Brooke Lynn tugged on Stefan’s trouser leg and he stared indulgently down at the toddler. "Don’t feel bad, Mr. C." She grimaced at her crying cousin. "Jon doesn’t like *anybody* except my Uncle Jax and Aunt Bwenda."

"Really." Stefan’s reply was more of a statement than a question. "And how does your Aunt Bwenda deal with his vocal histrionics?"

Brooke looked vacantly at Stefan for a minute but then understanding dawned. "Oh!.....You mean, how does she make him stop crying?" Stefan nodded, holding Jon at arm’s length to put distance between his lungs and the bachelor’s ears. "You should bounce."

"Bounce?" Stefan crooked an eyebrow at the infant and then down at his female instructor. He began to rise to the balls of his feet and then settle down again. "You mean like this?"

"Stefan Cassidine!" Lois entered the fray, smiling as she walked into the ornate living room. "You don’t treat a baby like a tennis ball that you’re about to serve!" She took her nephew from Stefan, shifted him to her shoulder, and began the age-old mommy "dance," shifting from foot to foot. "It’s a kinda bounce and sway thing -- like this."

Stefan watched her hips, trying to imitate her once and then throwing up his hands in surrender. "I shall leave the "bouncing" to the females of the species. Obviously, when God made man, He neglected to include bouncing aptitude in our repertoire."

As Jon continued to wail, Brenda entered the room. "More like, when God made man, SHE didn’t include mealtime aptitude in your repertoire." She held up a small bottle and reached out for her son. As soon as she shifted him to the crook of her arm and held the bottle’s nipple near his lips, he latched on hungrily and all crying ceased. Brenda looked up triumphantly. "See -- I’m afraid that this time, Stefan, you just didn’t have what it took to make him happy."

Stefan sighed, but then looked at Lois, Brooke, Robin and Brenda in turn. "Well, considering my lovely dinner companions this evening, I must say that the company more than makes up for the earlier *fireworks* provided by Jax’s heir."

Brooke looked up at Lois in confusion. "What did he just say, mommy?"

"He said that since all of us are such pretty ladies, he doesn’t care that your cousin was screamin’ his lungs out and almost busted one of his eardrums." Brooke nodded in understanding, causing Stefan to break into another huge smile as Lois winked at him. "And here I thought that maybe Mr. C. would regret invitin’ us and send us home with no dinner."

Stefan gasped theatrically. "Do you really think I would be that cruel, dear lady?" Then he crouched down to Brooke’s level. "And besides, what would Mrs. Lansbury do with all of that lovely spaghetti that she prepared for us tonight for dinner?"

Brooke’s eyes lit up. "We’re havin’ pisgetti?"

Stefan nodded. "Your favorite -- with no meatballs." He held out his arms to Brooke. "Will you allow me to escort you to the dining room, fair princess?" Brooke looked cautiously up at her mother, but when Lois nodded, Brooke gave Stefan a big smile and rushed into his arms.

Brenda set the empty bottle down on the table next to her and put Jon over her shoulder. "Well, since the only other male in attendance tonight has a full tummy now, I think we might be able to have a quiet dinner!" Stefan extended his other arm to Robin in a courtly fashion, and as he led the way to the dining room, Brenda and Lois followed.

Once Mrs. Lansbury had served the main course, she gladly offered to hold Jon so that Brenda and Robin could eat in peace. Brenda was laughing and trying to show Brooke how to twirl the spaghetti onto her fork when Stefan spoke to Lois. "So -- has that Aussie Neanderthal you married come to his senses and agreed to buy you that record company?"

Lois sighed and put down her utensils. "No. Jerry still thinks that I should be a full-time mommy to Brooke." She tipped her head towards Brenda to explain. "I’ve always dreamed of owning my own record label." She shrugged with an electric smile. "I just *love* music, and I’ve always kinda had an ear for new talent and blending different sounds."

"Then I think you should go for it, Lo," Brenda nodded. "Brooke will be in school pretty soon, and I’m sure it wouldn’t take up that much of your time. You could still be around for her after school -- why, you could almost make your own hours with that kind of thing."

