Kimberly checked her watch for the third time and nervously smiled at the reporter who insisted on tailing her. She finally turned around to him. "Gary, I *told* you before – I won’t confirm or deny that Carly Roberts Morgan has made the call to Jasper. He’ll make that announcement when he gets here."

"Awww, come on, Kimberly. You and I both know Jax is wiping the floor with her. She must have called to concede by now," the reporter whined, his cameraman following closely behind but looking supremely bored.

Just then, an aide came up to whisper something in Kimberly’s ear. She gave the aide a feline smile, and then turned to the persistent reporter. "Jasper and Brenda should be arriving here any minute, Gary." She moved closer to him, taking his arm and pressing her bosom against the side of his arm suggestively. "If I were you, I’d stay close to the stage rather than try for the picture at the doorway. I’m sure this will be a rather – historic – appearance for the candidate and his wife."

Gary looked down at his arm, which still rested against one of Kimberly’s implants, and then returned a lewd smile. "You’re the best, Kimberly," he murmured, giving her a wink.

"You’re d*mn right I am," she replied, winking back and stroking her hand down his arm, "and don’t you forget it!" She strolled away from the reporter, swinging her hips back and forth in an exaggerated fashion and making her way towards a small orchestra on the side of the room. After consulting briefly with their leader, Kimberly made her way back to the main stage at the front of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Kimberly announced, tapping the microphone twice to try to calm the noisy excitement. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," she repeated in a louder voice. A hush finally fell in the room. "Although I’ve seldom had a chance to say anything during this campaign, I feel that we’ve been breaking new political ground with our efforts. Jasper Jacks has been a respected member of the Port Charles business community for some time, but with this campaign, he has expanded not only his horizons, but the horizons of many people in this district." She clasped her hands to her bosom dramatically and winked at the orchestra. "It is my distinct pleasure and privilege to introduce to you – Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Jacks!"

Jax and Brenda appeared at the doorway of the ballroom as the orchestra began to play a rousing song with a march beat. Flashbulbs exploded and reporters shouted questions, but Jax only smiled and waved as he moved Brenda closer to the stage area. James followed closely behind them, as did Paul. Jax was wearing a navy blue pin-stripe Armani suit with a white, collarless shirt and no tie. Brenda looked radiant in a short black cocktail dress with lace eyelet at the hem. The halter neckline of the dress was softened by a bolero-length matching black jacket, with the same eyelet trim at the bottom edge and ends of the sleeves.

Jax and Brenda slowly made their way to the stage through the large crowd of supporters and campaign workers as a small trio of singers with the orchestra began the chorus of the song.

Open a new window, open a new door

When Jax and Brenda arrived at the microphone, Jax leaned in to place a kiss on Kimberly’s cheek and Brenda gave her a polite hug. Jax motioned for the crowd to quiet and Kimberly gave the orchestra a pointed look, causing them to cease playing immediately.

Applause and cheering lingered, even after the orchestra stopped. Jax finally moved to stand before the microphone, holding up his hands and smiling at the crowd. When they finally quieted enough, he turned back to Brenda and gave her hand a squeeze before speaking to the crowd. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m sure you’re all anxious to hear me give a forty minute speech here tonight, analyzing the state of modern politics and the Bill of Rights." There were polite groans and ripples of laughter, which he acknowledged by raising his hands again, palms towards the audience. "So right after I make this one announcement, I’ll begin my remarks." He took a deep breath. "I was about to leave our suite to come down here tonight when the telephone rang." Squeals in the crowd punctuated his remark, and he winked at a few supporters. "It was my grandmother, telling me to be sure to wear clean underwear."

After more groans and laughs, Jax straightened his shoulders. "Seriously – I received a call tonight at 8:15PM from Carly Roberts Morgan. She extended her best wishes but told me that based on the reports she was receiving from her exit polls, she was conceding the election."

Loud screams and cheering broke out as soon as Jax said the word "concede." The orchestra began to play again as balloons rained down from the ceiling and a shower of confetti shot from behind the stage. Jax pulled Brenda to the microphone with him, waving at the crowd as the balloons and confetti made for a dramatic backdrop. Jax held Brenda at his side as he continued.

