The Ties that Bind

Chapter 24

Though Brenda's eyes hadn't met his since he pulled out the velvet box, she was suddenly gazing directly at Jax.  Her wide, brown eyes were so filled with love that they were beginning to fill with tears of happiness.  "Jax, you left me to go out in this storm for this?"

"I had to, I couldn't wait another day.  I didn't want to wait another minute, but I had to drive there," he joked slightly.

"I can't believe you would do this."  She glanced back down at the ring that he still held just on the tip of her finger.

"I can't believe you haven't answered me yet," he teased gently.  He used his other hand to put a finger beneath her chin and lift her head to meet his gaze again.

She grinned, the tears overflowing and beginning to run down her face.  "Oh, Jax, of course I'll marry you."

He slid the ring down the rest of her finger to rest at the base where it fit perfectly.  "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he breathed as he took her face between his hands and kissed her passionately.

Brenda leaned against him as the kiss intensified, wrapping her arms around his neck and threading her fingers into his hair at the base of his neck.  She opened her lips beneath his and ran her tongue lightly along the edge of his mouth.  Without a moment's hesitation, he opened his mouth to her and tangled his tongue with hers.  Her hands moved to his shoulders and she pushed his black leather coat from his arms where it fell to the floor.  He picked her up into his arms without breaking their kiss and quickly carried her upstairs.

Jax lay her down on the bed gently as he began to lift her long-sleeved t-shirt over her head.  Every expanse of bare skin that he exposed, he covered in soft kisses immediately.  Brenda lovingly did the same with him.  They made love long into the evening hours for as long as their happiness could carry them.

Brenda lay in Jax's arms under the sheets of the bed as he slept, having exhausted them for hours.  She was too giddy to sleep yet.  The light was dim as it was thrown from the two candles Jax had lit at some point.  She held up her left hand and watched as the light hit the diamond in the ring and threw sparkles into the surroundings.  She turned in Jax's arms causing him to wrap his arms more tightly around her.  She watched him for a moment and then kissed him gently on the lips before she snuggled into his embrace and fell asleep herself.

The remainder of the weeks before Christmas flew by for Jax and Brenda.  Jax had finally hired another housekeeper, Mrs. Andrews, to come in during the days and make their lives a lot easier.  Brenda had been busy at work as she was setting up two new contracts and supervising quite a few of the shoots her models were called on.  Both of she and Jax had made promises to try to be home by six-thirty every night and Brenda had been able to keep it so far.  Jax, on the other hand, was having a much harder time with his end of the bargain. 

On the nights when he made it home before Brenda went to bed, he was so tired he could barely talk.  He had had more problems with his work ever since Miranda had stopped interfering than he'd had when she was.  For whatever reason, he and Ned had trouble getting people to stick to their contracts and do what they were asked to do.  They'd spent the last two weeks straightening out one disaster after another.  For several nights in a row, they'd been stuck at the office until well after ten o'clock at night.

Each time they knew it would happen, Jax would call Brenda while Ned called Lois and try to offer their explanations.  There was nothing they could do about it and Brenda and Lois understood.  Each time, though, Brenda would try to wait up for him so that she could at least have a proper goodnight kiss from Jax.  More often than not, she hadn't been able to do it when he wasn't home before eleven-thirty.  When he was, he could barely stay awake long enough to tell her he loved her, apologize for his work, and give her a kiss goodnight.

Finally, the night before Christmas Eve, Jax was home at eight o'clock.  It was the earliest he'd gotten home in a week and a half.  He walked in the door, dropped his keys on the table, and went to find Brenda before he even took off his coat.

"Brenda?" he called out as he walked through the house, unable to find her.  She hadn't been anywhere downstairs and when he hadn't found her upstairs in their side, he made the assumption she was in the other side of the house.  He walked up the second flight of stairs and followed the appearance of a light from a room at the end of the hallway.  She was in the corner room studying a wall as if it were the most interesting thing on Earth.  "Brenda?" he questioned again as he walked in the room.

She whirled around, surprised to hear his voice, but a smile adorning her face.  "Jax!" she exclaimed.  She ran to him and threw herself into his arms.  "I didn't think you'd be home this early."  Before he could respond, she kissed him passionately.  He didn't resist her at all, grateful to have her in his arms.

