Brenda’s head shot up. "Oh -- didn’t I tell you? Jax called late this afternoon and left a message on my machine."

"He probably had one of them tricky operations, like a brain transplant or somethin’," Lucky observed seriously. "So when’s he comin’, sunshine?" He rubbed his hands together. "I always get lucky when the good doctor makes a house call at this address."

Brenda nervously sifted her chips through her fingers. "He...uh...he just said he couldn’t make it tonight."

Lucky looked like he had just stepped in doggy doo. "Yeah -- well, like I said -- he’s probably operatin’ on somethin’ vital or somethin’ and he can’t get away." He kicked Nicholas under the table, and Nicholas suddenly nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "God knows if the man was cuttin’ on my privates, I wouldn’t want him rushin’."

Nicholas grunted his agreement, but Brenda threw her cards into the center of the table, rising abruptly. "I’m out. I think I need another glass of wine." She looked at Lucky. "Do you need another beer? I think you need another beer." Then she grabbed the half-full bowl of Chex Mix. "And I think we need more snacks." She turned and was halfway through the swinging door before anyone could take a breath. "Yep -- we definitely need more snacks."

Lucky and Nicholas both watched her go through the door with open mouths. As soon as she was in the kitchen, Reggie slapped his hands down on the table angrily. "You two are about as dumb as dirt, do you know that?"

Lucky looked at Reggie, at the swinging door, and back at Reggie. "What? What did I say?"

"Couldn’t you tell?" Lucky just shrugged and looked at Nicholas, who gave a similar "I pass" gesture. Reggie covered his eyes with his hands, shaking his head. "Brenda and Jax are ......" Lucky and Nicholas leaned forward anxiously as Reggie looked back over his shoulder to make sure Brenda was still in the kitchen. ".....well, she’s more sensitive about him now because she ......well, they’re......"

"THEY’RE WHAT? SHOULD I CALL GUIDO?" Lucky was almost apoplectic.

"They’re sleeping together!" Reggie hissed at Lucky, waving his hand so that Lucky would lower his voice.

Lucky pulled back, thought for a minute, looked at Nicholas, and then turned to Reggie. "Reggie, you been wearin’ that female underwear too long and it finally shrunk your brains! What makes you think that they’re doin’ the wild thing?"

"It’s as plain as the nose on your face, Lucky!" Reggie rose from the table and went towards the door. "Now both of you just pray that he hasn’t broken her heart yet."

As Reggie went into the kitchen, Lucky shook his head in disbelief. "Boy, I sure didn’t see that one comin’, did you?"

Nicholas shook his head in agreement. "And here I thought I had the perfect bedroom set all picked out for Jax." Lucky gave him a puzzled look. "Well, we just got it yesterday from an estate sale in Sausalito." He sighed. "He’ll probably be moving in with Brenda and won’t need any furniture at all."

"Not if he broke her heart, like Reggie says," Lucky growled. "Maybe I should call Guido anyway -- or Bruno. Bruno’s the best when it comes to breakin’ fingers, ‘ya know."

Meanwhile, Brenda was so busy in the kitchen pouring out another glass of wine that she jumped when Reggie came up behind her. "So, sweet thing -- why don’t you tell Aunt Reggie what the problem is."

"Problem? Why would you think there’s a problem?" Brenda laughed nervously. "I just wanted another glass of wine, that’s all."

"Uh-huh." Reggie nodded and put his arm around Brenda. "So....is Jax as good in the sack as he is when I dream about him?"

Brenda gasped when Reggie first said the words, but then at his wise look, she capitulated. "Oh, Reggie.......I just....." She sank into a chair and he sat in a chair opposite her. ".....It’s just that sex was never that big a deal for me before, you know?" She sighed and played with the edges of the paper napkins on the table. "And then, last Friday night, Jax and I.....well, he made me this bet....."

Reggie sighed dramatically. "Why couldn’t he ever have made ME that bet while we were playing poker?"

Brenda slapped his hand, laughing softly. "Anyway....he ended up staying all weekend, and it was just.....I mean, I’ve never felt that.....that ....." She sighed and propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands. ".....sublime."

