Heaven's Here on Earth

by Denise

'Part 7: All a Wonder and a Wild Desire......

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O lyric Love, half-angel and half-bird

And all a wonder and a wild desire

Robert Browning

The Ring and the Book

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~*~

Brenda shifted nervously in the overstuffed chair and sent another glance darting about the room. Professor Lancaster Corey's office was in the oldest building on the PC campus---the mansion belonging to the Mainwarings, a branch of the founding family of Port Charles. The office was the original study of the old house, complete with a granite fireplace, three walls of floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and old-fashioned floor-length windows that opened to the wraparound porch outside.

Brenda sighed and glanced again at her watch. She had been ten minutes early for this meeting, but now Professor Corey was ten minutes late. She hoped her anxiety didn't show, but she was was determined to win this position as his research assistant. Who wouldn't be? Lancaster Corey was a brilliant writer and researcher, a Pulitzer Prize winner whose masterful biography of Nicholas and Alexandria had been on the bestseller lists for over two years and had won praise from critics and the general public alike. He had accepted tenure here at Port Charles University in order to have relative peace and quiet as he worked on his next project---a book about Russian nobility, displaced by the Revolution.

Brenda knew that he was hoping to gain access to the Cassadines for that very reason, and she wondered if she should play up her connection to them in the interview. Would it be taking unfair advantage? She remembered Jax's words of advice, "Use it as your trump card if you have to, Brenda, but let him make the first move. I'm betting you won't HAVE to use it---you'll impress him just by being yourself." Brenda smiled. Dear, sweet Jax. No matter what happened, he was always her biggest supporter. Still, should she use her Cassadine connection or not? The internal debate was still raging when the door opened, and Professor Corey strode in.

"Miss Barrett." The professor settled into the leather chair behind his desk, never once looking up from the file he was reading. "I've read your articles in Vanity Fair. Fine stuff, fine stuff indeed."

"Thank you, sir," Brenda responded, taking him in. He was a striking man--- early sixties, she guessed---nearly as tall as Jax, with an olive complexion and dark eyes, his hair and goatee pure white. He reminded her of the Russian seacaptain in The Hunt for Red Oktober---as played by Sean Connery.

"So, Miss Barrett---" The professor's voice trailed off as he glanced up, meeting her eyes for the first time. There was a long moment of silence, as they stared at each other. Brenda felt---she wasn't sure what she felt. Some connection? Had she met this man before? No, of course not, she would've remembered.

She was even more confused by the expression she glimpsed for a fleeting second in Professor Corey's eyes. Recognition, yes, but that didn't surprise her; Brenda was used to being recognized. What she saw for that split second in his dark eyes was.....acknowledgment, mixed inexplicably with something she could only term as regret. And then the moment was gone, and the professor was saying, "So you want to be my research assistant? And what qualifications do  you have?"

Brenda's heart sank. Compared to the other applicants, her credentials were lacking. Yes, she'd been published in a major magazine, but her research skills were unproven. She was SURE she could do the job, but how to convince Professor Corey of that? She almost blurted out that she was Stefan Cassadine's SISTER, and that she could certainly gain access to the Cassadine papers for him, but something stopped her. She set her jaw, remembering Jax's words. All her life she'd taken the easy way out, relied on circumstances, or connections, or someone else to save her. Not this time. Jax thought she could get this job on her own merits---well, she agreed with him.

"Professor, there are applicants more qualified if you look at academic credentials. But I've got other credentials."

"Such as?"

Brenda swallowed hard. "Such as living through hell and surviving. I've had to re-invent myself....just the way these Russian expatriates you're writing about have had to. They lost everything: their country, their home, their wealth, their loved ones. They had to leave the past behind and start over---they had to re- invent themselves, too. Maybe someone else could help you catalog their notes and papers and family documents better, but no one could help you write their STORIES better than I could. I understand where they're coming from and what they've been through. Because I've been there myself."

Professor Corey drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"My dear Miss Barrett," he said, extending his hand, "you are hired."

As she took his hand, Brenda felt a curious flow of energy between them. She  felt in that moment as if she'd known him all her life and that he understood her completely.

She smiled, feeling suddenly very warm and safe in this man's presence. I can hardly wait for him to meet Jax, she thought....

~*~

"But Jax........." Brenda wheedled.

"Brenda." Jax looked up from his computer and repeated patiently, "Sweetie, I've told you. I'm expecting a call from Kuala Lumpur tonight. It's really important, and I can't afford to miss it." He didn't tell her that he was hoping to hear from his wayward brother. Jerry often disappeared for days at a time, but three weeks was a long time, even for him, and Jax couldn't shake his growing anxiety. He glanced back at the computer, ostensibly to watch the stock prices flashing across the screen but mostly to hide his uneasiness from Brenda.

