If I Recall

Chapter 20

A week after Brenda agreed to marry Jax, he moved out of the penthouse and into her cottage to live with her.  It was strange to not live in the hotel anymore, since he had for more than three years by then, but the cottage felt like a home to them when they were there together.  The day after they were engaged, Brenda had called Jax's parents to tell them the news and she had told Lois and Ned, as well.  Jerry had been out of town for the last week and a half and as far as they knew, he didn't know yet.  After that, the news spread like wildfire through the rest of their friends and family, and into the newspapers all over the place.  With Brenda being the face of Jacks Cosmetics and Jax having the reputation he did, their second engagement was bigger news than their first had been.

"It amazes me, you know that?" Brenda said one night as she lay against Jax's chest on the couch in front of a fire in the fireplace.  She was reading a magazine while he went over some reports for work.

Jax looked up from the numbers in his hand and looked at what she was reading.  There was a full-page article in the magazine about their engagement and neither one of them had given the interview.  "What does?" he murmured against her hair.  He shifted and brought her even closer to him in his embrace around her.

"That everyone could care so much what we do together.  And especially now.  They make it seem like it's the biggest thing in the world that not only are we getting married, but it's the second time you asked me."  The last few words came off with a touch of sarcasm.  Neither of them particularly wanted the whole world to know what they did, but they both knew it was inevitable.

"I guess that's what I get for marrying a famous model," he teased lightly.

"I'm not kidding, Jax."

"I know you're not, sweetie," he replied seriously.  "But I don't know what you want to do about it either."

Brenda sat up and leaned against the back of the couch so that she could face him.  "I just don't want everyone else in the world to know about us."

"They already do."

"Yeah, but do you think we can prevent them from knowing any more than they have to?"

"I don't know what you're getting at."

"Look, Jax, I know we were kind of going to plan a big wedding for all of our friends and family to attend, but do you think we could change that?"  They'd talked about it before and that had been their plan then, so she was assuming that was their plan now. 

"Change it how?"

"Just to make it smaller.  Like only our friends and family.  No business associates, no people that we have to feel obligated to invite or anything like that.  Just us, your family, our friends, and a minister in a church."

Jax gazed down into her eyes with a look of amazement.  "I love you, Brenda," he said softly.  He put his hand beneath her chin and tilted her head toward him to kiss her.  After a long moment, she broke the kiss.

"Does that mean we can have a small wedding?"

"It means that I never really wanted a big wedding and all the hassle that went along with it.  I only thought you did so I went along with it.  So, yes, I would be more than happy to have a small ceremony with you."  He grinned at the fact that she had granted his wishful thinking without even knowing she was doing it.

Brenda put her arms around his neck and leaned in close.  "In that case, I love you, too," she said softly before kissing him again.  Within minutes, his work and her magazine were long forgotten.

The phone was ringing early the following Saturday morning while Jax and Brenda still slept.  Brenda was the first to hear it cutting through her sleep and she grabbed for it.  Jax only shifted and wrapped his arms tighter around her in his sleep.  "Hello?" she asked sleepily, opening one eye to look at the clock.  It was eight-thirty.

"Hello, Brenda," a calm, cool voice came over the line to her.

She didn't recognize it immediately, but as her mind cleared and she began to wake up, she knew who it was.  "Jerry?" she asked, sitting up so that she leaned on one elbow.

"I'm glad you recognized my voice."  His tone didn't warm at all as he spoke and he certainly wasn't glad to be talking to her.

"Where'd you get this number?"  She wasn't even thinking about the fact that he was probably calling to find Jax.

"From my parents."  There was a slight pause.  "Look, Brenda, is Jax there?" he asked.

There was a chill in his tone with her.  "He's still asleep right now.  Can he call you back when he gets up?"

"Actually, I'd kind of like to speak to him now while I have the chance.  If that's okay with you."  There was a distinct edge of sarcasm to his words.

"He's right here," she said as she turned to Jax, who still had not woken yet.  She covered the mouthpiece with one hand.  "Jax," she said quietly.  When he didn't stir, she used her other hand to shake him slightly.  "Jax," she said louder.  "Wake up."

Jax felt her shake him awake and he opened one eye vaguely.  "What?" he mumbled.  "What is it?"

"It's your brother," she replied.  She handed the phone towards him.

