. Lena was actually glad they had this chance to talk, it felt good to be able to tell Brenda. There were other things, things she couldn’t say. But tonight, she had felt her apprehension ebbing away. She was finally confident enough to move out of the shadow of the past.
~ several days later ~
"Good, good, excellent!" Anton the photographer for Jacks Cosmetics barked as he snapped away furiously with his camera. "A little more to the left, Daniel, that’s it. Perfect!"
Lena and Daniel Logan, a male model Lucy had hired to advertise a new series of frangrances, were posed in a painstakingly recreated version of a daisy-filled field. Daniel was to be the new "face" of Jacks men’s cologne. They were barely clothed, and lying in the grass, snuggled close together. The makeup crew had watered them down so that their skin glistened under the bright lights. Jerry stopped dead in his tracks at the scene as he entered the photo shoot. Brenda had asked him to run an errand for her, since she had to be at the recording studio with Lois to work with a new band Lois had discovered. It gave him a good excuse to speak to Logan about some urgent WSB business.
"Ok people. Take ten!" Anton strode swiftly out of the studio, winding his camera as a trail of assistants rushed to follow him. A props boy took the opportunity to crank up the stereo as Lena and Daniel slid into their robes. The Gin Blossom's "Hey Jealousy" was playing. Daniel wiggled around in his robe, playing the air guitar in tune with the music as Lena, tilting her head side to side with the music, playfully lip-synched to the song, perched on the countertop.
And you can trust me not to think
And not to sleep around
If you don't expect too much from me
You might not be let down
Daniel grinned at her. He grabbed hold of both her hands, and pulled her off the countertop, both of them laughing as they danced, or to be more accurate, jumped rowdily around like children to the song.
Cause all I really want is to be with you
Feeling like I matter too
If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago
I might be here with you
Tomorrow we can drive around this town
And let the cops chase us around
The past is gone but something might be found
To take its place...hey jealousy
She took my heart
There's only one thing I couldn't start...
Jerry was amazed. He didn't think he'd ever seen Lena in such an excellent mood. She was being so free and easy where she'd usually always been tense and guarded.
Anton returned. "The prints look great! That's a wrap everyone. Good work!"
Daniel and Lena disappeared into the dressingrooms as Jerry sought out Lucy to deliver Brenda's papers to her. A few minutes later, the duo reappeared. Daniel slung a duffel bag over his shoulder as he fell in step with Lena. "So I'll see ya tonight, let's say around 6?" he asked in an easy-going Midwestern drawl.
Lena nodded, grinning. "Yep."
"Great! Lemme go make a phone call and I'll walk ya out."
Lena looked up just in time to see Jerry re-enter the studio. She smiled as he waved and approached her. "Hi! What are you doing here?"
"Brenda asked me to drop some stuff off to Lucy."
Lena laughed. "So she's got you playing delivery boy now?"
"Looks like it," Jerry grinned. "But then, I'm always a sucker for beautiful women."
"Does your brother know you feel that way?" Lena teased.
"Jax? Sure. That's one of the perks of being a twin. You get to share everything," Jerry replied, looking deliberatly naughty as he laced his tone with mock-inuendo.
Lena laughed. "Poor Bren, I don't think this is what she bargained for."
"Well, let that be a warning to you. Don't mess with the Jacks brothers. If you do, you better be prepared to get blown out of the water," Jerry said with a smug smirk.
"All that hot air," Lena said, arching an eyebrow, "it's a wonder you don't float."
Jerry blinked for a split second, then cracked up as Lena's eyes flashed mischeviously. He shook his head. "What's got you in such a great mood?"
Lena took a deep breath and exhaled it smiling. "I don't know. Life is just...good...lately."
"Is it?" Jerry smiled at her, feeling himself affected by her cheerfullness.
Lena nodded. "The hospital had a trip to the circus for the younger patients yesterday. Oh you should have seen it!" she laughed at her memory of the previous day's events. "It was like we were all five years old again!" It had been such an uplifting experience, to see the sick kids having such a great time, getting a break from the sterile hosptal life. Nikolas and Melissa had looked after the terminal children, and it amazed Lena to see how good they were for the children, and how good the kids were for Melissa. The whole thing just seemed to be such a positive sign for the future.
Jerry didn't need to be told the details to know that Lena had a great time. It was written all over her face. He had never seem her so alive. "You're making me jealous I wasn't there! You know Jax and I've been locked in the boardroom for days now."
"Well that's what you get for biting off a bigger company than you can chew." Lena said, wagging her eyebrows.
"Was that an insult? I think I was just insulted!" Jerry said in incredulity to a passing props boy. The boy just looked confused and kept going. Jerry and Lena laughed.
"So," Jerry said, those beguiling dimples still flashing, "you taking off now?"
"Yes I am, and..." Lena reached over and lifting Jerry's wrist, gazed at his watch. "I have just enough time get back to my place and shower before I have to head out."
"You have plans for the evening?" Jerry asked, curious.
"Mmhmm." Lena nodded as Daniel strode over to them, "Dan's invited me over to watch the Stanley Cup finals with his buddies tonight," she said just as Daniel stopped beside her.
Jerry lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Hockey? You didn't strike me as the hockey type."
"Are you kiddin'," Daniel grinned. "This little lady's 'bout as bloodthirsty as they get!"
Lena rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him, and spotted Lucy walking into the studio. "Oh! Excuse me for a sec, I have to go talk to Lucy."
When she was out of earshot, Jerry and Daniel regarded each other ironically. "Logan," Jerry half-smiled.
"Wol-ver-ine," Daniel said, mimicking Jerry's tone.
"Of all the male models they couldn've paired her up with, she ends up with you," Jerry half-sighed, half-groaned.
"What's the matter?" Daniel mocked, grinning. "Scared of my competition?"
Jerry shook his head, unable to repress his own grin. "I can't believe she agreed to attend your macho hockey-fest."
"Well, she doesn't know about the macho part...yet," Daniel smirked. Then he laughed. "Jake should'a told me that she was the one you're obsessed with."
"I am not obsessed with her," Jerry protested. Daniel shot Jerry a yeah right, you're here aren't you? look, which caused Jerry in turn to glare back at his friend.
"No need to get all defensive, man," Daniel laughed. "I can see why you like her, she's a fine little thing. If it'll make ya feel better, we're just friends....for now," Daniel couldn't help tacking the last phrase on to irk Jerry.
"I - " Jerry started, but cut himself off shaking his head with a rueful smile. "I'm not even going to bother. On a serious note, I got an update on that little skirmish in Montana." Both men became businesslike and lowered their voices as they discussed the volitile situation with the militant militias in America's heartland.
"Wellington wants a touch-base with our FBI contacts in the field office there." Jerry smiled. "The jet's all fueled up and waiting. I figured since that's in your neck of the woods..."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, I was due for a visit to the folks anyhow, I'll check it out." Daniel sighed. "Man, I can't believe I'm gonna have to miss the finals cuz of this crap." He sounded like a petulant little boy.
"You're going to miss the finals?" Lena echoed, returning. "Did something happen?"
"'Fraid so, Legs. Something came up with the folks." Daniel gave Lena an apologetic smile. "I gotta go outa town."
"Oh...ok. That's too bad. It's not serious is it?"
Daniel and Jerry exchanged a look. "Nah, nothin' to it. Look, I will definately make it up to you. Best of seven, right?"
"Right," Lena laughed. "Don't worry about it."
"That's why I love you, Legs," Daniel grinned, clucking her under the chin as he picked up his bag, "you're such a sweetheart." He mock-saluted Jerry, and strode purposefully out.
Jerry leaned back against the counter and cocked his head. "You actually let him call you 'legs'?"
"Well, I call him 'arms'," Lena smiled.
"Who gets to be 'body'?"
"Brenda."
