1The next morning, Jackson woke Lisa bright and early. Lisa groggily opened her eyes to see that he was already up, and dressed in jeans. She crawled out of bed.

"Hey, there, Tommy Hilfiger, what's up?" she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He did look cute in jeans.

He kissed her on the head. "I'm guessing you approve?"

"Of course," she giggled, and suddenly her neck stung. "Ow."

"Aw, shit," Jackson swore, heading for the bathroom. "We put a bandage on that thing last night, but I forgot peroxide. That asshole's knife was probably all rusty, so it's most likely infected."

Lisa closed her eyes at the memory. Jackson entered the room with a bottle of peroxide and a new bandage.

"By the way," she said sincerely. "Thanks."

"I couldn't let him hurt you," he said simply, applying the liquid.

The couple finally left the hotel and soon arrived at the airport. Jackson groaned as they stepped on the plane.

"What?" Lisa asked.

"I just remembered," he groaned again. "When we get back, I only have one day to help you get settled, and then I have to go back to work."

Lisa paused as they found their seats. "Why don't you just quit?"

Jackson shot her an annoyed glance. "Lisa, you don't quit when you work for my brother. Bad things happen."

Lisa remained silent and stared at the window as the plane took off.

Finally, after the air reached cruising altitude, she spoke.

"I'm not working there."

"Lisa," Jackson sighed. "You have to."

"No," she said stubbornly. "I want to teach."

"You can work in the daycare," he bargained.

"For killers? I don't think so," she spat.

"You have to," he repeated. Lisa turned to look at him.

"Says who?" she shot at him.

"Says Jed," he snapped. "Quit acting like a four-year-old!"

Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Leese," he pleaded with her. "Trust me. I'm the puppy dog of this corporation. Stabbing them with a Frankenstein pen won't make them go away. One main lesson of life, don't mess with something bigger than you."

"You're bigger than me, and I got you," she retaliated.

"Still here, aren't I?" he sneered.

Lisa clenched her jaw and looked into his ice cold blue eyes.

"Set you off a while, though," she muttered.

"You'll get used to it," was all he could say to compromise.

Lisa hardly spoke to Jackson the rest of the flight. As they began to land, she said something, almost inaudibly.

"It's always me," she whispered. Jackson looked at her . "Always me who's forced to do what they don't want to. It's not...fair," she scolded herself for the childlike quality to her voice.

For once, Jackson said nothing. He just took her hand as the plane rocked back and forth.

They finally landed and Jackson grabbed Lisa's suitcase, along with his own. He led her from the plane and the airport and hailed a cab. She slid in, still sullen, and stared out the window.

"Lisa," Jackson murmured. "I've never wanted to make you do anything. You have to believe me." Lisa laughed at the irony.

The car finally pulled up to a long drive near the Miami coast. Lisa shot Jackson a confused look.

"We need to walk a bit," Jackson said, gesturing to the path. Lisa rolled her eyes and ran to walk far ahead of Jackson. He ran to catch up with her.

"You know," he said coyly, taking her elbow. "You'd better hope your eyes don't get stuck that way."

Lisa didn't answer him, just yanked her elbow away and quickened her pace. Jackson lost his patience and dropped the suitcase, slamming her against a palm tree. Lisa tensed herself for the blows or choking that were to come. Instead, his lips met hers as he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. She pushed him away angrily.

"You're not going to seduce me into working for your bastard of a brother, Jack," she berated him.

"Worth a shot," he shrugged. "But seriously, Leese, it's not me making you do this, it IS my bastard of a brother."

"I can't kill people," she cried. "I won't."

"You didn't hesitate to try me," he argued.

"Out of chivalry," she yelled. She pulled away from him and continued down the path. He hurried up to her and took her shoulders.

"Please, Leese," he said sincerely. "I don't want this to ruin things for us. I promise you that you won't kill."

Lisa sighed. There was nothing she could do. "Fine," she muttered.

"Good," he beamed, and tilted her chin up, "Look."

Lisa looked up to see that she'd arrived at a beautiful place. Japanese gardens and minuscule streams and waterfalls led to a beach and then the ocean. A huge, massive baby blue house with a wraparound deck stood in the middle of it all. She breathed in deeply.

"Oh, my God, Jackson," she whispered. "It's beautiful. I-I get to live here?"

He chuckled and nodded, taking her hand as they ran up to the door. He pulled a key from his pocket and threw the suitcases down on the oak deck.

"What are you doing?" Lisa frowned. "Why don't we just carry those-" she stopped short as Jackson scooped her up in his arms and carried her over the threshold.

Jackson set her down inside the house and Lisa smiled up at him. "Forgot that part."

Jackson grabbed the suitcases and shut the door as Lisa slowly explored the house. A living room, dining room, den, kitchen, four bathrooms, rec room, five bedrooms, patio, solarium, and master bedroom were the basics, but Lisa realized its beauty couldn't be summarized that easily. Someone had dropped her things off, and she unpacked the rest of the day.