Hey kiddies. I know the story is a bit serious right now (and what a downer, right?) but I promise I have plans to get lighter. Brenda is just going through a lot and she needs to get through it (with a little help from her husband, n'est-ce pas?). But she will get through it! Cross my heart. :) So read on.

Jason sifted through the shirts in his drawer with a scowl on his face. He couldn't find his favorite T-shirt. It was here yesterday, he knew it. And he was getting chilly with none on. An idea popped in his mind and he shook his head with warning as he left his room. He found Brenda downstairs on the couch with the newspaper in hand. In his shirt. It was only long enough to cover her at mid-thigh but that wasn't the point.

"Brenda," he snapped and she looked up. "Why are you wearing my shirt?"

"What? It's laundry day. I grabbed the first thing I found."

"Don't go through my things."

"Yeah, I'm sure you can go through mine, though, right?" she snickered, turning back to the paper.

"Take it off; I need to wear it."

"Get another shirt!"

"I want that one."

"It's occupied at the moment," she remarked. There was a knock at the door and she popped up from the couch with, "I'll get it."

Jason exhaled carefully as she rushed past him. She was wearing his shirt. Number one, that was his favorite shirt and no one was allowed to wear it. And number two, he had always thought it looked sexy when a woman wore a man's shirt; especially in the morning with their messed hair and bare feet. Jason rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands with frustration. He promised himself he was going to stop thinking things like that.

Brenda swung the door open, half expecting Marco to announce someone was visiting, but was met with Sonny, suddenly, instead. It took him a micro-second for his eyes to inspect the oversized T-shirt with her bare legs beneath.

"Nice shirt," he remarked, meeting her eyes which feigned boredom.

"Do you need something?"

Jason appeared behind her when he heard Sonny's voice and his boss's eyes flashed over the both of them then. There Jason stood, half naked, and Brenda in his shirt.

His dark gaze rested on Jason and said simply, "I need to talk to you."

Jason nodded once and turned to grab a shirt. Brenda began to turn away when Sonny spoke.

"How's it going?"

"Great," she replied. "And yourself?"

"Fine," he nodded then in a low tone went on. "How's married life agreeing with you?"

Brenda shrugged with, "Married to the mob. How good could it be?"

Sonny held her gaze, his practically sparkling with promise. "It could be great. It's too bad you haven't been shown that."

"Maybe I still will," she replied and the insinuation of she and Jason. It was one of the great blatant challenges she and Sonny often went through.

He grinned at her tease and Jason finally came out, fully clothed.

"See you later," Sonny said as she gave him a fake smile and closed the door.

Jason waited as Sonny gathered his thoughts. "Okay, Marco informed me yesterday that Steven has been on his cell phone at strange times in the night."

"He thinks Steven is working for someone else?"

"That's what he thinks," Sonny nodded. Steven was one of his guards and it was hard to come by loyal help when there was always someone ready to pay more.

"Do you want me to check it out?"

"It might just be a false alarm but keep your guard up," Sonny finished as Jason nodded. Sonny absently rubbed his mouth before he went on. "Listen. I know you think you understand what you got into but I'm pretty sure you don't."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

Sonny chuckled a little to himself as he thought of it then came back from his thoughts. "You need to be careful with Brenda."

Jason shook his head, indicating he didn't need the warning.

"No, listen," Sonny stopped him in all seriousness. "You don't know it; and I hope you never do; but she's got a way about her. One minute she's driving you crazy and the next..."

Jason watched Sonny drift off a bit.

"...the next minute she's just got you." His eyes rose to meet Jason's. "She hypnotizes you. And spellbinds you until you don't know which way is up or down anymore. And that's when she's not even trying."

Jason wanted to assure him that would never happen. Even if he did have eyes and knew Brenda was attractive he would never fall for her. Especially not like Sonny had.

"Anyway," Sonny murmured. "Just be careful."

Jason nodded his silent assurances and Sonny let him leave.