"Precisely what I always tell her," Stefan added. "But the Jacks-@ss she married seems to think that a woman’s place is in the kitchen, barefoot and ......" He cast a wary eye down at Brooke, who was happily inhaling her spaghetti. "......in a family way."

Lois gave Stefan a naughty smile. "Well, I don’t mind the barefoot thing, and *getting* in the family way can be fun, but havin’ the baby sure is no picnic!" They shared a laugh but then suddenly Lois’s eyes widened and she turned to Brenda in a panic. "Oh, Bren, I’m *so* sorry!"

"Why?" Brenda looked around in confusion. "What have you got to be sorry about?"

Lois waved her hands in the air. "Oh, that was just such a stupid thing to say, about havin’ the baby bein’ no picnic! I mean, after you *died* while havin’ Jon and all!"

"Lois! Lois!" Brenda tried to grab Lois’s flailing hands. "It’s not a problem -- really!" She sighed. "Besides, I think almost everyone at this table would agree that they like the *resurrected* me better than the old one. Anyway," she continued, waving her fork as everyone returned to eating, "let’s get back to the record company thing. I just can’t imagine Jerry saying "no" to you about anything."

"And even if he does say "no,"" Stefan interrupted, "I have offered several times to help finance the purchase of the enterprise and serve as Lois’s silent partner."

"Oh, yeah -- that would be *really* great," Lois replied cynically. "So if Jerry doesn’t kill me when he finds out that I went through with it, he *will* when he finds out that his biggest business rival is my partner." She shook her head. "Naw......I gotta find some other way to swing it." Her blue eyes twinkled with devilment. "And I *will* swing it, someday."

Stefan’s attention shifted to Brooke, who was pulling anxiously on his sleeve. "Mr. C., can I see the pretty orange shiny thing? I cleaned my plate and everything."

"Ahhh, sweet Brooke, there is nothing I would like better than to show you the beautiful orange shiny thing, but I don’t have it anymore."

Lois leaned towards her daughter, speaking in a quiet voice. "Remember, Brookie, I told you that some bad people stole the orange shiny thing from Mr. C."

{Yeah -- your bad Aunt Brenda and her creepy boyfriend stole it.} Brenda couldn’t bear to look at Stefan so she seized the opportunity to take a long drink of water.

As tears gathered in Brooke’s eyes, Stefan’s heart almost melted all over the dining room table. "I can take you to the fancy room where the orange shiny thing used to be, princess Brooke." He leaned towards her, tapping her chin with his finger. "In fact, there are some new shiny green things that might catch your fancy."

"Did you get some new emeralds, Stefan?" Lois wiped her mouth delicately with her napkin.

Stefan stood and swung Brooke up into his arms. "You know my fondness for gems, Lois. And until the police apprehend the criminals who stole the Martinique, I can put the security system to good use." He nodded his head towards the hallway. "Would you all care to accompany me?"

"I think I’ll go get Jon from Mrs. Lansbury," Robin said, rising to excuse herself. "He’s probably ready for his bath and bed by now."

Brenda nodded as the group moved into the hall. "I’ll be home in a few minutes, Robin." She shrugged happily. "Since I don’t remember seeing this all the first time around, I’m looking forward to the tour!" {And to anything I can find out that will help me figure out where "she" hid the d*mn thing.}

Stefan continued to carry Brooke as the group moved to the right wing of the house. Brenda was amazed at the valuable paintings and tapestries hanging on the walls "Stefan -- these paintings must be worth a fortune!" She turned around in fascination. "Don’t you have a security system for them, too?"

"There’s a separate security system for the outside doors and windows of the house, Brenda." He pointed down the hall. "The keypads for the interior system are hidden behind the drapes at my request. I hate to see the lines of classic artwork destroyed by the measures we must take to protect them from thieves." Then he sighed and shook his head. "I’m afraid the alarm company isn’t too pleased with having me as a customer. They’re still trying to convince me to compose a separate combination for each system. But it’s much easier when I only have one set of numbers to remember!"

