"Jax!!!" Brenda grabbed for a towel to dry her damp hands and then pointed at the television screen. "Did you……did you hear what she just said? That trampy excuse for an anchor woman?"

Jax inhaled to answer but once again, Tiffany Hill’s breathy news delivery stopped his reply. "Let me repeat that good news for you, ladies and gentlemen." The camera zoomed in closer on her feline smile. "My source at the Port Charles Police Department – who shall remain nameless, of course – has told me that Chuck Morris, a very reputable sketch artist for the FBI, has been here in our fair city for several days now. He has been working extensively with a mystery eyewitness to the identity of the Dockside Slasher. As of yesterday, Mr. Morris developed what the witness feels is a very accurate rendition of the elusive serial killer."

"I did no such thing!!!" Brenda sank into a chair, her mouth hanging open in indignant shock.

"So when you go to bed tonight, ladies and gentlemen," Tiffany continued, batting her eyes dramatically, "you can all rest a little easier. My source tells me that copies of the drawing have been distributed to every member of the Port Charles Police and an arrest is expected shortly."

Brenda continued to stare at the television screen even after Jax had hit the button on the remote to turn off the power. "She can’t……..that’s not……..I never……."

"Brenda……" Jax moved towards her as her cheeks began to turn red.

He jumped back a little when she threw the towel down on the table. "That’s HOGWASH, Jax! It’s a bold-faced, downright LIE!"

"Brenda……"

"Oh, my God!" Brenda’s hands flew up to cover her mouth. "Jax, what if the Slasher is out there watching TV and he sees that!" She started to pace the kitchen rapidly while Jax ran his fingers through his hair and settled his other hand on his hip. "He’ll think that I know what he looks like and that he’s going to be arrested any minute and it’s all my fault…….." Her lower lip started to tremble. "He’ll try to kill me again, Jax……"

Jax rushed forward to grasp Brenda’s upper arms tightly. "I *told* you before that I wouldn’t let that happen, Brenda!" He tilted his head until he could see into her terrified eyes. "You believe me, don’t you?"

"I know ………" She nodded slightly. "I know that, and I believe you….." She pulled away from him and strode towards the sink, but then turned back and stomped her foot furiously. "I’ll SUE, that’s what I’ll do!"

"Sue?" Jax’s eyebrows arched in surprise. "Who are you going to sue?"

"That…..that……" Brenda’s hand quivered as she pointed at the now-dark TV screen. "That lying, no-good refugee from Russ Meyer porno movies is putting my life in danger!"

"Now, Brenda…." Jax grabbed for her flailing hands and pulled her towards a kitchen chair. "You can’t prove that she’s lying." Brenda’s eyes shot fire as Jax tried to get to her sit and calm herself. "She’s got the perfect excuse – she says she has a source. All she’s doing is repeating what the source told her, and that’s not lying."

"Then I’ll sue the SOURCE!!" Brenda rose a little off the chair but Jax pulled her back down again.

Jax only added fire to the flame when he laughed a little. "I don’t think you’ll be suing *anyone* anytime soon, Brenda."

She folded her arms testily. "And just why is that?"

"Because you’re not a lawyer." Jax glanced upwards towards the second floor of the brownstone. "And unless you’ve got one stashed away in a back bedroom upstairs, I can’t see you traipsing downtown for an appointment with an attorney. Not the way you feel about going outside."

Brenda’s one eye narrowed with determination. "Then I’ll find one that makes house calls."

"And pay a pretty penny for it."

"It doesn’t matter!" Brenda finally managed to get up from the table and start pacing to the sink and back. "It’ll be worth it to make this source person regret telling a lie that put my life in danger!"

Jax watched her pace for a few seconds and then sighed loudly. "Well, then…….I guess you’d better make sure to spell it right."

Brenda was so busy muttering and pacing that she didn’t even hear him. "Huh?" She finally looked up but continued her Olympic pace. "What did you say?"

"I said – you should be sure to spell it right. J-A-S-P-E-R – not A-R."