"There are many people I need to thank here tonight for my success in this race." He gazed down lovingly at Brenda. "First and foremost, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Brenda, for putting up with the long hours and separation that this campaign caused. The same thanks goes to the rest of my family, for overlooking the madness that being in the public eye has brought our way."

Jax became very serious. "But most of all, I want to thank the voters of this district for choosing me to be their representative. When Kimberly told me about using the song "Open a New Window" for our theme, I thought it was peppy and had a nice tune. But then, I took a good look at the words of the song." Jax seemed like he was making eye contact with every person in the large room.

"I found that the song expresses exactly what I wanted to do with this campaign. I wanted to open new windows – for myself, and for the voters of this district. I wanted to be a three-dimensional fellow -- to stretch the limits a little." Jax smirked back at his parents, who had joined the representative-elect on the stage. "J&J Jacks has seen its share of corporate wizards, starting with my grandfather, Jasper." Josie beamed at Jax, casting her eyes upwards to make sure that Jax’s namesake was looking down on his grandson on such a proud day. "But after many years of being in the business world, I wanted something that would challenge and excite me."

Jax pointed at the crowd. "So when I take that oath of office and start serving as your representative, I *want* to be that unconventional fellow who thumbs his nose at the rest of the world. I don’t want to end up punching a timeclock like everyone else. And by being the best representative that I can possibly be for my constituents, I’m going to open new windows, and travel new highways -- not only for myself, but for all of you."

The room erupted into thunderous applause and at a signal from Kimberly, the orchestra began to play again as another round of confetti shot into the air. Jax waved and smiled for photographers with Brenda at his side. The applause went on for a few minutes, after which Jax put his hands up again, asking for quiet.

"Now, from the looks of those nice young men in white jackets, it appears they’ve got enough champagne and appetizers for all of us to have a feast tonight. So I just want to take a few more minutes of your time, thanking my wonderful campaign manager, Kimberly Forsythe." Jax turned to the back of the stage, motioning for Kimberly to come forward as the applause started again.

Kimberly gave every appearance of avoiding the spotlight, putting her hands up shyly. Brenda looked back at Josie, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling, but Josie just winked at Brenda and gave Kimberly a strange look. Kimberly finally relented and came forward, smiling and posing with Jax for pictures. "Now," Jax shouted, "in my official capacity as representative-elect for this district, I think that everyone should have a good time tonight and celebrate all of our hard work! Thank you, everyone!"

Jax gave a thumb’s-up and once again flashbulbs exploded across the room. He pulled Brenda to the front again as photographers clamored for more pictures. As waiters with trays of champagne began to circulate among the crowd, the group around the stage thinned to mostly reporters.

Brenda had dropped back to stand with Josie when James came up behind them. "Looks like it’s a big night for your hubby, Brenda." She turned to him and gave him a half-hug. "I don’t think I said it very often, Brenda," James continued shyly, "but .....I, uh.......I think you have a wonderful husband and beautiful children. You’re very lucky."

"They’re *your* family too, James," Brenda argued. "You know how much Jo loves you already, and I’m sure you can guess that Jax and I have gotten pretty fond of you."

"What she’s tryin’ to tell ‘ya, slick," Josie interrupted, "is that you’re *doomed* to be invited to every family function from now on, no matter how boring."

Brenda nodded after punching Josie in the arm. "She’s right, James. You’re stuck with us, no matter how much you hate it."

He shook his head. "Brenda...I never intended for it to go this far." He gave her a serious look. "I..uh...I guess I’ve just been living without a family for so long, I’m not sure I’d know how to cope with one." He leaned in to kiss Brenda’s cheek. "I’m just glad that I got to know you, and the reasons why things happened the way they did when we were kids." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Why don’t we just leave it at that, OK?"

Brenda inhaled to argue with her brother but before she could say a word, he had turned around and started walking away from her. "Don’t worry, honeybuns," Josie said softly, patting Brenda’s arm. "He just needs time, that’s all." She shook her head. "I think he’s been living without it for so long that he doesn’t know how to handle it when someone loves him."

