In this scenario, Anna Devane is NOT related to Robin Scorpio.

Brenda stood at the window in her office, staring out at the traffic on the street below. She turned back to Scott Baldwin, her corporate attorney, who was seated in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"D*mnit, Scott, why can’t they get it through their heads that I was an innocent victim in this whole thing?" She put her hands on her hips and began walking back to her desk chair. "All I did was model for some pictures and get on a plane. All I wanted to do was to get back home to my plain, ordinary life." She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Do you think I really have to go to Sydney?"

Scott flipped through the papers and then looked up at Brenda. "Oh, yes, you definitely have to appear." Brenda shot an anguished look at Lois, who sat in the chair opposite Scott. "But I wouldn’t be so upset if I were you, Brenda. This isn’t an indictment."

"What does that mean?" Lois leaned forward, as did Brenda.

"Well, I’m no expert in criminal law, but from the looks of this, they haven’t actually ACCUSED Brenda of anything. All they’re doing is demanding her presence for a hearing and some questioning."

Brenda grimaced. "Yeah, the accusing thing can wait until I get there and I’m in a totally different country and they can lock me in a jail cell somewhere and throw away the key."

"Don’t overdramatize, Brenda," Scott laughed. "Australia isn’t like Turkey. They do follow due process there the same way we do here in the States. This is a perfectly normal step. They just want to get your side of the story, based on new evidence they have from this baggage clerk person."

Lois stood up. "Well, you’re not goin’ alone, girlfriend. I’m gonna have Robin re-schedule some of my appointments and I’m goin’ with you."

"Lois," Brenda protested, "you can’t do that. Somebody’s got to stay here and run the business. We can’t both just disappear for heaven knows how long."

Lois shook a painted nail at Brenda. "Now, don’t talk that way, missy. You’re going to go over there and things will get cleared up just like that." She started to snap her fingers, but then paused. "Well, I would show you how fast, but I don’t want to break one of these babies." "Besides," she continued, "we don’t have any contracts comin’ up for renewal, and there’s really no new talent we’re pursuing right now. Robin can handle keeping the recording schedule runnin’ smoothly for a few days, and I can be in touch with her by fax and the PC." She walked around to where Brenda sat. "Come on, Brenda. Don’t look like you’re walkin’ into the execution chamber."

Brenda rose morosely and let Lois hug her. She looked at Scott sadly. "Will you come with me, too?"

"I wouldn’t be of much help, Brenda, but I can check around and recommend a criminal attorney for you, if you like."

"I don’t really "like," but I guess you’d better." Brenda sat back down and buzzed Robin on the intercom. "Robin, would you come in here? I’ve got some dictation that I need to get done today and I’ll need some appointments cancelled."

"When will you be leaving?" Scott asked gently.

"Tonight," Brenda answered curtly, drawing a gasp from Lois.

"What’s the rush? I thought they said they don’t need you for three days!" Lois exclaimed.

Brenda was already shifting papers around on her desk, looking for her calendar. "I might as well get it over with. The sooner I get there and answer their questions, the sooner I can get back to my normal life." Robin knocked and Brenda waved her in.

"But how are you gonna get a reservation on a flight tonight? I don’t think there’s even that many flights every day that GO to Australia!" Lois was still in disbelief.

Brenda looked up at Robin in determination. "Call J&J Charters. They say they can get you "anywhere, anytime." Let’s see how good they really are."

"You’re not a little skittish about flying with them again?" Scott asked.

"Not at all." Brenda looked to Lois. "Should I have her make two reservations?"

Lois glanced down at her watch. "As long as you give me an hour to clean things up here and an hour to pack."

Brenda nodded and looked back to Robin. "You heard her. Tell her we want a chartered flight out of here tonight at …….7:30?" Lois nodded. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I’ve got some re-arranging to do." Lois and Scott both rose and began to leave the office as Robin moved into one of the chairs. Brenda paused for a moment, wondering who the pilot would be on the plane. She couldn’t be that unlucky twice in a lifetime.

Robin Scorpio was beginning to wish she had never agreed to work for L&B Records. One of their new artists had nearly destroyed a hotel suite in Denver after playing a concert. Another artist had threatened to break her contract if Brenda didn’t agree to let her dye her hair fuschia. Just when she thought her day couldn’t get any worse, the doors to the office slammed open and a tall, blonde man stormed in.

"Is Miss Barrett in her office?" He spoke with an accent that she didn’t immediately place, but she got goose bumps just looking into his incredible blue eyes.