He moved quicker this time and sat up slightly.  "Jerry?  What does he want?"

"Evidently to talk to you and not to me."

Jax could tell by her tone that his brother had already done or said something to her.  He took the phone from her, but before he spoke into it, he asked, "What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty," she whispered as she lay back down to try to go back to sleep.

He put the phone up to his ear after turning away from Brenda so that she could sleep.  "Jerry, why in the world are you calling me this early?" he asked immediately.

"Good morning to you, too.  And the reason I'm calling now, Jax, is because I thought it was pretty important to talk to you as soon as I heard the big news."

Jax didn't have a clue what he was talking about.  "It's a little early for games, Jer.  What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this little engagement of yours I just heard about.  Jax, what in the world are you thinking?"  He raised his voice in anger on the last few words.

Jax threw back the covers from across his legs and groaned as he stood up.  He walked quietly out of the room and down the steps into the living room.  He didn't want to wake Brenda again.  "You heard about it, huh?  I would have told you, you know," he said.

Jerry laughed cynically.  "And why didn't you?"

"Because you're out of the country right now and I don't have the slightest clue where you are."

"Cell phones work."

"Is it the type of news you wanted on the cell phone, Jerry?" Jax asked exasperated.  "And why are you so upset anyway?"

"Because, Jax, you're marrying her!  You're marrying the woman who broke your heart, who cheated on you less than a year ago, who you swore you would never forgive!  Have you forgotten all of that?"

He sighed and sat down on the couch, putting a hand to his forehead.  "I haven't forgotten it, Jerry.  You, of all people, know that.  But it's not a matter of whether I forgot it or not.  I love Brenda.  I want to be with Brenda.  I want to marry Brenda."  He stressed her name each time he said to make his point perfectly clear.

There was a long silence while Jerry tried to figure out what to say next.  "Why are you doing this, Jax?"

"I just told you why.  I love her."

"Does it have to be so soon?"

"Yes, Jer, it does.  I don't want to spend another moment of my life without her."

"And I don't suppose there is anything I can say to change your mind?" Jerry asked after a brief moment of silence.

"Not one thing," Jax replied with complete conviction.  He knew if his brother continued to push the issue any further it would only serve to create problems, so he was trying to get the point across in the tone in his voice.

Jerry sighed loudly and pointedly and then said, "All right then."

Jax got angry.  "Jerry, come on!  Don't do this to me!  It's my life and I will live it the way I want to live it.  If I want to be with her, there is nothing you can do about it!  Do you get me?"  He was trying not to shout, but his voice was rising with every phrase. 

There was nothing but silence to answer his question and then a moment later, Jax heard the beeping that indicated that no one else was on the line anymore.  He jerked the phone away from his ear and punched the hang up button with a vengeance.  Swearing under his breath at his brother, he threw the phone down on the couch.  He leaned back and put his hands over his face, groaning in complete frustration.

He didn't want to fight with his brother right now.  Now was the time when his family was supposed to come together to welcome his future bride into their lives.  Only two of his three family members were doing that and it was irritating him to no end.  He wanted Jerry at his wedding when it came, but if this continued, he was sure there was no way Jerry would show up.

Jax sat on the couch for a long time, thinking and silently cursing his brother.  He didn't hear Brenda come down the steps an hour later.

"Honey?" she asked, her voice sounded concerned.  "Is something wrong?"  When he hadn't returned to bed after talking to his brother, she'd woken up and started to wonder.  Now, about an hour later, she had come downstairs to see if Jerry had been calling with some kind of bad news.

Jax turned his head in the direction of her voice as she came around the couch and sat down beside him.  She had startled him out of his thoughts.  He shook his head in response to her question and said, "No, nothing's wrong."

She sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder to get his full attention.  The look in his eyes worried her slightly.  "What did Jerry want?"

He sighed, not really sure he wanted to tell her everything Jerry had said.  It was already hard enough to see the pain in her eyes every time Jerry snubbed her, which he still did, despite his seldom attempts to act civil.  He didn't want to add to it and tell her that now Jerry didn't approve of their engagement either.  "He just wanted to voice his unwanted opinion," he responded softly, turning his eyes to meet hers completely.

"His opinion of what?" she prodded gently.

He turned and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close to his side.  "Us," he said.

"What about us?  Does he know about our engagement?"  It dawned on her then what exactly was wrong.  "He doesn't want you to marry me, does he, Jax?"