Brenda lay in her deep slumber in the silent room. Darkness lurked in every corner of the guest room, slinking with the clouds over the moon outside. One thick shape pulled away from the wall, floating over the carpet. It moved closer to the bed until it looked down at her sleeping, undisturbed.

A dark limb extended slowly; a hand covered in blackness; and without warning, snapped over her mouth, yanking her from her sleep with agonizing awareness. She tried to scream but all was muffled beneath the massive hand. She tried to thrash but was being weighed down so heavily. She couldn't see anything, though - darkness and shadows.

Brenda panicked, pushing and shoving at the form that was holding her so easily. All she could think of was to scream to Jason.

Suddenly the shadow leaned forward and the face of Luis Alcazar was illuminated by the moonlight.

"I love you, Brenda," he growled. "And I will never let you go."

______________________

Brenda awoke with a gasp, pushing herself to sit up in the bed. Her eyes immediately flashed around the room, seeing the shadows from her nightmare. One moved lightly from the curtain shifting, another swelled with a cloud from the window.

She grasped her head, trying to still her whirling, panicking mind.

Luis is dead. Jason killed Luis.

She repeated it over and over until she felt safe enough to open her eyes and look at the darkness in the guest room as the harmless forms they were.

She carefully slid from the bed, a pillow clutched comfortingly to her, as she silently padded out. The apartment was still and she took slow steps down the stairs. There was something about that guest room; it was so detached. It was a generic room, some random room with a bed and a closet. There was no life in it. It was devoid of any personal airs; it didn't have to be hers, particularly, just someone so there was a trace that there had been someone living there. But there was not and the emptiness only gave way to the shadows, drawing in her fears.

Brenda crept to the corner of the living room, next to the window so she could see outside, setting the pillow against the wall. She curled into the soft pillow and gazed outside, wishing she could hear the calm of the water to sing her back to sleep. She wished she could smell the ocean and the cool, fresh air from the sea.

She sadly let her eyes slide shut as she lay curled in the corner.

Jason woke with an unsettling feeling. It wasn't unusual. He was not a heavy sleeper, nor was his conscience clear enough to let him sleep without interruption. He took a deep breath as he sat up and knew he would have to get up before he would be able to sleep again.

He began to head out of the room but slid on a pair of pajama pants, remembering he did not live alone anymore. If he had been, he could walk around in his shorts but, as it was, he probably shouldn't.

Jason stepped down the staircase and slowed when he saw the ball in the corner. He squinted to see if it was what he thought it was then went over, crouching down to see closer in the darkness.

Brenda was sleeping peacefully in her corner again but now she had a pillow with her; there was intention to be there.

Jason sighed before quietly saying, "Brenda."

Her eyes opened the slightest bit and a flash of recognition went through them before she burrowed back into her pillow.

He almost snickered with amusement. "Brenda, you can't keep sleeping here. What's wrong?"

A long moment passed as he let her thoughts go through her sleep-filled brain.

"I like it," she ground out.

"Why?"

"don't like my room."

Jason resigned they would deal with her dislike of his interior decorating in the morning. "Come on," he nudged her a little but she didn't budge. She seemed to actually have fallen back to sleep in her pillow.

He couldn't bring himself to wake her up. Gently, his arms slid under her back and legs, lifting her as he stood. The stirring brought her to a half-conscious state as he ascended the stairs. But when he turned toward the guest room, she realized where he was taking her.

"No, I don't want to sleep here," she murmured, beginning to gently struggle.

"Okay, okay," he calmed her and she stopped squirming. He shook his head a little then turned and left the guest room.

Brenda had drifted back to her half sleep state when he laid her on the only other bed in the house; his. As he pulled away after setting her down, she held onto his arm, her eyes closed in her near slumber.

"Jason," she murmured and he froze as she clutched to his arm like a lifeline. "don't leave me."

