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Setting: The Jacks Penthouse Bedroom
Jax and Brenda are sleeping, Brenda snuggled up next to him with her head on Jax's chest. Suddenly, she wakes with a cry, "NO!" and sits up. Jax wakes and sits up next to her rubbing her back.
"Hey. You okay? Bad dream?"
"Well, SHE was in it, so that automatically upgrades it to a nightmare!" she replies.
"Oh. Do you want to talk about it?" he asks.
"Talk about it. That's what I've been trying to get you to do for over a week!" she yells. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," she says quickly seeing the stricken look on his face.
"No, you did. And don't apologize, Brenda. After everything I have put you through, you deserve to be angry."
"I'm not angry at you, Jax. More like confused, and scared. This dream, I keep having it since she came back. I walk in our bedroom, and see you with her! I know that would never happen. I know you would never hurt me like that. But I need to understand what kept you from not telling me about her. We've gone around and around, and never end up in the same place. I've heard all the explanations. You blame yourself for what happened. You felt like you had to put that part of your life away. I understand what that is like better than anybody else. That's why I don't understand why you couldn't tell me. I know you tried. What happened? Why couldn't you just tell me? After everything I've told you, and done to you, and you haven't walked away. Even though you would have been perfectly justified. Why couldn't you trust that I would have done the same?"
"I don't want to do this now, Brenda. I honestly don't know what my feelings are about her. I haven't had time to process anything. I know that's not fair to you, but it's the best I can do," Jax says. "It's also not an answer to the question, Jax," Brenda replies. "What is the real reason you never told me about her?"
Jax runs his hand through his hair and sits back against the headboard. "It was Sonny," he replies.
Brenda rolls her eyes, and says, "Fine, why not bring him in here too!" She moves to get up off the bed, and he grabs her arm. "Please, Brenda. Hear me out. I'm not saying any of this to hurt you, but he's been here since the beginning of us. You know that as well as I do. Don't you want to know why I didn't tell you about Miranda?"
She sighs and sits back down. "Fine. What does Sonny have to do with anything?"
"Only everything, Brenda. When we met, I knew you were in love with him. You never lied to me about that. I accepted that. I thought if I could get you to trust me, then you would love me. But I never underestimated the hold he had on you. Up until our...the day that should have been our wedding day, the day you told me that you loved me, I was afraid," with extreme sadness in his face.
"Afraid? Of what?" she asks.
"That I couldn't compete with what you two had. Every time I left on a business trip, I wondered if you would be there when I got back. Or would that be the day you left me and went back to him. I wanted so much to tell you about Miranda. I knew I should have. But I didn't want to give you any reason to leave. So, you see, I'm not so noble and unselfish after all," Jax says with incredible pain in his eyes.
"Jax...you're wrong. I wish I had known, I would have told you this: I would never leave you. You are the one person in my life that I can depend on. I have never doubted that you love me. And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how much I love you. It took me a long time to realize what Sonny really was. I don't know how I could ever have cared about such a hateful person. I don't love him. I love you, and I don't want to lose you."
"I'm not going anywhere, Brenda. I love you. I still want to spend the rest of my life with
you." "Maybe you do, Jax. But I'm worried that just isn't possible anymore."
Meanwhile on the docks.
Four mysterious women have come to PC for one purpose. To help along the course of true love. The Partners in Crime are a group which realizes that occasionally even people who are meant for each other have obstacles that they need help in removing. Suanne, their president, is a friend of Jerry Jacks. He had told her about his brother's presumed-dead wife returning from the grave. He had seemed very upset about it, telling her that "Miranda just isn't right for Jax". When she'd tried to get him to tell her more, he had clammed up. Suanne suspected there's more to Miranda than anybody knows. She decided this was the perfect job for Partners in Crime. She had called Lenore, May and Holly, and they are meeting at the docks.
Suanne says, "So you all know what you're supposed to do right? Lenore, you make sure to meet Sonny. Get to know him."
At this Lenore makes a face. "I'll do it, but I certainly won't like it. And if I get blown up by a car bomb, it's all your fault!"