Jerry laughed. "So you two've gotten to be good friends?"
"We just started working together, but I like him. He's a lot of fun.Why?"
"No reason." Jerry grinned. "You do know about Logan's reputation with women, I hope?"
"Uh huh," Lena smiled. "He told me it's about par with yours."
"Oh he did, did he?"
"Yes, but then, we already knew that."
"You're starting to hurt my feelings with all the insults!"
"Oh, sorry, am I 'blowing you out of the water'?" Lena inquired laughingly.
"Oh, that's funny," Jerry said, very dryly.
"I'm a funny lady," Lena replied brightly. Jerry shook his head.
"I'm sorry your plans didn't work out for tonight. What are you going to do now?"
Lena shrugged. "I guess I'll just go home, make some popcorn and watch the game by myself."
"Bummer."
Lena laughed. "Thanks for your pity, Jacks." She picked up her bags to go.
Jerry stroked his chin for a minute. "Hang on a sec. If you give me a minute, I might be able to cook something up for you." Lena looked at Jerry questioningly as he picked up the telephone and punched in a string of numbers. After a few minutes, "Excellent!" he said into the reciever. Disconnecting his call, he punched in another set of numbers, and fired off a rapid series of instructions. Hanging up, he turned back to Lena and grinned. "Done!"
"What's done?"
"All the arrangements. It's all set. Come on," he said, taking her hand in his and starting out of the studio. "Lets go!"
"Go? But - "
--
They were sitting is the Jacks helicopter, strapped in, as the blades whirred loudly above. Jerry had explained they were going to watch the finals at his friend's place in Toronto. Lena thought Toronto was a bit far to go, but Jerry told her not to worry about it and she had been in too good a mood to disagree. Watching him play with the knobs and dials of the helo now though, she was worried. She hated helicopters.
"Are you sure we can't drive there instead?" she shouted over the noise.
"Relax!" Jerry shouted back. "You're going to love this!"
"We don't have any doors!" Pointing out the fact that the sporty helicopter, in fact, did not have doors.
"Just don't lean out when we get in the air!" Jerry grinned.
"Thanks," Lena said sarcastically, "I feel much better about this."
Jerry laughed. He reached over to flip down the visor on her helmet, and then lifted the helicopter off the ground. It lurched as the nose tilted downward, and then blazed off. Lena's clenched her eyes shut as she tried to ignore that queasy sensation building in her stomach as Jerry tore through the air.
"Open your eyes, darlin', you're missing the best part!" Jerry's voice came through over his mike into her helmet. Lena shook her head stubbornly. "Come on! Where's the speed demon I raced at the Indy?"
"Wishing she was on safe, solid ground!" Lena's voice sounded in Jerry's helmet.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights!" he laughed.
"Stop laughing! Are we there yet?"
"How come you didn't have this problem on the plane?"
"The plane had doors!"
Jerry cracked up even more. Then sensing that this really was a problem, he tried to ease Lena's fears. "Open your eyes, hon. It's ok, you're in good hands here." When she still kept her eyes shut, he said, "Do you trust me?" She paused, thinking about it. Jerry didn't know whether to be amused or offended. Then, she nodded, cautiously. She trusted him. "Ok then. I'm telling you, there's nothing to be afraid of. You're missing a beautiful sunset, darlin'. Open your eyes."
Lena cringed, but opened her eyes a peek. They were soaring along over the city. Opening her eyes fully, she gazed at the view below her. Everything was whizzing by in miniature. "Oh boy," she exhaled.
"See? What'd I tell you, there's nothing to it!" Jerry said cheerfully. Then, "Lena, let go of the seat, darlin', your hands are loosing circulation."
Lena looked down at her hands, gripping the edges of her seat so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. "That's ok," she rasped. "They didn't need the blood anyway." Jerry gave her a look. "Ok, ok." Taking a deep breath, she just...let go. And what do you know! She didn't get sucked out of the helicopter.
From then on, with her fears a bit abated, it was a quick ride from New York to Toronto, where Jerry landed on the roof on one of a Jacks Enterprises partner corporation. From there, the duo got into a waiting car, and sped their way to Maple Leaf Gardens. Stepping out into the night after the car had pulled to a stop in front of the arena's entrance, Lena looked around her in disbelief.
"I thought you said we were going to your friend's place!" She shouted to be heard over the jostling crowds and media horde that were gathered outside the arena.
"This is it!" Jerry shouted back.
"The rink is his place?"
"Yeah! Sort of! He's a shareholder here!" Lena rolled her eyes, she should have known. "Come on! The game starts in 15 minutes!"
"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but tickets to the playoffs were sold out EONS ago!" Lena hollared.
"Who says we need tickets to get into this shindig?" Jerry yelled, grinning as he strode with confidence towards the VIP entrance and faced off with the army of mean-looking security men. Lena couldn't decide whether to laugh or cringe. She hoped that when they bounced him, he wouldn't fly too far. After a few minutes of what appeared to be animated discussion, with equally animated - at times, threatening - gestures, the all-clear finally came through on the security mens' walkie-talkies.
---
"I can't believe they lost!" Lena moaned, as she and Jerry strolled along the Toronto lakeshore after the game.
"What are you doing cheering for the Canadian team?" Jerry asked, laughing.
"This is Toronto! I was cheering for the hometeam."
"Yeah, well the home team lost."
"Maybe they're better on the road."
"You know, it's probably a good thing you didn't watch the game with Daniel. He's a fanatical Devils fan."
"I don't know, it might be fun to watch him go apopolyptic."
"Sure, it's all fun and games until someone gets dunked into the beer keg."
Lena laughed. "Sounds like you've been there."
"I have." Jerry rolled his baby blues skyward.
Lena shivered slightly from the chill of the night wind blowing off the water. "So, did you sink or swim?"
"You're cold," Jerry replied.
"You can handle it."
"No," Jerry said, shrugging out of his leather jacket, "I mean you look cold. You're shivering." He wrapped his jacket around her, then laughed. She looked so small she was almost lost in it.
"Thank you," Lena said, giving Jerry a smile that went straight through his heart. "But what about you?" He was only wearing a tight black muscle-T closely hugging his finely toned physique.
"I have you to keep me warm," Jerry said, dimples flashing as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Mmph! Mfmm supfhtphth!"
"What was that?" Jerry asked, loosening his grip and looking down into her face.
Lena laughed. "I said I was suffocating."
Jerry laughed and let go. "Breathing better now?"
"Much," she smiled. "So tell me, how did you manage to get us into the game last minute?"
"The owner of the box we were in, Charles Martindale, the one I introduced you to? Well, a while back, I did him a favour and let him borrow courtside seats in Chicago for the Bulls finals."
"Don't you ever get lost in all your corporate connections?" Lena asked, curiously.
"Frequently," Jerry rolled his eyes. "Don't ask me how Jax manages to keep it all straight."
Lena leaned her back against the railings, the waters of the lake behind her. "Did you always want to be...what you are?" she asked.
"You mean, did I always want to be a corporate man-at-arms?" Jerry clarified. Lena nodded. "I don't know, I guess it runs in the family. What about you?" Jerry asked, leaning his own back against the railing. "What did you want to be growing up?" He smiled, "Besides the next Michael Schumacher."
Lena thought back for a minute. "I think every little girl dreams of being a princess. I guess I wanted to be a princess." She laughed. "Then I got older, I think the disillusionment set in when I was around 8, when I realized being a princess had to be mighty boring. Poor Sleeping Beauty, all she got to do was sleep."
Jerry grinned. "So then what?"
"Then I wanted to be an Olympic diver."
"You're afraid of heights."
"Which is why I'm here, and not in Nagano."
"Good point."
They smiled at each other. It was an easy moment. Something that was incredibly rare for either of them to come by. Strolling hand in hand, they wended their way back to the corporation where Jerry had landed his helicopter. The mechanic had some bad news for them when they arrived.
