Fairy Tale 87 to 97

Fairy Tale 87-97

by: Belle

"What?!" Jax jumped back in shock. He had never imagined that Brenda would ever consider cofessing having any feelings for him.

"I said -" Brenda pulled him back to her, and smiled sexily at him, while running her hands slowly up his chest. "that I surr-"

"Jax - you've got to help me. Your sister is absolutely impossible. She kept me up all night snoring. She's louder than a freight-train."

"Yeah - well you woke me up this morning banging around in the bathroom at 5 a.m."

"Maybe if I hadn't been awake all night I would have slept a little later."

Kieron and Juliet thundered into the kitchen, screaming and yelling.

"Jax - is Brenda awake? I don't think she was -" Juliet stopped speaking when she saw Jax and Brenda standing embarrassed and red-faced in the doorway. "in her room. I'm sorry did we interrupt something?" Juliet looked at Kieron nervously. "Maybe we should go."

"Oh no! Jax and I were just talking - yeah we were just talking." Brenda stuttered. She could feel her heart pounding a mile a minute, and she glanced over at Jax, noting that he also looked extremely flustered. What had come over her? Just a second ago, she had wanted more than anything in the world for Jax to make love to her. This wasn't what she'd planned on happening. She glanced at Jax again, praying that somehow he'd misinterpreted what she'd asked him to do, and that things wouldn't change between them. He caught her eye, and gave her a small smile, immediately making her feel more comfortable, though she wasn't sure why.

"Brenda was just telling me how she's going to take us all on a hike today." Jax reluctantly moved away from Brenda and smiled at Kieron and Juliet. "Although - i'm not sure we really want to risk our lives twice today - eating Brenda's cooking may be dangerous enough in itself."

"Ha ha ha....you're *so* funny Jax." Brenda rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm. Their eyes met and Brenda's heart did tiny flip-flops.

"I know - it's a gift. But it's also what you like best about me." Jax caught her hand from slapping him again. "Well you're right - but then that's what you like best about me." He held her gaze and grinned.

"You're right - it is." Brenda untwined their fingers and forced herself to look away from him. This was getting dangerous. She could feel something happening between them. Actually, she could feel something happening to her heart. Everything was moving so quickly, she wasn't sure how to stop it. Worst of all - she didn't know if it was something she ever wanted to end.

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

"How can camping be so complicated?" Brenda mused to herself, flipping through the thick yellow-paperback entitled THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO BEING A GIRL SCOUT that she had picked up at the book store. She'd already been reading for two and a half hours, and she still had 3/4 of the book left. "Oh god -" she moaned. "I'm never going to know everything about camping and hiking by 5 p.m. when she, Jax, Kieron and Juliet were supposed to leave.

"Hey Bren - what are you reading?" Juliet asked, laying down on the louge chair next to Brenda and puting on her sunglasses. It was noon, and Juliet and Brenda were relaxing by the pool getting some sun while Jax and Kieron were golfing.

Brenda held up her guidebook for Juliet to see.

"Are you kidding me?" Juliet cried. "You really think you're going to become a camping wizard in the next five hours? Brenda - why don't you just admit to Jax that you don't know anything about camping? He won't care. I k now him."

Brenda sat up, and took a sip of her iced coffee. "He may not care - but I'll have lost."

"Ha ha ha....you're *so* funny Jax." Brenda rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm. Their eyes met and Brenda's heart did tiny flip-flops.

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

Brenda held up her guidebook for Juliet to see.

Brenda sat up, and took a sip of her iced coffee. "He may not care - but I'll have lost."

"I'm telling you Jax - she's making me absolutely insane." Kieron declared, hitting the golf ball into the dirt. "Dammit - look at me! I can't play golf, I'm too tired to do business.....my life is falling apart, and it's all your sister's fault."

"Maybe you should stop thinking about her." Jax suggested quietly, watching his perfect shot land the ball directly on the green.

