Chapter 4

“Can I be of some assistance, Mister Jacks?”

“Charles……” Jax grabbed the newel post at the top of the long staircase, pulling himself up to the landing where the elderly man already stood. He fought hard to bring his breathing to normal, wishing that the pinkness in his cheeks didn’t betray the lack of oxygen in his lungs. “I swear, I think you must be part mountain goat! You navigate these stairs without even breaking a sweat!”

The family retainer smiled with just the slightest hint of smugness. “I’m certain that your mother would say I AM part goat, sir…..” He reached out to open the door to Jax’s bedroom ahead of him. “……since I certainly have the hard-headedness essential to that particular beast!”

Jax’s soft laugh followed him as he entered the bedroom. When he flicked a switch next to the door, diffuse lighting in a ceiling casement hummed to life. He shrugged off his maroon velvet smoking jacket and started to unbutton the white cotton shirt he wore beneath it. “Speaking of Mum, how was she tonight?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at Charles.

“Rather more pensive than usual, according to Marjorie.” Charles went from window to window loosening the tiebacks that held the drapes ajar so that they slid together with a soft whoosh. “She said she barely showed any interest at all during Mr. Jennings’ news program.”

Jax tossed the dress shirt onto a chair next to the bed, slipping into a dark blue silk robe. “Did she eat anything?”

Charles nodded. “A full serving of tenderloin and part of her potato.” He poked at the dying embers in the fireplace, smiling when a faint red glow resulted. “Marjorie prepared it just the way she likes it since it’s her favorite.”

“I suppose I should go up there and say good night,” Jax sighed wearily, propping his hands on his hips. “I haven’t spent much time with Mum the past few days.”

Charles paused, grimaced gently, and then walked over to where his young employer stood. “You’ve had a rough day yourself, Mister Jacks,” he murmured. “I’m sure that it was quite a shock to see Miss Barrett again.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Jax nodded grimly. He sank down onto the bed, folding his hands and propping his elbows on his spread knees as he tilted his weight forward. “I wasn’t sure if I ever told you about Brenda.”

“Your mother did, shortly before you returned from California….” He suddenly dropped his head, coughing slightly. “When she was still…….”

“Lucid.” Jax plowed his fingers through his hair with another sigh. “Did Marjorie say how she was tonight?”

“Apparently Mrs. Jacks wasn’t very communicative at *all*, sir,” Charles replied sympathetically. He stood in silence for a few more moments and then pulled himself into his best authoritative position. “Right now, it is my sincere opinion that you should forget about taking care of everyone else and get some rest!” he announced sternly, pointing to the bed.

A smile teased at Jax’s lips. “And of course you’re *always* right, aren’t you, Charles?”

“Of course, sir!” The elder man’s face softened a bit and his tone gentled. “Just as YOU are doing the right thing by having Miss Barrett impersonate your wife.”

“I don’t know, Charles…….” Jax shook his head again and rubbed his face with his flat hands. “Even though the resemblance is striking, I’m not sure if Brenda is going to be able to pull this off for two whole weeks.”

Charles spun and skirted around to the other side of the bed, pulling back the navy blue velour comforter. “Rest assured that I’ll be of as much assistance as possible, sir.” He folded the comforter neatly, exposing fluffy down pillows covered with navy satin cases. “And I’ll inform the rest of the staff of your plan so that they can maintain the charade.”

Jax’s mouth twisted wryly. “And you don’t suppose any of them will think I’m a cad for defrauding my late father-in-law’s estate?”

After plumping the pillows one last time, Charles’s gaze rested warmly on Jax’s face. “We all know just how important your research is, sir. In this case, I’d have to say that the end MORE than justifies the means.” Sudden embarrassment flickered in his eyes. “Of course, you know that we’re all *still* praying night and day for Mrs. Jacks’ safe return.”

A pang of conscience twisted like a knife in Jax’s stomach. {Now that Brenda’s come back, are YOU still praying for your wife’s return? Could you really spend the rest of your life with Miranda, now that you know Brenda is alive and well?} “Of course.” Jax sat there for a few seconds, lost in mental gymnastics, then nodded. “Thank you, Charles. And thank the rest of the staff for me, too.” His breath caught in his chest. “I’m afraid I don’t do that very often these days.”