"No, sir, she’s not in." {But I’m here and I am SO available.}

He didn’t appear pleased. "That figures. You don’t mind if I check for myself, just to make sure?" He barreled his way past her desk and Robin followed him, stammering as she walked.

By the time she got into Brenda’s office, the man had spun around to face her again and he looked confused. "She’s not here."

{Duh!!} "Yes, sir, that’s what I just told you." Before she could say anything else, he came at her again, briskly passing her by to go into the outer office. When Robin got back to her desk, the blonde hurricane had taken a seat, folded his hands in his lap, and was circling his thumbs. "Uh, sir…..was there something I can help you with?"

The blue eyes stabbed her again and Robin felt her way back to her chair so that she could sit down before she fell down. "No, thank you. I’ll just wait until she gets back."

"Well, I’m not really sure when that will be. She had a sudden emergency and had to leave……"

His face had paled at the word "emergency" and he gripped the sides of the chair. "Is she OK? Where did she go? To the hospital?"

"No! No, sir, it wasn’t a medical emergency." Hurricane Adonis relaxed in his chair. "Although I’m really not sure that I’m at liberty to tell you where she went. Ms. Barrett and Ms. Cerullo left last night on a chartered flight…."

"Last night? They left last night? Both of them?" He sat in thought for a moment. "Jerry didn’t say anything about Lois leaving….but if they took a chartered flight……" He looked back at her again in a panic. "We only had one charter leave last night … bound for Sydney!"

"We? Are you with J&J Charters?" Robin couldn’t believe that she could manage not only to meet the handsomest, sexiest, most luscious man alive, but he worked for the same company as Lois’ and Brenda’s boyfriends.

The man smirked. "Work for them? Love, I AM J&J Charters." He extended his hand to her. "Jasper Jacks, but you can call me Jax."

{D*MN, D*MN, AND DOUBLE D*MN!!!} "You’re Jax? The Jax who keeps sending Brenda flowers?"

"Exactly." He moved into a chair closer to Robin’s desk, and her despair deepened. "I thought you knew that all along. I thought when I came in here that you were just giving me the bum’s rush, like she keeps sending back all the flowers. I didn’t realize that she had really left the country." He smiled at Robin, and her insides felt like one of those flowers that had been left out of water too long. "So, now that you know who I am, surely you can tell me why she went to Sydney in such a rush."

Jax flashed a smile again, and Robin momentarily lost the power of speech. "Uh….she had to go to Sydney because a man came here yesterday and slapped her with a court order. It seems there’s some new information in the case that makes it look bad for her."

She wasn’t ready for the swear words that came out of Jax’s mouth or the way he jumped to his feet in split seconds. "What new information?" He pulled out his cell phone and started muttering to himself that heads would roll about this one, but then he flipped it shut again and began pacing. The swearing started again, and Robin caught phrases about his cell battery being dead. Suddenly, he turned back to her and came to stand in front of the desk, wearing a look that Robin decided would have charmed the habit off Sister Luella in third grade. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the desk for balance, and brought his face to within inches of hers. "Would you do me a favor, love?"

{Have your baby? Provide an entire afternoon of meaningless, hot, sweaty, sex? Make you forget Brenda?} "Sure," she squeaked, and then looked down and cleared her voice. "Of course, Mr. Jacks. What can I do to help?"

"Let me borrow your phone?" Robin didn’t even look down. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she wordlessly picked up the receiver and handed it to him. He flashed her another smile, and as she sank deeper under his spell, he said, "Now – I have just one more question."

"Yes?" Robin sighed. {That was my answer, too – just in case you were wondering if I was single and available and could become your love slave.}

Jax looked down at the keypad and then back to Robin. "Do I need to dial 9 first?"

Robin suddenly blinked and the spell was broken. "Uh…..NO! You can dial out direct."

Jax perched on the side of her desk and began rapidly punching numbers into the phone. "Addie? This is Jax. I need you to do some things for me right away." He paused. "OK, ready? I’ll be on my way back to the office in a few minutes, but in the meantime I want you to call the hanger at LAX and have them get a Lear fueled up and file a flight plan for Sydney. Tell them I’ll be at the airport at 1 o’clock and I’ll expect it to be ready to go. When I get back there, we’ll go through my calendar for the next few days and take care of any pressing matters." He took a deep breath. "Call Jerry. Tell him to get his butt back in the office. He’ll have to cover for me until I get back from Sydney, and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone."

He smiled at Robin again as he paused, and she decided that Brenda had to be out of her mind, refusing to see a gorgeous man like this.

