The banshee descended the steps squealing Brenda’s name. "You’re kidding, right?" Brenda was still seated at the breakfast table, frowning at the blonde woman who approached them with a speed that rivaled Mario Andretti. "THAT’s my best friend?"

Jax nodded, his face still somber. "I’m afraid so, love." Brenda quickly turned back to him at the use of the endearment, but then she realized that it was only part of his natural Aussie vocabulary. "Choosing Carly Roberts as your best friend never ranked in my top ten list of best decisions you’ve ever made."

Brenda never got a chance to question his remark. Carly grabbed her around the neck and squeezed hard, even though Brenda was still seated. "BRENDAAAA! I am like SOOOO glad to see you again!!" Thankfully, she loosened her grip on Brenda’s neck and straightened up abruptly, re-adjusting her top. "Oh -- and hi, Jax."

"Carly." Jax barely nodded his head in Carly’s direction and definitely didn’t have a smile for her.

Carly turned back to Brenda, totally oblivious to Jax’s palpable dislike for her. "Sooo....aren’t you glad to see me, too?"

Brenda cleared her throat awkwardly, glancing over her shoulder at Jax. "Well, Carly......I....uh.....I really......"

Carly threw her hands up in the air, frowning and then moving them to her hips. "Oh, sure....I get it! You’re freezing me out because you’re p*ssed that I didn’t come to see you in the hospital, aren’t you?"

Brenda’s eyes widened. "Oh, no, Carly, that has nothing to do with it...."

"Cause I tried, Brenda, really I did," Carly interrupted again. "I mean, Jason wasn’t too thrilled about me leaving him home alone, but I told him that you just had a kid, and how many times would that happen in this lifetime? But when I got to the hospital, they wouldn’t let me come up to see you. These stupid guards got all huffy with me....."

Carly continued to gesture wildly as Brenda gave Jax another pleading glance over her shoulder. He shrugged his shoulders as he pretended ignorance, but then Brenda gave him desperate look and he grimaced in capitulation.

"Carly!" Jax had to practically shout to get the other woman to stop talking. She finally blinked in surprise and gave him her attention. "Thank you." He folded his hands in his lap as he chose his words carefully. "Brenda isn’t upset with you for not visiting her in the hospital. Actually, it was my orders that kept you *and everyone else* from seeing Brenda."

"Your orders?" Carly looked back and forth between them in confusion. "Why? I don’t get it."

Jax took a deep breath. "Carly, Brenda had some difficulties during the baby’s delivery." He paused as Carly’s face began to register with understanding. "She....uh.....well, she flatlined for almost a half a minute."

"Flatlined?" Carly’s voice was hushed.

"Died." Brenda leaned towards Carly, who was reaching for a chair with a shaky hand. "I was dead, Carly."

Carly’s hands flew to her mouth and Jax was surprised when he saw real tears form in her eyes. "Oh, my God!! OH, MY GOD!!! YOU DIED??"

Brenda looked to Jax again for help. "But obviously she came back to us, as you can see." He gestured towards Brenda with his hand, and Brenda gave Carly a reassuring smile.

"So.....so you’re OK, right? You died, but you came back and you’re OK now?" Carly reached out to grab Brenda’s hand.

"Sort of." Brenda patted Carly’s hand, almost feeling sorry for the poor woman who obviously thought the sun rose and set on Brenda Jacks. "I just.....well, I......"

Carly gave Brenda a look of pure panic and then turned to Jax, who sighed again. "She has amnesia, Carly. The doctors say that the temporary loss of oxygen to her brain may be the cause of it."

"Amnesia, like you can’t remember your phone number?" Carly looked like she was trying to understand differential equations.

"Amnesia like I can’t remember *anything*," Brenda replied gently. "Or anyone," she added, giving Carly a serious look.

"Not.....not even me?" Carly’s face was a mixture of shock and insulted feelings.

"Not even Jax," Brenda replied. Carly frowned and looked between Brenda and Jax for confirmation. Finally, Jax surprised Brenda when he rose from his chair, pulling his white terrycloth robe more securely around his waist. "Are you leaving?"

