Author's Note: Thank you all, yet again! I cannot begin to tell you how I appreciate every single review that I get! It really means a lot to me that so many people seem to be enjoying this little fic. I really don't know how to respond to everything, so I'll just say thank you again and get on with it.; )

Anyways, without further adeu, here is the next chapter of my story, please let me know what you think! Hope you like it!

And I have to say...

Warning: This chapter contains some sexual content.

Chapter Six: Up and Down

Lisa and Jackson burst through the revolving glass door of the Lux Atlantic without so much as a pause for impact.

"Lisa!" Cynthia exclaimed from behind the front counter, "Where have you..."

"No time, Cynthia!" Lisa called, not even looking back at her friend. They rushed to the elevators, where Jackson pushed down the call button. "No, no." Lisa said, pulling her master keycard from the inner pocket of her blazer and swiping it in the slot beside the elevator nearest the wall, causing the doors to open immediately. "We'll take the employee elevator."

She pulled Jackson in with her and hit the button for the top floor where the surveillance room was. From there, they could monitor the security cameras and see exactly when and where Mellmott would enter the hotel and they could figure out a plan from there. Lisa had decided not to call the police quite yet, because she wasn't sure as to what would happen to Jackson if she did...and she wasn't sure yet what she wanted to happen to Jackson. They were both panting heavily as they leaned against the walls of the elevator, more from adrenaline than from a lack of breath, and tried to relax for at least the ride up. Lisa looked at Jackson questioningly, "How much of a head start do you think we have?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes once he figures out where we've gone." Jackson informed her.

"And how long do you think that'll take?" she asked.

Jackson shook his head and flashed her a half cocked grin, shrugging and raising his hands to indicate that he had no idea. The elevator doors opened with a buzz rather than a ding and they were off again. They sprinted down the hall to a metal door where Lisa again used her keycard and shoved it open. They were greeted by the smiling face of Ed Hedrick, the head of security.

Ed was about fifty three and greatly resembled the father off of that show Family Matters. Anytime there was a problem, he was the one who called Lisa on her two way and let her know about it so that she could deal with it. And if there was a bad problem he was always more than willing to meet her halfway and help her deal with it. He had a wife, three kids, and four grandkids. He was a good man. The last thing Lisa wanted to do was get him involved in this one.

"Ed, why don't you take a break while I show my new assistant around here?" she said as casually as she could muster.

Ed didn't quite buy it, but he figured if she needed him she would say so, after all Lisa had never held anything back from him before. So, he left her to her business. He really was a good man. Lisa pushed the door shut behind him and turned to face Jackson, who was standing with his hands in his pockets and staring right back at her.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"Now," Lisa said shrugging out of her blazer, "we wait."

Jackson removed his own jacket and sat down in one of the comfortable rolling chairs that were positioned in front of the security monitors. He admired Lisa's white silk camisole as she took a seat in the other chair and leaned back tiredly.

"Do you like what you do?" she inquired.

Jackson shrugged as though he had never really thought about it before, "I'm good at it. It pays the bills."

"What bills?"

"Bills."

There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence. Both of them could actually feel the tension in the room thickening like a long simmered stew. Lisa shifted self consciously in her seat. So much for making small talk.

"Why did you come back?" Lisa asked him suddenly.

Jackson felt so much sympathy for her. He had swept into her life, twice now, and completely knocked her world onto its hinges. "I go where they tell me to." he said, keeping his voice cool. "You think you can handle this?"

Lisa narrowed her eyes at him, "I handled you."

Jackson gave her a full fledged smile and tucked both of his hands behind his head. She was a spitfire, that Lisa. And she had much more strength than she gave herself credit for. He knew her inside and out and he knew that at the moment she was doubting herself; doubting her ability to get herself through what she was about to go through. But he certainly didn't doubt her. Not for a second.

Lisa tried to relax as she watched the several small screens in front of her, but her mind was flooded with the events that had just occurred and were about to occur. She wasn't sure if she could do this again. She was determined to keep the brave face on though and never show weakness. But, there was something else getting to her, as well. There was something boiling inside of her just beneath the surface, begging to be released and Lisa knew that she wouldn't be able to hold it in for very much longer. Jackson chose that moment to lean forward to get a better look at her face and say to her, "Are you gonna cry again?"

Lisa glared at him and then, suddenly and without any warning, she balled up her fist and punched him directly in the jaw.

Jackson fell from his chair and into the floor. He wasn't surprised. Hell, part of him was wondering what had taken her so damn long. He rubbed at his aching jaw and looked up at her as she stood from her seat. She walked over to him and punched him again.

"This is all your fault!" She growled.

