What Should Have Been Chapter 1

By  Victoria L

Hey everyone! By now most of you have heard or seen what happened on General Hospital today. Instead of going on about my feelings on the subject, I decided to write an alternate story, this fanfic is my only way of expressing my feelings as to what really should have happened today. And this will be a story, not just a one time chapter thing. I hope you will all read and enjoy. Thanks.

Victoria L.

Chapter One

“Brendaaaa!!!!!” Jax fought the urge to empty his stomach, as he leaned over in
the street, propping his hands on his knees, as he watched the limousine disappear into
the night. “Brenda, please,” he said, out of breath, and crying openly. The sound of a car
horn alerted him that he needed to get out of the street. He had followed the car for a few
blocks, but once it pulled onto an open street, it had gone too fast for even him to catch
up with. His lungs burned, and his eyes stung from futile tears as he sat down with a thud
on the street corner, feeling broken down, lost, and alone. “Brenda,” he whispered again,
this time to himself, “I won’t lose you again. I’ll die first.” And he meant it. Looking up at
the stars now, Jasper Jacks was undeterred. He’d seen his one and only love, Brenda
Barrett, with his own eyes, and he knew without a doubt now, that she was indeed alive
and well, and he’d be damned if he’d spend another night apart from her. He pulled out
his cell phone then, and dialed quickly, waiting moments for the man on the other line to
speak. “Yes, this is Jasper Jacks. I have a job to do. Yes, I’m near the hotel, three blocks
away. They are headed east. Get whomever you can on it, tell them to follow a stretch
limo, black, new model, license plate 0-J8-60. And DON’T let them lose it, no matter what,
do you understand? Put your best person on it. Daniel Santos? Yes, fine. I trust him, but
do it now, man, we’re losing precious time!”
Jax stood, taking a deep breath and then stepping out into the street to hail the
next cab that came by. He got in and sat back, breathing a sigh of relief. When the cab
driver looked at him expectantly, Jax threw a few hundred dollar bills at him, and waved a
hand saying distractedly, “Just drive around for a little while, I need to think.”
“Oui, Monsieur.”
“I’ll find you, Brenda,” Jax said softly, staring out the window. “I’ll find you if it’s
the last thing I ever do.”

