"…I mean with everyone…"


Jessica sat next to her mothers sleeping form as she read her uncles file. She found the sound of her mothers steady breathing soothing as she tried to relax; a taskwitch she found rather difficult. She breathed a deep sigh before she heard the door to the hospital room open and a man walked in.

She didn't even try to act surprised as he casually sat himself in the chair next to her mother. "Jason, what do you want? I know you're my uncle and all, but my family's not exactly the kind to help each other from what I've seen."

"You know Jesse, you're just like your mother," he said, "Always thinking. But in a way you're just like your father too; you think you can always find what you want by looking at patterns and reactions. When you end up missing the fact of the actual person," he made a small gesture towards the file in her hand.

"If you had really read my file then you would know why I want to help," he said. Jesse thought over this for a moment before she replied.

"I have no clue how I'm gonna be able to help you. I can street fight when I need to, I can't think straight under pressure, and I am a terrible shot. Honestly I think you're gonna have to talk to Jackson." The man gave her a cold look before he replied.

" Jackson is not reliable, he often loses his temper and this gets him into trouble. Like that bruise that you have on your face," she rubbed the mark that her father had left the night before, "Due to his multi-personality problems we can't count on him."

"I still don't see why you want to help. I've spent the last four years of my life with my Grandfather because my Father was off killing people for money; I've spent my life trying to live without a mother. Now, my Uncle shows up and wants me to help him." She said her voice unwavering.

"Things aren't always black and white Jess, you need to see things in shades of grey," he said standing up and trying to tower over her. She stood too and they both found that she was taller then he expected.

"I don't see things in black and white, I see things in black. Get used to it!"

"Way to go Jess…" came a small voice from beneath them. They looked down and to their surprise Lisa's eyes were slightly open and she was watching both of them. Jason acted quickly by grabbing the stethoscope that was by the bed and he began listening to her heart beat. Jesse backed away from Lisa's eyes as she watched her daughter for the first time.

Jesse had never heard her mother talk before. To have her suddenly respond in the middle of a fight with her Uncle was a shock to both her and her mom.

"W-what is it? W-why did she wake up?" she asked not taking her eyes off of Lisa as she spoke.

"She's been cured," he said looking from Lisa to Jesse, "Some one gave her the cure that I had made."


Jessica paced the floor in her bedroom as Rodney tried to comprehend what she was telling him. He had climbed through the window so that they could talk for a while, but then he was shocked to hear what she had to say, "You haven't told your mother have you?"

"Of course not! Telling him that is like asking for him to cut you open and gut you! He never even told me about my Uncle," Jesse said still pacing the floor as she spoke.

"Your father wouldn't do that," he said, unsure of himself.

"My dad is mentally insane; he'll do anything for kicks," she said crossing her arms over her chest and sat on the bed next to Rodney.

"He is not! Even what little I saw of him I would have to say that he is not insane," he said looking over at her. Her blue eyes were filled with a cross between worry and anger as she seethed over what she should do. He draped his arm over her shoulders and he felt her tense at the sudden closeness; she looked over at him and opened her mouth to say something but he took this as an invitation. Leaning over he pressed his lips into hers and tried not to feel like a complete idiot while he waited for her to kiss him back. He was about to pull away when she placed a hand on the back of his head and began to deepen the embrace.

They were both lost in the kiss when they were interrupted by her father yelling her name, "Jessica, get down here!" they both pulled away and Jessica stood up from the bed.

"I'll be right back," she said walking out of the room. Jesse was barely down the stairs when she felt an arm snake around her waist, but when she opened her mouth to protest a hand came over her mouth. Making a move to bite him she was rewarded with a slap to the face and a hand around her throat. She gasped for air as a dark figure came into her view; her eyes focused and she found Michael smirking down at her.

He reached out and caressed her cheek before running a finger over her smooth skin. "Good choice, Jackie," he said not taking his eyes away from Jesse; the man holding her throat loosened her grip and she gasped for air. Suddenly her father came into view; there was no sign of remorse for what he was doing on his face. Then suddenly he was pale.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her," he said through clenched teeth. Jessica looked at him with pleading eyes.

"If she does as she is told she won't," he said turning to Jackson, "You got what you wanted. Lisa should be able to leave the hospital within a month," he said then motioned for them to follow him out the door. The man that had the grip on her throat dragged her with him out the door.

