Midnight Sun-26
Midnight Sun (26)
The gold room of the elegant Plaza Hotel was festive and bubbling with noise and laughter and music and tables and tables of sumptuous buffet-style food. As the song “The Way You Look Tonight” was played live on stage, Jax and Brenda entered the festivities, followed by Mulder and Lois.
Ned Ashton was made aware of their arrival by the intake of breath he heard from his date, Tea Delgado. He wasn’t sure who had caused her reaction, however; Jax or the vision of heart-quivering beauty that was next to Jax.
Jax and Brenda came in laughing at some bizarre joke Mulder had relayed to them. Jax was sinfully dashing in a black tuxedo with a dark blue vest beneath. And Brenda was absolutely breathtaking in a white, form fitting sequined gown. They were so striking a couple that all eyes were on them as they stepped into the room.
But no one’s eyes were more penetrating than the sultry gray eyes of 21 year old Marco as his gaze bore into the arriving Brenda, his glass of champagne arrested at his lips as he stared at her. He didn’t even spare a glance to see who she was with, for he was so captivated by her. Desire filled him, his heart contracted with a thump that echoed throughout his body. How was it possible that he could have forgotten just how perfectly exquisite she
was? His heart raced at the sight of her and breathing became something he had to remind himself to do. She was easily the most beautiful, most irresistible woman in the entire room, and there she was laughing and vibrant and playful -- the way he had always remembered her to be. He finally took notice of the man who was with Brenda and he was jarred by what he saw. *This* was Jasper Jacks? This man, who hardly looked any older than Marco
himself, with hair that suspiciously resembled spun gold and eyes of an indeterminable, yet extraordinary, color somewhere between brilliant sapphires and dark glittering emeralds.
Marco looked away momentarily and tapped Pierre’s shoulder. “Do you see her?” he asked.
“Who could possibly miss her?” Pierre murmured in awe. “The child boggles the mind even more than I recall. Is she not simply exquisite!”
“Exquisite,” Marco agreed, gazing at her with the deepest possible desire.
“You know she really does resemble that dangerously bewitching mother of hers more and more. A man could lose his mind over that girl. Very much like our own prince lost his mind over her mother. Veronica Barrett was not much older than Brenda is now when the Prince risked his very throne simply to bed her. Foolish, foolish man.. He lost his confounded senses in his passion for her,” Pierre said with a shake of his head.
“Who is the man with her?” Marco asked, hoping that Pierre would say any name other than Jasper Jacks.
And so of course Pierre said, “Jasper Jacks.” And Marco felt slightly ill.
“You . . you cannot be serious,” Marco said in an almost desperate whisper.
“And why not?”
“Because . . .the prince would never. . he would never . . .” Marco looked at Jax again and shook his head. “There is no way on earth I would believe that the prince would allow Brenda to live all this time, unchaperoned with *that* man.”
“Well believe it. That is Jasper Jacks. And my, they do appear quite chummy, don’t they?” Pierre murmured with concern as he immediately noticed the warm, playful, very intimate familiarity of their interaction.
Marco watched them as they headed over to meet some other people at a lively table across the room, and he was disconcerted to see the way Brenda’s slender fingers were threaded through Jax’s; linked, entwined, playfully caressing. The intimacy of it was jarring.
He felt his pulse leaping with a growing anger.
“I naturally assumed they would have become friends, but it appears they may have grown closer than any of us could have imagined,” Pierre murmured as he watched them, his eyes thoughtful.
Marco’s emotions were all over the place as he downed his champagne. He felt joy at the sight of her and wild, wild desire. But he also felt anger at seeing her with another man, and fury at seeing how she was behaving with this other man. They were now with another group of people, standing near to the stage, and Jax was standing behind Brenda, his arms wrapped around her waist, as she leaned back into him, swaying a bit to the music as she
laughed and talked with the woman with the vivid blue eyes. Brenda’s hands were over Jax’s and the intimacy of the entire scene blew Marco’s mind. What was going on here? How could she let him touch her like that? How could she touch *him* like that? Marco grabbed another glass of champagne and swallowed it in one angry gulp.
On the other side of the room Jax was introducing Brenda to their host, Steven Speilberg and was getting a kick out of watching Ned Ashton stare at Brenda to the point where he could practically burn a hole through her. He wasn’t aware of the gray-eyed male who was staring at her far more intensely than Ned Ashton ever could.
