Brenda’s white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel of Jax’s BMW didn’t slack, even though she repeated the comforting mantra softly. "I’ll find Lissie in the mall and get her home safely and everything will be alright……until I kill her." She mouthed a few words she didn’t want Scott repeating anytime soon when another trip up and down the narrow aisles of the mall’s parking lot proved to be fruitless.

"What ARE all these people doing here on a Friday afternoon?!" she moaned, making a sharp left. "Don’t they have better things to do, like laundry, or watching Oprah?" Brenda’s heart sank even farther when she chanced a glance in her rear view mirror and spied the orange Audi – Malcolm Scorpio’s security man, no doubt – two cars behind her.

Scott whimpered softly in the seat next to her. "Don’t worry, kiddo. I’m not mad at you," Brenda crooned, reaching out to scratch behind his ears as she turned down a new lane in search of a parking spot. "Now, your sister – that’s another story entirely," she announced grimly, her eyes narrow with determination. It was going to be difficult to maintain her composure when she finally located the fugitive from detention-h*ll – despite the fact that Brenda had pulled similar stunts many times during her adolescent years.

Just when she was about ready to add a few new words to Scott’s already-sparse human vocabulary, a parking spot opened up on their right. It didn’t take long at all for her to maneuver the expensive sedan into the slot. Less than three minutes later, Brenda and her reluctant charge stood just inside the entrance to the mall, staring in open-mouthed dismay at the scene before them.

Since Thanksgiving was less than a week away, the mall was already festooned with thousands of brightly-colored lights. Garlands of greenery were draped around the doorway of each of the mall’s many small shops. THREE LEVELS of small shops, in fact – which made finding Lissie that much more of a challenge. Each of those small shops was playing piped-in Christmas music, none of them the same melody, which only added to the raucous assault on the senses.

"Well, Scott……." Brenda sighed loudly, ruffling her raven-black bangs as she exhaled through her out-thrust lower lip. "I guess we’ve got our jobs cut out for us, finding Lissie in this mess. Don’t we?" She took his hand and they slowly made their way towards one of the mall’s main hubs. When he suddenly started to squirm and wag his little bottom, barking softly, she nodded her understanding. "Ohhhhh, I get it – you’re picking up Lissie’s scent? Following her trail? You think your sister came this way?"

Just as she was debating whether or not to trust Scott’s bloodhound instincts, Brenda caught sight of him again. Her shadow – Malcolm Scorpio’s stooge. He was trying to remain unobtrusive, darting in and out of small shops about fifty feet behind them. But with the Christmas lights reflecting off his slicked-back hair and horned-rim dark glasses, he was almost impossible NOT to notice.

She chewed on her lower lip for a few minutes, looked at a shop about ten feet in front of them across the concourse, and then suddenly grabbed Scott by the hand. "Come on, Scott – let’s try that one over there!" Brenda murmured, slipping smoothly into a group of lively senior citizens who were "walking" the mall for exercise. With all the bobbing gray-haired heads and bustling lumpy bodies in pastel sweat suits surrounding them, it would be nearly impossible for Scorpio’s detective to stay on their trail.

Sure enough, Brenda and Scott emerged unscathed on the west side of the mall a few minutes later. She stood on tiptoes and saw the wiry, dark-haired detective about twenty-five feet ahead of them, looking around in exasperation. As he turned in their direction, she grabbed Scott’s hand again and they ducked inside the nearest shop, never even bothering to look up at the name of it. But once she caught her breath and took a look at their surroundings, her lips thinned into a dismayed pout.

The good news was that, given Lissie’s recent preferences in clothing, makeup, and music, there was a strong possibility they might find the teen there.

The bad news was that the décor and merchandise at the store, innocently enough called Hot Topic, scared the bejeebers out of Brenda.

In contrast to the bright, colored lights out in the mall itself, Hot Topic seemed to feature little or NO lighting. Occasional bare red light bulbs were suspended from its black ceiling. Black crepe paper was draped along the side walls, forming a background for various instruments of medieval torture – axes, chains, and replicas of other paraphernalia that Brenda was too aghast to identify. Towards the center of the shop, clothing – most of it black, of course – was displayed on black metal racks. Black leather skirts, black leather jackets, and black satin dresses with red lace overlays were offered to discriminating customers. There was a coordinating side display of jewelry, most of it featuring silver chains studded with – you guessed it – faux black onyx gems.