Reggie sighed and adopted a similar pose. "Why is such magnificent talent always wasted on heterosexuals?" Brenda chuckled and rose to her feet, going to the refrigerator. "Well, despite my initial question, maybe you’d better not tell me anymore, sweet thing. It might keep me awake all night, imagining things." Then Reggie frowned. "But then -- why did you look so upset when Lucky said his name tonight? Did you two have a fight?"

Brenda reached in and grabbed a beer. "No!" She closed the refrigerator door and sighed. "We haven’t even been together enough since then to fight." She traced little patterns on the frosted top of the beer can. "That’s the problem -- I had some chapters I had to finish for my publisher, and Jax had to pull some long shifts at the ER to make up for the weekend off. I was expecting to see him tonight, but then he just left me that message...."

"And you thought he was giving you the kiss off?"

"Well....." Brenda shifted from one foot to the other, still toying with the pull tab on the can. ".....I’m just probably not as experienced as the other women in his life, and I just......" She raised her eyes to meet Reggie’s. ".....Well......what if I wasn’t ....good enough ....for him? What if I didn’t make him feel......sublime, too?"

Reggie came to stand next to Brenda and put his arm around her. "Brenda honey, if you hadn’t made him happy, he never would have.....well, you two wouldn’t have done it more than......well......I mean...." Reggie stammered and his face turned red. "......I mean, you *did* do it more than once, didn’t you?"

Brenda turned as red as Reggie. "Definitely more than once." She giggled. "We almost used up a box of.....well....."

Reggie patted his chest dramatically and began to pant. "Oh, my.....oh....." Brenda held Reggie’s arm as he sank into a kitchen chair in a near faint. "......well, girlfriend, I don’t think you really need to worry about whether or not he was ......satisfied." He fanned his face with his hands. "Oh, my......" Finally he swallowed hard and took her hands in his. "Well, all I’ve got to say is that if I had to lose him to somebody, I’m glad it was you."

Brenda ruffled his hair affectionately. "Thanks, Reggie. I know I’m being self-conscious and silly. He said he would call me later because there was an emergency, and I’m sure he will."

Reggie took a deep breath and grabbed the bowl of Chex Mix away from Brenda, rising from the table. "He’d better, because if Jax doesn’t call you," he added, following Brenda to the door, "Lucky will probably put out a contract on Jax with somebody named Bruno."

Brenda laughed. "If Jax doesn’t have a good reason for not showing up tonight, I may call Bruno myself!!

*****************************

Jax’s SUV roared to a halt in his parking space in the condo complex. He took the stairs to his unit two at a time, but when he burst through the front door, he was met with the distinctive odor of veal parmesan.

"Miranda?" Jax looked around his living room and caught sight of his daughter and son, sitting quietly on the couch. "RJ….Ellie," Jax said warily, closing the door behind him. "Where’s your mother?"

Miranda appeared in the doorway to Jax’s kitchen, a spoon coated with pasta sauce in her hand. "I’m in here, Jax." She smiled sweetly. "Now close your mouth and say hello to your children."

Jax obediently closed his mouth and turned to his offspring, who were still seated on the couch like statues. He let out a long breath and smiled. "Wow! You guys have really grown in 8 months!" He walked over towards the couch. "So come here and give your daddy a hug!"

RJ and Ellie rose awkwardly from the couch. Jax’s daughter went to him first. "Hello, dad." She paused for a few seconds, but then draped her arms around her father’s neck limply.

"Ellie!" Jax pulled her closer after taking a good look. Ellie was about as close as you could get to a female version of Jax. She had golden blonde hair that fell in waves across her shoulders. Her brilliant blue eyes and deep dimples had often caused Jax to wonder how soon he could enroll her in a convent. She was dressed in a crisp cotton cornflower blue blouse with a round collar, a navy plaid kilt-style skirt, pale blue knee socks, and dark brown penny loafers.

Jax sighed as Ellie pulled out of the hug faster than he would have liked. He turned to his son, who had always taken after his mother. Randall Jasper Jacks had his mother’s coal black hair and dark eyes. His features could have almost been described as "pretty" if he hadn’t been a boy. "OK, now it’s your turn, RJ."