Jackson nodded and then grabbed her ankles and pulled her feet out from under her. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. As soon as she landed, she kicked him hard in the ribcage and shuffled just out of his reach. They both leapt to their feet and Lisa charged him, shoving him back against the wall where she slapped him with her palm. Jackson paused, touched his bottom lip with his thumb and examined the blood that had poured from it. He then slapped Lisa across the face as well. Lisa looked at him, mouth gaping open in a 'how dare you slap me' look and she slapped him again. Then, surprising even herself, she grabbed both sides of his face and pulled his mouth to hers. It was another assault really. Her lips attacked his with hunger and passion, her tongue invading him, probing the inside of his mouth, massaging his own tongue. She broke away and took a step back, realizing exactly what she had just done. Jackson would have none of it though. He caught her by the back of the head, spun her around, and slammed her, not gently, into the wall before pressing his lips once again to hers. It had taken less than a second for Lisa to respond, tangling her hands in the tufts of his hair and deepening the kiss. Jackson crushed his mouth against hers hard enough that he might actually bruise her lips.

Jackson pressed his body against the length of her, aching to feel her softness, letting her feel his excitement. His figners bit into her hips, pulling her tighter to him. His hands found the delicate material of her cami and he broke the kiss for a moment only to pull it over her head. Lisa complied, lifting her arms to make the process easier, reattaching herself to him as soon as the piece of silk was clear. He broke for her mouth, trailing kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and biting down on the tender flesh where her neck meets the shoulder, earning him a satisfying moan from Lisa. His touch touch seemed to set her skin of fire and she impulsively arched into it. His fingertips brushed over her scar, but neither of them paid it any head. They were too caught up in the moment, in each other. She tugged his shirt from the confines of his waistband and began hastily undoing the buttons and shoving the crisp white material from his shoulders. She whimpered when she discovered his undershirt and he appeased her by peeling it off and casting it aside immediately.

They were skin to skin now, and Lisa clung to him, dug her fingernails into his back just below his shoulder blades and bit down hard on his collarbone, she couldn't seem to get close enough to him. She shoved her hands into his hair and tugged, during which time Jackson had captured her earlobe between his teeth and playfully tugged at it. He twisted his fingers into the folds of her skirt and shoved it up around her hips, Lisa instantly hooked one leg up around his waist, followed immediately by the other one. Jackson supported her weight with his pelvis and braced her against the wall when she locked her legs behind his back and found his lips again. Jackson felt the familiar pain between his legs which he had felt so often when he thought about Lisa, but now he could actually do something about it. Lisa seemed to read his mind as she grinded her hips downward, only causing the pain and throbbing to grow worse.

Their movements were impatient and rough and saturated with the turbulance of their relationship. Whether they admitted it or not, each of them had been waiting for this moment since that day they had met at the airport.

Jackson took the cup of that lacy pink bra that had teased him so innocently earlier in his hand and shoved it aside, taking the soft flesh of her breast into his mouth. Lisa threw her head back against the wall and gasped in pleasure. If he had had any control left in him, any second thoughts, that sound from her had pushed them from his mind. He carried her over to the control panel, propped her hips against it, and shoved her back, laying her body out so he could appreciate the view. Lisa's hands slid down between her thighs as she reached for his waist and undid the button on his pants. Jackson glanced up for a mere second, but in that glance his moment with Lisa was stolen from him.

"Damn it." he breathed and caught Lisa by the wrists as she began to unzip his slacks.

"What?" Lisa asked, sitting up and looking over her shoulder at the video monitors.

Mellmott was in the employee elevator on his way up to them. But that wasn't what had disturbed Lisa the most. What got to her most was the one hand which held his gun and the other that held Cynthia by the back of her hair.

Jackson was already across the room pulling his shirt back on. He tossed Lisa her camisole and she tugged it on over her head as the two of them walked from the room to meet him at the elevator.

"Okay, Mellmott's going to ease off the elevator and check both directions with his gun before he fully exits," Jackson explained as they walked, tucking his shirt back in along the way, "he'll turn to the side next to the wall first because he knows that if I'm there, that's the side I'll be on."

"So, you're going to be somewhere else, then?" Lisa said, nearly slipping on the freshly mopped floor in her efforts to keep up with Jackson's long strides.

"No," Jackson said, looking her in the eyes, "I'm going to be exactly where he thinks I'm going to be. You on the other hand, will be waiting on the other side of the elevator."

Lisa took a deep shuddering breath and searched his confident eyes for an answer, any answer. He just smiled at her.

"You'll know what to do." he said.

