Brenda decided she had never had a more wonderful dream. She was back on the island, and the coffee Jax was making for breakfast smelled wonderful. It was so dark and strong, she rolled over in her sleep and inhaled again, savoring the smell. And croissants. How did the man manage to make croissants over an open fire on a godforsaken island? She could almost taste the butter and feel Jax’s tongue licking the extra butter off her lower lip. But what really stopped her cold was when Jax managed to knock on the leaves of the hut, calling her name. {How can you make a knocking sound on leaves?}

"Brenda? Are you awake?"

Brenda sat up straight in bed, breathing hard, eyes wide open. {We’re not on the island anymore. You CAN’T make a noise knocking on leaves because I’m on a yacht, and somebody IS knocking on the cabin door.} She heard the voice again, knocking and calling her name, and then saw the door open a crack.

"Brenda?" Jerry stuck his head through the door. "Are you decent?"

Brenda giggled softly and held her head in her hands. "Does it really matter after our initial meeting yesterday?" She motioned for him to come in.

As Jerry came through the door, he returned her smile. He was carrying a huge silver tray with coffee service and covered dishes, and he kicked the door shut behind him with his foot. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Like a rock." She didn’t dare admit to him that Jax had kept her awake most of the night, making love to her like a man sentenced to die at dawn. "I didn’t think I missed the little luxuries in life like sheets and pillows that much." She smiled at him as he came to sit next to her on the bed and set the tray down.

"Thao thought you might like some coffee and some breakfast before you come up top to meet with the Aussies. They’re a rather stiff bunch and he says you impress him as a caffeine addict." Jerry held up the coffee pot and Brenda nodded eagerly. She lifted the cover off one of the trays and discovered the croissants that she had dreamed of.

"Thao’s a nice man and very perceptive," she said, breaking off half of one of the croissants and offering the other half to Jerry. She bit into it and whimpered in happiness, following the rich mouthful with a sip of coffee. She looked at him seriously. "You’re pretty nice too, if I haven’t mentioned it before." Jerry held up his coffee cup to her and they clinked.

"Compliment accepted, ma’am," Jerry drawled. He smiled back at her. "But I think I should be the one complimenting you." He looked at her seriously. "Thank you."

Brenda stopped in mid-chew. "For what?"

"For putting up with my brother these past six weeks," Jerry answered, nibbling on the other half of the croissant. "He can be pretty bossy and pig-headed at times."

Brenda smiled slyly. "Really? It’s a good thing those traits don’t run in the family, isn’t it?"

Jerry blushed. "OK, you got me. The Jacks men aren’t exactly world-renowned for being leaders in the women’s rights movement." His face got serious. "But I mean it. Jax seems happier and more at peace than he’s been in years. And I know it’s because of you."

"Where is he now?" Brenda took another sip of coffee.

"Up on deck, meeting with the Aussies. He’s going over all of the pre-flight information he can recall until we get back to Sydney and pull the written maintenance reports. He sent me down here to make sure you were OK and to tell you that as soon as you were ready, you can come up and meet with them." Jerry glanced at her sleeping attire and grinned. "Can’t bring yourself to part with it, huh?"

She looked down at Jerry’s polo shirt and almost blushed at the thought of how much of the night she spent NOT wearing it. "Well, I have to admit that my ideas haute couture have changed a lot since the time on the island. I don’t think I’ll be able to wear pantyhose without cringing for at least six months!" She sighed. "But I guess it’s not exactly appropriate for meeting with the police either, is it?"

Jerry shook his head. "Thao did mention this morning that Ashley had some short shifts in the closet on the right side. Maybe some of them might fit." He rose from the bed and went to open the closet, making a noise of satisfaction when he saw hangers with short, simple dresses hanging on them. He held a pale purple one up for Brenda’s consideration, but when she made a face, he hung it back in the closet and went rooting for another.

Brenda sat cross-legged on the bed and sipped her coffee. "So, tell me about Jerry Jacks. Are you married?"

