"You don’t have *any* metal containers out there in the alley? For leaves or soda cans or *anything*?"

Another metallic crash from Brenda’s back yard made her jump and press her body closer to Jax’s. "Nothing," she answered in a shaky whisper. "I have a contract with one of those special trash recycling companies and they provide separate containers for everything – paper, glass, metal……." Jax stared grimly out her bedroom window in the direction of the noise. "And all the containers are made out of that heavy green industrial plastic stuff."

He rose from the bed and took the pistol from his shoulder holster in one motion. "You stay in here. Pull the shades down and stay away from the windows." Jax was almost out the door when he turned back as an afterthought occurred. "Lock your bedroom door and don’t open it to anyone but me."

"Jax!" Brenda scooted out from under the covers and ran to the bedroom door as he vanished from sight. By the time she peeked out around the doorjamb, he was at the bottom of the staircase grabbing his bomber jacket. "Shouldn’t you call for backup or something? Should I call Blue?"

"No, you should go back in your room and do what I *told* you to do, Brenda!"

Her conversation from earlier in the evening with Blue came back to haunt Brenda. Jax was fearless. He was daring. He could be reckless, especially when it came to putting his own life on the line. "But Jax……"

"BRENDA!!" His sharp reply made Brenda jump a little. Jax saw it, turned away and swore softly, and then gentled his voice when he looked up at her again. "PLEASE just go back in your bedroom and lock the door." When he couldn’t ignore the concern in her eyes, he gave her a weak smile. "I’ll be fine – really. Now don’t worry about me."

She chewed on her lip and returned his smile but then, when he gestured at her in a "go-on-DO-IT!" way, Brenda ran back to her bedroom. Jax waited until he heard the slam of the door and then he stared determinedly towards her back yard.

He flung the door to the yard open with a crash, jumping into the open space in a ready stance. Jax’s arms were stretched forward, elbows locked, both hands firmly on the Magnum as he swung back and forth, ready for any assailant he might spot. But the area around the porch was quiet and empty. Taking a breath to steady himself, Jax crept down the steps, careful to avoid the icy patches that still remained from the day. He made a mental note to remind Brenda to salt the steps – if they both lived to see the next day.

Everything in the yard was peaceful. A full moon bathed the yard to assist Jax in his surveillance. As he slowly made his way towards the utility shed and alley, he was relieved to see that the padlock remained undisturbed on the shed’s solitary door. The snow on the pathway crunched under his feet to provide the only sound. He was about ten feet from the alley when a hushed thump made Jax’s eyes narrow.

Jax swiveled in the direction of the noise, hands clenched tightly around the weapon. It had come from the alley – behind the shed. Gritting his teeth, he cautiously made his way to the area in question. A dusk-to-dawn lamp mounted on a telephone pole in the alley provided some illumination. He stood motionless, waiting for something to happen – but nothing did.

Eyes darting back and forth in vigilance, Jax stepped into the alley. He was about five steps from the back gate when his gaze was drawn to a small heap of snow about three feet from the back of Brenda’s shed. Jax approached it slowly, kicking at it with the toe of his foot when he was close enough. A soft clunking noise was his reward.

He inched closer to the heap and nudged some of the snow aside with his toe. As he peered forward, still clasping the butt of the Magnum with both hands over his head, he could see something glinting in the moonlight. Jax warily looked around in all directions and then leaned forward to get a better view. When he pushed at it with a sharp kick, a dented, twisted portion of guttering drainpipe caused Jax to let out part of the breath he had been holding.

Another look around gave Jax the confidence to squat down towards the pipe. He took one hand and brushed away more of the snow to reveal a rounded metal disk just beyond the dented guttering. When he lifted it out of the drifted snow, Jax realized it was a metal snow glider – a steel version of the old heavy plastic "flying saucers" that he had flown down hills on as a young boy.

A soft sound from over his left shoulder drew Jax back to his feet like a shot. He dropped the snow glider, braced both feet in the shallow layer of snow, locked his knees, and aimed at the source of the noise with both hands on the pistol to steady it. "PCPD!!! Come out with your hands in the air where I can see ‘em!!!"

Jax waited tensely for at least ten seconds. Once he had found the crude sled, he had a suspicion what might have made the noise. But experience had taught him that in police work, assuming could not only be embarrassing – it could be deadly.

