Another month had passed since the intruder in her apartment. Lisa still fervently believed Jackson was keeping his soul-penetrating eyes on her. For some reason, over these past few days, she could hear his voice in her head, stronger than before.

"When we get out of this, I may have to steal you."

In any other context, it could have been some cheesy pick-up line. But of course, it hadn't been any other context. It had been 30,000 feet above the earth, with nowhere to get away, and no one – not a single one of the other passengers – had known what she'd been going through.

There were other things he'd said to her, too. Phrases she could recall as clearly as if he'd etched them on her mind.

She tried so hard to purge her thoughts of him.

She had shacked up with Cynthia for the better part of a week before she felt comfortable enough to return home. She'd changed the locks again, gotten a security system (which she should have done months ago, she scolded herself), and slept with her field hockey stick. When she could actually sleep, that was.

She'd dived back into her work with gusto, hiring a young man to fill the vacancy she'd had at the front desk. And she certainly wasn't disappointed in his work. But more than that, the new employee, Michael "Mike" Davis, had proved she had an eye for more than just references and ability. Mike was handsome, congenial, thoughtful… And as of recently, he seemed to have a thing for Cynthia.

Of course, the feeling definitely seemed to be mutual. Cynthia had taken one look at him and had whispered breathlessly to her when Mike had shown up for his first day of work, "Oh my gosh, you sure do know how to pick them, Leese."

"Thanks for the quickie."

Oh yeah, she sure knew how to pick them all right, she thought bitterly.

It was cute though, she thought as she watched Cynthia and Mike flirt back and forth. They both seemed so infatuated with the other, but neither had yet come around to just asking to see the other outside of work.

"That's why God created the Tex Mex… Save you a seat?"

The charm had come so easily to Jackson Rippner. And for a short time – the amount of time she'd known him before things had taken a turn for the insane – Lisa had enjoyed flirting again. He'd been the first man to get that kind of reaction out of her in two years. And it had felt so good. It felt like healing. Had he kept up the act, she might have been girlishly doodling "Mrs. Lisa Rippner" on a paper napkin in one of the many Starbucks that graced the Miami airport. But that was all it had been: an act. Now she couldn't believe that as she'd first taken her seat next to him on that plane (dumbfounded by her good luck), she'd been trying to come up with a slick way to ask him out for coffee after they landed in Miami. Maybe even slip in a sly innuendo about breakfast…

As it turned out, she didn't have to think up a way to invite him for coffee. He'd suggested the idea himself, later. Right after he'd used her as an accessory to attempted murder.

"Hey, Leese, a couple of us are going out for drinks tonight after work. You want to come?" Cynthia's warm voice broke her reverie.

"Hmm? Oh, I don't know, Cynthia…"

"Oh come on. It'll be fun. Mike's already offered to be our DD." Cynthia was looking at her with her best 'oh please, please get out of your apartment and do something fun for once' face. It couldn't hurt, Lisa mused. She hadn't gotten drunk off her ass in a very long time, and well, she didn't plan to tonight, but one drink, maybe two, couldn't hurt.

"All right, I'll come. Who else is going?"

"Well, me. And… um…" Cynthia hesitated, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Um, Mike…"

Lisa sighed. "So basically, I'll be tagging along on a date?"

It was the wrong thing to say. Cynthia's big brown eyes went even bigger; she looked stung by the question.

"Cynthia, I'm sorry. I've just been stretched a little thin lately…"

"No, it's okay, Lisa." She looked at the floor. "I like him a lot, but this is a girls' night out. I just figured we'd need a driver, and Mike overheard me – "

"Mike overheard you? Talking to whom?"

"Talking to… Mike…"

Lisa smiled despite herself.

"Oh Lisa, the point is: he was sweet enough to offer, so I took him up on it."

Lisa sighed again. Caving, she looking back over her shoulder to the clock on the wall. It was nearly eight pm, and time for her shift to end. "All right. What time?"