“Would you like to help me stir up some a little trouble with a business adversary?” Jax asked Brenda.
She smiled. “Sure! What do I have to do?”
Jax grinned at how she had said yes automatically. Trusting his judgment, just like that. As impulsive as he was. He so adored her. “Just come with me,” he said, heading towards Ned Ashton.
Ned sat across from Tea, staring in Jax’s direction. “All right, I have to ask,” Ned said. “Who the hell is that woman who’s right this very minute giving me serious heart palpitations? The woman with Jax?!” Ned demanded of Tea.
Tea sighed. “Really Ned, this kind of school-boy gaping hardly suits you.”
“Who is she?” Ned insisted.
“Well the one with the big blue eyes who’s gawking at everything so tackily is his assistant, Lois Cerullo. The other one is his wife, Brenda.”
“His *wife?!*” Ned sputtered, spilling his champagne. Damn the luck! It just figured that Jax would walk in with the most beautiful woman alive and then have the audacity to keep her from other men by marrying her.
“Are you sure he’s married?” Ned asked skeptically, not having heard even a peep about this in the corporate grapevine of which the Jacks brothers were the most talked about subject at all times.
“Quite sure.”
“Well then it’s one of the world’s best kept secrets,” Ned muttered.
“Well Jax is the master of the element of surprise.”
Ned snorted. “Says he.”
“Says everyone, Ned,” Alexis Davis said to him. She had come with Donald Trump. Donald and Ned shook hands.
“Well Alexis, I tend to agree with Ned. I think young Jax is his own biggest fan,” Trump contended.
“No that would definitely be me,” said a soft, young female voice, which caused everyone to turn around. There stood Brenda, with Jax right behind her.
Ned blinked. Good god almighty, up close she was even more unbelievable. Jax’s run of luck was too uncanny for words. First the Monte Carlo casino, the coup of all coups. And now this perfectly enchanting dark haired goddess as his wife? Ned got a strange falling sensation as he gazed into her beautiful brown eyes.
“Ashton,” Jax said. “Allow me to introduce you to my wife, Brenda Barrett-Jacks,” Jax said graciously, well aware that Ned’s heart was hammering in his chest at the sight of Brenda. Jax knew Brenda’s effect on men. He, after all, was a man too, and her effect on him was the most profound thing in his life. Donald Trump, having already met Brenda when they walked in, was more cool about seeing her again, but even he could not quite tear his eyes
away from her.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Ned said taking her hand, raising it to his lips to kiss it. Jax stopped him however, smoothly taking Brenda’s hand and sliding it into his own.
“Sorry, I’m not very fond of reptilian lips touching my wife’s skin.” Jax said, and Brenda had to bite her lip not to laugh at Jax’s unexpected shot at Ned Ashton.
Ned gave Jax an unreadable gaze. “Really? Well now see, I naturally assumed that Brenda had a fondness for reptiles; after all she did marry a slithering snake,” Ned pointed out with a charming, dimpled smile.
“Oh, Ned, don’t you know that flattery will get you nowhere with me?” Jax said. “Besides, I only came over here to give you a respite from your eyestrain and give you a better look,” Jax said to Ned.
“At what?” Ned said, hastily tearing his gaze away from Brenda.
“My wife for one thing. Defeat for another.” Jax said matter of faclty.
Ned’s eyes narrowed guardedly. “Defeat? What are you rambling on about now, Jax?”
Just then Lois interrupted them, stealing Brenda away to excitedly show her something. Jax saw that Mulder had his eye on Brenda, so he turned back to Ned.
“Well, if you kept as close an eye on your acquisitions sheet as you seem to be keeping on my wife, you would know exactly what I’m talking about,” Jax informed him.
Ned was getting testy by Jax’s veiled insinuation of doom. “Are you implying something, Jax?” Ned asked, his tone cool.
“I’m not implying anything. I’m *telling* you that the Seagate Hard Drive Company now belongs to J&J Jacks of New York. And you know, I must confess that I was extremely disappointed at how easy it was to attain that company from ELQ. You must be slipping, Ned.”
With a victorious smile intended to incense Ned further, Jax gave him a condescending wave and walked away, locating Brenda, Lois and Mulder near the other side of the room.
The music had switched to a pulse pounding dance mix of David Bowie’s “Modern Love” and Brenda and Lois were attempting to show Mulder how to shake his groove thang with comical results. The minute Brenda spotted Jax she waved him over.
