Brenda's Recovery #2  January 9, 1998 - May 25, 1998: 8 hour original edit

At the Grill Ned and Bren discuss her legal and dire financial situation. Ned buys her L&B shares so that she can pay off her lawsuits. Later Bren and Robin meet, and Robin convinces Bren to leave lunch and go ask Lucy if she still has a job. Bren goes to confer with Lucy, who is not in. Don lets it slip that another model is around. Bren immediately assumes she doesn't have a job and he does not contradict her. Bren talks about how easy she had it in her modeling career and how she is now ready to work for it.

Robin & Brenda fly in to Manhatten to beat the streets finding B an agent. Robin plays manager & moral support. They take an inflight stroll down memory lane as Brenda recalls her teen days, starting with the Parisian race-car driver she dated and Julia hated, thru her debut at Jason's b-day party, her mad crush on Jagger and basically how horrid she used to be. In NY we get a montage of rejection; as "Don't call us, child, we'll call you" plays, we see Brenda on a variety of decreasingly swanky office couches responding to unseen agents questioning every possible negative aspect of her past and of her physique. When she is asked to pose nude, she plays angry psycho and leaves laughing, encouraging an aspiring model in the lobby to keep trying for better.

At Brenda's Mike is talking to Robin, telling her about the Christening. Brenda comes in, and is surprised to see Mike. V. calls with the news that Jax's plane had gone down. Jax comes in, he wasn't gone long just long enough for Brenda to realize how much he means to her. He brought her a present, ice skates.

Brenda and Jax are chatting when Ashley arrives at the Grille. Brenda recogni zes the fellow-model and begins introducing her to Jax, but he already knows her. As a matter of fact, she's having dinner with Jax. Oops. Brenda becomes a third wheel at Jax' insistance, while Ashley shares some modeling advice. When Ash slips away briefly, Jax and Bren discuss her career oppportunities. Now that Bren's exclusive contract is kaput, she's finding modeling a tough row to hoe. Brenda finds it strange to think of Jax dating Ashley. She wants Jax to have a life of his own--but seems none too happy to see him take her at her word. Bren tells him that any woman who would let him get away would be a real fool. She also tells him how upset she was when she heard that his plane went down.

A glum and lonely Brenda is made ever glummer when she stops by Jax's room and finds Ashley there, champagne glass in hand. At Brenda's, she and Robin have breakfast. Then, Brenda left to go on her first post-breakdown modeling gig, but wouldn't tell Robin where or what it was. When we later saw Robin at the hospital, she was wearing Brenda's coat - and pulled out a flyer for an auto show. Which happened to be Bren's modeling job - Genie Motors , in a genie costume.

Ned and Jax are having a business meeting at Ned's house. Enter Brenda. Jax wants her to know what they're talking about, and Brenda agrees that Jason should be pummelled if it's for a good cause. she amuses the men with an account of her Genie spokesmodel stint-- she's apparently done so well the company is considering hiring her to do their commercials, if she can resolve her lawsuit problems. That's why she's come to talk to Ned. Ned gets a call (apparently from Alexis) and moves to another room to talk to her, leaving Brenda and Jax alone. They wish each other Happy Valentine's Day. Brenda asks Jax to dinner-- her treat. Jax turns Brenda down, regretfully telling her he has plans for the evening.

A frenetic Brenda is making plans. Robin asks what's up. Brenda has a Big Surprise for Jax. Robin, sensibly, asks how she's affording it. Brenda is going to max out her credit cards and pawn her jewelry . She is about to go shopping and she opens the door to Jax! Carly & Jason are shopping for a suit. Brenda runs into them and reams Jason for betraying Robin. Carly suggests Brenda go look for a nice fashionable strait-jacket in her size. Jason tells Brenda never to hurt Robin again to get back at Sonny. Brenda leaves, saying "You've become Sonny!" Brenda, back home, tells Robin she bumped into Jason -- with Carly. She apologizes about the way she treated Robin "when I had my nervous breakdown."

Next. Brenda preparing to shoot her new Genie Motors commercials, and she is informed by the sponsor that he has decided to supplement the commercials with a print campaign. He's arranged for a photographer to shoot it on the same set at the same time they're doing the commercials, so Brenda will get two fees for one days work, which pleases her, and she will have to face a photographer, which doesn't. The photographer is the same one whose shoot Brenda had her breakdown not that long ago.

Later, Jax & Brenda are lounging on the floor of her living room in front of a roaring fire, and she's plying him with "French champagne." Then Brenda tells him that she is going to give him the same ultimatum he gave her "one year, eight months, and 27 days" ago. "Marry me now or you will never see me again."

