Brenda sighed. "Only if she can get the lead singer for Mona to agree to shave under her arms." She pushed back from the table and massaged her slightly swollen tummy. "What makes a woman think she’ll be the idol of millions of teenage girls if she looks like she’s got kittens under each arm?"

Lois bit her cheek to stop her laughter. "Would you rather trade with me? I’m tryin’ to set up a concert schedule for that new band that’s afraid to fly! Do you know how many trains go to Puerto Rico?"

As they both shook their heads at the temperamental artists they dealt with, Jerry burst through the door. "All right, L&B ladies! Enough of hiding yourselves behind these drab walls!" He swept over to Lois and gave her a passionate kiss hello, and Brenda cast her eyes down at the paperwork to keep from blushing. She was brought back into the conversation when he popped over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"So, Jerry – why aren’t you at work like us poor slobs? Boss give you the day off?"

Jerry wagged his finger at Brenda. "Now, you know very well I had no intention of getting near my dear brother today after the way he behaved at breakfast."

Lois nodded and almost choked on her cola. "I know! He even talked back to your mother! I thought she was gonna have a stroke or somethin’!"

Brenda leaned forward and propped her chin in her hands. "Do you know why he was in such a foul mood?" Brenda had been surprised at his surly attitude that morning along with everyone else.

Life had been proceeding on a fairly even keel ever since the return to California. All of Sonny and Moreno’s associates had been apprehended and were behind bars, pending trials. Sonny himself had been given a stiff jail sentence in Australia, and the Australian and American governments were trying to hammer out a deal so that he could come back to America and face more charges. To Jax’s delight, the Aussies weren’t too anxious to give him up and intended to keep him behind bars, fearing that the American "softies" might allow him some means to escape.

Shortly after all of Sonny’s "friends" had been incarcerated, the threatening notes and phone calls had ceased. But by that time, Lois and Brenda had become so comfortable working out of the gatehouse, that the subject of them moving back to their normal offices was never broached. Even Robin seemed to enjoy coming out to the estate to work, although Brenda noticed that every time Jax walked in the office, Robin excused herself and left the room red-faced.

Brenda and Jax continued to share his room, and if their days were spent apart on business, their nights were filled with only each other. Jax was a tender and passionate lover, and while his concern for the baby made Brenda love him even more, at times it was exasperating. She had been surprised when he brought her a milkshake concoction one morning, and after tasting it, her morning sickness returned with a vengeance. She had taken him to her next appointment with Dr. Meadows, and after he learned that she was right on target with her weight gain and blood counts, he promised her privately that he would never try to force a health shake on her again. He had also tried to delicately ask Dr. Meadows about continuing to have sex during the pregnancy, and was elated when they were given the green light for at least a few more months.

But that morning, the Jax that Brenda had gone to sleep with the night before was certainly not the one who came down to breakfast. He was sullen and withdrawn, and as Lois had said, barked at his mother when all she did was ask if he anything specific planned for the day.

"Beats me why he was such a bloody bear," Jerry said, interrupting Brenda’s reverie. "But…..that’s not the point." He gestured to the outside. "It’s a beautiful day today, and I thought I would take my two favorite record executives in the world out for a drive in the sunshine and then to lunch! My treat!" he added for emphasis.

"Outside? You mean, like at a real restaurant?" Brenda said, not looking too thrilled at the prospect.

"Yeah, you remember those, don’t ‘cha, Bren? The ones with waiters in fancy coats and linen tablecloths and menus?" Lois clapped her hands in glee. "Sounds like a great idea to me!"

Brenda grinned unconvincingly. "You two go ahead. I’ve got so much here to catch up on that I’ll just stay here and order lunch sent up from the house." She caught Jerry’s cynical look. "REALLY, Jerry, I PROMISE I’ll eat something, OK?"

He came and crouched down next to her chair, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Who are you hiding from, beautiful?" She looked away just as Jerry saw tears begin to gather. "Everything’s been clear with the threats now for some time but you never leave the compound." He winked at Lois. "I mean, I know that *I* am personally irresistible and always enchanting, but Jax can get boring after a while. I think the last time you even set foot in the great outdoors was to stand on the front porch and look at the fireworks he had those Italian fellows set up for you on your bloody Yank holiday."