He turned from the closet, holding up a sunshine yellow dress trimmed with white daisies. "Well, if I ever DID get married, you can bet I would outlaw frocks like this in the house!" They both laughed as Brenda made a gagging motion and he hung it back in the closet. "But to answer your question….no, I’m not married." He made a satisfied grunt and held out a pale mauve sundress to her, nodding and smiling.

Brenda raised her eyebrows and gave the thumbs up. "So, how come? Never found the perfect woman?" She patted the bed next to her and he came to sit beside her.

"Not until now," he teased. "But I’m afraid she’s already taken, if I can tell by the look in my little brother’s eyes." He looked at Brenda seriously. "I take it he told you about Miranda on the island?"

"His wife?" Brenda nodded thoughtfully and put her cup back on the tray. "He didn’t mention her name that often, but he did tell me he’s married."

"In name only, Brenda. Miranda will never hold his soul the way you already do. I’m sure of that." He tipped her face up to his. "I just want YOU to be sure of it, too, and not to forget it, no matter what happens in the next few days." Brenda squeezed his hand and her eyes got misty as she realized that she had an important ally in this man who had been a total stranger to her just 24 hours before.

She wiped her eyes quickly with the back of her hand and jumped off the bed. "Well, I guess they’ll be wondering why I’m taking so long. Doesn’t exactly make a good first impression on the cops, does it?" She took the dress and went into the head, leaving Jerry to clean up the remains of breakfast.

When she came out 20 minutes later, she took a quick look at herself in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize herself. She had taken the liberty of using some of the makeup in her purse and was gratified to see that she hadn’t forgotten how to apply it. Although the dress was a little large and she hated wearing it without a bra, the color flattered her and the dark tan her skin had acquired in their weeks on the island. She had combed her hair and pulled it back off her face into a high ponytail. {If that doesn’t reek of innocence, I don’t know what does.} Taking a deep breath, she left the now-empty cabin.

Jerry met her outside the door and took her up to the top deck where Jax and the Australian authorities were meeting. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her, his heart started beating faster. Jax hadn’t seen her with makeup and such formal clothing since the day their flight left, and it made him want to strip the dress off of her and make love to her all over again.

He walked over to her somehow and took her hands in his, leaning down to put a kiss behind her ear. She inhaled sharply when he followed the kiss with a quick flick of his tongue in her ear. "You look beautiful this morning, my love," he whispered for her ears only.

She smiled and looked at him with all the love she felt in her heart. "Well, I guess we’d better get this out of the way." She took a deep breath and Jax folded her hand in his arm and led her to the table.

Two men in light khaki-colored uniforms immediately rose. The uniforms consisted of short-sleeved cotton dress shirts and short pants. "Brenda, this is Lieutenant Hart and Sergeant Doyle of the Sydney Police Department. Gentlemen, this is Ms. Brenda Barrett, my passenger and fellow castaway for the past six weeks." The two men nodded and shook her hand and then, once Brenda had sat down at the table, they did likewise. Jax sat next to Brenda, and Jerry and Thao sat on chairs at a discreet distance.

The policeman named Hart had salt-and-pepper colored hair and a bushy mustache. He looked at Brenda intently. "Ms. Barrett, I believe we should start these proceedings by informing you that you are not required to make any statements to us without your legal counsel being present. Is it still your intent to continue, or do you wish to summon your barrister?"

Brenda raised her eyebrow and looked at Jax in surprise. "Am I accused of some crime? I thought this was just a simple matter of asking us some questions about finding the heroin in the wreckage of the plane!" Thoughts of Sonny’s paranoia about police began to creep into her mind and she looked at Jax in a panic. "Have we been charged with something?"

Jax patted her hand reassuringly. "No, Brenda. Not at all." He shot the lieutenant a dirty look. "But the police just want to make sure that we’re aware that our cooperation is important to them and they want to protect our rights."

She leaned closer to Jax. "Do you think I need to call a lawyer?"

"You’ll be fine," he said. "Just tell them the truth and everything will be fine."

