A lone, hooded figure scurried down the stone path towards the boat jetty. Diminutive in stature and obviously secretive in intent, it paused at the edge of the dock. An owl and several mice were the only creatures to witness the figure look longingly at the distant shore. When the low, hushed drone of a boat engine broke the night’s stillness, the figure visibly shivered with anticipation.

A few moments later, a small motorboat gingerly eased into position at the side of the dock. The figure waited until a line was thrown to steady the craft and then rushed towards it, the dark cloak flapping in the early December breeze. Startled from its perch in a snow-tipped pine tree, the owl fluttering overhead became privy to the cloaked figure’s exclamation.

"You’re late!!"

A man emerged from the shadows on the boat, lifting a hand to the figure. "My apologies, darling. I couldn’t get away any sooner."

"I was almost afraid you weren’t going to make it." As soon as the figure gained steady footing on the boat’s deck, the hood of the cloak fell back to reveal jet black curls. "Any longer and we would have had to postpone our plans. My husband will suspect ……"

"Don’t even *think* such a thing, my sweet," the man replied in a husky voice. He pulled the cloaked figure against him, burying his face just beneath the delicate shell of her ear. "I would have moved heaven and earth to be with you tonight, Miranda."

She pulled back to stare into his eyes, her own doe-brown ones twinkling with fierce desire. "Then what are we waiting for?"

His teeth sparkled like diamonds in the darkness. "What indeed?"

She clung to his side as he quickly untied the line anchoring the craft to the dock. The motor grumbled, then sputtered to life, and the boat putted slowly away from the jetty. The man and woman embraced, becoming one shadowy figure as their barge faded towards the beckoning opposite shore.

The owl circled the moonlit lake twice, then floated back to earth and settled back into its perch in the pine tree. Suddenly, its feathers ruffled and its eyes widened – the consequences of a woman’s stifled scream that drifted back across the water from the disappearing motorboat.

Settling back into position, the owl serenely watched the forest floor, waiting for prey. Obviously one predator had already found his.

"That’s seventy-five thousand, ladies and gentlemen……." The auctioneer smiled engagingly at the formidable group of bidders sitting in the small salon. "I have a current bid of seventy-five thousand dollars for this lovely example of gemstone perfection."

When he lifted his hand to display the object of the group’s attentions, an audible gasp went up. "Yes, it’s quite breathtaking, isn’t it?" the auctioneer asked rhetorically, turning the ruby slowly from side to side. "One seldom sees a piece of corundum this large – or this perfect." He set the egg-sized ruby down again on the front of the podium. "I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it would be an *insult* to gem owners everywhere to let it go for a paltry seventy-five thousand….."

"One hundred thousand!!" a voice called from the back of the room.

A petite woman seated on the aisle tried to hide her disgust. {The heck with gem owners everywhere! I’ve only got two hundred thousand to spend, and I’ve GOT to have that ruby!!} She pushed her dark glasses farther up on the bridge of her nose, pulled the scarf more securely around her face, and then smiled winsomely at the auctioneer as she raised her paddle.

"EXCELLENT! One hundred and twenty five thousand!" he called, pointing at the woman with a broad grin. "NOW we’re getting closer to the right neighborhood, ladies and gentlemen!" He looked towards the back of the room. "Do I hear one fifty?"

The petite woman’s heart sank when the man nodded. "One hundred fifty thousand!!" The auctioneer tugged at his waistcoat prissily and shifted his glance to the woman. "Do I hear one seventy five?"

{I can’t take much more of this. I need to get what I came for and get out before anyone recognizes me.} The woman shifted anxiously on her seat, then raised her paddle. "Two hundred thousand dollars," she announced in a firm voice.

A ripple of whispers ran through the room. "I have a bid of two hundred thousand dollars for the Scarpetti Ruby, ladies and gentlemen," the auctioneer preened. He arched an eyebrow at the bidder in the back of the room. "Anyone else?" The woman held her breath, finally exhaling slowly in relief when she turned and saw her competitor shake his head in denial.

"That’s two hundred thousand dollars………going once………going twice……." The woman felt like throttling the auctioneer as he drew out the suspense. Although the Scarpetti Ruby *was* a lovely piece, it certainly wasn’t the most valuable chunk of glitter on the auction block that night. And the woman would have bet her last penny that nobody else in that room had as much of an emotional stake in the results of the bidding as she did. Even though she had remained incognito for more than six agonizing years, the possible impact this particular gemstone could have on those dearest to her made the agony worthwhile.

