Homecoming Day

The one person in the world who Jax knew could lift him out of this despair was standing right there talking to a tall, 50-something man. He strode down the stairs and wrapped his arms around Chloe's waist from behind, then kissed her softly on the neck.

"Chloe, darling, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Jax asked.

"Rodric Singleton, at your service. And you are?" the dark-haired, olive-skinned man inquired.

Jax smiled. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Jasper Jacks and this is Chloe Morgan-Ashton.

"A pleasure, Mr. Jacks," Rodric said cordially.

"My friends usually drop the mister," Jax replied with a smile.

"Okay then...Jax."

Jax couldn't shake the feeling that he should know this man...it was as if they had met long ago. "Are you new to Port Charles?"

"Yes...my wife and I just moved into a brownstone on Charles Street a week and a half ago. We're professors at PCU," Rodric replied cordially.

"Oh...where did you move from?" Jax asked.

"Boston. We were on staff at Boston University. Before that it was Belize."

"I see. It sounds like you get around."

Rodric smiled and laughed. "Well...I don't know about that. Just Belize, Boston and now Port Charles."

"So you were born in Belize?"

Rodric looked a little uncomfortable, but he answered Jax's question. "Well... actually, I don't know. My wife and I were in a terrible accident several years ago. Neither one of us remembers a thing that happened to us before the explosion. We just washed up on shore in Belize. No one there knew us, but no one seemed to be looking for us either. Nothing to do but make a fresh start of it."

"Terrible," Jax said softly. "Don't you ever wonder if someone out here in the world is missing you...looking for you?"

"Constantly...but I have Abby. She keeps me focused."

"Abby...you're wife?" Jax asked.

"Yes. She's wonderful...so creative...full of life. Without her, I don't think I would have ever gone on with my life. She means everything to me."

"Well...it's very nice to meet you," Jax said. "I'd love to meet Abby sometime."

"I think she would like that too." Rodric looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, then said, "I can see that you and Ms. Morgan-Ashton have something to discuss, so I will say good night."

***

Lucky decides to go back to the house to see his mother.

"Mom, I'm back. How is Liz?"

Laura chooses her words very carefully, so she won't scare Lucky. "Lucky, Elizabeth seemed to be in pretty good sprits. Audrey was taking her home when I got there and I was able to talk to her for a little while."

"Mom, how much does she remember?"

"Well, unfortunately she remembers very little. She has quite a shock and this is her body's way of not remembering. She remembers me just a little but the doctors say that she needs her friends around to help her remember. We can't rush her. All we have to do is answer her questions, which will help her.

"The fact that I disappeared and her getting attacked again is what caused her to forget. I wish I could have gotten back sooner, then this would not have happened."

"Lucky, this is not your fault. You could not have stopped this. If it wouldn't have happened to Liz it would have happened to someone else. The guy that did this is sick. How do you feel about going to see Liz tomorrow?"

"I would love nothing better, but she doesn't know who I am. I just look familiar to her. I want to be able to hold her like I used to."

"That will come with time. The good thing is that you look familiar. When she starts to ask about you, keep the answers simple until the questions get more personal. Everything will work out. Have you talked to your dad yet? Should I call him and have him come to the house for a surprise."

Lucky smiles and says, "I saw him at the hospital, but I don’t know if he really believed it was me. Surprising dad sounds like fun. You have to come with me when I go see Liz, don't you?"

“That is what Audrey suggested, at least for the time being. When she starts to remember more I won't have to go over there. I am going to call your dad and see when he can come over."

"Just say that you want him to come to dinner and talk about Lulu. Hopefully that will make him come all the sooner."

Laura calls Luke and is put on hold because he is on the other line.

"Luke, why don't you come to dinner tonight. I want to talk to you about Lulu and I have a surprise for you."

"I understand why Audrey wants that and as long as I get to see Liz it is fine."

***

After Rodric had gone, Jax faced Chloe and smiled. "Now...what was it that I was about to do? Ah, yes...I remember." After taking a quick glance about to make sure there were no prying eyes watching them, he kissed her gently, with quiet passion. When they parted, he whispered in her ear, "That was to quell any fears you might have had about where my heart lies. It is still true to you...Brenda couldn't change that by raising from the grave."