She stopped short and her eyes widened. "Jax? Why are you telling me……"

He folded his hands on the table and took a deep breath. "*I’m* the source, Brenda." She remained rooted to the spot, her hands on her hips. "*I’m* the one who told Tiffany Hill that you…….I mean, that our mystery witness…….was working with an FBI sketch artist."

Her eyes got as big as saucers. "Why the H*LL did you do that??!!"

{Uh-oh. This is serious. I’ve never heard her use anything stronger than "darn" before.}

Jax got up and tried to take Brenda’s hands. "Brenda, if you’ll just come sit down, I’ll try to explain why……." She jerked out of his grasp and so he did what ever good general does when confronted by a superior enemy – he retreated. "I did it because something had to be done," he continued in a calm, even tone as he resumed his seat. "We *had* to try to get the Slasher to make a move……"

"Oh, *I* see!" From her tone, he knew she didn’t. "You figure you can just use little old me as some kind of live bait to lure this guy out in the open!"

"Brenda……"

She began to gesture broadly as she walked slowly towards Jax. "Why don’t I just go on TV with good old Tiffany and tell her that I’m starring in that new movie, "I Know What You Look Like, You Scum"!"

"Brenda……"

"Or maybe I can just go sit on the corner and hang a sign around my neck that says, "Mystery Witness – Come and Get Me"!"

"BRENDA!!!!" When he finally rose to his feet and shouted her name, Brenda froze and glared at him. Jax ran his fingers through his already-disheveled hair and motioned towards the opposite chair. "If you’ll just *please* sit down and listen to me, I think you’ll realize that I did the right thing."

She crossed her arms and nearly barbecued him with her stare for a few seconds but then sank into the chair thin-lipped. "I’m listening."

Jax took a deep breath. "OK, then." He took his own seat again. "It all came to me when we were at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving and Jerry and I were playing checkers."

"Ohhhhh, great! That explains it perfectly! You’ve decided to get me killed because you lost to your brother at some stupid board game!" When he arched one eyebrow at her to scold the interruption, Brenda settled lower in her chair in a slight pout. "Go on."

"I only had one man left but I kept stalling Jerry, moving back and forth in the corners," Jax continued. "Now, you have to understand – playing checkers in our family is something of a tradition. Dad *never* admits defeat until his last man is taken, so I didn’t consider it impossible that I could still beat Jerry." Brenda nodded her understanding. "We went on like that for a while when all of a sudden, Jerry moves his last king right out in front of my man – almost daring me to take it. So I did." He grimaced. "And I eventually lost. But the point is, Jerry *forced* the situation. He knew that nothing would happen until he made me make a move that would eventually cost me the game."

"I see…….." Brenda bit her lower lip in thought. "So then all of this really has to do with the fact that you’re bored." She crossed her legs and once again eyed Jax sarcastically. "You just can’t wait for the Slasher to figure out that he killed the wrong woman, so you’re putting me out there on display to whet his appetite."

"It’s not just that, Brenda." Jax reached for her hands and managed to finally grasp them across the table. "You’ve got to understand that the PCPD is under a lot of pressure right now – politically AND financially. If the Mayor sees that the Slasher isn’t making a move and yet tax money is going to pay my salary while I just sit here, he’s not going to like it very much. He’s going to tell Mac Scorpio that the department’s over budget and that I should be re-assigned pronto." He looked deeply into her eyes and began to rub his thumb gently back and forth across the back of her hand. "If Mac re-assigns me, I have no choice but to follow orders, Brenda. And leaving you before the Slasher is behind bars would just about kill me."

"Really?" She swallowed hard. "Because…….you don’t like to lose? Like at checkers?"

Jax shook his head slowly. "Because I care about you, Brenda Barrett." His sparkling blue eyes glittered with green and gold highlights. "A lot. More than I thought I could ever care about anyone again."

A shy, seductive smile graced her lips. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." When Jax’s eyes traveled down to her breasts, Brenda could almost feel the heat like a caress. "And in a way, you’re right about one part of my motivation."

