Chapter 14

Shea stopped short in the airport. What was she thinking? Maybe Jax could help her find her derelict husband, after all he'd said if she ever needed anything he could call her. Her husband was a virtual Houdini after all. For three years she'd heard nothing from him, and hell, for all she knew he could be dead. She would go to Jax and he would help her.

With her mind made up she began searching for the card in her purse. It was here somewhere. In all the fuss of trying to get Jax to his plane on time, she hadn't even looked at the card at all. Her focus had been solely taken with him in all his charm. As she looked she was actually glad she'd made the decision to ask for his help. Finally seeing the card in the chaos that was her handbag, she grabbed it. Seeing the address on the card nearly made her drop in surprise. It really was a sign. The address on the card read Port Charles, New York. She looked up at the sign above her head and read it incredulously.

"Welcome to Port Charles International Airport!"

"Well, hot damn." She whispered under her breath. This might actually work after all.

She headed outside to hail a taxi when someone bumped into her sending the contents of her purse sliding across the floor.

"Hey!!!"

The man kept walking, his shoulders hunched, and his hands in his pockets. As she bent down she cracked her head against someone else's.

"Owww! Shit!"

"Oh, sorry." He held out a hand to steady her.

"You looked like you needed a little help here."

"No, I'm okay."

He watched with curiosity as she started shoving everything back in her purse. Her carry-on bag was hanging half off his shoulder. Something caught his eye and he reached to pick it up. Reading the name he groaned inwardly and smiled.

"Are you a friend of Jax's?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Allow me." He took the bag off her shoulder before she could react and offered his hand to shake in the process.

"Ned Ashton."

"And that should interest me because…"

"I'm also a friend of Jax's."

"And I know that because…"

"Because I just told you."

Shea cocked her eyebrow at him to tell him that wasn't good enough. Sighing, Ned reached into his wallet and pulled out a photo. It was a picture of him and Lois with Jax and Brenda at an AIDS gala. He kept it with him to remind him of happier times.

Shea hesitantly took the picture and then felt like an ass. There he was, Jax in all his splendor with his fiancee. Both of them looked so much in love. One of his hands rested lightly on her waist, the other held a glass of champagne. She was smiling a soft, demure sort of smile that made you wonder if, in another lifetime, she had been the model for the Mona Lisa.

"I guess you do know Jax."

"I can give you a ride to the hotel if you'd like."

"Look," Shea was still uncertain.

"What makes you think I'm going there right now, Mr. Ashton? You assume an awful lot."

"Well," Ned grinned, "That's true, but it's besides the point. Are you going to my family's hotel?"

"Forgive me but I haven't the faintest idea who your family is, and I don't really care either. If, however, you're referring to the Port Charles hotel, then no. I'd like to find a room of my own first, thank you. I make it a point to never drop in on people fresh of a plane. It strikes me as bad form somehow."

Ned laughed and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello Mira? Yes, this is Ned. I'd like you to do me a favor…"

Ned kept a hold of the young woman's bag. If they were friends, Jax would never forgive Ned if he left her stranded.

She followed him angrily.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!"

Before she knew it they were outside and a limo was waiting.

"Yes, Mira. Thank you!"

Ned clicked the phone off and opened the door for her.

"I'm not getting in there with you. Now give me back my bag." Her patience was wearing mighty thin.

"Oh come now! I'm not an axe murderer you know."

"No I don't know and I…"

Shea broke off in mid-sentence as a young girl came flying out of the airport. Two bags were slung over her shoulders and she reminded Shea something of a colt just starting to come into it's body. She launched herself at Ned and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"Ned!"

"Emily!"

"How was the shoot? "

"Great but I'm ready to go home. "

"Really? Good Lord, why?"

Emily broke out into the fresh laughter of a teenage girl just starting to discover the joys of life when she noticed Shea.

"Hello."

Shea was still glaring at Ned and wondering how any one person could have more nerve.