"Well - maybe you should stop thinking about Brenda." Kieron retailliated, stalking over to the golf cart, and throwing his club into the back.

Jax got in next to him and shook his head. " Actually, I don't remember my mentioning Brenda at all."

Kieron just looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "So - are you telling me you haven't been thinking about her? Because I saw you guys in the kitchen this morning....."

"Yeah - and we were talking." Jax slammed on the breaks, and stopped right next to Kieron's ball.

"Right....you were *talking*." Kieron got out of the cart, and strolled over to his ball, chuckling.

"Considering *talking* is all that Brenda ever does - I don't find it surprising in the least that that was what we were doing." Jax said defensively.

Kieron shot a perfect ball and grinned at Jax. "FIne - you just go ahead, and try to convince yourself that Brenda's just your pal. All you're doing is wasting valuable time."

"Okay - well, you can continue convincing youself that you hate my sister also." Jax hated the way he was acting. Why was he arguing with Kieron about this inane topic? "Wait - what do you mean I'm wasting valuable time?"

Kieron glared at him, and chose to ignore Jax's comment about Juliet. He knew that all he was doing was trying to stear the conversation away from him and Brenda and he wasn't about to let him do that right now."TIme that you and Brenda have alone together. HERE. In just a few days, she'll be back in Port Charles with the mad-mobster Sonny. You should be working as hard as you can to win her over." Kieron advized.

Jax rolled his eyes. "And why would I want to do that?"

"Because you've fallen in love with her - you dimwit." Kieron shouted, slapping him on the back of the head, and getting out of the cart to hit another ball. Jax just sat there staring after him, thinking about how hard he had fought to keep himself from falling in love, and how it seemed that he'd actually lost his very first battle.

"Kieron? Kieron - just stay where you are. I'm going to get you out of there." Juliet leaned over the ditch in the pile of leaves and dirt and squinted her eyes trying to make out Kieron's face or body.

"Just stay where I am! Unfortunately leaving isn't really an option right now." Kieron yelled. His deep voice echoing around him. He couldn't believe his bad luck. After Jax and Brenda had headed back to the house, he and Juliet had gotten lost and then he'd fallen into a deep hole covered by brush. He must have been at least 10 feet underground, and his ankle was throbbing with pain from the fall. "Juliet!" he screamed. No one answered. Where was she? He couldn't believe that she'd deserted him at a time like this. All of a sudden, a gigantic branch dropped into the hole nearly rendering him unconcious. "OWWW!"

"Sorry!" he heard a muffled apology from above.

"Julie? Is that you?"

"No - it's Little Red Riding Hood - of course it's me." Juliet's beautiful face appeared at the top of the hole. Her cheeks were flushed, and her green eyes were dancing with nervous excitement. Grab hold of the branch. I'm going to pull you out."

"You're going to pull me out? Juliet - do you have any idea how much heavier I am than you?" Kieron tried not to sound as aggravated as he felt. Regardless of the fact that Juliet made him insane, he knew that she was trying her hardest to save him.

"Don't worry about that. I'm laying flat on my stomach, so I'll be able to hold on to you. Now be a good boy, and grab hold of the branch and let me pull you out so that we can both go home and have dinner. I'm starving."

"Okay - I'll give it a try." Kieron shook his head, and grabbed onto the stick, trying to walk up the ditch on his good ankle.

"I hope you realize that you're going to owe me big time Kier." Juliet said laughing, and reaching down to grab ahold of his hand so that she could pull him onto firm ground.

"Well - what are you going to want?" Kieron asked, placing his forearms on the ground, and trying to pull himself up. "I think you should tell me before I get out. If it's something truly horrible I may elect to jump back in."

"Oh - you're so funny. If I was you I wouldn't be so smart considering I have *all* the power right now." Juliet referred to the fact that she was holding onto him while he was dangling over a dark pit. "So the question is - what do you want to give me?"

"I don't know." Kieron shrugged, getting out, and kneeling on the ground to massage his injured ankle. "Maybe one of those little bandaids people wear across their noses to keep from snoring." he teased.

