by Kira
SCENE: The Office of Elizabeth Diane. Victoria, Emily and
George
Bellamy are assembled. The mood is somber. Victoria has her head
bowed against the desk. When she raises it, she looks at her two
faithful
friends with deep emotion.
"There's nothing to be done." she stated, defeat etched in every line of
her pretty features.
George Bellamy sat forward immediately.
"Don't worry, Victoria - by tomorrow I will have --"
Victoria raised a hand, stilling him.
"Tomorrow is too late." she stated. His face was crestfallen.
Victoria
stood, struggling to balance her own emotions with those of her
dear
friends.
"I know you've tried, George. I know that."
"When I put those shares out there, we had no choice, Victoria. You
know our last profit earnings haven't been up to snuff. It was my
intention to purchase them back immediately with this quarter's yield.
I
never thought Eakes would sell.....never...."
"It's all right, George." Victoria assured him quietly. She walked
around
the desk, coming to place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze tightly.
He bowed his head.
Moving to Emily, Victoria embraced her tightly.
"Listen you --" she pulled back, fighting to maintain a brave smile,
"I
don't want any of your nonsense, you hear me? We're going to be just
fine. JUST fine, you hear me?"
Emily nodded.
Picking up her purse, Victoria Quartermaine straightened &
walked
proudly from the room.
SCENE: Jax's Hotel Room. As the doorbell rings, Jax thoughtfully
sips
his brandy. He consults his watch with a small smile. Then, putting
down the glass, he moves to open the door. Victoria stands there.
Without a word, he waves her inside. She moves slowly, knowing she
is
entering the lion's den.
"Mr. Jacks." she finally says, brushing a long strand of hair from
her
cheek.
"Mrs. Jacks?" he enquired back, a knowing smile tugging his mouth.
"Yes." she sighs heavily, "I suppose you're right."
"Shall we toast our merger?" Walking to the bar, Jax poured two glasses
of brandy.
Victoria walked over and eagerly accepted it, belting back the liquid heartily.
Jax raised one brow, silently.
"Now." she breathed, placing the empty glass back on the sideboard,
"Let's discuss this.....this....."
"Merger?" Jax supplied.
"Yeah." Victoria walked aimlessly to the middle of the room, uncertain
of
what to do next.
"Very well." Jax moved towards the couch, assuming the chair opposite
her after indicating her to sit. "After our marriage, I will return
controlling
shares of Elizabeth Diane into your name. I will also ensure that no
further attempt to overtake the company will succeed."
Victoria nodded.
"I will also fund the moving of the corporate headquarters to Port
Charles."
"Port Charles?" Victoria interrupted, "Where is that?"
"In the States." Jax supplied hastily, not happily interrupted,
"In
addition, I will -"
"Wait a minute! In the States?! As in the United States of
America?"
Victoria inhaled deeply, "As in the State of New York?"
Jax smiled, "Yes."
A speculative gleam entered Victoria's eye.
"I know it well." she finally said, "I've been there several times to visit
my
Uncle Edward & Aunt Lila. But then, you know that, don't you?"
"I know Edward & Lila, yes." Jax answered, as noncommital as ever.
"This is about Uncle Edward, isn't it? Is that it?? Omigod! Of course it
is!!
It makes sense now...I mean, this is about Uncle Edward. You're
planning
something against the Quartermaines???" Victoria leaned forward,
suddenly animated.
Without batting an eye, Jax replied smoothly,
"As I said, Victoria, your only concern is the fact that you will be my
wife
- and the conditions that go along with that."
"Conditions?" Victoria's brow furrowed, "I don't recall agreeing to
any
conditions, Mr. Jacks --"
"Jax." he corrected.
"That's what I said, Jacks." Victoria repeated, annoyed at the
interruption.
"No." he shook his head, "My name. It's just Jax."
"I see." Victoria clearly didn't see. Cocking her head, she
inquired,
"Should I be just Quartermaine, or what?"
Jax suddenly grinned.
"You're an amusing little thing, aren't you?"
Victoria almost smiled back, before the sobering realization of who he
was and what they were doing there suddenly crashed in on her.
"Listen, Jax...." she stressed the name deliberately, "I don't
recall
agreeing to either moving to Port Charles or any damn conditions...."
"That's probably because you haven't shut up long enough for me to set
any." Jax retorted smoothly.
Victoria's eyes narrowed, but she bit her tongue.
"Now, as I was trying to say. After our marriage, I will move
the
headquarters of Elizabeth Diane to Port Charles. You will be able
to
continue happily running your little enterprise without even missing
a
beat." At her open mouth, Jax bestowed a withering look, "Look, if
you're going to interrupt me after every sentence, we're going to be
here
until our first anniversary."
Victoria subsided moodily. "Fine."
Shaking his head, Jax once again leant forward.
"The conditions of our marriage are quite easy. First, I expect you
to
conduct yourself in a manner appropriate to a Jacks ....."
"So basically, no ground rules, right?" Victoria inserted swiftly.
