Warning: Rated PG for possibly strong language

Brenda’s first conscious thought was that she must have accidentally turned the furnace up to 90 degrees. She was aware of a blanket of warmth at her back, and then as she opened one eye and saw the sun well up in the sky and looked at the clock on the nightstand, she realized that it was almost noon.

She began to stretch, but then encountered the warm blanket at her back again. Finally she realized it wasn’t a blanket, but another human. A smile lit her face as memories of the previous night flooded her mind. She carefully rolled over to face Jax, and found he was already awake and staring at her, smiling.

"Good morning," she said shyly. {What do you say to a man who showed you pleasure that you never knew existed before?} "How’s the shoulder?"

Jax gently took his left hand and traced the side of her face, bringing it up to him for a soft, sweet kiss. "Good morning to you, too. And you were the one who made it a good morning, and such a fantastic night, too."

"Me?" Brenda stammered. "I didn’t do anything. You were the one….I mean, you were so….uh…I mean, I’ve never …done that before." At his surprised look, she continued. "Made love all night, I mean. And slept ….without pajamas…all night." She began to blush and Jax’s chuckle started deep in his chest.

"Brenda, I appreciate the compliments, but it takes two people to make love, and as I recall, you were the one who occupied the other side of this bed last night." He snuggled closer to her. "Any requests for a repeat performance this morning?"

Brenda smiled contentedly, and then her face fell and she gasped. "Oh, my God! But it’s not morning anymore! It’s almost noon and you haven’t taken one of your horse pills yet!" She turned to jump out of the bed, buck naked, and after grabbing her sleepshirt, she headed for the bathroom to get him a glass of water. Jax slammed his head back on the pillow in frustration but was still smiling when she returned a few minutes later.

After registering a few more complaints, he downed the pill and then smiled at her again. "You must have been taking nagging lessons from Blue." He stroked her hand gently. "You really have been taking excellent care of me, Brenda. So….do you want to join me in the shower this morning?"

Brenda took a deep breath. "No, I don’t think I’d better." She rose nervously from the bed and began to pull out some fresh clothes for herself. "I mean, you were wonderful last night, but I think showering together might be more ….strenuous …than what we did last night."

"Now, Brenda," Jax wheedled, "if I had the strength to make love to you all night, don’t you think I could manage to take a shower without getting dizzy?"

She finished pulling on her shorts and began pulling the nightshirt over her head to put on her bra. "By yourself – yes. Together?" She hooked it in the front and gave him a withering look. "No." She pulled her shirt on and ran a comb through her hair quickly. "Now, why don’t you take that shower and then…I’ll LET you come downstairs for ….brunch. How do you feel about Ring Dings?"

Jax got out of the bed and came to stand next to her. He looked her up and down. "What a pair we make together –me au natural, and you, fresh off the catwalk." He continued to make his way to the bathroom and as she turned to leave, he stuck his head out the bathroom door. "Oh, and about that brunch menu – it depends on how you’re planning to serve the Ring Dings. You know," he said seductively, "an attractive presentation is a major factor in how appetizing a food can be."

When Jax appeared in the kitchen doorway a few minutes later, he looked freshly showered and his hair was still wet and curling down onto his forehead. "I never thought I would be so glad to see your kitchen again," he said quietly. Then he sniffed the air. "What smells so good?"

She pulled out his chair and poured his orange juice. "I found some frozen English muffins," she said proudly. "Even I can’t ruin something you just toast." They stared at each other for a few seconds, and as Jax reached over to make sure there was no smoke coming out of the toaster, the muffins popped up, golden brown and crispy around the edges.

"By God, one night of sex with me and the woman turns into a Cordon Bleu chef!" Jax exclaimed, and Brenda curtsied to his laughter and applause. She got out some butter and jam from the refrigerator, and, not wanting to tempt fate, made instant coffee.

Jax turned on the television and they caught the end of the noon news program. "Be sure to tune in tomorrow when we will bring you the most up to the minute coverage when any news becomes available on the Jasper Jacks case," the anchor intoned. The scene cut away to a shot of Mac Scorpio meeting with reporters. The anchor’s voice continued. "Commissioner Scorpio has promised to have the results of the pathology tests which will prove conclusively whether or not the fugitive criminal, Jasper Jacks, was actually killed in a motorcycle accident several nights ago."

Mac’s face then appeared on the screen in a taped interview. "I appeal to the residents of Port Charles not to let down their guard. If this man wasn’t killed by our troopers, he is probably wounded but very much at large still in the area. Please be on the lookout for any strange activity and report it to the PC Police Department at once."

