"You say that EVERY year." Jax leaned waaaaay back in his desk chair to peer around her. "And as far as I can see, it didn’t get frozen off yet."

Blue’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she looked across the aisle. Her partner was seated at his desk, his feet propped in an open drawer. At least four empty styrofoam coffee cups were stacked neatly to the left of his elbow.

"JAX!!" Blue blinked twice, glanced around, then went to his desk. "What are YOU doing here? Did they catch the Slasher last night?"

"Nope. He’s still a no-show, as far as I know." Jax turned away from Blue towards his overflowing in-box. "Say – do you have any of those new supply requisition forms that Mac designed?"

Blue perched on the edge of Jax’s desk and looked around suspiciously. "So….. is Brenda somewhere here at the station with you?"

"Nope. She’s at home." Jax continued to thumb through the stack of papers, not meeting Blue’s piercing gaze. "You know, I *know* I had some of those forms here somewhere, and I REALLY need some paperclips."

"So did you send V over to stay with her for a while?" Blue’s eyes narrowed critically. "Because that’s probably a good idea – so you can take a little break……"

"Nope." Jax frowned at the stack, then shifted to open his center desk drawer. "Although I guess I could check my desk one more time – maybe there’s some paperclips hiding waaaaaaaaay in the back….."

"So if *you’re* not with Brenda, and neither am I, and neither is V…….who is?" Blue leaned closer to Jax, staring bullets at him, but he still avoided her.

"Nobody." Jax finally straightened with a sigh and sat back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. "You know, as much as I really *love* police work, I *hate* all the bureaucratic sh*t that goes along with it……"

"Jax……"

"Like those requisitions, for instance." Jax waved a hand lazily towards a doorway near the back of the squad room. "I don’t see why we can’t just go in the supply room and get as many paperclips as we want." He laughed softly. "I mean…….we’re the POLICE! Does Mac think we would resort to STEALING paperclips?"

"DD……" Blue’s tone was more strained and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"And they’re in *triplicate*, for cryin’ out loud!" Jax shook his head as Blue’s face turned darker shades of red. "Who the heck does he think is gonna keep all those extra copies on file? I’m almost tempted to sneak in Mac’s office and see if I can find any papercl……."

"JAX!!!"

He finally looked up at her, his face the picture of innocence. "Do *you* need some paperclips too, Blue?"

She hopped off the edge of the desk and pointed furiously towards the hallway. "You …….. me……… outside……….NOW!!!!!"

Jax shrugged and rose slowly from his chair, then loped towards a deserted hallway behind the water-cooler. Blue followed him and as soon as they were alone, she grabbed his arm and pushed him against the wall. "Now…..do you want to tell me what the BLOODY H*LL is going on here, DD?"

Jax frowned at her but when Blue inhaled to begin an ear-blistering lecture, he sighed and his body sagged against the wall. "We had a fight."

"You had a FIGHT?" She tipped her head to the side in disbelief, her fists on her hips. "You practically paint the yellow brick road right to Brenda’s front door for the Slasher, and then you leave her alone and defenseless BECAUSE YOU TWO HAD A FIGHT????!!!!"

"It wasn’t just the fight, Blue." Jax shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away from her in exasperation. "Do you know that it’s been over a WEEK since I put that bait out on Tiffany’s show and the Stalker STILL hasn’t made a move?"

Blue crossed her arms. "I’m well aware of that fact, Jax."

"Eight days, Blue!" He ruffled his hair with both hands. "Eight days cooped up in that big old brownstone with Brenda, waiting on pins and needles for that wacko to make a move………just waiting, and waiting……"

"So you were driving each other nuts……sounds like the same old same-o to me," Blue shrugged. "What made this time any different from the others?"

"Brenda said that maybe the Stalker is already behind bars, or maybe he just decided things were getting too hot here and he took his business somewhere else," Jax replied. He could barely lift his eyes to meet Blue’s critical gaze.

"And you actually BELIEVE that load of cr*p?"