"This is your last warning – come out now or I’ll shoot!!" He prayed that he wouldn’t have to make good on his threat. After an additional fifteen tense seconds, a wiry young man stepped from the shadows, his hands high above his head.

"Pppp……please don’t shoot, mister policeman, sir!" Jax bit the inside of his cheek. Although he usually didn’t go in for "tough love" theories of discipline, sometimes a good scare accomplished a great deal in the management of teenagers. "Ddddd…….don’t shoot!"

Jax held his stance, pistol aimed at the youth’s chest. "What’s your name?" he snarled, gripping the butt of the Magnum theatrically to emphasize his seriousness.

"Juan……..Juan Santiago, sir," the teen replied in a shaky voice.

"And what were you doing back here on private property, Juan Santiago?"

"We didn’t think that the alley was……."

"WE??!!"

Juan shifted his weight back and forth from one foot to the other. "Mmmmm…….me and my girlfriend……" He glanced over towards the shadows and Jax heard soft sniffling and a muffled sob.

"Let’s see this girlfriend of yours." When Jax jerked the gun towards the shadows and then out to the alley, Juan turned and motioned in that direction. A petite figure swathed in a light pink parka and matching pink stretch pants skittered out to hide behind Juan. "And what’s your name, Juan’s girlfriend?"

"Emily……Emily Quartermaine." She sniffed again loudly and rubbed her eyes with her mitten-clad hand. "We didn’t mean any harm, Mister Policeman, Sir!" she wailed. "We just thought that the alley was public property and we could go sledding back here, and then Juan couldn’t steer the saucer because we got going so fast, and we hit the drainpipe, and we fell off in the snow, and we’re REALLY sorry if we damaged anything……"

Jax grimaced and finally raised his weapon above his head, relaxing his stance. "You two are breaking curfew, you know that, don’t you?"

"It’s not a school night, sir! Port Charles High went on Thanksgiving break early this year because they have to install new boilers in the furnace rooms and there’s no heat!" As soon as Emily enlightened Jax, she crouched down behind Juan again.

Jax stared thoughtfully at the pair for another thirty seconds. Then, he reached down and picked up the snow glider, tossing it back to Juan. "Next time take your girlfriend to Art Hill in Port Charles Park when you want to go sledding. They have bonfires and facilities nearby in case you have an accident and can’t stop the disk again."

"Yes, sir…..we’ll do that sir!" Juan nodded and smiled nervously as he and Emily back away from Jax. Then he stared down at the drainpipe. "Do we have to pay anything for the damage to the gutter?"

"I’ll put a good word in for you with the lady who owns the house." One corner of Jax’s mouth lifted in a slight smile. "I think it’ll all be OK."

"Thanks a lot, mister! I mean, Mister Policeman, Sir!" Juan pushed Emily towards a walkway back to the front of the street. "We’ll just head on over to the park now!"

"You do that!" Jax watched and waved at them once as the terrified teenagers scurried off into the night. Once they were out of sight, he let out a long sigh and re-holstered his Magnum. Turning back towards the house, a sudden chill ran down his spine – partly from relief, and partly from the fact that he was once again in the frigid back yard with no hat and gloves.

Jax stomped back to the house to get the circulation going in his feet again. He firmly locked the back door, both to the yard and from the kitchen leading to the porch. After turning out the lights in the kitchen, he only took time to toss his jacket on the sofa before heading up the stairs towards Brenda’s bedroom.

The door was locked, just as he had ordered. "Brenda – open up. It’s me."

Jax’s heart almost stopped when thirty seconds of silence followed his command. He called her name again. After another thirty seconds of blood curdling silence, he heard Brenda’s soft voice from inside the bedroom. "Me who?"

"What the bloody h*ll do you mean, me who? Me JAX, that’s who!!" He braced his hands on the doorjamb and stared at the floor, muttering some choice words beneath his breath.

Another thirty seconds of silence passed before he heard her voice again. "How do I know it’s *really* you?" Jax’s eyebrows drew together and his jaw clenched in exasperation. "I mean – what if it’s just the Slasher *pretending* to be you? Or what if he’s holding a knife to your throat, forcing you to get me to open the door?"

