Author's Note: So sorry for the delay with updating! I actually wrote two other openings to this chapter before getting two pages into it and realizing it just wasn't right. So after weeding through all the crap I wrote these last couple days, this is the finally product and I must say, I am pleased. Thank you for your patience! Thank you for your reviews!

Traveling Mercies

Chapter Thirteen: Dream Catcher

Somewhere between Vancouver, British Columbia and Washburn, Maine, something unexpected happened: Lisa stopped being afraid. The two month stay in Vancouver with the fun loving, trendsetting Nick had been oddly refreshing and relaxing. She was starting to see more and more of the real Jackson, that odd hybrid of the guy at Tex Mex and some man she didn't know at all. No longer given to fits of rage and angry outbursts as he had been on the flight and the trip to New Orleans, she was finding his sense of humor was sarcastic, his favorite food was Thai and his taste in music tended to list towards British bands.

They had decided to drive from British Columbia to Maine and were able to take their time crossing through Canada. Without the threat of the Agency breathing down their necks, they were starting to enjoy themselves. Even her father was noticing the change when she called him once a week, every Sunday night. Following a comment he had made about being relieved to hear her happy for a change, she decided to tell him the truth…well, part of it. She told him who her traveling companion was and that they were on the run from Jackson's employers. Of course, he hadn't been pleased to hear that but Lisa had ammunition now: he may not be happy but she was and he had noticed it. The conversations had been kept to polite small talk after that which bothered her.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lisa pulled herself out of her thoughts and focused on Jackson who was driving, as usual. "Why is it you always drive? The reasoning wouldn't have anything to do with that male driven fact based logic garbage you spouted on the plane would it?"

He feigned thinking about it for a moment before shaking his head. "No."

She tried to hide a smile but couldn't quite do it. "Then why haven't I done any driving?"

"I wasn't sure if your little feet could reach the pedals."

She responded with punching him in the shoulder and laughing. "Jerk."

"If you want to drive, I'll let you."

"No, that's okay."

He got quiet for a little bit before speaking again. "So what were you thinking about?"

All joking left her. "My Dad."

"I still can't believe you told him that I was with you."

"Seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"Why is that?"

Lisa looked out the window. "He said I sounded happy."

"Are you?"

Lisa turned back to him, surprised to hear the same tone in his voice as when he asked her about her scar a lifetime ago on the red eye flight. His eyes kept flicking over to her face, trying to read her reaction before having to return his focus back to the road. She made sure he caught the smile on her face. "Yes, I am."

He tried to keep his face passive but she noticed the slight quirk at the corner of his mouth. "Are you happy," she countered.

He seemed to think about it, longer than she liked. Maybe she was just a burden to him, dead weight that he was dragging across the North American continent. What if he was only being nice to her because it was easier than chasing and threatening her? What if she was completely wrong about the turn in what passes for a relationship with him had taken? She was surprised to feel that familiar burn behind her eyes. "I get it."

"Get what?" He sounded surprised. "I didn't answer your question yet."

"You didn't have to." She tried to sound angry but her statement came out more like she was being rejected.

He let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his forehead. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you I shouldn't be happy. That I gave up feeling that emotion years ago because…"

Lisa blinked back the tears that were threatening. "Because?"

"Because whatever made me happy usually got taken away." He swallowed forcibly. "I've done too many bad things in my life for fate to just let me have a happy ending."

She searched her mind for something that would bring him comfort. Surprisingly enough, the thing that kept coming to the forefront of her thoughts were his own words. "Well, you said yourself that sometimes bad things happen to good people."

"I'm not a good person, Leese. You should know that better than anyone."

"I already weighed in on that issue, Jackson. Yes, you've done bad things in your life but so have I. Everyone has done bad things."

He laughed shortly. "What was something bad you did? Cry to get out of a speeding ticket?"

"More than once," she teased back. "I got into the run of the mill trouble in college. Frat parties," she paused, "you know."

"Binge drinking, recreational drug use and waking up in a dorm room with in a football jersey isn't the same as taking someone's life."

She knew by the time she had spent with him, one on one, that he wasn't as ruthless as he made himself out to be. She thought he only presented himself as evil, now she realized that was how he really saw himself. "When you," she paused but pushed through, "killed people, why did you do it? Because you enjoyed it?"

His whole body physically recoiled. "Of course I didn't."

"Do you do it to feel more powerful than that other person? Or because you just have this drive that you can't control to commit the act?"

"No."

"You want to know something? Those were the three reasons the guy who raped me gave the police when asked why he did it. He enjoyed seeing other people in pain. I don't believe you do."

"And why do you think that?"

She could tell he was trying to save face instead of showing emotion. "Because you know what real pain is."

He fell silent again, his face expressionless. She wished she could see his eyes, she was getting better at reading his emotions in those eyes. After a few minutes of quiet he shifted in the driver's seat. "So have you."

She thought about it and supposed he was right in a way. She went through an unexpected death in the family, along with the ones that were expected, her parent's divorce after thirty plus years…the rape. She laughed to herself.

"What?"

"Remy was right," she said with a grin. "He told me back in Miami that I felt connected to you because I understood you."