She nodded, but a prickle of fear still crept up her spine. "Ms. Barrett, will you tell us exactly why you were in Sydney?"

"I’m a model, Sergeant," she replied smoothly. "I was completing some photo layouts for the perfume company I work for, Deception Perfume. You can confirm that fact with the head of the company, Lucy Coe."

"We did that," Doyle replied. "We’re just a little confused, you see. Our records indicate that you are the co-owner of a record label – L&B Records – not a model."

"I do both. Most of my time is occupied for the record company, but I also do some modeling on the side. I enjoy it." {At least, I did until six weeks ago.}

"And so you were returning from this modeling job on the J&J Charters flight?"

"That’s correct." Brenda looked up gratefully as Jerry brought her a cup of coffee.

"Any luggage?"

"I usually try to travel light since most of the clothing I wear in the photo sessions is provided when I arrive. My luggage included a small overnight bag, a tote bag, and my purse."

"Ms. Barrett’s overnight bag was destroyed when the plane exploded," Jax offered. "She managed to salvage her tote bag and purse when we were escaping the Lear right before it blew." He shot her a smile at the memory of her stubborn refusal to leave the tote bag behind.

"And that was the only luggage you had?"

"That’s right." Brenda was becoming annoyed. She had already told them that. And they didn’t seem to be asking Jax if HE had any luggage. Why did she seem to be the only one under investigation?

"Did you see any other luggage being loaded onto the plane?" the lieutenant asked, making notes on his clipboard.

"No. I didn’t see anything being loaded onto the plane. In fact, I was quite late and was afraid I might miss the flight. We took off not long after I boarded."

Jax nodded. "That’s correct. I already indicated to you that Ms. Barrett boarded the plane just 10 minutes before we departed Sydney."

"Your employer – this Lucy Coe person – did she ask you to bring anything back to the States with you? Any other luggage?" Sergeant Doyle was persistent.

"No," Brenda said through grit teeth. "Lucy did give me some things that I could bring back with me, but they were just wine and cheese sets that we had received from retailers as Christmas presents. I put them in my tote bag, and it was very fortunate I had brought them with me since Jax and I consumed them after we crashed. Initially it was the only food and drink we had on the island."

"And the contents of the tote bag now?….."

Jax sighed. "Ms. Barrett’s tote bag is in the cabin below. I can have it brought up if you would like to examine it. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind." He looked at Brenda with a question in his eyes, but she nodded immediately. "Except you won’t find the wine and cheese sets in there. As she said – we ate the food to survive."

"If you don’t mind, Ms. Barrett – we would be very interested in seeing the bag." Brenda nodded and Thao left to go retrieve it from the cabin.

An hour later, Brenda reached up to massage her aching head. They had gone over the same questions again and again. Did she bring any other luggage? Did she see anyone put the case of drugs on the plane? Did she see the case of drugs anywhere besides on the island? Did Lucy Coe have a briefcase like that? Finally, the lieutenant looked back to Brenda. "Do you use drugs of any kind, Ms. Barrett?"

Brenda’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Jerry shot up from his seat. "I don’t think Ms. Barrett has to answer that! What kind of question is that?"

But Brenda put up her hand to stop him. "No, Jerry, that’s OK. I don’t mind answering." She looked the lieutenant squarely in the eye. "No, sir, I do NOT now, nor have I EVER, used drugs of any kind. Now I have just one question for you. Did you also ask Mr. Jacks that question? Because I’m getting the feeling here that I’m the only one under suspicion!"

The two policemen looked shocked, but Jax bristled and looked at them sharply. "I’m beginning to get that feeling also, gentlemen! I sat here and spoke with you for an hour before Ms. Barrett ever arrived, and I’ll freely admit that not once during that time did you even bring up the subject of whether or not I used drugs! Why are you questioning Ms. Barrett in that regard and not myself?"

Jerry pulled his chair closer to Jax’s and shot the same pointed look in the direction of the police. Brenda began to feel more hopeful with the two powerful men at her side.