Chloe smiles widely. "Oh, Jax!” said happily. “You don't know how much this means to me!" Chloe tells him excitedly. But then she is swept up in his arms again in a passionate kiss.

After their kiss had ended, Jax looked down at Chloe and told her, "Never doubt how much you mean to me. I've never made this kind of connection with anyone before you. You see who I am and accept it without question. You make me feel whole again. Thank you."

Chloe looked up at Jax and smiled, because in her heart she finally knew who she always wanted to be with.

"It's no doubt that I should be the one thanking you, Jax. I always wondered ever since I was a little girl, who would be the one for me? But I never once thought that it would be a knight in shining armor, always there when I needed him. Jax, my heart is so filled with happiness right now. You don't know how much it meant to me when you came back."

Jax smiled broadly. 'I'm holding an angel in my arms,' he thought. "A knight in slightly tarnished armor maybe..." he laughed. "What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful woman as yourself? I don't remember ever having all my past grievances wiped clean by a fairy godmother or Merlin the Magician."

Jax looked into Chloe's beautiful, shining eyes and suggested, "Maybe we looked into the night sky one night as children and wished on the same shooting star... or threw pebbles into wishing wells, but what I do know is that you have made all my dreams come true. You are the other half of my soul and I am so glad I have finally found you."

"Now how can I say something to that?" she laughs. "I never thought fate would give me such a wonderful gift as you are, Jax. You're everything to me, and I don't know how I survived before I met you."

Jax kissed her lightly, then suggested, "How does getting lost together somewhere for a few hours sound to you?"

"I would go anywhere with you, Jax. Where to?"

Jax smiled. "Wherever you want! We could go somewhere neither of us have ever been...or back to Rome. You choose. I'll fly us there!"

Chloe smiled at the thought of spending all of her time with Jax. "I don't know about you, but I'm up for spending time in Antonio's kitchen in Rome sampling some of his wonderful chocolate. I don't believe we had the time to go there last time."

***

Rodric put his briefcase down next to the umbrella stand in the foyer and practically melted into the closest chair. "I'm home, Abby love," he called out.

When he didn't get a response right away, he looked over at the answering machine to see if there were any calls. It didn't overly surprise him when there weren't any messages.

'We've only been here a short while. Who besides the university would be calling us,' he thought.

As he stood in front mirror hanging over the table with the answering machine on it, he noticed something that he had not seen before...a gray hair. He resisted the urge to pull it out. Someone had told him once that if you pull a gray hair another ten will show up in its place.

Rodric studied his face in the mirror a little more. His blue eyes hadn't lost their gleam. A few more laugh lines had popped up around them, but they were still just as bright as ever.

'Without Abby those wouldn't be there,' he mused thinking about the laugh lines.

A moment later, Abby came through the front door.

Rodric smiled and rushed to his wife to give her a "welcome home" kiss. When he pulled back, he asked, "How about dinner out tonight?"

"Hi, luv." She smiled as she kissed her husband. "Dinner? Hmm, well I do have to grade those papers for my class tomorrow. But..." She saw the smile on his face. "Only if I get to choose the restaurant this time. Last time you picked that awful Chinese restaurant. Remember that?" She laughed. She looked into his baby blue eyes. She noticed something. "Rodric...what's this?" She asked as she pulled out the gray hair. "Is this a..." She looked around to make sure no one could hear. "A gray hair." She whispered while giggling.

Rodric frowned. "Did you have to notice? Now I know I have to colour it," he told her matter-of-factly. "Can't have my students thinking I'm an old man, now can I?"

He smiled a bit in spite of himself. "Anywhere you want to go for dinner is fine with me. I thought you liked Chinese, otherwise, I wouldn't have picked it."

As he stood there looking at his wife, he couldn't help but think that she looked just as young as she did when they "met" in Belize. Her dark brown eyes and long dark brown hair were still her most stunning features.