He stared down at his feet again, little-boy guilt written all over his face as his hair fell down across his forehead. "No." Then he looked up, his eyes focused on a distant spot. "He’s still out there, Blue. I can almost smell him, just sitting back and waiting and laughing his @ss off while we’re running around saying cruel things to each other……."

Blue sighed and put her arm around Jax’s shoulders, hugging him tenderly. "You know, Jax, that’s why God made these wonderful things that men so seldom know about." When Jax looked into her eyes, she smiled warmly. "They’re called apologies."

Jax shook his head, his lips thinning grimly. "I don’t know if she’ll let me back in, Blue." He scuffed one foot against the other. "I said some pretty rotten things."

"Groveling goes a long way to making a woman forget those awful things, Jax." Blue squeezed the side of his arm for encouragement. "Or if that doesn’t work, then don’t make it personal." He looked up and frowned in confusion. "Make this police business." She pursed her lips and shrugged. "You’re not going back there because you think you were wrong. You’re going back because it’s your job and you have to do it, like it or not."

His lips started to curl up at the corners. "And sooner or later……."

"Sooner or later you’re gonna turn on that fatal Jacks charm and those hurt feelings are gonna crumble like a matchbox in a tornado," Blue grinned.

"Right." Jax’s smile grew and he straightened up, rejuvenated. "RIGHT!! I’ll just go back there and tell her I HAVE to stay with her – that I didn’t come back because I was wrong or anything!" He turned to go back in the squad room but then abruptly stopped and came back to press a kiss to Blue’s forehead. "What would I ever do without you, Blue?"

"Let’s not think about that, OK, darlin’?" she drawled, patting him gently on the chest. "Now go – get out of here before Mac comes in and stops you. And if all else fails, don’t forget those two magic little words – I’M SORRY!!!"

Jax nodded and grinned his agreement. When Blue followed him back inside the squad room, he glanced in her direction as he shrugged into his leather bomber jacket. "I wasn’t kidding about the paperclips, though, Blue," he called, pushing papers around on his desk in a search for his car keys. "Do you think you could snoop around a little in Mac’s office for some for me?"

Blue triumphantly opened her center desk drawer, took out a small box, and tossed it in his direction. "Been there, done that." She sank into her chair with a smug smile. "And believe me – I didn’t stay in the Commandant’s office too long." Her smile turned into a grimace. "I almost got high blood sugar from all the family pictures he’s got hanging on the walls."

"I know." Jax flipped his keys up in the air and caught them with one hand. "V said Mac’s even got one of *himself* from his college days hanging in there now." He shook his head. "The guy must really think he’s all that and a bag of chips to hang up his own picture."

"Only we know better." She glanced up at the large clock on the wall. "Why isn’t our fearless leader here this afternoon, anyway?"

"He’s got another press conference with the mayor about the Slasher at 6, so he probably won’t be back here till 8 or so."

"Lucky me!" Blue winked when Jax gave her a thumb’s up. "Good luck and tell Brenda I said hello."

"Thanks, Blue." Jax waved a goodbye as the phone on her desk rang. She watched him leave the squad room and then jerked the receiver off the hook.

"Blue here." Her frown turned into a feline smile. "Whyyyyyy, Luka…….What? You’re sorry about that whole business with Abby?" Smugness washed over her face. "Nowwwwww, isn’t that just the SWEETEST thing for you to say………."

*****

Brenda settled back in her desk chair with a long sigh of contentment. Lieutenant Jasper Jacks had marched out of her life almost 22 hours earlier. The walls hadn’t crumbled; there were no threatening phone calls; she was still alive and well; and she had even made some transactions on her website that were profitable enough to justify placing her order for a piece of Depression Glass she had been coveting for some time now. In short, life had gone on just as peacefully as it had before he ever appeared on her doorstep.