He closed his eyes and dropped his head forward, ashamed of his brother and his actions.  They were supposed to be planning a happy occasion, not worrying about whether his brother approved of what they were doing.  He didn't want her spirit to be dampened.  "Brenda, listen to me," he said.  He raised his eyes back to hers and met her gaze steadily.  "Jerry is allowed to think whatever he wants to think.  I don't care if he doesn't approve.  All that matters is that this is what I want.  I want to marry you.  I love you and I want you in my life forever.  Is that clear?  Jerry does not matter.  He will never be able to stand in the way of me marrying you, so I don't want you to worry about him, okay?  Please?"  He had seen the instant when his words had hurt her and his brother had done his damage.

Brenda forced herself to continue meeting Jax's eyes while he spoke while inside it did nothing but stab a pain through her heart.  She wanted his family to like her, to welcome her into their family.  Without Jerry, that wouldn't happen, and there was just no winning him over, it seemed.  But, she figured, if Jax wasn't going to let it ruin his day, then neither was she.  She forced a smile to her face and leaned forward to kiss Jax's lips gently.  "Okay, we won’t worry about your brother then," she promised.

"Good," Jax said, smiling for the first time.  "Because we've got better things to do with our time."

"Such as?" she asked suggestively.

"Such as," he drawled out slightly as if he were agreeing with her implication, "planning a wedding!"  He laughed as she hit him lightly on the arm and kissed him passionately.

"White roses or peach?" Brenda said.  She was standing in the doorway of the upstairs bedroom that had been converted to an office for Jax.  Her pen was poised above a checklist that she had been carrying around for weeks of things to get done for the wedding.  "Jax?" she said loudly, a hint of impatience coming into her voice.

Jax looked up from his computer, startled to see her standing there.  "What?"

"Did you hear me?"

He smiled and leaned back in his chair.  "No, I didn't," he admitted.  He ran his fingers through his hair.  "What did you say?"  But before she could answer him, a sound on his computer alerted him that he had received the message he'd been waiting for.  He glanced quickly at the screen.

Brenda sauntered into the room , stopping and leaning a hip on his desk, studying her fiancé carefully.  He had a harassed look to him and he appeared frustrated about something.  "It's okay, Jax.  It can wait," she said quietly. 

She turned to leave his office, but he stopped her when he grabbed her wrist and then moved his hand to link his fingers with hers.  He pulled her to him and sat her on his lap.  "I'm sorry, Brenda," he apologized quickly.  He gave her his complete attention.  "What did you ask me?"

"Honey, really, it's not as important as your work, I'm sure.  I can decide on my own,," she replied graciously.

"Brenda," he groaned softly in frustration at her insistence to put his needs first.  "We're getting married one week from tomorrow.  Whatever it is, I am sure it is more important than my work.  Now, you came up here to ask me my opinion on something, I want to know what it was."  He made sure his tone was gentle but firm so that she knew he was serious that their relationship would always come first.

"Jax," she sighed softly, smiling at him.  He always did that to her, made sure to participate one hundred percent in the planning if he could.  For the last three months, he had done exactly that, even calling her four times a day when he took a five-day business trip two months before.  But recently, he had become more and more involved in his work and she didn't want to bother him unless it was necessary.  She had only come up there this time because she had so many problems deciding the color herself and he was the only person available right now.  And the florist needed the answer before the end of the day.

"Brenda," he responded in the same tone, teasing her gently.

"All right, all right.  I asked you what color the flowers should be, white or peach?"

"White," he said without hesitation.  Then, he grinned at her and kissed her lightly on the lips.  "Now, was that so hard?"

"I just didn't want to interrupt you when you've been so busy these last couple weeks."

"You know the only reason I've been so busy is because my brother has been missing in action for the last few months.  No one has been able to find him and while he's been gone, a business deal fell apart right in front of me.  But Jerry was supposed to be handling it, so I didn't know about it until it was almost too late to do anything about it."  He'd given her a shorter explanation of the same thing a few weeks before when he'd first realized it was happening, but now he felt she needed to know more. 

"You don't know where he is?" she asked.

