Updated 8/19/18

A Thin Line

Brenda needed help and Jason rushed right to her side. Will fate bring them together or will other forces pull them apart?

A/N Jason and Brenda were never married before. This isn't a long story. It's about 14 chapters.

Chapter 1 – To the Rescue

Jason ran into the building with his gun drawn. The phone call he got from Brenda is running over and over in his mind and he'll do whatever it takes to find her.

"Jason, it's Brenda—help me! They have me in some kind of warehouse. They are Russian." And then came the ear-piercing scream.

He had Spinelli trace the call to an abandoned building at the far end of the waterfront and he had exceeded every speed limit to get to her. Four years had passed since he last saw her. Sonny is still with Carly and Jax had moved on with Kate. He isn't even sure why Brenda was back considering the reason she left.

A bullet ripped through his arm, sending a sharp pain through his upper body. His arms swung in the direction the bullet had come from and he pulled the trigger and a body hit the ground hard and then, methodically, he made his way through the hallway killing everyone that he came across. A door which is slightly ajar got his attention and he burst into the room. Brenda is gagged with a man hovering over her about to rape her. Jason shot him in the back of the head and then pushed him aside. Brenda is almost naked and her eyes are staring ahead like she had checked out.

"Brenda?" he said. Carefully, he removed the gag and then untied her hands before grabbing a sheet that had been tossed aside to cover her.

She seemed to snap out of it and crawled away from him clutching it.

Someone ran through the doorway and Jason shot him, prompting Brenda to start whimpering.

"Brenda, it's Jason."

Her eyes seemed to focus. "Jason?"

"Yes."

She started sobbing and he moved closer and then picked her up. "I'm going to get you out of here." Her body trembled as he safely made his way back to the car and laid her on the backseat and then drove to the penthouse. Occasionally, he glanced at her through the rearview mirror, but because of how she is curled up, he can't see her face. He called ahead and told Max to bring the doctor and make sure Spinelli stayed away. No one is allowed by the doors because he doesn't want to spook her.

After parking the car, he eased her off the backseat and she buried her head into his shirt as he took her upstairs. Once inside the penthouse, he carried her to his room and gently laid her on the bed.

"What do you need?"

"A bath."

"Did he rape you?" he asked as softly as he could.

She shook her head no. Relieved, he went into the bathroom and ran her a bath.

"I'm going to go downstairs and get you some tea." Spinelli drank it sometimes, so he knew it would be in the cabinet. Brenda and Lila used to always have tea, so he thought it might sooth her nerves. He went over to his drawer and got out a sweatshirt and handed it to her. It would be pretty big on her so he figured it would do.

"J-Jason you're bleeding."

He glanced at his arm. "It's okay. It's just a flesh wound. The doctor should be here any minute," he said before walking into the hallway.

She slowly got up and made her way to the bathroom and then sunk into the water and laid her head back. She is tired, bruised, and emotionally drained, but she had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life when Jason had found her.

Once the doctor arrived, he cleaned up Jason's wounds and left. When Jason went upstairs to check on Brenda who is just coming out of the bathroom, he looked the other way and placed the tea on the nightstand.

"I can stay in the guest bedroom."

"It's okay. You can stay here." Sleeping alone is not an option. She needs to feel safe.

Appreciating his gesture, she sat on the bed and sipped the tea and then laid down. He went to leave and she grabbed his arm. "Please stay with me. I can't be alone," she said as her lip quivered.

"Okay. Let me turn off the lights downstairs." It was odd seeing her so vulnerable. Brenda is one of the toughest women he knows. Sure, he had watched her break in the past, but that was more anger and hurt. This is fear and he hopes that she'll confide in him soon so he can get her out of whatever situation she had gotten herself into.

He locked everything down and then went upstairs and took a quick shower. He pulled a tee shirt on and some pajama pants and then crawled into bed with her. She turned and gazed at him with eyes full of tears which is killing him. His eyes take her in and she seems so much smaller than normal and it made him want to hold and protect her. When he rolled onto his back, she quickly moved closer and put her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat until she fell asleep.

Several hours later, her scream pierced his ears, jolting him awake and then he did his best to calm her down. He turned on the light so she could see him and she finally quieted. It was a very long night and she woke up in a panic several times and it would take about a half hour before she settled again.

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Jason dragged himself out of bed and went downstairs and made some coffee. He isn't sure what to do. She doesn't want to see anyone and he while he wants to abide by her wishes, she obviously needs more help than he can give her.

Someone knocked on the door and he answered it.

"Sam, what are you doing here?"

She tried to move past him, but he stopped her.

"You can't be here right now."

"Why not?"

"I have company."

Her eyes grow wide. "But, I just moved out."

"It's a friend and she's kind of traumatized. So, I'm sorry, but I can't talk to you right now."

Sam studied him for a minute. "It's not Elizabeth is it?"

He rolled his eyes. "What, are you obsessed with her or something? No, it's not Elizabeth. She's dating Patrick and from what I hear they are quite happy."

"Are we really over Jason?"

"Yes. I'm not sure what it will take for you to believe that, but I'm done explaining it. Now, you need to go." They just didn't work because she is too clingy and wants to be involved in the business which is out of the question. Not only does she not have the skill, but she also is constantly getting into trouble and expecting him to bail her out.

Tears pricked her eyes as she ran to the elevator.

Jason shut the door and locked it and when he spun around, Brenda is coming down the stairs.

"I'm not interrupting your love life, am I?"

"No. We were already over."

"Good to know. Jason, I do want to keep it a secret that I'm here. I just need some time to process everything and decide what to do."

"I understand."

There is another knock, so Brenda went around the corner to the kitchen just in case.

Max handed Jason some shopping bags and then shut the door.

"Is it safe?"

"Yes."

She came out and eyed the bags. "I didn't take you for the metro sexual type."

"Metro who?"

Brenda smirked. "Nevermind… What's in the bags?"

"Clothes for you."

"Wow. Thanks!" She put down her water and looked through them. "Nice."

"You can thank Max and Diane."

"Max has a girlfriend?"

"Yup. She's Sonny's attorney."

He noticed that she didn't even flinch when Sonny's name was mentioned. The last time she had seen him was before he had left her at the altar. She had no interest in re-visiting that relationship and could care less about him now, finally purging the man out of her system.

She sat on the couch. "Jason, I'm in trouble."

He sat next to her. "Tell me everything."