When they finally drew back, he said, "I didn't think I would be home this early either, but Ned and I decided to give it up for the evening.  We weren't getting anything done since we were both so distracted by the women we had waiting for us at home," he teased slightly.  He gave her a tired smile.

"I'm sure Lois appreciates it as much as I do."  Lois had moved from New York by then and she had moved into Ned's house.  They were turning out to be almost as serious as Jax and Brenda were.  When Jax and Brenda had announced their engagement to them, Ned and Lois had shared a look that was indescribable, but Brenda took it to mean that there might be another engagement to announce soon enough.  "Sweetie, you look exhausted," she said, being able to notice the dark circles under his eyes in the light of the lamp in the corner.  He had for weeks now, but this was the first time she had really had the chance to see him.

Jax didn't answer her, instead, he looked around the room.  "What are you doing up here, Bren?"

She turned around and glanced at the room.  Turning back to him, she replied, "I was trying to get some decorating ideas.  I'm thinking of turning this side of the house into kind of a guest area.  We have more than enough room on the other side, so when we have people stay with us, they can stay over here without worrying about not having any privacy.  What do you think?"

"I think I'll go along with anything you say," he responded.

"Have you eaten?" she asked, noticing again for the first time that he was still wearing his coat.  She realized he must have come looking for her as soon as he got home.  He shook his head and she took his hand to lead him downstairs, snapping off the light in the room before they left.

Once in the kitchen, she warmed up some of the leftovers that Mrs. Andrews had made and put into plastic containers.  She turned around to find Jax seated at the kitchen table, his head propped on his hands, rubbing his eyes.  She smiled and walked over to him.  "Jax, would you like to take off your coat and stay awhile?" she teased lightly.  She put her hands on his shoulders, rubbing them gently beneath his coat as she removed it from his arms.  She lay the coat over the back of the chair next to him and returned to her spot behind him, massaging his shoulders.  The bell on the microwave dinged and Jax lifted his head.

After he had eaten, they went into the living room where the Christmas tree was lit by a timer.  Brenda didn't turn on any lights, instead choosing to put a CD in the player and turning it on.  Instead of sitting or laying down on the couch with her, Jax drew her into his arms and began to move to the music.  She lay her head on his shoulder as he leaned his cheek against the top of her head.  His right hand was entwined with her left as he held them close to his chest.  He played lightly with her engagement ring as they danced.

They never stopped moving as the song changed and the tempo of the music picked up slightly, continuing to dance slowly by the light of the tree.  Brenda knew he was exhausted and she broke their intimate embrace to look up into his tired eyes.  He smiled down at her.  "Jax, you should go to bed," she said softly.

He shook his head.  "Nope, not tonight.  I've barely seen you in the past two weeks and I am not doing it again tonight."  He kissed her lightly and then held her close again.  "I've missed you, Bren," he whispered close to her ear.  "I'm sorry for these last few weeks."

She wrapped her arms more tightly around him and held him in a hug before releasing him a little.  "It's okay, I understand," she whispered in return.  "I've missed you, too."

As they continued to dance in slow circles, Jax made a decision.  He pulled away from Brenda and took her hand in his, leading her to the table where a cordless phone sat.  He picked it up and dialed Ned's home number.

"Hello?" Lois answered, slightly out of breath after the phone rang three times.

"Lois, it's me," Jax said.  "Am I interrupting anything?"  There was a hint of teasing in his voice as he said it.

"No, Jax, it's fine.  I was just in the other room."

"Is Ned there?" he asked. 

"Yes, he is, just a second."  He heard her muffled voice telling Ned who was on the phone as she handed it to him.

"Jax?" came Ned's voice a moment later.  He sounded as tired as Jax knew he must have.

"Yeah, Ned, it's me.  Listen, I was thinking about something and I wanted to run it by you first.  What do you think of closing the offices for the next four days?"

"Are you serious?  We can't do that.  We've got too much going on to do that right now, Jax.  I mean, Christmas, yeah, but those others, no."

Jax glanced down at Brenda before he spoke again.  There was a look of surprise mixed with happiness on her face as she gazed back up at him.  "Yes, we can.  It's the holidays, Ned.  No one really expects us to be doing any work right now.  We shouldn't disappoint them," he joked.