Brenda let out a disgusted noise and then got up to turn off the TV. "He’s the only strange activity I see around here, you know," she said, munching on a Ring Ding. "It’ll really be a pleasure to go get that information and take him down."

Jax choked on his coffee. "Bloody hell, I’ve turned you into Rambo after just a few days!" He looked at her with a smile, but then his expression turned serious. "What do you mean about going to get that information?"

Brenda began to clear the plates. "I mean, when you and I go to Montauk and get the stuff from Kavanaugh’s cabin. The evidence, you know?"

"You and I?" Jax repeated in a strangled voice.

"Well," Brenda said as she sat back down, "you certainly can’t expect to go there alone. Not after all you’ve been through. You need me."

Jax covered her hand with his. "Brenda, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I was an operative long before I ever met you. I think I can go there by myself and get the material quite competently."

He rose to leave the kitchen, and stopped for a minute to look around. "Where’s the phone book?"

"Phone book? What for? Who are you going to call?" she asked quickly.

He spotted it and grabbed it to head to the living room. She followed him, still sputtering. "Jax, you can’t be serious about going up to Montauk alone. You’re still recuperating. You’re still taking antibiotics. You need me to go with you," she repeated as she sat down next to him on the couch.

He pretended not to hear her. "How do you think you would spell Taggert?"

"Jax, are you listening to me?" she finally ranted.

He grabbed her hands and held them in her lap. "Yes, Brenda, and are YOU listening to me?" He took a deep breath. "I’ve already exposed you to God knows how much legal trouble by having you nurse me back to health. If you go along with me, there’s a chance we might run into Mac’s men and a shootout might begin." Her eyes began to tear and he took a finger to wipe the tears away. "I don’t want you to be caught in the crossfire if we have to come out with guns blazing."

"But Jax," she said softly, "I only want to help." Her mind worked for a few minutes. "I know…I’ll go up there alone and you can hide out somewhere else and wait for me." Her face brightened with the suggestion.

"No, love, it won’t work," he said sadly. "I’M not even sure exactly what I’m looking for. But I can just go up to Montauk and pretend to be a fisherman like all the others at this time of year. Tom and I went fishing up there frequently, even when we weren’t working on a case." He let go of her hands and began to thumb through the Port Charles phone directory again.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked, sniffling softly. "Isn’t Taggert the cop who was Mac’s star witness to you murdering Kavanaugh?"

Jax kept looking through the phone book, pausing occasionally to look into Brenda’s eyes. "Yes, he is. And from our investigation, we know he’s not on the take from the mob." He shut the phone book. "So, he’s basically a decent cop who’s taking orders from Mac and is too scared to tell the truth."

Brenda helped Jax to his feet and they began to make their way up the stairs to the bedroom. "So why would you go to see him?"

"If I can get to him before the news gets out that I’m still alive, seeing my "ghost" might be just enough to convince him to tell the truth and clear me of the frame." Brenda helped Jax sit on the side of the bed. "And once I’m clear of those charges, I can go up to Montauk and get the stuff to take Mac down."

"But Taggert probably lives in Port Charles, and it would be dangerous for you to go anywhere within city limits," Brenda replied thoughtfully. Then her face brightened with an idea. "Why don’t I go to see Taggert instead?" she asked excitedly. "I could do something like deliver a message from you. Then you wouldn’t be in as much danger, and you could give me something like a clue that he would recognize was from you. He would know I was telling the truth, and maybe he would agree to clear you."

Jax shook his head slowly. "No, Brenda. You’ve helped enough already. I told you – I want to keep you clear of any more danger." His hand gently cupped the side of her concerned face, and his thumb rubbed over her full lower lip. Then a smile started to creep onto his face. "But, there is ONE thing you can do to help me."

"What?" she asked suspiciously, "and this had better not be anything more about taking showers together!"

He looked at the empty nightstand table and then back to her. "What did you do with it?"

She was totally lost. "Do with what?"

He continued to caress her face. "My weapon, Brenda. My police pistol. I remember that when Sean took the bullet out and helped me take my shirt off, we laid it here on the nightstand. Now it’s gone." His face grew pained. "You didn’t throw it away, did you?"

She let out a long sigh. "No, but I was tempted." She stood up and went to the broken closet door. "I hid it. In here. In some shoe boxes."

Jax’s smile grew broader by the minute. "You HID it? Why?"

Brenda wrapped her arms around herself. "I hate those things. Sonny always wanted me to get a gun to protect myself out here, but I always said no. They give me the creeps."

Jax stood slowly and peered into the closet. "Where is it?"

