Thank you so much for all of the reviews. Glad to see there are so many other Brazen fans out there! =)
*
Brenda Barrett set her suitcases down carefully in front of the door. She should have called, she told herself she should have. The Quatermaines had been so good to her and she hated to just spring herself on them. The truth was she had no other place to go. She was lonely in Paris and she missed the only family she had ever known. So in the middle of the night, she packed her bags and bought a plane ticket. Now here she was on their doorstep. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to return to Port Charles so soon, the pain from her break up with Jax still stung in her heart, but she was willing to try it for the sake of her sanity. Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, the door came flying open and she was face to face with Skye.
"Brenda?" Skye stepped back, shock ringing in her voice.
"Hi," she managed a meek smile. The last thing she wanted to do was be nice to this woman, which she knew was the last thing Skye wanted to be to her.
"What on earth are you doing here?" Skye tried to gain her composure, balancing her hand on her hip.
"Um," Brenda began to explain, although she didn't know what to say.
"Brenda?" Ned came up behind Skye, with baby Kristina in his arms.
"Ned!" Brenda squealed, rushing past Skye and wrapping her arms around his neck. Thank God she didn't have to deal with Skye alone.
"What?...When?" Ned stammered with a grin on his face.
"I just decided to come visit," she giggled "And who is this?"
"This is Kristina."
Brenda reached for the baby, and much to Skye's dismay, Ned passed her lovingly over. Kristina began to smile and lightly play with her curly hair, which made both Ned and Brenda laugh.
"Ok, we're going to be late for the play group, Ned," Skye interrupted them, desperate to get out of the house and away from Brenda as soon as possible.
"But, Brenda's here now," Ned insisted, shutting the door back "I don't think Kristina would mind if we skipped the play date today, so she can see her aunt Brenda" he spoke to Kristina in a baby voice.
"Ned," Brenda laughed "I'm not really her aunt."
"You know, she's absolutely right," Skye nodded her head. This was the first time she and Brenda had ever agreed on anything.
"You are her aunt," Ned said firmly "You are like my sister and I want Kristina to know you."
"I'm just going to go upstairs," Skye rolled her eyes, as she headed up the staircase.
"Grandmother is going to be so happy to see you," Ned smiled, as he placed Kristina in her stroller "She's taking a nap right now...You wanna go with me to take Kristina for a walk in the gardens?"
"Sure," Brenda nodded, eagerly following him out the door.
It felt good to be home.
*
Courtney woke up with a crick in her neck. Sometime between 5 A.M. and sunrise, she had fell asleep on the couch. The television was still on, some infomercial about exercise equipment. When she was able to pull herself up into a sitting position, she noticed that Jason's jacket was gone.
He hadn't even said goodbye?
Rubbing her sore neck and shoulder, she stumbled over to the desk to get another pill when she spotted a note by the telephone, scribbled in Jason's tiny writing.
'Courtney, had to take care of some things. Be back later tonight. Jason.'
She let out a frustrated sigh as she twisted the top off her bottle of pills and swallowed two without anything to drink. She took the note and wadded it up in her hand, tossing it into the trash on her way back to the couch.
*
Jason paced back and forth on the docks. He was avoiding going home. He knew it wasn't going to help matters if he stayed away but he didn't know what to say when he was around Courtney. Everything he said was wrong, she took everything in a different way than he intended her to and he felt guilty that he couldn't look at the situation the same way she did. He *was* angry with her for not telling him about the baby and he *was* angry with her for putting herself in the position she did, but he didn't blame her for having to jump off the ship.
He didn't feel the same way she did about the baby because he hadn't become attached to the idea like she had, a baby had been the last thing on his mind until it was too late. Last night, he had tried to talk to her, do his best to give her some assurance and she had brushed it off. He knew Courtney wanted him to grieve or yell at her, but he couldn't do either, so he was staying away.
"Jason?"
A familiar voice broke his concentration and he whipped around to see Brenda standing behind him. She looked good, more together and much stronger than the last time he had seen her. She seemed to have some light back in her eyes and when she smiled, it was warm and sincere.
"Brenda, what are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," she giggled "Actually, I just wanted to come home for a while."
"Well," Jason started toward her, a little smile forming on his lips "Welcome back."
The two hugged each other. Jason had forgotten what it felt like to hug her. She was incredibly tiny but her arms fit perfectly around his neck as she stood on her tiptoes to reach him.
"So," Brenda smiled as they pulled apart "How are things with Courtney?"
The smile on Jason's face quickly faded and his eyes went to the ground. He hated discussing private details of his life to anyone, especially Brenda because she always got too involved, just like Carly.
"Oh," Brenda whispered with surprise "Not so good huh?"
"It's just, we've been going through some stuff lately...I mean, we're still together and everything..."
"And you did ask her to marry you...I heard," she smiled "How about that, already planning on wife number two."
Jason shook his head and his smile returned with a little pretend annoyance.
"Yeah, well, I really screwed up the first time."
"Hey," Brenda playfully batted at his arm "I thought we did pretty good, like I told you before, we were the perfect married couple, right?"
Jason laughed.
"Brenda," Ned came around the corner "You ready to head back?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," she nodded, then turned back to Jason.
"I hope things get better with you and Courtney."
"Thanks."
She smiled as she turned and followed Ned with Kristina. Jason waited until they were out of sight, and with a sigh he headed to the apartment to see Courtney.