The limo came to a stop at a red light, and Brenda, sighing, took out her cell
phone, with the intention of calling Stefan Cassadine. He beat her to the punch.
“Hello?” she said, the tears absent from her voice.
“Ms. Barrett,” Stefan said, his voice smooth as silk. “I assume everything went as
planned?”
“Yes,” Brenda answered half heartedly. It had broken her heart to hear Jax calling
out for her so desperately. It had taken everything in her not to turn around and call out to
him, letting him see her face, and feel his touch. Brenda glared at Cordova, who sat in
front of her, smiling wickedly at her. She turned to her right, and stared at the city lights
out the window. “What else do you want from me?” she asked, when she heard Stefan’s
pause on the other line. “I did as you asked.”
“Yes you did,” Stefan confirmed. “And as I said, things will work out for you in the
long run since you listened to me. This deal will be lucrative for us both, indeed.”
“I told you I never wanted your money!” Brenda said through gritted teeth. “All I
ever wanted was--”
“What you could never have,” Stefan supplied for her. “It would be best for you to
settle for what you have. Mr. Jacks got a glimpse of you as you were leaving with Cordova
this evening. He’s got no doubt in his mind that you are now alive, and you can rest
assured that he will search for you until the day that he dies.”
“But he’ll never find me if you have your way, is that it?” Brenda asked. “When I
made this deal with you, I wasn’t expecting--”
“What, Ms. Barrett?” he asked, when Brenda paused.
“I wasn’t expecting it to hurt this way,” Brenda whispered, staring out at the Paris
lights. “I thought I was over this. I thought I had put it behind me.”
“Well I’m sorry to hear that you haven’t,” Stefan said, not sounding the least bit
apologetic. “But nevertheless, we have a deal. I supply you with the drugs you need to
cure this degenerative mental disease that you have, and in exchange for that, you keep
Mr. Jacks at bay, chasing you around the globe, while I get what I need from Ms. Morgan.”
“Tell me again why I must be held captive,” Brenda said, scooting even farther
from Cordova as he gave her another charming smile. Brenda didn’t hate the man, he had
never laid a hand on her, but she hated that she couldn’t get away from him, and that he
seemed to enjoy her, no matter what she did to make herself loathsome to him.
“Because I cannot trust you,” Stefan answered truthfully. “Given the chance, what
is to keep you from revealing yourself to Mr. Jacks, and then returning with him to Port
Charles. Undoubtedly, he would protect Ms. Morgan with everything in him, with the added
bonus of having you in town.” Brenda grimaced slightly at the thought of Jax and Chloe.
Truth be told, she knew that Jax would most likely want to take her back to Port Charles,
so that he could work out his feelings for both her and Chloe. Not to mention help seeing
Chloe get through whatever mess she had gotten herself into involving the Cassadines. It
must be pretty big, she reasoned, and pretty dangerous. She didn’t want Jax involved,
that fact was clear in her mind. If chasing her around left Chloe Morgan undefended,
Brenda couldn’t force herself to say she minded. And having Jax following her around,
well, it would be better than living without him altogether. She would be seeing him on a
regular basis now, that much she had reconciled herself to. Stefan would also give her
the drug she needed to combat this disease, and reclaim her life. She knew though, that
there was nothing keeping her from Jax once she was cured, and Stefan Cassadine knew
that as well. He’d thought of everything. He planned to give her the medication in such
small doses, that would normally take a few months to treat, could take years. It would be
a slow torture, but Brenda was willing to put up with it, if it meant keeping Jax safe, and
gaining back her sanity. She had just been beginning to slip when Stefan had contacted
her.... “Ms. Barrett, are you listening to me?” Stefan asked, slightly annoyed. “Trust me, it
would not do to annoy me at such a pivotal time.”
“I’m sorry,” Brenda replied, sarcastically. “Please tell me what you said.”
“I said that it’s imperative you keep yourself in plain sight enough for Mr. Jacks to
be sure it’s you, so that he won’t give up, but you mustn’t allow him to get close enough
to obtain you. Otherwise, I’ll let you go, but you will never have the drug you need.”
“You can stop with your threats, all right? I said that I understood, and I do. I’ll
keep out of sight for the evening. If I know Jax, he’ll have a suite at the hotel. He gets up
at the same time every morning, usually. If things haven’t changed, I’ll allow him to see
me in the corridor.”
“Excellent,” Stefan said, taking a small sip of port. “Now please, put Mr. Cordova
on the phone. I have a few words for him as well.”
“Call him yourself,” Brenda said, hanging up the phone. Stefan got a sly grin on
his face. He admired Ms. Barrett’s tenacity, that was certainly true. He would have to
remember to reward it with an extra treatment or something. Smiling to himself, he hung
up the phone, and dialed Mr. Cordova’s cell phone.
“This is Cordova,” he said, his eyes on Brenda’s legs. “What can I do for you, Mr.
Cassadine?”
“You can watch Ms. Barrett and see that she isn’t up to something. She managed
to convince me earlier that she could do this, but coming in contact with Mr. Jacks again,
she may prove to be a weaker woman than we anticipated.”
“What is it you want me to do?” Cordova asked.
“Since I handled that shipment of arms for you, I expect nothing but your complete
loyalty, and obedience, is that clear? You’re to make her as comfortable as possible from
now on. And we cannot risk any misunderstandings on Mr. Jacks’ part. Both of these
people we’re dealing with are unpredictable. There’s no telling what they’ll do to be
together, so this must be handled delicately. You will be seeing a lot of Mr. Jacks in the
next few weeks, but make sure that he doesn’t see you. It’s Brenda he’s after, and I don’t
want him to misunderstand any romantic entanglements between the two of you.”
“What does that mean?” Cordova asked. “Has my time with Ms. Barrett come to an
end? It is unfortunate if it’s so--”
“Would you just listen to me and put your tongue back into your mouth?” Stefan
asked. Brenda stared at Cordova hopefully for a moment, but was unable to hold his gaze
for long. She returned to stare out the window, hoping against hope that Stefan would
allow her to be on her own again. “Cordova,” Stefan continued, “I’m not going to have Ms.
Barrett distracted with trying to keep you and your advances at bay. She’s got a job to do,
and she’s going to need some help. I want you to lay a few traps for Mr. Jacks. He’s
going to come this close to getting Ms. Barrett several times, but ultimately every attempt
is to be futile. I want you to see to it that this happens. Ms. Barrett is to move about
freely, to go wherever she pleases in the world, except Port Charles, is that understood?
Anywhere else is fine. She’s to travel alone, have her own suites, and appear to be
completely independent of you, from now on. I know you’re used to guarding her, but now
is the time for Mr. Jacks to be focused on finding her, not focused on killing you should he
reason that you’re holding her against her will. It’s in your best interests to disappear, and
track Mr. Jacks, as he tracks Ms. Barrett.”
“When shall we part company?” Cordova asked, focused now on what Stefan was
saying. Brenda was certainly a beautiful woman, and Cordova admitted to himself, he had
been preoccupied with bedding her since he found her floating in the ocean. But even she
wasn’t worth jeopardizing his company, or his life. He would miss Ms. Barrett though, he
thought, as he watched her cross and uncross her legs as she stared mindlessly out the
window. Grudgingly, his eyes drifted to her hands in her lap, as she continued with a
habit he found most annoying--twisting some pink ring around and around on her hand as
she sighed to herself.
“Leave Ms. Barrett in the park, three blocks from where you are now,” Stefan said,
letting the comment sink in. Cordova realized the weight of the statement as well. Stefan
Cassadine was keeping track of every move he made, and there was no chance of a
double cross.
“Fine,” Cordova said.
“After that,” Stefan continued, “make her believe that you’re leaving her
permanently, and make sure she understands that if she makes her presence known to Mr.
Jacks, I will stop her treatments. I’ve given her one dose already, to put down some trust
between us, what little good it did. She had it analyzed by a pharmaceutical company her
sister Julia owns. I have to admire her cunning and secrecy. The other Ms. Barrett had no
idea that Brenda was using her company for her own purposes. Yes,” Stefan said,
rubbing his beard slowly, “both Ms. Barrett and Mr. Jacks have to be watched closely--if
we give them too much power, it could end up blowing up in our faces, and that CANNOT
happen, do you understand?”
“I understand,” Cordova said, hanging up the telephone, and then pushing the
intercom button and informing the driver of where they’d be going. Brenda’s ears perked
up.
“Why are we going to a park?” Brenda asked. “I thought we were going to the
airport.”
“I am going to the airport,” Cordova said, “but first, I’m dropping you off in the
park.”
“You’re leaving me alone now?” Brenda asked, surprised, and now giving him her
full attention.
“Yes, for now. I’m to make sure you understand the ramifications if you come in
contact with Mr. Jacks.”
“I understand,” Brenda said, nodding quickly.
“You will be cut off from the medication if you try and reconnect with Mr. Jacks--”
“Look, spare me the monologue, Frenchy,” Brenda said, knowing the name
irritated him, and upset his cool demeanor. “If you’re going to let me go, I understand all
the rules. Just get on with it already.” Just as she finished speaking, the limo came to a
stop, and Brenda quickly put her hand on the door.
“It’s a shame,” Cordova said, putting a hand on her knee as she looked at him
defiantly, “that we didn’t become better friends. Mr. Jacks is a very lucky man indeed, to
have captured and held the heart of such a beautiful woman.”
“You’ll never know,” Brenda said, looking him up and down disdainfully, as she
got out of the car with a loud sigh, and slammed it behind her, not feeling the least bit
more free.