"Two hundred thousand…….."

The woman’s heart fluttered with relief as the auctioneer raised his gavel. And then……

"Three hundred fifty thousand."

The words that pierced the woman’s heart and shattered her dreams came from the side of the room. She swiveled, along with everyone else there, to see who could have been so cruel as to wait until the last minute to put in such an outrageous bid. The bidder was a slight man, clad unpretentiously in a tan trench coat and dark fedora. He clutched a cell phone tightly in his hand – a dead giveaway that he was placing the bid for a third party. A mysterious party with deeper pockets and greater ability to rob the woman of her dream.

"I have a bid of three hundred fifty thousand!" the auctioneer crowed. "Going once, going twice……" He only hesitated for a second, glancing in the woman’s direction for confirmation that she didn’t wish to bid again. The droop of her head was all the reply he needed. "SOLD!" he exulted, handing the ruby to a guard at his right, "for three hundred fifty thousand dollars!"

A ripple of murmurs traveled the room as the auctioneer handed the Scarpetti ruby off to a security guard. When the woman turned to look again at the victorious bidder, though, the mysterious little man in the trench coat was no longer in the room.

Never skipping a beat, the auctioneer gaveled the room into order again and presented the next gemstone for the audience’s consideration. But as he glanced at the assembled bidders, he immediately noticed that two were gone. The mysterious man in the trench coat – and the equally mysterious, beautiful woman in the scarf and dark glasses.

The man in the trench coat was just putting his hand on the glass door to leave the building when he heard someone rapidly approaching from behind. "Excuse me…….." The woman reached out for him, patting her chest with the other graceful hand. "PLEASE! I need to speak with you!"

The man looked around awkwardly. He couldn’t believe that it was possible that such a beautiful woman – even in disguise – could possibly be interested in him. "I’m sorry, miss, but there must be some mistake….."

"No, there’s NO mistake. I need……." When she removed her dark glasses, the man was startled to see tears glistening in her chocolate brown eyes. "I need you to sell me the Scarpetti ruby."

He felt an awkward tugging at his heartstrings. "I’m sorry, miss, but I really don’t ……."

"I know…..I know!" The woman interrupted the man before he could finish his refusal. "Your bid was a lot higher than mine, but I’m willing to match it…….

"Miss……"

"…….or at least TRY to raise the money somehow….."

"YOUNG LADY!" The man’s sharply spoken words echoed in the marbled foyer of the auction house. He looked around in embarrassment, then pulled her closer to speak more confidentially. "*I* would sell you the Scarpetti in a heartbeat, but the ruby isn’t mine to sell!" When she tipped her head to the side in question, he confirmed her suspicions. "I was merely placing the bid for a third party!"

Her eyes widened briefly, then firmed with resolution. "Then I’ll just purchase the ruby from him…….or her." She placed her sunglasses back on her face. "Who were you representing?"

The man pressed his lips together awkwardly. "I’m afraid I don’t know."

"You don’t know?" Raven eyebrows rose above the rims of the glasses. "But that’s *impossible*! Surely you’re not doing this out of the goodness of your heart!"

He shuffled his feet. "Well, no……"

"Then you have some idea who’ll be paying you a commission or something……. a fee for your services."

"I’m sorry, young lady, but that still won’t help." The man shook his head grimly. "I have to admit, I’ve handled several of these transactions before, but this is the *first* time I’ve ever been paid in advance."

An eerie chill ran down the woman’s spine.

The sound of the man’s voice brought her out of her flashback. "I’m really sorry I can’t be of more assistance, miss." He turned to go, then suddenly stopped and faced her again. "I don’t know if this will be of any help to you, but it’s my understanding that the person who bought the Scarpetti had some special fondness for rubies. Something about them being very appropriate for a certain eye color, if you can imagine such a thing."

The woman fought back tears that threatened to flow afresh. "Oh, I can *definitely* imagine it," she sighed. After tipping his fedora to her once more and bowing slightly at the waist, the man disappeared through the stately glass doors of the auction house. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to gather her wits.