When they reached a room at the far end of the long hallway, Stefan stopped and went to a keypad next to the door. He hitched Brooke up higher in his arms. "Would you like to punch the numbers for me, princess?"

Brooke’s squeal of delight was almost as loud as her mother’s outraged yelp. "Stefan! You’re spoilin’ her again! She shouldn’t be doin’ stuff like that!"

Stefan nodded sadly. "I know, Lois." Then he smiled at Brooke, tickling her tummy. "But since young Princess Brooke here was cleared in the massive crayon theft at the preschool, I believe she is worth of my trust." Lois crossed her arms, but Stefan just grinned and began pointing to numbers on the keypad. Brooke pushed the buttons with a high-pitched giggle.

"But Stefan," Brenda objected again, "are you always this trusting? I mean, even though Brooke isn’t likely to become a cat burglar in the next ten years, what about other people?"

A green light blinked on as the doors to the gem room clicked open. "Brenda, we are all friends here tonight." He held out his arm gallantly and the two women preceded him into the darkened room. "I have been in your home many times when it was necessary for Jax to go into his safe. And when he does, I do as you two beautiful ladies just did when Princess Brooke entered the combination -- I avert my eyes."

{Yeah, right. We did just now, but I’ll bet "SHE" didn’t the night before the Martinique disappeared.}

Brenda was still shaking her head when Stefan flipped a hidden switch, flooding the room with bright light. Her attention was immediately drawn to a large, glass display case in the center of the room. "Is that where you kept the thing?"

Stefan nodded as they walked to the clear cubicle mounted on a pedestal. Several spotlights were trained on the display case, obviously to enhance the beauty of the priceless gem. He sighed as he clasped his hands behind him. "Yes, this was where I had it." He pointed up to the ceiling. "The lights are specially equipped with filters that amplify the color of the gem."

Brenda could see a cleanly cut hole in the glass about five inches in diameter. "And that’s how the thieft stole it? He cut a hole and put his hand through the glass?"

Stefan nodded. "After disabling the alarm, a feat which still baffles our good police commissioner." He turned to Brenda. "I was so sorry that he considered you and Jax among the suspects, dear lady. I told him it was ludicrous, but he insisted on questioning you both."

"He did?" {When did he do that? I thought "she" took the thing right before she went into labor.}

"Well, he questioned Jax. He wasn’t able to question you since the doctors would permit no visitors after your "incident" during Master Jonathan’s delivery."

{Sh*t. That means I’ve got to find this thing, and FAST. I’m well enough now that this cop is going to be breathing down my neck, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep us this charade for very long with him.}

"Oooooo, Stefan," Lois crooned, gazing into a display case on the other side of the room. "Are these the new emeralds?"

Stefan walked over to where she stood, leaving Brenda and the empty display case alone. "Yes, Lois. Do you see one you like?" He winked at her naughtily. "I should think that if your intractable mate still opposes your career in the recording industy, he owes you some kind of bauble in apology."

Stefan and Lois just shared a laugh, and he opened the case to show her some of the emeralds. Brenda walked over to join them, but she couldn’t quite give them her undivided attention. {13, 1, 95 -- the combination for both security systems. 13 for that stupid number the teacher assigned me in fifth grade, 1 for the number of dogs I had, and 95 for the year I met Sonny.} She sighed to herself softly. {Well, at least you know how to get into the room. Now if you just had the Martinique.}

*~*~*~*

Brenda was nursing Jon and softly singing to him at midnight when the phone next to her bed rang. Juggling the baby, she picked it up on the second ring. "Brenda Jacks, here."

"Jasper Jacks, here." She heard a soft chuckle. "Why does it sound so much better when you say it than when I do?"

"JAX!!" Brenda could barely control her happiness at hearing her husband’s voice. "Where are you? What time is it? Is everything OK?"

"Whoa! Slow down there, Mrs. Jacks." Brenda shifted Jon, who didn’t seem to like sharing his mommy’s attentions with anyone else while being fed. "Everything’s fine. I’m in Gstaad, and it’s nine o’clock in the morning. I thought I would give you a call before business got too hectic here." There was a slight pause. "Why -- did I call at a bad time?"