Cynthia looked elated. "Ten. Oh, I'm so glad you'll be coming, Leese. I've been worried about you, you know…"

Lisa patiently held up a hand. She knew right where this conversation was about to go. And after she'd just gotten her mind off of him, too. Damn it.

She couldn't help but wonder if he was here now, watching her from some dark corner. Absentmindedly, she glanced over her other shoulder, then back to Cynthia, who was watching her worriedly.

"Lisa – "

"Don't, Cynthia. Please."

"You know I'll listen to whatever you want to talk about."

"Yes." It came out more clipped than she meant it to be. Once again, Cynthia looked like a puppy that had been kicked. "Cynthia, I'm sorry. It's just…" She couldn't help but glance around again. "I can't get him out of my head these days."

Cynthia opened her mouth to respond, but Lisa caught sight of Mike heading their way and shook her head. "Listen, I promise we can talk about this tonight over drinks if we get a chance." Cynthia gave her an encouraging little smile, and Lisa returned it. "But right now, I'm going to head home, get a long hot shower, and get ready, okay?"

"Okay, Leese. We'll pick you up at ten." Cynthia gave her a quick hug and skittered off to talk to Mike, who seemed to be having trouble checking in a young French couple. Lisa smiled and went to grab her things from the office.

It really would do her some good to get out of the apartment, she thought.

"I'm feeling… vodka… sweetened. A cosmo? … No, that would be too common."

She could enjoy herself for a bit…

"A screwdriver? No… too boring."

Maybe there would be live music…

"So that just leaves me with the pineapple …or the grapefruit."

And, of course, there would be the drinks…

"A Seabreeze."

She had smiled, no need to feign amusement or surprise. He'd guessed it, spot-on. A part of her had leapt with hope. An attractive stranger, charming, sweet, and already knew just what she liked… She quashed those thoughts before they could follow the same path they'd taken that day. He was a murderer. Cold-blooded, Callous.

And then she'd ordered the baybreeze in an attempt to put some distance between them. The feelings she'd had for him, brought on so suddenly, had scared her.

Oh, if only she'd known then…

Lisa sighed and shut her eyes, shaking her head in annoyance. She had to stop dwelling on him. She was about to go out and have a good time with a couple of friends – something she hadn't done in a long time…

"What turned you into such a loner, Leese? … Did someone break your heart?"

You wish, you asshole. He'd seemed so gleeful when he'd asked her that. She'd shown him, though. She'd given him a beating enough to last a lifetime.

There we go, Leese. Keep thinking those thoughts. About how you saved the day in the end. Good over evil and all that. You kicked his ass all right, and the bastard deserved everything he got.

It was exactly what she needed to hear. Exactly what she needed to keep telling herself.

So why did it sound like Jackson Rippner's voice in her head?

----------

Author's Notes:
All right, I know. I'm sorry. This one's slow too. And a bit blah. But next chapter the action really picks up, I promise. Plus, I have good news (I hope).

At the moment, I'm working a much racier Lisa/Jackson one-shot fic (oh, let's call a spade a spade: it'll be a dirty little PWP), but I won't post it here due to rating. Instead, I'll probably put it on or the Jackson/Lisa Yahoo group… If anyone's interested in reading it, I'll let you know if I finish and post it. :)

Secondly: I'll try, but I may not get an update in tomorrow, due the fact I'll be traveling (sadly, not by plane. ;) ). But I'll try!

And for Bimefl: I actually intentionally had Jackson use that name. The police already believe he's in Miami, so they might not be checking incoming flight logs. But mostly, I thought it seemed very Jackson-ish to use the name he'd given Lisa – it's damn cocky, and I guess in a way, it gets him into 'character'. But you're so right: it's poetic license, and in the real world, he'd probably get his ass busted the moment he came out of that gate. I just figured no reader would enjoy that sudden of an end to the story. ;)