"I am? What’s that?" She caught her breath when Jax turned her hand over and began tracing sensual patterns on the inside of her wrist.

"There are a h*ll of a lot of things I want to do to that luscious body of yours besides guard it, Brenda." Jax raised her hand to place a kiss at her pulse point, worrying it gently with his teeth and then soothing it briefly with his tongue afterwards. "And when I do, I want to be able to give those things my full and complete concentration."

"And you can’t do that when the Slasher is still around?"

Jax pulled her to her feet and flush against his body. "I don’t know about you, but I prefer to close my eyes when I’m kissing." He took her lips to demonstrate, sweeping his tongue into the warm honey of her mouth before she could object. When he broke the kiss, Brenda swayed slightly from the passionate vertigo it had inspired. "And I can’t exactly do that when I’m constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure there’s nobody trying to get in an upstairs window."

Brenda smiled benignly, her eyes still shut, and sighed. "Just like Kevin Costner……"

"Kevin Costner?" Jax frowned. "You think *he’s* going to try to get in an upstairs window?"

Her eyes shot open and she slapped at his chest playfully. "No, silly! He was in that bodyguard movie with Whitney Houston," Brenda explained. "He felt that he couldn’t make love to her because then he couldn’t be objective enough to protect her from some wacko stalker."

Jax shook his head and laughed softly. "I’m no Kevin Costner."

"You are to me."

It was Jax’s turn to take a sharp breath. He was leaning down to kiss her again when the phone rang, causing them both to jump. Holding up one finger, he strode over to the kitchen phone and then motioned for her to come answer it. Brenda’s face was pale as she slowly lifted the receiver to her ear. "Hello?" She listened for a few minutes and then exhaled in relief. "Yeah – he’s right here." She extended the phone to Jax. "It’s for you – it’s Blue."

Jax took the phone from her but kept her at his side, wrapping an arm around Brenda’s shoulders protectively. He didn’t even bother to say hello. "I take it this is about Tiffany’s broadcast this morning?"

"Ummmmmm…….YEAH!" Jax pulled the receiver away from his ear a little at Blue’s caustic tone. "The phones here have been ringing off the hook for the past fifteen minutes, DD! What’s going on?"

Jax sighed. "*I* fed Tiff that bogus information, Blue," he confessed. "I wanted to get the Slasher to make a move and end this nightmare – for the both of us." He glanced down at Brenda and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Yeah, well the nightmare’s just *beginning* for you, Jax," Blue shot back. "Mac got a call from the Mayor about thirty seconds after Tiffany dropped her little *bomb* on the newscast."

"Oops." Jax grimaced as the questions flitted across Brenda’s face.

"Yeah – oops is right, partner. He called here a few seconds after that, ranting and raving like a T-rex with a toothache. Then he started muttering something about "getting to the bottom of this mess" and said he was on his way to getting the truth straight from the horse’s mouth."

"So I can assume I’ll be getting a visit from our fine commissioner fairly soon?"

"Actually, if I remember correctly, he referred to you as *another* part of the horse!" He heard Blue’s chuckle. "I sure hope you’re wearin’ your asbestos boxers, darlin’, cause he’s gonna roast your hide for sure."

"Thanks for the warning." Jax let Brenda go when she frowned at something in the oven and hurried over to check it. "Maybe I can persuade Brenda to come to the door with me and he won’t kill me in front of her."

Jax listened for a few more minutes and then hung up the phone. When he turned back to Brenda again, she was muttering under her breath and staring intently at a baking dish in the oven. He came up behind her and placed a hand on the small of her back. "What’s the matter?"

"This casserole is supposed to be thoroughly heated by now, and yet the dish isn’t even warm!" She grimaced and then straightened to adjust the oven thermostat. "Maybe this year I should ask Santa to bring me a new stove for Christmas and get rid of this junker."

Before Jax could answer, the doorbell rang several times. "Uh-oh." Brenda peered around him in the direction of the front door. "That’s my boss, the police commissioner," he explained. "Blue says he’s pretty ticked off."

