AN: I am so sorry for taking this long to update. I had a rough draft written the day after I posted chapter one, but then I got busy with school and was unable to edit it and finish it up. And I really don't think I should be posting it now considering I have some sort of sickness that is giving me migraine like headaches, and I just took headache medicine that has a lot of caffeine in it so I am really hyper right now even though my head hurts like heck, and I am writing one really bad run on sentence, but I don't care, I just took a pill that has as much caffeine in it as two cups of coffee, and it is doing weird things to my brain. But, that really is no excuse for me to have taken this long to get this chapter out, so I give you the right to hit me on the head with a bat, or any other hard object.
Response to Reviewers:
Thank you so much to my reviewers, you are the reason I had that rough draft written so soon. I didn't plan on writing it until last weekend, and if I had done that, it would have taken me even longer to get this up. Twenty one reviews on one chapter is a record for me. So if you haven't reviewed yet, please review, it makes me happy. And if you have already reviewed, please review again, it makes me even more happy. And I only post when I am happy.
No One Mourns the Wicked: Honestly, I haven't decided yet if this is going to be a Jackson/Lisa story. I have a rough idea of where the story is going, but I don't know much. So in answer to your question: maybe.
A.R. Bellance: I have definitely considered that, andI would love to request a Red Eye category on the movie section, there are a lot of fics and I think it deserves a section. But, of course, there is one thing getting in my way: I don't know how. So once I figure that out, I will request it.
SpadesJade: Yes, I plan to continue, this next chapter should be proof of that. I will post as often as I can.
Thanks to Lee, LolaQ, Marumae, Chanel, Laurenmlbc, Winged Seraph, ISIS, Romance-luver222, Bimefl, Amanda, Chanel86, LasVegasGirl, blueyedtears, allee kat, Jack E. Peace, Circe the Valiant, and CLIU for also reviewing.
And now on with the story:
Lisa looked into his cold, blue eyes, suddenly feeling more scared then she had at any point during the flight. She felt Jackson's grip on her wrist tighten, forcing her to drop the pen. She was pushed back into her seat; her eyes never once leaving his rage filled ones, for she was too afraid of what would happen if she did. She saw him grabbed the pen off the seat and put it in his coat pocket. 'There goes that idea.'
"Nice story, Lise. Let me guess, you planned to stab me in the neck with the pen and then run away and try to stop what has already been set in motion? You can't stop it now; Keefe will be dead in a matter of minutes, so much for trying to save the day. Now, be a good girl and play along. Don't forget, I still hold your father's life in my hands," she heard Jackson tell her as tears came to her eyes. 'Why must he keep reminding me? Can't he tell this is killing me inside to have to make this choice?'
"Please, just let me go," she begged him, pleading with her eyes, "I'm of no use to you anymore. You said it yourself; there is nothing I can do to stop this."
"I know you too well, Lise, I know you will still try to stop it, and that is something I can't afford to let happen," Jackson told her, cupping her cheek with one of his hands. She cringed inwardly at his touch. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jackson give a slight smile at her obvious discomfort.
"Please," Lisa whispered, closing her eyes in defeat. 'I can't take this anymore.'
"Don't worry Lise, I won't hurt you," she heard Jackson say. She opened her eyes and met his gaze, suddenly becoming lost in his eyes. She felt his stare become even more intense, she felt like his eyes were looking into her soul. She wanted to pull away from his gaze, to slap away the hand that held her cheek, but his powerful gaze took away all of her strength.
After what seemed like hours to Lisa, his gaze finally lessoned and his hand no longer held her cheek. "Stay in your seat," she could barely hear him say, her mind too numb to comprehend anything. She saw him get up and move to get her bag out of the overhead compartment. She leaned forward in her seat, putting her head in her hands. 'How could this have happened to me? My life may not have been perfect before this, but it was like heaven compared to this plane trip.'
She felt someone grab her arm and pull her up. Looking over she saw it was Jackson, who already had her bag in the other hand and was ready to leave. She let him drag her in front of him. She felt the death grip he had on her arm while being pushed forward and knew she wouldn't be able to escape. She let him walk her all the way out of the plane. Once she had exited the plane, Jackson loosened his death grip on her and moved to walk beside her instead of behind her. He linked their hands together as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend returning from a trip together. Lisa was disgusted by that idea.
"We're going over there," she heard him say as he pointed towards a small bar in the airport.
He led her to a small table for two and sat her down before taking a seat across from her.
"Don't even think about running," he told her, "Remember, all it takes is one little phone call and your dad dies."
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She felt numb all over, still not fully comprehending what was going on. A waiter came up to their table, and she saw Jackson give her a stern look, almost daring her to try and say something.
"I will have a martini and she will have a bay breeze," she heard Jackson say. She shook her head when he ordered her drink, almost laughing at the irony of it.
"Relax," Jackson told her softly, "This will all be over soon."
Lisa looked up at Jackson, giving him a look that said she didn't believe him.
