Lisa tapped her fingers anxiously on the armrest and bit her lip. She glanced quickly behind her, where Jess's nose was buried in a magazine. She silently, stealthily rose and tiptoed down the aisle.

After getting away from Jess's line of sight, she tracked down a flight attendant.

"Please," she begged, gripping the blonde girl's arm. "Help me, please."

"Miss, what-"

"There's a man on the plane, well two men, that kidnapped me and my friend, you have to help me, please."

"Ma'am, I can't-"

"Lisa," Jackson took her arm. Lisa tried to pull it away but his grip was unrelenting. "Refrain from displaying your acting skills for the attendant here. I'm afraid she's taking you quite seriously. Ever seen Flightplan?" he asked the stewardess. She nodded as relief flashed over her young face.

"No, I-"

"Come on, sweetheart." Jackson guided her to her seat. She finally wrenched her arm away and sullenly sank into the seat.

"Seems you and Rory are on the same brain-wave today."

Lisa froze. "What?"

"She tried a little plea for help, too. Wrote on the mirror with soap. Sound familiar?"

"Good for her. You didn't hurt her, did you?"

"Nah...just roughed her up a bit."

"That would be hurting her," Lisa rolled her eyes as Jackson turned to Jess.

"We need to talk. Right now." Jess nodded hesitantly.

"If either of you move a muscle while we're gone, I swear there'll be hell to pay," Jackson threatened. Rory desperately wanted to reply back with something sarcastic, something along the lines of, "at ease, Adolf" but refrained from doing so. She and Lisa both complied with sulky nods. Once he was out of sight, she snuck out of her seat to talk to Lisa.

"Hey," she said quietly. Lisa smiled softly.

"Hi."

"What do you make of all this?"

"I don't know. They're a great pair, Jackson and Jess, eh?"

"I agree. That company really picks 'em."

"Do you have any idea what's really, really going on?" Lisa questioned Rory hopefully. Rory shrugged.

"You probably know as much as I do."

"Which is?"

"Jackson and Jess are taking us to France, where, if all goes as planned, I'm marrying Jess." Lisa cringed.

"Not if I can help it," she said, leaning in to tell Rory her plan.

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"You need to watch yourself very carefully, pal," Jackson snarled to Jess. Jess glared at him.

"You were the one who wanted me to come work at your stupid company," Jess snapped. "I don't even know what you expect of me."

"I should have sent you through training before I gave you your little...prize," Jackson ran a disgruntled hand through his hair. "But listen. This is how things go from now on: Lisa and Rory try to escape, you catch them. If you don't, you're punished. That clear?"

"Crystal," Jess replied coolly.

"Peachy. Now come on. They're probably doing something I disapprove of."

When they sidled back to their seats, they found Lisa leaning against her window and Rory, behind her, flipping through the Fresh Air magazine. Jackson and Jess eyed them suspiciously.

"What did you do?"

"Talk about paranoid," Rory grumbled, rolling her eyes as the guys sat down and the plane began to make its descent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke opened his cell phone excitedly as he, Max, and Dean sat briefly in the plastic airport chairs.

:I can't believe I forgot that I had this number," he murmured, tapping into his address book.

"Wait, how do you have Rippner's number again?" Max asked.

"He called me to ask something about the diner job the other day and I saved the number."

"Well, thank God you were on the ball," Dean added.

"Okay, Max, ready?" Max nodded, his phone poised. "476-9990."

"Got it." He pressed send. A few moments later, Jackson's deep, slightly raspy voice spoke.

"Rippner."

"What the hell did you do to them, you bastard?"

"Well, well, well, so we finally meet, Mr...Medena, correct? Pleasure."

"Whatever. Where are they?"

"Who?"

"You know who."

"Oh. Well, see, I'm awfully busy. I was just getting ready to make love to your girlfriend." Max heard Lisa cry out angrily and his fists clenched furiously.

"Touch her and I swear to God-"

"Now, now, Max, you shouldn't swear, especially not to God. Anyway, don't be so naive. Lisa loves it. She actually asked me to, would you believe it? Not quite faithful, that one. Kinky, too." Now Max knew Rippner was doing it to get a rise out of him.

"Listen. Can I just talk to her?"

"After the way you just profanely threatened my life, I don't know," Jackson's voice was cold but still held the mocking lilt.

A second later, though, he put Lisa on the line.

"Max, oh god, thank god," Lisa cried.

"Leese, sweetie, I need to know where you are," Max said firmly as Dean and Luke leaned in to hear. "Tell me where you are, please. And are you with Rory?"

"And Jess," Luke added in a whisper.

"Yeah, and Jess."

"Well, we just landed in..." he heard her cry out softly and then Jackson's muttered voice. Max cursed quietly. "Yes, I'm with Rory and Jess."

"I want to talk to Rory," Luke whispered. Max nodded.

"Ok, Leese, listen, I have to go, but Luke wants to talk to Rory," Max said.

"Ok. Hold on."

"I'll see you soon, Lisa."

"Max?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." He swallowed and blinked back tears but couldn't respond before Jackson took the phone again.

"Why, there's our good ol' fashioned loverboy," he snapped. Max knew Lisa's comment had gotten to him.

"Queen."

"What?"

"That's a Queen song."

"You talk to Rory too much."

"Speaking of which, Luke wants to-"

"Talk to her? I don't think so. You pretty much used up your minutes with Lisa, pal."

"My minutes. Not Luke's."

"Fine," he growled, thrusting the phone at Rory.

"Hello?" Max handed the phone to Luke.

"Rory, sweetie, are you okay? Has he hurt you?"

"No. Jess doesn't hurt me."

"And Jackson?"

"Um..." her voice was almost faint.

"Rory, has he hurt you?"

"He didn't...you know..." Rory said. Luke got the picture. "I'm fine. Just a little bruised."

"He touches you one more time," Luke growled threateningly. "Listen, sweetheart, we're trying to get to you and Lisa, you just need to tell us where you are or where you're headed."

"I can't." Rory looked up around her in the crowded airport.

"Just Rory, please, tell me." Rory bit her lip as Jess and Jackson ushered them to the monorail. She looked at Lisa, and, ever so slightly, Lisa nodded.

"Nice. We just landed in France."

That was as far as she got before the line was disconnected.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They're in France," Luke announced, quickly standing and gathering his bag. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Dean broke into a run to keep up with him and Max, and Dean was a tall boy.

"Where do you think we're going?"