"Or doesn’t believe it’s possible." Brenda and Josie both turned around when they heard Jax’s voice. He put his arm around Brenda. "I take it your brother isn’t too keen on being one big, happy Barrett Bunch, huh?"

She quickly shook her head, but then smiled. "Did I hear you mention something about champagne, Mr. Jacks?"

Jax put his arm around Brenda’s waist, winking at his grandmother. "Grandma, would you excuse us while I take this beautiful woman over there and ply her with alcohol?"

"Only if you promise to take advantage of her later, Jasper," Josie replied smartly. As she turned to go back to the rest of the family, she grabbed Jax by the arm. "Jasper, who’s that woman over there?"

Josie pointed to a dark-haired, striking woman who was having what appeared to be an animated conversation with Harlan Barrett. They were on the stage, but at the far edge. "I don’t know, Grandma," Jax answered in a tight voice, "but it looks like I should find out." He pushed Brenda back with Josie. "You stay here with Grandma until I find out what’s going on."

Josie held Brenda by the arm as Jax walked briskly over to the couple, who appeared to be arguing. "Harlan?" Jax came up behind him so quietly that it made the older man jump. "Who is this beautiful woman and why have you been keeping her to yourself all......." Jax stopped short as the woman looked at him and he saw her dark eyes. "Oh....my.....God....." Jax whispered.

Harlan gave a quick nod. "Jax, may I present Brenda’s mother -- Veronica Wilding Barrett."

Veronica gave Jax a flirtatious smile. "Just Wilding these days, my dear. I haven’t gone by that awful surname in years." She extended a hand to Jax, obviously expecting a kiss on the knuckles instead of a handshake. "I must say, my Brenda certainly has done well for herself in the husband department." She gave Harlan an angry look. "Too bad I can’t say the same for myself."

"I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Wilding," Jax replied in a conciliatory tone. "Now, why don’t we all adjourn to the other room where we can have an a more private family reunion." He leaned closer to Veronica, trying to keep hold of her hand. "You know how inquisitive these reporters can be."

But Veronica held back. "Oh, no, Jax, I think I want to stay right here, thank you very much." She pulled him closer, linking her arm through his. "But before I meet Brenda, I think I’d like to meet that handsome young man over there who was just talking to her."

Harlan’s face paled as Veronica indicated James. "Him? Oh, Veronica, he’s nothing. He’s just some hotshot security expert that Jax hired during the campaign to protect the family."

"Harlan, Harlan..." Veronica shook her head as she clucked her tongue in disapproval. "You would think that after all these years of practice, you would have gotten better at lying than that." She suddenly let go of Jax’s arm and pushed past both he and Harlan. "I want to meet that young man and nobody’s going to stop me."

As Veronica went flying towards James, Jax pulled Harlan by the arm. "She’s AWOL from the sanitarium, Harlan! You go call the police while I try to keep her away from everyone else."

Harlan nodded quickly but then caught Jax’s arm. "Jax -- be careful. She’s guarding that purse of hers like gold, and I’m afraid of what she might have in it." Jax gave Harlan a grim look, but then the two men went their separate ways.

Jax had just about caught up to Veronica when he saw Brenda moving towards James and his heart nearly stopped. He tried to send a high sign to Josie to pull Brenda back, but it was too late. Brenda had just come up to James when Veronica approached them. "Excuse me, but aren’t you James Delvecchio?" Veronica asked with a saccharine smile.

James turned at the sound of her voice and smiled at her, totally unaware of what was going on. "Yes, I am. Can I help you?"

Just at that moment, Brenda came up and touched James on the shoulder. "James? Could you come over……." She stopped when she realized that the woman had spoken to James first. "Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize that James had already……"

As Brenda’s eyes met Veronica’s, something touched the maternal instinct in Veronica, no matter how deeply it was buried. Tears gathered in her eyes and as Brenda watched, her face grew very pale. "Oh….my God," Brenda breathed. James looked back and forth between the two, his face growing chalky when the facts became clear. Brenda put her fingers to her lips. "Momma?"

Veronica’s lips trembled also but she didn’t attempt to take Brenda into her arms. "Oh, my beautiful little Brenda…..you’re all grown up now, aren’t you?"