"You really need to learn how to trust people, Lise," Jackson told her, "Open up more, let other people into your life."
"And I suppose you're one to talk, Jack Rippner," Lisa said spitefully, tired of trying to act civilized around him, "How many people have you let into your life, hmm?"
She saw Jackson's eyes turn harsher. She watched him, waiting for him to respond, but he didn't right away. He looked down at the table for a moment, clearly speechless. 'Point for me!'
"Not many have the luxury of knowing me as a friend. But for you, I may just have to make an exception," Jackson told, his eyes gleaming.
Lisa looked at him horrified. She saw him wink at her, causing her to look back down at the table. "Just let me go," she tried to tell him, "I won't run to the police. I will go straight home and act like this never happened."
"You see Lise, I can't do that, I know you too well. You've already lied to me twice during this trip, so I have no assurances that you won't do it again. I know you would go straight to the police, try to get them to stop what is about to happen, and that is something else that I can't afford to let happen," Jackson told her.
"Then how do I know you won't kill me?" Lisa asked, narrowing her eyes at him. She didn't trust him, no matter what he said.
"Why would I want to kill you? Sure, we had a few rough spots on the flight, but you still did your job," Jackson told her, taking another sip of his drink, "I will let you go, just as I promised. You can go on with your life; pretend none of this ever happened. Pretend I'm just a figment of your imagination. But I highly doubt that will happen. So I will make another deal with you."
Lisa started fidgeting in her seat, unsure of where this conversation was going, and afraid of what might happen to her.
"Once I get the phone call and have made sure everything went according to plan, I will let you go. You can run home to Dad, make sure he is ok. Then go to your hotel and try and salvage whatever's left of it. Go back to your normal like of all work and no play," Jackson said, making Lisa wish for that old life he had described was back, that she wouldn't have to face the reality of the situation she was in, "And as long as you never tell someone else about me or what happened on this trip, I will stay out of your life forever. You've kept it a secret for this long, I'm sure you could handle this for the rest of your life. You may have to take more stress management courses after this, but you'll pull through."
"And if I don't keep it a secret?" Lisa asked, afraid of what he may say. She didn't know if she could take anymore of this. Her nerves were shot and she felt numb all over. Her Dad's life was the only thing that kept her going, the only thing that kept her sane.
"If you go to the police, or tell anyone else about this, I will be forced back into your life, and those close to you will pay," Jackson said, adding in a threatening glance to make sure she got the message.
Lisa didn't say anything, just took a sip of her drink and waited. 'Why me. Why did this have to happen to me. Now I will have to live the rest of my life knowing I helped kill a family, and he just expects me to move on as if nothing happened.'
"Do we have a deal?" Jackson asked, holding out his hand for her to shake, while adding in an intimidating glare.
Lisa looked at his hand for a moment, afraid it might burn her if she touched it. She looked back into his intense blue eyes. She saw the way they looked at her, the way they pierced into her, as if they could see what she was really thinking. His eyes making her afraid to say no, she took his hand and answered with a small "yes" before trying to quickly pull her hand away from his, but Jackson's kept his grip on her hand firm, making her unable to pull away.
"Remember our deal Lise, and don't break it," Jackson told her, giving her hand a quick squeeze before letting it go.
Lisa turned away from him, not wanting to look at him. 'Please, just let that call come in, I have to get away from here.'
Luck was on Lisa's side for once when Jackson's cell phone rang again. She watched him answer it, and waited for it to be over. She heard Jackson talk on the phone for a few minutes, trying to make out what was going on. She heard Jackson's calm, steady voice talking to whoever was on the other line. Lisa noticed he only talked in very short phrases, letting the person on the other line do most of the talking. Lisa assumed he was doing this on purpose; he probably didn't want her to know what they were talking about, just like he had done on the plane when his phone rang. Halfway through the phone call, Lisa found herself once more under Jackson's scrutinizing gaze, causing a shiver to run up and down her spine. Lisa didn't like it when Jackson looked at her. It made her feel uncomfortable, like everything she did or say was being recorded by Jackson who would later use it against her. She finally saw Jackson remove the phone from his ear and close it, his eyes never once leaving hers. She became so lost in his eyes that she was caught off guard when he spoke nest, and jumped a little in surprise.
"Looks like it is over now Lise," Jackson told her, slowly getting up from his seat. She refused to talk to him and waited for him to continue. "We will have to do this again sometime, but I'm not sure you would like that."
Lisa continued to not talk, and after a few moments, Jackson finally started walking away, but not before he said one last thing.
"Remember Lise, bad things happen to good people. Don't give me another reason to come back into your life."
Lisa watched Jackson walk away, and once he had turned a corner, she grabbed her bag and ran to the nearest restroom. After locking herself into a stall, she let the tears come. She cried for what she went through during that plane trip. She cried for the Keefe's who had just been killed. She cried for Cynthia, who was now unknowingly part of a murder. She cried for her father, who would never know to what great lengths she would go to save him. And finally, she cried for herself, because she wasn't strong enough to stop him.