"I'm sorry Mr. Jacks, but there seems to be a leak in the fuel line."
"WHat?" Jerry demanded. "How is that possible?" He peered into the opened panel of the helicopter for himself and spied the damaged line and cursed.
"Well, I'm not sure, I'm still working on it. I'm afraid you're grounded."
"How long will it take to repair it?"
"Can't say for certain."
"Well what can you say for certain?" Jerry asked.
"Well, sir, that you're grounded." The mechanic gave them a sheepish smile. "Won't be able to get a replacement 'till tomorrow morning, so you probably won't be able to get this bird off 'till then."
"Damn," Jerry said in frustration. He turned to Lena. "Looks like we're staying here for the night."
"We can't be," Lena said, alarmed. "I have to be at work, in Port Charles, tomorrow morning."
"Well there's no way we're flying out tonight, we can't get another fuel line. I'm sure they'll understand."
"No they won't. Stefan Cassadine will behead me if I'm not there. Not to mention what my supervisor will do."
"Look," Jerry said, pondering their options, "it's late. We should get to a hotel. Maybe we'll be able to take off before dawn."
Lena thought about the prospect of racing through the skyling predawn in that flying deathtrap and shook her head. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to stay on the ground this time." She walked over to the mechanic. "Do you know what the bus schedule is?"
"Uh, not offhand, miss. But the station's not far, it's just a few blocks down on past College."
"What are you doing?" Jerry asked.
"I'm going to the bus station. Maybe they have a bus to Port Charles."
"You're taking the bus?!"
"You're right, maybe I should take the train instead, it's faster. Are you coming, or are you going to wait here?"
"You are not taking the bus or the train - "
"Jerry, I have to get back - "
" - do you honestly think I would bring you all the way out here - "
" - before tomorrow or else - "
" - and not take you back? What kind of man - "
" - I don't want to get into - "
" - do you take me for? We'll drive damnit, I'll go rent -"
" - any more trouble and..."
Lena blinked. "Did you just say we'll drive?"
Jerry halted his tirade and paused to recall whatever he had just said. The mechanic was looking at the both of them quite comically. They had both been talking and it was apparent neither had heard what the other had said.
"Uh, yeah," Jerry finally stated. "We can rent a car and drive back."
"But, it's over 12 hours from here to Port Charles."
"We'll drive through the night."
"I can't drive at night, I have night blindness."
"I wasn't expecting you to."
"Don't you think you're taking this honour thing a bit too far? 12 hours is too long a drive for anyone."
Jerry grinned, but his eyes flashed with a steely determinism. "I'm not anyone."
Lena rolled her eyes. "Oh, right. I forgot. You're the invincible Jerry Jacks."
"Don't ever forget that." He led her into the building, quiet for the evening, and arranged for a rental car to be dropped off for them in front of the building. They waited several minutes before it finally arrived, chatting lightly about random topics. They climbed into the comfortable sedan, and sped off into the night for the American border.
True to his word, Jerry drove steadily through the night. Lena dozed. She had tried to stay awake so she could make sure Jerry stayed awake, but halfway there, she had fallen fast asleep, her head resting peacefully and gently on Jerry's shoulder. The radio was playing faintly, as the night wore on. When they finally reached Kelly's Diner, it was only a few hours before dawn. Jerry stopped the car, and gently shook Lena awake.
"Lena, darlin'? We're here."
"Hmmm?" she responded sleepily. He just smiled, and picked her up out of the car. He carried her up to her room, quietly unlocked the door, and placed her gently on her bed. Brushing back her hair, he bent down to kiss her forehead before turning to leave.
"Jerry?" she murmered faintly, her eyes still closed. Jerry paused at the doorway of her bedroom. "Thank you," she whispered before falling back asleep. Jerry stood there for a long time, just watching her, watching her chest rise and fall with each gentle breath she took. He had asked himself repeatedly whether or not he was in love with this girl. Now he knew.
Chapter 33: Lila's Charity Auction
"Are you insane?!!" Jonas Marbach shouted at his sister. "Or are you just plain stupid?!"
"Stop screaming at me!!" Miranda shouted back.
"Aarrrrggghhh!!" Jonas yelled in frustration. He picked up a nearby glass and shattered it against the wall. Miranda visibly flinched, she had never seen her brother so out of control. He had burst into her appartment and started raving like mad. Finally he inhaled deeply and tried to clamp down on his fury. He turned and steeled his eyes on Miranda."Just what did you think you would accomplish with your foolish little stunt?" his voice was rock hard.
"You think you know it all," Miranda retorted in a blistering voice. "You had the master plan, you were going to get things done. Well guess what Jonas! Nothing's been done, nothing's been accomplished, and Brenda is still with Jax!" Miranda's whole body shook with bitterness. "I was sick and tired of waiting for you to get results!"
"So what?! You thought taking out Jerry Jacks and his girlfriend would what? Clear the playing field?" Jonas thundered.
"Yes!" Miranda screamed. "I've run out of patience Jonas. If you want to bring down the Jacks family, you have to take action!"
"You idiotic little..." Jonas cut himself off and took several calming breaths to return to his normal colouring. When he continued, it was in a very low, very dangerous tone. "Did you think that your little henchman would be discreet? Did you think that this wouldn't be traced back to you!?"
Miranda blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about?" Jonas threw up his hands and laughed mirthlessly. "What am I talking about? What the hell do you think I'm talking about? When I found out about this stupid plan of yours, I paid a little visit to that dumb flack you hired. I'll give you a guess how long it took for him to give you up."
Miranda gulped. "I don't believe you!" She hadn't expected the man to betray her. She had paid him so well. Damn that two-faced greese monkey!
"Believe it! You had better pray that none of the Jacks ever get suspicious about this little incident."
Miranda's jaw jutted into an unbecoming pout. Wait until she got her hands on him. "Where is that double-crosser now?"
"Dead," Jonas said simply. Miranda looked at him sharply. "No loose ends." Both were silent for a while. Jonas then glared at his sister. "From now on, you stay out of it. No more spontaneous actions. You almost ruined everything. I won't clean up another mess for you." With that, he turned on his heel and exited Miranda's appartment.
Jerry and Lena would never know how close they came to death.
***
Several weeks had gone by. Life had been tranquil, well, as tranquil as things got in Port Charles. It was a Saturday evening, around 7 o'clock. Lila Quartermaine was holding a charity auction in the Quartermaine mansion for the benefit of the American Breast Cancer Foundation to raise money for research. Lila's auction, much like the annual Nurse's Ball benefit, had become an infamous event. It was sonomous with the grace and dignity of the matron who held it. People from all around the made it a point to attend as Lila was usually able to persuade wealthy philanthropists to put up special pieces for auction.
Guests were milling about, as all the pieces to be put up for auction were on display throughout the main floor of the house for perusal. Lila believed in civilized bidding, therefore, all bids were to written down on cards beside the items, and later, the item would be announced, going to the highest bidder. Jax, Brenda, and Lois were standing in the mansion's foyer discussing the event when Lena dashed in with Robin. They both looked rather sheepish.
"Hey you two!" Lois exclaimed when she saw them. "Where ya been? The party started an hour ago!"
"This isn't a party, Lois dear," Lila said smiling as she came in on her wheelchair.
"Oh, right, right!" Lois smiled back at Lila affectionately. "Benefit."
"We're sorry we're so late! We lost track of time!" Robin explained, trying to catch her breath.
"Where were you?" Brenda asked, taking in the au natural appearance of her two friends. There had been no time for hairdos or makeup.