{Well, the time’s finally come. You don’t have a choice anymore. You have to go back and face the only man who ever made you happy.} She brushed at tears that ran freely down her cheeks. {But after you’ve been gone all this time, how will you ever manage it? And once you do…….how will you be able to leave him again?}

A faint knock sounded at the door moments before it slid open. "I’m so sorry to disturb you, Mister Jacks……"

The blonde-haired man sitting at a huge mahogany desk looked up. "That’s all right, Charles," he sighed, shaking his head before massaging the corners of his eyes with his fingertips. "These numbers are all starting to sound like gibberish to me anyway." He leaned back in his desk chair, smiling ever so faintly as the man approached the desk. "What’s up?" Suddenly, his eyes widened with inspiration and he sat forward. "Has there been some word from Commissioner Scorpio?"

"I’m afraid not, sir," Charles demurred, casting his eyes downward. It was becoming more and more difficult to deliver the bleak news to a man so full of hope. "No one has seen or heard from Mrs. Jacks since the night she disappeared."

Jax folded his hands beneath his chin, resting his elbows on the desk as he stared into space beyond Charles. "She probably just left me a note and I haven’t found it yet," he murmured firmly. "Miranda would never have left the island without telling me…."

"I’m sure that’s it, Mr. Jacks," Charles nodded, trying his best to sound encouraging. "The staff will begin moving some of the furniture tomorrow in the event that the note was possibly blown beneath a chair….." As his words trailed off into silence, Charles knew that his employer realized that the likelihood of finding a note was slim to none. The angst in Jax’s eyes betrayed the disturbing thoughts that had invaded his consciousness more and more often lately. "But on the *bright* side, sir," Charles announced in a more lively tone, "a messenger just arrived from the city with this package for you." He handed his employer a small rectangular box. "I believe it’s the delivery you’ve been waiting for."

"The Scarpetti……." The weariness immediately disappeared from Jax’s face. He sat up in his chair, eagerly taking the box from Charles. His fingers trembled slightly as he made quick work of the packing tape and bubble wrap that protected the precious gem. Inhaling deeply, Jax flipped open the lid of the black velvet box, then slowly lifted the ruby to eye level, staring at it intently.

"It’s quite exquisite, sir," Charles breathed reverently.

"It’s MORE than exquisite, Charles," Jax whispered. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes as he turned the gem back and forth in the dim light. "It’s perfect……..just like her……."

Recognizing the tone in his employer’s voice, Charles discreetly backed away from Jax’s desk. Just as he turned to leave the room, the blonde man set the ruby down, rose, and walked to one of the windows looking out on the city lights twinkling on the far shore.

"It was always perfect………right from the beginning…….almost like make believe……."

The sound of the icy tree branches tapping against his window brought Jax back to reality. He sighed loudly, ruffled his short hair again with his fingers, and then turned towards a darkened corner of his office. The corners of his mouth lifted in a slight smile.

Jaxbot. His pinball machine. As he strolled over to it slowly, the incongruity of the noisy clattertrap in the old castle that was the Jacks family home still amused him. Even though he tried to leave everything behind in California – including anything that reminded him of Brenda – he couldn’t leave his favorite mechanical vice.

He hesitated in front of it for a few seconds, then reached down with an impish grin and pulled the knob. The machine immediately lit up, a maze of whirling bright lights and piercing whistles. Jax slapped the side a few times, his concentration intense as he manipulated the ball among the bumpers. A counter on the front panel twirled madly, striving to keep up with the points as he scored them. Suddenly, as the ball funneled down into the bowels of the machine, it purred loudly, followed by an electronic announcement, "Jaxbot!!"

"I’d say that was an omen – wouldn’t you?"

Jax froze in place. He gripped the sides of the machine so tightly that his knuckles turned white. After swallowing hard and taking a deep breath, he slowly turned towards the door to the study, only to feel the earth open beneath him and his knees turn to jello.

"Is that……." He reached out a hand towards the smiling apparition. "Are you real?"

She smiled, a melancholy angel. "Last time I checked."

Jax walked slowly over to the only woman he had ever loved. By the time he came to stand before her, his chest was heaving as though he had run the marathon. He gingerly reached out to touch her cheek, almost as if he was afraid she would disappear at the contact. "If this is a dream," he whispered, tears forming in his eyes, "I never want to wake up."

Brenda lifted her hand to cup his, rubbing both against her face lovingly. "So are you just gonna stand there……." When her fingers trembled, he was surprised to see the depth of sadness still lurking behind her eyes. "…..stealing my lines?"

Jax stepped closer to her, his face still ashen with disbelief. He cupped her face with trembling hands, then finally lowered his lips to hers, gently at first, pressing close, fitting together perfectly as they always had. When she moaned softly deep in her throat, opening her mouth to him, the kiss turned hot and tender. He accepted her invitation, swirling his tongue into her mouth, inviting her to dance with him in the oldest expression of man and woman.

