This is my J&C adaptation of Susan Sizemore’s novel, "His Last Best Hope"

Sometime during their cat-and-mouse conversation, Jax set Chloe back on her feet. She could feel the tenseness in his body and instinctively knew it had little to do with delayed sexual gratification. The gravity of his mission – the true reason Jax had been in that particular area of the Caribbean that fateful day he boarded the Morgana – was like a bucket of cold water tossed on the two almost-lovers.

"Senor Ramon……" Chloe’s throaty purr nearly made Jax lose his legendary cool on the spot. She walked slowly towards Ramon, evading Jax’s hand as he reached for her. The swing in her hips was Chloe’s best imitation of one particular red-headed she-devil back in town. "Surely Senor Cassidine would allow us time to change into something less………revealing……." She coyly twisted a damp strand of hair around her finger while glancing every so slightly down at her cleavage. "He wouldn’t want El Pantera’s woman to feel uncomfortable now, would he?"

Jax exercised mighty control over his temper as Ramon’s eyes flickered appreciatively up and down Chloe’s body. {If he touches her, I’ll kill him.} "Cinco minutos, por favor," he added to Chloe’s request. Ramon’s skepticism was thinly veiled. "She’ll be quick."

Ramon crossed his arms and frowned but then sighed. "Bueno – cinco minutos, no mas!!"

Jax reach out and pulled Chloe back into his arms for a quick kiss. "You’ve got five minutes, love," he growled into her ear. "Something big must have come up. Don’t push our luck."

She arched one blonde eyebrow at him. "Gee……..decisions, decisions……" Chloe cast a look in Ramon’s direction as she whispered softly. "Whatever *does* one wear to one’s own funeral?"

As she whirled to go inside the cottage, Jax’s hand slid over her derriere with familiar nonchalance. Chloe glanced back at him over her shoulder, desire still simmering in her eyes, which only made him more resentful of his duty than ever. She left the door slightly ajar and, true to her word, re-appeared about four minutes later in one of the halter tops they had purchased the day before and a pair of brilliant yellow cotton shorts.

Chloe handed Jax a white gauze shirt. "I thought you might need this, darling," she murmured. A thrill of feminine pride went through her when she saw his eyes touched the spots his lips had traced not that much earlier.

"Apparently there’s not enough time for what I *really* need, amada." Jax donned the shirt but neglected to button it. He brushed his lips against her hair, which was drying rapidly in the tropical mid-day heat. "We should have come back earlier for that sunscreen. Your skin is already beginning to burn."

Senor Ramon cleared his throat awkwardly. "I’m certain that Senor Cassidine will have something at the house for your woman’s sunburn, Pantera." He tipped his head towards the jeep. "Vamanos."

Jax looped his arm protectively around Chloe’s shoulders for the duration of the brief ride to the main house. Only 12 hours before, he had been so anxious to memorize the layout of the estate – to take advantage of whatever glimpses of Cassidine’s business machine that might appear around the next bend in the road. But now – after what had happened between himself and Chloe that morning – all Jax wanted to do was go back to their cottage and take advantage of the king-size bed and air-conditioning.

Just as vivid images of the two of them making love played in his mind, Chloe turned to Jax. The look on her face told him that she was having similar thoughts. She took a breath to say something but he put his finger against her lips. It was still too soon to know what was going on. Perhaps this "urgent" meeting had no deeper purpose than to satisfy Stefan’s curiosity about their opinion of his resort’s facilities.

He was so busy staring into Chloe’s eyes that when the jeep stopped, Jax lost his balance and bumped into Chloe’s shoulder. Ramon jumped out and ran around the side, but Jax was there first to assist Chloe in getting out of the back seat. When they moved forward towards the front door, Jax felt her take a shaky breath. He twined his fingers through hers and pulled her hard against his side for moral support.

The inside of the villa was dark and cool, a pleasant contrast to the blazing sun outside. When Ramon stepped aside to speak to one of the guards, Jax seized the opportunity and leaned down to whisper to Chloe, "Let me do all the talking."

She gazed up at him from beneath coyly lowered lashes. "Don’t I always, Pantera?"