Jax shook his head.  "No, and it's driving me nuts.  He didn't RSVP, did he?"  He didn't wait for a response before he continued.  "You know, I'll bet he never even received the invitation.  Bobbie said she hasn't seen him for weeks.  All she's gotten are a few short phone calls.  And she said he wanted his mail forwarded to a P.O. box somewhere, but who knows if he actually got it.  Dammit!  This is just like my brother!  He gets mad at me for one thing and totally flakes out on me!"

"Sweetie, calm down," Brenda said.  "I'm sure he's gotten the invitation.  And you know your brother.  He does things like this all the time.  He'll come around, I'm sure.  And besides, he's not mad at you, he's mad at me, remember?"

He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms tightly around her.  "How do you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Forgive so easily?  Here it is Jerry hasn't even responded to tell you or me if he's coming to the wedding, he's my family, and you're telling me it's okay that he's acting like this."

"He's just upset, Jax," she insisted.

"But he shouldn't be.  Not with you.  Hell, not even with me, but if he has to be upset with someone, it should be me.  I'm the one who's doing something he doesn't like."

"But I'm the one who offended him in the first place," she replied softly.  "Jax, face it, there is no changing what has happened.  And there is no changing your brother.  Just please, don't worry about it.  I know he'll come around eventually.  I'm sure of it."

"I know you are," Jax sighed again.  "I just wish I were as sure as you are."  He kissed here again and then said, "Now, don't you have some flowers to order?"  He pushed her gently from his lap.

"Yes, I do, white ones," she laughed lightly.

Brenda stood in the bride room one week and one day after the conversation she'd had with Jax regarding his brother.  She was dressed and ready to walk down that aisle to the man she loved with all her heart.  Her pure white gown flowed in one line from her shoulders to her feet with a short train trailing behind her when she walked.  She didn't wear a veil, instead, she had chosen to strategically place roses in her hair as part of the arrangement that held her hair back from her face.  The rest of her brown waves fell gracefully down her back.

"Bren, are you ready to go?" Lois asked when she poked her head in the room.  Guests were taking their seats in the sanctuary of the small church while soft music from the string quartet played in the background. 

She turned to face her best friend who was serving as her matron of honor and only attendant.  Like her, Jax had only chosen one person to stand up for him and since he still hadn't heard from his brother, that person was Lois's husband and Jax's best friend, as well, Ned.  Now, Lois wore a pale peach gown modeled much like Brenda's gown so that it fell in one line, but there was no train and her hair was simple.  In one hand, she carried a small bouquet of peach roses mixed with a few white ones.  Brenda's bouquet was made only of white roses that came together in a slight heart at the center.  Finally, she nodded and turned to face her friend.  "I've never been more ready for anything in my life," she said, unable to stop the happy smile from appearing on her face.

As the music changed to Pachebel's Canon in D, Lois stood straight at the back of the church.  Jax and Ned were already standing side by side at the front of the church wearing midnight black tuxedos.  Ned wore a black tie while Jax stood dressed in a white tie.  His hands crossed formally in front of him as he stood at the base of the three steps in front of the altar, Lois thought there was only one man more handsome than he, her own husband, of course.  Candles were lit along the aisle as she began her slow walk down it to where the two men stood.  Her feet treaded lightly on the white satin sheet that lined the center of the aisle.  She turned off from the center when she reached the front of the church and stood to the side as the entire crowd turned to face the back once more.

Brenda stood regally in the doorway as soon as the music switched the wedding march.  She took a moment to meet Jax's eyes steadily and was nearly taken aback with the amazement and love she saw in his eyes.  Slowly, she began to walk towards him, alone to show how proud she was to be independent of everything else but him and their love for each other which would soon join them together in marriage.

Jax's breath caught in his throat as she approached him.  She stopped directly next to him and he held out his arm for her to take so he could escort her up the three steps to where the minister stood.  "You look so beautiful, sweetheart," he whispered almost inaudibly.  But he knew she had heard by the glow that came to her face and the smile she graced him with.

Silence fell in the church as the minister stepped forward to begin the ceremony.  "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Brenda Barrett and Jasper Jacks."  He continued in his monologue as Jax and Brenda looked directly at each other the entire time.  When no one objected to their union, the minister proceeded to the vows.  "Brenda and Jasper," Jax shot Brenda an amused glance at that, "have decided to recite their own vows to each other."  He turned to her and nodded his head.  "Brenda."