They reached the elevator and took their perspective positions and waited. It seemed like an eternity before the elevator finally buzzed sounding its arrival on the floor. Lisa locked gazes with Jackson and drew in a long, deep breath to gather her composure. The doors slid open and about four seconds later, give or take, Cynthia emerged, trembling and unsteady on her feet. Mellmott's large hand gripped her by the back of her neck and continually pushed her in a forward motion. Just as Jackson had predicted, he turned toward him first, aiming his gun directly at Jackson's head. Jackson, for his part remained casually leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, smirking. The cocky little smirk that had not long ago driven her insane now seemed like the sexiest thing in the world to Lisa. And, again, just as Jackson said she would, without hesitation, Lisa grabbed the yellow wet floor sign from the ground andd swung it hard, catching Mellmott in the side of the head and knocking him into the wall, causing him to lose his grasp on Cynthia and sending his weapon skidding down the hall.

Jackson straightened and walked toward where Mellmott had hit the ground. Lisa grabbed Cynthia's wrist and dove into the closing elevator, dragging the terrified red head along with her. Jackson was perfectly capable of taking care of himself without her help, so it became her goal to get Cynthia as far from the scene as she possibly could.

The doors shut and Lisa was safely separated from Mellmott. Jackson grinned as he approached the hit man as he struggled to get to his feet. He held his knife in his right hand and rolled his shoulders back to stretch them in preparation for action. He would enjoy this. From the very instant that Mellmott had put his hands on Lisa, Jackson had just been aching to have a go at him, to cut him a new one. He had only refrained from doing so for the fact that he had thought that he needed him, but now all bets were off. Mellmott stood, Jackson lunged. He caught Mellmott across the ribs with his first swipe and the upper thigh with his second. Mellmott blocked the third and swung a closed fist at Jackson's head, which Jackson ducked and then kicked the back of Mellmott's knee, causing it to give and Mellmott to drop. He then kicked his foot straight up and hit Mellmott directly in the nose, which sent him flying down hall.

Unfortunately, this put Mellmott within reach of his gun which he grabbed and instantly turned on Jackson. Jackson dove out of the way just as the shots were fired.

Cynthia clung to Lisa as they rode in the elevator. "Oh, God, Leese...what's..."

"It's really complicated, Cynthia." Lisa said, hugging her friend tightly.

"Okay, I can accept that." Cynthia said, "You'll tell me later, huh?"

"Definitely." Lisa said.

"Over some very strong cocktails?" Cynthia went on.

"I'm buyin'."

They weren't sure exactly how far down they had managed to go when the elevator screeched to an unwilling halt so quickly that Cynthia and Lisa were both thrown to the floor.

"Oh. Oh. Oh." Cynthia cried, "Now what?"

Lisa started running through scenarios in her head. The elevator's sudden stop had to mean that someone had gotten into the control booth and shut off the power to it, which had to be Mellmott, which meant...Jackson.

"Oh, no." Lisa breathed.

It couldn't be. There was no way that Jackson could be dead. He was too strong, too quick, too clever. It wasn't even conceivable that that oaf Mellmott had been able to get the better of him. Jackson was worth more than twenty Mellmotts. She couldn't imagine her world without Jackson. He had become such a huge part of it in so short a time. He certainly couldn't be classified as a healthy attachment, but he was an attachment nonetheless and she feared that she would be lost without him. Lisa fought off a batch of tears as grief threatened to overpower her. She snapped her mind out of it though; she didn't have the time right then to cry over Jackson. She had to focus on getting herself and Cynthia to safety, she had to act. "All right." She said out loud, though it was purely for her own benefit. She needed to hear that she was about to do something.

She pulled off her shoe and wedged the high heel into the center of the elevator doors, opening them just wide enough for her fingers to slip through. She looked at Cynthia, telling her with her eyes that she needed help, and soon both girls had lodged their hands into the doors and were prying them open. They were partially between two floors and the ground was raised to the same level as Lisa's chest.

"Cynthia, I need you to get on your knees and let me stand on your back." Lisa commanded.

Cynthia didn't ask any quetions, the dear girl. She just did as she was told. Lisa kicked off her other shoe and climbed onto her friend's shoulders, using her high heel once again to pry open the outer elevator doors. As soon as the opening was wide enough for her to fit through, she literally fell through the doors. Without a pause, she scrambled around and reached in to help Cynthia climb out. As they both got to their feet, Lisa mentally thanked God that it was the middle of the night and that most of the guests were sound asleep in their rooms. It meant that she didn't have to answer any questions from passersby.

"Okay," Lisa said, walking to one of the main elevators and punching the 'down' arrow, "here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna get to the lobby and call the police."

"Lisa?" Cynthia said, understanding that Lisa did not intend to come with her.

Lisa caught both sides of Cynthia's face between her hands and made strong eye contact with her, "No. Listen. Call the police. Tell them that there is a man in the hotel with a gun and that security cannot find him. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Cynthia nodded and the two girls embraced each other.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lisa saw Mellmott round the far corner just as the elevator doors opened with a cheerful ding. She shoved Cynthia into the elevator, pulling the girl's keycard from her wrist as she did so. Cynthia watched helplessly as Lisa raced around the corner as bullets crashed into the wall just beside her while the doors of the elevator closed.