Before Jax could reply, Stefan’s voice boomed across the foyer. "Pantera!!" Clad in a pair of linen trousers the color of flax and a pale green shirt, he was the picture of icy elegance. He strolled towards them with both hands jovially extended – to Chloe. "Hermosita!" Stefan took Chloe’s hands in his to press a kiss to her wrists. "My people tell me that your beauty put my other guests to shame last night in the dining room!"

Chloe blushed and shook her head to disagree when she heard a throaty purr from behind Stefan. "Si………but that is only because *I* was not there, encantado!" She managed to stifle a gasp when Leanita slithered up to Stefan and pressed herself boldly against his side. "Es verdad, no?"

"Ahhhh, Pantera!" Stefan laughed heartily as invisible Roman candles sparked and sizzled in the air between Leanita and Chloe. "I always thought it was dangerous to come between men like Faison and Corinthos, but this……." He gestured between the two women who were both silently seething. "…….But this…….these two……….this is purely lethal!"

Jax saw Leanita’s eyes flare with jealousy when he put his left arm around Chloe’s shoulders and deliberately allowed his fingers to trail inside the edge of her halter top. "Succulentita!" He nodded lazily to the madam. "An unexpected pleasure to see you again!" Then he suddenly gripped Chloe’s chin with his right hand to turn her face towards him. His kiss came out of nowhere – hot and wet and possessive, sending a jolt of sexual electricity down to her toes. "But then again," he growled when he broke the kiss, "this morning has held MANY unexpected pleasures, has it not, calientita?"

Stefan deftly caught Leanita around the waist as she started to lunge towards Chloe. "My most sincere apologies for underestimating the situation this morning, Pantera," he crooned. Chloe gave Leanita a feline smile and started to stroke her hand up and down Jax’s bare chest, lightly ruffling the blond chest hair. When Leanita snarled something under her breath and tried to escape Stefan’s grip, he jerked the firebrand against his side and leaned down to growl in her ear. "Ramon will have someone drive you back to town, mi pavesa." She hissed at Chloe but seemed to relax somewhat when Stefan nipped at her ear and then soothed it visibly with his tongue. "I will call you later to confirm the arrangements for next week," he added, letting his hand slide upwards from Leanita’s waist to re-shape the underside of her breast.

Ramon appeared out of nowhere at Leanita’s other side but Stefan still did not release her. Then, she suddenly smiled maliciously at Jax. Turning to press her generous bosom against his chest, she gave Stefan a parting kiss that made Chloe feel like a twenty-six year old virgin. After glaring one last time at Jax, Leanita jerked her arm free from Stefan’s hold and then sauntered away with Ramon, her hips swaying in time to the clicking of her heels on the parquet floor in the foyer.

Stefan watched until she was out the door. Then, he turned back to Jax, self-consciously re-adjusting the collar of his shirt. "Once again, Pantera, please let me extend my apologies to your woman for any embarrassment……."

"SHE’LL GET OVER IT!!" Jax’s temper finally boiled over. His blue eyes were lit with silvery fireworks, even in the dim light of the entrance hall. "I was under the impression, Senor Cassidine," he continued frostily, "that my woman and I were to consider ourselves your *guests* for the next few days." He made no attempt to hide his unhappiness. "Chloe and I were just about to enjoy the comforts of our cottage when we were so abruptly *summoned* to your villa."

Stefan smiled and held his hands out to the side, palms up. "Once again, Pantera, my most abject apologies, but a situation has arisen that demands our immediate attention." He stepped to the side and extended one hand towards his study in invitation. "Shall we?"

Jax wrapped an arm around Chloe’s waist and nodded in concession. "Of course." Then he smiled lustily. "Just so long as we keep this brief." He tipped his head towards Chloe. "I’m sure you understand my desire to return to our cottage for some rest, don’t you Senor Cassidine?"

"The same way I am certain you will understand *our* need for privacy, Pantera." The icy tone in Stefan’s voice suddenly sent a chill down Chloe’s spine. When the sandy-haired gentleman/criminal smiled at her, she felt like the fly caught in the spider’s web. "I can have Ramon show you to my private garden if you like, senorita Chloe." The employee in question appeared at her side. "My discussion with Pantera will not take long, and then he can join you for a cool drink."

Chloe summoned every ounce of intestinal fortitude in her body. "I would appreciate that, Senor Cassidine," she replied haughtily. "Some shade would be nice after all the sun I got while I was swimming this morning."