"No!" Brenda propped the phone on her right shoulder as she used both hands to lift her nipple to her angry son’s lips. "I’m just giving Jon his midnight feeding and he lost my........nipple." Brenda could feel herself flush as she said the word. Somehow, following the events of that morning, "nipple" had turned into one of the most erotic words in the English language.

Brenda wasn’t alone in her embarrassment. "Well....uh....I guess nobody ever likes that to.....I mean, I’d be pretty upset too if I......" She heard him swear softly. "Bloody h*ll, I *told* you that this was a bad idea. Now thanks to the time difference, I’ve just gone and woken everyone up."

"No, it *wasn’t* a bad idea, Jax. I’m glad you called, really." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I miss you." She looked around at the darkened bedroom. "It made me feel much safer, having you here in bed with me last night."

"Yes, well things aren’t going too quickly at this end. But with any luck, I’ll be able to wrap things up and be home by breakfast tomorrow." Jax stuttered. "I mean, breakfast tomorrow THERE. I mean, I should only be gone one more night." Jax ran his fingers through his hair, glad that none of his business adversaries could see his awkwardness. He was about to ask Brenda about dinner with Stefan when she yelped softly. "Brenda? Are you OK?"

"I’m fine. Jon just decided to remind me that he was still here and he got a little ...... enthusiastic .... about his nursing."

"He bit you?"

Brenda laughed, and it reminded Jax of the chimes that tinkled softly in nearly every clock shop in Gstaad. "No, silly! He doesn’t have any teeth! Babies don’t start getting teeth until they’re about six months old."

"And just when did you get to be such an expert on babies?"

"I found all these *wonderful* baby books stuck way in the back of the closet! Jax, there’s Dr. Spock, and Barry Brazelton....." Brenda paused. "Wait ....don’t tell me....did sh.....I buy them?"

"No. Lady Jane gave them to you as a gift right after we found out that you were pregnant." Jax’s voice was bittersweet. "Everyone thought it was such a good sign for us -- that we were reconciling."

Brenda was at a loss for words. She could hear the pain in Jax’s voice, and once again realized how much "she" had hurt him. Just as she drew a breath to try and erase some of that pain, he interrupted her. "Brenda -- I really probably should be going. I’ve got a meeting, and you should get some rest."

She had to say something. She couldn’t let him end the conversation this way. "Jax -- could you do me a favor?"

"Well......" Confusion was obvious in Jax’s voice. "I’ll try. After all, I am on another continent, you know."

Brenda smiled in the semi-darkness. "You can still do this for me, even though you’re far away." She paused for a few seconds, taking a deep breath and praying that she could put how she was feeling into just the right words. "I’ll be thinking of you until you come home, Jax." Her declaration greeted by silence on his end. "And the favor is that if you think of me before you see me again, would you only think of me the way I am NOW? Not the way I was before?"

Jax’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone. {Don’t you know *that’s* the problem? Can’t you tell that *you* haunt me -- day and night? That I wake up wanting *you*? That all I thought of on the flight over here was how you looked at me during dinner before the ballet? That when I went to sleep last night, I woke up with that d*mn new perfume of *yours* teasing my senses?} He took a shaky breath. "That’s it?"

Brenda smiled. "That’s all."

There was a long pause. "I think I can manage that."

Brenda closed her eyes, saying silent prayers of thanks. "I’m really glad you called, Jax. Thanks."

"No problem." A smile danced at his lips, in spite of his best intentions. "Good night, Brenda."

Brenda gazed down at her now-sleeping son. "Good night, Jax." She hung up the phone quietly and sighed. "Well, little one," she said, shifting Jon to her shoulder, "it’s time for mommy to get some sleep. She’s got a big job to do tomorrow." She walked to the window of her room, staring out at the garden and Stefan’s house in the distance. "Mommy has 24 hours to unsteal a Martinique."

*~*~*~*

By the time she came down for breakfast the following morning, Brenda had a plan. She was pleasant to Charles and the rest of the staff, but as soon as she finished eating, she closeted herself in Jax’s study, telling them she didn’t want to be disturbed. Brenda quickly turned on Jax’s computer, accessed the Internet and then searched the local newspapers for accounts of the Martinique’s theft.