“The chance to continue working for you and Lady Jane is all the thanks we need, Mister Jacks,” Charles replied in a voice husky with emotion. He turned and walked to the door of Jax’s room, pausing as he opened it to leave. “Now do as I said and get some rest,” he advised sternly. “You’ll need it in the morning to continue matching wits with Mr. Tsevis!”

“Right again……” Jax chuckled softly. “Good night, Charles.” He stared at the door for a few moments after the elder man closed it behind him. Finally rising, he stretched his arms above him, yawned loudly, and then turned back towards the bed. A pair of black silk pajamas lay where Charles had placed them next to the pillow. Swiping them off the bed, Jax spun and was heading towards his bathroom when he stopped cold.

The door to Miranda’s room. It was closed, as usual – as it had been for longer than he cared to remember. Yet tonight, it wasn’t his wife sleeping in her own little haven on the other side of that portal. It was the woman he had loved more than life itself. The woman, truth be told, that he had never STOPPED loving.

Jax lifted a tentative hand to gently caress the wooden panels. As his fingers traced the softly whorled pattern, he suddenly leaned forward to place his ear against it. {Is she already asleep on the other side?} The lack of noise coming from Miranda’s room seemed to confirm that Brenda had already gone to bed. {Or is she possibly doing the same thing I am on her side of the door?} He pulled away a little, almost burning a hole in the door with his gaze. {Could she be pressing her ear against the door, too? As if we were two people placing our fingers on opposite sides of a window pane?}

His hand hesitated above the doorknob – almost closing around it, then pulling away, then homing in on it again to wrap his fingers around it firmly. Finally, with a deep breath, Jax gave it a mighty twist. When the door didn’t budge, he grimaced in realization just how warped the frame had become. He twisted the knob again, but this time also pushed against the lower panel with his knee. After giving the frame a sharp rap with his left knuckles, the door creaked softly and swung open a few inches.

The darkness of Miranda’s room that greeted him answered one of his questions. Brenda had already gone to bed for the night. As Jax pushed the door further open, praying that the hinges wouldn’t squeak and give him away, he saw her body sprawled across the middle of the enormous four-poster bed.

{Don’t do it, man. She won’t tell you where she was for all those years. She could have come back to you and she didn’t. She’ll only hurt you again.} Despite his better judgment, Jax tiptoed further into the room. As he drew closer to the bed, his lips turned upward in a broad smile.

{She hasn’t changed. I always told her that she would have felt right at home at the North Pole. Even a BLIZZARD couldn’t make her cold.} He put his hand over his mouth to stifle the soft chuckle that nearly escaped at the sight of his supposedly-dead fiancée. She lay on her stomach on top of the red satin blanket, her arms and legs pointing in nearly all four directions of the compass. Her glorious black hair formed a riotous frame around her face, which was turned to the side on the red satin pillowcase. The Greenpeace t-shirt and pair of oversize navy cotton boxers she wore told him that she had discovered the spare drawer in Miranda’s dresser where he kept his workout clothing.

When she stirred slightly in her sleep, drawing her hand over her face, Jax was tempted to lean down and caress it himself. But as she settled down again with a long sigh, he realized that there was still too much between them that needed to be said. Still too many questions without answers.

After blowing a tender kiss towards her peaceful frame, Jax took one more long look at her and then turned back towards the connecting door. He went back to his room, slowing closing the door behind him with a heavy heart. Only the truth would lighten it again. Only the truth about where Brenda had been for the past six years would enable them to open that door again. To love each other, openly and honestly, for the rest of their lives.

*~*~*~*

It was like looking in a mirror. She could see the woman’s dark curls dancing in the chill breeze. The woman’s eyes were larger than her own – rounder. The point of her chin was more pronounced, but the build of her body was just as petite. She was wearing some kind of hood. Maybe black velvet. The sound of water lapping against something punctuated the rolling motion of the image. When the woman spoke, she discovered that her tone was more refined, her enunciation more emphatic than her own.