Brenda gave Jax a confused look as he came up behind Veronica. "Jax? Is this really my mother?"

Veronica whirled when she realized Jax had come up behind her. She clutched her purse more tightly and moved to the side so that Jax was no longer out of her vision. "Yes, sweetie," Jax said cautiously, "this is your mother, Veronica."

"But I thought….." Brenda wiped at tears in her eyes as Jax came to take her in his arms protectively. She turned to Veronica. "They told me you were someplace in Louisiana….in a hospital."

Veronica quickly wiped at her own tears but then gripped her purse resolutely. "I was, Brenda, but I came here because I knew that you needed me." She gave James a suddenly icy stare. "You need me to protect you from HIM."

Brenda looked back and forth between James and her mother. "But momma…..he’s not…..I….." Brenda swallowed hard. "Momma, this is my brother, James. He’s not going to hurt me."

"Yes, he is, Brenda," Veronica argued, her eyes growing wild. "He’ll hurt you just like Harlan hurt me. He’s no good, Brenda."

James held up a hand, trying to calm Veronica. "Now look, Mrs. Barrett…"

"NOT MRS. BARRETT!!!" Veronica’s shriek carried throughout the ballroom and it fell silent. "That last name didn’t mean anything when I was married to Harlan, and it doesn’t mean anything now! It didn’t stop him from going out and having sex with every floozy in the state of New York!" Veronica’s face was twisted with rage and Jax held Brenda closer in his arms. "I won’t have you going through that humiliation, Brenda. You won’t have to suffer like I did. You won’t have to face *him* and be reminded of all of the times your father shamed you by jumping from bed to bed!"

Veronica’s hands were visibly trembling when James reached out to her, but just as quickly, she opened her purse and pulled out a small handgun. "Let me help you, Brenda!" Veronica pointed the gun at James as screams filled the ballroom. "I’m your mother – that’s what mothers are for, you know!"

James put up both hands, trying to soothe Veronica, as many of the other people in the ballroom headed for the exits. "Now, Ms. Wilding, try to calm down. Shooting me isn’t going to help anything….."

"No – it won’t be as good as shooting your trampy mother," Veronica hissed, "but she had to go and die before I could get to her. So at least if you’re gone, Brenda will be saved *some* of the embarrassment I felt!" The gun began to waver in the air as Veronica released the safety.

Brenda struggled in earnest as Jax held her. "No, momma! You can’t! You’ll go to jail, and I’ll lose you again!"

Tears shone in Veronica’s eyes. "I know, baby, but it’ll be worth it. At least I’ll know that you can hold your head high when you walk down the streets." She focused on James again. "At least I’ll know that the last evidence of Harlan’s affairs is gone!"

As Veronica’s finger tightened on the trigger, Brenda screamed her brother’s name and jabbed an elbow into Jax’s middle, stamping on his foot at the same time. In a split second, Jax released his hold on Brenda and just as Veronica squeezed the trigger and fired, Brenda threw herself in front of James.

There were screams and shouts throughout the ballroom. The echo of the shot still sounded as policemen and paramedics rushed in, followed closely by Harlan Barrett. When they got to the corner where Veronica had been standing, they found her on the floor. Jax had her pinned there, holding her hand with the smoking pistol away from the rest of her body. The police swamped them and when Jax finally released Veronica, he turned around to find paramedics surrounding his wife and her brother.

"BRENDA!" Jax pushed everyone aside to find James cradling Brenda in his lap. A large red stain marked her right shoulder and James had tears running down his face. "Brenda!" Jax dropped to his knees, looking at James in terror. "Is she alive?"

James nodded quickly as Brenda’s eyes fluttered open. She gently stroked the side of James’s face. "You didn’t think I was going to let my big brother get away from me that easily, did you?"

James’s laugh came out as a half-sob. "I guess you won’t let me live this one down for a while, will you?"

Brenda grimaced as the paramedics pressed sterile gauze to her shoulder. "Hmmmm….let’s see. I save your life and get shot in the process?" She shook her head as Jax smiled grimly in relief. "Nope. I’d say you’re doomed to my "Jacks Family Christmas Letter" for at least the next thirty years."