"Mr. Jacks," Lieutenant Hart said apologetically, "let me make this clear. No charges have been brought against anyone as yet, and we make no accusations." He looked at Brenda coldly. "But the fact of the matter is that J&J Charters has operated out of Sydney, Australia for many years with an unblemished record. Ms. Barrett, on the other hand, is a stranger to us. The amount of heroin you discovered would bring an astronomical price in the black market, Mr. Jacks. And Australia, unlike the United States, considers drug trafficking a serious offense." He looked down at his clipboard uncomfortably. "And then, there is the questionable character of Ms. Barrett’s…….companion."

"My WHAT!" Brenda almost rose out of her chair.

The Australian lieutenant looked at her coldly. "Michael Corinthos, Jr. Your……companion. He has some…..unsavory.…..business associates."

Brenda sputtered, but Jax put a hand on her arm, trying to restrain her. "Gentlemen," he said, trying to diffuse the situation. "I think we have lost sight of part of the problem here. We spoke at length this morning about the fact that my jet was sabotaged. Someone fixed it so that we would crash." He leaned forward. "Someone tried to KILL us, gentlemen. Now, I’m very pleased that Australia has such a wonderfully strong anti-drug program, but what about murder? Doesn’t that deserve some kind of attention, too? Or are you telling me that in order to catch all the bad, nasty drug dealers you let the murderers get away?!"

The lieutenant looked rattled. "No, sir, absolutely not. We intend to fully investigate your allegations about sabotage. We are just as determined to find out who tried to kill you as we are to find out who these drugs belong to. We were just taking the investigation one step at a time."

"Well," Jax said, pushing his chair back from the table, "I think we’ve taken enough steps to call it a morning. Ms. Barrett and I have been through a hellish six weeks, and our families don’t even know that we’re alive yet."

Sergeant Doyle rose from the table. "We understand that, Mr. Jacks. We do appreciate your cooperation. I apologize if it seemed that we were being too rough on Ms. Barrett. We were just attempting to get as much information now as we could so that future trips to Australia will be minimized for her."

Brenda paled. "Future trips? What do you mean, future trips?"

"This investigation is just beginning, Ms. Barrett," the lieutenant said, rising also. "As Mr. Jacks said, someone tried to kill the both of you. That is a very serious crime. And in order to get to the bottom of it, we will probably need to take further statements from you or ask you to identify certain potential suspects – possibly in a lineup, as you call it in the States."

"And you can make me come back to Sydney to do that?"

"I believe it’s known as a subpoena in the United States, Ms. Barrett, and we most definitely can," the sergeant replied smoothly. "Unless there was some reason you don’t wish to return to Sydney……"

"No. Not at all," Brenda said in a small voice. This was really turning into a nightmare. Just when she thought her troubles were over, it seemed that they were just beginning.

"Gentlemen?" Jax rose and held his hand out towards their launch. "I’ll walk you to your boat." As they walked away, Brenda heard Jax’s voice carry. "We’ll discuss this further when I return to Sydney next week. In the meantime, I don’t want Ms. Barrett bothered. And I want a full report on what you’ve turned up when I get back."

Brenda heard the determination in his voice. Jerry and Thao came to stand next to her. "Is he going back to Sydney on business? Or because they’re making him?"

Jerry shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "Probably business. But Jax is pretty determined to find out who sabotaged the plane. His jets are like his babies."

Thao nodded. "I almost think it would be a blessing for the Aussies to find the perpetrators before Jax does."

Brenda gasped. "You don’t mean…..he wouldn’t take the law into his own hands, would he?"

Thao shook his head. "Oh, no, dear lady. Jax would never break the law and do something violent." He crossed his arms and put his shoulder to hers to speak confidentially. "But he has been known to BEND it on occasion." Jerry left to go to Jax and Thao looked into her troubled eyes. "Jax loves you a great deal, Ms. Barrett. I can see it in his eyes. He will move heaven and earth to find out who did this to you, especially after the police treated you so suspiciously."