Juliet just *looked* at him and crouched down to kneel beside him. "Unfortunately, I've already tried those and they haven't worked. But thank you for the consideration. Oh Kier - you have mud and dirt all over your face and in your hair."

Kieron tried unsucessfully to wipe the dirt off his face. But he was having a difficult time since he also had dirt all over his hands.

"Here." Juliet took the corner of her shirt, and began brushing his face softly. "I'll do it." Moving his hair away from his forehead, she gasped when she saw a bloody cut and developing bruise. She touched it gently, and tipped his chin up with her forefinger so that she could see how serious the cut was. Suddenly she found herself staring into his eyes. Magnetic currents raced through her body, and her heart began pounding a mile a minute. "Does this hurt?" she murmered, letting her hand fall and run down his cheek.

For a moment Kieron couldn't speak. He just sat there, mesmerized by the incredible glow of Juliet's emereld green eyes. It was almost as if she had him in a trance. All he could see, or think, or want was her. He suddenly became aware of her hand gently caressing his cheek, and a dull pain coming from his forehead. "Uhh....not really." he groaned, diverting his eyes from hers.

"Want me to kiss it and make it better?" Juliet kidded.

Before Kieron could protest, Juliet leaned over and gently kissed his forehead, ruffling his hair with her fingers. "Okay - now we've got to find out how we're going to get you out of here." She jumped to her feet, and began searching the ground for a large walking stick. Her hair was wind-blown and messy. She also had dirt smeared on her face and clothing, yet Kieron had never seen her look more beautiful. It was asthough he was seeing her for the first time. Try as he might, he couldn't keep himself from watching her.

Juliet turned and noticed him staring at her. "What?!" she creid, placing her hands on her hips and arching one slender eyebrow.

"Nothing." Kieron answered quickly. "You know - it's getting really dark outside. We should be heading back to the house."

"Yeah - I realize that Kieron. I was looking for a branch or stick that you could use for a crutch, but I can't find anything large enough, so it looks like you're going to have to use me."

"Use you?" Kieron repeated cautiously.

Juliet helped him to his feet and wrapped one of his arms around her neck, while wrapping her arm around her waist so that he was leaning on her. "Come on - let's go." she held him up and they began to slowly walk. "one thing - which way do we go?"

Kieron just stared helplessly at her.

"No..." Juliet moaned.

"I don't usually hike here in the dark." He said, trying to find an excuse.

"We're lost!" Juliet cried. "and you're injured."

"And -" Kieron added laughing. "We're *together*"

"Fabulous." Juliet glared at him. "I've just entered my own personal version of hell."

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

"I never imagined taking a shower could feel so good." Brenda sighed, collapsing on the wicker chair on the deck. She and Jax had returned from their hike on hour earlier, and she had just gotten out of the shower. It was seven p.m. and Jax was busy grilling dinner.

"Obviously you've never showered with me." Jax teased winking at her.

Brenda could feel herself blushing and tingling inside. Why was it that all this man had to do was *mention* touching her and her hormones began dancing around inside of her? "Well....I....uhhh..." Brenda searched for a response. Jax smiled at her confusion. "So - do you think Julie and Kieron will be back in time for dinner?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"If they don't kill eachother first - yes." Jax rolled his eyes. He pointed for Brenda to get the shrimp and vegetable kabobs out of the refrigerator where they were marinating. "I can't believe that they stayed out hiking together. Obviously they both crave torture."

"Oh - they love each other." Brenda carried the platter over to the barbecue, and perched herself on the railing. "This morning when Kieron was going on and on about Juliet's snoring, I wanted to say that if she's so horrible, he should move her to another room, but I was afraid they would both cut my head off. It's ridiculous."

"I know - I'm beginning to agree with your theory that they both have feelings for each other. The thing is that no matter how much they like one another they're both too stubborn to ever admit it."