“Come see the lights, darling! They look so beautiful from here, like thousands of tiny fireflies!”

Brenda saw the lights just as the woman did, like multi-colored stars twinkling in the distance.

“Darling? What are you doing down there? Are you coming up here on deck to see the lights with me or not?”

She heard childlike exuberance give way to petulant impatience.

“Darling? What are you…”

She saw a flash of brilliant light, moonlight reflecting off finely-tempered steel, in the darkness. The smell of fear tainted the brisk night air.

“No…….NO!! Stay back!!”

Pain…… agonizing pain. Swirling clouds of red and then smothering darkness.

“Lying is a sin. You must die for your sins.”

Brenda sat straight up in bed with a start. Her fists opened and closed on the red satin coverlet. “Geeeeeezzzzz…….” She blew out a breath through rounded lips, trying to slow her racing heartbeat. “No more chili cheese dogs before bed for you, Brenda,” she muttered, trying to smile away the remnants of the dream. She flashed back to earlier that night when she had stopped into a small café with an Irish name on the docks. The aromas had been so wonderful and the atmosphere so welcoming that she had indulged in one of the house specialties while getting the name of a discreet boat owner who would provide her with transportation to Spoon Island for the right price.

Drawing her knees up to rest her elbows on them, she closed her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingertips. {Was that Miranda I saw in my dream? It must have been – she sure looked a lot like me. So then, did I somehow just “see” what happened to her?} Brenda slid her hands down, folding them in front of her lips as she opened her eyes, lost in thought. {That looked like a knife I saw, and lots of blood. And who was she calling to come up on deck with her? Her murderer?}

A faint rustling sound in a far corner of her room made Brenda startle once again. She looked up towards the fireplace and caught her breath, suddenly not sure if she was awake or asleep again in the throes of her nightmare.

A shadowy figure stood next to the mantle holding a single candle. The figure wore a long, hooded robe, but not the kind that Miranda had worn in her dream. This one reminded Brenda of something a person in a religious order would wear. The hood was pulled forward so that the figure’s face was completely hidden, almost invisible to any onlooker. As Brenda watched in stunned silence, the flame on the candle wavered. She swallowed hard, barely blinked, and when she looked at the same place again, the figure had disappeared.

{It had to be the extra onions and anchovies on that chili dog. Now you’ve REALLY lost it, Bren.} Reaching out tentatively, she slipped her down parka over Jax’s t-shirt and boxers and stumbled to her feet. {Just because Charles mentioned a monastery and everyone dying mysteriously, you’re seeing monks that go bump in the night.} After turning on the lamp next to the bed, Brenda grabbed the box of tissues from the nightstand. Holding it firmly in her right hand like a club, she tiptoed to the door to her room and checked the knob. It was still locked. After casting a wary eye back towards the fireplace, she quickly made her way to the door that connected to Jax’s room. It, too, was still firmly locked or stuck.

{So you MUST have been dreaming. Both doors are locked, and there’s no other way into the room. But I KNOW I was dreaming about Miranda, and this seemed so real…….}

Taking a deep breath and tightening her hold on the tissue box, Brenda inched towards the fireplace. Nothing on the mantle appeared to have been moved – two candlesticks at opposite ends still boasted a thick coating of dust. She ran her hand along the wall, letting out a sigh of relief when the paneling felt even and smooth. After she gave the mantle and bricks around the fireplace a similar inspection, her heart rate had just about returned to normal when she put her bare foot down on the floor and came up wincing.

“Owwww……..” Dropping the tissue box, Brenda sank to the floor to cradle her injured foot in her lap. She tentatively prodded the sole with her fingers, then slowly lifted her gaze to rest on the floor boards next to the fireplace. As she swept her fingertips across the surface, her eyes widened. She stopped at one spot in particular, touching the floor gently with just her fingertips.

There were several spots of melted wax on the floor. It was still warm, which explained the discomfort when she stepped on it. As Brenda pulled her hand back to snuggle more deeply into the parka, a chill ran down her spine. It wasn’t just a dream or hallucination. Someone HAD been in her room with a lighted candle.