Brenda shook her head at Jerry’s sense of humor. "I’m sorry, you guys, really I am," she said, looking back and forth between Jerry and Lois. "It’s just that since I’ve started wearing maternity clothes full time now, I’m afraid some reporters will catch us and there’ll be photographers, and I’ll be the front page headline story in all of tomorrow’s editions."

Jerry covered her hand with his. "I’ll make you a deal. If you come out to lunch with Lois and me, I will personally clobber any reporter or photographer who gets within a mile of you." He smirked at Lois. "Or wait! I know an even better revenge! I’ll turn him over to Lady Jane! You know how protective she is of you! That reporter won’t ever know what hit him!"

Brenda began to laugh, and then grabbed her stomach. "You OK?" Jerry said, his mood suddenly somber.

"Fine," Brenda smiled. "Your nephew just thinks that his uncle Jerry is a very funny man and wanted to let me know about it."

Lois rose from the table. "See, I been tellin’ ‘ya that the kid’s gonna be a genius! Look how smart he is already!" Her face softened. "’Ya know, I think Jason’s face was even brighter than the fireworks the other night when you let him feel the baby kick for the first time."

Jerry looked from one woman to the other. "Awww, geez. It’s turning into the bloody Sally Jesse Whatshername show." He grabbed Lois by one hand and turned to Brenda. "Come on, beautiful. Let’s go eat before I get the weepies." He held out a hand, but then pulled it back as Brenda reached for it. "Will that be enough to stand you up, or do I need to go get a crane?"

Lois slapped him against the side of the head playfully, and Brenda had to smile again and pat her tummy. "You are SO right, little one. Your uncle Jerry is SUCH a funny man."

As they sat at a window table, Brenda leaned back and rubbed her stomach appreciatively. "Well, I have to admit I was wrong. That was EXCELLENT seafood, Jerry. I’m glad you talked me into coming along." She smoothed out her navy, sailor-style swing top again so that it draped gently over her navy pedal pushers.

Lois gave an excellent imitation of a choking fit. "Oh, my gosh! Someone should have recorded that for posterity! Brenda Barrett admitting that she was wrong about something!"

"Ha, ha, you are SO funny," Brenda replied, folding her hands on her tummy and shaking her head at the waiter who was trying to refill her water glass. Suddenly she cocked her head to the side. "What’s up with you two this afternoon?"

"Up? Why do you get the idea something’s up?" Jerry asked innocently.

Brenda leaned forward to prop her elbows on the table and point at him. "No, I don’t just mean the plan to get me out of the house and into the real world. I mean something else is going on." She glanced back and forth between them. "You both have had that look like the cat that swallowed the canary ever since we left the estate."

Lois just fiddled with her napkin. "Nothin’s up, Bren. Everything’s fine." She looked at Jerry and suddenly burst into a sappy smile. "Everything’s great, in fact!"

Brenda took her napkin off her lap and slapped it down on the table. "OK, I can see this is getting us nowhere." She leaned forward. "Jerry Jacks, if you don’t tell me right now what’s going on, I will personally make sure that you have to come to my next appointment at the OB-GYN and sit in the waiting room with a bunch of pregnant women, who are all at the stage where they’re ready to kill their husbands for getting them pregnant in the first place!" She pointed her finger. "And there are no Sports Illustrated magazines to read, either! Only "Baby and Me"!"

He gulped dramatically. "Me? Me and a bunch of pregnant hormonal women in the same room? With no good sports magazines or submarine movies to watch?" He shuddered and looked to Lois. "Well, with that kind of a threat, I have no choice but to cave." He grinned broadly. "I asked Lois to marry me and she said yes."

"JERRY! LOIS! That’s WONDERFUL!!" Brenda almost jumped up from her seat, but then, remembering her slightly large tummy, sat back down and Lois came around to hug her instead. "When did this all happen?"

Lois shot Jerry a glance that was full of longing. "Well, we been workin’ on it ever since we met on that island, and bein’ on the estate has helped moved things along, if ‘ya know what I mean!" Lois said happily.

"So.....when’s the wedding?"