"That's what's so frustrating about it!" Brenda declared. "People shouldn't fight their feelings because they're too scared or embarrassed. They should just....just - I'm not sure what the word I'm looking for is."

"Surrender?" Jax glanced at her, smiling slightly.

"Yes! They should just surrender to their feelings." Brenda grinned happily, and then blushed realizing what she had just said. "uhhh.... Jax - about before...."

Jax pretended to be confused. "What about before?"

"You know - what happened in the kitchen?" Brenda moved off the porch rail and paced around nervously.

"Brenda how could I forget - your eggs almost killed me?" But don't worry - I'll make breakfast tomorrow morningg."

Suddenly Brenda felt angry. She couldn't believe that Jax had forgotten her practically begging him to make love to her. Was she completely losing all her sex appeal? Had she been imagining the sparks and electricity flying between the two of them? "Jax. I wasn't talking about the eggs." she said sharply, glaring at him.

"Really? Well sweetie - don't worry, your coffee wasn't *that* bad." Jax patted her lightly on the shoulder, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

Brenda's mouth dropped open in shock. "I *wasn't* talking about my coffee either. honestly Jax - is breakfast the only thing you remember about this morning? Because if it is - there's obviously something really wrong with me. Let's see - does whipped creme make you think of anything? And don't you dare say my dreadful hot chocolate because I swear to god I'll strangle you."

"Well Bren - if you strangle me than who are you going to surrender to?" Jax flashed her a lopsided grin and laughed.

"You're known all along what I was talking about, and you made me suffer!" Brenda cried, pretending to be angry, but feeling relieved that he hadn't forgotten.

"Sweetie - nothing could make me forget the way you feel in my arms. I was just teasing you." he started laughing again. "I had to stop though because for a second you looked asthough you really could kill me."

"I was feeling a little frustrated." Brenda admitted. She looked up at JAx and smiled meekly. "What's happening between us? Do *you* feel anything happening?" Her dark eyes gazed into his, searching for an answer.

Jax took Brenda by the hand and led her over to the wicker table and chairs. "I don't know what's happening." he admitted. "But I think we were lucky that Juliet and Kieron interrupted us."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Jax touched her face softly. "Bren - if there comes a time when I do make love to you, it is going to be a beautiful, magical and perfect thing. Just like you are." Tapping her on the nose, he walked back over to the grill and continued barbecuing.

As Brenda stood there, watching him cook, she suddenly became overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. For a moment, she felt asthough an aerobic class was going on inside of her. And then she was calm. The jumble of feelings disappeared as quickly as they came, but the emotions changed her. For in that single moment, Brenda realized that she really did want Jax to make love to her. She wanted to hold him close and share all her dreams and hopes and fears with him. She wanted him to let her into his life and never let her go.

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

"Hmmm.....since I have hotels on both Boardwalk *and* Park Place that will be $1500 dollars. IN CASH." Brenda announced triumphantly, rubbing her hands together, and then stretching out a flat palm. "Time to pay up Jasper."

"Aren't we a little greedy?" Jax counted out the money and slammed it down in front of her.

"No *we're* not." Brenda grinned. "What can I say? Some of us know how to play games -" she held up her stack of money and nodded in comparison to Jax's lone $5 dollar bill. "And some of us don't. Now I think you have something to say to me." She looked at him expectantly.

"You were never a girl scout?" Jax teased.

Brenda arched a slender eyebrow. "I don't think so pal. Well - okay, that's true, but it wasn't what I was looking for."

"Okay...Okay. I lose - you win. I bow to your game playing skills." He began gathering the game pieces and tossing them into the box. "There - are you happy?"

"Hey - what are you doing?!" Brenda cried. "I wanted to play again."

Jax laughed, and closed the box quickly before her small hands could start seting the board up again. "Later." he said, getting up off the gound and pulling her up next to him. "But now I'm going to make you a surprise."

"What is it?" Brenda asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"If I told you - it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Soooo....that's okay."

Jax laughed. "You're impossible."