"OK. Next, call Alexis Davis. Tell her to send Miranda a letter advising her she’s got three weeks to sign the divorce papers." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just tell Alexis I’ll discuss plan B with her if it comes to that. And tell her to have a bag packed – I may need her to join us in Sydney tomorrow." He thought for a moment. "On second thought, Addie, when you call LAX, have them page Lucky Spencer for me. I want to be alert when I arrive in Sydney. Lucky is the best young pilot we’ve got. He can fly me there." Another pause. "Nope. That’s about it." He glanced down at his watch. "I should be back at the office in about 20 minutes."

Robin frowned inwardly. {That’s not nearly as long as I would like it to last, but I’m willing to compromise.} Jax hung up the phone and then rose from her desk. "Thank you so much for letting me use your phone. You’ve been a tremendous help, Miss…."

Robin had to think for a moment. "Scorpio! Robin Scorpio!"

He smiled one last time and his blue/green eyes held her mesmerized. "Miss Scorpio." He walked to the front doors of the office. "I never forget a favor, Miss Scorpio. Hope your day gets better."

Robin watched and as the door closed behind him, a soft sob came out of her throat. {Wow – if that’s what it’s like to be on the fringes of Hurricane Adonis – how does Brenda survive being caught in the eye???!!!}

Jax sat in a cab, waiting for the traffic signal to change so that his driver could drop him off at the hotel where Brenda and Lois were staying. It hadn’t taken Addie too long to locate them. He was anxious to see her again. She couldn’t very well hide behind incoming phone calls and appointments in her hotel suite.

Jax had gone to the Sydney police headquarters as soon as he had arrived in Sydney, livid that he hadn’t been kept abreast of happenings on the case. While Lieutenant Hart had been out on a case, Sergeant Doyle was left along to face Jax’s wrath.

"I’m so sorry, Mr. Jacks," he had apologized. "We had sent you a telegram, advising you of the newest developments in the case and Ms. Barrett’s subpoena, but apparently it got hung up on a secretary’s desk in the legal department. And there’s really no need to be concerned. We’re just having Ms. Barrett come here for some questions. She hasn’t been charged with anything……"

"…..YET!" Jax had finished for him sarcastically.

The sergeant looked like he was mightily wishing that the lieutenant was there to explain things to Mr. Jacks. "Yes, well……things do look rather bleak for the young woman. This baggage clerk is certain he saw her bring the metal case aboard the plane, and as we explained to you on the yacht, Australian law treats drug smuggling as a very serious offense."

Jax had leaned down onto the desk, supporting his weight on his hands, nearly touching noses with the flustered policeman. "She didn’t do it," Jax said in a low and clipped voice. "And I’m going to prove it."

Sergeant Doyle saw the fire in Jax’s eyes. "I certainly hope you can, sir. In the meantime, she’ll be appearing at a hearing before a judge in four days. If the judge finds the evidence to have merit, she’ll be ….." He hesitated when he saw Jax’s face cloud over even more. "…..the…uh…..judge will consider all the evidence and indictments will be issued after that."

The cab finally pulled up in front of the Rex and Jax jumped out, paying the cabbie briskly and striding into the hotel. In a few minutes, he would see the woman he loved again. After two months, it couldn’t come a moment too soon.

Brenda sat on the couch in the hotel suite, her feet tucked under her, wearing the fluffy, white terrycloth robe that the hotel provided for its guests. Lois had gone downstairs to take care of some L&B business, giving Brenda her first moments alone since they had arrived in Sydney.

She had never been this scared in her life. Scott Baldwin had assured her that he would find her a good criminal attorney and send him to Sydney as soon as he could, but in the meantime, all she could picture was giving birth to Jax’s child behind Australian prison walls. She massaged her slightly rounded stomach. The morning sickness was easing up now, and it was a good thing, since she didn’t think she could hide it from Lois much longer.

When there was a knock at the door of the suite, Brenda rose reluctantly from the couch and padded barefoot to open it. "What’s the matter? Can’t you get that electronic key thing to work aga…." She stopped cold as she swung the door of the suite open and faced the father of her child. As she stared into his azure eyes, she felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach with a velvet glove. "Jax." His name came out on a whisper.

"Brenda." His reply was shaky. He ran his hand through his hair with nervous energy. "May I come in?"

Brenda lowered her eyes and tried to close the door a little. "Jax, I really don’t think we have anything to say to each other."