Jax felt the stiffness in Chloe’s body the moment Stefan insisted on the private meeting. He wished he could have said something to re-assure her as Ramon led her away towards a side door. Much to Jax’s dismay, Chloe’s grace under pressure only made him want her that much more. Just at a time when he shouldn’t be forming any kind of permanent – or even temporary – attachments.

"Senor Pantera? Shall we?" Stefan’s words brought Jax out of his reverie. He smiled at his nauseatingly gracious host and then preceded him into the study, catching what he sincerely hoped was not his last glimpse of Chloe as she went into Stefan’s garden.

#####

Chloe rubbed her palms against the sides of her arms to try to calm herself. It seemed like an eternity since Jax and Stefan had adjourned into his study. Ramon had been pleasant and accommodating, even offering to bring her some cream for the mild case of sunburn that was beginning to color her skin.

{Don’t be silly, Chloe! Stefan doesn’t suspect anything. He wouldn’t have separated us if he did. Not after what Jax said about his partner – the one that died. Stefan would have kept us together, so that he could do terrible things to you while Jax watched.} She closed her eyes and took a shuddery breath, trying to concentrate on the soft cries of the seagulls in the distance. It reminded her of that morning – and swimming out to the float with Jax – and his kisses and caresses…….

"Chloe?" She turned when he called her name and flew into Jax’s arms with a cry of undisguised relief. When he felt the dampness of her tears on his shoulder, Jax held her tightly and stroked her hair, crooning to her softly. "Shhhhh……it’s all OK…….just let it all out, love……."

Chloe buried her face in the spot where Jax’s neck met his shoulder. "Oh, my God………..my God………" He held her suspended off the ground for a few moments, just rocking her from side to side in a comforting motion. Finally she loosened her grip around his neck and slid to her feet, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "I was sssss……so afraid………afraid that I said something wrong that got you in trouble with Sssssss…….Stefan……."

"Shhhhh……." Jax shook his head and smiled, placing a finger against her lips. "Nobody’s in trouble. Everything’s fine."

Chloe’s eyes sparkled with the sudden fire of unrequited passion. "Then let’s go back to the cottage……." She pulled Jax’s face towards her and gave him a quick kiss. "……I want to make love with you…….."

"And I want to make love with you, too. But we can’t. Not…….right now." Jax felt the coldness wash over Chloe’s body. He slowly tried to pull out of her embrace. "We have…….well, there’s a problem." Chloe’s eyebrows drew together in a frown but Jax put his finger to his lips. "Shhhh……." He looked over his shoulder towards the villa and then off towards the heavy foliage to their right. "Come with me…….this way……." He kept hold of one of her hands and led her in the direction of some huge palm trees and thick, luxurious hibiscus bushes.

Chloe fought the icy dread that gnawed at her stomach. Jax threshed his way deeper into the garden until the only sounds around them were the occasional call of a bird of paradise and the hushed whisper of the grass under their feet. He stopped, looked around suspiciously, and then gave her a grim nod. "Here. We can talk safely here."

"What’s this all about, J…….." Chloe was about to say his name but caught herself. She bit her lower lip, glanced down, and then up into his anguished eyes again. "Does it have something to do with your meeting with Stefan this morning?"

Jax took a deep breath. "For some time," he began in a whisper, "we’ve known that there’s been a leak – a traitor – back home in our department." He raised one eyebrow at her, translating the fact that he didn’t want to spell out any more than was necessary in the event somebody was listening. "Stefan’s been brokering deals for that person on a regular basis. Our mission….." He paused. "*My* mission, after my partner died, was to find out the name of the leak."

Chloe’s eyes widened. "And you did?"

Jax put his hands on his hips and nodded. "This morning. Stefan let it slip in our little meeting."

"So you’ve got what you need! You can stop all of ………" She gestured around herself grandly. "…….all of this pretending!"

"That’s right. But I need to get the information back to Washington as quickly as possible."

"Then let’s GO!!" Chloe’s exuberant smile drove daggers into Jax’s heart. "I can be packed in two……..NO!" Chloe grabbed his arm and jumped up and down like a two-year-old. "No, I don’t even NEED to pack! I don’t CARE about any of the clothes! I can just buy all new ones when I get back to New York!"

