It was the end of the first full day in the Catacombs for Robert, Anna, Jax, and Brenda.
Dinner over, everyone was relaxed and comfortable, sipping brandy, settled in front of the very realistic looking fireplace. The "logs" were glowing brightly as the flames licked around them. The mellow voice of Tom Jackson, the Canadian Native American balladeer, crooning softly in the background, was just perfect.
During dinner, a warm intimacy developed as Robert and Anna reminisced on their years in Port Charles and asked about their many friends who are still there. Robert and Jax sparred good naturedly on things Australian.
The Scorpios were on the sofa. Nearby, snuggled together in a deep armchair, their feet up on a solid looking ottoman Brenda looked very relaxed, leaning back against Jax, her hand on his shoulder, his arms about her. Jax broke the silence.
"It feels as if time is standing still here," he said. "These are moments to treasure."
"Really!" Brenda commented. "It's like a dream! So silent, so perfect after yesterday when everything happened so fast, coming here, when I thought we were being kidnaped, everything!"
And to Robert and Anna: "Then the things you told me, what you are doing... What my husband is doing! A WSB agent! It is hard to believe... It makes me wonder what else I'm going to find out about him... And, I'm so amazed to even meet you when everybody thinks you are dead!"
Brenda seemed to be thinking out loud. Robert and Anna smiled at the way Jax held her, how unselfconsciously intimate they were, so focused on one another all the time.
Anna particularly had noted their closeness, how they moved, worked, behaved, but at the same time, she thought, "There is this magnetic link between them. At times, watching them, it's as if they are one person instead of two."
"It's so rare," she reflected. "You don't see love like that very often. Watching them is like taking a happy pill! I want to smile when I look at them. They have fun, so happy, so content together, yet serious too. I suppose they are still getting to know one another. They are simply quite beautiful!"
Brenda was saying: "Being here like this , here with my husband," as she hugs his arms which are around her, "I have to tell you, I don't much like being separated from my husband for very long, so I'm really glad I am here too."
Dropping a kiss on her cheek, Jax said "So am I!"
This caused Anna to smile again and reflect, "They are well on their way to becoming an invincible, indestructible pair, an exceptional symbiotic couple. I pray they will always be as happy as they are now."
Brenda continued, "I'm thinking about Robin right now. I miss her since she went to college. I've been to see her you know?"
"She loves Yale, but I just wish she could be here right now, that she could know you are alive. I really don't know how you are able to do this!"
Robert pulled Anna close. She rested her head on his shoulder. They both looked incredibly sad. Jax seemed to hold Brenda even closer, chin resting on the top of her head, his eyes closed. Brenda's eyes filled with tears. There was silence for several minutes.
"Don't cry, Brenda," Anna told her. "We, Robert and I, we do what we must - not what we want, or what we would like..." and she watched as Jax turned Brenda's face toward him. He saw the tears on her cheeks, wiped them away and then kissed her gently.
"It's all right," he told her, "You mustn't cry. This has to be very hard for them."
"It is hard," Robert said, "but stacked against the alternative, it is relatively easy." Robert and Anna whispered together for a few moments. Then, Anna said, "We've decided to tell you both a secret, but you must make us a promise!"
"Is it a promise we can keep?" Brenda asked.
"We think so, but you must trust us if you decide to agree."
"I don't think you'd ever ask me for something I couldn't do, would you? So! I promise. What about you Jax...? Oh!, I don't think you have to worry about him. He's really good at secrets..." Jax, looking at Brenda, was smiling.
"It's nothing major really. The fact is, since we've been officially among the "dear departed", we've been back in Port Charles quite a few times. Sometimes we move around together, other times separately. Anna does an outstanding bag-lady, among other outrageous things." They were grinning affectionately at one another. "As for me, I have my moments!"
"Isn't that risky?" Brenda wanted to know. "I mean, you said it was important for you to stay "dead". What if somebody saw you, recognized you?"
"It's not that big a risk," Anna told her. "Our disguises are good. Nobody expects us and we don't expose ourselves to anyone who knew us. We do it to be close to Robin from time to time. She went through a real tragedy last year and that was one of the hardest times in our lives. We were close by, but there was not a single thing we could do."
"We were deeply touched by the way all our friends, her friends, rallied around her. And Mac has been her anchor. I was pretty proud of my brother right about then."