Jax’s chest heaved as he let out a loud breath, trying to control his frustration. "It wasn’t the Slasher, Brenda -- just some teenagers in the alley that made the noise. They were sledding on one of those metal glider things and they ran into an old section of drainpipe." He rubbed his face with his hands and then smiled as genuinely as he could in the presence of a neurotic female. "Now the house is locked up tight and it’s just me out here, so open the door……."

"We should have picked a password or something. Some way that I could tell for sure that it was you and nothing was wrong."

"BRENDA – OPEN THE D*MN DOOR OR I’LL KNOCK IT DOWN WITH A CASE OF ASPARAGUS!!!"

Just as Jax stepped back to put his shoulder forcefully against the door, it opened. All the exasperation left him in a whoosh when he saw Brenda in a fuzzy pink robe, tear stains clearly visible on her cheeks. "I’m sor…..ssssor……sssssssorry…….." Her breath caught in her throat each time she tried to speak.

"Awwwwww, geez……Brenda…….." Jax couldn’t help himself. Breaking every rule in the book, he took her in his arms and held her tightly as she sobbed against his chest.

"That guy……..that Slasher guy…….." Brenda pulled back a little and Jax saw fresh tears in her eyes. "He’s……he’s really trying to kill me, isn’t he?"

"He’s going to have to get past me to do it." Jax pushed the hair back off her forehead and allowed his fingertips the luxury of tracing her delicate skin. "Better slimeballs than him have failed, believe me."

"I know." Tears glistened in Brenda’s eyes as she raised them to meet Jax’s powerful gaze. "I’m glad you’re here, Jax."

{*I’m* glad you took off that nightie from my fantasies and put on something furry and shapeless.} Jax smiled and turned Brenda back towards her bed, putting his hand at the small of her back. "Now why don’t you try to go back to bed and get some rest? I’ll be right downstairs if you need anything."

"But that noise outside….." Brenda stopped at the bed and firmly dug in her heels, refusing to sit.

"……was nothing to worry about." Jax snickered a little and glanced towards the yard. "Those kids won’t be back tonight – I’m sure of it."

Brenda nodded and caught her lower lip with her front teeth. "And the back door?"

"Locked. Front door, too." He pushed her down by the shoulders so that Brenda found herself seated on the bed. "The house is tighter than a drum, Brenda." They both avoided discussing the fact that she was wearing the heavy chenille robe as Jax tucked her beneath the covers.

"But what if I have that dream again, Jax?" She popped back up like a jack-in-the-box, pushing the covers back and grabbing for Jax’s forearms to trap him there. "What if I see his face in the dream again and can’t remember what he looks like when I wake up?"

Jax pressed her shoulders back to the mattress. "Then just call me and I’ll come talk you through it – maybe it’ll jog a memory this time."

"I just……." She glanced down towards the fleecy frill at her neck. "I can’t seem to stop shaking, you know?" Brenda gripped the edge of the covers tightly. "I thought maybe I was cold so I changed out of that other nightgown, but even with this on, I’m still……well……."

"It’s just your nerves." Jax risked rubbing his hand over her arm for reassurance and then drew away before he let it stray any farther. "Now that you know it was nothing terrible in your back yard, I’m sure you’ll start to calm down."

Brenda nodded but her eyes were still the size of silver dollars. "OK." She gave him a half-smile. "Thanks again for putting up with me."

"No problem." He straightened up and turned off the bedside lamp. "Now just try to relax and get some sleep."

He was about three feet from her bedroom door when Jax heard Brenda’s voice again. "Jax?" He turned and even in the darkened room, he could see her wide eyes. "I can’t do this. Not alone."

His anguish was almost a living, breathing thing in the room with them. In all his years on the force, Jax never remembered feeling so much about a case – empathy for Brenda’s terror, and hatred for the faceless criminal who was causing it. He slowly walked back to the bed. "Brenda……"

"Please, Jax…….." She reached out and caught his hand before he could tell her all the reasons why what she was asking was a bad idea. "I know it’s silly and I know it’s probably breaking every police rule there is, but I just can’t……" Tears gathered in her eyes again. "Please stay here with me – just till I fall asleep."

Jax sighed loudly and ruffled his hair with his free hand. "I’m a pretty big guy, you know." He nudged his one shoe off and then the other before gingerly sitting down on top of the covers. "If this bed is some kind of antique or something, I might bring the whole thing crashing down if I lie down."