"Very funny," Suanne says. "You know Robin from Yale, so I think you'll be able to get to Sonny by talking about her. It would be good if you could get a job at Luke's. That way, you could keep an eye on him better. And May, you've got your computer linkup with your coworkers at the WSB all set up?"
"Yeah, if there is a deep dark secret in either Sonny or Miranda's pasts I'll find it," May replies. "I got a room at the Port Charles Hotel, and got everything all hooked up."
"Good," Suanne says. "And Holly we need you to pay a visit to your old friend Mac from Australia. He trusts you, and Miranda follows his lead. If you can get to know her, then we've got everybody under surveillance, so to speak."
"Can I ask what you'll be doing?" Holly says.
"Of course. Since Jerry and I are old friends, I thought I was the perfect person to monitor what Jax does."
"Why do you get the good job??" All three say in unison. "Well, because I'm the president, of course. And besides, Jax has met me, and I can get to know him while keeping an eye out for Miranda interference," Suanne says with a grin. "Now we can get Operation Protect True Love underway. We all know each other's cellphone numbers, right?" They nod. "Oh, and I put the listening devices in the living room of the Jacks Penthouse. May, we'll need you to listen and inform us of any emergencies. We need to communicate almost constantly with each other. I'm sure that if we keep the obstacles away from Jax and Brenda, and vice versa, things will work out."
"What if things don't work out?" May asks.
"Well, I've got a backup plan ready, that would get Jax and Brenda out of sight of the two troublemakers. It isn't quite...legal, but we are Partners in CRIME, so I'll keep it in mind."
"If it involves killing Scummy, I volunteer!" Lenore says.
"Not yet, it doesn't," Suanne replies. "And you'd better stop calling him that. If you say it to his face, he won't be as amused as we usually are."
The meeting breaks up and the four women head to their respective hotel rooms across the
city.
The Next Morning
Jax had slept fitfully, worrying about the situation. He didn't know how to comfort Brenda, and they finally went to sleep. He wakes early, and looks at his clock. Six am. Brenda is still sleeping curled up next to him. He carefully moves his arms out from under her head and goes out into the living room.
He attempts to do some work, but his mind isn't cooperating. His cellphone rings. "Jax here." "Jax, it's Jerry. Lady Jayne told me. I suppose I'm the last person whose voice you wanted to hear."
"Jerry. Yes, I was mad. But now I just can't manage to be anything but confused." Jax replies.
"Jax, what did Dad tell you?" Jerry asks. "I don't want to do this now, and definitely not on the phone," Jax replies.
"That's fine. Because I'm on my way to Port Charles. I'm in the jet, now."
"Jerry that is NOT a good idea!" Jax yells.
"You may not want to see me, but I need to talk to you. You need to know why we kept her from you. You may never forgive me when I tell you, but you need to know." Jerry hangs up, and Jax is left staring at the phone with a puzzled look on his face.
"Anything wrong?" Brenda asks, emerging from the bedroom.
"Good morning. Coffee?" Jax says as he goes into the kitchen.
"My hero," she says as she takes the cup he hands her. "How did you sleep?" he asks and sits down next to her. "I've slept better. But I'm glad you finally told me what was going on, Jax. You're right. It needed to be said."
"I'm glad too. No more secrets, Brenda. I promise," he kisses her gently. "And on that note," he says, "I'm afraid we're going to have company any moment."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Brenda asks with a worried look on her face.
"Depends how you look at it," Jax replies. "My brother has finally decided to grace us with his presence."
"You don't seem too thrilled about that" Brenda says.
"Don't get me wrong, we are close. At least I thought we were," Jax responds with a frown.
"Oh. Yeah. He knew about her, didn't he?"
"Yeah, he says he needs to explain things to me," Jax answers.
"Did he say when he'd be here?" Brenda asks. On cue, there's a knock on the door.
"You've GOT to be kidding me!" Brenda says and hurries to the bedroom to get dressed.