She didn’t have to look far. The burglary at Stefan’s house had made front-page news, including the thing she wanted most -- a description of the gem itself and its size. Apparently the Martinique was a flawless, brilliant cut, Padparagia sapphire, weighing approximately 8 carats. Brenda was no expert on jewelry, but comparing it to a large diamond that Sonny had given her as an engagement ring, she estimated that it was about 1/2 inch in diameter, with a round face on top and tapering to a point at the bottom. It was a loose stone -- not set in any kind or ring or pendant. Brooke hadn’t been far off when she asked about the "orange shiny thing" -- it had been frequently described in the press as "the pumpkin gemstone."

Brenda switched off the computer. Now that she knew how big the thing was, she would have a better idea of where to look. She ran up the stairs to her bedroom, closed the door behind her, and locked it for good measure. The last thing she wanted was for Robin to come in looking for her when she had every piece of clothing pulled out of the closet and drawers.

She decided to attack the search in a methodical manner. She started with the drawers of the dresser and chest, emptying each one slowly. After placing all of the contents on the floor around her, Brenda removed the drawer from the piece of furniture so that she could check for hidden compartments. After all, "she" hadn’t planned on leaving until after the baby was born. "She" probably had put the Martinique in a temporary hiding place to wait until the she and Miguel were just about ready to leave for Brazil.

Two hours later, Brenda stood before her closet with a determined look. The search of the furniture had yielded no results. She pulled open the door and grabbed a handful of hangers, bringing the clothes out and throwing them on her bed. Each item of clothing was subjected to a rigorous search -- every seam, every pocket, every hem was double-checked. Even the items that still had store tags hanging on them were searched.

Brenda was feeling the hem of an evening gown carefully when she let out a cry of victory. She felt a thick spot in the middle of the hem. Grabbing a letter opener from her desk, Brenda started to rip the hem out of the dress, but when she finally discovered what had been causing the abnormal thickness, she was even more shocked than before. It wasn’t the Martinique causing the thickness -- it was two bank books.

Brenda was almost afraid to open the deposit books. {What if "she" pawned the thing already? What if "she" decided to double-cross Miguel and keep the money?} She opened the books slowly but then let out a long sigh of relief when she saw that deposits into the accounts had been made almost a year earlier. After her initial worries had faded, Brenda gasped aloud when she noticed the bottom line balance in the bank book. Apparently Brenda Jacks was not a woman who left things to chance -- she had amassed a sizeable fortune in two Swiss bank accounts. If Miguel ever tired of her, "she" didn’t intend to go back to living her pre-Jax lifestyle.

{Holy moley!} Realization dawned as Brenda closed the bank books quickly, her hands shaking. {You’re rich!} When she opened the second bank book, a sheet fell out of the back, showing that the money in the account came from several lucrative stock transactions. {Maybe "she" wasn’t such a dummy after all. Maybe "she" took some of the money from Jax and invested it on her own -- for a rainy day.} Brenda finally took the bank books and investment record and hid them in the back of a lingerie drawer in the dresser, returning the dress with the ripped hem to the closet with the rest of the clothing.

When she saw that it was almost lunchtime, Brenda decided that maybe she could think more clearly on a full stomach. Besides, she needed to feed Jon, and despite her desire to settle the question of the Martinique, she was missing spending time with her baby. She and Robin had a relaxing lunch on the patio, and after helping Robin bathe Jon and playing with him for a while, she headed back to her room shortly after 2 o’clock.

{OK, Brenda. You’ve got almost four hours before you need to appear for dinner. Think hard. Let’s find this thing and get it over with.} Brenda reviewed the items she had checked so far and after one more search through her lingerie drawer, she concluded that the gem wasn’t hidden in any of her clothing.