After a few more minutes of talking about it, Ned finally relented and agreed to shut down the offices for four days straight.  Before he hung up the phone, Lois had grabbed it from his hands and thanked Jax for his idea, as well.  Jax hung up the phone chuckling.  Before he turned to Brenda, he made one more phone call to the answering service his office used.  He asked them to notify every one of his employees that they were not needed for the next few days, but that their paychecks wouldn't be changed.

"Jax, did you do that for me?" Brenda asked when he had hung up the phone again and had taken her in his arms once more.

"No, I did that for us," he replied softly.

For the next hour, they danced to the soft music in the background.  Brenda couldn't remember being so content with him.  But when the CD finally stopped, she pushed back from his embrace and looked up at him.  He was smiling, but his eyes were nearly dead with fatigue.  "Come on, Jax," she said as she took his hand and led him to the steps.

This time, he didn't resist her, knowing she was right.  Standing by the bed, she helped him strip to his silk boxer shorts and gently pushed him back onto the bed.  Surprising her, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her down on top of him.  Before she could protest, he captured her lips with his in kiss that left them both breathless.  But before he could take it any further, Brenda broke the kiss and looked at him in mock anger.  "Jasper Jacks, don't you dare," she threatened him.  "You need to sleep."

"Not more than I need you," he insisted and took her mouth with his again.  His erotic manipulations of her body had her wanting more in seconds, but she held firm.  But his next kiss did her in and she allowed him to relieve her of her clothing as they began to make love.  As Jax caressed her and made her want him even more, she was amazed by him once again.

Jax finally fell into a deep slumber beside Brenda in the bed.  She lay on top of him where his arms anchored her.  She was smiling happily, remembering the words that had escaped him as he fell asleep.  On his last sigh of a breath, he had whispered, "I love you."  Though she was never more sure of his love for her every day of the week, hearing him say it made her heart overflow with happiness and love for him.  Knowing that she truly was the last thing he thought of before he went to sleep made her more secure in his love for her than ever and served to make her love him more, if it was possible.  She relaxed against him and lay her head over his heart, echoing his words back to him as she fell asleep.

Jax woke long after Brenda did on Christmas Eve morning.  The winter sun was bright in the mid-morning sky when he finally opened his eyes.  He knew it was too late to take his morning run and since he'd neglected it for two weeks now, he didn't worry about one more day.  He sat up in the bed, looking for Brenda, but she wasn't in the room.  When he didn't find a note next to the bed, as was their habit when one left before the other was awake, he knew she had to be in the house.  He got up and went into the bathroom to take a long, hot shower.  He dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt under a beige button-down shirt.  He forewent his shoes since he had no plans of going anywhere for the rest of the day until the evening.

As he descended the stairs, he heard voices in the kitchen and recognized one of them as Brenda's.  He figured the other must be their new housekeeper.  He entered through the doorway and found Brenda seated on stool at the island in the center of the kitchen, talking to Mrs. Andrews.  The subject was apparently what to have for Christmas dinner.  He went up behind Brenda and slipped his hands around her waist, giving her a slight tickle.

"Jax!" she exclaimed, laughing and squirming away from him.  She spun on the stool to face him and gave him a kiss good morning. 

"Good morning," he replied when she pulled away.

"Morning?  Uh, try afternoon, honey," she grinned.  She gestured to the clock on the stove that read twelve-fifteen.  "Did you just get up?"  She noticed his hair was still slightly damp from a shower.

Nodding, he went over to one of the cupboards and got a glass from it.  Before he turned around, Mrs. Andrews had taken it from him and poured some orange juice from the pitcher in her hands into it.  He smiled and thanked her, returning to stand in front of Brenda.  She was wearing jeans and a sweater, but her shoes were still damp on the tops.  "Did you go somewhere this morning?" he asked, curiously.

"Maybe," she said ambiguously, smiling as if she had a secret.  She did, too.  She had gone to pick up Jax's Christmas present since she had decided to give it to him that evening.  And now it was well-hidden in the house where he wouldn't find it.  They'd had the conversation a week ago that they preferred to spend this year alone rather than with his family, but all of his work in recent weeks had eliminated the possibility that they could go on any exotic trip.  As a result, she'd be able to give him his gift that evening like she had wanted to.  Long ago, when they were still dating the first time, they had a tradition of giving each other a gift on Christmas Eve and then if there was anything else, as Brenda did have a few little things for him this year, too, they would give them on Christmas Day.