Just as she thought her body was going to explode with wanting him, Jax broke the kiss and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Brenda……, oh, God, BRENDA!!" She felt the wetness of his tears against her scalp. "I thought…….."

"I know, Jax…….." She fought back tears of her own, not just at the aching sweetness of their reunion, but at the knowledge of what she knew would follow.

He pulled away from her, staring deeply into her eyes. "I don’t understand……" Jax quickly brushed the tears off his cheeks, then cupped her face again in his hands. "I searched EVERYWHERE for you!"

Brenda turned slightly, pressing a kiss into his palm. "I know you did, Jax….."

"But then where……..how…….." Jax hiccuped, his breath catching in his chest before he suddenly pulled her into a bear hug again. "It doesn’t matter…….it doesn’t matter!" he crooned, stroking her hair as he held her tightly against his body. "All that matters is that you’re back with me now……."

An arrow of pain stabbed Brenda’s heart. "Jax," she whispered, her face pressed against his chest, "we need to talk….."

"And we WILL talk, my darling," he echoed, his voice rising in elation, "for hours, and days, and YEARS together!" He broke the embrace again, gripping her shoulders as his eyes searched every centimeter of her face. "But right now, I just want to LOOK at you!" She dropped her gaze shyly, then was forced to look into the aquamarine heaven of his eyes when he put his knuckle to her chin to lift it. "Are you…….OK?"

"I’m fine Jax……"

He nodded slowly, his eyes betraying the thoughts that swirled behind them. "But how could you have survived……..after the crash……for all this time……." A half-frown, half-grin wrinkled his brow. "Did you have amnesia?"

"No, Jax." Brenda felt the first flutters of panic. The conversation she had been seeing in her nightmares for six years was becoming a reality. "I told you – I’m FINE."

He shook his head again in confusion. "But then why……"

The ringing of the telephone on his desk made them both jump. Jax glanced back over his shoulder at it, then returned his gaze to Brenda’s face. "Let it ring," he commanded sternly.

In six years’ time, she had come up with nearly every stalling tactic in the book when imagining this conversation. She couldn’t let this one pass. "But it might be important, Jax," she murmured, peering around him towards the desk.

His one eye crinkled with thought, then he let out a long breath. "You’re right," Jax chuckled, leaning down to give her one more quick kiss before turning and sprinting towards the phone. "And like I said before, we’ve got the rest of our lives to talk……"

He briskly picked up the phone, smiling at her once more before muttering those words she had heard so many times in her dreams for all those years – "Jax, here……"

Brenda didn’t pay much attention to the telephone conversation. Once she glanced at Jax’s desk and saw the Scarpetti glittering at her like a homing beacon, the rest of the room seemed to fade into darkness. She walked slowly towards it, stopped at the front of his desk, and then reached out for it, her hand trembling with anticipation. Just as she was about to wrap her fingers around the ruby, Jax hung up the receiver.

She jumped, pulling her hand back as if burned. "I thought you’d like it…….." When she looked up into his face, Jax nodded at the ruby, his smile almost as broad as the night she’d agreed to marry him.

"Like it?" Brenda tried to contain her panicked jubilation. "How could I NOT?" She shrugged her shoulders, then reached out to pick up the ruby, praying it wouldn’t slip through her quivering fingers. "The legend of the Scarpetti ruby has been in my mother’s family for generations!"

"That’s why I bought it." When Jax slipped the ruby from her hands to his, Brenda fought back a sob of desperate frustration. "After you……." His voice caught and he looked away briefly as he choked back tears. "Everyone kept telling me to try to move on …. to put the past behind me," he explained, regaining his composure as he stared into the depths of the stone. "When mum needed me back here, leaving California seemed like a healthy thing to do." He raised tear-filled eyes to meet hers. "But I never forgot you, Brenda…….." Jax pressed his lips together and took a shaky breath. "And then when I saw that the Scarpetti was coming up for auction, it only seemed right that I should buy it. I bought the ruby for you, love," he breathed reverently, "and now we have the rest of our lives to share it …… together!"

The pain in her chest was almost unbearable. "Jax……" She reached out to gently touch the ruby again, almost breaking down when he handed it to her with boundless devotion in his eyes. "I don’t know what to say……"

"Then don’t say anything!" He blinked back his tears, suddenly laughing aloud as he came around the desk. "Let’s just go upstairs ……" Jax gripped her forearms tightly, elation gleaming in his crystal blue eyes. "I’ll have Charles bring us up something to eat and we’ll talk…….."