He waited to see if she was fully aware of what she was saying; after awhile, he guessed she knew about half. Maybe it hadn't been the interior design that she disliked about the guest room; maybe she had actually been frightened by something. Being alone, sleeping in a strange room, who knew? Either way, something had disturbed her enough to drive her to sleep on the floor of his living room.

Brenda had pulled his arm up, hugging it as she had the pillow and he let it tug him down, carefully lying into the bed behind her as she held his arm captive. It wrapped around her now which (he assumed) was the point and he waited for her to wake up. To shove him away and tell him he was an idiot for getting this close to her. But she didn't. Her small arms merely clung to him, bringing him to nestle behind her.

As he waited, he found that the smell of her was sweet. The hands that were holding him were soft and her small body seemed to curl into his for comfort and warm shelter.

Jason carefully exhaled as his head hit the pillow. It was going to be a long night.

Jason shifted through the papers on his desk. He glanced at the clock seeing it said it was past seven in the morning. She had started moving around upstairs ten minutes ago. He hadn't been able to get out of her grip last night so he conceded and actually slept himself. When he woke, before the sunrise, and realized he was sleeping with Brenda lying in his arms, he had separated himself promptly. She was so deep in her sleep by then, he was able to slide away successfully.

He had made himself begin work after he had gotten out of bed. He most definitely did not let himself think about how he had spent the night and the fact that he slept better than he had in a long time.

Jason heard her about to descend the stairs and he quickly swiped up a T-shirt nearby, sliding it on. For some reason, he felt awkward with no shirt around her now.

Brenda cautiously stepped down each stair, seeing Jason, once again at his desk working. But something strange had happened that morning: she had woken up in his bed. Granted, he wasn't in bed with her (thank goodness) but that didn't change the fact that she had fallen asleep somewhere and woken somewhere else.

She absently rubbed her forehead as he ignored her with his work.

"Uh," she started. "Jason."

"What?"

"How did I... Was I sleepwalking, or something?"

Jason stopped his work and gave her a brief glance over his shoulder. "No."

She waited for him to explain but, as usual, it was as difficult as possible to speak to him. "How did I get in your bed then?" she asked, with exasperation.

He went back to his work but spoke while doing so. "You were lying on the floor down here. I put you in the bed."

Brenda nodded once, thankful for a clear answer. She took the newspaper from the desk and plopped into the sofa to read it. Jason paused in his writing and looked to her.

"Brenda, what's wrong with your room?"

"What room. I don't have a room," she noted, scanning the front page.

"You know what I'm talking about - the guest room."

"Nothing," she lied easily enough.

He watched her, waiting for her to finish the act. "Why won't you sleep in there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied with a look of disbelief and turned back to the paper.

Jason shook his head at her stubborn stance and waved it off, going back to his work instead of worrying about Brenda.

Jason woke a bit abruptly to a darkened bedroom. There must have been some sound that had caused the jolt in him to wake but it was silent now. He stayed still, waiting to hear more but nothing came.

Shifting in the bed, he turned to his side, able to watch the door he left open in case there was something out there. There was little chance anyone would get past all the guards outside his front door, though.

A minute or so past and he could suddenly make out a soft shuffling sound in the hall. The silhouette of Brenda sleepily dragging herself down the hall appeared as she past his door, toward the stairs.

"Brenda," he called carefully but firmly.

The shuffling came to a stop then slowly restarted, turning back to his door. He was sure she was conscious; this was no sleepwalk and never had been. She had her pillow clung to her again as she stood in his doorway in the dark. He couldn't see her eyes but knew she was awake enough to know where she was.

Jason motioned for her to come in with his free arm and it took a few moments before she did so. When she approached the bed, he pulled the sheet back for her and she automatically slid onto the bed, her back facing him the same as the night before. Jason set the sheet back over her after she settled in and watched her drift to a comfortable sleep with a furrowed brow. He carefully rolled onto his back, folding his hands over his chest as he stared at the ceiling.

Brenda was lying in his bed. Again. But that didn't concern him half as much as the fact that he really didn't mind.

…