She stretched her arms out in front of her, lacing her fingers together and turning her hands inside out. As Brenda relaxed and gripped the arms of her desk chair again, she chewed on her lower lip in contemplation. It was still early – maybe if she went downstairs and tossed a simple tuna casserole in the oven, there might be time to drag some of the boxes of Christmas decorations down from the attic. The holidays had always been one of Brenda’s favorite times of year, and since she never left the house unless she absolutely had to, her decorations tended towards the lavish and elaborate.

After shutting down the computer, Brenda bounced out of the desk chair and down the staircase, humming a Christmas carol. Her snuggly dove gray sweatpants and oversize sweatshirt seemed like the perfect thing to wear that morning as she rose to celebrate her independence from the vigilant Lieutenant Jasper Jacks. Brian had delivered the groceries as usual, and although Brenda could tell that he was curious about Jax’s absence, he didn’t bring the subject up. The two of them laughed about the family of squirrels who were making the pizza she had tossed out the door the night before into a gourmet breakfast.

It only took Brenda fifteen minutes to throw together the tuna casserole. After a few rounds of swearing at the oven, it kicked into high gear, bringing another pleased smile to her face. She was about to head for the basement to bring up the boxes of decorations when her gaze lit on the far corner of the kitchen.

{Bad word, bad word, bad word!!} Brenda sighed dejectedly as she stared at the overflowing trash can. Although she kept telling herself that she would never miss Jax’s presence in her life, it WAS awfully nice to have a man to lug the heavy container to the recycling bins behind her garage every night. She glanced at the timer on the oven. The casserole still had another twenty minutes to go. It was only going to get colder the longer she waited, and as Brenda peered out the kitchen window towards the alley, she heard the occasional click of light sleet hitting the glass.

{It’s now or never, Brenda. You can take out the trash, and then settle down with a nice glass of wine to get warm until the casserole is finished. And it’s just your back yard, after all………you used to do this by yourself all the time before Jax came along……}

Brenda pushed up the long sleeves of her fleece shirt and yanked vigorously on the drawstring bag. It popped out of the can easily and was light enough that she could manage the small bag of recycled aluminum cans in the other hand. She went to her back door and paused, glancing over her shoulder towards the hallway.

{You should really go back and get a coat, Brenda. But it’s just to the alley and back, and then you’d have to set all this stuff down……}

When she looked down and saw a pinhole in the corner of the white trash bag, her eyes widened. Two drips of an unidentifiable brown liquid on her clean floor made up her mind for her. Going back for a coat would mean more yucky drippings to accumulate and a sticky mess to clean up. She would just go fast, and after all, she WAS wearing fleece.

Brenda juggled both bags in one arm as she held onto the banister and went down the steps. She sprinted across the snow towards the alley in record time, not even noticing the small white clouds that her breath made every time she exhaled. The alley was gloomy but quiet as she dumped the bags into the appropriate bins, slamming their lids victoriously.

She wrapped her arms around her waist as she made a dash back across the yard towards her porch. Once again, she held onto the banister to avoid slipping on the icy steps, but when she reached up for the doorknob, a loud expletive shattered the quiet in her back yard. Somehow, in her haste to get to the alley, the back door had closed behind her. And locked. And the key was sitting in her jacket pocket. In the hall closet. Inside.

"OK now, Brenda…..don’t panic." She looked around and stamped her feet, although the rush of adrenaline at her discovery had temporarily warmed her. "You can do this. This isn’t a problem." Her eyes crinkled at the corners as a smile lit her face. Once, when she had gone out to rake the leaves a year earlier, she had gotten locked out of the house. Her agoraphobia was even keener at that time, and after begging a neighbor to let her use the phone, Gail Baldwin had suggested that Brenda keep a spare key somewhere outside to avoid the disaster happening again.

She didn’t even notice the snow, which came up well past her ankles, as she waded through the yard towards a lonesome birdhouse. Brenda pounded a few times on the post to make sure she wouldn’t be disturbing any tenants inside. Then, she rose to her tiptoes and reached under the base to find…….nothing.

