"Hey there now, take it easy! I won’t hurt you!" the dark man said, still trying to hold onto his vision before she disappeared. But she only responded with another scream.

At that moment, Jax burst through the bushes. "Brenda! What’s the matt….." He stopped short at the sight before him. "Bloody h*ll!!!" Brenda looked into Jax’s eyes and saw tears forming there.

Her attention was quickly drawn back to her captor, who released her arms as soon as he saw Jax. He began to breathe deeply and as Brenda watched him, his gaze was riveted on Jax and he began walking towards him. "I found you! I did it!" the man muttered, as Jax began running towards him.

Brenda stood dumbfounded. She barely heard Jax’s hoarse cry as he fell into the dark man’s arms. "Jerry!" Suddenly it was all clear. As the men embraced tearfully, she realized that the darker man was Jax’s brother. The rescue that they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

They broke their hug and walked over to where Brenda stood. Jax still had his arm around Jerry’s shoulders and he slapped the side of Jerry’s face lightly. "It took you long enough, bro," he said in a joking voice.

Jerry reached up to punch Jax in the chest playfully. "Well, brother dear, next time you decide to bring a Lear down on an island, could you leave a little better trail? A line of champagne bottles or something we could follow more easily?"

Jax just shook his head, grinning broadly. "Where….how…..I mean….I didn’t hear a plane! How did you get here and find us?"

"I was flying reconnaissance the other day and I thought I saw some of the plane’s wreckage on this island. I couldn’t get down low enough for a good look, so I called Thao and he brought the Isabella down here so I could get a closer look."

Jax’s mouth dropped. "Thao’s here? On the island?"

"No," Jerry answered, "he’s still on the yacht. He sent a man in with me in a dinghy since we couldn’t bring her in close enough to drop anchor. Not with all the coral and all." He stepped out of Jax’s embrace and pointed over his shoulder. "He’s anchored on that side of the island. You can’t miss him – he’s the one in that floating orgy palace he calls a yacht."

Jerry looked back at Brenda and suddenly Jax realized his error in manners – and Brenda’s embarrassment at her dress code. Jerry realized it, too, and snickered softly as he looked down at his brother’s nude body. Jax just gave Jerry a grim look, and then said under his breath, "Jerry – can Brenda borrow your shirt for a bit? We seem to have misplaced hers momentarily." Jerry looked sheepish for a second, but then whipped the polo shirt off his back and held it out to Brenda.

As she slipped it over her head, she inhaled a strong male scent – one she had only associated with Jax until now. Although Jerry was shorter than Jax, his shirt still hung like a dress on Brenda, coming well past her vital assets down to her mid-thighs. She smoothed it down as best she could and blushed her thanks. Jerry put his hand out to her. "Shall we try that intro again? I’m Jerry Jacks – older brother and altogether much nicer guy than my little brother here."

Jax smiled and shook his head. "Haven’t changed a bit, have you?" He looked to Brenda. "Jerry, allow me to introduce my fellow castaway, Ms. Brenda Barrett."

Brenda extended her hand to shake Jerry’s, but he surprised her when he took it and raised the back of it to his lips. "Believe me when I say, Ms. Barrett, that the pleasure has ALREADY been mine."

Brenda blushed again and was pleased when Jax came closer to her and put his arm around her protectively. "It’s nice to meet you, Jerry," she replied. "And believe me – this is NOT the way I normally run around the island."

Jax smiled lewdly. "It would be if I had anything to say about it, but for some reason, Ms. Barrett seems to think that clothing is a necessary evil in this world." His face sobered. "How’s Jason?" He kept his arm around Brenda’s shoulder as the three of them began moving in the direction of the hut.

Jerry smiled. "He’s fine, Jax. Worried about you, but fine. He actually was chomping at the bit to come along and ride shotgun with me in the plane, but I wouldn’t let him. I didn’t want him to be along if I found …..I mean, if you hadn’t been able to land…." Jerry let the sentence dangle and Jax just nodded his understanding quickly.

"And mum and dad?"