"I’ll risk it." Brenda scooted over as Jax eased his frame into the bed next to her. She turned on her side away from him as he slid down into a prone position, spooning her from behind. When he wrapped his left arm around her, he felt her snuggle closer to him. Quiet darkness wove a cocoon around them.

"I might snore, you know." Jax snorted softly in the dark and tightened his arm around her. "Might just end up bloody keeping you awake instead of helping you go to sleep."

Brenda couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out. "Not might, Lieutenant. You DO."

More silence. "Do not."

More silence. "Do, too. I heard you this morning." Brenda felt the indignant huff ripple through his body and she grinned. "Like a bloody buzz saw."

"It was no ………" Brenda felt the bed move as Jax shifted his weight and stopped himself before it got into a full-fledged argument. "Good night, Brenda."

She felt his warm breath on the back of her neck. "Good night, Jax."

#####

Jax knew the exact moment that Brenda went to sleep. Fortunately, just before his body reacted to the hormones that Brenda sent bubbling through his bloodstream, he heard her long sigh. Her body seemed to sag against his, and then he felt the tempo of her breathing slow and deepen.

Until that moment, he hadn’t realized just how tense he was himself. It hadn’t exactly been a relaxing day – starting with the adventure in the kitchen starring the grocery kid, then the back shed debacle, and ending with the successful defusing of the hostage situation at the Handy Mart. When Brenda rolled over in her sleep and cuddled closer to his chest, Jax fought the lazy warmth that seemed to creep its way up from his toes. Throwing her arm across his waist and nestling her head on his shoulder, Jax couldn’t avoid inhaling the wonderful scent of lavender coming from her hair.

{You should get out now, Jax. You promised her you would stay just until she fell asleep. Well – she’s asleep. Yep. Sure is. You should just get out before you get too sleepy yourself……}

But when Jax tried to shift and slip from beneath Brenda’s arm, she frowned and whimpered softly. He felt her right hand grip his left arm. He craned his neck to peek at her face. Although Brenda’s eyes were still closed and her breathing slow, she seemed to be grimacing and there was rapid movement beneath her eyelids.

{Probably a nightmare. You could just stay till it passes. Wait till she’s sleeping soundly again. Yep. You could do that. And in the meantime, you could just close your eyes for a while. Just rest ……. Just for a while……..}

#####

Brenda knew the exact moment Jax woke up. Sometime during the night, she had pushed off the covers. The chenille robe she had donned for warmth was like a piece of thin cellophane compared to being held in Jax’s arms. When she had blinked and opened her eyes, she found herself nuzzled firmly against his chest. His left arm was wound protectively around her body while her right leg was entrenched solidly between his knees. She cringed at the sight of his shoulder holster but then realized that he had probably worn it to sleep to protect her.

At first, she was mildly shocked that she hadn’t bounded out of bed like she usually did in the morning. {You should get up right now, Brenda! The poor man probably fell asleep here after all the troubles you caused him yesterday! He probably couldn’t help himself – after all, that couch is no place to get a decent night’s rest. Yep. You should get out of this bed and let him have some time to himself in a real bed. Yep. That’s what you should do.}

But somehow, despite her best intentions and everything she told herself, Brenda just couldn’t bring herself to leave him. The warmth of the early morning sun reflecting off the snow-covered yard combined with the heat coming from the rather extraordinary body of her bedmate made Brenda want to stretch like a lazy cat after a nap.

After dozing off for a few more minutes, Brenda opened her eyes again and smiled. It hadn’t been just a wonderful dream. She was still wrapped securely in Jax’s arms. After admiring the strong, muscular ribcage that had become her pillow, her eyes roved up towards his face. Opportunities to observe Jax up close without him knowing it like this didn’t come along every day. She never realized his eyelashes were that long and lush. She never noticed the little scar above his lip, and wondered what had caused it. She hadn’t realized just how sexy his shadowy beard could look in the morning light. Or how tempting it was.