The tears that gathered at the corners of her eyes almost froze in place in the chilled night air. This was impossible! Where could the key have gone? She remembered having the copy made and stashing it there. She even remembered checking to make sure it wasn’t too high up for her to reach. By putting it beneath the flooring of the birdhouse itself, it wouldn’t interfere with nesting occupants and wouldn’t be subject to any of their droppings.

The violent shiver that went through Brenda’s body made her realize that time was wasting. She could try to figure out later where the key had gone. In the meantime, she needed to get back inside the house and fast. The sleet was beginning to come down harder and her sweatsuit was rapidly losing any warming capability. She glanced at the neighboring houses and was attempting to see if any lights were on when the vertigo hit her like a ton of bricks.

{Nooooo, not now………PLEASE not now…….}

Despite her attempts to stay calm, the night sky seemed to be dropping towards her at an alarming rate. Brenda somehow willed her feet to move back towards the porch, but when she stumbled over something in the yard, she had to pause. She looked down to see what it was, her breath caught in her throat, and then she let out a scream to wake the dead.

The open box from the pizza still lay in the yard where she had thrown it the night before. Several pieces remained, and there were numerous tracks in the snow from the squirrels who had feasted there. Unfortunately, what Brenda had tripped over was one of the feasters – dead. She looked to her left and screamed again when she spotted two more dead squirrels in the snow.

"JAXXXXX!!!" Brenda couldn’t help herself. His name tumbled from her lips as she scrambled for the back door, slipping once on the pavement before clinging to the banister for dear life. Why had she been such a fool – such a vain, self-centered idiot? She had been a naïve ninny to believe that the Slasher really had decided to move on and leave her alone. Obviously, he was just biding his time until she and Jax were completely caught off guard. The pizza was probably poisoned, or at least contaminated with some kind of drug to knock them out. Her whimpers rose in pitch as she realized that the Slasher probably had stolen the spare key, planning to use it to gain entrance once his intended victims were incapacitated.

Tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked now. Brenda shook the back door furiously, hoping somehow that the old house would prove to be as rickety as it looked and the lock would give. But it held fast and she remained trapped in the freezing night. Panic clawed its way up her chest – REAL panic, not just an attack of agoraphobia at the thought of being caught outside the confines of the reassuring walls of the brownstone. She stumbled back down the steps, deciding to try to make it to one of the neighbors’ houses before the Slasher appeared out of the darkness to finally finish her off.

Brenda ran a hand along the brick side wall of the brownstone as she blindly fought her way towards the front. The narrow walkway between the two old brownstones made her feel even more like she was in a black canyon of despair. She lowered her head, murmuring Jax’s name – if she only hadn’t been so stubborn! If she only had some way to call him……

The scream that ripped from her throat when someone grabbed her arms firmly echoed loudly in the cold, silent night. Brenda struggled with all her might to free her hands so that she could try to scratch for her attacker’s eyes. A gut-wrenching sob escaped when she felt him pull her against his body, but then every bone in her body turned to liquid when the sound of his voice finally short-circuited her hysteria.

"Brenda!!!" She froze at the sound of the Aussie accent that haunted her dreams the night before. "Brenda! It’s me, Jax!!"

When Brenda looked up into crystal blue eyes sparkling in the crisp night air, she collapsed against him. "Jax!! Oh, God, JAX!!!"

Jax held her tightly against him, wrapping his arms around her and cradling his chin on the top of her hair. He was just getting out of the jeep when he heard her first terrified shriek coming from the back yard. He never even bothered to close the driver side door as he took off running. When he saw Brenda stumbling down the walkway towards him, he feared that he might have been too late and the Slasher had already attacked her.

"Brenda!!" He put his knuckle to her chin and felt the wetness of her tears. "Brenda! Are you alright?"

"I’m……." She took a deep breath, hiccuping as she did. "I’m fine, Jax, but I got locked out! I went tttttt……to take out the tttttt…..trash……."

