Disclaimer: I do not own GH or any characters associated with them- nor do I own anything else you recognize… Heck, technically, I don't even own these words- each specific word, that is- I do however own my thoughts (most days) and the sequence in which you see these words…

A/N: Another update! LOL… So, I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but Jax didn't go traipsing after Jerry in Africa- however, he and Carly did post-pone their wedding, just in case Jerry really got himself into trouble and Jax had to leave- they also decided that they should try just living together before they got married.

--Chapter Twelve--

--Metro Court--

"What the hell are you doing here, Brenda?" Carly growled. To say the beautiful blonde was completely pissed would be an understatement- there was certainly no love lost between Carly Corinthos and Brenda Barrett, and everyone in Port Charles, New York, was well aware of just how much the two hated each other. Though it had been years since Brenda had dared to show her face in the town, Carly wasn't entirely surprised to see her- the witch just couldn't seem to stay away. Carly knew that, soon, she would have her little nails dug into both Sonny and Jax and she hated that. She hated that Brenda was important to them- she would never understand what they, or anyone else, saw in her.

Of course, the feeling was mutual- Brenda became nauseated at the thought of being in the same room as Carly, let alone in the same category- which is exactly what had happened with Jax and Sonny. The two men had long ago decided that both Carly and Brenda were of equal importance to them- it was one of the few things they had ever agreed upon.

"What's it look like I'm doing here?" Brenda retorted, her tone just as menacing as Carly's. "I believe I have a reservation," she told the frustrated-looking blond. Actually, frustrated really wasn't the word, Brenda thought with a smirk. Carly looked like she wanted to leap over the reservations desk and engage in a catfight- which, Brenda had to admit, definitely had merit. She could certainly use the entertainment it was sure to bring her, and she'd love to kick Carly's butt.

Carly's face reddened significantly and she threw her head back and laughed- not a happy-to-see-you-again or a this-is-the-funniest-thing-I've-ever-heard laugh, either. Nope, this one could only be described as purely evil. Cackling- that was it. She was cackling like the wicked witch of the west or Cinderella's evil step-mother. Both were roles Brenda had always easily associated with Carly. "There is no way in hell you are staying in my hotel, you little-"
Brenda snickered, highly amused by Carly's little rant. She wasn't at all surprised that Carly was trying to refuse her reservations. She cut her nemesis off with a laugh. "Do you really think Jax would appreciate it if you through me out, Carly?" Okay, so maybe using Jax was a little low- but Brenda just loved the way Carly's face contorted in fury when her fiancé's name was brought up.

If ever in her life Carly had heard "fighting" words, those were them- there was no way she was going to let Brenda Barrett- little miss "I'm a gorgeous super-model who can have any man she wants, including your ex-husband and fiancé, and you know it"- use Jax against her. It was bad enough she had to put up with St. Robin because of Jax's friendship with the little twit- not to mention Sonny's and Jason's, she thought with an irritated huff- she wasn't going to take attitude from the princess here. "I'm Jax's fiancé- he'll respect my wishes."

Carly inwardly winced at those words- of all the things she could have said, should have said, that was probably high on the list of "Words That Will Only Get Carly Into Trouble," but at this particular point in time, she couldn't bring herself to care- and there was certainly no way she was going to apologize to Brenda, of all people, just to avoid a fight with Jax.

Brenda's eyes flooded with anger and the only thought in her mind was something akin to the shouting on Jerry Springer. "Puh-leaze," she stressed each syllable of the word for dramatic emphasis- because, really, let's face it, she is Brenda Barrett and "Dramatic" really should be her middle name. "Up until like a year ago, Jax hated your guts- how you got him to turn a blind eye to your numerous flaws, namely your selfishness and the fact that you'll lie about anything if it'll get you what you want, is beyond me, but it doesn't really matter. You'll slip-up in this little act of yours, and he'll see you for what you really are- a selfish, lying bitch who's not above using anything she has to in order to get what she wants," she retorted with a sneer.

Unable to contain her anger a second longer- after all, she'd never been known for holding back when it came to her emotions, or backing down from a fight- Carly reached over the counter and slapped Brenda across the face. The sound of skin hitting skin seemed to echo throughout the surprisingly empty lobby of the hotel, momentarily shocking Brenda.

At the sound, Robin's head snapped up- her attention had, at last, been gained. With a heavy sigh, regretting the fact that she was about to step in to break the fight up- she couldn't believe it, but she didn't want Jax or Jason mad at her for letting Brenda and Carly rip into one another- she stepped out from behind the pillar she'd sought as a place of peace to collect her thoughts.

At the same moment, Carly stepped from behind the counter and Brenda, acting purely on impulse and driven by adrenaline, angrily whipped her own hand across Carly's face. In the time it took to blink, the two were consumed in an all-out catfight, harshly pulling at one another's hair, pinching skin tightly with their long and perfectly manicured finger nails, and kicking furiously- unable to maintain their balance on their high-heeled shoes, the pair stumbled into the seating area, disrupting the coffee table that had been placed there, and tipping over a chair as they tried to catapult each other into it.

Hearing the grunts of pain and screams of anger, Jax rushed into the lobby, expecting to see someone hurt or even dying. Instead, he found a flurry of blond and brunette hair and limbs attacking from every angle. Immediately, he recognized Carly and, sparing a glance at Robin, he was glad to note that his long-time friend and his fiancé had not finally come to blows, as he and many other Port Charles citizens had been expecting for months. Some semblance of peace remained between the bitter enemies, at least. With that thought, he turned his attention back to Carly and wondered just who had pushed her too far today- it was a rather large list but, when he caught sight of the petite brunette's face for a spit second as the fight continued to rage on and both he and Robin continued to go unnoticed, Jax found himself rooted to the floor in shock. Brenda.

"As much as it pains me to say this, shouldn't we break them up?" Robin asked, albeit a little hesitantly- she was, after all, always in the mood to see Carly get what was coming to her.

Jax, who had been so lost in his stupor, had not even realized his long-time friend had sidled up beside him and was now standing right next to him. "I suppose we should, yes," he replied, unable to hide the hint of amusement that snuck into his voice- he hated when Carly got into fights, especially with people he cared for, but he had long ago come to the conclusion that Brenda and Carly were just destined to be enemies. Seeing as both were rather passionate and tended to act on impulse, it was inevitable that fights between them would ensue, and he had gotten used to seeing them like this.

He sighed and shook his head, taking a step toward the fighting women and reaching into the tangle of arms and legs, not really caring at that point who he grabbed, so much as the fact that he separated them. In the end, after getting smacked, kicked, and even punched several times himself, he successfully grabbed hold of Carly's waist and drug her away from a wild-looking Brenda. "Would somebody," he began slowly, carefully eyeing the three women standing before him, "care to tell me what's going on here?" The tone of his voice and the steely looks he shot each of them told them that, though he phrased it as a request, it was anything but.