Lisa sat on her bed, idly fingering the bedspread. Rory sat across from her on her own bed, gazing out the Venetian curtained window, muttering to herself.

"Anything yet?"

"Well, other than using myself as a human missile and propelling at one of the two, no," Rory sighed. Lisa frowned and went back to her fiddling.

Jackson threw open the door and smirked at the two girls.

"Having fun, ladies?" he asked, and then, without waiting for a response, "I can see that. Anyway, grab your things. We're leaving."

"What?" Lisa sat up straighter. "Why?"
"'What, why'?" he mimicked. Lisa shot him an icy glower. Jackson deflated. "Because Jess compromised our safe house."

"Smart guy," Rory muttered. Jackson contemplated her sullen form in the corner and cocked his head thoughtfully. Finally he strode over and cupped her face in his hands. Lisa's temper flared and Rory tried to push him away.

"Is it that bad?" he crooned. "Living with us guys? We're really nice once you get to know us. Trust me. If you'd stop misbehaving like this, we wouldn't have to punish you. We could actually get along quite famously. Right, Leese?"

"Oh, yeah, totally," Lisa replied, voice thick with cynicism, rolling her eyes. Jackson shrugged.

"Just behave," he ordered. "You like Jess."

Rory snorted and finally spoke. "Excuse me? What rock have you been hiding under? I hate Jess Mariano and everything he represents."

"Which is?"
"You."

" Now, Ms. Gilmore, I must say I'm insulted," Jackson feigned hurt, pouting. "See, I'm really quite fond of you and it cuts me like a knife that you don't feel the same way."

Rory pretended to gag by sticking a finger in her open mouth. Jackson simmered and gripped her face again but much tighter, tipping back her head.

"Jackson, stop," Lisa cried.

"Listen closely, Rory, because I'm not going to say it again. This behavior gets you nowhere. Lisa knows it just as well as you do. The more you piss me off, the less privileges it gets you and the less happy you can get. You used to like Jess. You must have. He told me the story."

Rory's eyes glistened. "What story is that?"
Jackson sighed impatiently. "You dated. You loved each other. In fact, if I remember it correctly, you were the first to make a move."

Rory's lip trembled. "N-no."

Lisa cringed, knowing the explosion to come. Never lie, Rory. That's your first lesson.

Jackson slapped her in the face. Rory made a sound of pain and clutched her reddened cheek. "Don't ever, ever lie to me, Gilmore. It's stupid. Now you know it. You loved him, what changed?"

Rory paused, searching for answers. When she spoke her voice was flat, dry, and crisp. "He did. He left me, and I got over him. He never treated me right. He took me for granted like the cocky son of a bitch he was and just left me. I hate him. He's ruined my life, and now because of him, the one I do love is probably going to die." Lisa bit her lip and looked down. Poor kid. She hadn't heard about Dean, she made a mental note to ask Rory about it later.

Jackson didn't speak. Lisa did, however, feeling the need to distract him. "Jackson, may I speak to you for a minute?"

He turned and looked at her, thinking carefully. "Fine. Rory, I'll be locking you in."

"Whatever."

He followed Lisa into the kitchen and clicked the lock behind him, then nodded to Jess. Jess retreated into his room.

"What?"

Lisa leaned on the countertop. "Please leave Rory alone. She hasn't done anything."

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Beg pardon, Leese, but she's been wrecking my house and, not to mention, me, trying to get away. It runs a little thin. I have the right to, as you say, 'exercise some leash.'"

"You don't have to hit her!"
"She needs to learn her place. And if you'd rather, I could tie her up and knock her out."

Lisa rubbed her eyes. "No….just let her go. This is stupid. You're acting like a human trafficker, just giving her to Jess like this."

He licked his lips thoughtfully and cocked his head. "I notice you don't say anything about you being here."

Lisa's temper raged. "Right now, Jack, my main priority is Rory, not myself. I'll work on that later."
"You're not going to 'work' on anything, now or ever. Rory belongs to Jess, whether she likes it or not. Now, go pack."

Lisa felt like she needed to argue the situation more, but she was drained of words. She finally stomped back into the bedroom and pulled a suitcase from the closet, then grabbed out the clothes Jackson had bought her earlier and that she was planning to share with Rory.

"Rory?"

No answer. Lisa turned around, seeing Rory gone.

"Ror?"

"In here," Rory called from the connecting bathroom. Lisa went in to see Rory perched on the edge of the sink, staring at the window.

"What are you doing, honey?"

"I have a plan."