Brenda's on tenterhooks, having given Jax her ultimatum to marry her. Jax sadly tells her no can do. It's too late for them to be anything more than friends. They had their chance, but they just couldn't make it work as a couple. The main reason was that he just wasn't the right man for her. She followed her heart, and it led her away from him. Then why did he kiss her? He admits he's still attracted to her, but the kissing was a mistake. They shouldn't kiss anymore. Next day, Brenda gets a new Genie outfit delivered and a contract for 6 additional commercials. Then, Brenda makes a budget and declares that she now has oodles of money to spend on Jax. Robin reminds her that Jax is a bazillionaire, and probably doesn't need to be wined and dined... Brenda insists that in order to change his mind, she must bepersistant and fun... just like Jax was when he was trying to win her over.

Later, Brenda is in the genie outfit, and answers the front door, obviously thinking it's someone other than Stefan: "Hello Master!" she says... Stefan regards her quizzically and steps into the room, asking for Robin and ignoring all of Brenda's attempts to explain her unusual attire. In the PC Hotel suite, Brenda drops in on Jax with a gift. Then she sees the tabloid about herself, with a quote from Mac. "[Brenda] is a time bomb ready to go off." They charge off to the Outback to confront Mac. Jax hits him and there's a handy photographer there.

At the Grille, Brenda shows up at Jax's table and a bucket of oysters is brought to the table, oysters that come from Morant's Pub in Ireland. She's had them flown in special.Somewhere in Monte.Carlo, Brenda leads Jax into a private casino where they meet up with their old friend Theo. Brenda gambles with Winnie over jax, and wins a bracelet. Jax and Bren return from their casino night, still gloating over their big win over the contessa. Upon returning, Brenda realizes Robin is missing. She heads to Jason's. He wants details from Brenda about Robin. Where was she supposed to be? Was there a note? Where was her car? What about her pills? Brenda answers all of his questions. Jason gets on the phone to Benny only to learn that there were no guards on Robin OR Brenda. Brenda is surprised and angry to learn the guards were on her even though she told him she didn't want them and tells him that if anything happens to Robin it's all his fault. Brenda goes off on Jason. Jason asks for 24 hours to find Robin without interference.

3/26 Jax is on the phone, Brenda looking worried. Jax tells his henchman that it might be Sonny. Jason comes in. "Where is she?" Brenda shrieks. "That's what you have to tell me." Brenda starts to babble and Jason tells her "You don't understand how things work, Brenda, you never did." He finally gets through. She tells him about the breakfast Robin was to organize and Robin's comment about not getting paid for things she wanted to do in the first place. Jason, the only customer of the Port Charles Clue Shop, thinks about Nikolas.He leaves. Jax tells Brenda that Robin being here is his fault. However, if she hadn't come he'd have had Brenda readmitted to the loony bin. They reminisce about his first time to meet Robin, water-skiing, and what a survivor she is. Later, jason has found Robin and bursts into the ER with Robin in his arms. Dr. Joe Scanlon takes over and Robin is wheeled away on a gurney. Later, she is in a private room with Jason by her side. Brenda and Jax enter, and when the dr. tells them that too many are in the room, Brenda tells Jason he should leave. Next, Brenda knocks on Jax's door. Jax ushers her in, presents her with a bouquet and wishes her a happy birthday. Brenda tells him she's decided to have a party for herself and, since Robin can't come to them, they'll have it in her hospital room.Brenda appears in Robin's room pushing a large cart filled with birthday goodies. Ned gives Brenda some gifts from the Q's.

Brenda runs into Jason and she apologizes for blaming Jason for Robin's kidnapping, but says that something like that really could happen someday. Later: Robin, Jax, Brenda, and Ned are cutting into Brenda's birthday cake. Ned give her his gift: ten shares of L&B stock. Brenda tells Ned that she spoke to Lois today, and heard Brooke Lynn say "bye bye". Jax gives Brenda his gift: the ruby bracelet Brenda won from the Contessa and then pawned.