Jax’s oldest looked like he had come straight from prep school to California. He had on a long-sleeved white shirt, black trousers, and a navy tie (that had small yellow crowns to break the monotony). The tie was still knotted in a perfect Windsor. His son moved closer to Jax but as soon as Jax extended his arms, RJ awkwardly stuck out his hand. "Hello, father."

Jax froze, his gaze dropping to the outstretched hand and then back up to the boy’s face. {Bloody h*ll – they’re worse than I am – or was!} Jax scooted closer to RJ and put his hands on his shoulders. "Son, I appreciate your new maturity and all that, but I haven’t seen you in 8 months. It won’t kill you to give me a hug." Randall grimaced a little, but then came closer and endured a hug from his father.

After those embarrassing moments had passed, both children sat primly back down on the couch, their backs stiff and their hands folded neatly in their laps. Jax rose and turned back towards the kitchen in time to see Miranda coming out. "Wow – they’ve grown a lot in 8 months."

Miranda gave an artificial laugh. "Yes, well that’s what happens when you keep feeding them on a regular basis, Jax." She cast a disdainful glance over her shoulder. "Not that we could expect to be fed -- based on what you had in your refrigerator."

{Five minutes and already she’s harping at me.} Jax put his hands on his hips, taking a deep breath to try to steady his nerves. "Miranda, you *know* that if I had been informed of your plans, I would have stocked the refrigerator. I just spend so much time at the hospital that I don’t keep a lot of stuff here normally."

Miranda nodded. "Uh-huh. At the hospital." She deliberately looked up and down Jax’s body. "And that’s where you were today."

"Well of course it is. You even spoke to me on the phone there, remember?"

Miranda crossed her arms and shook her head. "Jax, even though we’re in the state of California, where the average IQ is probably the same as the speed limit, that *doesn’t* mean we left our brains behind in Boston." She gestured at his clothes. "Do you really expect me to believe that you were at the hospital when you’re dressed like you just got back from a picnic?"

Jax ran his fingers through his hair briskly. "Miranda, this is California. People actually go out in public *without* a necktie – and nobody seems to think that they’re ready to go back and live in the caves and hit their women over the head with big clubs!"

RJ moved forward a little on the couch. "Actually, father, the concept of prehistoric man striking his mate with a club was only promoted by animated spoofs on television. There’s no historical proof……"

"THANK YOU, RJ!!!" Jax’s loud tone caused his son to jump a little. Jax shook his head, and then took a deep breath. "Why don’t we just start this again?" He rubbed his hands together. "I know I don’t have anything much in my refrigerator, but I could swear that I smell veal parmesan." He looked at a now-smiling Miranda. "What’s going on?"

"Well, despite their less-than-desirable dress code, the restaurants in California seem to have that same charming, quaint little service called "carry-out". Oh, and I charged it to your credit card – luckily I still had the number." Jax grimaced as she gestured towards the dining room table. "I found most of your dinnerware, but it’s a good thing you came home when you did because I can’t seem to find your salad forks, Jax."

Jax make a clicking noise with his tongue. "D*mn, I just sent them out to be re-silvered with the parfait spoons last week." He clapped his hands as Miranda made a disgusted face. "So – since everything smells so good and I’m starved, why don’t we sit down and eat while it’s hot?"

RJ and Ellie rose from the couch like little robots and moved towards the dining room, leaving Jax watching with his mouth open. He quickly took his place at the table as Miranda brought in steaming dishes from the kitchen. While they all waited, Jax looked at his daughter. "So, Ellie – how was the flight out here? Did you enjoy your first time up in a commercial airplane?"

"It was interesting, dad," Ellie replied, folding her hands again while waiting for her food. "They showed a movie, but mother said we shouldn’t watch since it had foul language and nudity."

Jax bit his cheek. "Mmm….yeah. I’m sure that they probably just showed Bambi on the last trip and it was being rewound." Miranda gave Jax a dirty look as she set his plate in front of him but he ignored her. "So – RJ – did they give you both those little wings as a souvenir of your first time up?"