Lois went back to her place and sat down. "Well, actually the engagement isn’t really official until next weekend. Jerry’s gonna fly us to Bensonhurst and he’s gonna ask Pops for my hand."

"You don’t think that will be a problem, do you?" Brenda asked, the smile leaving her face.

"Not really," Lois answered, "other than the fact that it’ll be the first time they’re meeting him." She smiled at Jerry. "And I have a feelin’ that even if Pops does have a problem with it, Ma will make him see the error of his ways!"

Brenda raised her water glass. "Well, then.....a toast to the future Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Jacks!"

Jerry and Lois both raised their glasses in return and everyone drank a quick toast, but then Brenda was surprised when she saw Jerry’s face fall like a ton of bricks and turn deathly pale. "Jerry -- what’s the matter?"

Jerry cursed under his breath and Lois suddenly mirrored his concerned look. Jerry spoke to Lois out of the side of his mouth. "I swear -- I didn’t know he comes here for lunch." He looked beyond Brenda’s left shoulder. "D*mn -- no wonder he was in such a foul mood this morning."

Brenda finally turned to look over her shoulder and saw the reason for their concern. Jax had entered the restaurant, preceded by a glowing Miranda. She was dressed in a black designer suit with a peplum-style jacket. The frilly jabot of a red silk blouse was visible under the suit jacket. The skirt was extremely tight, and she would not have been able to walk in it were it not for a small slit at the back of the skirt. Brenda turned back around and although she was trying to be brave, her lower lip was quivering ever so slightly.

Before any of them could even say the words "Let’s leave," Miranda had spotted Jerry and her face lit with malicious glee at the sight of Brenda. She was making her way to their table, blocking any possibility of escape, and Brenda struggled to fight back tears.

"Well, fancy meeting you here, Jerry!" she whined. Her eyes swept briefly over Lois, and then she turned and looked at Brenda from the front for the first time. "And, of course, Jax’s lovely mistress........" Miranda stopped cold as her gaze dropped to Brenda’s stomach, just as Jax came up behind her, red as a beet.

He took Miranda’s elbow none too gently. "Come on, Miranda. Our table’s ready. Let’s go."

Miranda shook her head. "You son of a b*tch," she said softly. "Suddenly everything is very clear." She turned to Jax as Brenda kept her gaze straight ahead, locking eyes with Lois. "No wonder you were so insistent that we meet today to discuss signing papers once again." She looked down at Brenda venomously. "She’s pregnant, and you want to marry her before the little b*stard is born." She looked up into Jax’s stormy face. "Or has she given you an ultimatum? Either get the divorce before the baby’s born or she leaves?"

Brenda slowly rose from the table. "I don’t give ultimatums, Miranda," she said deliberately. "That’s more of your style, remember?" She took her purse from the table. "If you all will excuse me, I seem to have an overwhelming urge to throw up."

Jax’s eyes were brimming with tears as he caught her arm. "Brenda - no! Please let me explain!"

Brenda jerked her arm free, and Lois came around her other side to stand by her protectively with one arm around her shoulders. "I don’t think there are any explanations needed, Jax," Brenda choked. "Obviously you wanted to have lunch with your *wife* before you came home to me for other entertainment!" Brenda fought back tears, but as they began to roll down her cheeks, she wiped them quickly away with the back of her hand.

"That’s not it at all, Brenda!" She began to walk away from him and Jax finally caught up to her at the door of the restaurant. "Will you at least listen to me?"

"I’ve been listening to you for six months now, Jax, and the song is getting so familiar that I can sing the lyrics for you myself." She turned away bitterly and Jax caught her arm again.

"Brenda, please.....don’t leave like this," Jax pleaded. "I can explain everything when I get home."

Jerry came up on one side of Brenda and Lois on the other. "We’ll take her home, Jax," he said softly. "I just hope to h*ll you know what you’re doing."

As Jax watched the three of them leave, he turned and strode purposely back into the restaurant. Miranda had seated herself regally at a table and was perusing the menu when he sat down and glowered at her.

"You know, every time I come here I can’t make up my mind between the lobster and the cracked crab. Which one are you having, darling?" she purred sweetly.