*
Brenda Barrett set her suitcases down carefully in front of the door. She should have called, she told herself she should have. The Quatermaines had been so good to her and she hated to just spring herself on them. The truth was she had no other place to go. She was lonely in Paris and she missed the only family she had ever known. So in the middle of the night, she packed her bags and bought a plane ticket. Now here she was on their doorstep. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to return to Port Charles so soon, the pain from her break up with Jax still stung in her heart, but she was willing to try it for the sake of her sanity. Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, the door came flying open and she was face to face with Skye.
"Brenda?" Skye stepped back, shock ringing in her voice.
"Hi," she managed a meek smile. The last thing she wanted to do was be nice to this woman, which she knew was the last thing Skye wanted to be to her.
"What on earth are you doing here?" Skye tried to gain her composure, balancing her hand on her hip.
"Um," Brenda began to explain, although she didn't know what to say.
"Brenda?" Ned came up behind Skye, with baby Kristina in his arms.
"Ned!" Brenda squealed, rushing past Skye and wrapping her arms around his neck. Thank God she didn't have to deal with Skye alone.
"What?...When?" Ned stammered with a grin on his face.
"I just decided to come visit," she giggled "And who is this?"
"This is Kristina."
Brenda reached for the baby, and much to Skye's dismay, Ned passed her lovingly over. Kristina began to smile and lightly play with her curly hair, which made both Ned and Brenda laugh.
"Ok, we're going to be late for the play group, Ned," Skye interrupted them, desperate to get out of the house and away from Brenda as soon as possible.
"But, Brenda's here now," Ned insisted, shutting the door back "I don't think Kristina would mind if we skipped the play date today, so she can see her aunt Brenda" he spoke to Kristina in a baby voice.
"Ned," Brenda laughed "I'm not really her aunt."
"You know, she's absolutely right," Skye nodded her head. This was the first time she and Brenda had ever agreed on anything.
"You are her aunt," Ned said firmly "You are like my sister and I want Kristina to know you."
"I'm just going to go upstairs," Skye rolled her eyes, as she headed up the staircase.
"Grandmother is going to be so happy to see you," Ned smiled, as he placed Kristina in her stroller "She's taking a nap right now...You wanna go with me to take Kristina for a walk in the gardens?"
"Sure," Brenda nodded, eagerly following him out the door.
It felt good to be home.
*
Courtney woke up with a crick in her neck. Sometime between 5 A.M. and sunrise, she had fell asleep on the couch. The television was still on, some infomercial about exercise equipment. When she was able to pull herself up into a sitting position, she noticed that Jason's jacket was gone.
He hadn't even said goodbye?
Rubbing her sore neck and shoulder, she stumbled over to the desk to get another pill when she spotted a note by the telephone, scribbled in Jason's tiny writing.
'Courtney, had to take care of some things. Be back later tonight. Jason.'
She let out a frustrated sigh as she twisted the top off her bottle of pills and swallowed two without anything to drink. She took the note and wadded it up in her hand, tossing it into the trash on her way back to the couch.
*
Jason paced back and forth on the docks. He was avoiding going home. He knew it wasn't going to help matters if he stayed away but he didn't know what to say when he was around Courtney. Everything he said was wrong, she took everything in a different way than he intended her to and he felt guilty that he couldn't look at the situation the same way she did. He *was* angry with her for not telling him about the baby and he *was* angry with her for putting herself in the position she did, but he didn't blame her for having to jump off the ship.
He didn't feel the same way she did about the baby because he hadn't become attached to the idea like she had, a baby had been the last thing on his mind until it was too late. Last night, he had tried to talk to her, do his best to give her some assurance and she had brushed it off. He knew Courtney wanted him to grieve or yell at her, but he couldn't do either, so he was staying away.
"Jason?"
A familiar voice broke his concentration and he whipped around to see Brenda standing behind him. She looked good, more together and much stronger than the last time he had seen her. She seemed to have some light back in her eyes and when she smiled, it was warm and sincere.
"Brenda, what are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," she giggled "Actually, I just wanted to come home for a while."
"Well," Jason started toward her, a little smile forming on his lips "Welcome back."
The two hugged each other. Jason had forgotten what it felt like to hug her. She was incredibly tiny but her arms fit perfectly around his neck as she stood on her tiptoes to reach him.
"So," Brenda smiled as they pulled apart "How are things with Courtney?"
The smile on Jason's face quickly faded and his eyes went to the ground. He hated discussing private details of his life to anyone, especially Brenda because she always got too involved, just like Carly.
"Oh," Brenda whispered with surprise "Not so good huh?"
"It's just, we've been going through some stuff lately...I mean, we're still together and everything..."
"And you did ask her to marry you...I heard," she smiled "How about that, already planning on wife number two."
Jason shook his head and his smile returned with a little pretend annoyance.
"Yeah, well, I really screwed up the first time."
"Hey," Brenda playfully batted at his arm "I thought we did pretty good, like I told you before, we were the perfect married couple, right?"
Jason laughed.
"Brenda," Ned came around the corner "You ready to head back?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," she nodded, then turned back to Jason.
"I hope things get better with you and Courtney."
"Thanks."
She smiled as she turned and followed Ned with Kristina. Jason waited until they were out of sight, and with a sigh he headed to the apartment to see Courtney.
