Mistaken Identity

by Suanne

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Chapter 12

Setting: The Jacks' Penthouse in Manhattan.

Jax is alone at the penthouse, Sarah having left for Los Angeles in a huff. Jerry has not returned.

"Well, Brenda. You are here somewhere, and I will find you." Jax promises himself as he pours a glass of wine. Memories of the last time he'd seen her, with her face streaked with tears, come to him, nearly overwhelming him.

His reminiscing is disrupted by a loud knock at the door. "I hope it isn't that girl again," he thinks, "I am not in the mood." It would be just like one of Jerry's girls to come back looking for more, women always seemed to forgive him anything....well, most women. He knew of at least one who hadn't. Jax opens the door to find a young woman standing there. "Yes?" he asks, hoping she isn't yet another of Jerry's women.

"Where's Brenda?" asks Hope, a PIC member who'd been assigned to follow Misty. When she realized that Misty was coming to see Jax, or rather Brenda, she'd intercepted and taken her place. After a quick phone call to Lenore on the elevator ride up, Hope realized that the PIC were planning to kidnap Jax (for his own good, of course) and decided to help.

"That's what I would like to know." Jax tells her, stepping back to let her enter.

Setting: The bedroom of the Jacks' suite at the Plaza hotel.

Jerry takes a blanket from the foot of the bed and drapes it over Brenda, accidentally brushing her arm. Brenda stirs, waking up a little.

"Umm, Jax. Come to bed." she says sleepily, pulling him down onto the bed with her. Jerry is pulled onto the bed next to Brenda. She snuggles up against him, slips her hand into his shirt and nuzzles his neck.

"Jax married a beautiful, intelligent and desirable woman." Jerry thinks, revising his earlier thoughts. "But why did he marry her? Why did she marry Jax?" Miranda had told him, time and again, that Brenda didn't love Jax, she loved that mobster Corinthos. But, if that was the case, why were she and Jax still together? And why had she married him in the first place?

"Tell me something.........darling," Jerry says, wishing he could remember her name, "why did you marry me?"

"You know why, Jax." Brenda mutters sleepily. "I was tired of being miserable."

"Miserable? What do you mean?" Jerry asks, confused. "What kind of reason is that to marry someone?" he asks himself.

"I was miserable. You came to me and asked me to marry you. I mean, you said I could either marry you or never see you again." Brenda tells him, running her hand along his chest.

"Pressured you, did I?" Jerry asks, thinking how much like Jax that was.

"Mmm hmm." Brenda murmurs. "Jax?" Brenda asks, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"Yes, darling?" he responds, looking down into her soulful eyes.

"I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of hurting. And I'm tired of being miserable." she tells him, a lone tear falling down her face. "Hold me. Make love to me." she asks him. She sits up just enough to take his face in her hands and kiss him.

Jerry does not resist her embrace. He takes her in his arms and kisses her passionately. Still kissing, they lie back on the bed.

Setting: The Jacks' Penthouse in Manhattan.

"You mean she isn't here?" Hope asks, feigning surprise. She enters the Penthouse, and looks around.

"What makes you think she'd be here?" Jax asks, shutting the door behind the young woman.

"Well, she got this address earlier today and said she was heading over here." Hope tells him. "Who are you anyway?" she asks him.

"I'm Jax, her husband." he tells her.

"Oh, *you're* Jax." Hope says, walking over and sitting down on the sofa.

"Yes, and who are you? How do you know Brenda?"

"We're old friends. The whole Swiss boarding school thing." Hope lies.

"And she said she was coming here?" Jax asks, wondering what might have prevented Brenda from coming to the Penthouse.

Hope nods. Jax walks over and picks up the phone, dialing the doorman. "Yes, this is Mr. Jacks. Was my wife here earlier today? She was? Thank you." he hangs up.

"Well, apparently she was here and left with my brother Jerry." Jax says.

"Jerry, right. Where would they have gone?" Hope asks.

"Well, unless they left town, there's only one place I can think of," Jax tells her, "the Plaza hotel."

Frowning, Jax strides towards the door and leaves, Hope follows.

Setting: Outside the apartment building in Manhattan

Meanwhile, May, Lenore and Holly are standing outside the apartment building. Oceangirl comes running up to them.

"Perfection! Jax just asked the concierge to have one his cars brought up. I checked and the only car available is the limo. I'll "replace" the chauffeur and when Jax gets in - we've got him." Oceangirl says with a big grin on her face.

"Perfect for you, maybe. But what are we supposed to do, twiddle our thumbs?" Lenore asks.

"Ladies, ladies. Chill. Its a big car. One or two of us could fit in the front and Jax wouldn't even notice." May says.

"That still leaves one of us out." Holly points out.

"The other one could stay and look for Sarah." May suggests.

"Why can't someone ride in back with Jax?" Holly asks.

"Hopey is here. She's with Jax right now - so I'm sure she'll try to maneuver herself into the car with him." Lenore says.

"Hope? I thought Sarah was at the penthouse?" May asks, confused.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! And I found out that Jax sent Sarah packing. Apparently she was real hot under the collar. She's on her way to the airport right now." Oceangirl exclaims sheepishly.

"Well, who stays and who goes?" Lenore asks.

"Whatever we're going to do we had better do it fast - before Jax and Hope come down to get the car." May points out.

"Suanne left me in charge. Oceangirl - you're the only one with a chauffeur's license so you drive. I know a good place to stash Jax, so I'll go too. May and Holly - flip a coin. One goes with the limo, the other goes to help Suanne." Lenore says, digging a quarter out of her pocket as Oceangirl grins broadly and both May and Holly frown unhappily.

Setting: The Jacks' suite at the Plaza Hotel.

"I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of hurting. And I'm tired of being miserable." Brenda tells him, a lone tear falling down her face. "Hold me. Make love to me." she asks him. She sits up just enough to take his face in her hands and kiss him.

Jerry does not resist her embrace. He takes her in his arms and kisses her passionately. Still kissing, they lie back on the bed.

Brenda begins to unbutton Jerry's shirt, while Jerry unzips her dress. All the while they are kissing passionately. Jerry's hands caress Brenda gently, trying not to hit the bruises left by the mugger.

As she peels his shirt off, Brenda notices a large, round scar on his shoulder. It looked like a bullet wound. Brenda pulls away from Jerry. "Jax, where did this scar come from?" Brenda asks, confused. Jax never had a scar there before, what was going on?

To be continued......