Brenda held both of Jax's hands tightly as she began.  "Jax, this is a day I thought would never come.  A year ago, I did something I am not proud of and I nearly destroyed everything we have together.  But now I know that even something as awful as that could never break the love we have for each other."  She took a deep breath and tried unsuccessfully to stop a tear from sliding down her face.  "I love you with all my heart.  I never knew what love was until I met you.  I never dreamed a girl could fall in love with her best friend and find the kind of love that is meant to last forever.  But it happened, to me.  The day I realized I was completely in love with you was the best and worst day of my life.  I knew I had found the one man I would love for the rest of my days.  But at the same time, I didn't know if you could ever return that love.  When I knew you did, I knew we had a love that was supposed to last.  We have endured so much together and I believe it has done nothing but bring us closer together.  It has brought us to stand here today where I promise to love you and honor you for the rest of my life.  Until death do us part."  She smiled through the tears that were now running slowly and freely down her face.  She let go of one of his hands to reach up and wipe the tear that was trailing down his face, as well.

Jax smiled at her touch and reached up to take her hand in his again.  "Brenda, I was like you when we first began.  In love with my best friend and not one idea of how to tell her that.  I could only hope that you could love me, too, and when you did, you made me the happiest man on Earth.  But then something happened and I swore that this day would never come."  He held her gaze with his so that she couldn't look away.  "You wouldn't accept that, though.  You persisted and you tried again and again to get through to me.  But you never knew that you had never left me in the first place.  You were always with me, always on my mind, always in my heart.  I never dreamed that there was only one person I was destined to love for the rest of my life.  But you came into my life and showed me that was true.  Even when I tried to deny it, you wouldn't give up.  You, our love, prevailed in the end and put us where we are now.  I have loved you and admired you ever since I can remember, it seems.  And I am so happy to be able to stand here and promise to love you and honor you for the rest of my life.  Until death do us part." 

Their gaze remained locked as the minister asked Ned for the rings and handed Jax's to Brenda.  She didn't wait for him to tell her what to say.  "I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending love for you."  She slid the ring down his finger.  "With this ring, I thee wed."

The minister did the same with Jax and he put it on her finger.  "I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending love for you."  He pushed it past her knuckle and down to rest at the bottom of her finger.  "With this ring, I thee wed."

"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the minister announced.  Though they didn't need the encouragement, he also said, "You may kiss the bride."

Jax grinned and swept Brenda into his arms and held her close.  He lowered his lips to hers in a very passionate, very loving kiss that lasted for moments that seemed like hours.  When they finally drew apart, their friends and family were standing, applauding them.  They walked quickly to the back of the church where they shared another long kiss.

Jax and Brenda stood together in the center of the ballroom at the Port Charles Hotel.  Surrounding them in a half circle were all of their friends and family who attended their wedding.  They held glasses of sparkling champagne as Ned moved away from the group and raised his glass to get everyone's attention.

"I have a toast to make," he said loudly as the room began to quiet.  "To Jax and Brenda, the only two people who were more meant to be together than my wife and I.  I know that we are all happy that you've finally made it permanent.  May your life together be long and forever filled with love."  He raised his glass in their direction as they thanked him and then clinked their glasses together.

Jax cleared his throat in preparation of saying something when another voice broke through the crowd.  "I would like to make a toast, as well," it called out from the back of the room as the man who had said it came to the front.

Brenda felt her husband's hand tighten around hers as they saw his brother break through the people.  "Jerry, this is not the time or the place," Jax said quietly, his voice portraying his slim effort of restraint.

"Jax, please," Brenda whispered.

"Yes, Jax, please, do as your new wife says and give me a chance."

He couldn't detect a note of insincerity in his brother's voice so Jax sighed and said,  "Go on."

Jerry raised the glass of champagne in his hand and everyone else in the room did the same, nervously holding their breath as they caught onto the tension between the two siblings.  "Will everyone please join me in a toast to my brother and his new wife?" he began loudly, then quieted his voice and looked directly at Jax.  "I haven't done much that I'm proud of these past few months, but my brother has.  Despite all of my protests, he went ahead and did what he wanted to do and what his heart was telling him to do.  He married Brenda.  He has shown me that love can conquer anything if you believe in it enough.  No matter how much I told him it was a bad idea," he raised his other hand, palm out to show he meant no offense, "Jax swore that he loved this woman and that he would do anything to be with her for the rest of his life.  Anything that stood in his way be damned!  Including me.  And he did the right thing."  There was a note of pride in his voice at what his brother had done.  He turned his gaze to Brenda then.  "Brenda, I have been unfair to you.  If my parents and more importantly, my brother is willing to give you the chance to be a part of this family, then I have no right to try to deny it to you.  I am truly sorry for the way I treated you," he swung his eyes back to Jax, "and my brother in the last few months.  I sincerely hope that you two have every happiness you deserve.  God knows you've worked hard enough for it."  He raised his glass again in a salute to them.