The slight tightening of his mouth was his only response. Jax
continued,
"Second, I expect you to be faithful. In return, I can assure you of
the
same condition in return. Third - ."
"Wait!" Victoria held up a hand, unable to contain herself.
Jax sighed impatiently, "What is it?"
"Is this marriage.... I mean.... do you expect....?" Heat flooded her
face.
Victoria bit her lip hard, unable to continue.
"Do I expect you to share my bed?" Jax supplied, almost seeming to
delight in her discomfort.
"Yes." Her face burning, Victoria could no longer meet his direct gaze.
The silence was suddenly deafening. At last, unable to bear it a
moment
longer, she looked up at him, to find him watching her intently.
"Yes, Victoria." he answered, without a single flicker of emotion
crossing his devastatingly handsome face.
Victoria swallowed visibly.
"Shall I continue?" he finally asked, when she spoke no further.
She nodded.
"At no time shall you give anyone the impression that we married for
any
reason other than love."
Victoria's head shot up.
"What?!"
"You heard me correctly." he confirmed.
"But....but....no one .... I mean..... we don't even KNOW one another..."
"Ahhhh...but we will, Victoria." he promised menacingly, "We will."
"You expect me to lie to all my friends and family?"
"I expect you to be loyal to your husband." Jax said with emphasis,
"Which, by the way, is Number Four - the most important of ALL
my
conditions. I expect complete and utter loyalty."
"Are you acquiring a wife or a dog, Mr. Jacks?"
Jax chose to ignore that comment.
"Those are my conditions." he stated, "Shall I lay out how this will
be
accomplished now?"
"Please do." Victoria's voice was dripping with acid.
"This evening you will return home and pack. Tomorrow morning I will
have a car collect you at 9:00 am. We'll be driving to Scotland. I have
an isolated estate there." Jax stood, moving to refill their glasses &
bring
one to Victoria - who accepted it speedily. She downed the contents
in
record time. He hid a smile.
"I've already applied for the license - but there is a four day
waiting
period before we can be married. It will be an appropriate time to get
to
know each other."
Victoria extended the empty glass to him,
"Make it a double." she instructed.
Jax's grin was visible.
Rubbing her temples, Victoria said;
"With any luck, I'm having the worst nightmare of my life. I'll wake up
to
find that I fell asleep during a Jax Cosmetics commercial ..."
Jax returned with her drink,
"I wouldn't count on it." he advised wryly.
"Why?" She looked up suddenly, her face appealing, "Why are you
doing this? Why me? Why marriage?"
Jax shrugged,
"As I said, there are things you have no need to know. Rest
assured,
Victoria, you won't be the loser. When our marriage has played itself
out, you will return here to England a very wealthy woman."
This new bit of information caught her interest.
"So there is an end to this?" she pressed quickly, "This marriage is not
an
indefinite thing? We'll get a divorce?"
Jax's face became steely,
"Yes, Victoria. We'll get a divorce."
"When?!" She interrupted hastily.
"When I have decided the time is right." he supplied noncommitally.
"Huh!" Victoria belted back the remainder of her third drink, "And who's
to say that I can't get a divorce? Once I have Elizabeth Diane...."
she
broke off, watching his face change from amiable to a frightening mask
of
pure ice.
"Victoria, if you ever say anything like that again, I will show you
just
exactly what I am capable of when I'm crossed. I don't take betrayal
well. Just keep that in mind the next time a thought like that crosses
your
mind, however briefly." His ominous warning seemed to chill the air.
Taking the empty glass from her suddenly numb fingers, he resumed
his
regular speaking voice as though nothing untoward had occurred.
"Now, may I suggest that you return home and see to packing? Instruct
your household staff to begin preparing your personal items for the move
to Port Charles. We won't be returning to England for quite some
time."
Victoria stood shakily. Running her fingers through her hair, she
suddenly paused, fixing him with a strange look.
"What would you have done if I hadn't come here tonight?" she
asked
suddenly.
His smile was pure menace.
"There wasn't the slightest chance of that, Victoria. When I play, I play
to win." at her stricken look, he relented slightly, "Don't feel
badly,
Victoria. The decision was made for you long before you ever knew
it
existed."
"You are a frightening man, Jasper Jacks." Victoria whispered suddenly.
"You have no idea." He returned smoothly.
SCENE: Victoria's Bedroom, as she sits in the moonlight trying to
absorb
all that has happened to her.
SCENE: Jax's Penthouse. Standing on the Terrace - Jax allows
the
sounds and smells of London to drift up to him.
SCENE: Scotland, Jax's estate - Innisfara. Jax & Victoria enter
the large,
overwhelming, dark mansion.
"Duncan!!" Jax calls out, his voice echoing in the cavernous bowels of
the home.
Victoria continues to observe her surroundings.
"Duncan!!" Jax's second shout produces a scurrying from the darkness.
A young boy, perhaps 13 or 14, stands there.
"Mr. Jacks, sir?" he inquires.
Jax's eyes narrow, "Yes? Where the tar is Duncan?"