"I know." Brenda smiled and struck a silly pose. "But I'm adorable so you love me anyway."

"That you are." Jax rolled his eyes. "Okay - you can help me. Let's go into the kitchen."

Brenda followed Jax into the kitchen where he preceded to take out a variety of ingredients from the cabinets. "Uh - oh." Brenda scrunched up her nose. "We're cooking aren't we?"

"Actually I'm preparing an exotic Australian love-making ritual." Jax teased.

Brenda's mouth dropped open.

"I'm kidding Bren." He laughed at the shocked expression on her face. "Come on - I can't be that horrible."

"I knew you were kidding." Brenda lied, taking the apron he handed her, and tying her hair back in a pony tail.

"Right. Now - your job is going to be stirring the batter. I'm sure even your cooking skills can handle that."

"You'd be surprised." Brenda warned. "What are we making anyway?"

"My Grandmum's Bavarian Chocolate Cake. It's a secret family recipe, and my absolute favorite."

Brenda giggled as she watched him measure flour and crack eggs into the bowl. "I can't believe you know how to cook she said wondrously. "Sonny was a great cook also. It seems that I always find men who are 10,000 times better in the kitchen than me. Oh well - I guess this is the 90s."

Jax frowned at the mention of Sonny. Brenda hadn't mentioned the mad mobster in a few days, and a part of him had begun to hope that she'd forgotten him. Why he'd ever been that stupid he wasn't sure.

Brenda noticed his silence, and decided to change the subject as quickly as possible. "So...." she began, stirring the chocolately mixture. "Is this recipe from your Mom or Dad's family?"

"My Mum's" Jax answered shortly.

"okay.....are you close to your grandmother?"

Jax smiled, and helped her spoon the batter into a bundt pan. "Yeah....when I was little my parents used to ship me off to her house for one month every summer." He gave her a lopsided grin, obviously forgetting his anger concerning Sonny for the time being. "I was such a little hellion that my Mum needed a break." He set the timer on the oven and sat down on the couch in the den. "My grandmum lived on a big farm in the center of Australia and she'd let me run wild. She taught me all about hiking, camping, cooking...and..." he blushed. "girls."

"An art you obviously mastered." Brenda sat down next to him, and spread her legs across his lap. She smiled picturing Jax as a little boy. "Tell me more."

"About what?" Jax asked curiously.

"I don't know. Your childhood. What you were like. The kind of games you used to play. I want to know everything." Brenda rested her head against the couch and looked at him expectantly.

"Oh do you?" Jax teased although he was really pleased that she wanted to know about his life. "Let's see - I've always been really close to my family, and I was always something of a Mama's boy." he smiled bashfully. "Jerry and Justin say I still am. I've always been something of an adventurer, and I've always *loved* games. The town I grea up in was right on the ocean, and it was kind of poor. That's probably why I loved going to Grandmum's so much." His eyes grew distant, and Brenda knew that he was thinking about his childhood. He grinned. "Sometimes I can close my eyes and be back there. Running through the open fields and inventing games. Once Jerry dared me to tie a ribbon around the neck of a Kangaroo baby."

"You didn't!" Brenda groaned, thinking back to how big the mother Kangaroos in the zoos always seemed to her.

"I did." Jax admitted, getting a wicked gleam in his sky blue eyes. He shrugged. "It was a dare - I had to." He leaned forward, and began to speak excitedly. "Behind Grandmum's barn therewas a den where a kangaroo had just given birth. So, one evening, I snuck out of my room and crept down to the barn carrying nothing but a blue ribbon and a camera. Luckily for me, my Grandmum was sitting in the kitchen knitting, but I didn't see her. Anyway, when I got back to the barn, I tiptoed up to the sleeping Kangaroo and tried to slip the ribbon in between the mother and the baby. I quickly tied the bow into a square knot so that Jerry and Justin could see it the next day, and I would have gotten away, but I tripped on a tree root and woke the mother up. Well - the mother thought I was trying to steal her baby and she began lunging towards me. My heart began racing a mile a minute, and I thought I was surely going to die, when suddenly my Grandmum stunned the kangaroo with a stun gun, grabbed me, and dragged me back to the house." Jax laughed. "I was safe - but I've never done so much cleaning in my life."