At Pier 52, we see that action from a reporter's point of view. She announces the incoming local celebrities and interviews Edward. Brenda and Jax arrive and the reporters flock around them asking about their relationship. Brenda sees Carly & Jason arrive and says she hopes Robin isn' t watching this on TV. Carly leaves and talks to Brenda. Brenda says that it's sad that Michael has to grow up in that penthouse surrounded by guards. And Carly replies, "Feel sorry for yourself Brenda, I'm sure that won't be much of a stretch...." and walks away. Ned stops speaking and turns over the podium to Edward and Jax to sign the documents. Edward hands the pen to Jax. Jax is now alone at the podium.... wWe see the world through the sniper's sights: first Jax, then Jason, then back to Jax. Brenda spots the gun and pushes Jax out of the way as the gun goes off...Brenda is shot, just a flesh wound in the arm. Brenda arrives at Jax's penthouse in time to witness the mop up of the assassination plot .. Next, Jax's parents arrive in town. They came because their son got shot at and Brenda was hurt. Just then Brenda comes in. They fuss over her with Ashley struggling to get the spotlight back. John and Lady Jane make a fuss over Brenda till she displays the tiny tiny bandage. The foursome leave for dinner, thus missing the call from Mac that comes in on the answering machine, in which Mac warns Jax that Mitchell had a partner and Jax is still in danger.

Brenda blams in and tells Robin how all her plans for getting Jax back are falling into place. Jax's mom and dad are so eager to hook them up that Bren's sure she'll get her man anytime now. Robin tries to be the voice of reason, telling her to go slow. Jerry's meets Brenda and flirts with her. Brenda and reunited Jax family get together. Brenda comes into the P.C. Grille and sees Jax. He tells her he wants his folks out of town. He says it's because Jerry is there, but she says it's because John and Lady Jane agree with her that Jax should marry her. Brenda comes in to O. She's surprised to see Jax, she is there to meet someone about a series of national car commercials. The producer comes and he and Brenda talk. They toast in the champagne. Brenda excuses herself and the producer calls Jax. Brenda overhears of course and leaves in a huff. Brenda and jax meet at the Outback, where she lets him know right off the bat that she is furious with him. Why? Because she thinks he was responsible for getting her the modeling job that involves location shoots at exotic locations around the world, and so of course now she will have to turn it down. Jax pleads ignorance, and Jerry joins them at their table. Of course, it turns out that Jerry was the one who recommended Brenda for the job, not Jasper. Brenda turns her ire on him, and he counters that he was just trying to do her a favor. She moves off a short distance to make a cell phone call and Jerry gets a call as well, and waves Jax away so he can have a private conversation. Brenda bends down to pick up a piece of paper and thus is in a position to overhear Jerry angrily telling his mystery caller, "I don't owe you a cent. The deal was Scorpio gets framed for murder and it didn't happen." Brenda looks shocked. Bren rushes in an demands to speak to Jax alone--she acts pissed that he's still interfering in her life, but when Jerry vamooses, she tells Jax the real deal--that Jerry was responsible for the attempt on his life. Jax explains that Jason was Jerry's target. Jason was supposed be wounded so that the Jacks family could get more leverage on the docks things.

At Brenda's, her and Jax get close. Jerry shows up and breaks it up. Later, Brenda boards the ELQ jet to return to PC from her trip to NY, expecting to meet Ned. It turns out he took a commercial flight to get back to Port Charles earlier, since Brenda's photo shoot ran long, but there is another passenger-- Jason. Brenda wants to get off the plane, but the pilot tells her it would be hard to get a seat on a commercial flight on a Friday, so she reluctantly stays. She and Jason make no secret of their disdain for one another. Since there are no flight attendants, the pilot acquaints his passengers with the safety procedures,as per FAA regs, while Jason reads a book and Brenda looks peeved. Jerry gets a phone call from Jax--who's learned that the ELQ jet has disappeared with Brenda and Jason aboard. Ned, Jax and Jerry do their best to locate the whereabouts of the downed plane. Both passengers are knocked unconcious. Brenda wakens, then cries for Jason to wake up. A trickle of water gurgles through the plane door. At last he rouses and their argument resumes. Bren checks on the pilot--he's dead. They are able to get out of the plane, wind up in a vast lake. They survive and wake up on dry land. A plane flies over head..she wants a flare. Jason tells her not to waste it... it's a passenger jet, too high to spot the flare...besides the flares are all wet. Brenda slips down a hill (cracks me up when they later refer to this small incline as a cliff!). Moments of suspense as Brenda holds on to a root to keep from sliding down the slippery slope and Jason desperately tries to save her. She screams. He pulls. She collapses in his arms. She's re-injured her hip and is in pain. There's pain pills in the emergency kit. A search plane flies over head and Jason frantically tries to light a flare. But they're still all wet. It passes. Jason wants to keep walking. He has no choice but to carry her.