Jax tried to catch Chloe’s hands, which were flailing wildly in the air. "No, wait, Chloe – you don’t understand." He held her hands firmly in his. "I have to go back to Washington as soon as possible, and you can’t come with me."

Chloe’s breath caught in her chest. "But……." {What did you expect, Chloe? That the man would ask you to marry him and he would carry you off to some castle to live happily ever after?} Her face fell momentarily but then brightened. "But that’s OK!" {Don’t act clingy. Be independent. He doesn’t have to walk you back to your front porch. You’re a big girl.} She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I understand that you’ve got your top secret stuff to do, Jax! If you can just take me as far as Washington with you, I’ll wire my bank for some money and then get back the rest of the way to Port Charles on my own….."

Jax finally let go of her hands to grip her shoulders tightly. "Chloe, I’m going back to Washington, but you have to stay here in Montserrat."

"I……." Chloe swallowed hard. "I HAVE to?"

Jax stared down at his feet and swore under his breath before continuing. "Chloe, Stefan wanted to meet with me this morning because one of his most important customers needs an emergency shipment of high-tech assault weapons."

"And this important customer is your leak?"

"Right." Jax nodded. "That’s how I found out his name. He’s got the chance to sell them to a slimeball third world terrorist if he can come up with the goods in 36 hours." He shrugged his shoulders. "Part of the reputation I created for El Pantera is that he’s got unlimited access to that kind of merchandise, so it was a natural fit. Stefan wants me to deliver the goods to the leak personally in order to cut corners timewise."

"So……..so you’re going to meet with this traitor face-to-face and catch him in the act?"

"Me and the rest of the cavalry I’ll pick up when I report back to Naval Intelligence first." Jax took a shaky breath. "The point is that it’s a dangerous assignment, whether I’m a gun-running pirate or a double agent. Stefan offered you his hospitality while I’m making the deal."

"He…….he’s keeping me prisoner here?" Chloe’s voice was a whisper of fear and dread.

"Stefan thinks of it as doing me a favor. After all, I wouldn’t exactly be taking you with me on such a dangerous mission!"

Chloe slowly backed away from Jax, breaking free from his grasp. "Stefan must know about you. He must have found out that you’re really a spy or something…….."

"I *really* don’t think so, Chloe!" Jax ruffled his hair with his fingers before bringing his right hand to rest on his hip. "In his warped little mind, he thinks he’s being some kind of chivalrous gentleman, protecting you while I’m away."

"Protecting me from WHAT?" Chloe crossed her arms angrily. "And while you’re gone, who’s gonna protect me from HIM?"

Jax came closer and lowered his voice again. "After that little stunt Sonny pulled yesterday, Stefan thinks you wouldn’t be safe in town, and I think he may actually be right. Even if you were to stay with Leanita, her girls would be no match for Sonny’s goons. And while Stefan is as crooked as they come, I don’t think you have to worry about your virtue around him. He wouldn’t dare touch a business associate’s woman." He shrugged again. "Maybe there IS honor among thieves……."

Tears gathered in Chloe’s eyes again. "But what happens to me when you don’t come back?"

Jax grasped Chloe’s arms, even though they remained folded. "I WILL come back for you Chloe! Don’t say that!"

"How can you come back for me, Jax?" Chloe stomped her foot in the soft grass in exasperation. "As soon as you and your buddies arrest this traitor guy, your cover is going to be blown! You can’t just come waltzing back in here pretending to be El Pantera after that!" She pointed back up towards the villa. "Stefan probably has spies everywhere who’ll tell him that this entire thing was a charade the minute the bad guy is in handcuffs!"

"Don’t you think I’ve thought of all that, Chloe?!" She almost saw tears in Jax’s eyes. He pressed his forefingers to the bridge of his nose. "I swear to you – I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I’ll come back and get you out of here and back to New York safely!"

There was a pause, but then Chloe pulled herself up in a rigid posture. "You don’t have to worry about me, Jax. I’ll be fine. I’ll figure something out myself."

She turned to walk away towards the villa but Jax caught her by the arm. "Don’t do this, Chloe." Jax’s voice was firm but grim.

"I’m not *doing* anything to you, Jax." She refused to turn back and look him in the eye and say it.

"I’m not just talking about me, d*mnit!" Jax whirled her around to face him. "I’m talking about US!"