"D*mn." Jax’s expletive was terse. "And you went to get the spare key and it wasn’t there." Brenda frowned slightly but when a shiver racked her body, he unzipped his leather jacket and pulled her inside. "Come on. I had another spare key made for myself," he explained, reaching into his back pocket. "Let’s get you inside where it’s warm."

He kept her huddled inside his jacket as they made their way to the back door and up the icy steps. Jax unlocked the door and before Brenda could object, he swept her up into his arms, cradling her against his body to carry her the rest of the way into the warm kitchen. He kicked the back door shut behind him as she looped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his broad shoulder.

Neither one said a word as Jax carried her to a kitchen chair. He gently deposited Brenda there, crouching next to the chair to rub his thumb at the tearstains on her cheeks. "I’m so sorry, Brenda……about leaving and those things I sai……"

"No, I’M sorry, Jax!!" Brenda placed her fingers against his lips to stop his apology. "I should have realized how tense you were." She stroked his face tenderly. "And I said some pretty awful things, too….."

Jax smiled and then glanced over his shoulder towards the porch. "You stay put while I make sure the doors are locked, OK?"

Brenda nodded numbly but then suddenly grabbed for Jax as he rose. "Jax!! The pizza you ordered!" She gestured wildly, still shivering. "I was so mad I threw it out in the yard and then some squirrels ate it and now…..now they’re…….they’re dddd…….de……."

"Shhhh……." Jax squatted down to hug her again, patting her hair to try to calm her. "I’m back now……nothing’s going to hurt you, Brenda," he said firmly, pulling back to stare deeply into her eyes. "I promise you." He stood again and pointed over his shoulder. "I’ll just go take a quick look and then I’ll be back……"

"NO!!" Brenda clutched wildly at his sleeves, her eyes frantic. "Jax! What if the Slasher’s still out there??!! What if he drugged the pizza and now he’s waiting because he thinks we’re passed out or something……"

"I’ll be *fine*, Brenda – I’m a cop, remember?" Jax smiled wanly but Brenda shook her head and somehow managed to get to her feet.

"Jax, I can’t lose you," Brenda whispered, cupping the side of his face with her hand. "I was stupid enough to let you go once, and I won’t let that happen again." Before he could take a breath, she launched herself at his body, grabbing fistfuls of his blonde hair in both hands to pull his face to hers. The feel of her icy lips against his sent a shiver through Jax’s body that had nothing to do with the cold. He barely had time to brace himself before Brenda levered herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Soft groans filled the kitchen as she pushed herself higher and angled her head so that she could sink her tongue deep into his mouth.

He had died and gone to heaven. After all the miserable things Jax had said to Brenda when he left the day before, it was the only explanation he could think of for the way she was nearly devouring him alive. It only took a split second before Jax became an active participant in the kisses, wrapping one arm around Brenda’s waist. He snaked his other hand up her back to tangle his fingers in the silky strands of hair at the nape of her neck. Holding her head immobile, Jax broke the kiss long enough to take a deep breath and then seized her lips again in a sensual exploration of his own.

Brenda’s senses neared overload with the erotic bliss of Jax’s kiss. When he swept his tongue past her lips in a sensual come-and-get-me move, she moaned aloud. Her lower body bobbed up and down against his rock-hard abs as the kiss went on and on, which only intensified the ache she felt for him.

When Brenda worked one hand down and began to furiously undo some of the buttons of Jax’s shirt, he abruptly broke the kiss. "Brenda……"

"Shhhh……" Brenda gave him another quick hard kiss before nuzzling his neck beneath his ear. "I want you, Jax….."

He groaned aloud when she sucked his earlobe between her teeth and nibbled on it gently. "I want you too, Brenda, but……."

"No buts." She slid a hand inside his open shirt in search of his bare chest. "Just take me to bed, Jax….."

"Brenda….." Jax fought for sanity as he walked over to her kitchen counter and set her derriere down on it. "I can’t do that……."

"OK….." She was breathing hard as she pulled back to stare into his eyes, taking large fistfuls of his hair again. "Maybe you’re right." Brenda glanced down around her at the butcher block design counter. "This’ll work, too."