Brenda’s one eye narrowed. "Let me guess. You didn’t bother to fill him in on your little tactical maneuver with Tiffany."

"Right on the money." Jax pointed a finger at Brenda and then sighed. "I don’t suppose you’d come with me and be *my* bodyguard for a change, huh?"

She patted his chest and smiled. "You’re a big boy now, Jax. I think you can handle this yourself. I mean, it’s not that I wouldn’t love to meet Mac Scorpio. I’ve read lots of wonderful things about him, despite what you and Blue say." Then Brenda turned back to the stove with a sigh. "But, I really should stay here to make sure that this oven doesn’t decide to go into hyper-drive all of a sudden and turn our dinner into a crispy disaster."

"OK." Jax nodded reluctantly as the doorbell rang again. "I guess it’s time to go face the music." He took a deep breath and then left the kitchen, trying to think of some way to break it to Mac gently that Tiffany’s scoop was a hoax.

He opened the door just as Mac had lifted his hand to ring the doorbell for a third time. "Commissioner!" Jax smiled nonchalantly. "What brings you out this late in the ……."

"YOU PROMISED ME, LIEUTENANT!!" Obviously, it was *much* too late for "gentle."

Jax lifted his eyebrows, feigning innocence. "Excuse me, sir?"

"You PROMISED me, Lieutenant Jacks!" Mac repeated. Jax glanced back over his shoulder towards the kitchen and then moved through the screen door onto the front porch with Mac. "You stood there big as life in the station and PROMISED me that you would call me as soon as Miss Barrett remembered anything about the Slasher!"

"Sir……."

"You even CROSSED YOUR HEART, d*mnit!"

"Commissioner……" Jax glanced out towards the street and saw Mac’s car parked at the curb. There was a shadowy figure seated in the passenger side. It didn’t surprise Jax that Mac would have brought a junior officer to witness his shame. He was *more* shocked that Mac hadn’t brought the young man up to the porch to get a close-up view of his humiliation.

"You said you’d call." Mac began to mutter under his breath and pace back and forth on the porch. "You said I’d be the *first* to know." He stopped and glared at Jax. "Instead, Tiffany frickin’ Hill is the *first* to know!! And *I* end up *hearing* about it from the Mayor, because Felicia insisted I watch some show with Marth frickin’ Stewart instead of the news tonight!!"

Jax winced. "The mayor called you?"

Mac crossed his arms and nodded. "He’s called a press conference for first thing tomorrow morning so we can officially update the media on the latest developments in the Slasher case." He came to stand chest to chest with Jax and propped his hands on his hips. "Would you care to enlighten me so I’ll know what to say, Lieutenant?!"

Jax chewed on his lower lip. "Well, sir……."

"Did that Morris fellow from the FBI come directly here? Because I sure as h*ll haven’t seen him around the station."

Jax gritted his teeth and eased away from Mac. "Not exactly, sir….."

Mac paused for a half minute and then came up behind Jax, pulling his arm to force him to turn around. "Then exactly WHAT’S going on here, Jax?"

Jax took a deep breath and then exhaled quickly. "Nothing, sir. Positively nothing." When Mac frowned, he went on. "It was all a trap, sir. A trick." Mac’s eyes widened and thundercloud wrinkles built in his forehead. "There was no FBI sketch artist. Brenda hasn’t remembered a thing about what the Slasher looks like."

"Do you mean that somebody……" Mac started breathing even more deeply when Jax stared down at his feet. "No – wait! It was YOU, wasn’t it? YOU were Tiffany Hill’s source!! YOU made up this entire scam to try to smoke out the Slasher!!"

Jax nodded glumly. "Yes, sir."

"And just what in the blue blazes of H*LL makes you think you could pull off a scheme like this without telling someone first?" Mac’s one eyebrow arched. "Or was that estrogen-overloaded partner of yours in on it?"

"No, sir – Blue didn’t know anything about it until tonight," Jax quickly responded. "I set the wheels in motion all by myself."