"They tried to, father," RJ replied. "Hunter found hers mildly amusing but I returned mine to the stewardess. I’m *far* beyond such juvenile positive reinforcement methods."

Jax nodded sadly. "Thank heaven for small mercies."

"Father….."

Jax set down his fork loudly. "RJ, I’m your old man, not your parish priest! Would it kill you to call me "dad" like Ellie does?"

RJ blanched momentarily and looked to his mother, who nodded quickly. "Dad…..I was just going to ask if I might have some milk to drink with my supper."

Jax exhaled loudly and slumped back in his chair as Miranda gave him a satisfied smile, rising to go to the kitchen. "I’m sorry, RJ. I didn’t mean to snap." Miranda returned with a carton of milk, but Jax sat up straight and motioned to her. "That’s probably curdled, Miranda. I haven’t been to the grocery lately. I was…..uh…..busy, last weekend. But there’s a six-pack of Coke in the refrigerator."

"But Jax……"

Jax made fists and ground them on the table next to his plate. "It’s caffeine free and it’s diet, Miranda. It won’t rot their teeth or turn them into active, noisy, normal children."

Miranda folded her arms. "I *know* that, Jax. I was going to say that I couldn’t find your water glasses."

Jax picked up his fork again, digging into the food on his plate. "They’re on the third shelf in the cabinet to the left of the sink."

Miranda frowned. "No, Jax, I checked there. The only thing on that shelf are old, empty jelly jars that have been washed out."

Jax chewed his food loudly, his annoyance clear. "Those *are* my water glasses, Miranda. I’m a bachelor now – words like Mikasa and Waterford don’t just roll trippingly off my tongue." He rose from the table and stalked into the kitchen, coming back with the whole six-pack of soda. He peeled off a can and offered it to RJ.

Randall Jacks wrinkled up his nose as though Jax were offering him rotten eggs. "Dad…..I usually drink my carbonated beverages in a tall glass --- with three ice cubes."

Jax made a grim face, set down the rest of the six pack, and ripped off the pull tab. He set the can down on the table in front of RJ with a bang. "Rough it!" He sat down with a sigh after pulling off a can for himself. The balance of dinner was cordial, but strained – RJ and Ellie gave brief summaries of their first semesters in school. Ellie had performed in the fall pageant, but RJ had passed since the part they offered him was too "bourgeois." Jax suspected that he was showing off, repeating a word he heard his mother use, but then RJ proceeded to enlighten Jax on the entire French Revolution and the beheading of Marie Antoinette. When he started to digress onto the musical "Les Miserables" and how it pandered to romantic, female notions of a political coup, Jax called a halt to the discussion.

Miranda rose and began clearing away the dishes when Jax leaned back. "So – I think it’s about time we got down to specifics on this little visit." Jax gave his ex-wife a pointed look. "Why the sudden about-face, with all of you coming to see me instead of me coming to Boston?"

Miranda’s laugh was artificial and forced. "Jax – do your children actually have to have a *reason* to come see their father?"

Jax smiled at his two offspring. "Of course not, Miranda. They’re always welcome here, and I hope they understand that. But it’s just not like you to be this.....spontaneous." He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. "What gives?"

Miranda sank back into her chair slowly, giving RJ and Ellie a wan smile. "Children, would you mind going into the guest bedroom while your father and I discuss something?"

RJ and Ellie rose like little soldiers. "Of course, mother." RJ was the spokesperson as he ushered his younger sister down the hallway.

Jax watched them with a frown on his face. "Do they always do that? I mean -- do they *ever* dare to disagree with you -- about anything?"

"I just don’t understand you, Jax. When we were living together, you didn’t find fault with the way I raised the children." Miranda began to sniffle and pressed her fingers to the corners of her eyes.

"Ohhhh, nooooo, you’re not going to turn on the waterworks and evade the question." Jax tapped his fingers on the table sternly. "Give me the bottom line, Miranda. Why did you bring the children here so suddenly?"