"Can't you just have the call forwarded or have Addy take a message, honey?" Brenda pleaded. "Look, I wouldn't ask, but this is really important to me." Her expression was one of wonder. "Of all the applicants, Professor Corey picked  ME to be his research assistant. And my connection to the Cassadines never even came up. It was like we were sympatico right from the start, you know? Maybe I'm imagining things....."

Jax's eyes softened as he gazed at her, his voice taking on that tender note reserved only for her. "Of course he picked you, Brenda. You were the best person for the job.....those articles you wrote for Vanity Fair were brilliant."

"You're prejudiced."

"Yes, I am."

They grinned happily at each other.

Jax swivelled around in his chair to face her head-on, face sobering. "But I still can't go with you to the Cassadines tonight."

"JAAAXXXX!!! I went with you to the QUARTERMAINES last night.....and it was like being in the middle of your duck shooting gallery. And we were the ducks!"

Jax laughed. "I know, sweetie." He leaned forward, his expression earnest. "It was above and beyond the call of duty, and I swear I'll make it up to you. But not tonight." He swore silently. Jerry had damn well better call. And when you do, big brother, Jax thought, I'm giving you a piece of my mind for making me miss an evening with Brenda. He suddenly wished with all his heart that Jerry were in front of him right now so he could bless him out in person---then wondered at his  own apprehension. Jerry was a big boy, he could take care of himself......

"Yes, tonight! Tonight is when I NEED you, Jax!"

"Brenda." Jax was getting a bit edgy now. He didn't want to worry Brenda, he didn't want to put a damper on her happy mood, but Jerry's prolonged absence was making him more uneasy than he cared to admit. He felt a sudden desire to call Alaska, just to see if Jerry had checked in with his parents.

"Jaxxx......"

"NO!" Jax snapped. He checked himself when he caught her expression, open- mouthed and a little hurt. God, he didn't want to hurt Brenda. It wasn't fair to take out his worries on her. She'd been through so much, and she was just coming out of that dark tunnel she'd wandered in for so long.......

Besides, knowing Jerry, he was probably having a grand old time in some Malaysia bar with a bevy of Oriental beauties. And if he knew Jax was worried sick about him, he'd be laughing his fool head off. Angrily, Jax sprang from the chair and went to the pinball machine. He flipped the ON switch, gave the lever an impatient jerk and began playing the silver ball.

"Jax, stop ignoring me."

He gave her a sidelong glance but continued flipping the levers. "I'm not ignoring you. You've asked me, I've answered you. I promise I'll make it up to you for tonight, I really will, but I can't go with you. I have a certain level of frustration building up here, Brenda, and I don't want to take it out on you---"

"So you're taking it out on the defenseless pinball machine?"

He nodded, eyes fixed on the flashing lights in front of him. "Yes, much better the machine....much better ANYTHING than you. I never want to unload on you, Brenda." He threw her a glance out of troubled blue-green eyes. "I'm just edgy over business tonight, sweetie. Just try to ignore ME, okay?"

"I can't, and you know it. I wish you'd tell me what was really bothering you."

"Brenda----"

"Jax! I know something else is going on. I---just tell me it's not......what we were discussing yesterday at breakfast. Please?" Her eyes were shimmering with incipient tears.

Jax cupped her jaw with a gentle hand, rubbing his thumb lightly over her chin.  "It's not that, sweetie. It will never be that again. I've just got a lot on my mind, okay? And I don't feel like sharing right now."

"I wish you did."

His hand moved to her cheek. "Look, I know I could tell you. I can tell you anything. But I don't want to spoil things for you today. You're happy about your new job, you're excited about working with Lancaster Corey--you've got BIG dinner plans with the relatives tonight"---he grinned at her---"Even though one of them IS a dead ringer for Count Vlad---"

"Jax!" Brenda pouted, but her eyes were smiling.

"Hey, what can I say? My brother-in-law, the Vampire Killer, is beginning to rub off on me. Anyway, I could just be worrying over nothing. In this case, that's a good possibility."

"Well, alright....but wouldn't it help if I were worrying about nothing right along with you? You know....keeping you company?"

"No," he said firmly. "It wouldn't help me, sweetie. On the contrary."

Brenda sighed. She still had her work cut out for her. Jax was chivalrous to a fault, wanting to protect her, determined to bear all his burdens alone. Well, he was just going to have to get it through his thick Australian skull that this WAS a partnership, and she could manage her share of the load. But I won't shoot his white horse out from under him tonight, she thought, I've got to be more subtle than that....