Jax knew immediately what she had been doing that morning and preferring to be surprised, he didn't ask questions.  Just as being surprised drove her nuts, he knew that his not wanting to know what her surprise was also drove her nuts.  But she didn't say anything.  He gave her another kiss and said, "I know I told you I was taking the day off today, but I do have a few little things to do.  I'm going to be in my office if you need me, okay?"

Brenda smiled up at him and nodded, understanding.  Once he had left, she returned to her conversation with Mrs. Andrews about dinner the next day.

An hour later when she took him his lunch, Brenda found Jax on the phone in his downstairs office.  He held up one finger to tell her he'd be off in a minute.  She nodded and put the plate with a sandwich that Mrs. Andrews had made for him on the desk in front of him.  She had another in her hand that had her own lunch on it.  When she put the plate down and moved to go back around Jax's desk to eat her sandwich, his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to sit on his lap while he talked on the phone.  She laughed silently and put her plate down to wrap her arms around his neck, playing with his hair a little bit.  Jax grinned and continued to speak.

"I look forward to seeing you in a few days, then," Jax said finally as he hung up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Brenda asked. 

He picked up his sandwich and began to eat as she did the same while still on his lap.  He swallowed and answered her question.  "Something at work that I had to take care of.  Something that is finally going right," he said and smiled before he took another bite.  "But I have to go out of town to do it."

Her face fell in slight disappointment.  "When do you have to go?"

"In a couple of days, but I should be back before New Year's."

"Should?"  They'd had plans for New Year's Eve since they'd found out they couldn't take a trip for Christmas.  They'd been planning to go to the Bahamas for a few days to get away.  She didn't want to have to cancel the trip if he was going to be out of town.

"I know, sweetie, but there is nothing I can do about it.  I have to go then or we might lose this deal and I can't lose another deal, you know that."

"Can you be back in time for us to go?"

He smiled a little at the petulant little frown that was on her face.  "I promise you I will do my absolute best to be back in time to go on our trip."

She knew his word meant everything and she understood he had to go, but it didn't mean she had to like it.  He noticed her reluctance to agree and he leaned towards her to give her a kiss.  She smiled slightly and met him halfway.  When he drew back, she jumped up from his lap, heading for the door.  He grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I just have an errand I have to run before this evening.  I just remembered it.  I'll be back in a little while."  She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and left.

That evening, Jax was getting ready for dinner, which they were having at the PC Grille with Ned and Lois.  He'd been working off and on for the rest of the afternoon, but once Brenda returned, he'd stopped to spend time with her.  They spent some time up in the other side of the house as Jax 'helped' Brenda decided what she wanted to do with the rooms.  He was of no help at all, agreeing with everything she said she wanted to do and offering no suggestions of his own.  He was letting her have complete reign over the decorations and she was taking him at his word to allow her to completely redo everything Miranda had done.

Brenda came back into the bedroom, having dressed before Jax in a dark green silk pants outfit.  The pants flowed off her figure in loose sheets and the shirt was cut straight with little adornment.  Her brown hair was set in soft curls that flowed down her back.  Jax was finishing tying his navy blue and burgundy tie when he turned to her.  He wore navy blue dress pants and an off-white shirt with his tie and he picked up his matching blazer. 

"Are you ready to go?" Brenda asked as she walked towards him. 

"Listen to you," he teased.  "You're loving being ready before me for once, aren't you?"  He kissed her quickly on the lips and said, "Yes, I'm ready.  Let’s go."

They got to the restaurant only five minutes after Ned and Lois had taken their seats at the table.  Their heads were together as Jax and Brenda approached and they watched as their friends shared a brief kiss before separating and greeting them.  Their dinner was fairly quick since Ned and Lois were still headed to spend the evening with his family.  He didn't spend much time with them, but the holidays were a time when he wasn't allowed to not be there.  Any other time of the year and he would have gladly denied he was a part of the family.  Brenda and Jax had invited Ned and Lois over to their house to spend some of the following day with them.  They would exchange gifts then and eat dinner with each other.