"I'm Emily Quartermaine. And you are…?"

Manners got the better of her and Shea smiled at Emily, taking her hand.

"Shea Rannoch."

"Nice to meet you Shea. Have you known Ned long?"

"Too long." She openly fumed and made no attempt to hide it.

Emily grinned.

"What's he done now?"

"Well, I…" Ned felt a need to stick up for himself.

"What hasn't he done?" Shea interrupted him and Ned laughed.

"This lovely lady is a friend of Jax's, and she won't let me book her a suite at the hotel."

"You KNOW Jax?" Emily's face brightened up.

"He is just the best! Want to see what he got me for my birthday?"

"Sure. " Shea found her animosity melting because it was obvious that these people really were close to Jax.

"Uh, Em, why don't you show Shea on the way to the hotel?"

"Oh! Okay." Emily slid into the limo and Shea, after shooting a death glare at Ned, climbed in after her.

*********************

Shea looked around the suite and stretched her arms out. She turned on the water in the gigantic tub and dropped in some lavender bath beads. There were candles lining the edge of the tub so she lit them and took a deep breath. Then as the tub filled she walked down the step and looked out at Port Charles. It was late and the city was just starting to quiet down.

Smelling the lavender beginning to permeate the air, she stepped out of her skirt and headed back to the tub, pulling her top off as she went. She eased into the luxurious water and nearly wept with relief. Her muscles were still sore from her close call in the water before Jax had saved her.

Reaching over she picked up the sponge and snorted.

"God in heaven! What is this thing?" Instead of a regulation loofah sponge there was a purple foam-like creature. This one was in the shape of an octopus. She giggled softly and began to use it anyway.

"A sponge is a sponge is a sponge…"

Shaking her head she began to lather it up and plot out her next move.

***************************

Jax stepped into the lobby of the hotel with some trepidation. It seemed to him that these last few weeks had been comprised of nothing but battles. His life lately revolved around the struggle du jour. First Jerry, then his parents, Ned, Lois, and now worst of all himself. It was hard enough dealing with them when all his faculties were intact, but his constant confusion of late made him nearly defenseless against their incessant tirades. Part of the problem was he didn't know what to believe himself, let alone try to convince anyone else of anything. Well it was all going to change. He was intent on kicking Lois out and anyone else she might have waiting for him. He needed to be alone to think and sort things out, and by God that's what he was going to get. Come hell or high water, everyone had to go.

Getting into the elevator, Jax tried to formulate a plan for kicking Lois out without wounding her ego or pride. He had to release her gently from her self-imposed responsibility. Just how do you release a Brooklynite gently from anything?? He slumped his shoulders in abject loathing of the impending war. It was going to be another Omaha Beach right there in his penthouse, explosions and all, courtesy of the anomaly they call Cerrullo.

He reached his door and quietly unlocked it. With his hand on the knob, he took a deep breath, opened the door, took one look inside, and immediately felt his blood pressure hit the ceiling.

"Oh my God, what's this? The Mod Squad?"

Lois was nowhere in sight, but on his couch were Jane, Jerry, and John looking like the Three Stooges.

"Jax! I'm so glad you returned!" Jane jumped up to greet her son who was still bristling at the welcoming committee before him. She hugged him, but Jax was uptight as a cat sizing up two Dobermans. He smiled a stiff greeting to her, never taking his eyes off the two men still sitting on the sofa.

"Son, how are you feeling? Are you doing better?" She squeezed his hands and searched his face for signs of improvement in his health.

"Depends on what Cain and Abel have up their sleeves over there." Jax's answer was tight-lipped and anything but benevolent.

"Jax, when are you going to understand that we only want to help you?" John sighed with exasperation. Lady Jane had laid down the law, but he wasn't going to start taking verbal abuse from Jax now.

"When are you going to support me like normal family instead of trying to run the whole show?" Outwardly, Jax was still cool and calm, but his stomach was beginning to boil. Would this crap ever end? All he really wanted was peace and quiet.