She paced around the room, trying to clear her mind. {OK. Maybe she had the thing hidden already for the trip to South America. After all, she didn’t know how soon after the baby was born she would be leaving. Maybe she wanted to be prepared.} Brenda stopped in front of her closet. {So besides clothes, what else would she have been taking on the trip?} She flung open the door and walked inside slowly. {It wouldn’t be hidden in the suitcase itself. That’s one of the oldest ones in the book. It would be almost as obvious as......} Brenda froze in front of her jewelry armoire. {......Hiding a jewel in the middle of your jewelry. What’s that old saying? Hide in plain sight?}

Brenda pulled open the drawers of the armoire and began going through each item, looking for stones that didn’t match or clasps that rattled. After searching all the regular drawers, she found the key and went through the same process with the precious gems. No luck.

After re-locking the top drawers, Brenda went back into the bedroom with a sigh. {OK. It’s not in the accessories. What else would "she" have taken with her on the trip?} She walked to her dressing table and her eyes widened. {Makeup! If there was one thing that "she" couldn’t live without, it was her makeup.} She sat down at the dressing table and began searching through compacts for false compartments. She took apart every tube of shocking red lipstick, but no gem was hidden in the base beneath the wands of color.

As the shadows lengthened in the room, it reminded Brenda of just how little time she had left. {Well, it HAS to be here somewhere. Miguel said "she" had it, and surely she wouldn’t have been stupid enough to put it in Jax’s safe where he could find it. Unless......} Brenda stood and ran to one of the pictures on the wall. She pushed it aside, but there was no safe hidden behind it. After repeating the process for all of the other pictures in the room, she went back into the walk-in closet to make sure there wasn’t a hidden safe. She pushed the dresses to one end of the rods, but the walls were smooth. She even tapped on the walls lightly, looking for a hollow spot, but they were all solid.

It was almost 5 o’clock when she sank back down at her dressing table in despair. {I’m never going to find this thing. Maybe I should just confide in Jax and ask for his help. Maybe he’s ready for the truth about who I am. Maybe......} Brenda’s debate was interrupted when her elbow accidentally knocked over the bottle of "her" favorite scent, "Clandestine." Instead of sticking, as the nozzle usually did, it chose that moment to spray instead, showering Brenda with the strong, flowery perfume.

{God, that stuff is AWFUL!! No wonder Jax said he liked my new perfume better!} Brenda picked up the offending bottle with a grimace. The temperamental atomizer was stuck now, but it didn’t stop perfume from leaking out all over her hands. {Yuck! I’ll need to take two showers if I want to smell decent for dinner!} Brenda held the bottle at arm’s length and frowned at it. {You got me this time, but you won’t get me again, pardner.}

With a feline smile, Brenda rose from the stool and went to stand over a nearby trashcan. "Buh-bye!" she grinned, and let "Clandestine" fall into the can where it landed with a loud thunk. The smile never left her face as she turned back to the dressing table, her hands on her hips. "In fact......." She walked gleefully back to the dressing table and gathered the rest of "her" perfume bottles into her arms.

Brenda returned to the trashcan, setting most of the bottles down on the chair next to her. She turned a bottle so that she could read the lable. "Buh-bye, Pleasure’s Pulse!" She dropped the bottle as she had the first, and it landed in the trashcan with a clink. Brenda picked up a bottle of "Beastly Instincts" and was about to wish it a fond farewell when she suddenly froze in place.

{Wait a minute. "Clandestine" -- thunk. "Pleasure’s Pulse -- clink.} She looked down into the can. {Shouldn’t they all be clink?} Her hands were visibly trembling as she reached into the can and pulled out the first bottle of "her" favorite perfume. The one with the broken atomizer. {Oh.....my......God......Could it be broken because "she" broke it? To hide something?}

Brenda ran to the window to take advantage of the fading light. She held the bottle of amber liquid up to the sun, shielding her eyes with her other hand. It didn’t show at first. But then, after Brenda shook the bottle several times, she squealed in happiness and ran to the bathroom.

She grabbed the nearest bath towel and wrapped the bottle in it. Then, she went to the bathtub and, gritting her teeth, smacked it as hard as she could against the side. The room filled with the cloying sweetness of the perfume, but Brenda didn’t care. When she opened the stained towel, there lay the Martinique, winking at her in all of its orange glory.