"Brenda……" Unfortunately for the voice of reason, now that she was firmly perched on solid ground – or counter – she didn’t need to hold onto Jax for balance and could begin undoing his shirt buttons again. "You’re still freezing from being outside," Jax argued, slowly re-buttoning as fast as she un-buttoned.

"Then warm me up." He sucked in a tortured breath when she outpaced his efforts and her fingers hit his bare flesh. She was bending forward to place a kiss on his exposed chest when Jax grasped her arms firmly to push her back.

"BRENDA!" A frown dawned on her face. "We CAN’T do this!"

"Jax…….." She blinked rapidly to hold back tears and then rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Don’t…….don’t you want me?"

He supped her face lovingly. "I want you more than you’ll ever know, Brenda…….more than I ever thought I’d ever want anyone again," Jax murmured. "But I’ve been living here with you for over two weeks now…….and I’ve shared space with you in your bathroom……."

"And?"

"And I happen to know that you’re not on the pill, are you?" The disappointment and realization that washed over Brenda’s face gave Jax his answer. "And since I haven’t carried protection around in my wallet with me since I was 18 years old……."

Brenda’s thoughts flew like dead leaves in a whirlwind. There *were* condoms in the house – the ones that Sonny had left when he walked out of her life. But were men as territorial about their condoms as they were about razor blades and cars? And did they come in sizes? Once glance down below Jax’s belt told her that it was a sure bet he needed more coverage than Sonny ever did. And did they have expiration dates or warnings about failures due to material disintegrating over time?

It didn’t take her long to realize that the items in her upstairs bathroom were no remedy for the current situation. "So I guess we’re sandbagged for tonight then, huh?" she asked, tracing a finger up and down Jax’s cheek.

Jax placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I’m as disappointed about it as you are, Brenda," he crooned. Then he looked over her shoulder out the kitchen window. "But considering what you told about what’s in the back yard, I don’t think I could give you my full concentration tonight, anyway." He kissed her again, a tender combination of his longing and respect for her. "And when we do make love – and we WILL do that, Brenda," he added in a husky voice, "I don’t want it to be because you’re on some kind of high after surviving a life-threatening situation."

She nodded slowly, resting her forehead against Jax’s. "I guess I should go upstairs and take a hot shower." Then Brenda lifted her face to smile at him coyly. "Unless you’d like me to wait so you could join me….."

Jax’s eyes sparkled with abandon at the thought but then he groaned and lifted her off the counter. "You’re not helping the situation here, you know – saying things like that, Brenda." He rubbed the sides of her arms briskly. "Now, you go……." Abruptly, he stopped and sniffed the air. "What’s that smell?"

Brenda frowned and lifted her face to detect the same odor. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she pushed past Jax towards the stove. "My casserole!!!" She flung open the door and barely managed to pull on mitts before taking the smoking dish out of the oven. "It’s RUINED!!"

Jax waved his arms briskly before opening a window to clear the kitchen of smoke. "Maybe it’s not a total loss," he offered hopefully, wincing at he looked down at the blackened crusty topping. "Maybe you could just throw some cheese on top to cover up that black stuff….."

"Thank you, Martha Stewart," Brenda groused. She grimaced and set the dish down on the counter with a sigh. "I guess we could order something for dinner……" Then her eyebrows lifted again and she pointed a finger at Jax. "But I sure as HECK don’t want pizza!!"

Jax put an arm around her shoulders with a smile. "Why don’t you go upstairs and take that shower?" he suggested. "I can call Blue to come over here and take away the remains of the pizza and the……deceased," he added delicately, "and I’ll tell her to pick us up some burgers on the way here."

Brenda nodded. She pulled away to leave the room but not before placing one last kiss on Jax’s lips. "Be sure to tell Blue no onions on the burgers," she winked, heading for the door. "Even if we can’t fool around, I don’t think I want you sleeping downstairs tonight."

