Chapter 12

The two talked through the night, and into the early morning hours. Soon Lisa's words softened and slowed. Her eyes drifted shut and her head rested. Her body grew limp and motionless. She nestled comfortably on Jackson's chest. Jackson pulled an afghan from the back of the couch and draped it on Lisa's shoulders. He took a mental guess that this was a gift from Mary Sue. She snuggled into him and snored lightly.

Jackson stared silently into the blackness outside the door. Bruce continued his nightly vigil. They stood watch together until the winter sky lightened to a murky grey, guarding their sweet Lisa. Jackson stroked her hair quietly, careful not to wake her. Soon, he drifted to sleep as well, with Lisa in his arms. They slept, free of the phantoms of their past, for the first time in years.

Lisa woke to a slimy tongue caressing her cheek. Nature called again. Bruce needed to go outside. It was late in the morning, almost noon. She rose, shocked at first at Jackson's presence, but remembering the previous night. As she cleared the sleep from her head, she ushered Bruce out the door, quietly cautious not to disturb Jackson.

Hours passed, and Jackson woke. Their conversation from the evening continued. Throughout the course of the day, Jackson finally showed Lisa how to turn off the safety on her gun. When the evening hours came, the heavy snowfall outside their door began. Soon a pockmarked blanket frosted the ground, and blades of grass jutted to the surface. The sun set and the darkness was a hazy blue.

Lisa was calm. For the first time in years, Jackson, the reason for such radical changes in her life, soothed her. Her warm smile glowed throughout the snowy day.

Bruce howled at the door. Lisa froze. Jackson jumped to the door and surveyed the night.

"A car… I'll bet I know what this is about…," he said bitterly. He handed Lisa her gun and ran over his instructions to her one last time. Fear widened her stare and stiffened her hands.

"I'll be here to protect you…," he said. The car crept closer up her driveway. He kissed her forehead, as if the kiss alone would infuse confidence in her. She breathed and composed herself to greet the approaching car. As she stepped out the door, Jackson seized her arm anxiously, halting her.

"I love you Leese…," he whispered. Her eyes smiled. With that, she marched out the door, the gun tucked safely behind her back. He slinked against the wall.

The motion detector flicked on as the car crunched to a stop. Out stepped the redhead from before.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you… You were a big help!" she called.

Lisa dropped her guard. "Oh, yeah. So… how did it go?" Lisa asked, consolingly.

"It was a funeral… my grandma meant so much to me… I…" she said. She started to sob. Lisa watched curiously.

"Your grandma died when you were ten, Jill. The other when you were nineteen," Jackson growled over the feigned tears. The redhead spun around, now face to face with Jackson's cold stare.

"Shit…," she cursed. With that, she pulled a gun from her purse and trained it to Lisa. "Jackson, you're slipping…" she spat, "I expected her to be dead by now." Lisa shook and quickly whipped her gun in front of her.

"Please honey…" Jill said menacingly as she shook her head.

"And how long did you think it would take me to figure out 'they' didn't send you?" he asked.

Lisa's eyes narrowed and her brow creased. "What?" she winced.

"Come on Jill, I know Mason's the only one who will buy your bullshit. You set me up." Jackson snarled.

"I didn't expect you to fucking shoot him Jack! 'You don't work with guns,' remember? Your mouth is your weapon."

"He pulled a gun on me. You knew he had a sack of shit between his ears. What did you tell him to do anyway?"

"He was supposed to give you an ultimatum. Leave with her file and don't contact us again, or die like a dog."

"Brilliant plan… you know I'm not suicidal."

"What is going on?" Lisa snapped furiously.

"Right, Lisa. I'd like you to meet my ex, Jill. She's the sorry, stupid girl who sent a real moron to set me up, so I would come out here to kill you, and then she could have me to herself. No work and no Lisa. She's also the one who sabotaged your motion sensor while you were at work. So you just wanted to sweep in and scoop up the ashes when everything else in my life was destroyed."

Jill's face contorted furiously. The gun shook in her hand, still pointed at Lisa's chest.

"Dammit Jackson, you broke it off with me and I find out you're sitting on this… this… Girl Scout! Did you know, Lisa, you were all he talked about for weeks?"

Lisa watched them nervously. Her breath froze. Her cheeks froze. The snow fell in the space between them.

"Months after, in therapy, all he ever talked about was that goddamn pen, and Lisa, and this and that. You really fucked him up, bitch. I just wanted to show him how bad things could have got. "

Jackson whipped his hidden gun and pointed it the back of her head. "You want to do me a favor and take the gun off Lisa?"

"What, so you two can go inside and continue playing 'house' It was never about the work, was it Jackson. It was about her! You never liked that job! I would say you can't pull the trigger, but after what you did to Mason!"

"Jack and Jill?" Lisa mocked. Two pairs of eyes glared at her. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Shut up you fucking cunt!" Jill spat.

The light winked off again, and darkness shrouded the trio. A blast blared the night, and struggling broke the silence.