Author's Note: Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

All I have to say for this one is "ou lala" hahaha. Hope you guys enjoy it. More coming later!

Chapter Nine

Safe

Lisa couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Here being some old warehouse. She could feel that she had been there once before, but she had no idea why she was there now. She looked around and her eyes became glued to two men fighting. Lisa could tell the smaller one was Jackson. He didn't have any weight behind him, but Jackson was all skill.

A silver knife flashed through the darkness and Lisa gasped as Jackson nearly sliced open the man before her.

"Run!" he shouted.

Her feet wouldn't move. Jackson shouted at her to run once again and she did. Right towards them. She could see his eyes wide with panic as she approached. In that moment, Jackson lost his concentration and the larger man shot him. Lisa watched as blood flowed easily from his neck and she screamed.

Jackson fell limply, blood pooling next to his head. She continued to scream, even as the man appeared. It was Keefe. He held the gun up to Lisa's face with a devilish grin she hadn't thought was possible on him.

"Say hey to your dad for me."

He pulled the trigger and Lisa's eyes shot open. She was screaming. The bedroom door busted open and she screamed once more, leaping from the bed, ready to run just as Jackson had told her. It was Jackson, knife in hand, who appeared in the moonlight, scanning the room for danger.

"What's wrong? What happened?" he breathed.

Lisa inspected herself and inspected him. He lowered his knife and approached her.

"Are you alright?"

"I… yes. I am now."

"Nightmare?" he asked with a smirk.

Lisa felt herself blush and she was grateful for the moonlight's cover.

"They're irrational. Nothing to be afraid of," he murmured.

Lisa eyed his knife and he quickly put it away. She let her eyes find his. They looked white in the moonlight. Normally she would've found that unnerving or eerie, but now she was glad that he was here.

"It's not irrational. It's completely possible."

He cocked a dark eyebrow at her and folded his arms across his chest.

"That's a toughie. I-"

"What's happening? I heard screaming?" Onnie called as he nearly leapt into the room.

Rader was right behind him and Jackson smiled.

"If someone was getting murdered, you guys would've been a little late."

"Well I couldn't just show up in my underwear like you, man," Onnie stated as he adjusted his robe.

Lisa giggled and then she realized that Jackson was, in fact, in simple boxers before her.

"Was he… hurting you, Lisa?"

Lisa laughed.

"No. He was making sure I was alright. I had a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you guys."

Onnie yawned and stumbled back to his room. She wasn't sure he would've been much help anyway in his state. Rader eyed the situation once more before she followed his example and left the room, shutting the door lightly behind her.

Jackson turned back to her and then gestured towards the bed.

"You should go back to sleep. Nothing's going to happen while we're here."

"It's not here I dreamed about."

"DC?"

"Yeah. Keefe… Keefe shot you and then was just about to shoot me when I woke up."

Jackson's face was emotionless.

"Irrational," he said slowly.

"Now I know why you never lie."

"Why's that?"

"You're just as terrible at it as I am."

He swallowed hard and adjusted his neck. He looked out the window and then turned towards the door.

"Go back to sleep, Leese. It'll all be fine."

A rumbling sounded and Lisa froze.

"What's that?"

"That would be Onnie snoring, Leese," he said with a smirk as he shook his head.

"Can I ask a favor?"

Jackson shrugged and took his hand off of the door handle.

"This is not at all like me… not at all. Keep that in mind."

"Out with it, Leese. It's late."

"Would you stay with me until I fell asleep?"

His face was a mixture of emotions that she couldn't quite read.

"Why?"

"Well. I'd just… I guess I'd just feel safer."

"I told you we're perfectly safe here."

She nodded and silently put herself beneath the covers. Jackson sighed and wandered around to the other side of the bed. She was curled up in a ball on her half of the bed.

"That dream shook you up that bad?"

"Yes. I wouldn't ask otherwise."

It was the truth. She would have never dreamed of being here with him now. This was a last resort. But watching him die and then having Keefe point the gun at her? It seemed all too real. Tomorrow it might even come true. She knew she should feel safe in Onnie's house with these three trained operatives, but she wouldn't be at ease unless he was here with her protecting her while she slept.