Waking up not knowing who you are is disorienting enough, but to do so and find out the woman lying in the hospital bed next to you is your wife, who doesn't remember you either, is even more so. Rodric took comfort in the memory of their discovery of each other. It seemed as though they were meant to be together. Even though they didn't know who they were themselves, it seemed their souls remembered enough of the love they shared to keep them together.

Rodric smiled as he looked into Abby's eyes. 'Fate's dealt me a pretty good hand. Who am I but a mere mortal to argue with that?' he thought.

"Let's go to dinner," he said cheerfully Abby smiled. "What's gotten into you?" She asked. "One minute your talking to me and the next you zone out. Are you thinking about those missing years?" She asked as her mind flashed to waking up in the hospital.

“Who are you?" She had asked looking over at the tall man. "I...I don't remember." He answered. Then the doctors came in and told us that we were married. They explained that a man had brought us in. They had only part of our ID's and all they could make out was an A and R. So we assumed the names Abby and Rodric.

I looked up to him and smiled. "I heard of this great little diner called Kelly's." I said smiling. "There known for there chili. That or there's this small nightclub called The Outback. It's run by some very nice people." I smiled. "Whatever you want."

Rodric smiled and replied, "The Outback...doesn't that sound like it's a little out of the way... Chili sounds very good right now. Kelly's... remember that little pub we loved so much when we went to Dublin last year? Wonder if this Kelly's can even compare?"

As they went out to the car, Rodric asked, "Have you noticed anything strange here? Ever since we got here, I've had some of the oddest feelings of deja vu. Kind of like the feelings you had in Canada last summer and Italy last winter."

Rodric didn't give Abby a chance answer just yet. He was still trying to put it all together so he could explain it to her.

"Like today... I met a man... Jasper Jax. He seemed so familiar... Like I should know him or the name and 'Jax' just isn't a name you run across every day...you know?"

"Well, Jax isn't a common name but maybe your think of that man we met in Italy. Remember him? The one who painted our picture by the fountain." I smiled remembering.

When we got to the car I hopped in the passenger side. We drove the short way to Kelly's and got out. As I walked up to the doors I smiled. "This seems like a nice little place." I said as we walked in. We sat down at a table near the window. I looked over at Rodric and was suddenly over come with a sense of deja vu. "Rodric, swear I know this place." I said. "I mean, the smell, the surroundings...Rodric I KNOW this place." I said breathlessly.

Rodric tried to smile. All the familiarity was making him edgy. Too many coincidences...too many familiar things in a new place. So many things felt right, but he didn't know how or why. Kelly's felt familiar, but something about it was off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something that was definitely off about it.

He picked up a menu and looked across the table at his wife, who was still lost in her feelings of deja vu. He reached across the small round table and squeezed her hand. "We'll figure it out, Abby love. I promise. In time, it will all come back to us. Maybe all these things are so familiar because they are like things we knew before Belize. Maybe we met in a place like this," he suggested. "Maybe you were the waitress and I was the short order cook," he joked.

Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. There was some clue to a life neither one of them could remember in this new place and he was determined to find it.

"You say the chili is supposed to be good here, Abby love?" he asked, hoping to bring her attention to him.

They had spent all their lives (the ones they remembered) with each other and in all that time, they had lived for the moment. They hadn't seen any point in trying to find something that seemed to have been lost forever.

The sight of their waitress coming out of the kitchen with a pad and pen in her hand brought Rodric back to the present.

"Hi, folks. I'm Tammy. What can I get you?" a cheery blond asked.

Rodric returned the smile. "My wife tells me this place is famous for it's chili. I'll try a bowl of it and a plate of cheese fries with a Coke."

"Good choice. You won't be disappointed. Ruby's chili is the best."

"Ruby's...I thought it was Kelly's?" Rodric asked in bewilderment.

Tammy's smile changed just a little. "Ruby was the owner for a lot of years. She bought the place from a man named Kelly and kept the name. Now that Ruby's gone, niece and nephew own it. I run the place for them."

"So how is it that I'll be eating her chili?"

"Ruby was prepared for anything. She froze enough chili to keep us going for the next ten years...or through a few major blizzards."

Rodric smiled in spite of himself. "Abby love, what about you? Are you ready to order?"

***