"Well, since you don’t remember anything about her, I’m sure you and Carly have a lot to catch up on," Jax countered sarcastically. "And besides, I’m expecting a fax from the Far East." He bowed gallantly at the waist to Carly, who was still sitting with her mouth open. "Have a pleasant morning, ladies," he murmured, pausing briefly next to Brenda as he passed. She sensed that he was about to lean down and kiss her, but then he thought better of it and continued towards the house.

Brenda watched Jax’s back as he went through the gate and climbed the steps towards the main house, rubbing his hair with a towel as he did. Suddenly, Carly grabbed her hand. "OK – he’s gone now. So spill."

"Spill what?"

"It’s a joke – a trick, right?" Carly glanced up in the direction Jax had gone and then back at Brenda as though they were secret conspirators. "This whole "I died and I’ve got amnesia" thing. It’s something you’re doing so Jax won’t expect it when you and your Prince Charming run away together, right?"

Brenda leaned forward and took Carly’s hands in hers. "Try to listen to me very carefully, Carly. I really, truly, did DIE during the delivery. For almost half a minute. And when I came back, everything was a blur. If the OB hadn’t called Jax by name, I would have had to ask him who he was!"

Carly nodded slowly, licking her lips, and then her eyes got as wide as saucers. "HOLY SH*T!!! YOU REALLY DIED???"

"Uh-huh." Brenda took a sip of juice as Carly grabbed the arms of her chair in excitement. "AND I came back."

"HOLY SH*T!!!" Brenda began to wonder how expansive Carly’s vocabulary really was. "You mean…..you really…..you went to…." She swallowed hard.

"Well, I’m not sure exactly where I went," Brenda recalled, "but wherever it was, there was a lot of bright light and flowers."

Carly grabbed for Brenda’s hands in excitement again. "Brenda! This is just TOO weird!! I mean, do you know what they’ll say about this down at Dangerous Curves?"

"No." Brenda made a face and shook her head. "Cause I don’t remember what that is, either."

"That’s the gym, Brenda! We go there together all the time to work out." Carly sat back in her chair with a loud thump. "God, you really DON’T remember stuff." She sat up abruptly. "Why, this is…..this is just like one of those soap operas they have on TV! Or that movie with that guy who’s related to Shirley Maclaine!" Carly suddenly interrupted herself. "Or Shirley Maclaine herself, actually. Isn’t she the one with all the prior lives and the reincarnations and stuff?"

Brenda nodded and smiled. "Yes, she is."

Carly began to shake and look around in a panic. "Oh, my God! I made you remember something! You remembered something!!"

Brenda reached for Carly’s hands again before the poor woman had a stroke. "No, Carly. *Those* aren’t the kind of things I’m forgetting. It’s just things about my life." She sat a little closer to the table and lowered her voice. {This would be a good opportunity to find out about Brenda Jacks from someone who really knew her and is too thick to realize what I’m doing.} "So you said you and I go to the gym together and work out?"

"Yeah – every Tuesday and Thursday," Carly answered absently. Then she looked at Brenda with a hint of envy. "Although it certainly doesn’t look like you’ll need to do that for a while. You’ve practically got your shape back already and you just had a kid." Then she raised an eyebrow. "What was it, by the way?"

"A boy. He’s beautiful. We’re naming him Jonathan Jasper Jacks."

Carly nodded. "Nice name." She looked at Brenda again and shook her head, folding her hands glumly in her lap. "You just don’t seem quite human, Brenda. You just had a kid and you don’t even have any makeup on and you look gorgeous." She frowned. "Speaking of which – why DON’T you have any makeup on? You NEVER come out of the house without your eyeshadow." She leaned forward. "Or is that against the rules if you’re breastfeeding the kid or something?"

"No." Brenda shook her head and tried not to laugh at Carly. But then she realized that if she wanted to keep up the charade, she was going to have to think up some reason for not going back to Brenda Jacks’ previous cosmetic stylings. "I just really got out of the habit when I was in the hospital. They don’t let you wear makeup there, you know." Carly nodded in understanding and Brenda pushed to get back to her investigation of Brenda Jacks. "So – do we have a lot of other friends at the gym?"