Brenda watched as Jax had a long discussion with the two policemen before they left the Isabella. At one point, he stopped and ran his fingers though his hair, looking not at all pleased. He had given Jerry a strange look, and Jerry had just raised his hands in a "I-had-nothing-to-do-with-it" gesture. "What’s going on now?" Brenda asked Thao. "Jax doesn’t look happy." She watched them for a few minutes more, and Jax appeared to be arguing with the two Australians. "Oh, my God, Thao," she gasped, turning and wrapping her arms around herself in fear, "What if they changed their minds? What if they want to arrest me after all?"

Thao grasped Brenda by the arms, trying to steady her. "Brenda! Don’t worry! I hardly think they would have waited to discuss arresting you until they were ready to leave the yacht. It’s probably nothing. Now please try to calm yourself!"

Brenda took shallow, shaky breaths while Thao held her in his protective embrace. She was a little relieved when the Aussies finally pushed off from the Isabella and were on their way. Jax’s face, however, still looked drawn when he and Jerry began walking back to where Brenda and Thao stood.

"Something wrong, my friend?" Thao asked quietly as they came up.

Jax put his hands on his hips and turned away from the group. Brenda was getting more panicked by the minute, but finally Jerry spoke. "The Aussies apparently felt guilty about being so rough on Brenda, so they decided to "surprise" us to make up for it. Then went ahead and contacted the mainland about the rescue last night after they got our message."

When Jax looked at Brenda again, he had the hint of tears in his eyes. "There’s a private, exclusive island not far from here called Igua," he said grimly. "They contacted your business partner and boyfriend," he almost hissed the word, "last night. They also called my family." Jax grimaced at Jerry. "Mum, Dad, and Jason have already arrived on Igua and your partner and boyfriend are due within the hour. Miranda’s there, too." Thao swore softly.

Brenda grew pale. "How soon……"

Jax smiled in irony. "Suddenly, the authorities can’t be helpful enough. The Aussies have a seaplane in the air to take us to Igua. It should arrive here in 20 minutes."

Brenda’s eyes began to mist as Jax’s already were. In less than 24 hours’ time, the gates to Eden had been closed and locked forever.

*~*~*~*

Brenda sat in the seaplane, her hands folded primly in her lap. She stared at Jax, who was sitting next to her, staring out the window.

Everything had been a blur after Jax’s announcement. Thao had ushered her back down to the cabin to gather her things, insisting she wear one of Ashley’s dresses for the reunion. She had selected a white , virtually backless sundress with a strappy halter neckline that complimented her dark tan. She took her hair down and brushed it until it shown, cascading in waves down her bare back. She kept waiting for Jax to join her in the cabin, but Thao explained that he was busy topside, making the arrangements for meeting the seaplane.

She wanted one more chance to talk to him alone. As she looked around the cabin one more time, she bit her lip in indecision. {Maybe you should tell him about the baby now. Things will probably get pretty intense once he’s back with his family…..and his wife. And Sonny will be there, too.} Brenda wasn’t sure if it was a recurrence of morning sickness, but every time she thought of facing Sonny, her stomach did somersaults. The thought of him touching her made it even worse.

Brenda looked at Jax again. He seemed lost in thought, and she couldn’t stop wondering if he was thinking about Miranda. She hadn’t had any time alone with him on the Isabella before they left, and now certainly wasn’t the time to tell him. The engines of the seaplane were droning in her ear, and she would have had to shout to make herself heard. The cabin was cramped, and although she was growing closer to Jerry, she really wanted time alone with Jax when she told him he was going to be a father again.

As Brenda looked out her window, she saw many small islands flying by beneath her. She shivered a little – she had never realized just how many small islands there were in the South Pacific, or how incredibly lucky they were that Jerry had managed to spot their wreckage on one island out of thousands. Suddenly, Jax looked back at her and pointed out the small window. "That’s it – Igua." He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. As she returned the squeeze, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it softly, trailing his lips over her fingers and pressing her hand against his cheek.

As Brenda watched out the window of the small plane, the ground came up closer and closer. They landed and began to taxi to a steel building that much have functioned as the main airport facility on this island. Brenda could see a large crowd gathered already.