*~*~*~*

“Just tell him that you can’t stay ………” Brenda closed the door to her room behind her, so busily muttering to herself that even a parade of Latin-chanting eight-foot monks couldn’t have gotten her attention. “You’ll just tell Jax that this place gives you the creeps and you don’t want to help him with his project,” she repeated, nodding her head with determination.

“Don’t want to help WHOM with WHAT project?”

“Oh!!!” She put her hand to her chest, spinning around to see a smiling, blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn Jax had somehow grown 15 years younger during the night. “You startled me!” she laughed, trying to regain her composure.

“I’m sorry…..” A shock of blonde hair fell across his forehead as he gave her a crooked smile. “But you were so busy talking to yourself that I guess you didn’t hear me come up behind you.”

Brenda felt a momentary wave of panic. {Is this guy someone I’m supposed to know? Does he work here? Or is he somehow connected to Tsevis?} She cleared her throat and tried to sound as cool as the fresh layer of snow outside the window. “I was just on my way down to breakfast……”

“But you don’t know how to get there, do you, Miss Barrett?”

His arched eyebrow and continued grin didn’t seem critical, but Brenda decided to play it safe. “I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for someone else, Mr…….”

“Spencer.” He extended a hand cordially. “Lucky Spencer.”

Brenda’s eyes widened with relief. “Jax’s assistant!” she exclaimed, taking his hand. “He mentioned you last night!”

“Charles filled me in on the plan early this morning,” he nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his khaki Dockers. “It’s really awesome that you’ve agreed to help Jax out by pretending to be Miranda.” His face grew somber. “We definitely need the money from Victor’s estate if we’re going to continue.”

Brenda fell in beside Lucky as he began to walk towards the end of the hallway. “So you’re helping Jax with this mysterious project of his, then?”

“Absolutely.” A faint blush colored his cheeks. “At the risk of sounding conceited, I’d say that the project would pretty much fall apart if he didn’t have me.”

“Really?” Brenda reached out to rest a delicate hand on the banister as they began to descend the stairs. “Have you worked for Jax long?”

Lucky nodded. “Ever since I got my degree.”

“Ahhh…..” As they rounded a corner on one of the landings, Brenda made a mental note to take *everything* she needed from her room in the morning. Making the upwards climb once a day was *more* than enough. “Are you originally from Port Charles?”

“Born and raised here. My mother and aunt still live in The City.” He peered out one of the snow-crusted window panes. “But I did manage to escape for a while when I went to NYU.”

“And that’s where you got your MBA?”

Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Lucky held out a hand to the right to indicate the direction of the dining room. “No…….that’s where I got my BS…….” When Brenda glanced over her shoulder at him, obviously surprised, he smiled and gave her a wink. “…… and you can just SKIP the comments about how you just KNEW I was full of bull manure, because I’ve already heard them all!”

Her raven eyebrows drew together in a frown. “So you’re a scientist?”

“A bio-chemist, actually.” He caught her arm just as they were about to pass an ornately-carved set of mahogany doors. “This is our stop.”

Brenda’s mind was still spinning with questions. {What kind of project is Jax working on that requires a biochemist? He’s a corporate raider, not a doctor.}

Lucky reached out to open the door for Brenda but then paused, leaning towards her conspiratorially. “The fruit and toast are good, but make sure to pass on the eggs. Marjorie ALWAYS overcooks the eggs!”

Brenda’s eyes crinkled in a smile. “I’ll remember that!” she whispered. “And thanks for all of your help this morning!”

“No problem!” As he returned her smile warmly, Brenda realized that with Lucky’s help, she might actually be able to pull off this charade. After she took a deep breath and nodded, he pushed open the door to the brightly lit dining room.

Jax immediately spun around in his chair the moment he heard the door behind him. “Good morning, love!” She felt an arrow of pain pierce her heart once again as it occurred to her that the endearment was clearly intended for another woman – his WIFE. That already-wounded organ rocketed into triple time when he rose from his chair, came over, and brushed a quick kiss at her temple. “I hope you don’t mind that Spiro and I started breakfast without you, Miranda…..”