"Jax…….." The surprise she saw on his face when she pulled out of his embrace squeezed the last air out of her lungs. "I can’t……."

He shook his head, then smiled again tremulously. "Of course…….how stupid of me!" Jax rubbed his face briskly with his hands as though to clear the cobwebs from his brain. "You probably need to go back and get your things from somewhere…… a hotel or something….." He held up a finger and ran back around to behind his desk. "Just let me close up some files and shut down my computer and I’ll come with you….."

"NO, Jax!" The force of Brenda’s exclamation made him freeze, his hands dangling awkwardly in mid-air. She backed towards the door of the study, holding the ruby tightly in both hands in front of her. "Jax, I only came back here tonight to get the Scarpetti ruby. I need to leave."

"Nooooo……." His blonde eyebrows drew together in a frown. "You *can’t* leave…….." Jax’s voice rose several notches. "You just came back to me!"

Her worst nightmare was coming true. "Jax," she whispered tearfully, holding out a hand towards him in entreaty, "I know this is hard for you to understand, but I HAVE to have this ruby!" He shook his head again, his chest heaving with a silent sob as new tears ran down his cheeks. "I tried to buy the Scarpetti at Sotheby’s, but your man outbid me….."

"Brenda……." Jax slapped his hand down on the desk, then looked up with sudden inspiration. "Is this some kind of hostage demand? Is that why you need the ruby?" He came around the desk, reaching out to her even as she backed further towards the door. "Is someone threatening to do something terrible to you if you don’t get back with the ruby?"

"Jax, I just………I can’t say…….." Brenda felt the doorknob against the small of her back. "It’s just too complicated!"

She jumped when he abruptly reached out and snatched the ruby from her hands. "Then if you can’t tell me why you need it or what the H*LL have been going on," Jax hissed, aggrieved fury in his eyes, "you can’t HAVE it!!"

"Jax, NO!" Brenda’s voice choked with sobs as she followed him back towards the center of the room. "If ……. if it’s the money, I’ll be glad to pay you for the Scarpetti!"

"It’s not the money, and you D*MN well know it, Brenda!" Jax wailed, shoving the ruby into the pocket of his maroon velvet smoking jacket. "I’d give it to you in a heartbeat……if you’d just tell me the truth!" He raked his hair with his fingers again. "Where have you been all this time?" Raw pain throbbed in his voice. "If you weren’t hurt or didn’t have amnesia, why didn’t you come back to me?"

"Jax……"

A soft knocking at the door of the study made them both jump. The door opened slightly and Charles put his head inside. "I’m sorry to interrupt you, Mister Jacks……"

"Whatever it is, Charles, make it go AWAY!" Jax snarled, walking to stand behind his desk.

"Mr. Jacks……"

"Not NOW, Charles!!"

"Mr. Jacks……." Charles’s voice was firm, almost maternal in tone. "Mr. Tsevis is here."

Color drained from Jax’s face. "Here? Now?" He swallowed hard. "I thought he wasn’t due in the States until sometime next week!"

"Apparently Mr. Tsevis’s last case wrapped up more quickly than he anticipated, sir," Charles explained quietly. "So he decided to spend a few extra days here."

"D*MNIT!!" Jax pounded a fist on desk, then looked up to see a startled Charles staring at Brenda. After a few seconds, his eyes twinkled with resolution as an idea formed. "Charles, give us five minutes and then bring our visitor into the study for tea."

The butler’s eyes darted between Jax and Brenda. "Very good, sir," he said, somewhat doubtfully. He bowed slightly at the waist, then left the room.

Just as Brenda took a breath to speak, Jax held up a hand to stop her. "If you really want the ruby, Brenda," he said slowly, "I’ll give it to you."

It was her turn to blink in disbelief. "Without any explanations?"

He shook his head. "Without any explanations." Jax walked around the desk slowly until he stood right in front of her. "I’ll give you the ruby, free and clear…….IF………"

Her velvet brown eyes narrowed. "If……what?"

"If you stay here with me and pretend to be my wife." Jax stared deeply into her shocked eyes. "For two weeks."

To be continued…….

Author’s note: Remember that in this story, Jax and Brenda met and fell in love in California. Brenda has never been to Port Charles or to the Jacks family home, Wyndemere.