"I can snuggle with the best of ‘em," Jax grinned. He waited until she left the room before the smile left his face. A long breath whistled as it escape his lips and he ruffled his hair with his fingers. "Of course, it may kill me in the process……."

*******

About an hour later, Jax strolled into Brenda’s bedroom carrying a large brown sack and two glasses of wine. Blue had arrived with two experts from Forensics for backup in collecting the evidence from Brenda’s back yard. She made a stop at his apartment on her way over as he requested for his overnight bag. Once Blue and Jax thoroughly checked the brownstone from roof to cellar to make sure that it was safe and secure, she left for a fast food restaurant and returned shortly thereafter with their fragrant feast.

Jax paused and stared hard at the television. "Law and Order?" he asked with a frown.

"I can’t help it – I love this show," Brenda replied. She was settled in the center of her bed, wrapped warmly in the chenille robe that reminded Jax of his grandmother. After their encounter in the kitchen, he was grateful for that reprieve. If she had been wearing some seductive, filmy negligee, he doubted whether his good intentions would have survived the night.

He took a spot next to her on the bed and handed her a plastic container of mixed green salad makings. "You just probably have the hots for that one cop……" Jax frowned.

"Benjamin Bratt?" Brenda sighed dreamily. "You gotta admit – that Julia Roberts is one lucky gal."

"No – the other one," Jax argued, shaking his head. "The old guy – Jerry Orbach!"

"You JERK!!" He collapsed in a fit of giggles as Brenda punched his arm playfully. She meticulously picked the green onions out of her Chicken Caesar salad. "And you *know* there will only be one cop I’ll ever be interested in – and that’s YOU!!"

"Awwww……" Jax leaned over to receive her light kiss. Then he dug into the bag with gusto and pulled out a cardboard box containing a Big Mac. "Blue came by and got the stuff from your yard….."

Brenda eyed him with disgust as Jax bit into the sandwich, dripping pickles, shredded lettuce, and secret sauce as he went. "Yeah, well I can’t help but feel sorry for those poor little fellas who died." She shook her head sadly. "How could they have known that the pizza was poisoned?"

"Now, we don’t know that for sure yet," Jax pointed out. "For all we know, they could have choked on a piece of pepperoni."

"All three of them?" Brenda’s eyebrow rose critically. "Sorry, but I don’t think so." Then she glanced at the TV. "Oh, the news is coming on……" She immediately picked up the remote and hit the mute button.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because no matter how much *you* had to do with it, that Tiffany Hill woman still gets on my nerves," Brenda replied. She shook the salad vigorously to distribute the dressing as Jax chuckled.

"Yeah, well I gotta admit – having the TV on mute *does* have its advantages sometimes." He pointed at the screen with a broad smile. "Why, this way even *I* can stand watching Mac’s press conference!"

Brenda stared at the TV for a few seconds before she swallowed hard. "Is that your boss – Mac?"

Jax nodded. "Yep. In the flesh. He and the mayor had another meeting with the media late this afternoon." He grabbed for the remote. "I guess I should turn up the sound so I can see if he said anything *I’ll* regret tomorrow."

They watched silently for a few seconds before Brenda grabbed for Jax’s arm. "Jax……….Mac’s………he’s…….."

"An idiot." Jax snorted softly at his boss. "Yeah, I already know that." He shook his head. "It’s just a shame that the rest of Port Charles doesn’t."

"No, Jax……that’s not what I meant." Brenda sat up straighter in the bed but kept hold of Jax’s arm. "Mac’s……..he’s…….."

Jax suddenly put down his sandwich and put his arm around Brenda’s shivering shoulders. "Brenda? What is it?" He looked towards the TV. "Is it something about Mac?"

"Yeah……" Brenda gulped and nodded briskly before turning to him with tears in her eyes. "Jax, he’s the guy I saw that day when I pulled off the ski mask….." Her voice trailed off to a whisper as she turned back to face the TV screen. "Jax, Mac Scorpio is the Dockside Slasher!"

To be continued……..