Author's note: Well. I did not expect to be writing in the Red Eye fandom. And I did not expect to be writing an AU. But my boyfriend, fellow Jackson/Lisa shipper, and fellow writer gave me the idea, and I just couldn't resist. I won't give away what it is, but I do hope you'll be surprised, or will at least enjoy it. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, flames are annoying and amusing at the same time, and praising reviews are never unwanted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Red Eye. If I owned it, the overly happy ending would have been with Jackson and Lisa on the Miami beach most likely. I'm not making any profit from this, I'm just playing with the characters for a bit. I promise not to hurt them. Much.

CHAPTER ONE: POTENTIAL STALKER AND SCOUTS' HONOR

The plane was crowded and kind of hectic, but that was to be expected. Everybody had rushed to get on board and get seated - they were ready and more than eager to get going. The delays had been long and tiresome for people who were already tired from days that already had run too long

Lisa Reisert made her way through the others passengers with some difficult, but only slight. It wasn't easy, with the fussy baby and frazzled parents, then several businessmen, and other various people she'd be riding with. But Lisa managed her way through to her seat. Once she did, though, a smile formed without her knowledge as she saw who she would be sitting next to.

"Oh, hi. Again," Lisa stated with an expression that revealed more surprise than Jackson's.

Jackson did show some surprise however, and motioned at the seats ahead of them with one hand as he replied. "I figured you'd be in first class," he admitted, his tone still calm and deep, but there was a hint of amusement and surprise there.

"Oh, no, no," Lisa quickly stated, shaking her head ever so slightly. "I'm all coach, all the time," she added firmly. Her voice held a tone that suggested she felt that sitting in the back might be safer.

"Me too," came Jackson's quick reply, and though he was smiling, it didn't hide the fact that maybe he thought the same thing. Probably because he did.

Lisa smiled down at Jackson, green eyes meeting his sharp, blue pair. She motioned at the seat beside him, her expression becoming almost awkward now. "I, think that's, my seat," Lisa stated, and her tone was one that said she had never expected to end up right beside the very same man she'd had two friendly, warm conversations with during the wait for the plane ride.

Jackson sounded even more shocked, and looked it, when she said that. "What, you're not sitting here?" he asked, almost incredulous at the possibility. He gave her a skeptical glance, not quite believing they would end up next to each other yet again.

"Well, I don't know," Lisa said and looked at her ticket. "That says 18F."

"You're kidding," Jackson stated, even more incredulous, and looked at her ticket as she held out for him to see. "You're not kidding," he then added, quite surprised, though his tone was one that hinted that he didn't find it to be an unpleasant surprise. "Do you need a bellhop?" he asked, but was already getting up before she answered.

"Oh, no, that's okay," Lisa tried to assure him, but Jackson took the suitcase from her anyway, flashing her a charming grin that reached clear, blue eyes shining with mirth, and she decided to just let him be a gentleman. She didn't sit just yet, since her seat was on the outside.

Jackson didn't take long, quickly lifting up the suitcase and putting it away. He tried not to stand in the pathway for too long, although he did manage to hold up one of the stewardesses, a middle-aged Caucasian woman who had a sour disposition, unlike the woman who'd greeted Lisa. Jackson was polite and quick though, and hurried to sit down so he and Lisa could both get out of the way. He ended up hitting his forehead before lowering down enough.

"Hey, you okay?" Lisa asked, giving him a friendly, concerned look, which was quickly waved off.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Guess I had more to drink today than I thought," he assured her, briefly rubbing his forehead as he sat down.

Lisa sat down next to him, smiling lightly. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I feel as if I drank more than I actually did. Guess the late hour and the heavy drink weren't a good mix," she replied, giving him an almost sheepish smile, which Jackson returned.

"That could be it," he commented, then glanced around as they buckled up. He glanced at her then, and she looked up to meet his gaze. "What are the odds, huh?" he asked, and she let out a soft laugh.

"Yeah, I know," Lisa agreed, her tone indicating slight confusion, surprise, but somewhat pleased at the coincidence.

Jackson chuckled slightly and sat back, but after a moment, she could feel his eyes on her again. Sure enough, Jackson was giving her an almost wary, suspicious look, as he asked, "You're not stalking me, are you?"

There was a moment of silence as she met the cautious stare, and then they both laughed quietly, breaking the gaze as they relaxed, amused.

"Yeah, you got me," Lisa replied, tone light and joking. She smiled at Jackson, turning her head at an angle swiftly to get her hair to move back. She studied his features for a moment - square jaw, full lips, slight stubble, those incredibly clear, incredibly blue eyes, the near black hair.

Jackson Rippner was a handsome man, charming to boot, and had opened up to her fairly easily and treated her with a friendly warmth that Lisa felt wasn't just due to the drinks. If only there had been more time before now, if only it was a longer flight, with more time ahead of them.

"Sorry, just a little, weirded out," Jackson said, still smiling with humor. "Since I seem to be seeing you everywhere,."

Lisa smiled back at him, finally just reaching up to brush her hair back. She wanted a clear view of his face as she talked with him. "Well, technically, I was at the bar first, and you popped up," Lisa reminded him. She laid her head back against the seat, quirking an eyebrow. "Maybe you're the stalker, Mr. Rippner," she commented, her tone almost wary. And then she burst into giggles, and Jackson was soon chuckling too.

"Well, you had made the offer, and you didn't seem to be expecting company," Jackson remarked, giving her a playfully defensive look. "But I promise, I'm not a stalker. Scouts honor," he told her, then gave her a shrug. "Though, guess that doesn't mean much since I was never a scout."

"I don't think half the people who say 'Scouts' honor' actually were scouts," Lisa responded, giving Jackson a warm smile.

"Um, excuse me?"

An annoying voice suddenly broke into the conversation, and both Lisa and Jackson looked up to see a woman who looked as though she'd bleached her hair and tanned her skin ten too many times. She was holding a suitcase up, and obviously having difficulties getting it in. She had probably noticed Jackson playing bellhop for Lisa and hoped to get his helping hands as well.

Lisa felt a strange sensation, something akin to caution and envy, she supposed jealousy, stir at the way she looked at Jackson as though she were a damsel in distress. She quickly squelched it though and acted as though she wasn't bothered.

"I think someone else needs a bellhop," she stated, glancing at Jackson who appeared leery of getting up and helping the woman, but he gave Lisa a nod and unbuckled his seatbelt. Lisa smiled faintly at how Jackson was too much of a gentleman to say no.

"Be right back," Jackson whispered to her before getting up. He reached up to take the suitcase from the woman, quickly managing to get it in place while the woman went on about how polite and wonderful he was, and that she hadn't thought there were anymore gentlemen in the world, blah, blah, blah.

Lisa sat back, subtly glaring at the woman before giving Jackson a glance, her expression softening. It really was a shame. She would have loved to have already finished her last job and moved on, to already be on her "retirement." But life was life, and she couldn't change the way things were. She just had to make sure Jackson did what he needed to do.