{You did it! You actually did it!} Brenda took the gem into her shaking fingers and rinsed it off carefully under the bathroom tap. She walked into the bedroom with a smile, but then her smile faded and she sank into a chair. {OK. Now you’ve got it. What are you going to do with it?}

*~*~*~*

1:30 AM. Brenda stared down at her watch as she hid in the bushes outside Stefan’s house.

{This has *got* to be one of the craziest ideas you’ve ever had, Brenda. Do you *really* believe that you can just break into his house and put it back without him knowing?} Brenda chewed on her lower lip as she listened to the crickets singing in the distance. {What other options do you have? If you take it to the police, they’ll want to know how you got it. You could try to send it anonymously to the police. But even if you didn’t leave any fingerprints, they would still want to know where it came from. They wouldn’t close the investigation.}

Brenda stared up at Stefan’s bedroom windows. {All he wants is to get his gem back. If the gem re-appears somehow, he really won’t care who took it. Just so he has it back. And since you know the code for the security system.....} The sound of a bunny under a nearby bush made Brenda jump, but then she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. {This is best solution, Bren. You’re all dressed up -- now don’t leave the party before it’s even started.}

Brenda had pleaded a headache shortly after dinner, setting the stage for retiring early. Once she was back in her room, she had rooted through all of "her" clothes until she found a black T-shirt and black jeans that still fit. She was humming the theme to "Mission Impossible" by the time she found some dark trouser socks. The only athletic shoes in "her" closet were white, but since she couldn’t very well wear the black stiletto pumps she had worn to the ballet with Jax, she conceded and wore the white ones.

Thankfully, Jon woke up early for his midnight feeding. Brenda was afraid that her sizzling nerves would interfere with her nursing, but her hungry son really didn’t care about her plans for the balance of the evening. She fed him, burped him, sang and rocked him for a little while, and by 12:45 he was back in dreamland.

It didn’t take her long to change her clothes. Her black hair and dark coloring convinced Brenda she didn’t need any kind of hat or mask. Besides, she was almost blind in the dark anyway. With her luck, wearing a mask would only make her trip in the dark and make so much noise it would wake Stefan. After she let herself out the French doors in her room, it only took Brenda a few minutes to sneak across the side lawn and find herself in the bushes outside Stefan’s front door.

The house was cloaked in darkness as Brenda went to the keypad next to the front door. {My number in 5th grade, my doggie, the year I met Sonny. 13-1-95.} She rubbed her hands on the sleeves of her jacket and then punched in the numbers carefully. About 5 seconds after she entered the last number, she heard a gratifying "click" in the front door. {Bingo. I’m in.}

Brenda pulled a small penlight from her pocket as she let herself in the house. It didn’t take her long to recognize the hallway that led to the dining room, and then the hallway that led to the gem room. With her heart pounding so loud she was sure Stefan was sure to hear it, Brenda faced the second keypad. She entered the code again, and another "click" echoed from the door.

She let herself inside the room and after she closed the door behind her, Brenda leaned against it for a few seconds. She tried to take deep, even breaths, but somehow she still felt like she would hyper-ventilate any minute. {Just a few more minutes and you’ll be home free. You’ll be rid of this stupid orange thing, rid of Miguel, and free to win Jax back.} She went to the display case, shining her penlight on the hole "she" had cut just weeks earlier. Brenda reached into her pocket and pulled out the Martinique. She held it up and then rubbed it against the side of her leg, almost as though she wanted to make sure it was still as shiny now as it was when "she" took it.

Brenda was reaching inside the display case, the Martinique in her hand, when bright lights flooded the room. She shielded her eyes for a moment with her other hand, but then heard Stefan’s voice loud and clear.

"Brenda?" He stood in the doorway of the gem room, wearing black satin pajama bottoms, a dark blue silk robe that he had hastily belted, and a shocked look on his face. But her attention was mostly drawn to the lethal-looking handgun he had aimed at her head. "Brenda? Is that you?" he repeated.

Brenda dropped the gem into its velvet resting place and said the only thing she could think of under the circumstances.

"Oops."

To be continued.