The minutes passed slowly and Lisa felt like slamming her head against the window to put herself out of her misery. Mel dozed a bit and when she woke up Lisa was happy.

"Lea?" she said quietly. "I has to go to the potty."

Lisa ignored the name and helped Mel up. "Okay, honey, I'll take you."

"Don't think so, Leese," Jackson stood up to block their paths.

"Jackson, she can't go by herself," she sighed.

"Yeah, well, I'm not putting it past you to be around other people with her," he pointed out.

"Can you say fucking paranoid?" she rolled her eyes. "I mean, Jesus, Jack, get a life."

He paused. "Fine. But remember I'll be watching you."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Lisa pretended to cower and Mel giggled. Jackson glared at the child. "Oh, shut down by a toddler, my aren't we getting weak, Jack."

Lisa guided Mel to the bathroom and helped her inside, leaning her back against the door. She felt so helpless, so defeated...yet there had to be some way out of this. She had to keep her head clear.

The door creaked open and Mel wobbled out, taking Lisa's hand. Lisa smiled. She'd wanted children, yet the whole concept of having to find a decent guy and reproduce...completely threw her off. And single-parent adoption just didn't seem right.

They walked back out to their seats where Jackson stood in the aisle. Lisa rolled her eyes and sat down.

A few minutes later Lisa felt Jackson's arm on hers. "You want some water or something?"

"If I did, I would have said so," she spat. He sighed.

"Fine, geez, bite my head off," he laughed.

"I kinda wish I had," she retorted. Mel sighed and looked at Lisa.

"I'm bored," she sighed. Lisa looked at Jackson.

"What?" he said innocently.

"Nice job, Jack, didn't even bring anything for her to do," she rolled her eyes. "Mel, sweetie, I'll ask the attendant for some paper and crayons for you, kay? You like to draw?" Mel nodded eagerly.

Lisa got Mel settled in and was just about to doze off when Jackson spoke again.

"You're good with them," he acknowledged.

"What are you talking about?" she sighed.

"With kids. You'd make a good mother," he nodded.

"Well, thanks," she rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm going to get to be one, though."

"You never know," he said absently, stroking his chin that was dotted with stubble.

A few hours later Lisa was still contemplating his words when an announcement came over the train loudspeaker announcing dinner.

"Are you coming?" Jackson stood up. Lisa remained seated.

"Leese, what's your problem now?" he sighed. Lisa paused. She really didn't know, but perhaps it was the fact that this all seemed way too real...like they really were going on vacation, and not that she was being held hostage.

"I'm not hungry," she muttered.

"Lisa, I know for a fact that you are, because you haven't eaten anything since last night's popcorn," he argued. "And you're coming anyway."

She glared at him. "Fine," pushing past him to get into the aisle.

They walked into the dining cart. Jackson took Lisa's arm but she roughly yanked it away, lifting Mel up into her arms so as to avoid having to make contact.

"I wish you would get over this little roadblock, Leese," he said as she sat Mel down in a booth of the dining car.

"I don't really have anything to give me reason to," she argued absently, tucking a napkin into Mel's Teletubbies tshirt.

"Well..." Jackson began, but trailed off as he sat down.

The waiter came and took their orders and Lisa helped Mel decide.

Jackson spoke again as he sipped his wine. "So, after we're done eating I thought we could-"

Lisa cut him off, her voice fed-up. "What the hell is this, Jack, to you some game? You're trying to pretend that everything's all right and then you go and say shit that no human being could possibly decipher and you expect me to just play along with this all like we're playing fucking house or something."

Jackson blinked. "That was interesting."

"Shut up, Jack. Just do me a favor. Stop trying to pretend to be something you're not."

"I'm not pretending," he argued.

"Yeah? You're not? Then how come you're an assassin eating dinner with a woman and a three year old?"

"You couldn't possibly understand," he sighed, defeated.

"So, you don't think I'd understand that? Do you think you'd understand this?" with that, Lisa yanked hard on the tablecloth, sending Jackson's wine tumbling onto his shirt. She grinned triumphantly. It was a smaller infraction, she knew, but it was something. He glared at her.

"I do," he nodded.

"Good."

"Maybe you can understand," before Lisa could react, his face was next to hers, his lips touching her mouth and kissing her with so passionately she thought she would pass out. She pushed him away and slapped him hard in the face.

"Yeah. I do," she said before running to the bathroom.