“Not at all, darling,” she managed to croon evenly. Hearing the man she loved more than anything else in the world call her by another woman’s name was still unsettling. {Aren’t you used to playing the part of another person by now? Especially after the last six years?} After smiling a greeting at Tsevis, who was sipping a cup of steaming coffee, she strolled towards an open chair at the opposite end of the huge dining table. “I guess I slept so soundly last night that I didn’t realize how late it was until I ran into Lucky in the hallway.”

“Ahhhh, yes…….where are my manners?” Jax slid back into his chair as Lucky headed for an empty spot across the table from Tsevis. “Spiro Tsevis, this is Lucky Spencer, my right hand man and indispensable assistant.”

Lucky reached across the table to shake Tsevis’s hand. “Jax is far too kind, Mr. Tsevis.” He gave his employer a rueful smile. “My late father always told me that NOBODY is indispensable.” He took his chair, visibly brightening when Charles appeared at his side to fill his coffee cup. “Except for Charles, of course,” Lucky added with a broad grin.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Spencer,” Charles quipped dryly, barely cracking the hint of a smile. He moved on to Brenda’s side. “Will you be having the usual for breakfast this morning, Mrs. Jacks?”

{Uh-oh. What did Miranda usually have for breakfast?} Brenda’s glance slid to Jax’s place at the table, where a tall glass of green frosty liquid sat on a lace doily. {If she liked those disgusting seaweed health shakes that he always used to make, I’m in BIG trouble. But how could ANYONE with normally-functioning taste buds like those things?} Remembering Charles’ assurance the night before to help her as much as possible, she decided to trust in the crusty old man and Miranda’s common sense. “Yes, Charles, the usual will be fine.” When she saw him give her a furtive wink, she decided that she had done the right thing.

“I can see how well you’ve adjusted to married life, Miranda,” Tsevis chuckled once Charles disappeared into the kitchen. “Even though I was exhausted from crossing so many time zones, I found myself staring at the ceiling for quite a while before I fell asleep last night.”

“Really?” Brenda heaved yet another sigh of relief when Charles reappeared to set an English muffin and small glass of orange juice in front of her. “I would have thought the brandy you had with Jax would have done you in.”

“That’s what I meant about being well-adjusted, my dear.” Tsevis shook his head before stabbing a forkful of leathery-looking scrambled eggs. “I’m not normally a timid man, but last night it seemed as though every nook and cranny of my room had come alive and was watching me! You must be truly acclimated to life here on this godforsaken island if the shadows don’t still give you nightmares!”

“You’re only letting your imagination run away with you, Spiro!” Jax laughed, toying with the handle of his coffee cup. “Don’t tell me that you let any of the locals bend your ear with horror stories about Wyndemere’s history on the way out here!”

“Now, Jax, it IS rather colorful!” Brenda scolded. She set down her muffin, thankful for Charles’ informative narrative the night before. “This place was a monastery until my mother-in-law’s family acquired it, you know,” she added, glancing in Tsevis’s direction. “There are even stories about it being CURSED!”

Jax’s chest seemed to enlarge with pride as Brenda effortlessly handled her part of the charade. “Yes, but I’m afraid that the only curse we have to deal with now days is the weather.” The blue crystal of his eyes sparkled when he lifted his gaze in the direction of the wall of windows to their right. “Mother Nature blessed us with a bloody thick blanket of new snow last night.”

“My aunt would probably give you an argument on that “blessed” part, Jax,” Lucky piped up. “Her business goes to h*ll in a handbasket when people can’t get around because of the snow.” He sat back in his chair, propping his elbows on the armrests and folding his hands in his lap. “You’re lucky that you managed to get to the island last night, Mr. Tsevis. Between the drifting snow and white caps today, the ferry has shut down operations until the weather clears a bit.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Jax grimaced, taking a sip of coffee. “I’m expecting some important printouts from Amsterdam by mail.”

Tsevis’s forehead crinkled in a frown. “Can’t they just send you the data electronically, Jax?”