"At the cinema," Lena said, trying not to look guilty but failing. "Well, we were. Then we were running late and we realized we had nothing to wear so we went to this vintage store and speed-shopped." Robin was wearing a green and gold cocktail dress. Lena had on a clingy navy backless dress with thin shoulder straps. They looked hip, in an eclectic, comical sort of way. Brenda was elegant, her hair upswept, wearing a mohagony silk chi-pao which fastened diagonally across her chest up to her neck, and Jax was wearing a black Hugo Boss suit. Lois had echewed the dress thing altogether and was wearing a Donna Karen suit.
Jax was amused. "You went to a movie? Which one?"
Lena bit her lip to hide her smile, knowing their choice of film was not exactly a critic's pick. "Starship Troopers."
"Casper van Dien is soooo dreamy," Robin sighed for the benefit of her friends. Everyone laughed.
Lois wrinkled her nose. "Startroop what? Never heard 'o that one."
"It's about a bunch of military people who fight these giant alien bugs." Robin explained helpfully. "And it's really cool."
"A lot of monster spider creatures impaling poor soldiers," Lena added.
She grinned at Lois's look of extreme distaste. "Yuck! And for this you almost miss the auction?" Lois saw Ned motioning for the group. "Well come on, let's go inside."
"When did you guys get here?" Lena asked.
"About 40 minutes ago," Brenda replied.
"Did your parents and Jerry come too?" Robin inquired, looking around as they entered the living room that had been transformed into a gallery of sorts.
"John's still in Alaska, Lady Jane's here, she was talking to Monica a minute ago," Brenda said.
"And my brother's over there," Jax pointed in the direction of Jerry. He wasn't alone. Antonia was on his arm. She had turned on the charm, and Jerry was laughing at whatever she was regaling him with. Almost instantaneously, Robin and Brenda both turned to gage Lena's reaction to this.
She merely smiled serenly. "I think I'll go check out the loot." She turned to Robin, "Care to join me?"
"Sure, in a sec," Robin replied, "I want to find Jason first."
Lena wended her way through the crowd in one direction, Jax and Brenda followed Ned and Lois in another. Brenda spotted an antique grandfather clock, standing stoically amid all the glitter and gloss of the trinkets for auction around it.
"Oh Jax! Look at this! Isn't it magnificent?"
Ned smiled. "I believe this came from the collection of the Duke and Duchess of Windor."
"Wow," said Lois. "And who are they again?"
Jax laughed. Brenda ran her hands down the solid redwood finish. The clock was in excellent condition. "It's so...proud," she said.
Jax picked up the auction card. "Do you think it'll fit in the livingroom?" he asked, grinning.
"Jax! Are you serious?" Brenda asked in delight. His grin widened as he jotted down his bid, an outrageous sum he was certain no one in their right mind would try to match.
Lena gazed appreciatevely at the artwork before her as she strolled along. When her eyes fell upon a small painting, she stopped short. She glanced at the auction card and was sure she wasn't reading right. Road to Calvary by Simone Martini ~ 1340. "This can't be real," she murmered.
"I can assure you it is!" a voice boomed from behind startling her. She turned to find Justus smiling down at her. "Sotheby's authenticated it."
"Where did it come from?" Lena asked. "Wasn't it...stolen?"
"From the Louvre, yes, several years ago. I'm surprised you know about that. But insurance has covered their loss. We recieved this from an anonymous donor," Justus explained. "It's quite a piece, isn't it?"
He turned away when Felicia and Mac greeted him, leaving Lena to ponder over the mysterious appearence of the painting. Airy feminine laughter floated through the air, and Lena looked up to see Antonia and Jerry standing not too far in front of her. She had one arm linked around Jerry's and was whispering something conspiratal into his ear. He was chuckling and shaking his head. Bristling, unsure if what she was feeling amounted to jealousy, Lena turned on her heel to walk away. The movement caught Jerry's attention.
"Lena?" He distangled himself from Antonia, and strode rapidly over to Lena's retreating form, closing the distance between them before she could get away. Antonia scowled. Damn. "Lena!" Jerry called out again, right behind her. She turned around to face him.
"Jerry, hi." She pasted a smile on trying to ignore the insecure effects Antonia's antics had on her.
"Hi." Jerry smiled at her easily. He looked very unorthadox, very charming in his dark velvet coat. "You're late."
"I know." Unfortunately for Lena, Antonia had not been content to be left behind. She sidled up to Jerry.
"Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Antonia Quartermaine," she said with a decided air of superiority.
"Madelena Raine," Lena replied.
"Wonderful. Would you be a darling, Madelena, and fetch us some champagne?"
"I'm not the maid," Lena replied, gritting her teeth. Antonia was everything she had despised through boardingschool.
"Uh oh," Brenda said.
"What?" Jax asked.
"Look." She motioned over to where Lena, Jerry and Antonia stood, Lena looking decidedly like she wished she were elsewhere.
Lois groaned. "Like I said, trouble."
"Ned!" Brenda admonished, "She's your sister, do something!"
"Me?" Ned objected, "What do you want me to do?"
"Who cares?" Lois exclaimed, giving her husband a shove, "Just do it!"
"Oh, you're not!" Antonia batted her eyelashed in mock-surprise. "I do apologize. My mistake," she shrugged.
"So why were you late?" Jerry asked, stepping closer to Lena, trying to get between Lena and Antonia.
"Robin and I had some trouble getting dressed," Lena replied.
"Such an adorable outfit," Antonia smirked, "it just screams thrift shop," she commented, playing up the fact that she herself had donned a flawless Versace gown. "I see heroin chic is still popular in America." The remark hit Lena like a slap in the face.
"Antonia!" Ned cut in before she could say anything more damaging. "Uh, mother called."
"Tracy called?" Antonia intoned increduoulsy.
"Yes, and she demanded you call her back right away." Ned practically dragged his sister from the room.
Jerry and Lena watched them go. She spotted Robin peering quizically at a cigar humidor, and turned away to head in her direction.
"Hey!" Jerry said, reaching out and taking a hold of her arm to stop her. "Where're you going?"
"To see Robin," Lena replied tightly, "the prolitariat should to stick together."
"Don't listen to her," Jerry said, pulling a reluctant Lena closer with both hands. "You look great." Lena's jaw was still clenched in anger, but she mentally counted to ten. The woman was just being catty, and Brenda had already told her why. She had no idea how deeply her herion crack cut. Standing not far off was Jonas Marbach, who had been careful to observe the entire scene. He knew exactly.
"So," Jerry said, trying to change to topic, "have you bid on anything yet?" He had yet to let go of both her hands.
Lena looked at him and laughed. "Are you joking? If I bid my entire life savings I still wouldn't be able to afford a hair pin here."
"Have you seen anything you liked then?"
"I haven't had a chance to see the whole collection. Actually," Lena turned back to Martini's painting. "That's the first thing that caught my eye."
Jerry picked up the small artwork. "A religious piece." He turned to Lena with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you weren't religious."
Lena smiled. "I'm not. It just ... struck me."
"Well," said Jerry, picking up the auction card, "lets see if we can make it yours."
"Jerry, you don't have to bid on it for me," Lena protested.
Jerry locked gazes with her. "I want to."
Before Lena could say anything else, Antonia, returning from the wild goose chase Ned had sent her on, pounced into their conversation. "Jerry, darling!" She graced him with a dazzling smile as she latched onto his arm. "I guess now you have to bid on something for me!"
Lena stood still as she watched Antonia lead Jerry away with an endless stream of chatter so that he was unable to get a word in edgewise. Her face fell slightly, but she tried to push negative thoughts aside. She absently stared at the painting.
"Excuse me," Emily Quartermaine's voice caught the man's attention as he stood absently to one side of the foyer. He was a tall, rugged, maverik-looking man in his mid-twenties. He had a strong square jaw covered with several days growth of stubble, dark brown hair and piercing dark eyes. He was dressed simply in a Polo suit. He turned to see a pretty little teenage girl light brown hair standing, smiling slightly before him. "Can I help you?" she inquired, politely.