"What I’d *really* like to have is your head on a big silver platter, my dear!" he said in a threatening tone. "Just what the h*ll was that little performance about?"

Miranda put the menu down. "What it’s *always* about, Jax. I didn’t want to give you up before, and now I’m more determined than ever to fight the divorce."

"Well, I’m tired of fighting you, Miranda. The bluffing is over." Jax pushed his chair in and leaned over, supporting himself on the table with his hands. "Alexis suggested I have lunch with you today as a good will gesture before I give you this final settlement offer. But, you know what?" He straightened, reached into his pocket and took out some papers, and ripped them in half dramatically. "The offer is no longer on the table." The look in his eyes dropped the temperature in that part of the room at least 20 degrees. "I’m filing for the annulment tomorrow. I intend to tell Jason everything. I’m tired of you jerking me around like a puppet, Miranda. The gravy train has left the station and you’re not on it." As he turned to leave, he looked back at her. "Oh, and you can choose either menu item you prefer -- because I’ll be d*mned before I pay for another meal for you."

Brenda had finally stopped crying and was splashing cold water on her eyes when she heard the door of the bedroom open and close sharply. "BRENDA! WHERE ARE YOU?" The bathroom door vibrated slightly with the force of Jax’s shout.

She held a towel to her face and emerged from the bathroom slowly. "You don’t have to bring the walls down. I’m here." She dropped the towel on the doorknob as she moved to the bed and sat down gingerly. "You must have eaten in a hurry."

"I didn’t eat." Jax said succinctly. "I just told Miranda that the game was over and that I’m calling her bluff and playing my ace."

Brenda shook her head. "Jax, I’ve heard about that ace for so long I’m beginning to think it’s like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus." She looked at him sadly. "I just don’t understand why you’re so reluctant to take that final step."

Jax wrung his hands and looked at his feet. "Brenda, it’s just so complicated -- an innocent party is going to be so badly hurt."

"And what about me, Jax?" She looked down at her stomach. "What about our child? Don’t you think we’re hurting?"

She saw tears gathering in Jax’s eyes. "Brenda -- I don’t want to hurt you. And I wouldn’t hurt our child for anything in the world." He turned away from her. "D*mn! This is just so hard."

Brenda rose from the bed. "I can’t take this anymore." She went past him quickly and out the door of the bedroom.

"Brenda, wait! Where are you going?" Jax followed her out into the hallway, but all he saw was her back.

"I need some air. I’m just going for a walk on the grounds." She stood at the top of the stairs when he followed her, and she turned back to him with tears in her eyes. "You don’t have to worry about me, Jax. You took care of Sonny and all the threats to me from the outside." She took a shaky breath. "You just don’t realize that the threat from the inside can be a whole lot worse."

She began to make her way down the stairs, and Jax let her go, recognizing that anything he might say would only make the situation more painful. Brenda went out the front door of the house, stopping briefly to feel the warm sunlight on her face. But then it reminded her of the feel of the sunlight on the island, and she left the porch, wrapping her arms around herself protectively as she walked.

She was near the in-ground pool when she heard someone calling her. "Brenda! Wait for me!" She turned around and was surprised when she saw Jason jogging up to her. He had a towel wrapped around his shoulders and his hair was still wet from a dip in the pool. As he got closer, he took the towel and briskly dried his hair. "Gorgeous day, huh?"

Brenda nodded. "Um-hmm...beautiful." She saw the question in his eyes and put her hand out. "I ....uh.....just decided to get out and go for a walk. Stretch my legs, you know?"

Jason nodded and smiled. "Would you mind some company?"

"Not at all." Brenda really wanted nothing more than to be alone at that minute, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse Jason. He was such a sweet boy and had been nothing but loving and kind to her since her arrival.

They continued to walk in companionable silence. Finally Jason looked down at her stomach. "Is my little sister still a toe dancer?"

Brenda laughed. "I think she’s more like one of those fancy tap dancers, like in that show, Lord of the Dance! She seems to be clogging on my kidneys every day lately!" She stopped for a moment and put her hand to her stomach, smiling. She reached for Jason’s hand. "Here. Feel."