Jax was so proud he could barely remember to clink his glass with Brenda's and take a sip of the champagne before he let go of her hand and went over to his brother.  He put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Thank you, Jerry."  He pulled his brother into a hug.

As they stood there together, Jerry whispered, "If she hurts you, Jax…"

"I know," Jax whispered in response.  "I know."

Two hours later, dinner was finished and the band was beginning to play their first songs.  As the first notes began, Jane nudged Brenda from where she sat next to her and said, "I think that's your cue."

Brenda smiled at her mother-in-law and leaned over to whisper something into Jax's ear.  He smiled secretively at what she said and then pushed back his chair and offered his hand out to her.  They stood together and he led her onto the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.  The lead singer began to sing the words to the song as they swayed together in a tight embrace.  Brenda leaned into Jax and placed her head on his shoulder as he put his head against hers, softly whispering the words to the song into her ear and making her smile.

When you love someone - you'll do anything
You'll do all the crazy things that you can't explain
You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun
When you love someone

You'll deny the truth - believe a lie
There'll be times when you believe you can really fly
But your lonely nights - have just begun
When you love someone

When you love someone - you'll feel it deep inside
And nothin' else can ever change your mind
When you want someone - when you need someone
When you love someone…

When you love someone - you'll sacrifice
You'd give it everything you got and you won't think twice
You'd risk it all - no matter what may come
When you love someone

You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun
When you love someone

Brenda lifted her head from Jax's shoulder and raised her eyes to meet his as they glistened with tears of joy.  She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him deeply, passionately.  Oblivious to everything and everyone else in the room, they lost themselves in each other.

When they finally broke apart, Jax breathed, "If we keep that up, these people will see a whole lot more than they bargained for when we invited them."  He fought to catch his breath and to control his rising desire for her.

"Then maybe we should go somewhere where they can't see us anymore," she whispered back to him, smiling seductively.

In a matter of minutes, they had said their goodbyes, tossed the bouquet which Robin caught though she denied wanting it, and made their exit upstairs.  For the night, Jax had reserved the penthouse apartment that had once been their home.  The following day, they would begin their honeymoon which was a round the world trip to every exotic location Jax could think of.

They rode up in the elevator, tightly ensconced in each other's arms, refusing to let go of each other.  But as they got out on the top floor and walked to the door, Jax removed his arm from her just long enough to open the door for them.  Then, he swept her off her feet and into his arms as he carried her across the threshold.  He kicked the door shut behind them and didn't put her down again until they reached the bedroom.

Gently, he put her on her feet and placed his hands against her cheeks, cupping her face in his hands.  "I love you, Brenda," he said softly.

She smiled against his palms and looked up into his eyes.  "I love you, too, Jax."  Then, she took a step back, startling him slightly from his next move.  "I never thought we'd make it here, you know."

He moved toward her and put his arms around her waist again.  "I know," he said as he lowered his head to her neck and began to nip softly at her skin, slowly beginning to drive her crazy with desire.

She gave in to him then and leaned her body against him, backing him toward the bed.  He lay down on it, taking her with him, in one fluid motion.  As they began to make love as husband and wife together, she recalled the night that had started it all.

The snow was falling outside the airport, collecting as soon as it hit the ground and it looked like she was going to be snowed in all night.  She turned a corner and ran into the only other person in the building, it seemed.

"Hi, I'm Jax," he introduced himself a few minutes later when she found him again.

"Hi there, I'm Brenda Barrett," she said and shook his hand.

He glanced outside at the rapidly falling snow and then turned to her.  "It looks like you're stuck with me."

She laughed and said, "I don't think there's anyone I'd rather be stuck with."

The End

Song credit - "When you Love Someone" by Bryan Adams found on the soundtrack to Hope Floats.