Another broad smile. "They’re fine, too. Dad’s been in Hawaii coordinating the search teams for a few weeks now. Mum’s still back home with Jason, keeping the home fires burning." Jerry slapped Jax on the back again. "She was sure you weren’t dead, you know. Said she had one of her feelings. She and Jason have been keeping everyone’s spirits up while you were gone." Jerry put his hand on Jax’s arm to stop their progress momentarily. "He’s a fine boy, Jax. You should be very proud of the way he’s behaved through all of this." Jax nodded and as Brenda looked up at him, she could see the mist in his eyes. That mist vanished quickly, though, at Jerry’s next words. "Randy’s at the big house too, Jax."

Jax stopped and Brenda was amazed at the frostiness that had gotten into his eyes so quickly. "What’s she doing there? Has she been giving Jason or mum a hard time?"

Brenda realized with a start that the two men must have been talking about the wife – Miranda. Jax’s coldness both frightened Brenda a little and made her heart sing since it didn’t appear he harbored any love for her in his heart any longer.

They had reached the hut. "Oh, she’s been moping and wailing occasionally, but Jason and Mum have been turning a deaf ear to her." He looked lovingly at Jax. "They’ll be overjoyed to hear that you’re alright." Jerry pulled a cellular phone out of his back pocket. "The dinghy’s just down the coast a bit. I’ll call Thao and tell him to send a message back to the States that you’ve been found." Jax gave Jerry a strange look but then turned to Brenda.

"Why don’t you go inside and gather your things? I’ll be right out here with Jerry and then we can say good-bye to this place and hello to hot showers and something other than fish to eat!" He gave her a bright smile and patted her playfully on the rear as Brenda went in the hut with a puzzled look on her face.

Jerry opened his mouth to speak but Jax held his hand up until Brenda had gone inside the hut. He reached out and put his hand over the cell phone and pushed it back towards Jerry’s pocket. "Don’t make that call yet. There’s a problem."

Jerry snorted. "There’s a problem, all right." He moved closer to Jax who was shrugging into his boxers and shorts. "Did you know that Brenda’s old man is some kind of mob big shot? He’s been like my shadow ever since I came out here – wanting to know if I spotted any sign of her yet." Jerry shook his head. "He won’t be happy to find out that his girlfriend was playing Adam and Eve with you, little brother."

Jax looked to make sure Brenda was still inside the hut. "Yeah, well that’s not the only thing he’s probably been anxious about, Jer." He took Jerry further away from the hut. "I discovered something in the wreckage a few days ago, and it’s not good. A suitcase full of heroin."

Jerry swore softly under his breath and glanced back at the hut. "Not hers, I take it?"

Jax shook his head. "Definitely not. I’m sure of it, Jerry -- she had nothing to do with it, other than her old man using her as some kind of carrier."

"Does she know that he’s been using her?"

He put his hands on his now-clad hips. "I don’t think so. She’s convinced he would never deal drugs. Some kind of "pure-as-the-driven-snow-criminal" or something." He nodded towards Jerry’s phone. "But I don’t think we should let anyone know yet that you’ve found us until we notify the Aussie authorities and see how they want to handle this." Jerry nodded. "Especially considering the homing device inside the heroin."

"D*mn, Jax, you don’t exactly take the easy route, do you?" Jerry swore, turning to look towards the hut and make sure Brenda was still inside. "Is the thing still working?"

"I’m not sure, Jer, but I think that if it was, the owner would have been here sooner to find us. Maybe the mechanism was damaged in the crash." Jax looked long and hard at Jerry and Jerry’s face dropped even further. Jerry sat down on a log and pointed at the sand next to him.

"All right, Jax. I can see that there’s more to this story. Why don’t you tell me the whole thing now and let me have one BIG heart attack rather than all these little ones!" Jax let out a long sigh and sat down next to his brother on the sand.

#####

Inside the hut, Brenda looked around fondly. {There’s that old "blink of an eye" thing going on again. This morning you thought you would never be rescued.} Brenda wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. {It’s got to be those pregnant hormones they talk about that are driving you this crazy. Otherwise why wouldn’t you be jumping up and down at the thought of leaving this island?} As she walked over to the makeshift bed where she and Jax had shared so many passionate nights, she let out a long sigh.