“Thank heavens it’s my Jax,” Brenda said laughing as she slid into Jax’s arms. “As you can see, honey, I’m in desperate need of a *real * dance partner,” she said still laughing and eyeing Mulder who was doing some very bizarre gyrations while Lois looked at him as if he’d grown another arm.
“I’m at your disposal, love,” Jax offered her, kissing the top of her beautiful hair. Then he gazed at the gyrating Mulder. “Mulder you’re scaring me,” Jax informed him.
Lois turned her head as she just could not stifle her laughter.
“Jax, do you mind? I’m trying to get my groove on, over here,” Mulder said ignoring Jax’s teasing about his questionable dance moves.
“But you look like you’re having some kind of an attack. If you don’t stop this someone’s going to call 911 on you,” Jax admonished him, and Lois laughed so hard her eyes teared.
“Leave - me - alone,” Mulder said through his own laughter.
“Yeah, leave him alone and dance with me,” Brenda said, touching her lips lightly to Jax’s.
Marco missed the kiss but he did seem them as they danced Marco watched them his eyes positively glassy with his growing anger. He remembered the nights he would sneak Brenda out to the clubs in Monte Carlo. Oh, the fun they had back then. And she was the best dancer he’d ever been with. She could learn any move in a matter of seconds. Watching her now, he saw that nothing had changed. Every time her body so much as touched that of the blonde
wonder who was with her, Marco flinched with anger. How could Brenda be behaving this way with this man?!
The music changed from the energetic dance beat to Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.”
Brenda slid into Jax’s arms leaning her had against his chest. “Oh Jax!” she said, suddenly remembering something she wanted to tell him. “Lois said she saw Aretha Franklin here!”
Jax smiled and nodded. “Yeah I know, She’s supposed to perform before the auction starts.”
“And then we saw Andréa Bocelli,” Brenda added excitedly.
Jax narrowed his eyebrows in thought. “Umm . . . opera?” he guessed, unfamiliar with the name.
“Yes,” Brenda said. “He’s the next Placido Domingo, Jax. He’s *amazing!* I heard him once when I was 16 at the royal ballet in London. Do you think he’s going to perform too? I really hope so!”
Jax smiled at her. “Somebody’s having a very good time,” he observed.
“Well how could I not? I’m with you,” she said sexily, touching his chin. “Hey, who exactly is that Ned Ashton person you introduced me to?” she asked curiously. “And why is he right this very minute looking at you as if he wants to kill you?” she added, peering over Jax’s shoulder at the glaring Ned.
Jax followed her gaze and saw a wild-eyed Ned pacing, and barking into his cell phone.
Jax smiled. “He’s actually, your cousin Eliot’s half-brother. Small world, huh?”
Brenda’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re joking!”
“No, I’m serious. They have the same mother. And Ashton is also the CEO for ELQ which is a rival company to mine. We’re not exactly friends.”
“Yes, I deduced that much after you compared him to a reptile and he promptly referred to you as a slithering snake,” Brenda said, leaning her head against his chest again and closing her eyes. Jax slid his hands over her glossy hair and pulled her closer until she smiled, hearing his heart beat.
Marco felt himself getting crazed as he watched Jax and Brenda dancing; watched how familiar Jax was with Brenda, how content and nearly blissful she appeared to be in the man’s embrace.
Pierre saw the boy’s rapidly increasing tension and curtly advised him to cool down.
“So help me Marco, if you fly off the handle and crate a spectacle that will embarrass the prince, I’ll ship you off on the first plane back to Monaco!” Pierre warned him.
Marco just grunted in acknowledgment as he continued to stare, unblinking at Jax and Brenda, his fists, curling and uncurling. His patience waning.
The host of the fund-raiser, affable producer Steven Speilberg, went to the microphone and thanked everyone for coming and asked them to take their seats at their tables. He then announced that the main event, which was the auction, the actual fund-raising portion of the evening, would start right after they had a bit of live entertainment. And with that he announced the young Italian tenor that Brenda had spoken of, Andréa Bocelli.
Jax had to grin at how excited Brenda got. “I hope he doesn’t torture us with one of those hiedous 30 minute arias,” Jax teased her.
Brenda hit his arm and put her finger to her lips, even as her eyes sparkled with mirth.