"Okay."

She heard him take his knife out of the back of his boxers and lay it on the nightstand on the other side of the bed. The bed slumped over beneath his weight and Lisa felt him pull the covers back and ease underneath.

"Thank you."

"It's fine," he murmured. "You'll be fine. Just go to sleep."

Lisa did fall asleep mere seconds later. It was the safest she had felt in a while. The irony sent pangs through her. Safe? With a man who tried to kill you? But she couldn't deny it. Her father had seen how protective Jackson had been and Lisa trusted her father's instincts.


The sun fell gently on Jackson's face, warming it up. He wasn't cold. He was actually feeling very warm. He opened his eyes and immediately remembered he had fallen asleep in Lisa's bed. He hadn't meant to, but he was exhausted and he had told her he would stay.

Stay he did, alright. He looked down and his body went rigid. Lisa was cuddled against his chest, her auburn curls lying wildly around her face and his arm. He cursed himself as he finally released his breath. If he moved he'd wake her up. If he stayed like this, she might wake up and become embarrassed or, worse yet, angry.

He didn't have time to make that decision though because he felt her body tense up and her arm moved slightly. Then those big green eyes opened and looked right up at him. He never saw her move so fast in his entire time watching her! She was off of him and over on her side of the bed before he could even explain. He cursed himself again.

"I'm so sorry."

The words fell quickly from her mouth as she wrapped herself in a ball in the blankets. He could see her cheek over her shoulder and it was a deep red.

"It's fine."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Just a minute. I was going to move and then…"

"I'm sorry, Jackson…"

He chuckled and Lisa glanced up at him over her shoulder.

"For what? Not being in control of what you do in your sleep? Don't worry about it, Leese."

He was relieved that she wasn't angry. She was actually kind of cute and innocent when she was blushing and embarrassed. He pushed himself up on the pillows, preparing to leave, when the thought weighed on him. He had just considered her cute. Lisa Reisert.

"Well, in control or not, I'm sorry. It was inappropriate."

He nodded though she couldn't see him. Inappropriate was right. Joe would kill him if he knew Jackson was in bed, nearly naked, with his only daughter. His baby girl. Jackson hefted himself out of the bed and grabbed his knife. Joe was probably sending the worst karma after him from up above.

As fate would have it, Jackson opened the door to the room and came nose-to-nose with a silencer on the end of some gun. Lisa screeched, just as she had last night, which luckily distracted the shooter for just a moment. He shot, but Jackson had moved to the side just enough for him to swing his knife upwards and dig into the man's flesh beneath his ribs.

The man groaned out and collapsed. Jackson didn't recognize him from the company, meaning this had been one of Keefe's men. Jackson flung back around to face Lisa, who was now staring wide-eyed at the pillow where her head had been moments ago. When the shooter had fired and missed Jackson, the bullet had nearly hit Lisa.

"Are you alright?"

"I…

"Are you alright?" he asked with a more urgent tone.

"Yes."

He kept his eyes on the door while he wandered over to a small armoire that was by the window. He opened it and pulled out a gun.

"Take this. Go into the bathroom and lock yourself in. Do not open the door unless you hear me say so, alright?"

"But I don't know how to shoot?"

He unhooked the safety and handed it to her, pointing it at the ground.

"Do just like you did at your house Leese. Just don't aim for me."

He smirked and helped her to her feet. She was shaking wildly.

"You'll be fine. I'll be back. Go."

She disappeared quickly into the bathroom and he heard the door click shut and lock behind her. He turned his attention to the man lying on the floor. He was beyond dead. Jackson picked up his gun and wandered next door to Onnie's room. The door was open and he was gone. A crash sounded from the living room and Jackson took off running.

Onnie had thrown one of the men onto the coffee table while Rader squared off with the other. Jackson raised the gun and shot the man across from Rader. He surprised himself with his aim.

"I thought you were a bad shot," Rader said with a smirk.

"I'm good enough."