She turned to stare at the four walls that Jax had made into a palace for her. She ran her fingers lightly over the furniture that he had crafted to make her feel more civilized. Her fingers stopped when she reached the comb and she grabbed it and put it in her pocket. There was no way she could leave such a precious possession behind. It was everything to her – Jax had made it for her even before he told her he loved her.

As she wrapped her arms around herself and looked around, she spied her tote bag and purse. She walked over to them and hoisted them onto her shoulder, wiping the tears from her eyes one last time before leaving her island home forever. The bubble had been burst and Brenda felt like she would never be this happy again. Not if she had to go back and watch Jax have a happy reunion with his wife. Not if she had to go back to Sonny. But as she prepared to put on a brave face and go back onto the beach, she remembered the one thing that would get her through all of this. She smiled down at her stomach and patted it lovingly. Jax’s child. She would always have that.

As she silently made her way back onto the beach, she saw that Jax and Jerry had moved away from the hut and were deep in discussion. She came up behind them and her blood froze at the words she heard.

#####

"…..I managed to bring the Lear down somehow, but you and I both know how often hydraulic problems develop in those jets."

Jerry nodded seriously. "Never."

Jax stared him in the eye. "It was fixed, Jer. Somebody sabotaged the plane. I’m sure that once the NTSB arrives and starts the investigation, they’ll confirm it. And I would bet my eye teeth that it’s got something to do with the heroin."

They both heard the noise as Brenda dropped the tote bag and her purse on the sand. When Jax turned and saw her pale face, he swore softly and went to take her in his arms. But she just stepped away from him, putting her hand out to hold him at a distance. "Somebody tried to kill us? Somebody deliberately fixed the plane so that it would crash?" She had tears in her eyes and Jax stared down at the sand.

"I’m pretty sure of it," Jax said tersely. "Somebody probably damaged one of the hydraulic fluid lines before we took off." He reached out to her. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, Brenda, but I knew you were already worried and I didn’t want to scare you any more."

Brenda took a deep breath. "You said you were sure it had something to do with the heroin. But I don’t get it. Why would someone hide drugs on your plane and then deliberately make it crash?"

Jerry stood. "It probably wasn’t the same person, Ms. Barrett. That much dope can be worth a lot of money, not only to the owner, but to any of his competitors. The person who sabotaged the plane was probably doing it as some kind of sick retribution against the owner of the drugs."

Jax had finally gotten Brenda to let him close enough to take her in his arms and he felt her shivering. He looked down into her eyes and hated the fear he saw there, particularly when he realized it was probably her own boyfriend who was responsible for part of it. "But you don’t have to worry about anything now, Brenda. We’re safe. We’re not alone anymore." He grinned at Jerry. "You’d be surprised at the old man over there – he’s got a left hook that’s not bad at all."

Just then the cell phone in Jerry’s pocket started buzzing. He looked at Jax seriously. "That’s probably Thao, wondering if the pygmies are ready to have me for dinner. What do I tell him?"

Jax took a deep breath. "You can tell him you found us, but tell him NOT to let anybody else know yet. Only the Aussie authorities. Tell him to ask them politely to get their butts out here by tomorrow morning at first light."

"Not even Mum and Dad? Or her boyfriend?" Jerry nodded towards Brenda.

Jax looked into her eyes. "I’m sorry, but it’s probably best that way. Do you mind if we wait another 24 hours before we break the news?"

Brenda tried to hide the sense of elation in her voice. "That’s fine." She looked at both of them. "So, what now?"

Jerry came over to stand next to her tote bag. "Jax can go get the heroin and we’ll take it with us. I’ll help you get your things back to the dinghy to take to the Isabella." He tried to lift the tote bag and dropped it. "Geez, lady, what’ve you got in here? Bricks?"

Jax laughed out loud at his brother’s reaction and slapped Jerry on the back. "Welcome to my world, big brother." Jax leaned down and kissed Brenda hard, and then headed off toward where the heroin was buried.

As Brenda watched him go, Jerry was watching her. He recognized it at once -- the love in her eyes. When she turned back to him, she recognized something in his eyes, too. He accepted her. He knew she would never hurt Jax intentionally. Jerry realized instinctively that she would never be like Miranda. And he already loved her for that. He extended his arm to her formally. "Shall we?"

