Always…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Summary: (Sequel to Sometimes...) Lisa's struggle did not end the day she killed Jackson. Instead, she has to fight the nightmares that surround her and try to move on as she prepares to give birth to their child.

Chapter One

At first, it had all seemed like a bad dream. She was Amy, Jackson Rippner's wife, not his former victim, Lisa Reisert. But as Jackson fell into his true managerial self, the world that he had created and she had accepted began to collapse. She had to face the harsh reality of their life and the past.

There could never be any happily ever after for them. Jackson was far too controlling for her likes and he had tried to kill her! She may have loved him, but their love would not keep them together—it would only tear them apart. They were too different.

She had loved him too much and she had paid the price. Lisa Rippner had murdered her husband, Jackson, in cold blood. He had tormented and used her and she tortured him in return, making him suffer before she ended his miserable existence.

He had been lower than scum, yet it still pained her to think about her crime. The police had let her off, chalking it up as domestic abuse from Jackson and self-defense on Lisa's behalf. But the cold blue eyes accused her, calling her a murderer and telling her that she was no better than him. That they were on the same moral platform.

Instead of black and white, Lisa had fallen into the shades of grey, where there was no good and evil, right and wrong. This was where Jackson had spent most of his life.

The smooth-talking charmer that had managed to impregnate her while she had amnesia. The man that she hated and loved as much as she hated and loved herself. The manager who she nearly killed and who's job nearly killed her in return. Jackson Rippner…

The memories of him were too painful. For fuck's sake, she was in therapy due to the mind games that he had played upon her!

She had fallen in love with him when she had forgotten who she was, who he was, and what he had done. But her memory had returned, and with it came disgust as she realized that she had loved him. She was just as dirty and low-down as he was.

Lisa had stooped to his games when it suited her, teasing him and controlling him to get what she wanted. What she had wanted was him, just him. Until the end, when she used the manipulating skills against the manipulator to end the struggle once and for all.

But the struggle was just beginning as she neared her due date. The memories of him were growing stronger and she often wondered if she were losing her mind and whatever shred of sanity that had escaped his clutches.

Joe had begged her to come back, to stay with him in her old room. But she had refused and against her better judgment, moved in the house that Jackson had bought and arranged for her. The home that had been her prison for a short time during their fatal fight.

The window that she had shot out had been replaced and Jackson's blood had been power-washed from the stone patio. The flooring in the upstairs hallway where she had shot Jackson had been replaced, as had the entry hall where his true colors had shown again. Anywhere that blood had touched had been scrubbed, painted, and/or replaced. Yet, Lisa remembered every detail of that day.

The night had been wonderful, if not magical. Jackson had made her so incredibly happy and she had never wanted to be anywhere else except there with him. They had been in sync and were one for so many times and so long, that it hurt to be separated.

Even now, six months later, she still wanted him back. Jackson had been buried four months ago and she was due to bring their daughter into the world in three months. She was not looking forward to raising a child on her own, but Jackson had left her behind with a rather large sum of money.

Luckily, the house, the car, the furniture, the clothes in the closet—it had all been paid off. Jackson had paid cash for everything. The only bills Lisa had were the monthly bills and of course, weekly grocery shopping. Yet Jackson handled it all from the grave. A large checking account, savings account, and a very full safe in the house kept Lisa prepared for life. She never needed to work or worry again.

If there was one exceptionally good thing that she could say about Jackson, it was that he was very good with money and very logical. He was taking excellent care of her.

Author's Notes:

I decided to, spur-of-the-moment, write a sequel to Sometimes… It's actually going to be a trilogy with another part called Never… to follow this one. This one takes place six months after Jackson's death and it's going to deal with her beginning struggles to let go and accept what happened. The next chapter is going to be a therapy session and this story will probably go until Lisa gives birth to their child. There will be time jumps. It's only going to be short and Never… will probably only be a quick story that will take place when their daughter is older and learns the truth after Lisa feels that she's ready to move on for good. That's the plan so far. Enjoy!