The man who had landed through the table was unconscious, but still alive. Jackson tossed the gun to Rader.

"Should tie him up. Call the team and tell them they thought I was here. Self-defense."

Onnie nodded and disappeared for a phone.

"Is Lisa alright?"

"I'm just about to go check."

Jackson edged back down the hallway, still on guard. He was waiting for someone else to pop out. How the men had gotten past Onnie's advanced security system amazed Jackson. He eased into the bedroom and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Leese. It's me. You can come out."

The door was edged open, the shaky gun being slightly produced and then he saw her form. She was looking around, her green eyes darting wildly around the room.

"You can give me the gun now, Leese," he cooed.

He slowly held his hand out towards her. She eyed his hand carefully and then slowly placed the gun in his palm. He uncocked it and put the safety back in place. Once he put it in the waistband of his boxers, Lisa began to cry.

"I knew it."

"No. I told you that you were safe here. See? Safe and sound."

Lisa eyed the man in the hallway just outside the door.

"Don't look at him Leese."

She looked back up into his icy blue eyes. For once they weren't cold. They showed slight warmth. Before either one of them understood what was happening, she was in his arms, crying. He looked down at her, surprised and worried, and placed his hand on her back.

"Shh. It's alright, now," he cooed. "Take a few breaths, Leese."

She did as she was told and then backed away from him, acting as if she hadn't been vulnerable in his presence.

"I need to leave you to finish packing my things. Think you can do the same?"

She nodded and immediately headed for where her suitcase was. He watched her for a moment, telling himself that she would be just fine for a few moments without him, and then he left. Rader was already dragging the man in the hallway out into the living room, a trail of blood following them.

"You have a twenty minute head start. Max."

He picked up the man's feet and helped her carry him to the living room where they laid him on top of the man near the bookshelf. Someone, Jackson assumed Rader, had already tied up the still unconscious third assassin. He was sitting limply on the couch, his head oozing blood down his temple.

"Where to?"

"You'll be staying at Jasmine's."

Jackson froze and then laughed.

"No way."

"Jackson…"

"No, Rader. The last time I saw her, we didn't exactly part on amiable terms."

"She's the only person in the area who will take you in. She's trustworthy and won't kill you two."

Jackson groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine. I'll go to Jasmine's."

"Good. Now you have fifteen minutes. Move."

He weaved around the living room and back into his neighboring bedroom. He threw his knives and such into his duffel bag with the rest of his clothes and then wandered to Lisa's room. He knocked softly so as to not startle her.

"Ready?"

She was sitting silently on the bed with her suitcase on her lap. She nodded and stood. He held out his hand and as she approached, he placed it around her shoulder.

"Where are we going?" she asked in a meager voice.

"Somewhere safe."

Lisa stopped walking.

"What? Come on. We have to leave."

"That's what you said about here and then look what happened."

"Trust me. Nobody in their right mind would mess with who we're going to be staying with. Besides that, she runs the security and weapons section of the east coast. She's got enough people armed around her for a small army."

"What's her name?"

Jackson smirked.

"Jasmine."

Lisa nodded and let him continue walking her to the door. Onnie and Rader both gave Lisa and Jackson hugs before they wandered out into the garage.

"Won't they be able to spot your BMW?"

"We'll make a stop and pick up another car at Onnie's personal stash."

"Onnie has a stash of cars…?"

"Yeah. That's why he has such a small house. He blows all of his money on cars."

Lisa smiled.

"Oh look. She smiles," Jackson said with a smirk as he pulled out of the garage.

She turned to him and opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off.

"No. Don't say thank you."

"But I-"

"It's fine. I'm doing my job, Leese."

They were now up on the highway when she smirked and turned back to him.

"Fine. I won't say thank you. But… you're thanked."

He scowled over at her, but he couldn't stay angry. Maybe Lisa wasn't as bad as he had painted her out to be. Maybe, once he started being nice to her, she would be nice to him in return. He hated it when Rader was so right. Maybe his male-driven fact-based logic simply wasn't good enough. Maybe he really did need a woman's touch to equal him out.