Brenda took one more look around the island and nodded silently.

*~*~*~*

Thao’s eyes were sparkling with happiness as he reached out a hand to help Brenda board the Isabella. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Barrett! We are honored to have such a beautiful woman as our passenger! Welcome!"

Jax followed quickly behind her as they left the dinghy and came aboard the yacht. "And what about me, old friend? Am I just fish food?" He extended his arms to Thao and was immediately welcomed with a bear hug.

"Jax! You are indeed a welcome sight!" The two men slapped each other on the back heartily and then Thao held Jax at arm’s length to take a closer look at him. He glanced back over at Brenda and then frowned at Jax. "Although I must say, Jax, if I had to choose between you and the fair Ms. Barrett, she would win hands down – the facial hair has GOT to go!"

They all laughed loudly and Jax rubbed his chin and grinned at Brenda. "I think Ms. Barrett would have to agree with you, wouldn’t you, Brenda?" Brenda gasped softly at Jax’s blatant reference to their intimacy, but then she saw that the two other men just looked at her warmly and without judgment. Jax watched with a tinge of jealousy as Thao held Brenda’s hand and made a great show out of kissing it.

"Ms. Barrett, I am having the master stateroom prepared for you as we speak. There are some items of clothing that belonged to a former….shall we say, friend?…..of mine, named Ashley. You are most welcome to go through them and see if anything fits and put it on." He grinned at her lewdly again. "Although I must say, I certainly see nothing wrong with the outfit you’re wearing."

"You would have liked the outfit she was wearing when I found her even better, you old reprobate!" Jerry teased as he brought Brenda’s tote bag to her and dropped it at her feet.

As Brenda laughed with them, she was surprised when Jax moved to her and put his arm around her territorially. "Thank you, both of you," she said to Thao and Jerry, "but I think all I want right now is a hot shower and some real shampoo."

"My galley staff is most pleased that they will be serving the rescued heroes," Thao smiled. "Do you have any particular requests? I have steaks in a cooler that we have been saving for such a celebration. And a bottle of fine champagne!"

Brenda took a breath. "A steak sounds heavenly, but I think I’ll pass on the champagne." She felt Jax’s curious gaze and couldn’t bring herself to explain that she was avoiding the alcohol for the sake of the baby. She smiled brightly. "But I would just about kill for a real Coke!"

"Coca-Cola it shall be!" Thao declared jubilantly. As Jerry moved away from them for further discussions with the Australian authorities, Thao moved in closer to Jax and Brenda. "I will see to it that Jerry’s things are moved to one of the other staterooms so that you and Brenda can have the master suite." Brenda inhaled in shock again, but Jax just nodded as if it were the most natural assumption in the world for Thao to make.

"Thanks, Thao," Jax said, shaking the swarthy man’s hand again. "Thanks for everything." He looked at Brenda. "Why don’t you go ahead and get cleaned up? I want to see how Jerry’s doing with the authorities and then I’ll be down for my shower before dinner."

Brenda nodded. As Jax went off in search of Jerry, Thao took Brenda down to the massive bedroom suite. After showing Brenda where she could find the clothing and any toiletries she might need, Thao left her with another kiss on the hand and continental bow.

Brenda wandered around the suite for a while, just touching all smooth, dark mahogany furniture and the satin sheets on the queen-sized bed. When she went into the bathroom, she realized just how much she had missed during the past six weeks on the island. She was like a small child at Christmas, sampling the various fragrances in the shampoos and body cremes and the taste of the mint in the toothpaste. She took a long time in the shower, luxuriating in the hot water and the feel of the soap against her skin. She shampooed her hair several times until it squeaked loudly when she ran it through her fingers. As she stood before the mirror toweling herself dry, she let the towel drop and stared at her still-flat abdomen. {What are you going to do now? You’ll have to tell Sonny. And Jax. But what if he sees his wife….Miranda….and the old feelings come back? What if he decides he still loves her?} Brenda wrapped her hair in a towel and came out into the stateroom to find something suitable to wear. After trying on a few outfits, she decided this Ashley person must have been a lot taller than she was because most of her shirts came down to Brenda’s mid thighs. She finally settled on a pair of culottes that ended just above her knee and a chambray shirt that she tied into a knot below her breasts, exposing her tanned midsection.