"And I want to thank you Brenda," Anna said, "for your loving support for Robin, right up to the time she went to college. I have watched you grow up in so many ways."
"Thank you," Brenda said to her. "But I have to tell you, I didn't do "grown up" very well until Jax came along and took me in hand," and smiling at him, she touched his face briefly.
"You know, Stone was my friend too. He worked for L&B, for Lois and me. The company grew so fast, and we were going crazy until Stone joined us on the road trips and took care of everything. He has such a lot of fun, but it lasted only a very short time."
"Yes," Robert said. "We were here. We wanted to comfort our little girl, to hold her, to touch her, but we could do nothing! We had to leave it to others to do for us."
The tears were streaming down Brenda's cheeks. "Do you know that she felt you near her? She told me that she felt like you were right beside her sometimes. Sometimes she felt it was both of you and other times she said it was just you" - looking at Anna.
"She was thinking, of course that it was your spirits she was feeling, maybe because she was wishing so hard that you were there. She couldn't know that you were there for real!"
"Right!" Robert said, looking a bit grim. "And that brings us to the promise we just spoke of. I want your promise, your word of honor, that you will not speak to Robin or anyone about any of this. Do I have your word?"
"You have it!" Brenda said, while Jax produced a handkerchief and dried her tears again. "I'm honored that you told me so much. I would never do anything that could hurt or upset Robin and if you can't come back, it's best that she doesn't know. I understand that!"
"Good girl. Please put this conversation in a compartment of your mind where it is not ever likely to slip out, no matter the circumstances. There might come a time when you could think it important to speak of this, of us, but please don't be tempted."
Anna then said, "Brenda, it warms our hearts to know that you and our daughter are so close. You have been like another daughter to us for a long time, through your closeness with Robin. But we want you to know, we have always kept a close watch on her so that we always know she is safe. Even now, at Yale, she's not alone. We cannot be with her, but we do watch over her and our Bureau contact respects our need to know. Does that help to make you feel better?"
Brenda agreed that it did. She smiled up at Jax, saying "I've a whole family I didn't know about."
Then, Anna told her, "One day last Autumn, you and Robin were in Kelly's sitting head to head, talking and enjoying Ruby's chilli! Well, at the table near the kitchen, Robert and I watched during the entire time you were there. We enjoyed the chilli also!"
Captivated, Brenda looked very surprised. "And that's part of what you will not discuss or reveal Mrs. Jacks! Agreed?"
"Agreed," she told him. Then she asked, "What did you guys do today while I was slaving over a hot microwave?"
"Did you study all the electronic stuff?" she asked Jax.
"Yes, I did. There's some pretty impressive state-of-the-art equipment back there. Some of it I've not seen before, and I thought I was up to date on everything that's available."
"Will you have to be working in there all day, every day and at night too? Robert did say twenty four hours surveillance!"
"Well, not ALL of the time. I'm sure I'll be able to pop out for a few minutes from time to time, just to have a bite to eat, maybe take an occasional shower, change clothes just to feel civilized. There are about a dozen monitors in there and they all have to be checked regularly. Then, I must carry on my normal work, make sure it goes through the right relays, stuff like that. I guess, yes, I'll be pretty busy. If I get tired, perhaps you will keep watch for me, if I show you what to look for?" Jax was looking very serious as he told Brenda this...
Suddenly, she had a vision of maybe two weeks of incredible boredom, watching monitors, with nothing else to do. Not what she had anticipated after last night! Oh, well...!"
From his vantage point behind her, Jax was grinning ear to ear. "What's the matter sweetheart?" he asked, as he nibbled her ear, hugging her tightly. "Are you worried we'll not get to sleep in the amazingly *comfy* bed any more?"
Robert and Anna were clearly enjoying the exchange as Brenda realized Jax was just teasing her. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all! She relaxed back into his embrace, closed her eyes, and with a deep sigh, she said "I do like it here! It is so cosy, so warm, so nice!!"
After a while, she looked up to find Jax gazing fondly at her and, reaching up to him, she whispered "I want to go to bed really soon!" Jax, smiling, replied, "So do I! So do I!"
Robert and Jax continued to talk quietly about the technicalities of the equipment, the intervals for monitoring the various information centers, the times of the day for making contact with specific centers around the world, setting up passwords for themselves, for the contacts with Interpol and the WSB, what to do in emergency situations, and so on, and on. Anna was intent of the discussion and contributed from time to time.