"Ummmmm……Scott……." She reached out to grasp his hand again, pulling him closer to her. "Maybe we should go back out in the mall….." Suddenly, the prospect of facing Captain Scorpio’s stooge seemed infinitely less daunting. But just as she turned to exit H*ll’s Bargain Basement, a gangly youth with sandy-colored hair that stuck out in all directions and thick glasses blocked her path.

"Hey there, babe…….."

Brenda frowned and looked around behind her when he smiled and winked. {Is he talking to me?} She tried to put a pleasant expression on her face, despite the fact that he had a funny-looking tuft of bright orange hair jutting from the center of his chin. "Ummmm……I’m sorry, but I think you have me confused with somebody else……"

"An accent!" He snorted and glanced at another hottie-wannabe behind him. "Dude!!! Aren’t chicks with accents like HOT??!!"

With Lissie still AWOL, the last thing Brenda needed was to be the subject of some pubescent boy’s erotic daydreams. "We really need to be going," she said firmly, taking Scott’s hand as she tried again to leave the store.

She was somewhat startled when her admirer blocked her path. "You know, babe," he crooned, leaning towards her, "I wish I was in charge of the alphabet, just so I could put I closer to U."

"Are you ……" Always raised to be polite by her royal tutors, she fought the urge to laugh in her suitor’s face. "Are you trying to pick me up?" Brenda asked gently.

"Nooooooo………." She felt Scott’s body stiffen and a growl rumbled through his small chest when her admirer waggled an eyebrow at her suggestively. "I’m trying to pick you OUT, sweetness!"

"Babe……" The youth lay a possessive hand on Brenda’s shoulder, which earned him an icy glare from the princess-in-disguise. "The only mistake you’re makin’ here is leavin’ without givin’ me your number……"

Lightning sizzled in her deep brown eyes. "If you don’t take your hand off me this instant……"

"Babe, that outfit you’re wearin’ looks really hot on you……" The boy dropped his voice another octave as he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "But I’d look even better IN you!!!!"

"OK – THAT’S IT!!!!!!" Brenda yanked the boy’s hand off her shoulder, placing both of her hands on his chest and pushing him away as hard as she could. She grabbed Scott’s hand and pulled him towards the entrance to the store, whirling at the door to glare one last time at her admirers. "Back where I come from, DUDE," she snarled, pointing a finger ominously, "I could have you drawn and quartered for what you just said to me!!" Her chest heaved with righteous indignation. "Consider yourself LUCKY!!"

Brenda was so distraught when she left Hot Topic that she didn’t even notice which direction she went. The fact that she and Scott rode two escalators and walked nearly halfway back down the mall didn’t register until she finally felt his pace lagging behind hers. When they passed a small shop and she heard his soft whimper, she finally looked down at him, her eyes liquid with concern.

"I’m sorry, Scott," she murmured, running her fingers through his soft-as-silk blonde hair. "I was so mad at that stupid kid back there that I didn’t even think ………" Brenda rose and glanced up at the nearest vendor, a store specializing in giant chocolate chip cookies. "You didn’t have any after-school snack today………" She squeezed his hand affectionately. "Are you hungry?"

"No……. but you look like YOU are……."

Tears blurred Brenda’s vision when she heard the precious, heartfelt words come from Scottie’s lips. Up until today, his human speech had mostly been inspired by chocolate-coated Snap, Crackle and Pop. She must have really touched deep inside for Scott to be worried about her. And if she had, getting him to come all the way back to boyhood from doggiedom couldn’t be far away. But she also knew that she had to take things slow – she couldn’t scare him by making too much out of his breakthrough.

"Now that you mention it," she smiled, blinking away the wetness, "I think I AM kinda hungry. And if we SHARED some cookies, your dad wouldn’t yell at you for eating junk food……." Before she could say another word, Scott happily dragged her to the counter, where she purchased several large cookies for them to share and a carton of milk for him. Just as she turned to head in the direction of a small food court where they could consume their feast, her eyes zeroed in on a girl sitting alone at a table near the back. It was Lissie. And she didn’t look happy.