Mac shook his head. "Of all the crazy, under-handed, no-good……." He suddenly grabbed Jax’s arm again when the blonde man tried to walk towards the front door. "Just what the h*ll am I supposed to tell the Mayor and the press tomorrow morning?"

"Tell them exactly what we would if the story had been the real deal – that so far, we have nothing to report." Mac fumed and folded his arms in disgust. "Look, Mac, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner what I was doing," Jax explained, "but I *had* to do *something* to force this guy’s hand." He started pacing the porch. "I’m going nuts here, just waiting for the maniac to make a move, and it hasn’t been easy on Brenda, either."

Mac grimaced. "I suppose I can stall them for a few days." Jax nodded. "And like you said, if this *had* been the real deal, the guy probably wouldn’t have come after her in the first couple of hours. He’s too methodical for that."

"I agree." Jax breathed a little easier. "And if my plan works, you should have some good news for the Mayor by the end of the week."

Mac smiled acidly. "And if it *doesn’t* work, you’ll be back to walking the streets and doing the downtown traffic beat just in time for the Christmas rush, Lieutenant!"

As Mac strode towards the steps, Jax called after him. "I DO promise I’ll let you know as soon as anything more happens here, sir!" Mac paused and muttered a few more obscenities. "In fact, if you’d like to come inside, you could talk to Brenda yourself …….."

"I’d LOVE to, Lieutenant, but unfortunately I have a prior commitment." Mac gestured towards the car. "My son needs a ride to the airport since he came home from college for the holiday."

Jax frowned. "Doesn’t Mac Junior usually *drive* in?"

"The oil companies are probably erecting new skyscrapers thanks to what he’s spent on gas this year!" Mac sputtered disgustedly. "In fact, he’s been here so often, they’ve probably built a new monument to the Scorpio family with this year’s travel alone!" He leaned towards Jax. "Frankly, Felicia thinks it’s a new girlfriend, but the kid hasn’t told me anything about it yet." He sighed and straightened again. "Anyways, his car broke down two days before Thanksgiving, and since Felicia wanted him here with the rest of the family, we sprang for the airfare." At a honk from the car, Mac glanced down at his watch. "I really need to get him going or he’ll miss his flight."

"I understand, sir." Jax waved at a departing Mac. "Maybe the next time you can stay a while and speak to Miss Barrett." He watched as Mac got in the car and it sped off into the inky darkness. "And go take a flying leap off the Brooklyn Bridge, while you’re at it……" he muttered beneath his breath.

The screen door opened and Brenda peered onto the porch. "Is everyone still alive out here?"

"Get back in the house, Brenda." Jax strode to the door and pushed her back inside, shielding her with his body. "I just finished telling Mac that I didn’t think the Slasher would make a move tonight, but let’s not push our luck."

Brenda nodded and chewed on her lip thoughtfully as Jax closed and locked the door. "So – what did you tell him?" She scuffed the floor with the toe of her shoe shyly. "I….uh……I turned the TV back on after you left, and they were saying there would be a press conference tomorrow morning. I don’t imagine your boss was too happy about the prospect of lying to the reporters……."

"Which is why I told him to just tell the truth – that’s there’s been no developments so far." Jax walked over to Brenda and put his arm around her shoulders. "Even if the story *had* been the real thing, the Slasher wouldn’t have dashed over here within two hours." He sighed and looked upstairs, and then towards the distant living room windows. "No – I expect that by this time next week, you’ll be able to put this entire part of your life behind you and we can get on to the more *enjoyable* stuff."

"A week." Brenda bumped her hip against Jax’s as he grinned seductively at her. "Do you promise?"

He nodded somberly. "I promise. And I’m never wrong."

^^+^^+^^+^^+^^

Unfortunately – this time, Jax was wrong.

More than a week went by. Eight and a half days, to be precise. And everything was quiet. So quiet, in fact, that both Jax and Brenda’s nerves were strained to the breaking point. At first, every time there was an unusual noise or the phone rang, Brenda almost jumped out of her skin. By day #4, she was learning to anticipate Jax’s razor-sharp reflexes and zealous reactions to any slight deviation from the norm. By day #7, she was horrified to catch herself wishing that the Slasher *would* make a move – and end this terrifying suspense for everyone.