He nodded slowly. "I guess you understand me better than most people I know."

"But you understand me too and I'm not talking about those eight weeks of just watching me."

Jackson let out a surprised gasp and Lisa jumped, looking around to see what had caused the response but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She looked back at Jackson who was grinning widely now.

"I think we're actually becoming friends, Leese."

Jackson was so tired but couldn't seem to fall asleep. They had finally stopped at a semi-decent motel for the night, grabbed something to eat, took showers and Lisa was fortunate enough to fall into bed, sleep claiming her within minutes. He, meanwhile, was left staring at the ceiling for three hours now. Their talk in the car left him uneasy. She was getting too close to him, getting to know him too well.

She had been right, though. He did understand her. He had spent the last five years pushing people away and not letting anyone get close to him. He couldn't take caring about someone only to have them snatched away because of his crimes. But Lisa wouldn't leave him now and there was nothing he could do to get her to leave either. He pulled out all the stops during and after the flight, allowed his anger and rage to fuel him during that trip to New Orleans. Still, she willingly came to him after all that had passed between them.

He tried to come up with ways to scare, anger and frustrate her but disregarded each one. There was no way to do this without hurting her, physically or emotionally, and he just wasn't willing to do that anymore. That only left one other option…let her stay and run the risk of caring about and eventually losing her.

Lisa tossed and turned restlessly in her sleep, drawing his attention from the glaring red numbers of the clock to her. She had a couple nightmares during their travels and he usually just waited it out but this one was different. Her movements were borderline violent, her fingers curled as if she were fighting off an attacker. Her rape…

"No," she was gasping, "Please…no…"

He couldn't take hearing her dream struggle anymore. Throwing the comforter back he climbed out of bed and stood next to hers. He was reluctant to physically shake her awake for the sake of her clawing his eyes out thinking he was the attacker. He was trained at restraining people larger than he was, one nightmare ridden woman shouldn't be too difficult. He grabbed one flailing wrist and felt her other arm slam into his rib cage, knocking the breath right out of him. He felt his back connect with the floor, releasing whatever air was left in his lungs. His hand was still wrapped around her wrist which only brought her down on top of him and he heard something pop.

At least it was enough jolt to wake her up. He stayed on the floor, trying to get enough breath back to get up and see if he broke a rib or another bone. Lisa was disentangling herself from the blankets and his legs. She sat down on the side of her bed, running shaky fingers through her hair while he pushed himself up into a sitting position on the floor. He put pressure on the spot where her elbow connected with his rib cage and the sharp pain that followed told him what he needed to know.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I think you broke my rib."

"What?"

He couldn't be sure if it was broken, fractured or just very badly bruised without an X-ray. Hoping he wouldn't have to wrap his chest with bandages, he pushed himself up on his own bed. "You were having a nightmare." He had to pause to catch his breath. "I tried to wake you up."

"Do you really think I broke something?"

He looked over at her, hair tousled and worried eyes. "It's probably just a fracture. I've had worse."

She started to stand up but sat back down again. "What do you want me to do?"

"Go back to sleep and try not to have a nightmare."

"I meant for you."

He shook his head. "I'll deal with it in the morning." He started to prop up pillows in case it was broken or fractured. Sleeping sitting up wasn't the best kind of sleep but he would take it at this point. He glanced over to Lisa's bed and found her across the room, digging through her suitcase. Before he could ask what she doing, she was standing next to him with an ace bandage.

"Do you always carry first aid items when you travel?"

She nodded. "Usually."

He wanted to tell her not to worry about it but he knew that look on her face, she wasn't about to take no for an answer. With a defeated sigh, he pulled his shirt over his head, wincing in pain. He felt the cold air in the room hit his bare skin and he suddenly felt very exposed. He couldn't look her in the eye at all as she wrapped the bandage around his chest. He could smell the shampoo she used that night and every time her fingers accidentally brushed his skin, he had to suppress a shiver. He closed his eyes in an effort to just let her finish but sleep finally found him.

Lisa tucked the end of the bandage into one of the many layers that were supporting Jackson's rib cage now. She was so tired but afraid to go back to sleep. Once she had that nightmare, it was possible for her to return right to it. She did feel a personal pride in the fact that it had been over a year since she had a nightmare about her rape but that sense of pride quickly faded when she realized Jackson tried to wake her up and she thanked him by nailing him in the ribs.

Stepping back from the bed, she saw that Jackson was sound asleep. Shaking her head at how he always seemed to fall asleep completely whenever he set his mind to it, she pushed him gently back against the pillows he had propped up against the cheap headboard and covered him with the blankets. Now, she faced her own bed and the possibility of the recurring nightmare. She rubbed her bare arms, trying to chase away the chill that came over her and looked back over at Jackson. She knew he slept soundly most of the time. Maybe she could find some restful sleep if he were closer to her.

Grabbing her pillow, she walked around to the other side of his bed and slowly slid under the blankets, watching for any sign that he was going to wake up. Her head was on the pillow and he was still completely unaware of her presence. With a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and let sleep take over, feeling protected by her own personal dream catcher propped up beside her.