Miranda sighed, but then sat back in her chair. She batted her doe-eyes at Jax seriously. "We’re here because I didn’t know where else I could turn, Jax." She leaned forward to grab his hand dramatically. "I need you, Jax. Now more than ever."

*******************

Brenda sat nervously on her couch, watching the clock as it ticked towards 9:00. She wasn’t usually up this early in the morning, but after Jax had called her the night before, she barely managed to get any sleep.

The poker buddies were gone early without Jax to fleece, so by the time he called, she was alone. Jax apologized profusely for not being able to make the game, but never really got specific about the "emergency" that had come up to keep him from attending. From the tone of his voice, Brenda knew that Jax wasn’t trying to end their relationship.

"So....how would you like to go sailing with me tomorrow?"

"Sailing?" Brenda flashed back to the first time they had made love and all the fantasies she had had since then about Jax, a beach, and various picnic ingredients. "Sure -- but aren’t you on duty at the hospital tomorrow again?"

"I don’t have to go in until 6PM. That should give us plenty of time if we start early enough."

"Early?" Brenda swallowed hard. "Please define "early" for me, doctor."

"How about if I show up at your place around 9?" Another swallow, this time including a gasp, and this time audible. Jax realized that Brenda wasn’t an early morning person. "I’ll even bring breakfast."

"Yeah -- OK. I guess I can be awake enough to appreciate breakfast by 9." Brenda smiled into the phone. "I missed you tonight."

"And I really missed you tonight too, love. You’ll never *know* how much I’m missing you tonight."

Brenda went to the window again, watching anxiously for Jax’s SUV. Jax had seemed reluctant to get any more romantic over the phone, but then again, it was the first phone conversation they had had since their relationship had "changed" the previous weekend. Maybe he just wasn’t as much of a "Bryce" as Brenda had thought -- blowing kisses over the phone wasn’t for *every* guy, after all.

Brenda walked back to the couch with a sigh, deciding that the only way she was going to settle her nerves was either a glass of white wine (she ruled that out due to the time of day) or a long IM with Lea or Kathleen. Opting for the computer solution, she had barely signed on and begun checking her e-mail when her front doorbell rang.

Brenda opened the door wearing a smile, denim cut-offs, and a pale pink cotton blouse tied into a knot at her breasts. "Hiiiiiii.......ya."

Two small children stood in front of Jax. The girl had blonde hair the exact same shade as Jax and the most beautiful blue eyes Brenda had ever seen. The boy was as dark as the girl was fair. His eyes, while almost coal black, had long eyelashes that most girls would kill for. Neither one looked happy. At all.

Jax gave Brenda a smile that could have disintegrated the Rock of Gibralter. "Hey, Brenda!" He looked down at the two frowning children, and then back up into her eyes, pleading desperately for her not to kill him. "Surprise?"

"Uh....yeah!" Brenda leaned against her doorjamb. "Now look, Jax -- I know you told me you were bringing breakfast, but I don’t think I’ve turned into that witch in Hansel and Gretel lately......"

Jax started laughing loudly, but the children remained silent. "She’s joking, kids!" He put a hand on each child’s shoulder. "Brenda, I’d like you to meet my son, RJ, and my daughter, Ellie. Kids, this is my good friend, Brenda Barrett." He gave Brenda another pitiful look. "The kids got here yesterday from Boston."

RJ extended a hand politely. "We’re pleased to meet you, Miss Barrett. We’ve never met any of father’s friends before in California." RJ gave Brenda a careful inspection, looking up and down her petite frame deliberately. Ellie just looked up at her brother, not saying a word.

{Oh......my.....God......this was the emergency. He’s introducing me to the kids.......} "Wow! I’m glad to meet you both!" Brenda stepped back from her door, gesturing to the threesome. "Come in -- please!"

RJ and Ellie preceded their father into Brenda’s house, not really frowning but not smiling, either. As Jax came past Brenda into the house, he leaned down and gave her a quick but passionate kiss. Brenda saw that he had a grocery bag in each hand, and she reached out to take one from him. "Why don’t you kids have a seat on the couch?" She closed the door behind them as a million questions ran through her mind. {Why did Jax make a date to go sailing with me if he knew his kids were in town?}

"So......Jax...... why don’t you come in the kitchen with me and help get breakfast on the table?" Brenda gave Jax an artificial smile as RJ and Ellie sat with ramrod-stiff backs on her couch.