"OK, Scott……." Praying for guidance that she would handle the situation properly, she took him by the hand and led him towards his wayward sister. "Let’s go sit down over there by Lissie……." Above all, Brenda knew that losing her temper and embarrassing the teen in a public place wasn’t the disciplinary route to take. Painful past experiences drove that home with a vengeance.

As they got closer, Brenda could see that things clearly weren’t what they appeared to be. Instead of having a grand time at the mall, as Lissie obviously had planned in skipping out on detention, the teen was sniffling loudly. Her eyes were puffy and red – most likely from a long spate of crying. Suspecting that there was more going on here than just a guilty conscience about ditching her punishment, Brenda decided to play it cool.

"Soooo, Scott……" She didn’t even acknowledge Lissie’s presence as they took the seats at the far end of the same table. "I think maybe we could sit here to have our cookies, don’t you?"

Lissie’s eyes flared briefly, then she quickly swiped away her remaining tears with the back of her hand. "Awwwwwww, geeezzzzzzz………..not YOU……….."

Despite the sullen greeting, Brenda cheerfully ignored Lissie. "Scott, why don’t you take this one?" She handed him a large cookie and then broke her own in half. "And then I’ll just share mine with Lissie…….."

"I don’t want your STUPID cookie." Lissie settled deeper into her chair, folding her arms defensively across her chest. "Look, if you’re here to yell at me, just go ahead and do it!" she growled with a bitter edge of cynicism in her voice. "Cause I’m already havin’ a SH*TTY day ……."

Elizabeth Jane Jacks was ITCHING for a fight – Brenda could almost smell it. If her flagrant violation of school rules wouldn’t do the trick, the teen probably thought that using moderately off-color language – particularly in front of her young, impressionable sibling – would earn her a tongue-lashing. Which only made Brenda that much more determined not to cave in to her tactics.

"Really?" Since Scott seemed totally engrossed in his cookie, Brenda didn’t think it was too serious to let Lissie’s euphemism to pass without a reprimand. She broke off a dainty piece of cookie and shrugged her shoulders. "That’s surprising – especially considering the fact that you’re at the MALL, rather than serving detention." She tossed the cookie in her mouth and feigned innocence. "I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be having a *wonderful* time."

"I WAS havin’ a good time…….." When Brenda glanced up surreptitiously, she saw Lissie’s chin start to quiver. "Until Dave …….. until Dave said……"

{Dave? Who the heck is Dave?} For a moment, Brenda wasn’t sure if she should be genuinely worried about some stranger harassing Jax’s daughter. But when angst-inspired tears rolled down Lissie’s cheeks and the teen didn’t seem fearful, she took a deep breath and reminded herself to play it cool. "What did Dave say?" she asked gently, moving her white wrought-iron chair closer to Lissie’s.

Lissie’s mournful expression broke Brenda’s heart as the words came gushing out. "Dave d..dd……" She hiccuped and then dissolved into a full-blown sob. "Dave DUMPED ME!!!"

{Ahhh…….a boyfriend. But Jax didn’t mention her having a boyfriend. Of course, Lissie probably wouldn’t have confided any details about her blossoming love life to her father……} "You and Dave were going out?" Brenda whispered, trying not to sound like a prying adult – even though she was.

"Not……..not *going out*," Lissie replied between sniffles. "We were just sorta kinda dating – you know, hanging out at the mall together on Fridays." When Brenda nodded her understanding, the teen grimaced and then continued, "And we saw a movie together two weeks ago – when dad brought me to the mall so I could look for some new clothes."

"I see." Brenda had almost forgotten the vernacular distinction – "going out" being the equivalent of "going steady" versus the less exclusive condition, "kinda sorta dating."

"So then today when detention was cancelled……."

"Detention was cancelled?" Brenda interrupted, arching an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yeah….." More thin-lipped moping ensued. "A couple of the teachers who were gonna babysit us took off early for the holidays so they had to cancel it." Yet Lissie would have led her father to believe she had skipped out on the obligation – another cry for his attention, even if it was negative attention. "Anyway, Dave was gonna meet me here so we could hang out but then when I saw him, he was with Sarah……..and he said he was going back to her……."