He returned the smile. "Yes, actually. I was looking for a Miss Madelena Raine. Would you happen to know if she's arrived yet?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure I can find someone who does." She motioned for him to follow her into the main room. "Reginald!" Emily called to the family's butler. He instantly materialized before her. "Do you know if Lena Raine's here yet? This man is looking for her."
"Yes, actually, I think she's right over...there." Reginald pointed to where Lena was standing, alone.
"Thank you," the man said politely. He made his way over to Lena just as Brenda, Jax and Robin did so from another direction. He reached her before the group did, and his voice startled her from her thoughts. "I knew that would catch your attention."
Lena spun around in surprise. "Daren?" she said in disbelief. He nodded. "Dare!" she exclaimed in jubilation, throwing her arms around the man, who wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug just as enthusiastically. They broke apart. "My god, I can't believe you're really here!"
"Neither can I." Daren framed Lena's face with his hands, his strong lean fingers brushing against her cheekbones. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you," he said emphatically, his dark eyes blazing with feeling. "Is there someplace we can go to talk?"
"Of course, we can go out to the garden."
"Lena!" Brenda said, as the group reached the couple, who were turning to head outside. "Where are you going?"
Everyone looked from Lena to Daren, and their gazes stayed on him. A corner of his mouth lifted as he regarded the group just as steadily, noting with humour how they were studying him, but he said nothing. He exchanged an ironic glance with Jax, who seemed startled to see him, before settling his gaze back on Lena.
"We're just stepping out for a moment, I'll be right back," Lena replied, and with that, they exited the mansion.
"Who was that guy?" Brenda asked, fascinated, turning get one last good look at the handsome stranger.
"If I'm not mistaken," Jax said thoughtfully, "he's Daren Scorpio."
Both Robin Brenda's mouths dropped open. "A Scorpio?" Robin asked.
"He's Mac and Robert's half-brother," Jax clarified.
"Uncle Mac's never mentioned him before." Robin said wrinkling her forehead.
"I don't think they were all that close, Daren grew up with his mother."
"So how do you know him?" Brenda asked Jax.
"I'm a Jacks," he teased. "We know all."
"Jax, I'm serious!"
"Well, he's a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo journalist. I recognized him from his work." Jax didn't mention that Daren Scorpio also was Noelle Howard's older brother, the same Noelle that had been such a big part of Jerry's past. There was no love lost between the two men, mostly because of the bitterness surrounding her death. To put it simply, Daren blamed Jerry. Jax shuddered to think how his brother was going to react when he found out the woman he was in love with had obvious ties to his most vehement nemisis.
Jerry had witness the enire scene from across the room, where he was standing with Antonia, who had been rambling about some piece of jewelery. He had watched as Lena greeted the mystery man as if he were a long lost family member, although he had no idea who the man was, only the back of his head was visible. He continued to watch as they disappeared outside together. To say this bothered him would be an understatement.
Lena and Daren stood outside the mansion, by the water fountain. "What are you doing here?" Lena finally asked when they had moved far enough out of the earshot of the main house.
Daren laughed. "I'm delighted to see you too, Len. I must say, you look stunning," he said, eyeing her dress. Lena shook her head and laughed with him as they hugged warmly again.
"You didn't answer my question." She was surprised, but utterly delighted to see him. The last time she heard from him, he was knee-deep in the conflict of Bosnia.
"How about, I was in the neighbourhood?" Daren said, smirking irreverently. Lena arched an eyebrow. "I'm serious. I'm following a lead I got on a story here."
"In Port Charles?"
"Believe it or not, yeah. And I know what you're thinking," he added before she could inturrupt. "It is a little ... placid compared to my usual fare, but," Daren paused to give Lena a soft knock under her chin, "it gave me the chance to come see you."
Lena had last seen Daren in Ireland before she had gone on her quest in Africa. Daren had been working there. He had gained the trust of the IRA operatives and documented their tireless efforts to liberate their nation from British rule. Being American, he was just neutral enough to earn acceptance. The pieces that he did, the biographies he produced on certain infamous or notorious members of the liberation army had earned him respect, critical acclaim and several prestigious awards. In the process, he had developed a strong bond with his subjects as he truely began to understand them. Trevor Loarken was enough of a rebel with an intense attitude that Daren himself identified with. He was the type that would never be satisfied with a desk job. A while ago, when he had first began to make a name for himself, he had been offered a lucrative news anchoring job, but he had turned it down. He wasn't happy unless he was out in the trenches, muddy, dirty, in the middle of it all.
He had recently tracked a story to New York, specifically Port Charles. He had learned from Trevor that Lena had settled there, and came to keep and eye on her. He was one of the very few that knew the whole sordid story. They had gotten to be like family in their long history together, and he loved her like the sister he had lost and felt very protective of her. He rarely talked of Noelle, though, so Lena never knew about Jerry's connection.
"You should have let me know you were alive," he chided her gently.
"I know," Lena sighed. She sat down on the fountain, and he followed suit. "I wanted to, but I wasn't sure it was safe." Then she chuckled, "Not that you're the most easy person to contact."
"Hey, I do surface from time to time you know," he protested. "I'm just glad you're ok. Trevor and I, we thought we'd lost you for good when you didn't come back. Don't ever scare me like that again, understand?"
"I'll try not to. I'm so glad you're here. I had no idea you still had that old painting."
Daren grinned. "It was one of the momentos I kept from our glory days."
Lena laughed. "We did have some great times, didn't we? God we were so fearless. Remember how much you despised me in the beginning?"
"Only because you kept showing me up," Daren replied laughingly. "You sure impressed the hell outta me, though. They're still scratching their heads over the Goya at the Prado."
"Do you keep in touch with anyone from the gang?"
"No." Daren's face was both serious and sad. "When you left, I left." They both knew what happened after that. Daren's beeper went off. He looked down at it and sighed. "It's my publisher. He's been looking for me. I'll be quick, stay here ok?" Lena nodded, and Daren strode off back into the mansion. As she watched him go, she thought back to the past.
Lena and Daren had belonged to an elite group of thieves that specialized in stealing valuable treasures. They were headed by a mysterious man who seemed to be in touch with any and all private collectors willing to pay top dollar for stolen goods. A target would be named, a price set, and he would delegate the job to the most qualified member. It had been a thrilling life for the teenagers, for Lena had been 15 when she first got involved, and Daren 17, and they had thrived off the adventure and danger. The more challenging the task, the more aggressively they attacked it. Lena and Daren were the best of the bunch, pulling off the most high profile of the heists, never to be caught. They were the scourge of the authorities.
Lena had left because Tobbe's circumstances and then Draco's manipulations had forced her to. Daren left to join the Green Beret. Somewhere during all of that, Noelle had been killed in action, and Daren quit the military, disillusioned with life. They didn't see each other again until a chance meeting in Ireland, many years later.
"Shameless," Lois said to her husband. "That shrewy sister o' yers is absolutely shameless! Lookit her!" Ned sighed. He didn't need to be told how transparent and manipulative his sibling was, he had a painful enough account of it in his mother.
Brenda scowled for the benefit of her friend. "Can you believe it? She hasn't let go of Jerry for almost half and hour!"
"And she hasn't stopped talking either," Robin added. Jax shook his head. His poor brother.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Jonas had been tracking Lena's movements all night. He had observed her meeting with Daren surepticiously from a window, and when Daren left, he saw his chance. His sister had almost upset all his plans with her unexpected antics, but he had ironed out that particular wrinkle in the plans. Now was time to set his plan into high gear. He gazed at her graceful graceful figure a moment longer, then set his drink down to quietly move outside. Lena stood and stared into the night sky. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. It was a clear night, full of stars. She was gazing at them so intently, she didn't hear the step behind her until the doors snapped shut. She whipped around. Jonas stood in front of the doors, clearly blocking her exit, trapping her outside with him.