"Okay, Jax honey. I won't push you---for now. But in the meantime, I need a date for dinner, and you need a distraction. So?"

"Ah! Don't you ever give up!?" Jax closed his eyes and shook his head, amazed at her tenacity. She took advantage of his temporary lapse to spring up on the pinball machine, swinging her legs around to sit cross-legged right smack in the middle of his game.

"Brenda!" The exclamation was half-angry, half-amused. Brenda just glared at him for a second then closed her eyes.

"I'm not moving until you say you'll go with me."

Jax shook his head, thinking at that moment she resembled nothing so much as a small, stubborn Buddha.

A beautiful Buddha, with a pouting lower lip, and long-lashed eyes, and the most perfect straight, little nose. Jax's eyes moved over her: her breasts under the crocheted top, her tiny waist, her slender hands resting lightly on her knees as she sat in the Lotus position. God, she was beautiful......so serene, so self- assured, even in the midst of her stubborn defiance.

He wanted her. Now.

He wanted to bury himself in her. He wanted to forget Jerry, and the Cassadines, and business. He wanted nothing but the feel of her and the taste and the smell of her. He wanted to shatter her serenity, make her feel all the things he was feeling and more.....

She sensed it. Her eyes flew open, just in time to see him shedding his shirt. She stared at him, wonderingly, as if she'd never seen him before. He was all muscle, and she knew if she were to touch him, the taut golden skin would feel like satin under her fingertips. His arms were braced, his hands gripping the edges of the pinball machine on either side of her, and the pose made his muscles stand out in bold relief. Brenda ran her eyes over him, over the wide shoulders and broad expanse of chest, taking everything in from the smooth curve of his biceps to his flat, washboard stomach. He was a god, the perfect embodiment of the perfect, virile male, all power, reminding her of Michelangelo's marble statues of Greek gods and heroes. But marble was cold and hard. Jax's hardness wasn't cold: it was warm and pulsating and alive, and it filled the space between them with a heat so intense, it singed her.

Just the sight of him was enough to arouse the desire of any woman, but as her gaze moved back up to his face, it was the one spot of vulnerability amidst all his strength that made her heart turn over. The hollow in the base of his throat, exposed, unprotected, completely defenseless despite all the power surrounding it. How many times had she kissed that very spot, just to feel his heart beating against her lips? She wanted to kiss him there now, she wanted to......

He was undressing her. With a shock, she felt his fingers unbuttoning her shirt.  She had been so intent on his body, she hadn't even noticed. She helped him, shrugging quickly out of the crocheted top as his fingers moved to the front of her bra and unfastened the clasp. Jax's eyes seared her breasts like a physical caress, and she trembled, aching for his touch, but he disappointed her, moving his hands down to her jeans instead.

Brenda sucked in a sharp breath as he slowly opened the zipper, squirming in frustration as again he refused to caress her. It was maddening---his strong fingers, capable of giving her so much pleasure were there, within reach, so close she could almost feel their heat through the denim, yet she was denied the contact she craved. She arched her back supplicatingly, the ghost touch inflaming her almost more than a real caress would have, but Jax was relentless.  He was tugging at her jeans, pulling them down, and obediently she braced herself on her hands, raising her hips to help him.

He removed her boots, yanked her pants off, and slid his hands in one long movement up the outside of her thighs to the waistband of her panties. Brenda looked at him helplessly---this time she couldn't raise her hips for him---her trembling arms wouldn't support her.

Jax raised his head to look into her face. His eyes were crystalline, glowing.  Cat's eyes, reflective, shining, inhumanly beautiful. She felt impaled on their glittering depths, unable to look away.

He continued to mesmerize her with his eyes as he touched her for the first time since he began......slowly, deliberately, his fingertips brushing the soft cotton, not caressing so much as testing. The fabric was damp. He continued to stroke her, his touch so light it was almost imperceptible, but it was enough, and Brenda blushed, embarassed at the sudden surge of wetness between her thighs.

"You're ready for me, Brenda." Jax's voice was flat, almost dispassionate. The words were not a plea or a caress or even a demand. They were a simple statement of fact.

"Yes, " she whispered through suddenly dry lips.

The flimsy fabric was no match for his strong hands, shredding under his fingers as he gave a sharp tug. The hard glass surface of the pinball machine was cold beneath her, and she shivered, feeling suddenly vulnerable in her nakedness.