Bocelli sang “A time To Say Good-bye” in Italian and although only a select few understood a word he was saying, he brought everyone in the gold room to their feet; including Jax who was impressed that the song lasted only ten minutes. Next Aretha Franklin came to the stage and Brenda’s excitement seemed to increase, if that were even possible. However, Lois was even more excited than Brenda was. Mulder looked at Jax and they exchanged smiles at
the reaction of the women seated in between them.
Aretha got the place rocking with her signature song “Respect” and then went into a soulful rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which Brenda sang along to softly, her fingers absently playing in Jax’s hair as she did so.
Watching them from his table in the back of the room, Marco bristled. Why in the bloody hell did Brenda seem compelled to *touch* that damned man every two minutes?! Look at her! Those beautiful hands of hers toying rather sensually with the blonde curls at the back of his head.
“Calm yourself!” Pierre whispered sharply as he saw Marco’s jealous restlessness.
Back at Jax and Brenda’s table, Jax was gazing over at the table where Tea and Ned Ashton were seated. Tea looked totally bored while Ned sat huddled with Justus Ward, conferring about something in great detail. Then Ned was nodding and patting Justus on the back looking somewhat smug.
Tea looked up and made eye contract with Jax who winked at her to let her know that the plan had been executed. Of course Tea made more out of the innocuous wink than was intended, getting the romantic notion in her head that it was some secret signal of his continued attraction to her. But she was snapped back into reality rather quickly when Jax leaned over and whispered something to Brenda and they both laughed intimately and then Jax’s lips
brushed against Brenda’s cheek. Then Brenda whispered something back to him and Tea saw him say “me too,” in response to whatever Brenda had said and they were sharing this secretive laughter and looking at each other like no one else was in the room.
While Tea gazed longinly at Jax, and Marco stared intently at Brenda, Mulder had his eye on Marco. Mulder had made a mental note since they arrived that this guy had not taken his eyes off of Brenda for one single second. Normally he would just attribute that to the fact that Brenda Barrett-Jacks was such a knockout, but something about the intense, almost possessive way this guy looked at Brenda had Mulder on alert.
When Aretha Franklin finished her last number the auction portion of the evening was ready to begin.
Jax’s eye was caught by movement off to the side of the room where Justus Ward inclined his head, indicating for Jax to meet him out in the hallway of the hotel lobby.
Jax stood up. “I’ll be right back,” he told Brenda. “Don’t bid on something hideous like a 12 foot gold mermaid statue or anything,” he pleaded with her.
Brenda and Lois both laughed.
Marco watched as he-with-the-locks-of-gold left the room. The minute Jax was gone Marco rose to his feet.
“Sit down,” Pierre said.
“I am going to talk to Brenda. I have waited long enough,” Marco insisted.
“I said to sit down,” Pierre repeated. “Jax may be gone for the moment, but in case you haven’t noticed that gentleman at the table with Brenda is armed. I distinctly detected a firearm on his waist earlier when I saw him by the buffet table getting a club soda. I think he is a guard of some sort.”
“So what?”
“So, you are far too high strung to speak with Brenda right now, Marco. If you initiate some kind of hostile confrontation I have no doubt that gentleman will shoot you. If he is a bodyguard, as I suspect he is, then his only concern will be protecting Brenda. He won’t give you a chance to explain yourself. He’ll just do anything to stop you from getting to her if he thinks your intents are harmful.”
“My intents are not harmful!”
“Well *I* know that, you bloody fool! But if you go charging over there looking wound up like a ball of twine ready to unravel, he will get the impression that you are a danger to her. Look at you, the veins in your neck are popping.”
Marco let out a slow breath. “Am I just imagining the intimacy I see between them? Brenda and Jasper Jacks, I mean?”
Pierre did not want to incense the boy further but he saw no point in lying. “No, it is not your imagination,” he said. “They are obviously quite taken with one another.”
Marco’s gray eyes blazed with jealousy. “Did the prince know about this?!” he demanded. “Did he promise Brenda to me knowing full well that her heart may have already been stolen by this corporate Romeo!”
“I can assure you,” Pierre said grimly, “the prince has *no* idea that such a bond exists between Brenda and Jax. No idea at all,” Pierre murmured, wondering how he would ever tell this to the prince. He dreaded it.