"We meet again, Miss Raine." He was at once sophisticated and ruthless looking. Lena could feel the undercurrent of menace emanating from the man. She instantly disliked him, for she had seen the likes of him before.
"What do you want?" She shivered slightly. She didn't know if it was the breeze or the chill in the man's eyes,but she suddenly felt cold.
He was looking at her strangely, but simply said, "Just the dance that Jerry Jacks so rudely denied us earlier."
"I don't think that's a good idea," she said. "I really should be getting back inside." She took a step towards the doors but he moved to block her path.
"Look, Mr. - "
"Vronsky." Jonas smiled, baring his teeth.
"E-Excuse me?"
"Count Vronsky. Why don't you call me that? Seeing as we have no use for our real names, do we. Although, to be sure, the character is much more suited to Jerry Jacks." Lena looked at the man as if he were speaking some unknown language. "Such a lovely costume you wore to the ball," Jonas continued. "But the Goddess of Love was rather inappropriate, don't you think?"
"I...I'm afraid I don't know what - "
"Oh but of course you do. Don't tell me you never read Tolstoy, it was a classic."
Lena blinked as she tried to figure out where he was going, follow his train of thought. "Tolstoy? Anna Karenina?"
"Bravo Miss Raine. Or," in one brief movement, he was right in front of her, so close he could feel her breathe. Lena stumbled back a step. "Shall I call you Anna." His thin smile told her he was distinctly enjoying her discomfort.
The man was insane. Lena made for the doors, but Jonas he reached out, and pulled her into his arms, effectively forcing her to dance with him, feigning some sort of perverted normalcy for anyone that might happen to see them. She tried to get away from him, but he clamped on viscioulsy tighter.
"Let go of me or I'll scream!" She hissed, frightened.
"Oh come now, you must admit, you have the part played to perfection. From the Russian husband right down to the French accent." Jonas said in a slick, low voice. Lena went pale. She stopped moving but he continued to pull her along like a rag doll. "I know about your big bad secret," he whispered into her ear, "and now you're going to help me get what I want."
Chapter 34: So It Begins
Panic built wildly within Lena, and she started to struggle with Jonas in earnest. "You're crazy! Let me go!"
"Oh no," he menaced. He grabbed her brutally when she managed to wrench free, snapping the shoulder strap of her dress and hauling her back. "Don't think you're going to get away that easily." He tried to drag her away from the mansion. "We're going for a little ride."
"NO!!"
---
Daren hung up the phone. His publisher was ever hounding him, it was almost as bad as the military. He turned to head back through the mansion again, when an arm stopped him.
"Daren? Is that you?" Mac regarded his half-brother in surprise.
"Mac!" Daren grinned. The two men shook hands and pulled into a quick embrace.
"God mate, I haven't seen you in ages! How long has it been?"
Daren thought back. "7 years maybe?"
Mac shook his head. "Too long." Mac took a long look at his sibling. He looked leaner. More world-weary. "What brings you to Port Charles?"
"This and that," Daren said, smiling.
Mac chuckled. "Same old, same old eh? What is it this time? Political refugees? War criminals?"
Daren shook his head. "Better than all that."
Mac laughed. "Have you met Robin yet?"
"No, actually. I doubt I'd recognize her if I did."
"Well she's around here someplace.How long are you in town for?"
Daren shrugged. "Don't know for sure. I just got in."
"Well, where are you staying?"
Daren grinned. "Gee, I don't know."
Mac clapped him on the shoulder. "Daren, you're too predictable. Come over to the Outback. You can stay in one of the appartments."
"Thanks man, I appreciate it."
"Hey, it's the least I can do."
---
Lena's instincts kicked in and she began to fight back. She bit into the hand holding her, forcing Jonas to let go as he cried out more in surprise than pain. She used that opportunity to knee him in the thigh as hard as she could, taking him off balance.
Jonas was no simple street punk though. He shot out his hands, grabbed hold of Lena once again, and wrenched her around to prevent himself from falling to the ground. Her hands captured, Lena managed to knee Jonas again, this time in the midsection. Jonas doubled over her but recovered quickly. Much too quickly. His face twisted with anger, Jonas lifted his arm to backhand Lena.
---
"She's so hyperactive now that she's crawlin' it's just nuts!" Lois exclaimed, explaining to Jax and Brenda the most recent antics of baby Brooke Lynn.
"Yesterday she managed to wedge herself behind the toilet," Ned said, looking both perplexed and appalled.
"I just blinked and she was gone, ya know?" Lois explained.
Jax laughed. "I wonder who she takes after."
Lois smacked him, "Watch it buster," she grinned.
"I hate to inturupt," Jerry cut in. He had finally been able to divest himself of Antonia when Lila had asked her to accompany her somewhere. "Has anyone seen Lena?" He hadn't seen either Lena or the mystery guy for a while now, and he was getting a bad feeling about it.
"No, not since she left with - "
Brenda was cut off by Jax. "We haven't seen her come back in, no." Brenda gave Jax a look, and he returned it with an I'll explain later glance. Jerry was too preoccupied to notice. Puzzled, he once again scanned the floor.
"She's probably still outside," Robin said, helpfully. "I think I see my uncle Mac waving at me, excuse me."
Jerry weaved his way through the mansion to the patio doors. His gaze sweeped across the large room, but all he saw were people mingling. There was no sign of Lena. As he approached the back of the mansion, he saw through the windows of the French doors the struggle as it ensued. He instantly recognized the man as Jonas Marbach, and his whole body tensed as alarm and fury propelled his race across the room. He flung open the French doors and ripped Jonas from Lena, punching Jonas so hard he hit the fountain and almost snapped in two. He put his body protectively in front of Lena's, blocking Jonas from her.
Jonas straightened himself and snarled at Jerry. "Come on," Jerry taunted. "Give me a reason to kill you now."
Jonas narrowed his eyes at Lena behind Jerry. She looked pale, frightened, trying to hold her torn dress up with her arms wrapped around herself. "Tell me Jacks," he said in a voice dripping with scorn, "do you know the real woman behind her pristine facade?"
"I'm giving you exactly two seconds to get out of my face before I take you apart, Marbach." Jerry threatened in a quiet voice of barely controlled fury.
Jonas looked past him at Lena, who had become even more pale and distressed at his words, "Some other time then."
Jerry took a step towards Jonas. His blue eyes were stone cold ice. "You touch her again and they won't have dental records to identify you with.." Jonas simply gave them an evil smile and left.
Lena watched him go, numb. Her thoughts were in a flurry. The panic that Jonas's words had produced caused her heart to pound in her throat. What did he mean? What did he want with her? How could this man know anything about her?
When he was gone, Jerry turned to his attention to Lena. "Lena?" He reached out to touch her bare shoulder. She flinched. She was so cold. He turned her gently towards him. "Hey," he said checking her over. "He didn't hurt you did he?"
She didn't answer him. She didn't even hear him. The specter of her Jonas's threats kept flashing menacingly through her head and she was as mute as a statue. She had that look. The same look Jerry had seen that night on the beach. His eyes flashed with worry as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, then enveloped her in a tight hug. "Hey, darlin', it's ok. It's ok. I won't let him near you again."
---
"Hey uncle Mac," Robin said as she approached. "You wanted to see me?"
Mac smiled. "Robin, I wanted you to meet - "
"Daren Scorpio," Robin smiled, looking up into Daren's eyes. He smiled back at her, remembering he had seen her earlier with the Jackses.
Mac looked surprised. "How did you know?"
"Oh, Jax told us, me and Brenda." Robin held out her hand to her newest family member. "Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Robin." She didn't think he resembled a Scorpio at all.