As Jax moved to be closer to his wife, Brenda looked up at him. "Sorry about stomping on your foot, honey, but ….sometimes?" Brenda crooked her finger at him and he leaned closer. "….You can be a little stubborn, you know."

Jax laughed as the paramedics wheeled a stretcher next to Brenda. "Everything I know, sweetie, I learned from you."

Josephine Ellen Jacks was *not* a happy little girl. "Will we get to eat the cake soon, mommy --- pleeeeeeeeeease?"

Brenda desperately tried to smile at her whining daughter. "Just as soon as Grandpa and Katherine cut it, darling." She petted Jo’s dark, curly hair and the toddler lay her head in her mother’s lap impatiently.

"Do you want me to take her for a walk downstairs to look at the skaters again?" Jax asked. He came up behind her and gave her left shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "You know she’ll want to start climbing into your lap soon, and that’s not good for your arm." He glanced across the room, where John Jacks was chasing Jaz across the ballroom floor.

Brenda sighed and shifted her right arm in the sling that she had worn ever since the night of Jax’s campaign victory. "No, she’ll be OK. Daddy and Katherine should be finished with the pictures soon and then I’m sure they’ll get around to cutting the cake."

Jax pulled a chair over behind her as Brenda continued to pet her daughter’s hair. "Who would think that a simple little shooting would be enough to motivate Harlan and Katherine to finally tie the knot?" He snickered cynically. "You would almost think that Harlan was getting soft in his old age."

"Daddy?" Brenda gasped in mock horror. "Not a chance." Brenda motioned for Jax to come closer. "But I have to confess that I’ve been having nightmares about daddy and Katherine’s sudden nuptials."

"Like what?" Jax came around and scooped his petulant daughter into his arms, swinging her through the air as he did.

"Like -- what would I say if daddy came to me and told me he and Katherine *HAD* to get married?"

Jax was still smiling. "Had to?" Then, his face dropped. "Oh, you mean......you mean HAD to????!!!"

Brenda nodded. "Yep. Not a pretty thought, is it?"

Just then James came up to the group, wrestling Jo away from her daddy. "What’s not a pretty thought?"

Jax sat down in a chair next to Brenda since his daughter was trying to tickle her new uncle. "What’s not a pretty thought? Having Mikey Cartwright as a potential son-in-law, now THAT’S what’s not a pretty thought."

James looked back and forth between Jo and Jax. "OK -- I’m missing something here. Who’s Mikey Cartwright?"

"Jo went for an introductory day at mini-school last week," Brenda explained as James leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Mikey is one of the little boys in her class."

"So? Why would Jax consider him to be a potential son-in-law?"

"Mikey followed me around the whole day," Jo explained, jumping into the conversation eagerly. She had had her fill of grown-up conversation for the day and was glad somebody finally had decided to talk about *her* world. "We shared crayons, and then we swang on the same swings, and at nap time, he put his mat next to mine."

Brenda stifled a giggle. "Oops -- definitely getting into touchy territory with that one, huh, dad?" James smiled at Jax’s protective scowl.

"If that boy touches anything more than my daughter’s crayons, he’d better have a good explanation ready," Jax growled.

"But Mikey was nice. He didn’t hit me or spit in my koolaid or anything," Jo argued.

"Yeah – I always hate it when the other bad spies spit in my koolaid," James said seriously.

"Oh, yeah -- a perfect gentleman," Jax mocked. "Tell your Uncle James what *else* Mikey did, munchkin."

"It wasn’t that bad, daddy -- a lot of the boys do it," Jo said defensively. Jax raised an eyebrow at her, and finally she turned sadly to James. "He picks his scabs."

James grimaced as Brenda began to laugh heartily. "I don’t exactly think Miss Manners would approve of that one, Joey."

"But at least he’s not like Billy Wentworth," Jo returned with defiance. "Billy Wentworth eats *his* boogers."

Jax began to sputter as Brenda turned away, her face becoming quite red. "Well, I can see that your daddy will have his hands full with this crop of upcoming suitors, Miss Joey," James said as he rose to his feet. "Why don’t you and I go and see if there’s any cake ready to be eaten yet?"

