Fireworks
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!
Summary: Fireworks can work magic—even for sworn enemies… JxL
That evening in the Texas airport had been magical. Even six years later he could still remember the sparks between him and the auburn haired woman as they chatted in the Tex-Mex; her sipping a Bay Breeze as he watched.
Of course, those sparks had turned into a full-blown fireworks display by the time he was chasing her through Miami International Airport. After all these years he could appreciate her spirit and determination, though at the time he'd wanted to cause her bodily harm. And he had by flinging her over a set of stairs. Her retaliation with a handgun had evened the score.
Who'd have thought we'd ever end up together?
"Marissa, put that down! Nicky, stop playing in the mud!" her exasperated voice called loudly as she chased their four-year-old twins around the large backyard.
He smirked at his mischievous son. Nicholas often had his wife tearing her hair out. More than once she'd blamed Nicky's bad behavior entirely on him and insisted that he was a terrible influence. Marissa was quiet and more reserved—the perfect antithesis of trouble-maker Nicky—yet she had her moments. Together, the twins conspired to drive her slightly insane.
"Jackson Rippner! Control your children!" she hissed at him across the yard, her hands pressed firmly on her hips as she scowled. In the July sun, her hair was almost golden, and a perfect match with the red sundress she was wearing.
He rolled his crystalline blue eyes and looked at the expectant twins. They knew that if their mother was calling him that they were in serious trouble.
"Nicholas, if you don't stop rolling in the mud, you're not coming to see fireworks tonight. Marissa, don't mess with your mother's garden or the tools. The flowers are meant to be looked at—not ripped up from the ground," he scolded them in an even tone. He never had to raise his voice; his ice-cold stare and various tone inflictions did the job for him.
"Okay, daddy," they said together. "Sorry, mommy."
He watched the twins rush over to hug her and apologize individually as she smiled at them. She was careful to keep a mud-splattered Nicholas at arm's length.
"Let's get you both cleaned up for the picnic," she insisted before meeting his gaze. Her grateful smile was enough of a reward.
Marissa and Nicholas bounced into the house at her side and Jackson reclined on the deck swing once more. Six years ago he'd have never dreamed of living in the remote Maryland countryside with a wife and two children. Settled had never been a part of his vocabulary until after he'd met Lisa Reisert.
Fireworks split the Miami night sky; the noise covered up by the cheering crowd that lined the waterfront. He had never been a big fan of the bright, crackling lights but it was easy to be anonymous on a night like the fourth of July.
It had been almost a year since he'd lost his job—and very nearly, his life—on assignment. The bullet holes and puncture wounds had long since turned into scars but the memories had yet to fade.
They were the strongest when fireworks split the sky. The very sound reminded him of the missile that had been launched into the Lux Atlantic Hotel by the men he was in charge of. The missile which completely dissolved any chance of a relationship with the first woman to actually capture his attention and unfreeze his heart.
He pushed through the crowd, eager to return to his apartment, looking forward to drinking the rest of the evening way to push her from his mind when he ran smack into her.
Surprise filled her eyes which quickly turned to fear as her muscles tensed and she squirmed away from him.
"Leese…" he whispered, his heart pounding at the sight of her—feisty, flighty Lisa Reisert.
"Jackson," she responded stiffly, shuffling back from him, but not running or yelling. She simply stood there; fists clenched. He could her eyes searching him for a weapon and trying to determine if he was there to kill her.
He'd thought about killing her many times if only to end his misery. Each time he'd talked himself out of it if only to get a chance to see her again.
"How… how are things going?" he croaked.
"I lost my job." She laughed. "What'd you expect?"
"Me too."
She frowned. "What, did you kill the wrong person?"
It was a strange, stilted conversation to be sure, but she wasn't running and he wasn't chasing her. If anything, it was almost friendly—two friends catching up on each other's lives.
"No, I missed the right person." And I fell in love with my captive, he added to himself.
"I guess this means they didn't kill you." She paused for a moment. "And they didn't charge you with anything."
He winced. He knew that Lisa's father had attempted to charge him for what happened to her, but she had never pushed them, or provided the information necessary to make the charges stick. He'd walked out of the hospital a free man in exchange for turning on his company and team.