In the PIC headquarters, in another room of the PC Hotel:
May has been downloading information about the two major obstacles, Sonny, and Miranda. She is also listening to the conversation between Jax and Brenda. When she hears the news about Jerry, she immediately gets on her cellphone and calls Suanne. "Suanne, it's May. There's another problem, and I don't think you'll be too happy. Jerry, as of now, is in Port Charles." She holds her phone away from her ear to keep from losing her hearing at Suanne's "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"You've got to be kidding me!" Suanne says to May. May returns the phone to her ear, and says, "No, and I think...hold on a minute. Listen to this it's coming from the Penthouse."
May holds the phone to the receiver...
In the Jacks Penthouse:
Jax opens the door to his twin brother, Jerry. They look completely identical, except Jerry has a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Jerry, you always have wonderful timing," Jax says sarcastically. "Yeah, well I didn't expect the welcome wagon. But this is as good a time as any to tell you about your precious Miranda," Jerry replies as he walks in and plants himself on the couch. "Jerry--" Jax raises his voice and walks over to his brother. Brenda emerges from the bedroom then, saying, "So, Jerry..." She stares from her husband to his twin in disbelief for a moment. She recovers immediately and walks over to her brother-in-law. "I'm Brenda. It's nice to finally meet you," with a smile. "Well, Jax. Now I see what made you give up the single life," Jerry says as he kisses Brenda on the hand. "You Jacks are such charmers, but I'm taken, Jerry," Brenda says as she walks over to her husband and gives him a quick kiss. She finally notices the way Jax is looking at his brother. If looks could kill, she thinks to herself.
"I just remembered," Brenda says finally. "Robin isn't in town for that long, and we have
plans. So I'll leave you two to talk. Why don't we all get together later for dinner?" "That
would be great," Jerry responds before Jax can object. Jax gives him a withering look, then
says to Brenda, "Fine. Why don't we all meet at The Outback around 7?" "Okay, see you
boys later," she kisses her husband and walks out the door."
Meanwhile at the PIC headquarters:
"Well? What are you going to do?" May asks Suanne. "Go over there of course. Make sure they don't kill each other. For whatever reason, Jerry isn't fond of Miranda. And it sounds like he's determined to tell Jax about it. Keep searching the WSB files for anything we can use against Miranda or Sonny."
Suanne leaves her room at the PC Hotel and heads to the Penthouse.
At Luke's Club:
Lenore had waited until ten a.m. and then headed to the club. She walks in and sees Sonny perched on a stool, and luckily Jason is also there. He can vouch that I'm friends with Robin, in case Sonny is suspicious, Lenore thinks to herself. "Mr. Corinthos?" she asks as she walks in. "That's me. We're closed, though," Sonny replies. "Oh, I know. I was looking for a job, actually." "How did you know my name?" Sonny asks. "Well, I know Robin from Yale. Jason and I have met before actually." "Oh, yeah," Jason finally speaks up. "You're Lenore, right?" "Right. I'm from here, actually. I had to come home for a little while, and I mentioned to Robin that I needed a job. She talks about you a lot Mr. Corinthos, and she mentioned you were part owner at this club."
"Well, Lenore, if you'll quit calling me Mr. Corinthos, my name's Sonny, we actually are in
need of a hostess." "Really?" she asks with a mock-adoring look at him. She is thinking,
this is too easy! "Yeah, I'll have to clear it with Luke but I don't think he'll mind. Where
can I call you to let you know?" "I'm staying at Kelly's. Thank you Mr--Sonny." Sonny
smiles that sexy smile of his and says, "No problem. I'm glad to help out a friend of
Robin's. I'll call you by tonight." "Thanks again," Lenore smiles at him and Jason, then
walks outside. She smiles to herself. "Hook, line and sinker," she says.
At Mac's House:
Holly pulls up to Mac's house around 11 a.m. "Now to pay my old friend a visit," she thinks to herself. She is still sitting in the car when she sees Robin come out of the house. She watches Robin a moment, remembering the last time she saw that little girl. It was when Holly was still in the WSB, before Robert and Anna had "died". Robert and Anna were Holly's closest friends, and she had grown apart from Mac after the funeral. It was too hard to pretend, when she saw the pain in Robin's and Mac's faces. She couldn't trust herself not to blurt it out. She knew it was safer this way, if everybody thought Robert and Anna were dead. They had kept a close watch on Robin, and when they learned Robin had AIDS, they had almost broken their cover. Their superiors had talked them out of it, saying their "deaths" were as much for Robin's safety as their own. Holly had told them she was going to Port Charles, and they had made her promise to relate any news about Robin.