The bidding opened with a set of 5 exquisite gold lamps from Persia, then a magnificent diamond and ruby broach from the collection of a famous Maharajah, then Mario Andretti’s Indy Racing car.
“Oh! Jax would *love* that!” Brenda said excitedly.
“Are you sure?” Lois asked skeptically.
“He would definitely love that,” Mulder agreed, having a pretty good idea of Jax’s likes and dislikes from hanging around him and Brenda so much.
Brenda nodded at him. “He would, right? I’m going to bid on it for him and surprise him with it,” she decided, grabbing her bidding card from the table.
“Brenda, where would you put that?” Lois asked laughing “I mean it’s a full sized Indy car. And somehow I don’t think Jax is exactly going to drive it around Manhattan.”
Brenda laughed. “No, he won’t *drive* it. It will just be like a collector’s item. And we’ll keep it in the recreation room. That room is huge, right Fox? It can easily fit in there with all the rest of Jax’s *toys*. We can put it up on a pedestal in there and showcase it. Jax will love it!”
Marco watched with interest as Brenda bid on the sleek red racing car. For whom was she bidding on that for? Herself? A fast car was not really Brenda’s style. She was much more likely to bid on some rare art object or some dazzling jewelry collections. Suddenly Marco felt himself stiffen with anger. It was for *him* wasn’t it? For the blonde one.
Both Pierre and Marco watched as the door to the gold-room opened and Jax walked back inside just as the bidding for the race car had ended. He went back to his table and his eyes lit up at the sight of the gorgeous red racing car spinning around on the stage.
“Wow! Is that what we’re bidding on now?” he asked anxiously, looking simply adorable in his barely contained excitement.
“It’s already been sold honey,” Brenda said.
The disappointment in Jax’s beautiful eyes was instantaneous. “Oh,” he said quietly, sliding back into his seat next to her.
Brenda now knew for sure she had done the right thing in bidding on the car for him. She gazed at Mulder and he winked at her, letting her know her secret was safe with him and he would not ruin the surprise of Jax realizing that the car did indeed belong to him whenever Brenda chose to tell him.
The auction went on for another two hours raising lots of money for Public Access Television. The final item of the night to be auctioned off was a rare and beautiful replica of the Sistine Chapel designed by the world-famous glass sculptor Igor Medina and constructed of magnificent Austrian crystal in many colors.
Brenda gasped when the item was brought out to the stage, and that little gasp from her was all Jax needed to realize that he would get it for her.
When Jax began bidding on the chapel, Tea realized how much Brenda wanted it. Well wasn’t it about time that little Mrs. Barrett-Jacks *not* get her way? Just once? Tea tugged on Ned’s sleeve.
“You should bid on that,” she told him.
“That?” Ned said looking at the little replica of the Sistine chapel with a decided lack of interest. “Why?”
“Well it’s absoltuely beatuiful for one thing. And don’t you know who the artist is? Igor Medina, Ned. The man is like a hundred years old, and he’s a legend. When he dies that thing is going to be worth ten times what you pay for it here,” Tea pointed out.
“So you’re saying it’s an investment.”
“Right. Plus, don’t you think your grandmother would just love it?”
And so Ned got in on the bidding.
From the back of the room Marco was bidding on it was well, knowing from the minute he’s laid eyes on the item that it was something Brenda would adore having.
“Don’t be a fool, Marco,” Pierre warned him. “You are bidding against two very wealthy men. Wealthy men who hate each other, I might add. They are bound to raise the stakes very high and very much out of your league.”
“Brenda will love that little chapel,” Marco said.
“And my guess is she will get it,” Pierre said.
“I want her to get it from *me*. Not from him!” Marco said, his eyes hostile as they settled on Jax.
“The man is a billionaire, Marco. A *billionaire*. Don’t be an idiot. You cannot compete with him on a monetary level. Let this one go!”
“It’s still within my range,” Marco insisted, raising his bidding card.
But within moments it was far beyond his range and he was highly resentful of the deep pockets of people like Jasper Jacks and that fellow bidding against him. How easy for them to plunk down hundreds of thousands of dollars as if it were nothing but pocket change they were parting with.