Jax followed her everywhere like a faithful St. Bernard. When Brenda took a shower, he insisted on sitting in the bedroom outside, waiting until she emerged. When she tried to get any work done, he roamed the study like a caged animal. When another round of sleet coated the tree limbs and the wind caused them to scratch against the windows, she almost thought Jax would lose his mind.

And she was beginning to see something else, besides nervousness. Resentment. And distaste. Not for her personally, but for her solitary lifestyle. In a way – after seeing Jax’s family and the merry madness that being around the lot of them inspired – she couldn’t blame him. He had been raised in a crowd, and it was unnatural to expect him to be able to adjust to being cooped up inside four walls for the rest of his life.

The evening of the 8^th day, Brenda saw Jax hanging up the telephone as she entered the kitchen. "Who was that?" She came to stand next to him as he closed the phone directory and slipped it back into its slot in a small end table. "I didn’t even hear the phone ring."

"It didn’t." Jax smiled, obviously pleased with himself. "I thought you might enjoy a change of pace for supper tonight, so I ordered a pizza."

"Pizza, huh……" Brenda chewed on her lower lip and nodded. "I see." She turned away from him and slowly walked towards the stove. "I was just thinking that maybe I could try that new recipe I found on the Internet for Shrimp Marinara tonight."

"Shrimp Marinara?"

"You don’t like shrimp." Brenda somehow kept the pout from showing on her face, even though Jax could hear it in her voice.

"No – I like shrimp OK."

"Then it’s the Marinara?" Brenda rushed over to a small bookshelf above her breadbox. "Because I could make something Alfredo instead – maybe with white wine….."

Jax strode over to place his hand over the cookbook page Brenda was studying intently. "It’s not the sauce, Brenda." It felt like a knife was inserted somewhere close to his heart when she looked up at him and he saw the disappointment in her eyes. "It’s just that I…….." Inspiration struck. "Well, I didn’t want to take a long time eating and cleaning up tonight, because I need some things from my apartment." Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "And I thought we could take a quick drive over there after dinner to get them."

Brenda closed the cookbook. "What *kind* of things?"

"Um…….." Jax paced away after his eyes darted quickly around the room. "Underwear!" He spun and pointed a finger at her. "I need more underwear!"

Brenda frowned. "I thought I had washed all the underwear you put in the hamper."

Jax thought for a moment and then his eyes lit happily. "Shaving cream! And more razor blades!"

She glanced up at the clock on the wall. "It’s still early. I can e-mail the store and add those things to the list. Brian will be making a delivery tomorrow morning. Is that soon enough?" she added innocently.

"Books." Jax chewed on his lip for only a split second before coming up with another excuse. "I’m bored and I need something to read."

"I’ve got *plenty* of books upstairs……"

"Not MY kind of books, Brenda."

"Then we can download THOSE kind of books from my Internet connection, Jax." She stared down at her feet, sighed loudly, and then looked up at Jax. "You know, I think that maybe you *should* go back to your place after we eat……"

"Not me. Us." Jax came to stand in front of her. "You know I can’t leave you alone."

Brenda placed her hand flat against his chest. "That was the point I was going to make before you interrupted me, Jax." She took a deep breath. "I think you should go back to your place after dinner and STAY there. Alone. And leave me here. Alone."

Jax’s eyes widened. "Brenda?" He reached for her arm but she pulled away, her back to him. "I don’t think I understand……."

"It’s simple, Jax." She turned back to face him, her hands spread to the side. "I just don’t think that the Slasher’s out there anymore." When Jax snorted in disbelief, she took a tentative step towards him. "You did everything you could to flush this guy out of hiding, Jax." She laughed softly. "Heck, you practically put me out on the front porch with the Christmas lights! And it’s been eight days and we haven’t heard a peep." Her voice dropped to a hushed tone. "Everything’s been so quiet it’s driving both of us nuts."