Holly pulled herself out of her reveries, and watched Robin walk down the street out of sight. "Get a grip, Holly. She's fine, she's a happy college student. Wait, Robin's in Port Charles. Lenore should definitely know. She doesn't need that surprise." Holly pulls out her cellphone, and calls Lenore. "Holly, it's Lenore. I thought you should know, Robin's here for the holidays....I know she knows you're here, but I thought you should be careful. Robin's got her parents' instincts."
After she hangs up, she gets out of the car and walks up to the door. Katherine answers the door, "Yes? Can I help you?" Stupid woman think's I'm selling something, Holly thinks. "Yes, is Mac here?" she asks with a smile. "I'd know that voice anywhere!" Mac says as he approaches the door. "Holly!" The two hug, to Katherine's dismay. "How are you! What are you doing in Port Charles? Come in!" Holly laughs and says, "So many questions," following him into the living room. "I'm fine, Mac. I needed a vacation, and I thought I'd visit my good friend, and little Robin. She's not so little, though, is she? I drove up as she was walking off." "I am so proud of her. She's going to Yale, didn't I tell you?" "Yes, I got your letter, Mac. I'm so happy for her. You turned out to be quite a good father." "I'd never take Robert's place," Mac says with a sad look. "Oh, I didn't mean that. I just meant..." Holly trails off with tears in her eyes. This is so hard on him, after all these years, she thinks to herself. "Of course you didn't. Sorry about that. Oh, you don't know Katherine do you," Mac says changing the subject and finally noticing Katherine.
She is standing behind the couch, still with her mouth half-open in shock. First Miranda and now this one, Katherine is thinking to herself. "Katherine Bell, Holly White," Mac says introducing them. "Katherine, it's very nice to meet you," Holly says shaking Katherine's hand. "I'm sorry for invading like this. I should have called. It's just that Mac and I have this habit of dropping in on each other like this every few years--" "No need to apologize," Katherine says. She has recovered her "gracious hostess" act for Mac's sake. "I'm happy to meet any old friends of Mac's."
Miranda walks down the stairs. "Mac..." she stops when she sees Holly. "Miranda this is a dear friend of mine. Holly White, Miranda Jameson." "Nice to meet you," Miranda says. "Same here," Holly replies. I wonder if she always has that 'deer caught in the headlights' look, Holly thinks to herself. "Well, I'm heading out for a little while. I'll see every one later," Miranda says and walks out. Holly catches the look that Mac gives Miranda, and notices that Katherine does as well. "Well, I have to scout some locations for the shoot," Katherine says and also walks out the door. Holly barely conceals a smile at the glance Katherine gives her. She hates any women friends Mac has, she thinks to herself.
"We have so much to talk about," Mac says to Holly. "Would you care to join me for lunch
at The Outback?" "I'd love to, Mac. That's the place you own, isn't it?" "Co-own. Maybe
Robin will be there, she'd love to see you again."The two walk outside laughing and talking
like there hadn't been a five-year separation.
Meanwhile at the Jacks Penthouse:
After Brenda had left, Jax spoke. "Don't start with me, Jerry. It's been a really bad week.
I'm sure Mum and Dad appreciate your concern for him. He nearly died!" Jerry sighs, and
says, "I'm sorry Jax. I should have been there. But you know how business is right now.
You're not paying much attention to things. Not that I blame you, but someone has to keep
us from losing money. Dad's heart attack left you and the company open for a lot of
vultures who have it in for us. That's not why I'm here, though. When I heard that
Miranda was back, I had to break a promise I'd made to myself years ago." Jerry gets up
off the couch and starts pacing. "What promise was that?" Jax asks. "Never to hurt you by
telling you what a money-grubbing witch she was." Jerry replies and stops in front of Jax.
Jax promptly lands a punch on his brother's jaw, and Jerry hits the floor.
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