Brenda pointed to the shoe boxes. "There, way in the back. In the bottom box. The Bandalero snow boots." She refused to come into the closet with him and after a few minutes, he came back to the doorway with the pistol in his hands. He carefully checked to make sure the safety was on and Brenda flinched at the clicking noises.

As he walked back over to the bed, Brenda followed him. "Can’t you put that thing somewhere else, like in the nightstand drawer or something? I hate guns," she said with distaste.

He smiled up at her and put the pistol in the drawer as she requested. "That better?" he asked. At her nod, he chuckled and put his arm around her. "And it’s not a gun, Brenda, it’s a weapon."

She still was shaking slightly from the sight of it and didn’t notice his sly smile. "Gun, weapon, what’s the difference?"

He suddenly pushed her back onto the bed and she looked into his sparkling blue eyes. "Oh, but there’s a big difference, my love." He glanced over at the nightstand. "They explained it to us the first day in the WSB."

She began to see that the discussion was no longer about firearms. "And I take it you’re going to explain it to me?" she giggled.

He nodded. "You see, THAT is my weapon," he said, nodding his head toward the nightstand. He then took her hand and she gasped when he placed it firmly on his body. "And THIS is my gun." He kissed her deeply, and then pulled back just a little to start unzipping her shorts.

"And how am I supposed to remember the difference?" she asked breathlessly.

He nuzzled her ear. "I wasn’t finished with my little memory rhyme," he continued. "THAT is my weapon and THIS is my gun," he explained, sweeping her shorts off and pulling his own shorts down quickly. As he rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him, he spoke in breathless anticipation. "THAT," he shifted his eyes toward the nightstand, " is for fightin’," he said. As she straddled his hips and opened her eyes to stare into his, he finished the rhyme. "And THIS is for fun!"

"Oh….my….it certainly is!" she said with a moan, and she collapsed onto him to give him deep kisses that took them both to paradise again.

#~#~#~#

Much later that afternoon, Jax took a nap at Brenda’s insistence and she came downstairs to catch up a little on things at the cottage. She was folding some laundry in the living room with the TV on softly when she heard a car pull up in front the cottage and held her breath.

She quietly made her way to the front window and was surprised to see Mary and Cliff Wagner getting out of their old l968 Chevy Malibu. Mary had a large container in her hands and Cliff was shaking his head and muttering. Brenda went to the front door and opened it before they could ring the bell and wake Jax.

"Mary! Cliff! What a surprise!" Brenda said honestly. "What brings you out here to see me?"

Mary stood expectantly in the doorway and finally Brenda had to let them inside. Brenda cast one eye on the stairway and prayed that Jax would be able to hear the voices and would stay hidden until they left.

"Well," Mary said slowly, "we had a real bumper crop of vegetables this year and I made some stew this morning. So since I saw how much you enjoyed that soup I made the other day, I told Cliff that we should come on out and bring you some. You know how much I always overcook!" she said confidentially, and Cliff muttered something under his breath again.

{SUPPER! THANK YOU!} "Oh, Mary!" Brenda gasped, "you will NEVER know how much I appreciate this. I’m just at such a loss when it comes to cooking." She took the large stock pot from Mary and after inhaling the fragrant steam, she took it to the kitchen quickly. When Brenda returned to the living room, though, her heart sank at the sight of Mary and Cliff perched on the couch to visit. Cliff was already looking curiously into the laundry basket.

"So, Brenda," Mary said slowly, "we’ve never seen your cottage before. You certainly did a lovely job with the furniture and such, didn’t she Cliff?" Cliff nodded absently, but was still staring into the laundry basket.

"Thank you," Brenda said, watching Cliff like a hawk. "I wanted to do it myself, although sometimes I think it’s a little on the frilly side." {Why does Cliff keep staring in the basket?} "So, who’s watching the store with you two out here?"

"Nobody, Mary, so let’s get going," Cliff said in a low growl. He pulled Mary to her feet. "You brought the stuff and took care of her like Mr. Corinthos asked, so let’s skedaddle." Mary blushed, and Brenda rose to her feet slowly.

"Sonny spoke to you?" she said in alarm.

"He called yesterday, dear," Mary said gently. "He was just so concerned that something was wrong and wanted us to keep an eye on you. I told him you came in the other day and bought a lot of junk food, so he wanted me to make sure you ate something substantial." She patted Cliff on the arm as she linked her arm through his. "Isn’t he a sweetie, just like my Cliff here?"

"He’s a real peach," Brenda said glumly. Then she caught her breath as Cliff reached into the basket and pulled out Jax’s denim cut-offs.