As she went back up to the main deck, she could hear the sound of Jax and Jerry arguing. She stopped in her tracks as she heard Jerry’s words. "She refuses to sign the papers, Jax. She says you two were on the verge of reconciling."

"She’s a compulsive liar, Jer. You should know that better than anybody else. I want the divorce now more than ever. I just want to be free of her."

Jerry’s voice was bitter. "She’ll never give it to you, Jax. She’ll put you through h*ll and take everything you’ve got."

"I don’t care, Jerry." Jax’s voice was cold. "She can’t touch J&J Charters. Dad’s lawyers were very thorough when they incorporated us. And as for the rest of it, I don’t care. None of those things means anything to me anymore."

Brenda chewed on her knuckle to keep from crying out. All she wanted to hear him say was, "Nothing matters to me except Brenda," or "I just want to spend my life with Brenda." But he didn’t. When Jerry spoke again, her blood ran cold.

"She’ll drag it through the courts for years, Jax. And she can try to keep you from Jason. She’ll say the boy belongs with his mother."

Now Jax’s voice almost scared her with its intensity. "She wouldn’t dare."

"Jax, she’s as poisonous as a black widow. You know she’ll use the boy – she’ll stoop to anything to keep you tied to her."

Jax’s voice held so much pain Brenda found tears running down her cheeks. "Why, Jerry? Why would she still want me after all these years?"

"She says she still loves you, Jax," Jerry replied grimly. "And she thinks you love her too."

Brenda couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t stand there and listen, even though she prayed that Jax would say he didn’t love Miranda. And she couldn’t make Jax choose between her and his son. {Well, Brenda, at least now you know what to do. You can’t tell him about the baby. He’ll feel obligated to you and try to stay with you out of duty. If you make him choose you over his son, you’ll eventually end up losing him.} She wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand and made some noise so that the men would know she was approaching.

By the time she got to where Jax and Jerry stood, they had stopped talking and were facing her eagerly. Jax came to enfold her in his arms and Brenda lay her head on his chest. He leaned down and inhaled the fragrance of her hair. "Mmmm….it’s not coconut oil, but it’s still nice." He tipped her face up to his. "Sorry I missed the opportunity to shower with you. We’ll have to make up for that later." Brenda saw the passion in his eyes again and she began to think that he must feel SOMETHING for her, but she still wasn’t sure if it was only lust.

At that moment, Thao came up to interrupt them. He took her hand in his and kissed it again. "I didn’t think it was possible for you to improve on your appearance, dear lady, but you have!" He rubbed his hands together. "Now, how does a steak dinner sound?"

Jax’s stomach growled loudly. "Is that enough of an answer for you, Thao?"

Thao laughed heartily. "Good! I will have the staff set up the table out here on the deck so that we can watch the sunset together while we dine in celebration of life!"

*~*~*~*

An hour later, Brenda reclined in Jax’s arms in a lounge chair on the deck. The dinner had turned out to be delicious and the company superb. Both Thao and Jerry were charming dinner companions and outdid each other telling stories of Jax’s adventures. As the men sipped their after-dinner brandies, Brenda found the tranquil atmosphere and her full stomach causing her to grow very sleepy. After missing the punch line of the second dirty joke Jerry had told, she apologized profusely.

"I’m so sorry, Jerry. I think it’s the rocking motion of this boat and the fact that I haven’t had that much to eat in over a month. I just can’t seem to keep my eyes open." As the men smiled at her, Brenda looked around. "Although I have to say – I certainly don’t feel the motion of the boat at all. This yacht has a very smooth ride."

Jax leaned down to whisper in her ear. "That’s because we’re not going anywhere, my love. We’ve dropped anchor per the instructions of the Aussie authorities. They want us to hold our position until they get here tomorrow morning to talk to us about the heroin."

Brenda’s face grew pale. "Isn’t that a little dangerous? I mean….aren’t we like sitting ducks?"

Thao looked determined. "Not anymore, Ms. Barrett. I have a full crew and Jerry and I will take turns keeping watch during the night. Noone will dare try to attack us now." Thao saw Jax inhale to object and he raised a hand to stop him. "You are NOT to be included in the watch, my friend. You need some rest. You have busy days ahead of you." He winked at Jerry. "If the bad guys come, I have already worked it out with Jerry. He is just going to stand in front of me and take care of everything."