Lisa heard the shots hit the wall and kicked up her pace a notch, thankful that she was now barefoot. She swiped her card in the first door she came to and ducked into the room just as Mellmott emerged from behind the wall and fired at her again. She fastned the chain and bolt locks at the same time her assailant began to throw his weight into the door in attempt to break it down. She rushed back into the bedroom of the suite and shut and locked that door as well. It wouldn't hold nearly as long as the front door, but it served as another temporary barrier, buying her a little more time. She heard the main door splinter just before it gave in and her stomach leapt into her throat. Her heart was beating so hard against her chest, she swore that any moment it would burst free.

Thinking on her feet, so to speak, she slipped out the glass patio door onto the balcony. The pounding had begun on the other side of the bedroom door now. She swung one leg over the railing of the balcony and then the other. She had just begun to contemplate the long drop down when she heard a strong clear voice that instantly caught her full attention.

"Mellmott!" The voice called.

Relief washed through every part of her being and she actually smiled, forgetting where she was as she unconsciously whispered his name,"Jackson?" He was alive!

Her euphoria however was short lived as she lost her footing and dropped from the edge of the balcony. With a shriek, she caught hold of a pole of the railing with one hand. The pole was sharp and sliced open her palm while the impact from the miraculous catch nearly jerked her arm out of the socket. Her mind was screaming bloody murder as she just dangled there, willing herself not to look down. She allowed herself only a single moment of fear, then she fought to clear her mind. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to hoist herself back up, she began shifting the weight of her legs back and forth and managed to swing herself far enough to fall diagnally onto the balcony just below.

The landing hurt. She toppled over the furniture and scraped her knees and elbows and the bottoms of her feet to the point that she was bleeding from pretty much every appendage on her body. She lay still for a moment, like a broken doll that had been discarded by a small child. She was unable to move the pain was so fierce. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and wished for the hurting to go away. She was answered by the sound of the balcony door sliding open. In a moment of defeat, she set her jaw with the goal of readying herself for the ensuing attack, but instead...

"Ms. Reisert?"

Lisa blinked open her eyes and looked up into the round face of none other than Mr. Lawsard. "Mr. Lawsard!" she exclaimed.

He hurried over to her and helped her to sit up and then to get to her feet. "Are you all right, Ms. Reisert?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean..."

"Of course you're not. Look at you." He said leading her into the living room of his suite, "Come in here and sit down. I'll get you a drink to help with your nerves and then we'll take a look at those cuts."

He sat her down in one of the large fluffy armchairs and set about the mini bar. "Mr. Lawsard, we need to call the p..." her eyes found Mrs. Lawsard, who was currently lying perfectly still on the sofa clad only in a bright yellow nighty.

"I'm very excited that you're here, Lisa. May I call you Lisa?" Mr. Lawsard was saying.

"Is she all right?" Lisa asked, indicating Mrs. Lawsard.

"I've been wanting to tell you what a lovely young woman I think you are."

She spotted the stream of blood that had apparently already dried to Mrs. Lawsard's chin.

"I've been telling Margie forever now how I thought you have so much class..."

Lisa could now hear her heart pounding in her ears as she focused on the fact that Mrs. Lawsard appeared to no longer be breathing. That along with the fact that her eyes were wide open and black...lifeless.

"and elegance..."

Mrs. Lawsard was dead! Mr. Lawsard had killed her! What the hell had happened to the world? How many times had she seen him shoot the woman looks of annoyance and thought absolutely nothing of it? Truth be told, she had given the woman similar looks on numerous occasions. She never would have thought that he would ever do something like kill her! Mr. Lawsard turned to her holding two glasses of champagne, drawing her full attention to him.

"You're just like a delicate white rose."

Red alarms started going off in Lisa's mind as understanding dawned on her at the same time Mr. Lawsard handed her a glass of champagne. It was him. He had sent her the flowers. There had been times when he had given her a look or a smile that had kind of given her the creeps, but thousands of other guests did the same thing! None of them went around killing their wives, though! She hadn't picked up on anything because she hadn't thought that there was anything to pick up on. It was then that she saw the gun that was tucked into Mr. Lawsard's belt and her heart stopped.

"You do understand," he said, "that now that I have you here...I cannot let you leave."

Author's Note: That's it for now! I have a lot of respect for all readers, so I feel like I should admit this to you...originally, I had Jackson and Lisa's first kiss in chapter four in the elevator. It was very tender and very sweet and it just felt wrong. So I erased and rewrote that entire half of the chapter. I just felt that if these two were to get together, it would be like the rest of their relationship, you know, volatile and turbulant and aggressive! But I don't know, I could be completely wrong. Let me know what you think, kay!