"Whose are these?" he said bluntly. "Can’t be Sonny’s. He ain’t no bigger than a gnat. I bet all of him would fit into one leg of these." As Mary looked at her with questions in her eyes, Brenda prayed for help. It came in the form of Jax’s unusually scratchy voice, and she jumped when she heard it.

"Brenda Veronica! Are you gonna come up here and help your grandfather or not?"

At Mary and Cliff’s questioning looks, Brenda shrugged her shoulders. "My…grandfather," she explained. "I was trying to keep it quiet, but I’ve got him here for a few days convalescing….My cousin Rona brought him," she added, getting more confident in the lie.

"I’m sorry, dear, I didn’t know," Mary said confidentially. "Is it serious?"

Brenda tried to keep a straight face. "Well, the doctor says it’s an advanced case of …..hydro-kerato-blasperesis," she stumbled. "He normally lives by himself, but cousin Rona thought it was better for him to be with somebody right now until he’s better."

Cliff tried to look nonchalant. "Oh, yeah, that can be real tough to have if you live by yourself." He looked at Mary like she was some kind of moron when she looked perplexed. "I read in People Magazine that there was a lot of that going around." Mary nodded, and they both looked satisfied.

Suddenly Jax’s voice echoed again. "Brenda, I’m gonna pee on these fancy sheets if you don’t get up here right now and help me!"

Mary’s face turned a shade of white and Cliff pulled her by the arm. "Come on, Mary. We need to get back to the store." Mary nodded and after they had left, Brenda listened for the noise of the car to fade into the distance and then let out a long sigh of relief. She rested her back on the front door and pushed her hair out of her eyes just in time to see Jax making his way down the stairs.

"So, grandchild, you gonna let an old man suffer up there until his bladder busts?" He laughed heartily and as Brenda came to the foot of the stairs to meet him, he gave her a passionate kiss. As he pulled away from her, he still held her around the waist. "So, why were they here?"

Brenda took Jax by the hand and led him into the kitchen, where he sniffed the air appreciatively. "Supper!" she exclaimed, and then he sat down at the table and she began to heat up their treasure.

~#~#~#~

After they had thoroughly enjoyed Mary’s stew and cleaned up in the kitchen, Brenda closed the cottage up for the night and turned out the lights to head upstairs. She came to the bedroom door and found Jax already in the bed. He apparently had shaved while she did the dishes and appeared to be sleeping, so Brenda tried to tiptoe into the room, not wanting to disturb him. However, as soon as she got near the bed, his eyes popped open and he fixed her with a sexy look.

"Whatcha’ doin’?"

Brenda fumbled nervously. She had never experienced a relationship that was this physical and this intense before. "Getting my nightshirt?" she replied, although she put it as more of a question than an answer.

Jax shook his head negatively. "Nope. Why don’t you …uh…get more comfortable and then join me here in the bed so we can have dessert."

She slipped out of her shirt and shorts and watched his eyes grow stormy with desire. "Dessert? Aren’t you still full from all that stew you ate?" She pulled back the sheet on her side and he immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Ahh, but I was thinking that since you provided me with such a delightful entrée this evening, my love, I would be the one to provide the dessert." His eyes twinkled naughtily and then he reached into the nightstand drawer. "And since I know how much you enjoy junk food…." He held up several of the Hershey bars that she had purchased at the Wagners’ store the other day.

"How did you get those?" she asked in surprise. "And how did they get up here?"

He shook his finger at her as he began to open the wrappers. "Never ask an operative to divulge his secrets, love." As he continued to unwrap them and then to break them into the small bites-size squares, she looked at him curiously. He saw the question in her eyes. "You know, there’s a right way and a wrong way to eat a Hershey bar."

Her eyes began to sparkle also. "Really? And I take it you’re going to enlighten me."

Once he had the candy completely broken into small pieces, he turned his gaze back to her. "Of course." He smiled at her and then pulled her down with him to lay next to him in the bed. He reached up with his right hand and took one small section. "Now, some uninformed people eat a Hershey bar by simply unwrapping it and then biting off a huge chunk." He shook his head in disgust.

She stifled a giggle. "Cretins. Obviously uneducated slobs."

He waved the chunk at her. "Precisely my point. A Hershey bar should always be eaten in small pieces. Like this." He took the candy and when she opened her mouth like a young bird, he placed it on her tongue and she immediately proceeded to eat it. She smiled at him, not knowing what direction this would take. "Good?" he asked innocently. She nodded. "More?" She nodded again. He reached over and took another chunk of candy, but this time as his right hand moved to place it in her mouth, his left hand moved under the sheets and after starting at her neck, moved slowly down to her breasts. As she opened her mouth to sigh in pleasure, he placed the candy on her tongue, then proceeded to caress her, bringing a whimper to her lips.