Carly shot her a lewd smile. "YOU do. Although after I introduced you to Miguel, that sorta changed – with the guys, anyway."

"Miguel? Who’s he?"

Brenda had no idea that her simple question would spark quite so violent a reaction in Carly. "Who’s Miguel? You don’t know who MIGUEL is???" Brenda shook her head and Carly leaned forward again to whisper. "He’s only the one true love of your life, Brenda. Miguel Morez."

{Oh…my….God. The boyfriend.} "Miguel….Morez?’

"You STILL don’t remember him? About six foot tall, dark hair, dark eyes – Latin lover type?" Carly just gasped as Brenda continued to shake her head no. "I introduced the two of you, for God’s sake!!"

"And I was having an affair with him?"

"The two of you were going to run away together right after the baby was born, Brenda. To Brazil, I think…..isn’t that in South America or something?" Carly was still stunned. "So … you haven’t talked to him since you had the kid?"

"Jax limited my visitors in the hospital after I "died" – you heard him," Brenda replied, thankful that he did now. "Although I think maybe he sent me some flowers."

"Well, I guess so – the guy’s downright nuts about you," Carly replied. "I mean, Max only smiled at you and then…."

Brenda leaned forward intently to hear more about Miguel and Max but just then, Marjorie made an appearance and cleared her throat loudly. "Excuse me, Mrs. Jacks. I just wanted to clear the dishes."

Brenda turned to the dour housekeeper. "Thanks, Marjorie." She glanced down at her wristwatch. "We really weren’t going to be able to visit much longer anyway since I promised Lois I would go shopping with her today."

Marjorie gave Brenda another dirty look and then frowned at Carly. "Yes, ma’am. Mrs. Jerry Jacks called and said she would be here in about 45 minutes to pick you up." She put the remaining dishes on a tray and then straightened up to leave.

"Thanks, Marjorie." Brenda tried to be as sweet to the woman as she could, but she was making no headway. "And breakfast was delicious!"

Marjorie barely turned back to her as she carried the dishes to the gate and the steps. "Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am." But despite Brenda’s efforts, the woman didn’t turn back to even acknowledge Brenda’s compliment with eye contact.

Carly shook her head as the gate slammed behind Marjorie. "Well, I see the old battleaxe hasn’t changed, has she?"

Brenda wished for a split second that she hadn’t made the date to go shopping with Lois. She was finding out so many things from this Carly person that Lois might not know or want to reveal. "Tell you what – why don’t you come up to the house with me while I get ready to go shopping? You can see the baby and help me pick out something to wear."

Carly looked a little scared as she rose from the table. "Thanks, Bren, but I hadn’t planned on staying long myself. Jason wasn’t too thrilled about me being here, like I said."

Brenda motioned for Carly to follow her as she headed for the gate. "And Jason is…..your father?"

"No, dunce! Jason is my boyfriend!" She smiled broadly and shook her head. "You REALLY don’t remember much, do you?"

Brenda tried to laugh just as heartily as Carly. {*She* was a party girl, Brenda. Carly was her best friend. Even though you might want to change for Jax’s sake, you can’t change everything.} "Not much at all, Carly." They went through the gate. "I mean, I don’t even remember what I liked to eat for breakfast, or who the staff is." She let the remark trail as they climbed the steps to the house.

"Well, the staff thing isn’t really surprising," Carly admitted. "I mean, you never made it your business to mix with them too much before, anyway."

"Mmmm...." Brenda nodded absently. {Darn. But....never give up.} "I certainly seemed to have rubbed that cook gal, Marjorie, the wrong way," Brenda laughed, trying to adopt the mannerisms she saw on the videotape. "I mean, I’ve been trying to be as nice as I could to her ever since we got home yesterday, but it’s like she’s got this mental block against liking me."

Carly put her hand on Brenda’s shoulder as they reached the patio outside the den. "Brenda, this is battleaxe Marjorie we’re talking about. I think h*ll would freeze over before she’d ever be nice to you."