Jason shyly gave Brenda his hand and when she placed it on her stomach, he blushed a little. Suddenly he pulled it back. "Wow! I never knew she was kicking THAT hard!" He looked at Brenda with concern. "But I have a feeling that the baby kicking you isn’t the reason you’ve been crying."

Brenda was a little taken aback at his perceptiveness, but then she smiled. He was so much like Jax sometimes. She nodded and looked down at the path as they continued to walk. "I thought maybe you wouldn’t notice."

Jason spotted a bench ahead and extended his hand in invitation. "You’ve been fighting with dad again about the divorce, haven’t you?"

Brenda took Jason’s outstretched hand to help settle herself onto the bench. "You’re too smart for your own good, did you know that, Jason Jacks?"

He shrugged. "I just call ‘em like I see ‘em." They sat in silence on the bench for a few moments, and then he spoke very quietly. "It’s all my fault, you know."

Brenda frowned and turned to him with a sob. "Oh, Jason, don’t feel that way! How can it be your fault? You don’t have anything to do with this! It’s just between your dad and Miranda."

"That’s not what I mean, Brenda." He took Brenda’s hands in his and breathed deeply. "Dad isn’t getting divorced from Mom because he’s afraid of hurting me."

Brenda shook her head in confusion. "Jason -- you’re hardly a child. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you’ve probably known for a long time that your mom and dad’s marriage was over."

Jason shook his head. "That’s not it, Brenda." He looked deeply into her eyes. "You know that I’m not his, don’t you?"

"What?" Brenda said it so softly that Jason almost missed it.

"Jax isn’t my biological father." Jason seemed relieved to say it and get it out in the open. At Brenda’s look of shock, Jason shook his head. "I didn’t think that you knew." He looked towards the big house. "Dad doesn’t even know that I know about it."

"But how.....how do you know that Jax isn’t......" Brenda couldn’t continue as her emotions clogged her throat with tears. Suddenly so much made sense. Suddenly she felt all the anguish that Jax must have felt every time she prodded him to make a choice.

"I’ve known since I was about 8 years old. I heard Mom and Dad arguing about it late one night. At the time, I didn’t realize what all the words meant." He looked out towards the distant pool. "Then I got to junior high and we took Family Life. Things all sort of fell into place."

"Who else knows?" Brenda held back tears, but one fell anyway on her hand.

"Only dad and Uncle Jerry, I think. I don’t think Grandma and Grandpa know. They might suspect, but they never let on." He took Brenda’s hands in his. "I think dad is holding back on divorcing mom because he doesn’t want my paternity to come out and embarrass or hurt me." He took a deep breath. "But now......"

Brenda looked worried. "Now.....what?"

"I assume dad is home?" Brenda nodded. "I’m going back there now and telling him that I know. I’m going to tell him that I don’t care. All I want is for him to be happy, and I can see that you’re the one that will make that happen." He rose from the bench deliberately. "I’m going to tell him to do whatever he has to do to get the divorce moving. If it means disowning me publicly, I don’t care."

"Oh, Jason......" Brenda’s soft wail brought tears to Jason’s eyes afresh as she embraced him. She pulled back slightly. "You are the most wonderful young man in the world, do you know that? This baby will be so lucky to have you as a big brother."

They embraced again until Jason pulled back with a yelp. "Ouch! Was that her?’

Brenda nodded, wiping tears away with the back of her hand. "She’s just so happy to have you as a brother and couldn’t wait to meet you!"

He pulled away, laughing. "Well, tell her she’d better mind her manners around me cause if she kicks me like that after she’s born, I’ll have to kick her back!" They began to walk, but then Jason suddenly stopped, putting his hand on Brenda’s arm. "You know I was kidding, right? About the kicking back part?"

Brenda laughed -- truly laughed -- for the first time in months. "That’s OK, Jason. If you kick her, she’ll just urp on you and call it even."

The trip back to the house only seemed to take seconds. As they reached the door, Brenda put her hand on Jason’s arm. "Are you sure about this?"

He nodded. "Positive."

She looked around. "Do you think I could get somebody to drive me somewhere? Right now?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied with a frown. "The garage is that way. But where are you going?"

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Let’s just say I have a little score of my own to settle. Tell your dad I’ll see you both in about two hours."

To be continued......