When Ned and Lois had left to go to his grandparents' house, Jax put his arm around the back of Brenda's chair as she sat closer to him, relishing the feeling of having him close to her.  To anyone in the restaurant, it was abundantly clear how in tune they were to each other's thoughts and feelings by the little smiles that would appear almost simultaneously on their lips before they shared an intimately private little kiss in public.  They sat in silence for a little while before Jax asked her if she was ready to go.  He could tell by her restlessness that she was ready to go home for whatever reason.  He figured it was because they were going to exchange their one gift when they were there and he knew she was anxious about it.  She always was, but she had been good this year and hadn't asked him any questions about what he'd gotten her.

They arrived home a little while later and went upstairs to change before they did anything else.  Jax put on his silk pajama bottoms and tied his matching silk robe around his waist.  Brenda dressed in her pajamas, too, electing not to get her outfit too wrinkled.  As soon as she was dressed, though, she ran from the room before Jax could say a word.  He was surprised, but followed her at a much more leisurely pace.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and found the living room glowing with warm lights from two of the lamps and the tree lights.  Brenda was putting on a CD of Christmas music as he came into the room.  He sat on the couch as far away from the tree as possible.  She didn't turn to him before she had poured a glass of champagne for each of them and went to give it to him.  She smiled slightly when she saw where he was seated.  "Jax," she said in a playful tone.

"What?" he asked innocently to tease her.

"Come over here," she indicated the chairs that were much closer to the tree.

"Why?"  At her look, he got up and crossed the room.  "Oh right, because you have my glass.  Thanks," he said as he took it from her and turned back to the couch. 

Brenda grabbed his hand immediately and stopped him.  "Jasper Jacks, if you go over there one more time right now, you're not going to get your gift!" she threatened him.

He turned his hand in hers and laced their fingers together.  "Oh, my gift, that's right.  I almost forgot about that."  He sat down on the chair she had indicated before and she sat in his lap when he pulled her down.

She swatted his chest lightly when she could see the playful twinkle in his eyes.  Just as he was about to kiss her, she jumped up from his lap, leaving him with nothing but air in front of him.  At his look of disappointment, she laughed.  "Okay, okay, enough playing around," she said, turning mock business-like.  "Do you go first or do I?"

"Why don’t you?" he said.  He knew she was more anxious than him to find out what he'd gotten her.  She grinned happily. 

Jax got up from the chair and reached under the tree.  He withdrew two small boxes.  "I know we say one, but these kind of have to go together."

She didn't protest as she grabbed for them.  The gold paper was on the floor in second as she opened the larger of the two boxes.  Inside was an unsealed envelope.  The heavy linen paper gave itself away as she looked up at Jax.  "Is this what I think it is?" she asked in surprise. 

"Just open it," he said.

Inside the envelope was exactly what she had expected.  The invitation was to their own wedding which would take place exactly six months to the day that Sonny had signed the divorce papers.  The gold embossed letters proclaimed the date and time, down to the reception place for Brenda to see.  She looked up from the paper with tears in her eyes.  "Jax," she breathed.

"What do you think?" he asked softly.

"I think," she said softly as she got up and sat in his lap again, "that you are the most wonderful man I have ever known.  I can't believe you set this up already."

"I wanted to surprise you."

"That, you did," she said as she kissed him enthusiastically.

When he finally broke the kiss, he said, "Open the other one, sweetie."

"I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, excitedly.  She tore into the paper of the smaller box and gazed at him in amazement again when she saw a small black, velvet box.  She opened it slowly and found a set of jewelry inside.  There was a diamond and emerald necklace, with a matching tennis bracelet and earrings.  She gasped as she looked at them in total wonder.  "Jax, they're beautiful."  She knew he was intending that she would wear them on the day of their wedding.  He took the bracelet from the box and fastened it around her wrist where she watched as the stones glinted in the soft light.  Without saying another word, she took his face between her hands and kissed him with more passion than before.  The kiss lasted several long, wonderful moments.

She broke the kiss abruptly and grinned again.  "Your turn!" she said, her enthusiasm for her gift to him apparent.  She was obviously very excited to give him whatever she had gotten him.  She went over to the tree and picked up a small box that was ornately wrapped.  "Now, there are two parts to this, but you have to open this one first."

