Newfound Clarity: Newfound Sanity

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the awesome movie that is Red Eye. Jackson and Lisa were created by Carl Ellsworth. I'm responsible for the insanity that is Katherine, Aidan, and Fiona.

Chapter Six

"I'd rather run alone/Than spend a minute with you/I'm gonna go/And you can't stop me from falling apart…How could you/How could you hate me?...How could you/How could you love me?/When all you ever gave me were open wounds/Tell me why/You broke down/And betrayed my trust in you/I'm not giving up, giving in/When will this war end?... " ~ Open Wounds by Skillet

Nightmare after nightmare interrupted Katherine's sleep. It had been months since she'd faced the horrors of her past. Not even the poisoning attempt affected her like this. Fiona's brutal attack brought back her greatest fear—losing Aidan.

Years ago, she'd been helpless when her abductor shot him. At the time Kat couldn't imagine him surviving. She lived with the guilt of his death until he'd reappeared and brought down her captor—and his own brother.

Katherine couldn't—and wouldn't—live her life with one eye open. She couldn't ask Aidan to stay at her side. It wasn't fair to ask him to put his life on the line with her. There was no telling what Fiona would do just to keep Aidan to herself. If the woman was as unstable as Katherine assumed, she could very well kill Aidan.

Of course, running from Aidan was risky. The past two times she'd left him, she'd been abducted. Her past, as well as her father, left her a target for many people. Not to mention that Aidan would hunt her down.

She glanced toward the bathroom, where she could hear water running behind the cracked door. That meant one of two, well, three things. One, a secret phone call. Two, he was shaving. Or three, he was taking a shower.

No matter what he was doing, now was her chance to run.

She loved him. She did.

That's why she left.


The sound of a ringing phone pulled Jackson from his lazy slumber. Not long after dawn, Lisa woke him up. In the early morning hours, they made love once again. She still slept at his side, Daman the dog silent on the floor near her side of the bed.

He eased out of bed, reaching for the phone. A replay of the other morning, when he received Fiona Larsen's unwelcome call, echoed in his head.

"What?"

"Kat's gone."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Only Aidan would start a conversation like that. "What? No 'hi, how are you? Sorry I woke you…'?"

"There isn't time."

"Why not?"

"She's gone."

"Did you check the bathroom?" Jack suggested, feeling a bit snarky given the early hour.

"Of course. I'm not stupid."

Never said it to your face…

"When did you last see her?"

There was a pause. "In the bed, sound asleep. I slipped into the bathroom around six and took a shower. I was only gone a few minutes. I just spent the past hour searching the hotel for her."

"You turned your back for a moment and she's gone?"

"Yeah."

Jackson sighed. "Any sign of a struggle?"

"No, that's the strange part. Fiona wasn't here," Aidan admitted. "She left of her own free will."

"Maybe she went for breakfast." His stomach growled audibly.

"Last night, she said something strange…"

"This is Katherine we're talking about. Everything she says is strange."

"She told me that the only way to save her was to let her go."

"And?"

"I told her no way. But she kept talking about it and mentioning divorce. Do you think she meant it?"

"Listen up, Murphy. If she ran, she's got a damn good reason. But she is right—as long as you stay with her, she won't be safe. Not if Fiona wants you. Kat knew that. She knew that if you let down your guard at all, Fiona would strike. You're safer apart."

"But I don't want to be apart."

"And I still want to be asleep. Tough."


Katherine waited to board her flight. She didn't bother to cover up her scars or her hair. She went as herself—even used her own name. She wanted Aidan to track her this far. He had to know she was doing this of her own free will.

The moment she stepped on the plane was the last moment Katherine Murphy was seen alive.


Behind him, Lisa stirred in their bed. She pulled the phone out of his hand. "Aidan? What's wrong?"

"Kat's gone."

Lisa looked at Jackson. He raised his hands in the air as if to say 'I didn't do it'.

"She'll be fine. If she wants to see you, she'll get in touch with you."

"That's not good enough," Aidan insisted.

"Look, we'll meet you for lunch. Okay? Just stay calm…"

"Calm? My wife is missing!"

Jackson motioned for the phone. "Fiona won't go after her. Trust me on this. I'll explain it all later. She won't hurt Katherine if you're apart."

"What—"

He ended the call. "I'm going to start unplugging these at night…"

"You mean taking the batteries out," she suggested. "But you can't blame him for being upset. He loves her…"

Jackson shrugged as he sat beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I know. I also know she has a damn good reason to run."

"What?"

"Keeping Aidan alive."

"How do you—?"

"I just know. It's what I'd do. Fiona will only try to kill her as long as she stays with Aidan."

"Where do you think she went?" Lisa asked, clearly concerned for her friend, no matter how tough Katherine was.

"Somewhere she can disappear. By now, she's got a new name and look. She's got the training and the means. If she doesn't want to be found, we won't find her."


"I hate you…" Kat whispered, unable to meet Aidan's eyes. "I want you to go away, Aidan. I never want to see you again…"

"That's my girl," her captor praised, kissing her cheek. She flinched, a small reaction that betrayed her true intentions. She'd given up herself in hopes of preventing her death and possibly Aidan's.

But fate, and Chase, had other plans.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Kat screamed against her will, watching the man she loved crumple to the ground. Chase twisted her arm, forcing her to stay with him or risk shattering her arm.

"AIDAN!"

Heated metal whacked her in the mouth. Kat stumbled, hitting the pavement less than five feet from Aidan's body. She crawled backward like a crab on her hands. Chase stalked after her, gun in hand.

Panic swirled in her body. Please no, not here, not like this…

Pain like nothing she'd felt struck in her gut. She groaned, clutching her stomach with one hand. No, no, NO! NO! Not now!

"What's wrong now?" he demanded, crouching beside her, forcing her to look him in the eye by pressing the gun under her chin.

"You killed him…"

"No, you did. Don't think I didn't see your desperate plea. Or that tell-tale flinch. Plus, what made you think I'd ever let him walk away alive? Huh? I wasn't about to let him live long enough to keep hunting us."

"Hunting you," she snarled.

"That's harsh, love."

"I'm not your love."

"No, you're my whore, right, Katherine? You only get off when I fuck you like one."

"Please, leave us alone…"

"Oh, no. I can't do that…" Chase aimed his gun at the crumpled form of Aidan. "I've got too much time invested in you."

Kat cried out as he shot her downed lover once more.

She jolted awake, her ice-blue eyes wide as her hands clenched the armrests. It took a moment to calm her breathing and remember where she was.

A flight attendant walked past.

Katherine took a deep breath, trying to shake herself free of her nightmare. Too bad it was a memory.

That happened a long time ago. I'm not that girl anymore.

Katherine didn't need anyone to rescue her. She could save herself. She always had before Aidan came along. She'd survived on her own as a teenager. She could do it again.

After all, she was nothing if not a survivor.

Author's Notes:

This is the second version of the chapter. The other one was mostly talk and a really long flashback. So I re-cut and re-wrote. The incident where Aidan was shot occurred when Kat was about twenty. It's been several years since then. She got into a fight with Aidan and stormed off. She ran into a friend and ended up drugged and kidnapped. When her captor went to relocate her, Aidan found them.

Yes, he was very hurt in the shooting, but he hung on to life thanks to the vest he'd been wearing.

Enjoy!

Reviews

Lexicon – Thank you! I agree—I want a real sequel.

Lily94 - You're right about Fiona - no matter what, she wants Kat dead. Good thing Kat's stubborn and hard to kill. ;)