"Sarah?"

"Yeah – the big fat cow." Brenda allowed Lissie the less-than-charitable vent against her competition, especially since Scott seemed more interested in the puppies displayed in the window of a nearby store than the conversation at the table. "It turns out he was only using me to make her jealous the whole time." Lissie wiped furiously at some tears that ran down her cheeks again. "They had a big fight and so Dave decided if she saw him with me, she’d want him back enough to forgive him for cheating on her with Amy."

"Amy?" Just when she felt she had a fairly comfortable grasp of the situation, everything went out the window. "I thought he was dating Sarah….."

"He is…..or was…..but then Amy had a big fight with Brendan and got so mad that she decided to go out with Dave to make Brendan jealous."

{I should have bought more cookies. This is starting to give me a headache.} "But now Amy is back with Brendan?"

"No……" Lissie’s lips pursed in disgust at the tangled web. "Brendan went back to James….."

Brenda swallowed hard. "James?"

"Yeah – he’s Cliff’s gay older brother. And now Amy is going out with Alex."

{Geez………they could make a soap opera out of Lissie’s life. As the Mall Turns.}

"I hate men…….." Lissie’s lower lip trembled as she reached out – uninvited – and broke off a chunk of Brenda’s cookie. "They’re all snotwads."

Brenda’s heart broke. In that instant, she felt Miranda Jacks’ loss more keenly than ever before. It should have been Lissie’s mother who was there to help her through her first heartache. Even though she knew it was nothing more than mall-inspired-puppy-love, how could she know what to say to the teen that would make her feel better? How could she somehow answer Lissie’s desperate cries for attention without alienating her, as her father did?

"Snotwads. Every last one of them." Brenda popped another chunk of the same cookie in her mouth. "I absolutely agree."

Lissie looked at her hopefully. "You mean you’ve been dumped, too?"

"Ohhhhh, Lissie………you have NO idea." Brenda patted her hand affectionately, although she wasn’t exactly sure how she could share *all* of her past romantic escapades with the teen. How could she tell her that she had sneaked away from the palace when she was 19 for an adventure on the Riviera? How a dark, mysterious playboy named Michael Corinthos had charmed his way into her heart and into her bed? How he had taken her virginity and then had the unmitigated gall to ask the Princess of Baeristonburgh to autograph the sheets?

Before she could think of a less titillating story to tell, Lissie’s face blanched. "Ohhhhhh, God………" she groaned, sinking down into her chair. "They’re coming back this way……..Sarah and Dave…….."

Brenda watched in silence as a tall, husky boy and a rather thick-around-the-middle girl with stringy bleached hair approached the table. "Hey there, EJ……" the girl drawled, smiling cattily at Jax’s daughter. "Don’t you think that Davey bear looks much happier with me than he ever was with you?"

"You bet your @SS I am!" As Lissie opened her mouth to speak, the boy interrupted with a hearty laugh. "Who could be happy with someone who’s got a freakazoid for a brother……"

A red flush crept up Lissie’s neck and she pulled Scott tightly into her protective embrace.

"…….and an old man who whacks his wives when he gets bored with ‘em."

When Brenda saw the building menace in Lissie’s eyes, she knew she had to do something before the conversation escalated into activities that resulted in bloodshed. She desperately tried to think of something that would get them out of the precarious situation – something that preferably made an @ss out of Dave in the process.

Lissie slowly rose to her feet, still holding Scottie in her arms, her eyes shooting daggers at dumper Dave. "Nowwwww, look here, you big CRAPWEASEL…….NOBODY talks to my brother like that!"

"SAY!!!" Brenda suddenly jumped into the fray, edging her way between Dave and Lissie with a broad smile. "I don’t believe we’ve met, have we?" She reached out and took Dave’s hand, even though the strapping teen still was locked in visual combat with Lissie. "I’m Mr. Jacks’ new employee, Brenda Barrett……" She deliberately left out mentioning her status as nanny in order to spare Lissie any more embarrassment.

"Yeah…….that’s nice…….." He still was barely paying her any heed.