Jax took it from her and examined it for a moment.  He held it up to his ear to shake it.  "I don't think it's jewelry," he said with mock disappointment.  "It can't be a car, or a pair of skis," he teased her before he would open it.

"Jax, just open it!"

He slid one finger under the wrapping paper and eased the tape from the paper.  He knew it was making her crazy watching him take so long and he drew it out as long as possible as he opened the package as carefully as he could without ripping the paper.  The box looked like a tie box, but he knew she wouldn't be so excited to give him a tie.  He glanced up at her and saw that she was practically bouncing in anticipation.  Finally, he opened the lid of the box to reveal a strip of leather with a buckle on it.  He held it up from the box and realized what it was.  "Brenda?"  He looked at her to find that she wasn't there anymore.  He wondered where she was for only a second when she reappeared in the doorway, holding something in her arms.

Jax got up from the chair and went over to see what she holding, though he already knew.  As he approached, the thing in her arms wiggled excitedly and she had to put it down.  He wasn't surprised to see a little puppy come racing for his feet when she placed it on the floor.  The tiny golden lab puppy darted between his feet and began to explore the room.  Jax watched in amusement as it ran around the room.

"Surprised?" Brenda asked him, coming up behind him as he watched the dog. 

"Not really," he said nonchalantly as he turned and grinned at her, teasing her again.  "He's beautiful, sweetie.  Thank you so much."  He kissed her again and again, finally drawing back from her when he felt the dog run head first into his legs.  Jax laughed as Brenda knelt on the floor and coaxed the puppy into her lap.  He ran to her happily.  Jax sat beside her and she placed the puppy in his lap.  As if it sensed it was in its new owners hands now, the puppy jumped up on his back legs and began to lick Jax's face with enthusiasm. 

"He needs a name," Brenda said.

"Why don't you name him?" Jax asked.  She had a better knack for it, he knew.

"How about Jasper?" she said immediately.

Jax looked at her to see if she was serious.  "Please tell me you're joking," he replied.

"No, I think it's cute."

"Brenda, it wasn't cute when my own parents gave me that name twenty-eight years ago.  It's not cute now."

"Oh come on, honey," she teasingly pleaded with him.  "It's a perfect name for him."  As if on cue, the puppy jumped into her lap and began to lick her face.  She laughed at its antics.

Jax leaned back on his elbows on the floor and watched as the Brenda petted the dog.  "I guess there's one thing to say for it."

"What's that?"

"If you give the puppy that name, I won't have to worry about you naming any of our future kids with it."  Brenda rolled her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue, laughing, but she leaned over and kissed him, too.  The puppy got in on it, as well, as he jumped out of Brenda's lap and without warning, pounced onto Jax's chest where he lay.  The dog sat happily on Jax's chest, meeting his new owner's eyes and panting softly just before he licked Jax's face again.

The next few hours were spent tiring out the puppy for the evening.  By the time Jax and Brenda got ready for bed and put the puppy, Jasper now, in the laundry room for the night, the dog could barely keep its eyes open.  When they were finally in their bedroom and in bed, Jax put his arms around Brenda and held her close for several long moments. 

"Jax?" Brenda said a few minutes later when she thought he might have fallen asleep already.

"Hmm?"

"I loved my presents," she said softly.  "And I love you."

He opened his eyes and looked into hers.  "Me, too.  And I love you, too."  He kissed her and the kiss quickly became something more.  They made love long into the early hours of Christmas morning.

Brenda and Jax had shared a quiet Christmas morning together.  She had spent most of the morning playing with the puppy while Jax watched, amused more by Brenda's actions than the puppy's.  She'd gotten a few toys for the dog and within minutes of the last little gift being opened, she had been playing with the puppy, though the dog was more entranced by the pieces of wrapping paper still littering the floor than the toys Brenda was trying to get him to chase.

When the doorbell rang at three o'clock, Jasper barked once and dashed in the opposite direction of the door.  Brenda ran after him while Jax went to open the door.  He was laughing at Brenda's shouts for the puppy to come back as he pulled open the door to let Ned and Lois into the house.

"Jasper, come here right now!" Brenda shouted from the direction of the kitchen.

Lois looked at Jax in surprise.  "Is she mad at you or something?"

"No, why?"

"She never calls you by your first name unless she's mad at you and by the way she's yelling, she means it."