She had her purse, and the keys to a car, but it was back at the hotel. She knew
she should to get a cab back to the hotel, but she would rather have walked, it was such a
perfect night. The stars were shining brightly now, and there was a slight chill in the air.
Brenda looked around, to see if there was anyone following her. She’d picked up a lot
since hanging out around Cordova. There was always someone looking for him, and they
always had to move quickly. One thing she could say for her time with him, she learned a
lot. And that knowledge, she smiled to herself as she finally made one of the men that
were tailing her, had definitely paid off.
He walked toward her calmly and methodically, his eyes trained on no one but her.
She stood to meet him, once he got within a few feet of the bench she occupied. He was
handsome, and young, Italian, perhaps Hispanic? She wouldn’t be able to tell until she
heard him speak. His hair was jet black, and slightly wavy, she could tell it would be curly,
if he allowed it to grow. But there was something meticulous about his appearance, not a
hair out of place, his pants creased, and his shoes shined brightly. There was no smile,
however, on his tanned face.
“Ms. Barrett?” he asked. There was no accent on his voice, making his
Mediterranean look unable to place. “Ms. Barrett,” he said again, “I work for your fiancee,
Mr. Jacks. He’s been looking everywhere for you. I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Brenda said, pulling back, and knowing that
Cordova must be somewhere nearby, watching and waiting to report one wrong move to
Stefan. “I can’t,” she said, when he reached for her arm. “Really, I have to go.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Daniel Santos said, starting to reach for his gun. Brenda
knew good and well that Jax wouldn’t have her shot, but this young man, who knew what
his orders were, who knew if he really even worked for Jax. Brenda pulled her own gun
from her purse, and pointed it at him, stepping close to him so that no one else can see.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes growing tearful. “Don’t tell him anything if you see
him, all right?” her eyes pleaded with him, and she was sure he would agree. “Just tell
him that I love him,” Brenda said. “No matter what, I love him. He’ll understand what it
means, and he’ll understand why you had to let me go. Please, just let me go. I don’t want
to have to use this thing.” The expression on Danny’s face was unreadable as he backed
up from Brenda, his hands in his pockets. Relief flooding her, Brenda turned, and began
to walk away, when she heard a gun fire, and felt the bullet hit her at close range.
“I could give Mr. Jacks your message,” Danny said, running to catch Brenda
before she hit the ground, “if I worked for him. But in this case, that’d be a lie.”