Brenda wasn’t sure why, but that hurt her somehow. "Why? Did I do something to make her hate me that much?"

Carly giggled and leaned closer to Brenda to whisper in her ear. "You don’t remember last Christmas?" Brenda shook her head in innocence and Carly covered her mouth with her hand as she continued. "Well, Marjorie’s teenage nephew came for a visit right before the holidays." Carly got a far-away look in her eyes. "Brent, I think his name was. He was a handsome kid, too. Tall, dark, thin, built like a Greek god." Brenda tapped her on the arm and Carly snapped out of her reveries.

"Anyway, you had a little too much champagne to drink at dinner and while everyone was in the den opening presents, you decided you wanted to go for a swim."

"So?"

"In the buff." Brenda’s mouth formed an "O". "Brent wasn’t having too much fun watching all the precious Jacks family opening their presents, so he decided to take a walk and he ended up down at the pool."

Brenda gulped. "And he saw me?"

"*Saw* you?" Carly bumped playfully against Brenda’s side. "Honey, you invited him to *join* you."

{Oh.....my......God. She was unfaithful to Jax with the cook’s teenage nephew, too?} Brenda swallowed hard. "And did sh.....I......did we.....?"

Carly shook her head and Brenda breathed a sigh of relief. "Nope. Charles heard all the commotion and splashing and he came out and got Brent out of the pool." Carly rocked back and forth from heels to toes. "But....let’s just say that you and Brent had a pretty good idea of what each other looked like in your birthday suits!"

Brenda could hardly believe her ears but just then, Robin opened the doors to the den. "Oh, Brenda, I’m glad I found you." She smiled affably at Carly. "I didn’t mean to interrupt."

"Oh, I’m sorry." Brenda put her hand to her forehead. "Robin, this is Carly Roberts, he......my best friend." She smiled at Carly, but it took all of her intestinal fortitude to do it. "Carly, this is Robin Scorpio. She’s a live-in nurse that Jax hired to help me with Jon until I’m feeling up to par again."

Carly extended her hand limply as she gave Robin a look of distaste. "Well, I’ve really got to be going." She patted Brenda on the arm. "Maybe you can come down to the gym with me or something soon, huh?"

Brenda nodded. "Or something." She had never liked gyms in her past life, and with breasts aching from nursing, she didn’t think she would change that opinion any time soon. She watched as Carly picked her way around the corner of the house towards the front where her car was parked. Brenda looked back to Robin. "Is something wrong with Jon?"

Robin put her hand on Brenda’s arm, and she was surprised how one woman’s touch could comfort while another’s could chill her soul. "No, he’s fine. I just thought that if you’re planning on going shopping with Lois soon, you might want to prepare some bottles for Jon before you leave."

Brenda nodded enthusiastically. "Great idea. And maybe you can come up with me and find something besides this beach cover-up that I could wear for a trip to the mall!" Robin joined her in a laugh and the two women went in the den and up to Brenda’s room to get her ready.

About an hour later, Lois and Brooke arrived at the same time as John and Jane Jacks, paying an impromptu visit to their newest grandchild. Brenda was just descending the stairs when they all came into the front foyer. "Aunt Bwenda!" Brooke squealed with happiness as she went running up to her aunt’s waiting arms.

"Now, honey, don’t ask Auntie Brenda to pick you up. She just had a baby, you know, and her tummy might still hurt." Brooke nodded at her mother but she was too busy being smothered with hugs and kisses by the re-born Aunt Brenda. John and Jane Jacks stood open-mouthed as they watched their daughter-in-law."

"Good Lord," John muttered. "It’s just like Jerry said." He turned to Lois and arched an eyebrow. "The truth IS out there."

Jane poked John in the ribs. "Hush up, you old fool." She leaned closer to Lois. "It’s all just an act -- it HAS to be!" She folded her arms but smiled at Brenda, who was still tickling Brooke at the foot of the stairs. "She’s still the same old Brenda down deep."

