As soon as Jax opened the apartment door, Brenda knew that his evening of surprise had just begun. He directed her to their bedroom and told her she would find everything she needed in the room. She was to dress and meet him back in the front hallway in an hour. As she went towards the bedroom, she noticed he went in the direction of the guest bedroom, where she assumed he was going to get dressed.

Brenda entered the master bedroom to find it dimly lit with candles placed strategically. She smiled to herself as she saw the outfit she was to wear for the evening laid out on the bed for her, shoes, coat, and accessories with it. Jax had gone all out this time. She went into the bathroom and took a bubble bath, scenting it with lilac. When she returned to the bedroom, she began to dress.

On the bed for her to wear was a stunning, shimmering mauve-colored dress. It was a basic, floor-length sheath with ribbons of a slightly darker color running through it. The dress fit her perfectly, as she knew it would. Her shoes were made-to-match high-heels that did nothing more than accentuate her legs. She wound her hair into a loose French twist with tendrils curling around her face. She noticed one final box that she had yet to look inside. Somehow she knew it was the jewelry she was intended to wear. She clicked open the wide black velvet box and gasped when she saw what was inside. Lying in the box was a beautiful gold chain with a sapphire and diamond heart-shaped pendant hanging from it. There was a matching tennis bracelet with the alternating stones and the earrings were simple diamond studs. She smiled to herself as she linked the necklace around her neck and put the earrings in her ears. The last touch was a winter-white ankle-length cashmere coat with a scarf around the neck that matched her dress.

Brenda opened the door exactly one hour after she had closed it. She nearly had to brace herself in the doorway when Jax turned around to face her. He was devastatingly handsome in his traditional black tuxedo. The lights in the hall picked up the brilliant gold highlights in his hair. He wore a long black coat with a simple black scarf over his tuxedo. He grinned and made a motion to put his hand over his heart when he saw her. She was as gorgeous as he had hoped she might be, more so than he had hoped even. He reached for her hand and drew it over his arm, keeping her close to his side as he led her to the elevator and downstairs. They got into the waiting black limousine, but not before they turned the heads of every person they passed. No one could say they had ever seen a more striking couple.

They weren't in the car for more than a minute before Brenda's suspense overtook her. "Okay, Jax, I want to know where we're going," she turned to him.

"No," he teased, but he wasn't kidding. He didn't want to ruin the surprise for her. "You really think I would tell you that?"

"Not even if I ask really nicely?" she pretended to pout.

"Not even then," he put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. His gesture was meant to let her know that he was not going to tell her so there was no reason to continue the conversation.

Brenda didn't care, she wanted to know. She sat up away from him and looked into his eyes. He certainly wasn't giving anything away. She leaned very close to him, her mouth just centimeters away from his. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me?"

Jax grinned and laughed. If there was ever a way she could get the information out of him, this would have been it. But he wasn't budging. He leaned in a fraction of an inch further. "No."

Her eyes grew wide in surprise. She was sure that would work! She turned around in a huff and looked straight ahead of her. She knew it was all in good fun, but she always tried to get his surprises out of him before they could truly be surprises. If she didn't try, he'd think there was something wrong. Nevertheless, she was already enjoying the evening, and it had only just begun.

The limousine stopped in front of a lit theater, but Brenda knew this was one that didn't have a play going on in it right now. She looked questioningly up at Jax as he led her into the dimly lit lobby. He took her coat and placed it with his on a nearby coat rack. He covered her eyes with his hands as he directed her through the doorway to the auditorium. When they stood in the center of the aisle, he dropped his hands.

Brenda gasped in surprise at the scene before her. There, on the stage of this beautiful theater, was a night recreated just for her. The night-lit stage looked exactly like a garden she remembered so well. Right down to the very detail, everything was the same. She turned to Jax in awe to see him grinning back down at her.

"You did all this?" she whispered incredulously. He nodded silently. "Why?"