The cold air stung Jesse as they walked out the door and into the night. She was being dragged to a black hummer, "I wouldn't try to run, Jess. Even if I don't catch you Bradley would be more than happy to catch you." He said motioning toward the man dragging her; her chest squeezed at the thought and she only had a moment to realize the danger she was in before she was thrown in the back of the car.

Jessica

Family? What does that word mean? Certainly nothing to me. I knew my father was crazy but he sold me so that mom could come out of a coma! The man is heartless! My mother would have been better off staying asleep for the rest of her life. You can't trust a Ripner, not my father, not my Uncle. I am almost certain now that I can't trust my mother; now I can't even trust myself! Does he even care that I'm going through hell? It's all his fault! He should have disappeared from my mother's life the day after the Red Eye flight. She would have been better off! she could try and live a normal life without ever having to meet me. My father should have died from those wounds that my mother gave him! Why can't he just disappear make everyone life a whole lot easier?

F/B

Lisa sat behind the desk at the Luz Atlantic as she watched the police and repair men come and go every few minutes. She breathed a deep sigh and began to massage her temples trying to get rid of her headache. She looked over at the bunch of roses she had received that morning when she had entered the door. When she had opened the card she hadn't found any name or address to give her a clue of who they were from. In all honesty she was too tired to care who they were from. She had been the first to receive the news that Jackson hadn't even made it to the hospital before he escaped.

It really didn't surprise her, really, it was Jackson after all! She knew that they couldn't hold him for long, but she knew that she had wanted them to hold him longer. "Excuse me ma'am?" came a small raspy voice from in front of the counter; she sighed and looked up before her heart stopped.

" Jackson, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, I need to get back today due to my injuries." He glared at her with the mention of this, "But I have a promise to keep to you." Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes wandered up to meet his.

"What would that be?"

"I'm here to steal you, Leese," he said smirking. By the end of the day Lisa was sitting next to Jackson in a black hummer heading to God only knows where! She didn't mind though; she was sitting next to Jackson. The man she hated the most in her life; and the man she couldn't live without.

F/B

Lisa was wrenched out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening and a man walked in. She looked up to see that the man had been Jackson, " Jackson, I thought you were never gonna come."

"Well, I'm here. I would have come earlier, but I had something that I had to take care of." He said sitting in the chair next to her bed and holding her hand. Something about the way the said the last comment made her think that it was something that he really didn't want to do.

"Where's Jessica?" the smile fell from his face as he went silent. " Jackson, Where's Jessica?" she asked again growing worried, " Jackson, what did you do?" she asked when she didn't get an answer from him; he looked at her trying hide the sadness in his eyes.


Jesse felt someone trying to shake her out of sleep as she slowly opened her eyes to the world. Michael simply smirked at her as she sat up in the back seat of the hummer, "Good morning sleepy head." She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Where are we going?" she asked sleepily.

"You are just like your mother, aren't you?" he said amused. "You really should learn not to ask questions they can get you into trouble, Jess." Jesse shot him a glare with her blue eyes, and he reached out to push her hair out of her face so that he could see her face better.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted jerking her head away from his grasp. Angrily he jumped out his seat and into the seat next to her seizing her throat and slamming her against the window.

"Don't! Don't get mouthy with me, Ripner!" He shouted his face not even an inch from hers, "You wanna know why Lisa woke up from a coma? Do you?" she weakly nodded as she struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Because your father sold you for the cure; he didn't even think twice once I told him what I wanted," he stopped applying pressure to her throat to caress her cheek. She flinched as he ran his other hand through her hair.

She tried to shrink away from his touch but the window wouldn't allow it as he gazed at her with something in his eyes that she couldn't detect. Finally he chuckled and sat up in the seat next to her; grabbing her roughly by the shoulders he forced her to sit up in her seat. Glaring at him she fantasized punching between the eyes, but she quickly dismissed the thought as she knew she would be in big trouble that she wouldn't be able to get out of.

She sighed and thought to herself,

Thinking when you should be acting can make your head hurt.


" Jackson, how could you!" Lisa shouted from her hospital bed, "She's your daughter and you sold her!"

"So that you wouldn't die! I know her you don't; she'll find a way out one way or another she'll get out of there!"

"She's your daughter! You could've gotten the cure another way! Jackson, why?" tears were welling up in her eyes as she tried to comprehend what he had done.


Sorry, that I haven't posted for a loooooong time! I was half way through it when something wierd happened with the computer and I couldn't get on to type. Then when I got it done the site was down and I couldn't log in:.( Please Review, it only takes a few moments and I love to hear what you guys think about it.