"She does mean it, but she's not calling me." 

"I don't understand," Ned said.

Just then the yellow ball of fur scampered into the front hallway from Jax's office doorway as if he was doing nothing wrong and causing no trouble.  Jax grabbed him before he could get any further.  "This is what she was calling."  He held the squirming animal close as it began to lick the side of his face, excited to be in Jax's arms.  "This is Jasper."  He rolled his eyes at the name once more.

Ned and Lois were laughing when they heard Brenda calling for the puppy again.  "Jasper, come on," she pleaded.  "Your daddy is going to be upset with you if you do anything you're not supposed to."  She was running in their direction as she called out.  She stopped in the hall when she saw Ned and Lois still standing in the doorway, watching her and laughing.  "Hi guys," she said, walking toward them.  "Jax, have you seen him?"

Jax turned around still holding Jasper in his arms.  "Seen who?" he asked innocently, laughing as the puppy licked him again.

Brenda stepped up beside him and he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders.  She scratched the puppy behind his ear and said, "You are such a nuisance, you know that?"  The puppy yipped in response.

Jax put him down on the floor again and led the way into the living room behind the dog who quickly found the bone Brenda had given him earlier and began chewing on it with a vengeance.

"Let me guess," Lois said after they sat down.  She leaned against Ned with his hand entwined in hers.  "Brenda gave him the name, right?"

"How'd you guess?" Jax asked sarcastically.

A few minutes later, Lois went into the kitchen with Brenda to help finish fixing dinner and Jax and Ned turned on the football game of the day.  They were on the floor playing with Jasper when Brenda and Lois returned.  Lois sat on a chair behind Ned and Brenda did the same with Jax as they faced each other.  "What do you say we do the gift thing now and get it over with?" Ned said.  Lois hit him lightly on the chest as he laughed.

Brenda quickly agreed and jumped up to grab the few gifts that were under the tree yet for Lois and Ned.  There were three boxes, one for each of them and one for the both of them.  Lois handed Jax and Brenda their gifts as well.  Each taking their turn, they opened their gifts one by one.  There were two remaining once they had all opened one.  Lois and Ned had done the same thing and given Jax and Brenda a gift to share.

Brenda insisted that Lois, who was holding their gift, open her box first.  She opened it and found the same thing Brenda had found the night before.  Lois showed Ned and looked at Brenda with a questioning look.  As she read the inscription, a light dawned on her face as she grinned. 

"You two are officially the first ones invited," Brenda told them.  She explained the significance of the date and promptly asked both Ned and Lois to be in the wedding as Jax agreed as maid of honor and best man.

Before either of them responded, Lois made Brenda open the box that was still on her lap.  Brenda lifted the lid of the small box to find a Polaroid snapshot of a hand with a ring on the finger.  The ring was a marquis cut diamond and the hand looked suspiciously like Lois's left one.  Moving the puppy who was beginning to doze in his lap slightly, Jax turned to look and the realization hit them both at the same time. 

"We wanted to give you something that it made it kind of like a gift for you two," Lois explained.  She moved her left hand and showed them the ring that was pictured before them.  It was proudly displayed on her ring finger.

"But you've only been together for three weeks!" Brenda exclaimed. 

"Bren, didn't you once tell me that it's not how long you've loved the person, it's how much you love them?  I seem to recall that comment being made in reference to a particular guy in this room."  She gave a pointed look at Jax.

Congratulations were passed around on all accounts and then Brenda had an idea.  "I was thinking," she started, directing her comments to everyone.  "If you guys are getting married, and we're getting married, why can't we all get married together?"

"A double wedding?" Jax asked uncertainly.

"It could be so great!  Lois and Ned and you and me, it's like it's meant to be," she insisted.

Lois looked at Ned and they seemed to smile at the same time.  They turned their attention back to Jax and Brenda and Ned said, "I think it's a great idea, Brenda."

"So do I," Lois echoed.

"We know I do," Brenda said again, laughing.

They all turned to Jax expectantly.  He met each of their gazes, but held Brenda's for the longest time.  "It looks like we're getting married," he said simply, smiling, and sealed it with a kiss.