"I paid a few people off." Jackson shrugged.
"Figures…" Lisa muttered and kicked the ground with the toe of her sandal.
"From my former employers. I gave them money to leave someone alone."
Her emerald green eyes returned to glance at him. "Who?"
He smirked. "You."
A large display of fireworks shot up and the cracks and bangs drowned out conversation. She stepped closer to him; closed the gap.
"Why?" she yelled over the noise.
"Because… because I…"
"Because what?"
With his blue eyes downcast, he yelled, "Because I love you! That's why."
She took a step back. "No!"
He moved in and grabbed her shoulders. She cringed. "I love you, Lisa. I've loved you from the moment we met. If I could take back what happened, I would."
A few tears welled up in her eyes. "You can't change the past."
"No, but I sure can change the future…"
As the next barrage of rockets lit up the sky, Jackson Rippner leaned forward and kissed Lisa Reisert on the lips despite her shocked protests. He released his grip on her shoulders as her arms wrapped around him and she began to return the kiss.
Sparks and cheers filled the air, but they took no notice. All that mattered in that moment was that their shields were down and their true feelings were talking flight.
It was night time. Nicholas and Marissa were playing with a few other children they knew as everyone waited in anticipation for the fireworks display.
He could see Lisa sitting alone on their spread out picnic blanket; her back to him as she gazed at the sky.
He slipped down beside her. She turned to look at him.
"Hey, Leese."
"Jackson."
Just like that they fell into their fourth of July routine and conversed as if they were old friends, not husband and wife.
The first fireworks lit the sky as they continued to speak. When the finale was launched, they were already in each other's arms. By the time the last sparks were fading from the sky, they were in the midst of a passionate kiss with Jackson pressing her against the worn blanket.
The clapping faded and they untangled as Nicholas and Marissa launched themselves onto Jackson. He rolled off Lisa as the twins laughed and clung to his shirt. Lisa sat up and let out a loud laugh as their children attacked him and he admitted defeat to his dark haired daughter and redhead son.
"I think it's time for two monkeys to go to sleep!" he said loudly, sweeping the twins from the blanket as Lisa gathered their belongings.
"No!" chorused the twins.
"No, daddy's right, it's bedtime for monkeys," teased Lisa, taking Marissa's hand as she picked up the picnic basket.
"Awww…" the twins protested.
Jackson boosted Nicholas onto his back, giving his son a piggy-back ride, as the four Rippners headed down the hill and towards their car. Less than thirty minutes later, the SUV pulled up at their house and the twins were sound asleep in the backseat.
One-by-one, he carried his sleeping children into the house and tucked them into bed after Lisa helped him change them into pjs. They stood in the doorway and watched the twins sleep for a few moments before retreating down the hallway to the master bedroom.
As he slipped into their bed, he said, "Leese, did I ever tell you why I like fireworks?"
She looked at him. "No, I just assumed you enjoyed watching them."
"I like fireworks because they remind me of you. Actually, they remind me of you and me. Isn't that odd?"
She snuggled closer to him. "Not really."
"Huh. Why isn't that odd?"
"Because…" her head rested on his chest, "I can feel the sparks."
"Is that why you didn't run?"
He felt her nod. Even after almost five years of marriage he'd never bothered to ask her why she hadn't bolted that one fourth of July night. But he understood—something magical had occurred on that night and it bound them together.
Their fates had been intertwined ever since a red-eye flight from Dallas, Texas to Miami, Florida. It had taken a night such as this one for them to realize it. The visible sparks in the night sky had only enhanced the sparks they felt.
The same sparks that filled the air with an electric charge as they lay together in their bed. Fireworks.
Author's Notes:
I love writing holiday-themed one-shots. I had actually planned to write a fourth of July fic last year (similar, but not quite the same) but I didn't think of it until the holiday had already passed. It was fun to write another version of the Rippner family and also of how Lisa and Jackson met again and ended up together.
Of course, in this one-shot, the attraction was still affecting them both (hence why Lisa never pressed charges) so that's why they hooked up so fast.
I hope you guys had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. : )