"I'm Ian, sir. Duncan sent me from the fields. Mare's foaling, sir."
Jax waved a hand, dismissively,
"Fine. Fine. Tell Duncan that Miss Quartermaine & I have arrived."
"Yes sir." Ian bobbed a little, his eyes darting to Victoria, who
smiled
encouragingly.
The young man blushed instantly, and turned to run from the hall.
"Take the luggage upstairs, Neville." Jax instructed the chauffeur.
"Yes sir." The man quickly set to the task.
"The Lord of the Manor." Victoria said with a knowing smile. Jax gave
her a quick look, and she turned away, "It suits you."
He didn't deign to answer, choosing instead to remove his cell phone
from the inside of his jacket.
"Dad? Yes, it's me." He listened for a few moments, then smiled, "Is
Mum there? I have some news for you."
Victoria turned around. Jax's eyes went to her deliberately.
"Dad, I hope you & Mum are sitting down - because I'm in Scotland
and
I'm going to get married." he laughed suddenly, "Dad, are you
there?"
Victoria shook her head in disbelief. This man had just phoned his
parents out of the blue, and dropped a bomb the size of Hiroshima on
them without so much as blinking.
"Yes, I know." Jax turned now, sobering, "Listen, Dad...this connection
is bad. I promise to call you and Mum in the morning. Please don't
worry. Yes...." he listened another second, then his eyes moved
deliberately to the woman in front of him, "Victoria.
Victoria
Quartermaine."
When he disconnected the telephone some minutes later, Victoria was
still watching him in amazement.
"I can not believe you just did that to your parents."
Jax slid the phone back into his pocket.
"I notified them of my marriage. It's a promise that I had to keep. The
last time...."
"The LAST time??!" Victoria exploded, rounding on him, "You mean
you've done this before?"
Jax sighed.
"The marriage later proved invalid." he explained shortly.
"You've been married?" Victoria pressed.
"Yes." he was clearly uncomfortable discussing this, but Victoria
was
determined to learn whatever she could about this enigmatic man who
she would soon call her husband.
"But it was invalid?"
"The second one was."
Now Victoria laughed.
"How many times have you been married?" she finally asked.
"Technically, only once. Morally, twice." he clipped out, "Now, if you
don't mind, I have some work to do. Make yourself at home - explore
the house - whatever. I'll see you later."
Turning on his heel, Jax strode away, leaving Victoria alone in the
empty
foyer. She found herself staring after him for a long time, a thoughtful
crease on
her otherwise smooth forehead.
SCENE: Innisfara, Jax's Scottish estate, the large barren dining
room,
which is set for two but could hold over a dozen diners easily.
Victoria
enters to discover Jax already seated, sipping wine & looking over
some
business papers. He puts these down as she enters, waving to the seat
beside him.
Victoria scanned the room and emitted a low whistle. "Pretty
impressive."
Jax shrugged as he poured a glass of wine into her empty glass.
"It's large and drafty." he noted without enthusiasm.
"Yes. But full of history." Victoria slid into the seat, her eyes lit by
the
candles & her own intrepid imagination, "It's such an atmosphere...
you
know? Almost as though history is ingrained in every molecule I
mean, if you listen, you could almost imagine hearing the whispers of
the
people who must have dined here, or lived here...."
Jax eyed her without expression,
"You certainly have a vivid imagination."
Victoria shrugged, taking a sip of her wine and trying to hide
the
uncomfortable foolishness his attitude inspired, "Just feeling whimsical,
I
guess."
Jax looked around the room briefly, "It's dark & oppresive. I
really
should have a decorator do something about this place...."
"No!" the protest was torn from her before she could think. At his
surprised look, she hastened to explain, "I mean, it would be a shame to
try and modernize such a place. It would be ..... awkward."
They were blissfully interrupted by the arrival of their meal. Jax did
not
seem inclined to make small talk, but Victoria needed to fill the
empty
silence with some form of communication to ease her own sense of
discomfort.
"Where will we be living?" she finally asked, frustrated by his
noncommital responses throughout the meal.
Jax set his wine glass down deliberately.
"Port Charles."
"Yes, I know that." Victoria was annoyed, " I meant - do you have a
home there?"
"I did." the response was clipped. It was clearly something he didn't
want
to explore further. "But we won't be living there. When we arrive in
Port Charles, you can select any home that you want."
Victoria coughed, "So.... basically, you're not interested in where
you'll
be living?"
"I trust your judgement." he replied smoothly.
She laughed, "God help you."
"Should I worry?" Jax asked, clearly not in the mood to banter with her.
"Hell, no, Jax. You've forced me into a marriage with a stranger, in
which you transplant me halfway around the globe, threatened my
business and upset my entire life. I imagine you can count on me to do
my utmost to make your life completely comfortable." she informed
him
blithely, biting with relish into a piece of strawberry shortcake.
He burst out laughing, genuinely amused. One hand suddenly reached
out to grip her wrist.
"You are going to make an admirable Mrs. Jacks, Victoria." he
stated
simply.
The observation left Victoria with no response.