Jax laughed. "Sounds like a plan to me." He leaned down towards Brenda. "Why don’t you go on below and go to bed? I’ll be down in a few minutes and get cleaned up and join you."

Brenda nodded and after thanking Thao one more time, she made her way to the master suite again. She slipped out of the culottes and shirt and chose to sleep in Jerry’s polo shirt from earlier in the afternoon. She tossed and turned for a while on the huge bed’s silk sheets, but then jumped when she heard the door latch click open. "It’s just me, love," Jax whispered quietly, and she buried her head in the pillow deeper as sleep threatened to overtake her.

As she slipped in and out of slumber, she vaguely heard Jax taking a quick shower in the head off the master suite, but felt the bed dip when his weight moved next to hers under the satin coverlet. She wasn’t sure what to expect, now that the prospect of being reunited with his wife was only hours away. As Brenda lay on her side, she felt Jax spoon her body with his and felt his left arm snake over her body and cup her abdomen. She could tell that he was wearing the same thing he wore most nights on the island to sleep in. Nothing.

They both lay motionless for a little while, feeling the gentle rocking of the yacht on the calm waves. Then Brenda felt Jax’s hand begin to move. It slipped beneath the shirt to move up and cup her left breast, teasing the nipple into awareness. He pulled her closer and she could feel the evidence of his arousal against her backside. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I don’t think you’re asleep, love." He moved his hand down to her softness and explored deeper. "Nope. Parts of you are definitely not asleep."

She pretended annoyance, although her breathing was growing ragged. "Not anymore." As she tried to turn around to face him, she reached up to stroke his face and found his smooth cheek. "You shaved." Her fingers seemed drawn to explore every cranny of that cheek that had been hidden to her by his beard before. She spent extra time running her fingernail gently in the cleft in his chin.

She felt his smile. "Do you approve?" he asked softly. He gently traced her breast with his finger, feeling the abrasion there that his rough whiskers had left just nights before. "I’m sorry if I hurt you."

She returned his smile. "You didn’t hurt me."

"Good." He continued to soothe the chafing with the light touch of his fingers. "I suppose you would call me a macho pig if I told you that it pleased me in a way – like I made a mark on you. Marked you as mine."

{Oh, you marked me alright. You have NO idea how indelibly you’ve marked me.} "I won’t object as long as you continue to soothe the irritation like that," Brenda purred as his fingers drifted towards her nipple with agonizing slowness.

Jax’s eyes glittered with sparks of light blue flame. "I need you, Brenda." His hand continued to things to her that made her moan softly in the night. He refused to allow her the same pleasures, keeping her on her side and spooning her with his body. He reached his strong right arm under her weight to caress her right breast while his left hand continued to favor that special place that made her catch her breath in anticipation. When he felt her spasms begin beneath his fingers, he rolled her swiftly to her back and stifled her scream of pleasure with a blistering kiss.

She was still panting softly and throbbing when he rolled her to her stomach and pulled one of the satin pillows from the top of the bed, shifting it under her hips. He stretched out on top of her and smiled contentedly as he still felt her aftershocks when he moved into her. Jax covered her completely and stretched her arms over her head onto the satin, threading his fingers through hers and burying his head in her sweat-dampened hair at her shoulder. "You deserve all of this, Brenda," he whispered to her in a guttural voice. "The first time I saw you, you made me think of satin sheets, and soft feather mattresses, and long, hot, steamy sex. Not a roll in the sand on some godforsaken island." She whimpered at the suggestive words that he punctuated with movements of his hips. "You’re mine, Brenda, and you always will be. I’ll die loving you." His movements became more intense and when they both reached their pinnacle again, Jax’s hands gripped Brenda’s tightly and her fingernails dug into his entwined fingers.

Brenda lay in his arms much later, watching him sleep and memorizing every detail of his face. She sighed softly.

To be continued….

Music credit: "Ti Amo," Composed by Gina G/P. Barry/M. Taylor, from the CD "Fresh" by Gina G.