Ned’s fatal error in the bidding war with Jax was that he gazed at Brenda for one brief moment. In that moment Ned saw this impossibly beautiful girl with eyes that could drug a man. So sweet and innocent and yet, my oh my, there was a mischievous wildness within as well. Damn her, she was irresistible. And he knew how much she wanted that little crystal chapel. He’d be damned if he would be the villain to keep it from her. Besides, he ought to let Jasper win this round. After all, as of tomorrow poor Jax would be crying in his champagne when he realized that ELQ was now the proud owner of the most magnificent, elegant, sought after casino in the world. And with that Ned placed his bidding card down on the table and waved off Tea’s protests.
And the little Sistine Chapel was sold to Jasper Jacks who’s stunning date, (who most everyone by now had heard filtered through the party grape-vine was in fact, his wife), was ecstatic as she threw her arms around Jax in glee!
In her happy euphoria she gave a very receptive Jax several kisses which jolted Marco out of his seat. A kiss! Many of them! On the lips! Marco was stunned. But he should have saved some of that feeling of being stunned for what he saw next.
With the auction part of the night completed the music was playing once again and several people got up to dance to the song “Love Ballad” that was playing. Lois dragged a reluctant Mulder out on the dance floor with her while Jax and Brenda remained at the table.
“Thank you,” Brenda said, running one hand lightly against the side of his face.
“You’re welcome,” he said capturing her hand in his and kissing it.
Brenda felt her heart fluttering madly as if she were on her first date with him or something. The music playing, and Jax’s eyes, were equally hypnotic.
I have never been so much
In love
before.
What a difference
a true love made in my life
So nice
So right
Loving you
Gave me something new
That I’ve never felt
Never dreamed of
Something changed
It’s not a feeling I’ve ever had before
‘Cause it’s much, much more
“I wish you could really know how happy you make me,” she told him, their eyes locked in an intense, flirtatious gaze.
“What makes you think I don’t know?” he responded cocking an eyebrow.
She smiled, and her smile lit up his whole heart.
“So are you to my thoughts as food to life,” Brenda whispered, moving closer to him, her hands resting on his thigh. “Or as sweet seasoned showers are to the ground. . .”
“And for the peace of you I hold such strife,” Jax continued, “as twixt a mister and his wealth is found.”
Brenda took a sip of Jax’s champagne and licked her lips, loving how his gorgeous blue-green eyes watched her every move.
“Don’t you just love Shakespeare?” she said softly, giving him the most come-hither look he’d ever seen, as she placed the champagne glass back on the table.
“I *like* Shakespeare, or Bill, as he’s known to me,” Jax said getting a giggle out of his wife. “The one I *love*. . .. is you,” he whispered, tracing his thumb over her soft, champagne-wet lips.
“Ooohh . . .me too,” she murmured, getting even closer to him.
And then their lips met and this kiss was the one that made Marco flip his lid. It was deliberate and enticing and riveting to watch. Slow, sexy, and entirely too long. And then he watched in stunned stupefaction as the kiss deepened *dramatically* before his very eyes.
A wave of intense sexual arousal inadvertently shot through him as he watched them and he knew he had reached his limit. He could stand no more.
Jealous beyond all reason, Marco strode from his table and began to storm towards the otherwise engaged Jax and Brenda, ignoring all of Pierre’s efforts to restrain him.
Seeing the dark haired male with the gray eyes on the move, Mulder quickly excused himself from Lois and began to zip through crowd with amazing agility determined to stop that guy before he got anywhere near Brenda. As the wild-eyed Marco was mere feet from Jax and Brenda he suddenly let out a groan as someone leapt on him from behind knocking him to the ground as onlookers took in the scene with gossipy curiosity.
“Is he drunk?” Alexis wondered.
“I dunno. But he’s been scopin’ Brenda out *all* night,” Lois said as they, along with everyone else, watched the unfolding scene.
“Okay, who are you and what are you doing charging over to this table like a man possessed?” Mulder asked, his knee in the back of the young man on the floor beneath him
Jax and Brenda, who’s oh-so-lovely kiss had been interrupted by the commotion, gazed with curiosity at the person Mulder had knocked to the ground.
“What’s the matter?” Jax asked, gazing at the person Mulder was sitting on, trying to get a look at his face.
“I’m not sure. This guy has been staring at Brenda ever since we got here. I mean *non-stop*, Jax. I saw him coming over here and didn’t want to take any chances,” Mulder explained as he pulled the dark haired male to his feet exposing his face
Brenda gasped as she recognized Marco right away. “Marco!” she exclaimed, appearing absolutely delighted to see him which threw Jax a bit. “Jax, this is my friend Marco, from Monaco! I can't believe you're here!” Brenda said excitedly as she gave Marco a spontaneous hug.