"Because I love you," he stated simply at first. "And because the last time we were 'here,' the night didn't go as I had planned. This time, it will."

"Oh, Jax, I love it," she breathed, still gazing around in wonderment. Then she turned to look at him again. "And I love you, too." She stood on her toes and kissed him, thanking him for everything he had done. Before the kiss could become too passionate to stop, he stepped back and led her up the stairs to the table in the center of the stage.

As soon as she sat, soft music began to play and the house lights went out, leaving them in the perfect, indoor twilight scene. The candles lit on the table were the only light other than the twinkling star lights strategically placed throughout the trees. Jax sat across from her and took her hand in his. He had to remind himself to breathe as the candlelight took his breath away when it shone upon her. She leaned across the table and kissed him softly again.

The golden silence of the evening reminded them each of how much they could enjoy each other. Knowing what the other was thinking before they said it was enough. The looks they exchanged over the table said everything that needed to be said. The dinner was the same as the last and still her favorite and when they had finished eating, Jax stood and took her hand, leading her to the front of the stage to dance with her.

The music came up slightly so that they could hear it as they danced in each other's arms. Hours passed as they swayed to the music, closer to each other than ever before. It seemed as if nothing could break them apart right then. The night was perfect.

Jax finally led her back to the table and asked her to sit one more time. Instead of sitting with her, he kneeled in front of her chair, placing his hands on her knees. Then, taking her hands in his, he smiled up at her. The love reflecting in her eyes was enough encouragement for him to continue. He took a deep breath. "Brenda, this evening was not supposed to take us back in time. That's not what we're doing here. I wanted us to be able to remember what we once were, but I also wanted us to realize just exactly how different it is this time, how much stronger it is. So many things have changed in our lives since we last did this. I know it seems a little premature right now, but given as what is going to happen in the next few weeks, I wanted to make you a promise tonight. No matter what happens with us while we do this, I want you to remember something, always. I am here now, as I will be always, beside you, and I love you. I love you more than you will ever know, more than I can ever even tell you. If ever you doubt that in the coming days, remember this evening and what I'm saying to you right now. I will never leave you, no matter what happens. I want that to be a promise between us. Please, promise me that, Brenda. I will never leave you, and you will never leave me. Nobody leaves, promise me that please, nobody leaves."

A stray tear ran down Brenda's cheek and she reached up to brush it away with a smile before she spoke. Then, she placed her hand back in his and squeezed it tightly. "Jax, thank you. Thank you for this evening, for this week, and for every day that is to come. I have wanted to tell you for four years that I love you as I am tonight. There has been so much in our lives preventing that from happening and you have no idea how happy I am that we can overcome that and be so close to being with each other now. But there is one thing. I cannot promise you that will always be together, but I can make the promise that nobody leaves. There will come a day when one or the both of us will doubt what we have together. Should that ever happen, we will remember that in our hearts, we are together. We love each other and until now, that hasn't been enough. But now, it is, it has to be. Our love will sustain us and enable us to live with each other, in our hearts, forever. So, yes, Jax, I promise you, nobody leaves. No matter what, nobody leaves."

Slowly, Jax leaned in toward her and kissed her. Gently at first, and instantly growing with passion. They kissed for several long moments before he broke apart from her and held her face with his hands. Then, he dropped his hands and reached into his tuxedo pocket. He withdrew a small box just large enough to hold a necklace inside it.

Brenda smiled and began to protest. "Jax, you've given me so much tonight. Please, no more." She tried to get him to put the box away, but he wouldn't.

"No, this is different. Everything else tonight has been for you. This is for both of us. I want you to wear it every day, so that you will be constantly reminded of the promise we made tonight." He opened the box and turned it to her. Inside lay a thin gold chain with a small charm on it. The heart-shaped charm was a small, sparkling diamond surrounded by a gold setting. Jax turned it over to show her that on the back, the words "Nobody Leaves" were engraved on it. As he handed it to her, the dim lights caught the diamond and threw a thousand sparkles in a flash.