"Mmmm…I can see I’ve obviously missed an important part of my culinary education." She whimpered once more as his hand moved to the centers of her breasts and they responded immediately. "Please continue," she said breathlessly.

"My pleasure," he smiled, and as he continued the caress, he took another chunk of candy. He placed it in her mouth, but after she had begun to chew, he immediately followed it with his mouth to give her a deep kiss. He tasted the candy on her lips and she began to moan in earnest at the sweet, hot, delicious sensations assailing her senses.

He pulled back from the kiss and saw her eyes were glazing over with pleasure. "More?" he asked, and as she nodded wordlessly, he reached over to take another chunk of candy, but not before his hand began to move down from her breasts over her stomach. Her eyes widened for a moment. "Do you trust me?" he asked gently. At her nod, his hand moved even lower, and she raised slightly off the bed when it reached its destination. As he began to gently caress her most sensitive spot, he took a piece of candy and placed it in his mouth, bending over to kiss her and transfer it to her in the process.

She began to clutch wildly at the sheets with her hands, and then they both came up to run through his hair. The combination of his gentle but insistent touch and the dark, sweet taste of the chocolate forever merged in her mind. She pulled away from him as his hand never stopped its magic. "Jax!" she gasped. "I don’t think I can take much more! I want you now!"

He chuckled devilishly and then reached for more chocolate. "Oh, but we’ve only begun, Brenda. We have a LOT of candy here, and it’s a shame to just let it go to waste, don’t you think?" As she moaned her response, he deepened his caress and fed her another piece of chocolate.

She was soon turning her head from side to side on the pillow and gripping the headboard of the bed for support as her world was spinning. "Oh, God, Jax, PLEASE, I can’t wait much longer!" she moaned.

"Then let yourself go, love," he whispered in her ear, his hand still bringing her almost to the point of oblivion. He kissed her again, and his tongue explored every corner of her mouth, seeking the intoxicating taste of the chocolate. Finally, after many more pieces of chocolate and intimate caresses, he kissed her once more deeply and their bodies joined in blissful union.

Much later, when their breathing had finally returned to normal and she lay with her head on his chest, he felt her giggle softly. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Anything, love," he whispered back to her. "What is it?"

"Will you get me one of those giant size Hershey bars for my birthday?" she asked with a sleepy smile.

He shook his head and smiled at her. "Bloody hell, I think I’ve created a monster." He traced her face lovingly with his finger as she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

After watching her sleep for a while, Jax slowly and carefully got out of the bed and put on his cut-offs. He checked to make sure she was still asleep and then got the cordless phone and went out in the hallway to sit on the floor with his back against the wall. He dialed a number quickly and it was answered on the second ring.

"Donnelly." Jax held his breath and there were a few seconds of silence on the other end. "Jax, is that you? The line’s clean."

"Good," Jax sighed. "I wasn’t sure if you still had this line connected or not but I figured it was worth a try."

"Actually," Sean replied, "I had it re-connected right after I got back from Brenda’s cottage. Blue said she spoke with Brenda and you had shifted into your patient-from-hell mode, so I take it you’re recuperating nicely."

"I can do without the sarcasm, thank you," Jax replied. "But it looks like tomorrow isn’t going to be a very good day."

Sean’s voice was grim. "Sorry about that, my friend. I couldn’t stall them any longer. Tomorrow they will know that the reports of your demise were grossly exaggerated." They both heard the faint beeps of the telephone connection. "What can I do?"

"I’ll need to get out of here tomorrow, Sean. I can’t put Brenda in any more danger than she already is. I’ll need a cleaning crew and a set of wheels first thing in the morning." Jax put his fingers to the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply.

"I’ll have them both there for you. Anything else?"

"No. I’ve involved you and the bureau far too deeply already. But Sean – thanks for the offer. I appreciate all you’ve done."

"Anytime, Jax. Watch your back."

Jax pressed the "end" button on the telephone and silently got up to return to Brenda’s bed. He smiled as she was still sleeping peacefully.

When he slipped between the sheets again, she stirred slightly. "Jax?" she said in confusion.

"I’m here, love. I’m here," he said quietly, and then gathered her to him. She closed her eyes again and rested her head on his chest and put her arm around him. As he snuggled into her embrace, a silent tear made its way down his cheek. He held her tightly for what he knew would be their last night together.

To be continued…..