Author's Note: I know I may be getting in over my head starting another story but this story idea just will not go away and neither will the excitement of writing it. So, anyway…here we go!

Wherever You Are

Part I: Looking Back

Lisa hated to fly even before her red eye experience. Her feelings toward the mode of travel had not changed even a year and half of peace. Well, peace was a relative term. She still had nightmares of those ice cold blue eyes staring through her, those hands wrapped around her throat. The night terrors that she had suffered after the rape sometimes merged and it was Rippner with the knife in the parking lot that other fateful day.

"Ma'am?"

Lisa snapped out of her dark thoughts as the ticket person at the gate stood patiently, waiting for Lisa's ticket. Trying to shove all thoughts of Rippner from her mind, she showed her ticket and tried to take steady breaths as she walked down the hallway to the plane. Her father refused to see her fly coach again so every trip that she had to take, she flew in first class. She also made sure she had an aisle seat but even those precautions didn't quell the fear of seeing Rippner seated by the window in the plush seat.

She nodded to the stewardess as she entered the plane and sent a silent prayer to anyone listening that the seat next to hers would be empty. Unfortunately, it wasn't, however, the person seated there was not a dark haired man but rather a blonde woman. Lisa tried to ignore her until she absolutely had to say something, hoping that this person would not be interested in conversation. When she finally took her seat and buckled her seatbelt, Lisa realized luck was not on her side.

"Hi, I'm Serena."

Hi, I would like to be left alone, Lisa wanted to say but instead slipped into her managerial mode and smiled. "Lisa."

"I guess it's kind of stupid to ask if this is business or family seeing as it's Christmas Eve."

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, family."

The woman next to her sighed. "Not for me, I'm afraid. Business 365 days of the year."

Lisa watched the stewardesses close all the luggage compartments and she felt the plane push away from the gate. She tried to hide her nervousness by casually flipping through a magazine that someone had left in the magazine pouch in front of her. "What kind of business are you involved in?"

Serena sighed. "Well, it's kind of complicated to explain. I guess the easiest way to say it is a computer programmer but it's a little more involved than that. Anything technological I can pretty much handle. But," she leaned over the armrest and grinned, "It was my people skills that got me hired."

Lisa gave a noncommittal sound and smiled back. Despite her fears of flying, Lisa found this woman to be almost calming in a way. Her easy going way of speaking, friendly green eyes and fun, spiky blonde hair all screamed to Lisa that this woman meant her no harm. Perhaps this was what she needed, two hours of fun girl banter with someone around her age. As the pilot announced that they had been cleared for take off, Lisa's fear of flying started to increase.

"I love take off," Serena was saying. "I love anything that goes fast."

Lisa nodded her head, trying to forget the rising feeling in her stomach as the plane lifted into the air. Serena was going on about being an adrenaline junkie and proceeded to list things that she had done: bungee jumping, cave diving, cliff diving, parasailing and more, Lisa wasn't really listening that closely. Once the plane leveled out and the seatbelt sign dinged off did she turn her attention back to her chatty seat mate.

"So what did you say do?"

"Computer programming for the most part," Serena answered, not at all disturbed by having to repeat herself.

"Where do you work?"

Serena smiled widely. "Everywhere. The world is my office. The view is great."

Lisa laughed slightly. "So what business is taking you to Houston?"

"Oh, my business isn't in Houston."

Lisa felt something cold tighten in her stomach. "You have a connecting flight?"

Serena shook her head. "No, my business is right here."

Jack Rippner's blue eyes glinted under the cabin lights. "My business is all about you."

Lisa swallowed the bile that rose to her throat. All of her fears of Rippner making good on his promise to steal her away came flooding back. Of course he wouldn't do it himself, she would recognize him too easily. She hadn't thought about him sending someone else. Maybe she was overreacting. She wasn't even certain that he had survived after he left her father's house. Maybe Serena had said something else, meant something else. Taking a steadying breath, she tried to make sure her voice didn't shake. "What do you mean by that?"

"Calm down, Lisa. I'm only here to give you information, that's all. No phone calls, no intimidation. I promise."

Lisa managed a strangled laugh that came out more like a sob.

"Jackson wanted me to tell you to get on with your life. The job is done and forgotten about, we've moved on. You're not in any danger."

Lisa winced at Rippner's first name, it was always easier to deal with thoughts of him if she thought of only his last name. "Jackson" made him seem more human, more real. "I'm supposed to believe you."

Serena's green eyes still held their sincere look. "I would like it if you would."

"It would make your job," Lisa spit out the word, "easier?"

"For you to sit here calmly and listen to me, yes, it would make this easier." Serena shifted her seat. "Look, just listen. You don't even have to look like your interested."

"Who are you?"

"Sere-"

"No," Lisa shook her head. "I meant who are you to Jackson Rippner."

"Oh," Serena answered. "I've known Jackson for a while now, since we were fifteen. I'm part of the group that he manages…"

Lisa's mind drifted as Serena's voice continued to detail her job description. There was nothing she could do, no where she could run. Again. She was trying to keep her breakfast down and come up with some way to move to another part of the plane when Serena said something that jolted her out of her planning. "What did you say?"

For the first time, Serena's green eyes held something that was akin to fear but she repeated her final statement. "I'm Jackson's wife."

A sudden calm came over Lisa as she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. A sardonic smile even making it's way on her face. "You're here to kill me."

"No, not at all."

Lisa opened her eyes and found Serena smirking.

"Actually, I had to meet you."

"What?"

Serena's smirk turned into a full fledged grin. "I had to meet the woman who beat Jackson at his own game. I thought I was the only one that would ever do it."

Lisa's mind was reeling from the turn in the conversation. At first, she was thinking she might be able to get some relaxing conversation in before Jackson Rippner made a re-appearance into her life through this woman with sparkling emerald eyes and impish face. His wife…Mrs. Jackson Rippner. But instead of exacting revenge on her for stabbing her husband in the throat with a pen and then shooting him, Serena spoke to her with an almost awe in her voice.

She knew that Rippner had disappeared somewhere between her father's house and the hospital on that fateful day. Lisa had always assumed the person that hired him to help in the Keefe assassination had punished him for his failure of the job. She had spent months worrying over what had happened to him, fearing it was her fault that he would receive a death sentence for his failure. But from the way Serena was talking, he was still alive. Maybe he was in the plane right now. Lisa tried to turn in her seat and peer behind her, half expecting to see those artic blue eyes staring back at her.

"He's not on the plane, Lisa, don't worry. I asked him to come but he refused."

"Why?" The question shocked her as soon as it left her lips. Why did she want to know? Did it really matter?

"Well," Serena looked pensive for a moment before answering. "What would you do if you saw him again, face to face?" Serena gave her a pointed stare. "On a plane, nonetheless."

A flurry of emotions raced through her mind at the thought of such a meeting. Anger. Fear. Surprise. Hatred. Absolute and utter terror. Serena started speaking again, giving Lisa an escape from the wild emotions running through her mind.

"He wanted you to believe that all was forgiven. He was certain you wouldn't if he showed up himself."

"Which is why he sent you."

Serena nodded. "He thought we would get along well, seeing as we're so similar."

Lisa looked over at her in utmost disbelief. "I don't see how we can be anything alike. Not if you're involved in the same business as Jackson Rippner."

Then the oddest thing happen. A look of sadness passed across Serena's face before it quickly disappeared. "Jackson just wanted me to tell you to forget about him and the events that happened on that flight," Serena swallowed hard, "and after. Besides, I wanted to meet you so I could tell you my story."

"This should be good."

Another wide grin lit up Serena's face. "I think it is."