"Cleaning?"

"Yeah. In my family, children were never hit or locked in closets. We were forced to do unending chores while we watched all the other kids playing. Why do you think I know how to cook so well? I was in trouble *a lot*."

Brenda grinned. "I bet you were adorable."

"Well....."Jax shrugged. "You know...."

"Yeah - I do." Brenda smiled, and shifted so that she was resting her head on Jax's shoulder. She sighed. "I wish I'd know you." she caressed his face with her hand. "It's funny," she said, lifting her head up and looking at him intently, "I feel like I did know you when you were little. I can picture exactly what you looked like."

Jax smiled and kissed the palm of her hand. "It was a horrible sight."

"I doubt it." Brenda layed her head back on his shoulder. "It sounds like you had a wonderful childhood." she sighed.

"I did." Jax looked thoughtul. He gently stroked her hair and cheek. "You father was a horrible man sweetie."

Brenda looked up at him surprised that he knew she'd been thinking about her Dad. "He thought I was the horrible one."

Jax looked deeply into her eyes. "Well he was wrong. Don't you ever forget that."

Brenda's eyes glistened with tears. She smiled, and snuggled closer to Jax, feeling completely at peace and insanely happy.

Jax started to laugh causing Brenda to gaze up at him curiously. "What?" she asked.

"Do you know that my Grandmum taught me to dance?"

"Really?" Brenda giggled. "how old were you?"

"Ten and a half. She said that all proper gentlemen should know how to dance, so she took me into the kitchen one night, turned on the radio, and taught me how." Jax got off the couch, and flipped on the stereo. "come on." He reached out for her, and swept her into his arms.

"Jax!" Brenda protested. "I'm wearing pajama!" Brenda pointed to her baby blue boxer shorts and white cotton tank top.

"So!" Jax laughed. " I think you look beautiful."

"Did you Grandmum teach you charm also?" she teased, swaying against him.

"No." Jax gave her a dimpled grin. "That was a gift."

"Where do you come from Jasper Jacks?" Brenda sighed.

JAx tipped her chin up with his forefinger and laugher. "Mum says I come fron heaven." Brenda giggled and arched one eyebrow. He stopped her argument with a swift but passionate kiss on the mouth. "Will you just shut that delectable mouth of yours for one second and let me dance with you?"

They swayed to the song NEAR YOU ALWAYS by Jewel.

Please don't say I love you

Those words touch me much too deeply

And they make my core tremble

Don't think you realize the effect you have over me.

And please don't look at me like that....

It makes me

Want to make you near me

Always...

And please don't kiss me so sweet.

It makes me crave a thousand kisses to follow

And please don't touch me like that

It makes every other embrace seem pale and shallow

And please don't come so close

It makes me

Want to make you near me

Always.....

And please don't bring me flowers -

They only whisper

The sweet things you'd say

And don't try to understand me

Your hands -

Already know-

Too much anyway

It makes me

Want to make you near me

Always....

And when you look in my eyes

Please know my heart

Is in your hands

It's nothing that I understand -

but in your arms you have complete power over me

So be gentle if you please

Cause my hands are in your hair

But my heart is in your heart baby -

and it -

makes me want to make you near me....

Always.....

Want to be near you always....

want to be near you -

Always....

As the song and dance ended, Jax looked down at Brenda's peaceful face which was lying against his chest with her eyes closed. "How did she manage to steal my heart?" he wondered to himself. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was never going to get it back.......

To be continued....

Goto Fairy Tale 98 to 118

Sorry this has been taking so long. Something *big* is going to happen next installment with J&B! I'm still having computer troubles. :-)

-Belle

J&B Reuniters - Sonny never, Jax forever

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