"So, that's it." Lorenzo Alcazar stood over the bar in his penthouse, his hands hovering over the glasses and canisters. He threw a few cubes of ice into a lead crystal glass, then splashed three fingers of scotch over the top. He turned slowly and looked at his brother with incredulity. "You expect me to believe that you're just going to leave her alone."

Luis smirked. Lorenzo never did have much faith in him, or see the method in his madness. Not that Luis could blame him. He'd changed his mind enough times where his personal life was concerned that he could easily be considered flaky. Though, when it came to Brenda, Lorenzo should have known he knew what he was doing. Who knew her better than Luis, anyway? Not a soul. Not even herself.

Laughing, Luis stretched his arms out on either side along the back of the sofa. He crossed his legs, hooking his right ankle over his left knee, and rolled his head to the side. His lips pursed, flattening his chin, then released his mouth with a smack. "I know what I'm doing, Lorenzo. Trust me."

Lorenzo barked a laugh. "That's a good one. Trust you." He took a sip from his drink, then pursed his lips. He took another sip, then walked casually to a large leather chair to Luis's left. He held his glass gingerly with his fingertips. "The last time I trusted you…"

"I took a bullet in the shoulder."

"No." He narrowed his eyes, then took another drink, this time longer. "I'm talking about your judgment where your own mess is concerned, and you know that." Lorenzo rolled his eyes, then ran a hand through his hair. "I know better than to trust you. You'll always make the wrong decision."

"Is that why you didn't tell me that Brenda wanted me to come and get her?"

"Don't give me that, Luis." Lorenzo bent forward and set his glass down hard on the mahogany coffee table before him. He rested his forearms on his legs, elbows just above the knees leaving part of his arms to dangle, and cocked his head towards his brother. "We both know exactly why I didn't tell you and it has more to do with her than it does with you."

"Now, who's feeding who a line, hermano?"

"You're the one who feeds lines, Luis. I deal in the truth." Lorenzo leaned back in the chair, slouching. His black shirt, opened down to the third button, wrinkled at his stomach. His slacks bunched at the top of his thighs. He was obviously tired, weary of the drama that always came along with Luis. "The truth is, Luis, that she needed to move on. How long do you think Brenda would have lasted on the run with you? A few weeks here and there is one thing, but years… You would have never come back here if Corinthos hadn't showed up in town. But, she would have come back. And we both know that, with the right pressure, she'd have given you up. You'd have landed in jail, and she would have never forgiven herself. So, don't tell me that I kept something from you just because I don't trust your judgment. You're not the only person involved here."

Luis looked at Lorenzo and groaned. He hated when his brother was right, and that happened often. Probably because Lorenzo actually thought things through. Luis was more prone to just get up and go, do whatever popped into his mind at the moment. Occasionally, he would think something out, but never as thoroughly as his brother. Thought typically equalled right where the brothers Alcazar were concerned, which meant that nine times out of ten, Luis was going to be wrong.

But, he wasn't wrong this time. He didn't think he'd ever been wrong where Brenda was concerned. He might not have always been perfectly on cue, but he'd never been completely wrong. He could have taken her away with him when he left, talked her into it or even drugged her and carried her off. But, he'd left her there. He'd known that she wouldn't last long, that in the end, she'd grow to hate him for taking her away from everything, for getting her involved in his underworld garbage all over again. But, he knew that she would never stop loving him. He knew that she would always be there whenever he made it back to Port Charles. He knew she would always belong to him.

"Spring break is coming soon," Luis said, rolling his eyes to look towards the fireplace. "I thought I'd take the girls and Michael down to Caracas for a little fun."

"Like Carly and I would let you take our kids, anywhere? Let alone AJ. You're not my idea of adult supervision." Lorenzo snorted. "And stop changing the subject."

Luis gave his brother a growl. "No faith in me at all." He rolled his eyes as Lorenzo shrugged. What a wonderful twin he had. Luis sighed and shook his head. "We both know that Brenda could never love anyone other than me."

"So says the man who's not currently engaged to her."

"Bah!" Luis stood up, jerked up as though he were on strings. He crossed over to the bar and picked up a large decanter of bourbon. He held the neck tightly in his hand, his head turned towards the fireplace.

"That's Carly's favorite," Lorenzo told him. "You break it, she'll ban you from this penthouse."

"And she'll forgive me in a couple of days when I replace it." He sat the decanter down, then picked it back up. Foregoing ice, Luis poured half a crystal tumbler, then drank half of it quickly. He turned towards Lorenzo and grimaced. "She won't marry him."

"The wedding is in a month, Luis. She's still taking RSVPs."

Luis looked at him in shock. "Don't tell me you and Carly got an invite."

"Not hardly." Lorenzo rolled his eyes, then picked up his glass. He finished the rest of the scotch, then put the glass back down. Ice clinked against the sides. Lorenzo sat back in his chair and smirked. "Jason and Sam got invites, and she's making Jason go."

"Wonderful." Luis knocked back the rest of his drink, then poured another. "He'll be there to see the fall of Jasper Jacks." Luis walked back to the sofa and sat down hard. The bourbon sloshed inside the glass, just low enough not to spill over the top. He stuck a finger in between his tie and shirt, ripping at the tie. Suddenly, it was choking him. It could have had anything to do with insecurity. Luis wasn't an insecure man. He surmised that it had to be because of Lorenzo. "Trust me, Lorenzo, she won't marry him."

"You keep saying that, and she keeps on planning." Lorenzo's head rolled to the side. His hair fell into his face and he shoved it back. His hand lingered in his hair for a moment, then fell to the arm of the chair. "Face it, Luis, you might have missed your chance."

"Never." He took a drink from his glass, then lifted it to his head. Even without ice, the side of the glass was cool against his skin. "Why can't you just believe that Brenda's in love with me, and only me?"

"Because she's marrying someone else."

"By default. Don't forget that." He let his arm fall down until the bottom of his glass rested against his thigh. He rolled his head towards Lorenzo. "She may have some love for him, but I'm the only one she'll ever marry."

Lorenzo laughed. "You? Get married? Why don't I see that in your immediate future? Or your distant future for that matter?"

"Because you think you're the only Alcazar that can do right by a woman. But, let me tell you something, hermano. You're not. I love her, and I know that she'll be mine. I've left her with the thoughts. I've left her with the memories. Even if she makes it down the aisle, she'll never go through with the ceremony. The only last name she'll be hyphenating with is Alcazar. You can count on that."

Luis tipped his glass towards his brother and grinned. Lorenzo didn't return the expression, but Luis didn't really care. Whether Lorenzo believed in him or not didn't matter. Whether he believed in the love that his brother shared with Brenda didn't matter. The only thing that counted was what Luis knew. That Brenda would never make it to becoming Mrs. Jacks. She would never be able to make it through vows that she knew she'd never be able to keep. Brenda Barrett would be his again, just as she was always meant to be.