"YEAH! CAKE!!!" Jo jumped up and down in excitement as James grabbed her hand. He gave Brenda a loving wink as he took her towards the three-tier white cake where Harlan and Katherine were posing for the photographer.

"You must be getting pretty tired." Jax wrapped his arms around Brenda’s waist as he moved his chair closer to hers. "You haven’t been up and around this much since the shooting."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world," Brenda replied. She looked over towards her father and his new wife. "They look happy, don’t they, Jax?"

"Almost as happy as we are, my love," he replied. He leaned in to give her a passionate kiss but they were interrupted by the loud clearing of throats.

"OK -- that’s enough of the nookie in public, kids," Lea said happily. "Besides, Josie and I came over to tell you about another cause for celebration." As she finished her statement, Kimberly popped up from behind the two smiling women.

"Kimberly!" Brenda tried her best to sound happy to see the political expert. They had been spared Kimberly’s presence ever since Jax had won the election. "I haven’t seen you for a while. Are you all settled into your apartment in Port Charles, now?"

Kimberly clasped her hands and looked as though she was about to burst with excitement. "Well, actually, I haven’t settled into Port Charles. That’s what Lea here meant by another celebration."

"Really?" Jax raised one eyebrow at Lea, who gave him a "who, me?" look. He reached over and pulled some chairs closer to theirs. "Why don’t you all sit down and fill us in?"

Kimberly perched on the edge of the closest chair as Jax kept a proprietary arm around Brenda. "Well, right after Jasper won the election, I was getting ready to take that job offer from the Port Charles television station -- as political consultant, you know? And then I got this frantic call from Lea......well, to cut to the heart of the matter......" Kimberly beamed at Lea and Josie before turning back to Jax and Brenda. "......I’ve received an appointment from the State Department!"

Brenda gasped audibly. "The State Department?"

Kimberly nodded. "It seems that one of our current ambassadors was taken quite ill and was unable to complete his assignment, so ....." She clasped her hands again and her breasts went up and down as she panted out the words. "......I’ve been appointed as our newest ambassador to Alfnufistan."

"Who?" Brenda and Jax’s faces fell and they said the word in unison.

"I know, I know," Kimberly replied coyly. "I didn’t know where it was when they told me, either, but it turns out it’s this little country on the Arabian peninsula that has about 100 oil wells per square mile."

"Sounds like a very important position," Jax said cautiously, glancing at Josie. His grandmother, meanwhile, had begun humming in a quiet voice and looking around at everything in the room *except* her grandson.

"Oh, it *is*," Kimberly gushed, rising from her chair. "And since the current ambassador is so ill, I need to get over there right away and get busy taking his place."

Brenda frowned. "But don’t those kind of appointments have to be approved by the Congress or something?" As she voiced the question, Lea began humming the same tune as Josie and looking at the same things in all corners of the room.

"I thought so, but apparently my confirmation just *flew* through Congress!" Kimberly squealed. "Can you imagine that?" She pranced over to Jax and landed a kiss on his cheek. "So, I’m sorry Jasper, but you’re just going to have to get through the next four years of your term without me." She leaned forward to kiss the air near Brenda’s right shoulder gently. "I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you, Brenda. I hope you feel better soon."

Brenda nodded vaguely but before she could say a word, the buxom blonde was off across the room, teetering on three-inch heels and blowing kisses at all the men she could see. Jax turned back to Josie and Lea, who were giggling uncontrollably. "OK, you two. Spill your guts."

"H*ll’s bells, Jasper!" Josie scolded. "Is that any way to talk to your sweet, innocent, frail old grandmother?"

"You’re about as frail and innocent as a T-Rex with a toothache, Grandma," Jax replied, folding his arms. "So -- what’s the REAL story about Kimmy’s appointment?" His eyes widened. "Didn’t you used to know somebody in the State Department when you and Grandpa Jasper lived in DC?"

"Now, Jasper," Josie drawled, "just because your grandfather used to shoot pool with Secretary Monahan’s grandpa, there’s no reason to think I would call the dear boy and ask him for a favor……for old times’ sake…..in the name of his deeeeear departed grandmother……"

Jax leaned confidentially towards Brenda. "You know, she’s got that guilt thing down better than Mum."