"There IS no us, Jax!" Chloe wrenched her arm free. "Thankfully Ramon saw to that, remember?"

"There SHOULD be an us, Chloe!" Jax reached for her again and tried to hold her hands in his but she turned her face away to hide the tears. "There WILL be an us, just as soon as I get back and get you out of here!"

The tears in Chloe’s eyes made them glitter with her anger when she finally looked up at him. "There CAN’T be an us, Jax! Not ever!"

"Why not?" Chloe stifled a sob and tried to pull away again but Jax held her fast. "I care about you, Chloe," he added gently.

"DON’T!!" Chloe’s hissed order came as so much of a shock that Jax relaxed his hold enough for her to escape. "You can’t care about me, Jax! I don’t want you to!" As she faced away from him and crossed her arms, he saw her shoulders shaking with controlled sobs. "Caring for Chloe Morgan is dangerous to a person’s continued good health," she murmured bitterly.

Jax stood about three feet behind her. He didn’t make her face him – yet. "This is about your aunt and uncle, isn’t it?" She didn’t answer. "You still feel responsible for their deaths."

"They only went on that cruise to try to cheer me up." Her shoulders went up and down again as Chloe inhaled deeply. "If it hadn’t been for me, they would still be back in Yonkers making plans on how to spend Uncle Herbert’s pension."

Jax’s soft steps in the grass as he approached her echoed in the tense stillness around them. "You’ve got to stop blaming yourself, Chloe. It wasn’t YOU. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If it was their time to go, it would have happened back in Yonkers somehow……."

When Chloe whirled around to face him, he saw the tears coursing down her cheeks. "My dad left my mother when I was six, Jax." She smiled sarcastically and wiped at her face with the back of her hand. "He said life with us was too boring – that a free spirit like him needed more inspiration in life." She snorted and stared down at her feet. "Like mother, like daughter, huh?" Then she looked up into Jax’s eyes. "But he said he *cared* enough about me to still want to see me, so he’d come back every summer to take me somewhere for two weeks – sailing, skiing, backpacking……"

Jax reached out a hand tentatively. "Chloe, that doesn’t prove….."

"The summer I turned fourteen, he was going to take me to see the Grand Canyon, Jax." Chloe’s lower lip started to quiver. "But his plane crashed on the way to Port Charles." Tears welled up in her eyes afresh. "He was killed because he was coming to see me……..because he loved me……."

"Chloe……"

"And my mother?" Chloe’s voice rose a little. Jax wished he knew the right thing to say to take away her pain. "My mother saw how devastated I was when daddy died. She never said anything, but I think she tried to take his place, taking me on special trips and telling me she’d always be there for me." She wiped at her eyes again and coldness crept into her voice. "Mama got breast cancer and died when I was sixteen."

Jax swore beneath his breath. Could the situation get any worse? This wonderful, strong, courageous woman had been abandoned by everyone she ever loved in life, and now he was doing it to her, too. Not by choice, of course, but neither had the others.

"Ohhhh, but it gets better!" Chloe’s voice rose another notch and Jax recognized hysteria creeping in. "I had promised myself never to get close to anyone again, but when I went away to college, I got matched up with a roommate Freshman year." Her eyes got a faraway look. "Her name was Julie, and she was smart, and funny, and outgoing…….everything I always wanted to be….."

"God, Chloe……I’m so, so sorry.……" She was so absorbed in her memories that Jax finally was able to get close enough to her to wrap her loosely in his arms. Her body was as rigid as steel, her arms stiffly at her side, but she did allow her forehead to rest gently on his shoulder.

Chloe still refused to bend or break. "Everyone said that, you know. That they were so sorry. At the funeral." Jax felt her body shake as she took a breath and he tried to pull her closer. "We had gone to a frat party that night. Julie and I were probably the ones at the party who weren’t drinking….." She laughed a little. "…..or driving, for that matter. We just had to walk back across campus to our dorm." She sighed and he felt the hitch in her chest. "We talked a lot about our futures……how we were going to go in business together…….I’d be designing dresses and she’d be marketing them…….."

"Shhhhh……." Jax felt her body melt a little. He rubbed his hands up and down Chloe’s bare back, fighting the tightening in his loins that her skin inspired. "That’s right, love….let it all out."