"It's beautiful," Brenda whispered. Quickly, she unclasped the sapphire necklace she was wearing in favor of the one he had just handed her. Jax reached up and hooked the clasp behind her neck, kissing the back of her neck gently as he did so. Then, he kissed her lips again, just as gently.

He withdrew and stood up, reaching for her hand. "What do you say we go back to the apartment now?"

"Why? Is there another surprise there I should know about?" she smiled. She followed him back up the aisle, holding onto his hand.

He smiled in return and said, "You never know."

Twenty minutes later, Jax opened the penthouse door for her again. He put their coats away in the hall closet and led her towards the bedroom. He stood to the side and opened the door for her to see inside. The room didn't look all that different from before, except there seemed to be a hundred tiny candles lighting the whole room softly. The bed had been turned down and was covered with off-white silk sheets now. The curtains were drawn and romantic music whispered into the room from hidden speakers.

Brenda turned to Jax and smiled serenely. This was the scene they had never gotten on that night four years ago. She stood and waited for him to come to her in the middle of the room. He did so, slowly. When he reached her side, he gently tipped her head up to his and touched his lips to her softly. Their lips moving together in synchronicity, Brenda's arms went around his neck while his arms went around her waist. He played with the waistline of her dress before moving his hands to the middle of her back and tugging on the zipper, easing it down slowly. She slid her hands underneath the collar of his jacket and pushed it down his shoulders until it fell to the floor behind him. Seconds later, her dress fell gracefully from her body when he let go of the shoulder straps to remove it.

In one fluid motion, Jax picked Brenda up in his arms and carried her toward the bed. He placed her gently in the middle of it, never breaking their sensuous kiss. Brenda rolled over him and began to kiss a line from his mouth to his neck as she reached for the buttons on his shirt. Each expanse of bare skin that she uncovered was quickly covered by her lips with feather kisses. She continued until she had unbuttoned the last button and moved her way back up his chest as she discarded his shirt to join his jacket on the floor. Her mouth sought his again as her hands moved to his waist. He helped her remove his pants and his boxer shorts followed right behind them.

Their bodies moved in a perfect rhythm together as their lovemaking resonated through the apartment for a thousand long, tender moments. As Brenda fought to regain a steady breathing rate, her head lay over Jax's heart. She could hear the erratic thumping beneath her ear. One arm encircled her waist as his other hand ran methodically through her hair and she drew lazy circles on his chest with her fingers. She smiled contentedly and sighed.

Shifting, she moved to lay over top of his body, propping her head on her crossed arms. She could look directly into his eyes from her position. He gazed at her through half-open eyelids and smiled. "I've been waiting a long time for that, you know," she said softly. And she didn't mean just the act of having done it. She was referring to sharing this moment with him. For four very long years, she'd had to hide her feelings and dream of this happening. Now, it finally had.

"I know," he replied.

His simple words told her that he knew exactly what she was talking about. He'd been thinking the same thing. She leaned forward and kissed his lips tenderly. "I love you, Jax," she whispered.

He pulled her up further on his body and opened his eyes fully. He captured her lips with his for a passionate kiss that left them both breathless. "I love you," he responded, just before he wrapped his arms around her and took her to new heights they hadn't even come close to reaching the last time.

A long time later, Jax lay in a half-awake state listening to Brenda's gentle breathing as she slept in his arms. He was plagued by the thoughts that they would be parting company after this night. He glanced at the clock momentarily. They only had seven hours left together before their lives began to change drastically. He knew they'd made promises that night, and he knew they would both fight with everything they had to keep them. He only hoped it didn't take too long.

Brenda shifted again and he wrapped his arms around her tighter. He kissed the top of her head and smiled briefly. Finally, settling deep in her embrace, he began to drift off to sleep. "I love you," his last breath said once more before he was asleep.