Daren took her hand and shook it. "Glad to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."
"You have?"
"Yeah, Mac's a big bragger, but I see that this time, he's right on the mark."
Robin laughed. "I hope that means something good."
Mac grinned at his niece. "Was there ever a doubt?"
"I should have recognized you earlier, you look a lot like Anna," Daren commented. He turned to Mac. "I wasn't aware that the Scorpios associated with the Jackses now," he said a tad sarcastically.
Mac scowled as Robin laughed. "Brenda, Jax's wife, was a good friend of mine long before she married him. You know, they're not that bad."
"They? You mean there is more than one of them in town?"
Mac rolled his eyes. "Jax's insufferable twin, Jerry, is here as well," he said, unaware of the history sparked behind that comment. The laughter immediately extinguished in Daren's eyes.
"Come on you guys. Give him a break, uncle Mac," Robin admonished lightly. "You don't even know him."
"I know enough not to understand what Brenda or your friend Lena see in either of them," Mac replied.
"Excuse me? Lena knows Jerry?" Daren looked less than thrilled at that.
Robin looked a bit sheepish as she remembered Lena and Daren knew each other. Not sure what their exact relationship was and not wanting to get her friend into any hot water, she hedged, "Um, yeah. They're um, really good friends." She wasn't going to lie after all.
"I see," Daren said. "Well I'd like to stay and chat, but you're going to have to excuse me, I have to get back to someone. I'll see you around, though." Daren gave Mac and Robin a quick nod before striding off.
---
He stepped back to look down at her again. She had yet to say anything. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. She was rapidly calculating what her options were. Lena opened her eyes to meet Jerry's gaze and saw the concern in his eyes. His hands were still on her arms. So warm, so sure.
"What's going on here?" Lena and Jerry turned to see Daren approach.
Jerry was stunned to see him. "Scorpio?" His eyes were wide.
Daren ignored him. He was too busy staring at Lena's disheveled appearence. Rage blazed across his face and he lunged for Jerry. "You son of a bitch!"
"Daren!" Lena put a quick, restraining hand on Daren's arm. "It wasn't Jerry."
Daren stopped short in front of her. "What the hell happened? Who did this?" he said, slidng out of his suit jacket and placing it across her shoulders.
"It was Jonas Marbach," Jerry stated, still trying to figure how Daren Scorpio got into the picture and managed to insert himself between him and Lena.
"I didn't ask you," Daren said through gritted teeth, not bothering to look at Jerry. "Are you hurt?"
"No. I'm all right now," Lena said in an quiet, but steady voice. "Really," she added, when Jerry looked doubtful.
"Are you sure?" Jerry asked.
"Yes. He...um, took me by surprise. He scared me, but I'm fine now."
Daren's jaw set in anger. "I'll get Mac."
"No!" Lena's protest came more forcefully than she wanted. She didn't want Mac investigating anything. Both men looked sharply at her. "I don't...I just want to forget this." She looked at them tiredly. "I just want to go home."
"I'll take you," Jerry said.
"That's not necessary," Daren cut in. "She's with me now."
"Excuse me?" Jerry couldn't believe the man.
"You heard me."
Jerry had had enough of Daren's attitude. He stepped up to the man until they were eye to eye. "What the hell is your problem?"
"My problem," Daren said unflinchinly, "is you! You're bad news, and if you think after what just happened I'm letting her go off with the likes of you, you're grossly mistaken. "
"Guys," Lena tried to interject. They didn't hear her.
"I really don't care what you think!" Jerry's voice was rising.
"Of course you don't!" Daren retorted, his own voice rising. "You just do what you want, the rest of the world be damned!"
"This has nothing to do with you, stay out of it!"
"You haven't changed at all, have you? You're still the same selfish bastard that - "
"ENOUGH!" Both men stopped to look at Lena. She looked as if she were about to cry. "I don't know what this is about, or how you even know each other," she paused to look pleadingly at both men. "Please, I just want to go home."
At that moment, Monica stuck her head outside and spotted the trio. "Jerry! There you are! You're mother's been looking all over for you!"
Daren shot Jerry one last parting glare as he put his arm around Lena's shoulders and steered her away. "Come on, let's go."
Jerry watched them go until they disappeared from the garden, and then punched the fountain in frustration.
His own thoughts were in a whirl. Striding back into the mansion, he searched out his brother, and pulled him aside.
"Jer, hey, Lady Jane's been looking for you.Did you just buy a painting?" Pause. "What's wrong?" Jax asked, seeing the thunderous expression on his brother's face.
"Marbach."
"Jonas? He's here?" Jax said, immediately looking around the ballroom.
"He went after Lena." A muscle twitched in Jerry's jaw.
"He what!?" Jerry quickly explained what happened outside in the garden and Jax felt his anger rise. "He wants war," he said, matter-of-factly.
Jerry nodded. "He's going to get it." Jerry was quiet for a while, a brooding expression on his face. "Daren Scorpio is here."
Jax debated whether or not to tell his brother. "I know," he finally replied. "We saw him earlier with Lena." He watched his brother, trying to gage what his feelings were. They couldn't be good. "It appears they know each other."
"Small world," was all Jerry said, in a low undertone, his expression unreadable. He then went in search of his mother.
---
"Ok," Daren said, as he and Lena entered her small appartment above Ruby's. "Tell me what's really going on."
Lena had been unnaturally silent the entire way there. She flipped on the lights, and headed straight for her bedroom. Sliding out her suitcase, she began to go to her closet and gather her clothes.
Daren took hold of her arm. "What are you doing?"
"Packing." She threw the clothes haphazardly into the suitcase.
"I can see that. Why?"
"Because I'm leaving."
"Why?"
"It's time to go."
"Lena." Daren took hold of both her hands to stop her. "Talk to me."
Lena pressed her lips together and shut her eyes. When she opened her eyes again to look at Daren, they were scared and full of tears. "He knows. I don't know how he knows but he does."
"Who?"
"Jonas Marbach."
"What does he know?"
"Draco. He knows about Draco." Her voice caught. Just the mention of his name was enough to make her claustrophobic.
Daren looked stunned. "How is that possible?"
She pulled her hands out of his shaking her head. "He kept talking in riddles. Why is this happening? What does he want from me?" She looked at Daren with eyes so full of fear it tore at his heart. "What if he told him?" she said, in a voice barely above a whisper. The implications of her husband knowing she was still alive terrified her.
"Tell me exactly what happened. I want to know every word he said to you," Daren commanded. Sinking down onto the bed, Lena related the entire incident as Daren paced the room.When she finished, he sat down beside her, his face deadly serious. "He's obviously playing some kind of game, but from what you told me, he doesn't have absolute proof it's you."
"He doesn't need any proof!" Lena shot to her feet. "You know what Draco is capable of. Just his suspicion is enough to get everyone killed! I can't stay here." She got to her feet to start packing again, but Daren stopped her.
"Lena listen to me! You can't just disappear into the night. Not when you're so unprepared, it's just going to make things worse!"
"I can't stay here," Lena repeated. Her voice rose with her panic. "I won't! I won't let him hunt me down, I won't go back! I can't - "
"Lena! Lena!You don't know that he knows!" Daren gave her a slight shake. Framing her face with his hands, he spoke to her in a calm, reasonable voice. "I know you're scared, I'm scared for you too. But if you take off now, you'll be running blind, not to mention all the people that will immediately set out looking for you." At Lena's look of confusion, he clarified, "You have people here that obviously care about you."
"My friends," she stated numbly.
Daren nodded. "How are they supposed to make sense of it?" He wondered if she knew the truth about Jerry Jacks. Cautiously, he said, "The Jacks are notoriously well-connected. If they're on your trail, and Draco knows about you..." Daren left the rest unsaid.