Epilogue

"Bren, you don't think anyone will notice, do you?" Lois asked, nervously smoothing her white wedding gown over her flat stomach.  She hadn't put on her veil yet, but it was the last thing to do before they would leave the room.

Brenda turned after she put the last pin in her hair and fluffed her bangs a little.  She smiled and shook her head.  "Lo, you're only two and a half months along, no one even knows yet.  You won't start to show for another two months or so," she reassured her friend.

The early June sun was shining brightly in a vivid blue sky.  A warm breeze blew outside, ruffling the tops of the bright green trees.  It was an absolutely perfect day for them to be getting married.  Brenda and Lois were in a room at the back of the church finishing their final touches before they walked down the aisle to Jax and Ned.  For the last week, Lois had been worried that her early pregnancy would show with the bodice of her gown being so tight.  A little by mistake and a little by blessing, Ned had accidentally gotten Lois pregnant slightly premature for the wedding night.  Never one to see things as a bad sign, Lois was convinced it meant they would have a long and happy marriage filled with a lot of children and they were just starting early on the family.

Brenda helped Lois adjust the long veil over her hair and face.  When it lay just right, Lois did the same with her.  Lois's white dress was a long, flowing gown that was more in the traditional cut.  The sleeves were short and she had chosen not to wear gloves.  Brenda, too, wore white, but hers was more form-fitting.  The long dress flowed in a straight line down her lithe body and into a slight train at the end.  It was sleeveless and she wore the jewelry Jax had given her for Christmas, the emeralds sparkled brightly among the diamonds.  The music began to change from the sanctuary signaling it was time for them to make their entrance.

There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen in the wedding and Brenda and Lois chose to walk down the aisle together, side by side.  Jax and Ned were waiting patiently as the music changed to the Wedding March and the people in the church stood.

All day, Jax had been calm as ever, never more sure he was doing the right thing, but suddenly, he felt his palms begin to sweat when he saw Brenda appear in the back doorway.  She was a vision in white with her long hair flowing freely down her back under the veil.  She held the bouquet of white roses delicately in her hands as she approached.  He never took his eyes off her, barely even glancing to the side to see that Lois looked almost as stunning as Brenda did.

The four stood side by side at the front of the church as the minister began the double ceremony.  In the essence of time, they had decided to recite the traditional vows to each other.  Their eyes said everything else to each other.  When the minister has pronounced them Mr. and Mrs. Jacks and Mr. and Mrs. Ashton, the music swelled again in the background as they kissed their respective partners.  They hurried down the aisle and waited patiently for the line of well-wishers to congratulate them.  It seemed the whole town of Port Charles supported the marriages, odd or sudden as they may have been. 

Finally, when the last person was on their way to the Port Charles Hotel for the reception that was beginning, they all took a breath, seemingly in unison and laughed aloud.  They were walking towards their separate limousines when Jax pulled Brenda aside and into the rose garden the bordered the side of the church.  He held her hand tightly in his as he led her to the center where there was a bench, but they did not sit on it.

"Jax?  What is it, sweetie?" Brenda asked softly.  She placed her hand against his cheek and leaned up to kiss him softly first.

"I didn't get the chance to say this to you in there," he motioned towards the church with a nod of his head.  "But I didn't want to wait another minute to tell you, either."  He pulled her close into his arms, his hands linking behind her back.  For a few long seconds, he gazed down into her dark brown eyes which sparkled back up at him.  "Brenda, I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered and leaned in to kiss his lips gently.

He drew back a moment later.  "I want you to know just how much you mean to me, Bren.  You are my wife, you are the love of my life, you are my life.  I don't want another day to go by that I'm not with you.  I want to grow old with you and I want to have kids with you.  Without you, I am truly nothing, but an empty body with no soul.  You are my soul, you give me life.  I want you to always, always know how much I need you and how much I love you."

"Jax," Brenda started before she was too overwhelmed by his words to speak.  She had no response in words, so she chose instead to kiss him.  She put every emotion and feeling she had in her into that one kiss and when it ended, she knew she'd told him everything he needed to know.  "I love you, too," she repeated once more.

Jax loosened his grip around her waist and they turned to go to the limousine.  They were on their way to start a new life together.  A life with a love so deep and so true that they both knew they would never live a day of it without the other.  There would never be a day when they didn't have each other and the love they shared.

~ The End ~