Tensions that had been building ever since her abrupt departure from Igua suddenly bubbled over the top. As the door began to close, Jax braced his hand against it and pushed. Brenda almost was knocked backwards as he came into the room. She stepped back a little from the door, and he closed it behind him. "Well, maybe you don’t have anything to say to me, but I have a h*ll of a lot to say to you, princess!"

His tone certainly didn’t sound like that of a lover. "Well then, say it and get it over with and get out!" she replied, picking up on his bluster.

Jax put his hands on his hips, pushing his suit coat back and exposing his sweat-dampened dress shirt. He had loosened the knot of his tie and it now hung askew on the right side of his chest. He tried to choose his words carefully, but when he looked at Brenda, all he could see were the dark circles under her eyes and her pale complexion. "You look terrible."

She gasped aloud. "THAT’S what you have to say to me? That I look terrible?" She began to pace back and forth nervously. "Well, you know how it is. We drug smugglers lead such a hectic life. We never get a chance to eat a decent meal when we’re travelling to all the corners of the globe, just trying to bring in enough heroin to get all the kids in Los Angeles hooked for life…."

Jax rushed to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Stop it, Brenda! You’re NOT a drug smuggler, and you know that I believe that!"

Her eyes were filling with tears. "Yeah, well I don’t think your friends in the Aussie police department believe it." But then she began to feel it. His touch. Even through the thick terrycloth of the robe. Her shoulders began to burn where he was holding her. She looked up into his eyes, and she knew he felt it, too.

The air in the room suddenly seemed to evaporate. "Jax, no," Brenda whispered, her lips trembling, as he pulled her closer to him. But he was overwhelming her. The mere scent of him was acting like a narcotic cloud. {Stupid, Brenda! You knew this would happen! That’s why you didn’t want to let him get within 10 feet of you back in LA!}

Jax’s senses were reeling with the closeness of her. He relaxed the grip on her shoulders and slid his hands down slowly to her waistline. He continued to pull her closer to him until his breath moved her hair. He leaned down and buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent he had missed for so many nights. "Brenda, I’ve missed you." He put his hand to her chin and tipped her face up so that she was looking into his eyes. "I’ve missed us." Before she could object, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her.

As soon as Jax’s lips touched hers, Brenda knew she was in trouble. Her hands fluttered on his arms for a moment, trying to push him away, but then as he began to nibble at her lower lip and the corners of her mouth, they slid up his arms to pull his head down for a deeper kiss. When she moaned softly, Jax responded with a feverish sigh of his own, and his hands roamed restlessly up and down her back. When he teased at her lips with the tip of his tongue, her mouth opened for him. Just when she thought she couldn’t breathe, Jax seemed to breathe into her mouth and the air they shared was charged with wanting. Instinctively she pressed her body up against his, never realizing that her robe offered little in the way of a barrier between his body and the outline of hers. As he suddenly broke the kiss, she realized the mistake she had made.

Jax’s eyes were wide. "Brenda?" His hands slowly drifted downward to untie the belt of the robe, and as the two front panels gapped ever so slightly down the front, he slid his hands beneath them to cup her breasts. He lightly flicked her nipples with the pads of his thumbs, but then slid one hand down over her stomach. Brenda closed her eyes and whimpered – partially at the pleasure his touch could still bring her, and partially because he had discovered the truth so quickly.

His hands left her body to cup her face tenderly. "You’re pregnant." It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

Brenda was trembling. She pulled away from him slightly, and reached down to re-tie the belt of the robe. "Why do you say that?" She kept her eyes downcast, but he took her chin in her fingers and tipped it up to him again.

"Brenda, we lived together for six weeks. I know your body almost as well as I know my own." He stroked her cheek gently with one hand, and then moved it down to her breast. "I can tell just by feeling them that your breasts are fuller." He moved his hand down to cup her belly. "I can feel the gentle slope of your stomach where my child is growing." Brenda pulled away from him suddenly and went back to sit on the couch, her feet curled under her. Jax remained where he was. "How long have you known?"

"I suspected it the day Jerry found us on the island," Brenda sighed. "I saw a doctor as soon as we got back and she confirmed it." She looked into his eyes. "I broke up with Sonny about 6 weeks ago. He knows about the baby."

Jax came to sit beside her on the couch. "I already knew you broke up with him." She gave him a puzzled look. "Lois told Jerry."

Her mouth set in a grim line. "I see." She took a deep breath. Finally the tension began to take its toll on her and tears began to trail down her cheeks as she looked at him again. "Jax, I’m so scared."