His hands moved to his jeans then, and her eyes followed them, fascinated by the sight of his long, strong fingers flicking open the buttons. Such incredible hands---the slightest touch could and did drive her wild. Yet this time, he had not caressed her at all; the only contact had been that whisper of a touch when he had unzipped her jeans and the light stroking before he'd torn her underwear away---and yet those almost-touches had nearly undone her. And just now............just watching his hands so quick and deft and sure made the blood pound through her body.

He was finished. His hands came up to grasp the sides of the pinball machine again, and he looked at her, the unspoken question hanging heavy in the air between them. She nodded almost imperceptibly.

He gave her no chance to change her mind. With one swift, shocking motion, he impaled her, and the force of the connection threw Brenda flat on her back. Her fingers dug into the smooth glass beneath her, trying desperately to find something to hold onto as the shockwaves of pleasure began emanating from that one place where Jax was touching her. Brenda closed her eyes, gasping for breath as her heart hammered in her chest, and Jax played her out as wildly and recklessly and ruthlessly as he had played the pinball machine.

~*~

"Jax?"

"Hmm?"

Jax and Brenda were tangled together on the floor, Jax's back propped against one leg of the pinball machine, Brenda lying half atop him. He was amazed that he'd managed to keep them from crashing painfully to the floor when his knees gave out, but he wasn't exactly sure how he'd done it. His heartbeat was just beginning to slow, and he was still acutely aware of her naked body pressed to his, her breasts rubbing against his chest with every breath.

Brenda propped herself up, her elbows on his chest. "This means you're going to the Cassadines for dinner tonight, right?"

"Brenda!" Jax gave her an indignant look.

She smiled knowingly and settled comfortably against him, her head resting in the hollow of his shoulder. "Uh-huh. You're going with me......"

Jax heaved an exasperated sigh. "Brenda, I---" He glanced down at her. "Brenda?" he inquired more softly, then shook his head in bemusement. True to form, she'd fallen fast asleep. And would BE asleep for at least the next twenty minutes.

God! He couldn't go over to the Cassadines for ANY social occasion. He had forged a relationship with his sister Laura and Lulu, and even Lucky was starting to come around. But Luke, Luke with his entrenched antipathy, resulting from his friendship with Sonny and his instinct to take the mobster's side in all things--- even though Sonny was dead---was proving a harder nut to crack.

Not that I give a damn about him, if I'm going to be truthful, Jax thought, but his disliking me so much makes it harder on Laura and the kids, and I don't want that. He and I are going to have to reach an accomodation, if nothing else.

Besides, he had Jerry to worry about, damn him! He needed to be here for that call.......of course, Brenda had been right. He COULD have it forwarded to New York. Faithful Addy would patch it through to him wherever he was......

Jax sighed, and reaching out a long arm, pulled an afghan from the nearest couch and draped it carefully over Brenda's prone body. Well, Jerry would have to take care of himself for one more night. And Spencer would have to learn that a Jacks never caved in to pressure. A cocky grin flashed across his face.  Actually, it would be entertaining. The minute Luke found out he and Brenda were enjoying Stefan's hospitality, he would go ballistic. "Good on ya, mate," Jax whispered arrogantly, lapsing back into Aussie vernacular. "A little stress will get your blood pumping, keep those arteries clear."

Jax brightened visibly, feeling suddenly more cheerful than he had all day. This could be fun.......

~*~

"Who told you?" Jax's voice was as steely as his eyes, which had gone a cold, silver-grey.

Ned leaned his head back wearily and shifted position on the couch. "Julia Barrett. I remembered that Barrett Industries had some Far East holdings, and I thought maybe Julia might know who was behind the ELQ disaster. So I called her in London, and that's what she told me." And what two other sources were able to verify, Ned thought, glad he taken the time to marshall more facts before coming to Jax. Besides, if he'd come any sooner, Jax probably wouldn't have let him in, Ned smiled to himself, remembering his encounter with a somewhat flushed and flustered Brenda at the penthouse elevators. He glanced up at Jax and the knowing smile died in an instant, killed by tall Australian's implacable expression.

Jax inhaled, using the deep breathing technique John had taught him long ago in an effort to control his rising anger. He hated to be taken unaware, and the move against ELQ---especially after the House of Cassadine had entered into the oil tanker deal with J&J Jacks---had blindsided him. Unless---

"Ned, something's not right here."

"Damn straight! The House of Cassadine just cost ELQ millions! We've had to pull out of Jakarta altogether." He sat up and glared at Jax, his voice dropping to a low, sinister timbre. "I WANT them, Jax. I'm going to break Cassadine for this."