“Although Wyndemere has its own unique history, Spiro, its rustic charm can be a very real obstacle,” Jax replied. “In this kind of storm, we’re subject to power outages at any time. I certainly didn’t want to be in the middle of downloading a large electronic file and lose it completely.” His attention shifted towards Brenda. “And, of course, it will only delay Miranda in sending out the invitations for the Holly Fest.”

“Really?” Tsevis arched an eyebrow in Brenda’s direction. “I would have thought that you sent them out already, my dear…….”

“Wellll,” Brenda hedged uncomfortably, “the festival itself is pretty much in place, but I’m still finalizing the invitations for the ball, you see.”

“I see.” A slight chill ran down Brenda’s spine. Somehow, the way Tsevis drawled the reply, she got the feeling that he didn’t believe her explanation.

“Wellll……” Jax broke the tense moment by rising from his chair. “If you’ll all excuse me, I should really check on some of the outer buildings on the estate to make sure they haven’t lost power in the storm. Sometimes the weight of the snow on roofs causes them to cave in.”

“I think I’ll draw the line at being your assistant for that job, Jax,” Lucky laughed. He rose to his feet shaking his head. “Trudging through knee-deep fresh snow isn’t exactly my cup of tea.”

“Fresh snow?” Brenda’s eyes widened like a four-year-old on Christmas morning. “Nobody’s walked through it before?”

Jax couldn’t help the surge of memories that washed over him. She had always been a sucker for new-fallen snow, rhapsodizing over the white-capped peaks of distant California mountains. “Possibly a stray deer or rabbit, my love, but even most of them aren’t hardy enough to brave it out there the morning after a blizzard.”

“Ohhhh, Jax, can I come with you?” Brenda nearly danced in her seat, her eyes twinkling with delight. “You KNOW how much I love to make the first tracks in the snow!”

“Ohhhhh, B…….” Jax caught himself just in time. He bit his tongue at the possibility that he would have blown Brenda’s cover, particularly after she had given such a magnificent performance that morning. “…..But Miranda,” he amended, covering his near faux pas, “it might be dangerous out there. The drifts could be over your head, and the only way we’ll be able to get to the outer boundaries of the estate will be to use the sleigh…..”

“Nowwww, Jax, don’t be such a spoilsport!” she purred, sliding out of her chair. Brenda walked over to him, swinging her hips and drawling so sexily that he feared that steam would pour out of his ears like some cartoon character. “Are you telling me that you wouldn’t enjoy a nice, romantic sleigh ride on a crisp, cold morning with your WIFE?”

She stopped at his side, staring so deeply into his eyes that he almost forgot to breathe. But when the corners of his mouth lifted in a familiar smile, Brenda wasn’t ready for the shaft of heat that melted spots that had been dormant for six years. “Well, when you put it THAT way, Miranda,” he crooned, slowly wrapping his arm around her waist, “how can I refuse?”

They stood there for a few seconds, frozen in time and space, until Lucky awkwardly cleared his throat. “Hmmmmm…… maybe we should call the weather service and warn them……” He laughed loudly as he got up and strolled towards the dining room door. “There’s a major heat wave about to hit Spoon Island, and it’s called Jasper and Miranda Jacks!”

Jax joined in the laughter but then turned back just as he and Brenda were about to leave the room. “Spiro, would you like to join us? Maybe the fresh nip in the air will clear your mind and help you sleep better tonight!”

“No, no…….” Tsevis waved a hand indulgently at them with a smile. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your private moment together.” He toyed with the handle of his coffee cup as he stared down into the contents. “Particularly since you both enjoy the snow so much!”

“Come on, Jax! Let’s go before the animals come out and ruin it!” Brenda chortled. She nearly dragged him out of the dining room, completely missing the somber look that froze Tsevis’s features once they left.

Yes, Miranda certainly had gotten accustomed to living on Spoon Island. In fact, it seemed she had made *major* adjustments just in the past few months. Victor Cassadine had shown Tsevis a letter from Miranda just a few days before his death. And in that letter, she had gone on for two pages about how much, even though she hid hidden the fact from her husband, she DETESTED the cold winters and snow on Spoon Island.

To be continued……..