"No introductions needed here." Brenda turned with a saccharine smile to Sarah and extended a hand. "You must be Amy."

She was rewarded when annoyed uncertainty fluttered across Sarah’s face. "No…….I’m not Amy…….." The bleached blonde punched Dave lightly on the arm. "I thought you told me the whole Amy thing was over……"

Before he could reply, Brenda jumped in. "Oh, I’m SO sorry! Must be that Alzheimer’s rearing its ugly head again!" she gushed, covering her mouth with her hand in mock chagrin. "Lissie DID tell me that the Amy thing was over." She shook her head and clucked her tongue softly. "I should have remembered that she said Dave was with Phoebe now."

Sarah’s eyes got as round as her heavy application of several coats of mascara would allow. "Phoebe!!" She yanked on Dave’s arm, pulling him to face her exclusively. "Who the H*LL is Phoebe??!!"

Wrinkles creased Brenda’s forehead. "You’re not Phoebe? I’m sorry……..did she say it was Allison, then?" As Sarah made quiet sputtering noises, a volcano threatening to explode any minute, Brenda tapped a finger against her lips, pretending extreme concentration. "Because I’m SURE you can’t be James……"

"THAT’S IT!!!" Sarah’s loud shriek drew the attention of every shopper within a 100-yard radius. "EJ’s right!!!" she hissed, jerking away from Dave when he tried to stop her from walking away. "You’re not ONLY the biggest cr@pweasel in the universe, you’re a PERVERTED, SICKO cr@pweasel!! AND WE’RE FINISHED!!!"

Brenda and Lissie watched in silence as Dave ran after Sarah, who was still ranting all the way down the escalator. The petite brunette finally turned to the teen with a triumphant smile. "Your lesson for the afternoon, my dear," she crooned, wrapping a comforting arm around Lissie. "Paybacks can definitely be………heck," she finished, glancing delicately down at a curious Scott.

Lissie nodded slowly and then lifted Scottie into her arms. "You know, I’m really wiped and Scottie dog could probably stand some fresh air. Let’s go home."

Brenda smiled at her warmly. "I couldn’t agree more."

A Dalmation night light provided the only illumination in the darkened hallway as Brenda moved through the residence portion of the mansion. The ride back from the mall had been mostly low-key. Brenda tried to keep the conversation to harmless topics – school, friends, music – so as not to provoke a deep discussion while she tried to navigate her way through rush hour traffic. Scottie provided occasional yips of excitement whenever they passed a neighbor walking his or her dog. After all the anxiety at the mall, Brenda didn’t even worry when she saw Captain Scorpio’s stooge and his orange Audi maintaining a comfortable distance behind her the entire way back to the Jacks estate.

She had barely crossed the threshold when Addie greeted Brenda with the news that Mr. Jacks was unavoidably detained in business and wouldn’t be joining the family for dinner that night. It was probably just as well, since Brenda had no idea how to "gently" break the news to him of Lissie’s latest escapade at the mall that afternoon. The teen took off for her inner sanctum and didn’t even emerge for some of the pizza that Brenda and Scottie shared for supper.

Since it was well past nine o’clock and Jax still wasn’t home, Brenda decided that their daily conference on the children wouldn’t be happening. After tucking Scottie in for the night, she changed into a comfortable cotton flannel duster and some floppy pink chenille slippers. She wandered through the darkened house until she found herself in front of Lissie’s bedroom door. To her surprise, it was open just a crack.

"Hello?" Brenda knocked twice and then called out softly as she pushed the door open and put her head inside. "Everything OK in here?"

"Fine." Lissie was sprawled across her bed, clad in a pair of bright red plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a black cotton T-shirt with the words "UP YOURS" emblazoned on the front. She immediately slapped shut the large notebook that she was reading and smiled guiltily. "Somethin’ wrong?"

"Noooo…….." Brenda slowly closed the door behind her and then walked towards Lissie. She raised one dark eyebrow and nodded towards the teen’s shirt. "Interesting outfit."

"Oh…….yeah……" Lissie grinned a tad guiltily. "I’m really wearin’ it backwards……" She turned around so Brenda could read the words "Make Seven" on her back. "It’s for that soft drink, Seven-Up, you know."