"Hold off, Ned. Let's think about this---"

"Think about it! How the hell would YOU feel if this were J&J Jacks?" Ned stood up and stalked over to the mantel to face Jax. "Well?"

Jax was unperturbed. His momentary anger had vanished, replaced by cool detachment. As always when confronted with a crisis, he shifted invariably into a mode of thought that was rational, detached, devoid of emotion. Already his quick mind was sifting through the facts, seeking a pattern, determining possible courses of action.

"Ned. Easy. I need you cold and calm---I need you to be Ned Ashton, CEO of ELQ."

"I AM, Jax." Ned set his jaw and stared back at him. There was a moment of silence, a battle of wills as Ned's fury broke like ocean waves against Jax's stony silence. Then it dissipated. "Alright," he said begrudgingly. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that someone miscalculated."

Ned raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"You're not supposed to be here now, Ned. You're not supposed to be telling me all this." Jax turned and walked to the window, staring down at the lights of Port Charles. "I'm on the board of ELQ, but the family's antipathy toward me---at least Edward's and yours---is supposedly common knowledge. I am, as Edward put in at dinner last night, the viper in your midst."

"That's not entirely true, and you know it. Actually.....Grandfather secretly LIKES you---you remind him of himself in his younger days."

Jax rolled his eyes. "Don't insult me, Ned!"

Ned grinned. "It's true. And everyone's attitude has mellowed toward you since you helped me pull Emily off that roof."

Jax glanced over his shoulder, his look so piercing that Ned almost flinched.  "And does that change in attitude include you?"

"Yes. You know it does. I couldn't have saved her without your help. I'll always owe you for that, Jax. And"----Ned's voice tone became nonchalant---"you haven't made any moves against ELQ since that partnership with my mother a year ago."

Jax nodded. "Let's just say I've learned my lesson. I'd forgotten that families stick together in a crisis---even the Quartermaines."

"Right. Just like the Jackses would stick together."

"Always."

"So......here we are.......not exactly friends, but not enemies. Wary allies, maybe?"

"With the emphasis on the 'wary' part," Jax agreed. "And that brings me back to my point, Ned. You shouldn't be confiding this to me---but you are. As I said, someone's miscalculated."

Ned shook his head. "Color me confused. So you think there's something more going on than just an attempt to break ELQ?"

"Ned, someone is trying to pit ELQ and J&J Jacks against each other. Think about it.......The House of Cassadine enters into an oil tanker deal IN THE FAR EAST not a month before a blind subsidiary company of the Cassadines takes down ELQ's Jakarta operation. You were SUPPOSED to think that I was behind this.....divide and conquer Ned. And your family is suspicious of me still---as far as any outsiders know---so it would seem logical that you and Edward would blame me for the Jakarta losses."

Ned sank down on the couch again. "You may have something here, Jax."

"I think I do. " Jax leaped gracefully off the bridge in front of the windows and took a seat opposite Ned. Steepling his hands together, he continued, "You have here three impossibly rich, powerful families---of which the Jackses are the richest." Ned made a face but nodded in acknowledgment. "You have the Quartermaines and The House of Cassadine. Someone in the Cassadine familly wants to eliminate the competition. What better way than to pit J&J Jacks against ELQ? The House of Cassadine lets us destroy each other....then steps in after the dust settles to reap the spoils."

"You said 'someone'? You don't think Stefan is behind this?"

"He could be---or maybe not. I have a feeling there's more than one disgruntled Cassadine out there, Ned. Maybe one of them resents Stefan being THE Cassadine...."

Ned bristled. "If you're suggesting Alexis is behind this---"

Jax was unruffled. "You brought it up, not me."

There was a protracted silence, then Ned said, "We've got to find out for sure, Jax."

"I agree. Why don't I start tonight?"

"How?" Ned's voice held a note of suspicion.

"Brenda and I are having dinner at Dracula's castle." There was a knowing glint in Jax's eyes.

"Consorting with the enemy? THAT's going to go over well with Luke," Ned sniped.

Jax's smile was wide---and humorless. "I've already anticipated my brother-in-law's reaction. I have a counter for it."

I'll just bet you do, Ned thought, grateful that Jax was no longer gunning for ELQ.

"In fact, Luke might prove useful to us......." Jax smiled as he leaned back against the couch, locking his hands behind his head, eyes half-closed as he contemplated strategies.

A chill ran down Ned's back at the sight of that smile. It was not a nice smile. It was the smile of a cunning, hungry tiger anticipating his next meal. In spite of himself, he suddenly felt a twinge of pity for Stefan Cassadine and Luke Spencer.....

~*~