"Maybe that’s his plan," Jax suggested. "Maybe he *wants* us to think he’s given up so he’ll catch us off guard."

"And maybe he just got tired of all the cops looking for him in this state and went somewhere else to kill innocent women. Or maybe he got brought in on some minor technicality and has been behind bars and nobody even knows it yet." Brenda folded her arms triumphantly. "Have you ever thought of that? Has anyone checked out *that* possibility?"

Jax flushed in embarrassment. "No – not exactly." They both jumped when the front doorbell rang. "I’ll get that! You see? It’s a good thing I’m still here!" he shouted, taking off down the hallway reaching behind him for his weapon.

"Yeah……right." Brenda shook her head sarcastically. "It’s probably the Slasher, ringing the doorbell to ask permission to kill me."

When she got to the front door a few minutes later, she saw Jax closing it and holding a large flat box in his hand. "It was the pizza guy," he said sheepishly. "Mmmmmm………" He lifted one corner of the box to inhale the fragrance. "I ordered half with pepperoni and the other half with black olives. I hope that’s OK."

Suddenly, Brenda’s patience snapped. "Sure. Why not?" She threw up her hands and followed him back to the kitchen. "You’ve been controlling everything else in my life………why not my pizza?"

"That’s it, isn’t it?" Jax suddenly tossed the pizza down on the kitchen table and pointed a finger at Brenda. "THAT’S what’s got you really upset! This whole situation has taken away your control, and you can’t stand it!"

"Excuse me? I’M the one in control?" She laughed acidly and folded her arms again. "Yeah, right………Mr. "You-can-take-a-shower-now-but-it-can’t-take-more-than-ten-minutes-or-I’ll-bust-down-the-door!""

"PRECISELY my point!!" Jax gestured towards the rest of the house. "You stay inside this place and tell me you’re afraid to leave because the world frightens you." He came closer to her and looked fiercely into her eyes. "But do you want to know what *I* think scares you?"

"Not really." She looked away.

"Well, I’m going to tell you anyway!" Brenda continued to stare in the direction of the dining room but Jax went on. "*You* want to be the one in charge – to control every little aspect of your life. And the only way you can accomplish that is to stay in this house and not let anyone or anything get too close." He gave her a victorious look. "THAT’s why you want me to leave. So you can be in charge again."

"And that’s why you DON’T want to leave!!" Brenda’s eyes were equally fiery when she faced him again. "Because you can’t stand NOT being in charge!!"

"Oh, yeah??" Jax grabbed for his jacket on the kitchen chair. "Just watch me!!" When he stomped off towards the living room, Brenda followed in an equal dither. "You’ve got my pager number and the precinct number – just call me if you have any problems," he growled, shoving his things into the overnight bag he had brought. "Although with super-Brenda around, I don’t see how there could POSSIBLY be anything you can’t handle!"

"It’s a good thing we never got involved!" Brenda trailed him as he strode angrily towards the front door. "You’re such a macho superior pig, we’d never have had a future together!"

"It IS a good thing!" Jax hurled back. "Because I don’t think you could ever stand being on the bottom when we made love!" Brenda hauled back to slap his face so quickly that it threw Jax off balance. He stared at her for a few seconds and then rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "It’s been fun, and it’s been real, Miss Barrett," he said, opening the door. "But I can’t say that it’s been real fun."

"You……..you………you………" Brenda sputtered aimlessly as he walked out the door onto her porch. "DITTO!!" she finally shouted, and then slammed the door furiously. She turned and leaned against it, waiting until she heard his jeep pull out of the driveway and fade down the street before letting out a long, anguished sob.

It was some time later that night before Brenda finally returned to the kitchen. When she finally did, the first thing she saw was the pizza, still sitting on the kitchen table. She thought for a moment, and then picked it up and walked to her back door. With a string of oaths that would have made a sailor blush, she tossed it out into the back yard, where it landed with a soft "plop" in the snow.

And then, Brenda gave in to every woman’s prerogative since Eve bit into the apple. She sank to the kitchen floor………. and cried.

To be continued……..