"Ohhhhhh……." Brenda’s mouth opened wide in bemused understanding. "I get it. Make Seven-Up Yours. The advertising slogan."

"Yeah. We just like to wear the shirts backwards, especially to school on class color day." She giggled impishly. "We’re SO lucky that green happens to be our class color."

"Mmmmm……" Brenda’s smile slowly faded and she folded her arms across her chest. "I was worried when you didn’t come down for dinner, Lissie. I thought you might be ill."

Lissie’s nose wrinkled and her shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. "I just wasn’t too hungry, you know?"

Brenda perched on the edge of her bed. "And you probably thought that if you came to the table, your father would read you the riot act about that little stunt you pulled this afternoon."

"Yeah – that, too." Lissie chewed on her lip, her eyes downcast. "Did he bust a gut when you told him about it?"

"No – his guts are just fine for now, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate your concern," Brenda smiled. She toyed with a loose thread in her duster before speaking again. "Actually, he’s not even home yet. And since he’ll probably be exhausted from business problems, the last thing he needs is for me to burden him with your dishonesty and callous disregard for my wishes."

The teen snorted softly. "Why is it that when you say it, whatever I did sounds a whole lot less bad?"

"You DID do something bad, though, Lissie." Brenda’s somber gaze zeroed in on Lissie’s face. "You know that, don’t you?"

"Yeah – I do. I was already grounded cause of the Trashley thing and then I still went to the mall." She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling of her room. "I just don’t know WHY I did it……."

The rebellious teen’s motivation was probably far too complex for her to understand. "On the other hand," Brenda continued, ignoring the question of why, "you DID show admirable loyalty and concern for Scottie when Dave insulted him."

Lissie sat up and shook her head, her lips thin with disgust. "That butthead jerk," she growled. "He has NO idea what Scott’s been through or how mom’s death affected him."

"Lissie……" Brenda reached out and gently laid a hand on the teen’s arm. "You DO know that your father didn’t murder your mother, don’t you?"

"My mom had cancer." Lissie blinked rapidly to stop the tears that puddled in the corners of her eyes. "I know that." She wiped quickly at her eyes again with the back of her hand. "I used to hear her crying sometimes, after she thought me and Scottie dog were asleep."

Brenda nodded slowly. She could barely imagine the pain Lissie must have gone through, being older and able to understand what was going on with her mother. Scott’s choice of pretending to be a dog to deal with his mother’s death was only a different variation on the same theme as Lissie’s rebelliousness.

"Lissie…….." Brenda tentatively reached out a hand towards Lissie. "If you ever want to talk about it……..or about anything……."

"Yeah, well I don’t." Lissie suddenly bolted out of the bed and walked over to her vanity, swiping a tissue from the box there to dry her eyes. She turned back to Brenda, full of toughness and cold teen defiance again. "So you think I’m gonna have to go live in a convent and wear burlap sacks or something for what I did today?"

"No……." Brenda reached out to pick up the notebook Lissie had been reading when she entered. "But it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll be spending quite a few more Friday nights at home with your school books instead of at the mall." She frowned and flipped open a page. "What subject is this for? French?"

"Uhhhh……yeah……." Lissie lunged for the notebook but Brenda had already opened it to the center, where a large, glossy magazine fell out. "Sorta."

Brenda licked her lips, flipped through a few pages of the magazine, and then eyed Lissie warily. "Yeah – French," she countered in a droll voice. "Like in French cut panties." She held up the brightly colored catalog. "Victoria’s Secret?"

"It wasn’t for ME!!" Lissie protested, dropping onto the bed next to Brenda. "It’s for YOU!!"

"ME??!!" Brenda was so shocked that Lissie was able to snatch the catalog from her. She thumbed determinedly through the pages while Brenda sputtered in embarrassment. "Lissie, we’ve already had this conversation several times….."

"There……look at that….." Lissie held the catalog out to Brenda, pointing to one of the pages. "Now wouldn’t old Jasper appreciate that black satin negligee a lot more than what you’re wearing now?"

"Old Jasper, as you call him," Brenda replied frostily, "will never get the chance to appreciate me in ANY kind of nightgown, Lissie!"