Jax is at the Police Station, Mac offers him a SWAT military helicopter. Jerry and Jax are going up in the copter. Back in the woods, Brenda is in pain. He was out looking for water but he is unable to find any. He's brought berries. They argue about who'll taste them and by the time she lets him know that she doesn't feel sick from eating the berrries - they are all gone! Brenda is optimistic that they will find water. Jason is pragmatic. She tells him they need hope. She makes a deal, she will be optimistic and hope for the best and he can expect the worst. It begins to rain. They discuss staying dry and collecting water in their shoes. Jason wants Brenda to talk so they can stay awake. They talk about Michael. She tells about her own dad . A plane flies high overhead and they bicker. Jason reminds her of the deal, since her optimism is wavering. Brenda tells Jason about fairy tales. He doesn't understand the concept. He wonders about the pumpkin. He talks about the glass breaking, and shoe not fitting anyone. Brenda decides to try Rapunzel instead. Jason asks how Rapunzel could wash her hair or go to the bathroom. Brenda gives up. He's hopeless.

It's night, and Jason is still carrying Brenda. They decide to stop but they try to stay awake. Brenda suggests thinking of more happy thoughts. Jason's idea of a happy thought is: "If we fall asleep, we'll get hypothermia and die." They're both quite cold. In an effort to stay awake, Brenda tells Jason about their trip to the prom (back when he was Jason Q) and how they almost had some rebound sex after being simultaneously dumped by Jagger and Karen (looking forward to this on Joan's Early Brenda #2!). Jason, of course, doesn't remember, but is entertained by the story as if it were another fairy tale. Brenda adds that Jason Q was her friend in those days and tried to warn her about Sonny. Brenda says Jason started to dislike her when he found out that she wore the wire. Jason agrees. Brenda reasserts that she would've never used the wire to send Sonny to jail, but after she found out that Sonny had been lying to her for over a year, she didn't know who to trust anymore. She went to the police to find the answers that Sonny refused to give her, and then wore the wire because they told her that if she didn't, someone else would. And, of course, it backfired: The action brought about by Brenda losing trust in Sonny, caused him to lose trust in her.

Jason says that Sonny still loved Brenda after she wore the wire, and that it was him (Jason) who condemned her for it. "But he didn't trust me..." said Brenda. Jason compares her experience with Sonny to his with the Q's. Like Sonny lied to Brenda, they lied to him and he hated it. But Sonny always told him the truth. Brenda says that the Organization will destroy Jason someday and that it will all lead back to Sonny. Jason disagrees: Sonny respected him and let him make his own decision. Brenda and Jason talk about Robin and how she's afraid of Jason's life. Jason finally understands how she feels, after being afraid when Michael was kidnapped. He never wants Robin to have to feel that way again. Brenda worries about Jason and wonders if he'd do better on his own, without her to burden him. She asks him to leave her behind.... Brenda wants Jason to get help, but he doesn't want to leave her alone. Bren is convinced that Jax will save them. She's ticked off that Jason is hovering over her--what, did Sonny tell him to do that? She wants to know, once and for all, why did Sonny leave her? Before Jason can answer, the sound of a helicopter above them draws their attention. They scream and yell to alert it of their presence. In the chopper, Jerry tells Jax that it's too dark to see and they should be heading back. The chopper heads off and Bren and Jase use this as an excuse to continue their Bickersons routine. Bren tells Jason she needs to know about Sonny's departure. It's the only way she can go forward in her life. Once again Jason's response is delayed--Jax's voice is calling for them. Jax and Brenda embrace as he finds the two survivors.

Brenda has nightmares in the hospital about the plane crash and Jax comforts her. Robin visits and they talk about the crash. Brenda admits that now she can see goodness in Jason but she still hates his job. Robin tells Brenda she wants to get back w/Jason, if he wants her. She is ready complete will birth control and disease protection. Robin doesn't want to make all the decisions in their relationship any more. Brenda is fairly supportive but worried.~ Jerry offers to make the arrangements for Brenda and Jax's trip to Malibu.

Jax and Brenda hop the Amtrak sunset express to Malibu, expecting a slow, romantic ride. Instead, it turns out the train is loaded with possible future divorceés headed to marriage counseling, the most obnoxious of which decide to sit with J & B. Amidst all the bickering couples, Brenda starts to feel pretty good about her relationship w/Jax, although their new "friends" point out the pitfalls of ruining a perfectly good friendship.

Brenda and Jax arrive in Malibu and reminisce. There is a long musical interlude with a montage of shots showingJ&B walking on the beach, riding a bike for two, then riding a bike for one with Brenda perched precariously on the handlebars. Jax and Bren promise their love for each other and decide to marry. Jax & Brenda arrive at the Baccanalia Ball, scenes of everyone dressed up in their costumes, dancing. After J&B leave, Katharine takes a header off the parapet. J&B arive at home, Jax decides to go home as Brenda is tired.

**The End**