"Do you think the press will be there too?" she asked Jax softly.

"You can count on it," he replied grimly. "They probably picked up on the story last night shortly after the Aussies called our families. But we’ll try to keep you shielded from as much as we can." He looked into her eyes. "Hopefully the authorities had enough sense not to leak any details about the heroin. But just in case somebody got wind of it, don’t make any comment at all. Completely ignore any reporter who mentions it."

"What about…..our living arrangements for the past six weeks? Won’t there be questions….." Jax was about to answer her when the seaplane came to a stop and the pilot came back and asked Jax to help him open the hatch. Jerry leaned over to Brenda.

"Just forget about the reporters for now. We’ll probably try to schedule some kind of press conference for later to discuss the experience. Right now – just concentrate on your family." He smiled weakly. "I guess your boyfriend will be happy to see you."

"Yeah, my boyfriend. Right." Brenda’s nausea was interrupted when Jax put his hand on her arm.

"Are you ready?" He held out his hand to her and she gave him a "now-or-never" smile and took it for balance as she climbed out of the seaplane.

Cameras began clicking as soon as they stepped off the plane. Brenda put her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes against the brilliant sun, looking for Lois. As she scanned the hanger apron, she saw an older, gray-haired distinguished-looking gentlemen with a much shorter gray-haired woman. They were watching the plane anxiously, but not nearly so much as the young boy with them. As soon as Jax had turned back towards the hanger from the plane, the boy took off running towards them.

{That must be Jax’s son.} Brenda turned around to Jax, but he had already seen the boy and gave a strangled cry of joy himself. Jason was only about 50 yards away when Jax ran to meet him. They met in a tangle of arms and stood there for several minutes. Brenda didn’t realize that Jerry had gotten off the plane until he whispered in her ear. "That’s Jason, Jax’s son."

"I figured as much," Brenda replied. She watched as they hugged and then Jerry gently took her elbow and began leading her away from the seaplane. The older couple had also begun walking towards Jax and Jason eagerly. Brenda leaned towards Jerry. "Who’s that?"

Jerry smiled. "That’s our Mum and Dad, Jane and John Jacks." They came up as Jax came up for air from Jason’s hug and the older woman was visibly sobbing as she took Jax into her arms. She petted his hair lovingly and buried her head in his chest as the teenage boy came around to the back of Jax and kept his arm around Jax’s waist.

Brenda rose an eyebrow. "Wow! – Jax, Jerry, Jane, John, Jason….do you allow anyone in the family who’s name doesn’t start with a "J"?"

Jerry laughed and then looked at her pointedly. "We’ve been known to make exceptions." Brenda continued to watch as it was the older man’s turn to take Jax into his arms for an unabashed hug and kiss. Sensing her feelings of loneliness, Jerry put his arm around Brenda’s waist. "I called on the radio and your business partner just arrived. She should be out here any minute. Apparently she’s been driving the hotel staff crazy!"

Brenda smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. "That sounds like Lois!" But then both Jerry and Brenda turned when they heard a low, wailing sound begin. They saw the source of the sound…..a petite, dark-haired woman in a bright red suit and hat with a veil covering face. She came running towards Jax and as his family parted to look at her, she threw herself into his arms, partially collapsing as she did.

Jerry cursed under his breath. "Then again, there are some exceptions to that "J" rule that we never should have made." As Brenda watched in horrified fascination, the woman pushed the veil back off her face and pulled Jax’s face down to hers for a passionate kiss. Brenda turned to Jerry. "That’s Miranda – the wife," Jerry hissed.

Brenda felt her stomach begin to turn over again as she watched Jax’s wife kissing him. She turned away, not able to watch what might turn into a tender reunion for Jax and his wife and her "kiss-off" as the latest in a long string of mistresses. She put her hand to her mouth to stifle the sob that was threatening to spill out.

"Oh, Jax, my darling," Brenda heard Miranda moan as she ended the kiss. "I was so afraid I lost you! I’ll never let you go again!!"

To be continued……

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