Jax appeared in the hallway at the foyer to take in the scene but didn’t approach his parents, who were deep in conversation with Lois. He watched Brenda’s seemingly genuine affection for his niece, which confused him even more. {She can’t have changed *that* much. She spent a lot of time with Carly. Maybe it *is* all really a hoax.}

Brenda finally looked up and saw the two new adults standing with Lois. "Hi, Lo. I’m sorry I kind of ignored you there for a minute." She looked carefully at the two strangers but as soon as she looked deeply into the woman’s eyes, she realized who her visitors were. "You’ve got Jax’s eyes," she said in a quiet voice. "You must be his mother -- June, is it?"

"Jane, dear," the woman said frostily, arching one eyebrow at Lois.

"So that makes you ..... John, right? With an "H"?" Brenda tried to coax a warm smile from her in-laws but soon realized that she was about as popular with them as she was with Marjorie.

They were all saved from the awkward situation when Robin descended the stairs holding Jon. "Somebody got upset that his mommy left him alone too long."

"What did I tell you? Typical Brenda." Jane’s whisper was for Lois’s ears only.

Brenda had turned to Robin and her face immediately lit up. "Too long?" She took the baby from Robin with a laugh. "Five minutes is too long?" She adjusted the bundle in her arms so that she could walk the rest of the way down to meet her family. "Where’s mommy’s littlest angel?" she cooed, peering into the bunting.

Robin followed her, smiling at John and Jane. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Jacks." She looked at Brenda, who was still making faces at the baby. "You’ve got yourself another gorgeous grandchild."

"Hello, Robin," Jane said warmly. She moved closer to Robin as Lois moved to Brenda’s side. "So you had to take care of him because Brenda left him alone?" she asked Robin quietly.

"Oh, no!" Robin laughed and put her hand on Jane’s arm. "I was being *totally* facetious! Brenda had been playing with him so much that I told her he would be the only one-week old baby in history who was already spoiled rotten!"

Jane’s face fell but her surprises had only begun. "That’s right, Jane," Brenda piped up. "Robin tells me that I hold him far too much. So.....how about if *you* hold him for a while?" She leaned towards her apoplectic mother-in-law. "But I’ll warn you up front -- it’s addictive!"

Before Jane could utter a word, Brenda was placing Jon in her arms. Jane looked down at the infant and after one peek at his sparkling blue eyes and cleft chin, she felt her heart melt. "Oh, my dear......he’s the spitting image of Jax!"

John blustered a little at his wife’s cooing. "Jane...." he intoned sternly.

"Oh, but John, he’s just so ......well, he’s just our Jax, except he’s little!"

Brenda smiled knowingly. "I *told* you he’s easy to spoil." She looked at Lois, who gave her a secret thumb’s up. "Wait a minute! I’ve just had the most marvelous idea!" Brenda exclaimed. "Jane, are you busy this afternoon?"

"Why?" Jane’s tone frosted over as she suspected she was being tapped for free baby-sitting.

"Well, Lois, Brooke and I are going shopping, and since Robin and Jon are coming along -- would you like to join us?"

"Shopping -- with YOU?" Ever the veteran mother, Jane shifted her weight back and forth to keep her grandchild pacified.

"Well," Brenda replied with her most charming smile, "I don’t exactly remember a lot about you, but I don’t think I’ve EVER met a woman who hated shopping! And it would give you and Jon a good chance to bond." She peered inside the blanket that wrapped him. "He certainly seems to like it when his grandma holds him."

Jane bit her lower lip and looked at her husband, but then she turned back to Brenda with a hesitant smile. "Well, I have to admit I *do* enjoy holding my grandchildren. And I didn’t have anything else planned for this afternoon."

Brenda clapped her hands and high-fived Brooke. "Great!" She looked at Lois. "Will all of us and the two car seats fit in your car?"

Lois nodded happily. "We brought the van. So," she continued, extending her arm to Jane, "grandma, are you ready to take that newest grandchild out for an afternoon on the town?"

John leaned closer to Jane and whispered to her, "If you’re taking the new Brenda along, you’d better be prepared to meet Captain Kirk and the rest of Starfleet!"