Lulled by the murmur of their voices in the warm, friendly atmosphere, feeling so relaxed, so comfortable and secure within her husband's arms, Brenda soon drifted into sleep.
When he noticed she was really asleep, Jax just said "Brenda's dozed off. I guess she's tired. She had a busy few days before we got here. And yesterday had more than enough excitement! The rest here should actually do her good. I haven't been able to convince her not to work so hard."
"Do you want to take her to bed?" Robert asked.
"No, she's very comfortable where she is, and so am I. Let's finish the discussion on the technicalities, and settle up our contact criteria. Once we've got that done, at least you can feel confident that the communication lines are in place. Then, you can do what you have to do, without worrying about things back here. That well allow us time to sort out the geography of this place tomorrow."
Right you are!" Robert agreed. And the quiet murmur of their voices continued for nearly an hour as they planned with calm efficiency for the weeks ahead.
"I'm for bed now," Anna declared. "Robert, let's take advantage of that amazing bed while we can! Only two more nights for us, and who knows what the next bed will be like!"
Robert got up and poured three brandies. As he handed the glass to Jax, he looked at Brenda, so totally relaxed, asleep in his arms, and smiled. "Your wife is very beautiful, Jax."
"Yes, she is, and not just to the eye! She's beautiful on the inside, too, in her heart, in her soul! I consider myself very lucky to have her as my wife."
Anna left to prepare for bed. Robert and Jax were silent for a bit. Then Robert asked him: "Do you feel OK about all of this? Any questions?
"None that I can think of right now. Will I be able to check with you if I hit any snags or something important shows up. Is there a liaison anywhere that I can reach quickly?"
"I'm giving some thought to that. There is a way to contact us in case of need, which I will explain to you tomorrow, but only for real emergencies - which I don't expect you to have.
"In principle, it's better not to try reaching me or Anna while we're out there. We can be contacted safely through the Bureau and we will contact you. Mainly, you will have to judge the situation."
So, the plans were set.
"I'm for bed," Robert said. "Anna is right. Once we leave here, bed can be anything from a park bench to a flea-bag motel. Might as well enjoy the luxury while we have it."
"By the way, he continued, "we may just drop in here from time to time, if we are in the neighborhood. So don't be surprised if you wake up one morning and find you have guests for breakfast."
Then, reflecting briefly, he said: "Things should start to happen soon after we leave day after tomorrow, so you'll need to watch the systems very closely for the first few days. After that, it should settle into a routine.
"Everything is up and running now, and we'll monitor it together tomorrow. Once you log in with the monitoring centers and get the lines running, they'll have your signature and they'll know you're on the job. Will Brenda be all right with all of this, do you think?"
"Don't worry, she'll be fine. I intend to take this opportunity to give her a lot of my undivided attention. Fitting this girl into my life has been like handling quick-silver! She's like a shooting star! I believe our connection is solid now, though she doesn't realize it yet. But we have a few more little kinks to iron out in our lives before I'll be able to feel I can relax. But, we're almost there!"
"Marriage takes work!" Robert told him.
"That it does!" Jax pushed the ottoman out of the way with his foot and, with practiced ease, gently lifted a sleeping Brenda in his arms and moved toward their bedchamber.
"Need any help?" Robert asked.
"No, I'm fine," Jax told him. "Well, maybe, could you turn down the bed, so I can avoid waking her?" Robert did, then left them.
In short order, Jax, wearing blue silk boxers, was ready for bed. Gently, with great care, he undressed his sleeping wife, put her into her little red sleep set, then slipped into bed beside her.
Propped on his elbow, he spent several minutes just watching her sleep. Then, he kissed her very softly on her slightly parted lips and whispered, "I love you so much, my precious wife, so very much!"
Sighing, she moved in her sleep and reached for her husband.
As he gathered her close in his arms, he barely heard the whisper, "I love you, Jax." She was still asleep, but she has heard him! And from some deep inner place, she had responded!
Jax, overcome with emotion, held her close for what seemed like a very long time.
"I know you do, my love. I know you do. But I will wait a little longer. You will tell me
what's in your heart when you are wide awake, soon now, very soon! Then, as his wife
snuggled close to him with childlike trust, he reached for the light and turned it off.
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