<Hmmm. Marco. The palace guard> Jax recalled. <The one she had fancied herself in love with at one time.>
<Friend? Her *friend* Marco?!> Marco thought, insulted. Even the hug she’d just given him was the kind one would bestow upon nothing but a bloody relative!
“Marco this is so wonderful! What are you doing here though?” Brenda asked, her beautiful brown eyes obviously happy to see him, which gave him some encouragement, but then he noticed that her hand automatically slid into that of the blonde billionaire’s.
Marco’s disappointment, jealousy and anger about how this *reunion* with the woman who was going to be his wife was going, made it difficult for him to speak without biting everyone’s head off, so he held his tongue for a moment hoping he could calm down at least a millimeter and not come off like some raving mad man. His being pounced upon by that Mulder character as if he were some common criminal had garnered him enough unwanted attention for the moment. He didn’t want to make it any worse. There were a lot of famous people here and that fact would get back to the prince and embarrass him. And Marco knew *he* would be the one to pay for any royal embarrassment.
“Yes, what *are* you doing here?” Jax and the man named Mulder echoed simultaneously.
Marco’s gaze at both men was a very hostile one. Damn it! Did Brenda’s body language have to so loudly proclaim to all eyes that she and Jasper Jacks had some private, deeply intimate connection with one another? Did she have to be holding this man’s hand this way right in front of Marco? That damnable, entirely too intimate finger-entwining thing! And then as Marco stared with envy at the linked hands of Jax and Brenda he became aware of something so horrible he thought he would go mad in that very moment of realization.
On Brenda’s finger were two rings. One a most dazzling diamond solitaire, the other a band of gold scattered with tiny diamonds reminiscent of starlight against a gold sky.
Barely containing his red haze of fury, Marco shifted his eyes slowly over to the left hand of Jasper Jacks and he saw a band of gold there as well. No, this could not be true!
Mulder, who was still holding onto Marco, felt an incredible amount of tension in the 21 year old. But even Mulder could not have been prepared for Marco’s enraged cry followed by his delivering a sucker punch to Jax’s jaw.
As Mulder grabbed Jax to keep him in balance from Marco’s unexpected blow, Brenda’s eyes flew open and she, without thinking, just reacted. And to Marco’s shock her reaction was bad news for him as she glared at him and kicked him in a very painful area sending him, cross-eyed and whimpering, doubling over on the floor.
“Jax, are you okay?” Brenda asked touching his jaw and wincing a little as she saw it turning slighlty black and blue.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Jax assured her, rubbing his jaw and gazing at Marco who was in considerable more pain than he was.
“Well it looks like *we* are the life of the party right now, people,” Lois said as she noticed that all eyes were on them. “Maybe we should get out of here, Mr. Jacks. You know Ned Ashton would love to use any negative publicity against you.”
Jax nodded and inclined his head to the writhing Marco, indicating for Mulder to get him on his feet and follow them. As they were leaving the gold room, Brenda was stunned to see another familiar face at the door.
“Pierre?” she said in astonishment.
“Hello Brenda,” he said and then he extended his hand to Jax. “Mr. Jacks, do you remember me?”
Jax nodded. “Are you responsible for this?” he asked nodding in Marco’s direction.
“Well no. Not for his rash behavior, but yes I’m responsible for his being here.”
“Why?” Brenda asked, confused. “Why are you both here? And why did he hit Jax; is he crazy?!” she demanded.
“Brenda, my dear, sweet child. Marco and I are here to take you home,” Pierre explained with a hopeful smile that she would be deliriously happy to hear this, bid adieu to Jax and leave on the next plane with them back to Monaco. “There is no longer any danger from your sister. Giselle is locked up in a sanitarium. It’s perfectly safe for you to come home now, Brenda. And your father desperately misses you and wants you to come home where you belong. He’s all alone now Brenda. He *needs* you. And by my count there is nothing keeping you here now,” Pierre insisted.
Marco let out a humorless laugh. “Oh perhaps one small thing,” he said eyeing Brenda with a look of betrayal. “The fact that she is *married!*” he spat out, still in a state of enraged disbelief at this mind boggling discovery.
Mulder had to let go of Marco to catch Pierre as the Minster of State’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out.