Jax’s daughter pursed her lips in a pout. "You’re right." She looked down at the catalog again, rapidly turning the pages. "We need to get you something else…….something that you’d wear around the house, like when you see him during the day…….." Her eyes lit up like the Christmas lights at the mall. "Like THIS!!"

Brenda pulled back and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Lissie!! I would NEVER wear something like that!" she argued, grimacing at the item the teen pointed to. "And besides……" She leaned closer, then glared wide-eyed in surprise. "Why would anyone pay THAT MUCH MONEY for a piece of underwear that gives you a permanent wedgie?"

"I don’t know……all the girls at school wear thongs and like ‘em….." Lissie shrugged her shoulders and continued to flip through the catalog until she set it in front of Brenda with a victorious smile. "THERE!! How about that?"

Brenda frowned and took the catalog from Lissie, holding it up closer to her face for a better look. "What IS it?"

"It’s a push-up bra," Lissie announced matter-of-factly. "Chartreuse brocade fabric, in fact."

"But what’s this……" Brenda peered at the picture, total befuddlement all over her face. "What’s this THING inside the bra for?"

"It’s an air pump," the teen explained. "You can pump up the little inserts to get as much cleavage as you want……for special occasions," she added naughtily.

"An air…….." Brenda slapped the magazine down on the bed open-mouthed. "You mean like those tennis shoes? The ones named after the basketball star?"

Before they could continue their discussion of the aerodynamics of brassieres, a loud thump echoed through the house, followed by a soft whimper and the sound of crying. "Oh, my God!" Brenda grabbed Lissie’s hand, tossing the catalog on the floor. "What was that?"

"Scottie dog." Lissie rose, much calmer than Brenda, and walked towards the door. "He has nightmares sometimes."

Brenda brushed past the teen, shoving her back in the room firmly. "You stay here. Just in case it’s something…….else."

"It’s just Scott," Lissie argued. She tried to follow when Brenda opened the door into the hall. "He hasn’t had one for a while, but he had ‘em a lot right after momma died."

"Then I’LL take care of him. It’s my job, after all," Brenda insisted. She placed a hand against Lissie’s shoulder to force her back into the bedroom. "You stay here."

As Brenda made her way down the darkened hallway towards Scottie’s room, she could hear the crying more distinctly. Sure enough, once she went inside, she found the young boy curled into a fetal position on the floor next to his bed. His little body shook with the force of his hushed sobbing.

"Shhhhh, Scott…….it’s all OK……." Brenda no sooner placed a hand on the little boy’s shoulder than he hurtled himself into her protective embrace. She found herself rocking him back and forth, drawing on maternal instincts she never even knew she had. "It’s OK…….it was just a dream……"

He continued to occasionally hiccup as Brenda shifted him into her lap, sitting more securely on the edge of his bed. With his head buried against her chest, she stroked his fine, blonde hair, crooning to him gently in reassurance. After taking a step forward that afternoon by speaking to her, she wasn’t so naïve as to expect him to form human words when he was in such a troubled state. She accepted his soft grunts and whimpers and just continued to hold him tightly, giving him the human contact he seemed to need at that moment.

After about fifteen minutes, she felt his little body sag in exhaustion. His breathing slowed and Brenda suspected that he had fallen asleep in her arms. But as soon as she shifted him to put him back to bed, he startled and grabbed for her, whimpering anew. Worried that she might drop him in his current position on her lap, she tried to slip him into the bed, figuring that she could just climb in with him until he went to sleep.

After several awkward attempts, she finally succeeded in getting Scott across her body and into the bed. She was about to toe off her slippers and join him when she heard a rustling and a hand reached out of the darkness to touch her shoulder.

"Are you two alright?"

Brenda stifled her scream just as it threatened to escape her lips. Jax stood in the darkness, his suit coat disheveled, his shirt buttons undone at the top and his tie slightly askew. He looked exhausted and worried……..and surprisingly aroused. When she looked down at herself, she realized that her duster had come unbuttoned in the fray with Scott and gaped away from her body. In the semi-darkened room, her employer had an excellent view down the front of her unsupported, naked-as-a-jaybird cleavage.

Where was Michael Jordan and his Wunderbra when you needed him?

To be continued……..