Chloe’s sniffles grew louder. "He came out of nowhere, you know. We were walking back to the dorm, and this drunk driver zigzagged across the quadrangle right towards us…….." She turned to bury her face against Jax’s chest and he felt her pound her fist there angrily. "I tried to push Julie out of his path, but he ended up hitting both of us." Jax’s hands stilled momentarily. He had seen nearly all of her body during their time together, yet he never recalled seeing any major scars. A sob racked Chloe’s frame as she continued. "Somehow I got thrown off to the side, but Julie was pinned between the car and a concrete wall." She finally looked up into Jax’s eyes and he caught his breath at her pain. "I got out of it with a few cuts and bruises, but she……..she was killed instantly."

When she lowered her head again and cried in heart-wrenching lurches, Jax held her lovingly. She had been through so much in her short life, and he hadn’t made matters any better. Although it went against every ounce of training he had ever received, he made a silent vow there and then to make sure that nothing and nobody ever hurt Chloe Morgan again.

After a few minutes, her crying lessened. Chloe finally raised her head and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I’m sorry. I haven’t broken down like that in a long time."

Jax cupped her face in his hands, tilting it up to meet his gaze. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me, Chloe. I’m not going to leave you like all the others did."

To his surprise, she pulled out of his arms. "Yes, you are." She inhaled shakily. "You have to. And I’ll be fine – really. You don’t have to worry about me."

Jax took a step towards her. "I’ll come back for you, Chloe. I’ll find a way – I promise you ……."

"NO!" Chloe held up a hand. "Don’t say that." She tipped her head to the side and smiled ruefully. "No promises, remember? We said no promises."

A rustling in the bushes behind them made both Jax and Chloe startle. Jax held up a finger to her, indicating that she shouldn’t say any more. A few seconds later, Ramon appeared from behind a profusion of magenta and gold flowers. "Pardoneme, Pantera……." He glanced downwards in deference and clasped his hands behind his back. "…..but Senor Cassidine was beginning to worry about you and the senorita……."

Jax cleared his throat and pulled Chloe’s resisting body against his side. "Gracias, Ramon. Please tell Senor Cassidine that I will be leaving just as quickly as possible on that errand we discussed……"

"Senor Cassidine has taken the liberty of packing your things, Pantera." Chloe felt Jax’s body stiffen with controlled rage. "A car is waiting to take you to the dock and your men have been alerted to be ready to set sail immediately upon your arrival."

"Well, then…….." Jax smiled grimly. "It seems that Senor Cassidine thinks of everything, doesn’t he?"

Ramon bowed and turned towards Chloe. "He has also arranged to have your things moved into a suite in the main villa, senorita. For security reasons," he added when Chloe’s eyes widened.

"That won’t be necessary." Jax’s voice was cold and clipped. "Tell him that my woman prefers to remain in our cottage………that it has special memories for her." If and when he returned to Montserrat to get Chloe out, Jax didn’t want to have to fight Stefan’s security system full tilt. Getting her out from right under Stefan’s nose would be even more difficult. "If he has any concerns about her safety, tell him to post an extra man outside the cottage."

Ramon bowed again respectfully. "Si, Pantera – Por supuesto!" Chloe let out the breath she had been holding at the little man’s quick concession to Jax’s conditions. Although the cottage would always remind her of what "might have been," she didn’t relish the prospect of spending time under the same roof with a known criminal, either.

Jax turned to Chloe again. "Remember, mi corazon," he whispered in her ear as he pulled her face up to his. "I promised. And I never break a promise." As she took a breath to object, Jax stole the rest of it with a bone-melting kiss. Against her will, her arms crept around his neck and her fingers threaded into the hair at the nape of his neck. When his tongue swirled her open mouth restlessly, he tasted the salt of her tears on her lips.

The kiss seemed to last forever. And yet -- not nearly long enough. Chloe stifled her sob with her fist when Jax broke the kiss and strode away from her towards another man who had appeared next to Ramon. He turned back to her one last time and then raised his fingers to his lips to blow her a kiss. "Adios, mi amada……….por tiempo……."

Chloe watched until she no longer heard the rustling of leaves in Jax’s wake. She wiped the tears from her eyes and then whispered, "Goodbye, my love………for now………"

To be continued……….