He reached out to take her hand. "Brenda, there’s nothing to be scared about. Everything’s going to be fine." He began to breathe quickly and jumped up. "Everything’s going to be WONDERFUL! We’ll just get married, and then you’ll have our child, and we’ll have a wonderful life together!"

Brenda wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Jax, are you crazy? You can’t marry me. Bigamy is against the law in California."

He sat back down and caught both of her hands in his. "I’ll get the divorce, Brenda." He took a deep breath when he saw her skeptical look. "I’ve got an ace in the hole that I can use against Miranda."

"What kind of ace? I thought Miranda wouldn’t agree to the divorce."

"It’s a long, complicated story, Brenda. Right now, just believe that I’ll find a way for us to be married." He moved closer to her on the sofa. "I love you, Brenda, and I love our baby. I want us to be a family."

"Yeah, well that’s going to be a little difficult if I’m spending the rest of my life in an Australian prison for drug smuggling." She sniffed cynically. "Do you think they’ll let me out for the delivery, or do you think they’ll just let me give birth in my cell in solitary confinement?"

"Don’t talk like that, Brenda!" Jax exploded. "I’m convinced that you’re being set up in this whole thing, and I’m going to prove it." He shifted on the couch and when he opened his arms to her, she moved into them as if it was the most natural place in the world for her to be. He stroked her hair gently, savoring the texture and fragrance. "What does your attorney say?"

"I don’t really have an attorney." At that, Jax pulled her up and turned her around to look at him. "I mean, my corporate attorney is referring me to someone, but I haven’t spoken with him yet," she explained.

At that moment, Lois burst through the door, looking pale. "Brenda! Are you OK?" She stopped short when she saw Jax seated on the couch and then broke into a nervous smile. "Well, I guess you are!" She looked around. "Is Jerry here, too?"

Jax stood up suspiciously. "No, he’s not, Lois. Why did you look so concerned about Brenda when you came in?"

"I…uh….I just worry about her, ‘ya know!" she laughed. Jax put his hands on his hips.

"Lois, what’s the matter?" Brenda said, growing pale.

She looked from one face to the other, and then gave a large sigh of defeat. "I went down to send those faxes back to LA for the business, ‘ya know? Anyway, when I got down to the lobby, this note was in the mailbox for our suite."

Brenda rose from the couch and took the envelope from Lois. She took out a single sheet of paper and her fingers started to tremble as she read aloud. "Be very careful. Strange things happen to people when they travel to strange places." She swayed a little, and Jax took her by the arms and sat her back down on the couch.

"Has this happened before?" Jax stroked Brenda’s arm reassuringly and took the note from her.

She shook her head. "No notes. Just some hang-up phone calls right before we left. And it seemed like this black car was always parked outside the condo."

"I….hate to say this…." Lois was wringing her hands, but Jax motioned her to go on. "I think I saw Sonny watching the hotel from a car across the street."

"That’s it." Jax shed his suit coat and yanked his tie off and threw them on the nearby chair. He pulled a phone on the coffee table over to where he sat. "Can I use this?"

"What are you doing?" Brenda asked softly.

"I’m making arrangements so that we can clear you of these ridiculous charges." Lois sighed in relief, but Brenda still looked skeptical. "I’ll talk to the hotel manager. We’ll take over this floor so that we can control security. And then once you’re cleared, I’ll take the necessary steps so that you can come and live at my house at Malibu with me while the divorce is going through. And then we’ll be married and you’ll have the baby."

Lois screeched and flew to the couch, perching on the arm. "YOU’RE PREGNANT? BRENDA, THAT IS SO AWESOME!!!"

Jax was dialing already as Brenda reached out to force his hand down and hang up the phone. "You hadn’t told Lois?" He looked down at the phone and then back up at her. "What’s the matter?"

"Jax," she said slowly. "I can’t come to live with you while you’re still married to that witch. I just can’t. Especially now." She glanced down at her stomach.

He turned to her and took her hands in his. "This is not negotiable, Brenda. I love you, and I’m going to marry you." He thought for a moment. "I tell you what. We’ll make this like a business deal. If I get you cleared on the smuggling charges, you agree to come and live with me at Malibu until the divorce is final."

Brenda chewed her lower lip. As much as she hated the thought of facing Miranda, being with Jax again was tempting. "All right," she sighed. "If you can somehow pull off a miracle and get me out of this frame, I’ll come to Malibu with you."