"That’s because she’s a grandmother, dear," Brenda replied matter-of-factly. "It’s like fine wine – it ripens with age."

Josie pouted. "Well, the ambassador *was* taken ill, and he *did* need a replacement PDQ." She folded her arms. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right name, that’s all."

"And the quick approval by Congress?" Jax turned to Lea and gave her a "OK, now it’s YOUR turn to spill" look.

Lea twiddled her fingers. "Well, if I just *happen* to have a few old contacts roaming those sacred halls……and if my best friend Prim just *happens* to be the Senator who heads up the approval committee….is that such a crime?"

Jax’s gaze bounced between the two conspirators. "Why do I get the feeling there’s more to this than I’m hearing?"

Brenda joined Jax’s frown. "I know we disliked Kimberly." Josie and Lea gave her a look, and she corrected herself. "OK, so we couldn’t stand her guts. But why send her halfway around the world?"

Lea leaned toward Josie. "I guess we didn’t tell them about the sheik."

"What sheik?" Jax’s voice was strained.

"Sheik Benrabi al Ganseer," Lea replied, "the man who *owns* most of those oil wells in Alfnufistan."

"And I take it that it’s important to keep the sheik happy in order to maintain our good relations with the country?"

Lea nodded. "It’s critical if we want to keep getting most of his oil at a ridiculously low price." She looked at Jax, who motioned with his hand that she should go on with the rest of the story.

Lea turned to Josie, who cleared her throat guiltily. "I guess we forgot to mention that the sheik is kinda short, huh?"

"Yeah, grandma." The corners of Jax’s mouth started to turn up. "What else did you forget to tell us about this prince of the desert?"

"Maybe we forgot to tell you that he weighs about 300 pounds?" Lea was beginning to giggle as she enlightened them.

"And that he’s bald as a billiard ball?" Josie was snickering full tilt.

Lea poked Josie in the ribs. "And best of all – he’s about as h*rny as a billy goat in season!"

Josie gave Lea an appreciative look. "Good one, Gov! And very descriptive, considering his facial hair!"

Jax and Brenda were both shaking their heads at the conspirators as James and Jo came back with cake for all of them. "You two are too much, do you know that?" Jax asked, making room for all of them to sit at one table. Jo climbed into Lea’s lap and Josie pinched James’s cheek as John and Jane joined them with their grandson, now affectionately known as "the hairless terror." Harlan and Katherine moved into the center of the dance floor as the band began to play softly.

While everyone else was enjoying their cake and Harlan and Katherine were dancing, Brenda leaned closer to Jax and sighed. "I don’t know, Jax. It’s been a rough six months. How will we ever make it through the next six?"

He gave her a quick kiss. "Oh, I don’t know, Mrs. Jacks. I have a feeling we’ll muddle through somehow." The band changed songs and his face lit. "Would you care to dance with me?"

Brenda looked down at her sling. "Even with a bum wing?"

He rose from the table and extended his hand gracefully. "Always, my love." Brenda smiled, rose from her chair, and the two went to the center of the dance floor as the female singer with the band intoned a new song.

Brenda ran a hand lovingly down Jax’s chest. "You know, there were so many times in the last six months when I thought I was losing you – one way or another."

Jax sighed and smiled. "Don’t you know – you’ll never lose me, my love." He lightly tapped her forehead. "Not as long as you’ve got me here." Then he tapped her heart. "And here."

Brenda leaned in closer to Jax. "You’re always in my heart, Jax. Forever. I’ll never let you out."

"And you’re always in mine, Brenda." He gave her the lightest of kisses. "Forever."

Music credits: "Open a New Window" from the Broadway musical, "Mame," music and lyrics by Jerry Herman.

"They Can’t Take That Away From Me," by George and Ira Gershwin.

The End

I would be remiss to end this story without thanking a few very special angels for their help ---

Annie L, for her wonderful assistance with details on various locations in Albany;

Arleen, for her faithful feedback on all my stories and for suggesting Kimberly’s ultimate "reward";

And my angel big sis, "Governor" Lea, for her constant support, willingness to listen when I need to rant, and constructive suggestions when I hit a "block."