The tears that had been held in check just moments ago spilled over. She couldn't stay. She couldn't go. She was a floating target. "What am I supposed to do?" she whispered.
"We'll figure something out," Daren said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. "You need to take a deep breath and try to stay calm."
Lena sank to the ground, and leaned wearily against her bed. "It's never going to end, is it?" she stated it more as a fact than a question. "I'm never going to be free from him."
Daren lowered himself until he was eyelevel with her. "It will end. You will be free. We just need to find out just what Jonas Marbach is up to. Then we devise a plausable scheme to get you away from here so that nobody gets suspicious."
Lena laughed bitterly. "Do you really think that'll be possible?" She looked sorrowfully at the man who was so much her family. "God. You only just arrived. What have I dragged you into?"
"You haven't dragged me into anything, Lanie. I'd do anything for you, you know that.You'll get through this. But right now," Daren hauled Lena up, "I think you should get some rest."
Too tired to protest, Lena crawled into bed as Daren held the sheets for her, then covered her with them. He walked to the bedroom door and flipped off the lights when she spoke up. "Dare?"
"Yeah?"
"Will you stay here tonight?" She was too unnerved to be alone.
"Of course."
---
The panic choked her. She was frantic. The window. Locked. Of course. Break it. She picked up a chair and flung it at the window, shattering the glass. Freezing arctic air gushed in, whipping her hair madly. She looked down at her hands. Blood. The flying shards of glass must have sliced her hands. The warm, sticky blood trickled down. It should hurt. Why didn't it hurt?
"Don't you know by now? The pain....your pain...it belongs to ME!"
The voice was far, but getting closer. She had to get away. She had to move .... Why couldn't she move?
"Did you really think you could get away?"
She was broken now, sobbing, curled into a ball on the stone cold floor. Blood again. This time on her face. Why couldn't she see? He towered over her. Make it stop. She couldn't make it stop. Screaming. Was it coming from her? What was he shouting? Why was he angry?
"You DARE defy me!"
The explosion of pain paralyzed her. Ringing. Her ears were ringing. Screaming again. Pleading. Bleeding.
"You cannot escape what you are, and YOU ARE MINE!"
Lena jolted out of her dream, breathing fast, sweating, scared, the adrenalin pumping furiously through her body. His face. She tried to shake the memory from her brain.
Riiiinngg!! ... RRiiinngg!! ...The phone jarred her into the present. How long had it been ringing? Apprehensive, she got out of bed and picked up the telephone.
"Hello?" she said, timidly, as she pushed open her bedroom door and peeked into the livingroom. Daren was fast asleep, sprawled on the couch.
"Lena?" It was Jerry. She visible sagged with relief. "Good, you're up. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right over."
"No! Um, no, that's not a good idea," Lena said quickly.
"It's not?"
"No. I was actually, um, just on my way out." She didn't relish another sparring match between Jerry and Daren.
"It won't take long."
"Why don't I stop over there then? Give me 30 minutes." She hung up before he could say anything more.
Daren had woken. He peered at Lena curiously. "Mornin'," he said. He was sitting up now, raking his fingers through his sleep-tousseled dark hair.
Lena smiled softly at him. "Did you sleep all right?"
"I think that's a question I should be asking you."
Lena sighed as the haunted, weary look returned to her eyes. "No.
---
Lena knocked softly on the door of Jerry's suite at the PC hotel. She was late. It had taken her longer than the promised 30 mintues to get here. She felt disoriented, scared, and very very wary. Daren had convinced her to stick it out, at least until she knew what she was up against. She wasn't sure, she couldn't shake the visions of her dream out of her head. She wasn't really up for this, but it was important to keep a semblance of normalcy, and for whatever reason, the idea of seeing Jerry felt comforting.
Jerry pulled open the door and greeted her with a gorgeous smile. "Hey there."
"Hi. You wanted to see me?"
"Come in," he gestured for her to enter.
"I only have a few minutes," Lena said, stepping just inside the suite, but not entering further.
"Then I'll make it quick," Jerry said with a trademark grin. Then, as if sensing her mood, he immediately sobered. "I just wanted to see if you were all right. I was worried about you last night."
"Nothing to worry about," Lena lied, trying to sound nonchalont. "I'm fine." She looked down so he wouldn't read the truth in her eyes.
He didn't believe a word she said. She seemed too...nervous. Cursing Jonas mentally, Jerry sighed. "I apologize."
Lena looked up at him. "What for?"
"Jonas Marbach is an old nemesis of mine and Jax's. We knew he was in town, but we never expected him to pull something so blatnent." Jerry raked his fingers through his hair. "A long time ago, we had some dealings with him, and he
came out the loser. And now he's taking it out on you."
"On me," Lena echoed, feeling dazed. "I don't understand. If it's you he hates, why come after me?"
"Because you're an easy target. You and Brenda. Much easier than Jax or I, or even dad and Lady Jane." Jerry closed the distance between them so that he was looking directly down at her. "Jonas knows, in hurting you, he - "
"...hurts you," Lena finished for him.
"Lena," Jerry reached down to brush a lock of hair from her face but she had turned away and his hand fell to his side, his fingers curling into his palm. It was a tiny gesture, totally understandable after last night, still, it hurt him more than he had expected. Scorpio's sudden appearence last night and his relationship with Lena had thrown him for a loop. He had no idea what Scorpio was telling her, the last thing he wanted was for her to pull away from him.
Lena thought about what Jerry just said. So she was not his intended target. Jax and Jerry were. Meeting Jerry's gaze again, she asked, "So what now?"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays away from you," Jerry vowed.
Lena nodded. She moved to leave, but when her hand touched the door, she spun around abruptly again. Tilting her head slightly, her expression softened. "I didn't get a chance to tell you last night, but ..." she stood on tip toe to brush a light kiss on his lips. "Thank you."
Such a tiny kiss. Yet it triggered something deep within the both of them. Jerry felt his insides light on fire, she was looking at him with such liquid eyes. "You're welcome."
Lena smiled slightly, and reached up to wipe the small smudge of her lipstick off his lips with her thumb. Jerry took hold of her hand and gently rubbed her thumb, rubbing the colour into her skin in slow, soft circles. They stood there, staring at each other, so silent all that could be heard was each other breathing.
It occurred to Lena she needed her hand back so she tugged lightly, but she could have wholloped Jerry upside the head for all the good it did, he didn't even notice. "Stop that..." Lena said faintly, as her thoughts and fears faded from her mind, so concentrated was she on this man before her.
"Stop what?" Jerry said, just as faintly, completely captivated by the way she was looking at him.
"What you're doing."
"What am I doing?"
"My....hand...."
The distance between them somehow melted. They were so close, each could see their own reflection in the other's eyes. Jerry leaned down slowly, and Lena's eyes closed as their lips met. Gentle, tentative at first, as if both were unsure of what they were getting into, then deeper and more urgent as Jerry plunged both his hands into her hair and she reached her arms up to pull him closer to her. They continued for several minutes, tongues exploring and caressing. Lena returned Jerry's kisses hungrily, it had been so long since she had allowed herself to feel anything.
That was just it. She wasn't allowed to feel anything. What was she doing? Suddenly, she pulled away, breaking their contact before things could get any more intimate. "I, um, I have to go, I'm really late for class," Lena said in a rush.
"Wait!" Jerry tried to stop her, but she was already out the door.
The elevator stopped on the main floor and Lena stepped out into the PC Hotel lobby. As she exited the hotel and hailed a taxi, Jonas's shadowy figure stepped out from the shadows of the bar and raised an amused eyebrow as he watched her go. He was biding his time carefully. All the parts were in place. His plan would soon be set in motion, then, there would be no stopping him. This time, he would succeed. This time, he would crush them. His eyes narrowed as he he crushed the newspaper article in his hand detailing the most recent exploits of the Jacks Corporation.