"Son, we've no intention of running your life. If you could have seen yourself though! You were off the proverbial deep end! We just wanted you to rest and heal, but you were fighting us the whole way. Maybe the methods were wrong, but it was all we could think of at the time." John tried to explain to his son the way he'd justified it all in his own mind, but could see Jax wasn't interested. Jerry remained curiously silent, and Jax noticed he appeared somewhat preoccupied.

"Look, I don't want to hear the same shit rehashed. You always mean well. You never intend to hurt anyone. The problem is you still always manage to anyway. You step in with your manipulations and coersions, and when those don't work, you use force and whatever other means you deem necessary. Well, I'm tired of it!" He crossed the room to put his bags down, then rubbed at the fatigued muscles in his neck and shoulders. Everything ws aching again, and Jax inwardly cursed his body's weakened immunity.

"Jax, dear, you still don't look well…" Jane's brows furrowed together in concern.

"Well you'll just have to forgive me for that. My fiancee just died." The words were out of his mouth before he thought to soften them. He winced at the hurt look on his mother's face, and tried to apologize.

"Mum, I'm sorry. It was a long flight. That's all. I'm tired, I need a shower, and I need some sleep."

"Where did you go?"

"Malibu. I needed to be alone and it just wasn't happening here. I do plan on remedying that though by asking you all to leave. I have things I need to do."

John's eyes suspiciously narrowed at his son's unspoken words.

"You're going back to work?"

Jax tensed slightly. Oh boy. Here we go again…

"No."

For the first time since Jax had arrived, Jerry snapped to attention. He eyed Jax warily, sensing an oncoming skirmish.

"You aren't going to sit around here moping are you?"

"No, Dad. I'm going to investigate Brenda's death further…" Jax trailed off and waited for the bombardment.

"What? Why? What good would it possibly do now?" John was wide-eyed with shock and annoyance, while Jerry's expression revealed that he'd expected as much.

"What's wrong Pop? Got something to hide again?" Jax's tone was lethal, and his temper was fast reaching the breaking point again. His stomach rolled in protest, and his body was aching more and more by the minute. He wiped angrily at the sweat collecting on his brow. Damn it! Why now when I was starting to feel better? Get out! All of you just get OUT!

Jerry watched his little brother in morbid fascination. It appeared as though Jax's health was suddenly linked to his stress threshold. Every time the threshold was crossed or exceeded, his health deteriorated at alarming speeds. He listened as Jax and his father continued their increasingly volatile argument. At one point he realized John was onto the same idea and was intentionally goading Jax to test the theory.

"Jasper, why do you keep doing this to yourself? How do you ever expect to regain your full sanity when you do nothing to allow it to heal?"

"Heal? What's to heal? May I remind you that you are in my home now? I'll not have you calling me a nutcase in my own home! I want you to leave! All of you leave right now!" Jax turned his back to John and clasped his hands tightly to his face, kneading his temples slowly to stop the pounding.

"Why can't you accept that gone is gone?"

"Dad, leave."

"Death is final! There's no changing it or going back!"

"I said go."

"It's not as though she'll turn up on some tv show saying 'Just kidding! Here I am!'"

"Get out!"

"No, I'm going to talk some sense into you. Brenda was wonderful, but let's face it, she wasn't made of the stuff needed to make it out…"

"SHUT UP!"

In years to come, Jerry would look back on the next few seconds like a train wreck. He'd seen it coming plainly, but it had all happened so fast that he'd become shell-shocked. He could only describe what occurred as an explosion of movement. Jax had spun on his heel and punched John soundly in the face, knocking him to the ground. It had been so atypical of Jax that none of them moved at first, including Jax. They all stood in stunned silence except for John who was on the floor. He was rubbing his cheek with a satisfied expression of I knew it! spread over his face. After that, Jax had spun just as quickly and fled the penthouse.