Just as she was reaching up slowly to draw a finger across the fine stubble on his jaw, Brenda felt Jax’s entire body tense. It was like the engine in a fine sports car, roaring from 0 to 75 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds. There was the slightest hint of a shudder, and then his eyes shot open. They darted from side to side, his momentary confusion obvious. She didn’t think it was possible, but with the backdrop of the eggshell-colored sheets, they looked even bluer than before. Then, when they rested on Brenda’s face, she saw them soften……and then flare with something she dared not identify.

"Good morning." Jax’s greeting was barely above a whisper, his voice still husky with sleep. He lifted his left hand and gently traced a finger down the side of her cheek.

Brenda drew her lower lip beneath her top teeth – an involuntary movement that sent a surge of testosterone through Jax’s body. "Good morning yourself." She glanced down at their intertwined bodies. "I guess we made ourselves comfortable during the night."

"Yeah – comfortable." Jax glanced down towards their legs. Then his gaze traveled back up her body until it stopped at her lips. Brenda felt the heat and when her tongue slipped out to moisten them, Jax thought he was going to die if he didn’t get a chance to kiss her just once.

Brenda’s eyelashes fluttered downwards as she inched upwards in the bed until her lips were only centimeters from Jax’s. Their breaths mingled, their bodies pressing even more closely together as the embrace tightened. She couldn’t ever remember wanting something as much as she wanted him to kiss her. Although she had never been a religious person, Brenda even sent a few prayers heavenward that Jax would feel similarly inclined. She heard a faint moan of satisfaction escape her throat when she felt Jax’s tongue teasing at her lower lip. When something pressed against her hip as Jax pulled her beneath him in the bed, Brenda’s gasp was swallowed by his mouth brushing temptingly against hers……

And the doorbell rang.

They both sat straight up in bed, Brenda clutching Jax’s arm in a panic. "Who could that be?"

Jax glanced down at her. "The grocery guy again? Didn’t you say he delivered first thing in the morning?"

Brenda’s eyes were wide, her face pale. "Not every day. He’s not due back again until day after tomorrow." Jax shoved her back down in the bed and rose, slipping into his shoes as he did. He reached for his Magnum in one fluid stride and held out a hand to her when she tried to follow him out of the bed.

"You stay here until I check it out."

"But it’s broad daylight, Jax!" He was almost at the door to her bedroom by the time her argument sounded in Jax’s ears. When he failed to stop, Brenda swung her legs out of the bed and wrapped her robe more tightly around herself. "And I don’t exactly think that the Slasher would ring my front doorbell if he was planning to kill me!"

She heard Jax’s footfalls on the steps but ignored his growls for her to go back in the room. When he got to the front door, Jax arched an eyebrow in disapproval and then motioned at her to get back from the landing at the top of the stairs. Brenda started to go back but then when Jax turned to push the curtains at a front window aside, she held her position, crouching behind the spooled railing.

Thanks to the angle of the window, Jax couldn’t see who was ringing the front doorbell. But when he saw the black and white patrol car parked at the curb, he swore softly beneath his breath. Re-holstering his Magnum, he flung open the front door. "Haven’t you ever heard of a wonderful new invention they have now? It’s called the telephone!!"

Blue smiled cattily at Jax. "And good morning to you, too, DD!!" She stepped inside the brownstone’s front door, both hands occupied by a large brown sack and tray of small Styrofoam cups. "You look like h*ll!!"

As Blue chuckled merrily and sauntered towards the kitchen with her treasures, Jax slammed the front door behind her, making sure to lock the security chain. "And you came all the way here to tell me that in person?" He caught Blue by the arm to stop her progress. "Aren’t you supposed to be off somewhere playing doctor with a certain refugee from a third world nation?"

"Blue!!" Brenda came down the stairs, a relieved smile on her face. "I don’t know what’s in those bags, but it sure smells heavenly!"

"DD’s favorite breakfast – Kelly’s cinnamon sticky buns!" Blue held up the bag. "And a few powdered sugar and jelly donuts thrown in on the side for those of us who prefer something of a more traditional nature."

"Why the feast this morning?" Jax raised an eyebrow warily as Blue spread out her treats on the kitchen table. Brenda was busily getting stoneware mugs for the coffee and fresh juice from the refrigerator.

"Mac’s celebrating!" Blue smiled her thanks at Brenda and then began arranging the pastries on a heavy china plate in the center of the kitchen table.