Brenda, Robin and Lois were so busy discussing the placement of the car seats in the van that they never heard John’s sarcastic remark. "Now, John," Jane replied in a hushed tone, "I’m not saying that I’ve become Brenda’s newest fan." She bounced the baby a little, watching her daughter-in-law joking with Lois and Robin and hugging Brooke. "But she’s certainly different than she was before, and if it all IS an act, she surely won’t be able to keep it up *all* afternoon." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Just consider it investigative spending and hand over your gold card."

The happy shoppers were out the door in a matter of minutes, leaving a stunned Jax and John standing in the entryway. John turned to Jax slowly. "Is it too early for a drink?"

Jax motioned with his head for his father to follow him. "Cocktail hour seems to arrive here earlier and earlier every day since Brenda came back from the dead," he replied sarcastically. John followed his perplexed son into the study. "Just when I thought she couldn’t do anything more to surprise me….."

"What?" John waved Jax off when he reached for the bourbon and just poured himself a glass of iced tea from a tray that Marjorie had brought Jax earlier. "Did she voluntarily cut up her Nieman’s card?"

"No, but close – she had yogurt and bananas with me for breakfast this morning." Jax shook his head. "I swear – if she had taken a sip of the health shake and said she liked it, I would have called the men in the little white coats – FOR ME!!!!"

John patted his son on the back in sympathy. "I know this must be difficult for you son, but you have to remember that down deep, she’s the same old Brenda. A leopard doesn’t change her spots."

Jax sat down at his desk and ran his fingers through his hair, which had tumbled across his forehead into his eyes. "That’s what I keep trying to tell myself, dad, but she’s just so different, and she’s……." Jax stared down into his lap. "I just…….the feelings……." He raised misty eyes to his father. "It just seems like it wasn’t that long ago that things were so *good* between us, you know?"

John sat down across from Jax. "So what do you intend to do about it, son?"

"For now – I’m going to do what any red-blooded Jax male would do in this situation. I’m going to run away." Jax smirked grimly at his father as he reached for a piece of paper on the desk and a thick file. "That deal we’ve been working on for so long in Jakarta is about to blow up in our faces, thanks to that idiotic site manager Jerry hired." He shook his head and straightened his back, reaching for another file. "If I don’t go there and personally get things back on track, I’m afraid we’ll lose six months’ worth of negotiations."

"But, Jax," John objected, "what about the christening?"

"This should only take a day or two, dad," Jax replied. "I’ll be back in plenty of time for the christening, and Brenda and Jon will be fine here with Robin to watch over them."

"Burying yourself in your work isn’t going to help you sort things out, Jax." John reached for his son’s hand and stopped his restless activity. "You need to get away somewhere quiet to think – decide what’s best for YOU in all of this."

Jax shook his head, his face reflecting his melancholy mood. "I know, dad." He took a determined breath and rose from the desk. "That’s why I’ve been thinking of going to Malibu after the christening is over." He began to shove files in his briefcase. "To have some time alone – to think, like you said."

Jax looked up at John, hoping to see approval written on his father’s face. But he was disappointed. "Malibu? You think you can get some quiet thinking done in *Malibu*?"

Jax walked to a credenza and picked up more files, bringing them back to his briefcase. "Yeah, dad. Do you think it’s a bad idea to go there?"

John sat back in his chair and studied the sweat beads running down the side of his glass intently. "I just think that you might find the solitary life a little hard to find there – particularly considering your neighbor." He raised his eyes to meet Jax’s and arched one eyebrow critically.

Jax sighed loudly. "Dad, how many times do I have to tell all of you – Miranda is just a very good friend?……."

"……who happens to own the beach house next to yours, Jax," John finished for his son. He rose and went to put an arm around Jax’s shoulders. "But whatever you decide, you know your mother and I will support you." Jax nodded slightly and John gripped his shoulders more tightly. "So – does Brenda know about the Jakarta trip?"

"No." Jax’s voice grew distant and preoccupied. "I’ve got a reservation on an 11AM flight tomorrow, so I’ll probably tell her at breakfast." He went to the windows and stared out into the garden. "And if I know Brenda Jacks, she’ll be so happy to get rid of me that she’ll drive me to the airport herself."

To be continued…..