Jax nodded. "NOW can I use the phone?" Brenda nodded her agreement, and Jax looked at Lois. "Why don’t you go get her a glass of milk and some crackers or something? She looks undernourished." He dialed quickly and then gazed back at Brenda. "Do you have much morning sickness?" She smiled and was about to answer when Jax’s call obviously went through.

Jax turned back to the phone. "Jerry, it’s me. Listen, I need you to do some things, and pronto. Grab some paper." He sat for a few minutes as Lois came back into the room bearing two large glasses of milk and a plate of Oreos. He frowned at Lois. "Are those any good for her?"

Lois smiled. "Nope. That’s why they’re perfect comfort food for a mother-to-be." She handed Brenda a cookie as Jax turned back to the phone.

"Ready? OK, first I want you to call Alexis Davis. Tell her I want her in Sydney immediately." He nodded. "In fact," he glanced at Lois, "why don’t YOU just fly Alexis over here, and you can bring Anna Devane with you on the same flight. Yeah – she’s the investigator. This one is getting real ugly, Jer." He paused as Jerry must have been speaking, and his eyes grew cold. "We already know that. Lois thinks she spotted Corinthos sitting in a car across the street from the hotel." Jax looked lovingly at Brenda. "Yeah, Lois is here too, Jerry, and they’ve gotten some suspicious phone calls and notes. That’s why I thought…." Jax paused for a few minutes, covering the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand and holding it away from his ear. "Jerry is saying some things his future niece or nephew shouldn’t be hearing." He finally put the phone back to his ear. "OK, Jerry. I’m going back to the hotel and getting my things so I can move here. We’ll take over the rest of this floor of the hotel. Tell Anna to call me during the flight and I’ll fill her in."

Brenda watched in amazement as Jax rattled off orders. When he hung up, he immediately rose and grabbed his coat off the chair. "You’re leavin’?" Lois asked.

"Got things to do. I’ll be back here as soon as I can." After giving Brenda a quick but passionate kiss, he was out the door in a flash.

Lois sat down next to Brenda on the couch, putting the Oreos between them. "OK, girlfriend, what’s wrong?"

"Wrong? Why do you think something’s wrong?" Brenda nibbled on the edge of an Oreo.

"Oh, maybe just because you neglected to tell me that you were pregnant. Or maybe because the man you obviously love is deliriously happy that you’re havin’ a baby and wants you to move in with him…" Lois looked at her seriously. "And you look about as happy as if you were havin’ a root canal." She put her hand on Brenda’s. "When did you tell him about the baby?"

"Today. And I didn’t tell him. He could tell, just from …..well, looking at me," Brenda sighed.

"Why on earth wouldn’t you want to tell him? Aren’t you happy about it?"

"Yes," Brenda shot back, "I’m ecstatic about the baby. But I didn’t want Jax to feel like he’s obligated to marry me." She played with the ends of the robe and looked at Lois with tears in her eyes. "He had to marry Miranda because SHE was pregnant, you know. Maybe he’ll get the feeling it’s déjà vu all over again."

"Brenda, you are NOTHIN’ like that witch!" Lois said, reaching out to comfort her. But Brenda pulled away.

"And now if he does manage to clear me, I’ll have to go live around his perfect, svelte, trim wife." Lois opened her mouth to object, but Brenda held up her hand to stop her. "Lois, Jax fell in love with me on the island. The ME that was on the island – slim, no swollen ankles, no morning sickness. Plus, he still doesn’t trust me enough to tell me how he’s planning to pull off this divorce when he couldn’t manage it for ten years."

"Brenda, that man loves you a WHOLE heck of a lot," Lois said gently.

"Yeah," Brenda agreed grimly. "Almost as much as Miranda loves him." She shook her head and looked toward the door where Jax had left. "I don’t know, Lo. As much as I would hate making Australian license plates for the rest of my life, why do I feel like I just made a deal with the devil?"

To be continued…..

Author’s note: I think it’s important to note that I have changed the tone of the last scene *dramatically* from the way it’s portrayed in the original novel. According to the book, there is a lot of animosity between the hero and heroine. When they embrace, he can tell she’s pregnant, but he asks her when she was going to get around to telling him, and even implies that she probably was going to have an abortion. She responds by insinuating that it’s not even his child, to which he replies that he’s been having her watched and he knows it’s his. I didn’t want to carry any of this tone over to my story, but the "deal" that they make – if he proves she’s innocent, she’ll come back to Malibu with him – is very important to plot, and I needed to keep that. Consider this a warning if you intend to read the original book, but by changing the mood, I hope I have still done the scene justice.