"Mac’s celebrating just because I managed to get that hostage out alive?" Jax remained standing while Blue and Brenda seated themselves and selected donuts. His eyes suddenly widened. "Hey – was she *really* somebody important?"

Blue swallowed her mouthful of donut and took a sip of juice. "Well, Mac’s pleased about how that all came out, but he’s even happier about another bust." Jax snarled at Blue in exasperation, but she just gave him a dirty look. He finally sighed in disgust, took his seat, and Blue nodded happily. "The guys in the Third District brought in a perp for GTA."

Brenda turned to Jax immediately. "Grand theft auto," he explained, and then waved at Blue to continue.

"Anyway, they’re grilling this guy about the stolen Grand Prix when somebody comes in with a ski mask they found in the trunk. And about thirty minutes later, the perp confessed to being the Dockside Slasher!"

Brenda almost choked on her juice but Jax remained noncommittal. "It doesn’t make sense." He shook his head firmly. "The Slasher has been outsmarting us for almost a year and a half, and then it takes only thirty minutes for him to break down and confess?"

Blue tipped her head and cocked an eyebrow. "H*ll of a thing to confess to if he’s not really the Slasher. Why face a lethal injection courtesy of the state of New York if all you did was lift a set of wheels?"

Brenda’s gaze bounced back and forth between Jax and Blue like she was at a tennis match. "So then this guy is really the Slasher? It’s all over?"

"It will be." Blue turned to stare at Brenda pointedly. "As soon as you come down to the station and identify him in a lineup."

The color drained from Brenda’s face. She dropped her donut on her plate. "Ohhhhh, nooooo……I can’t do that."

"You’ll be completely safe, Brenda." Jax reached for her hand but she jerked it away before he could grasp it. "You’ll be behind a mirrored window. None of the perps in the lineup will be able to see your face or know which one you picked out."

Her tousled raven curls bounced as she shook her head. "Nope. Can’t do it. *Won’t* do it." She quickly rose from the table and took her plate to the sink. As she set it in the dishpan, she carefully kept her back to both Blue and Jax.

"Which one is it, Brenda – can’t, or won’t?" Blue’s voice was gentle but firm.

She turned to face them with tears in her eyes. "I CAN’T, Blue. You know that." Brenda’s lower lip started to tremble. "Can’t you just bring me pictures of all of the suspects or something? Or have me look at a videotape here in my living room?"

Jax slowly rose and went to put his arm around Brenda’s trembling shoulders. "I’m sorry, love. If there was some way I could bend the rules on this one, you know I would. But there’s no way to get around it. You HAVE to go down to the station now that we’ve got a confessed suspect."

Blue mirrored Jax’s actions as she came to stand on Brenda’s other side. "DD’ll be right there with you, Brenda. He’ll keep you safe, I promise."

Brenda wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and then raised skeptical eyes to meet Jax’s intense gaze. "What if I pass out?"

"I’ll catch you." His reply came out as soon as the words left her mouth.

Brenda’s eyes shifted towards Blue. "What if I throw up?"

"I’ll handle that." When Brenda’s eyes widened, Blue grimaced good-naturedly. "It wouldn’t be the first time somebody puked at the station." She chuckled softly and nodded towards Jax. "DD and I feel like doing that every day when we have to keep a straight face with our chief."

Jax took Brenda by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "You can do this, Brenda. I know you can. And then it’ll all be over and you can go back to leading a normal life. No more fear."

Brenda took a deep, shaky breath. "The line-up’s scheduled for 11 this morning," Blue said softly. She patted Brenda on the back. "Why don’t you go take a shower and get dressed? Jax will drive you there and by 11:05, you’ll be walking out of the PCPD a new woman."

As she looked over her shoulder at Blue, Brenda chewed on her lip. "You know it would be easier for *me* to take that lethal injection, don’t you?"

Jax just pushed Brenda in the direction of the hallway. "Go on, love. You’ll feel better after your shower." He and Blue watched as a despondent Brenda disappeared down the hall and went up the steps. Then Jax crossed his arms and stared down at the floor. "I don’t know, Blue. I’m not sure she’ll be able to go through with it."

"Well……." Blue mimicked Jax’s stance. "I guess everybody’s gotta go sometime, DD." When he raised an eyebrow at her, she continued. "If the Slasher doesn’t kill Brenda, this lineup will."

To be continued……..