"Great!" He looked towards his kids as he followed Brenda into her kitchen. "You two can go ahead and turn on TV if you want -- there might be some cartoons or something on that you can watch until breakfast is ready."

As soon as Jax was through the swinging door, Brenda grabbed his arm. "What the h*ll is going on? I thought you were going to Boston to be with them for Christmas?" she whispered frantically.

"I thought so too," Jax replied in a similar whisper. "But when I got home last night from the hospital, they had already taken over my condo." He ran his fingers through his hair in desperation as Brenda’s hands froze over the quart of orange juice.

"You mean ...... your ex-wife is here, too?" Brenda’s eyes grew wide and a little misty. Visions of Jax’s ex-wife wanting Jax back began to swim before her.

"That’s the strangest thing of all." Jax sank into a chair. "After all this time, Miranda finally has decided that she *needs* me."

{Stay calm. Don’t panic yet.......OK -- maybe panic wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.} "She......NEEDS you?"

Jax finally looked into Brenda’s eyes and saw the terror. "Oh, sweetie!" He jumped up and took her into his arms, holding her tightly. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that." He pulled back and gripped her forearms. "Miranda *needs* me because she’s got a new boyfriend who wants to take her to Hawaii for the holidays. She’s got nobody else to take care of RJ and Ellie."

Brenda began to breathe hard and smile broadly. "Oh....oh, the kids! She *needs* you to watch the kids for her!"

Jax smiled naughtily as he pulled her close again. "Yeah -- what did you think I meant?"

Brenda traced little patterns on the front of Jax’s knit shirt. "Well, after last weekend, I can see where a woman would .....*miss* you."

"Yeah?" He gave her another smile that brimmed with charm, a lock of his hair falling down on his forehead. "Have *you* missed me?" He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her up to a position just inches from his lips.

Brenda rubbed her lips against his, feeling a moan rumble in his chest. "I’ve missed *us", Jax." She ran her hands up and down his chest, winding them around his neck. "Haven’t you?"

"Just shut up and kiss me," Jax groaned. He covered her mouth with his, sinking his tongue past her lips immediately. Brenda pressed her breasts against Jax’s chest and he could feel the changes in her body that signaled her desire for him. He deepened the kiss, sliding his hands down her back and cupping her behind to lift her so that she could straddle his hips.

Just as Brenda was about to bring her legs up and wrap them around Jax’s waist, common sense kicked in. "Jax!" she moaned, as he began to nibble a path down the side of her neck and his fingers fumbled with the tie of her blouse. "We shouldn’t be doing this! Your kids could walk in any minute!"

She pulled away from him, bracing herself by putting her hands on his upper arms. As tempting as it was to feel those muscles contract, Brenda gave Jax a pointed look, and he sighed. "You’re right. I don’t want the kids to think I only see you as a sex object." Brenda nodded and straightened her blouse, turning towards the table where the bags of groceries still sat. She went to take large containers of strawberries and crème cheese out of the bags, but gasped when Jax came up right behind her to whisper in her ear. "Although, I have to admit, seeing you as a sex object isn’t *all* bad!"

Brenda slapped his arm playfully. "Get your mind out of the gutter and help me clean these strawberries. Those kids are probably starved."

Jax followed her obediently to the sink, and as Brenda began to sort through the strawberries, Jax stood next to her rinsing them thoroughly. They had only been working a few minutes when Brenda felt his hand creeping down her back, teasing at the waistband of her shorts. "Jax," she drawled, "what is that hand of yours doing back there?"

"Shut up and allow me a few pleasures this morning, woman!" he replied, nipping the side of her neck with his teeth. Brenda continued to enjoy the kisses he trailed down her neck and the motion of his hand on her backside until a voice from the kitchen doorway made them spring apart like a shower of cold water.

"Father -- why do you have your hand on Miss Barrett’s behind?"

To be continued......