1Lisa never had been able to predict Jackson well. One minute he was hot, the next cold. First nice, then cruel. There were times that she could read him, detect a flash of humanity behind the icy blue. But often, without warning, it would vanish.

She sat in the back of a beatup Chevy, her wrists generously untied in front of her. Rory slouched next to her, head on the window, not speaking.

"Rory, you okay?" Lisa asked softly. The girl shrugged.

"I'm just tired. Let me sleep, Leese." Lisa sighed and thought. Jess was sitting up front and Jackson drove. She had no idea where they were going, and at the point, she didn't care. Either way, things weren't getting better. She dedicated herself to Rory, deciding that if Rory was okay, she was okay.

Escape aching niggled at the back of her mind, and she tried to push them away. It was out of the question right now, what with Rory in a cast and Lisa in pain all over. It dizzied her to walk, so naturally running was a no-go. For now, she would concentrate her efforts on rest and rejuvenation.

Jess fell asleep after the first hour, as did Rory. Lisa was relieved. Sleep would provide Rory with a calm from her no doubt racing mind.

Lisa pressed her hand on the cool window and tried to calculate time. She'd been kidnapped in July, the fourth of July. Fireworks were vivid in her mind, and the ice cream. Pressing a hand on her slightly protruding stomach, she figured she was about five months along. When Jackson had snatched her, she'd been four months along. Therefore, it was beginning to mid August. She sighed and traced a raindrop sliding down. It settled into a groove as Jackson tapped a rhythm on the steering wheel with his palms.

A thought was gnawing at Lisa's brain. She tried to ignore it, but uncontrollably blurted, "Why did you do that?"

Jackson jumped, a little startled. "Do-uh-what?"

"Why were you so nice to Rory?"

He laughed. "You know, Leese, I'm not Satan's nephew."

She sighed. "Come on. You had absolutely no reason to be nice to her, you know it, and don't feed me some bull about how you had to so she would calm down and you could fix her leg."

He glanced at her. "Leese, in my job...no. That's...hm." Lisa was vaguely amused that for once, he was struggling for words. "The me that you see isn't all there is. You just happen to invoke my pissy side, the side I have issues controlling."

"I can tell."

"Watch it. As I was saying, I can be nice. This work hardens you, and you grow kind of...well, solemn. Cold. But I can be nice."

"You don't say. I just found it funny how you could nearly drown me and then basically be a father figure to Rory the next hour."

"Let's just say my anger shifted. From you to Jess. I can't stand that. You should know that I don't tolerate taking advantage of women."

"Yeah, the first sign was when you cuffed me to a bed," she rolled her eyes cynically.

"To make you stay," he moaned. "The bed happened to be a more comfortable alternative for you. Could've given you the sinking, and it was freezing in there."

She didn't answer. They passed a few moments in silence until Jackson spoke again.

"Want to sit up here?"

"No."

"Why?"

"For one, if I do, Jess has to move back here and I'm not going to do that to Rory."

"I wouldn't let anything happen."

"You're not a girl, Jack. You've no idea how our minds work. I know you won't let anything happen. Rory knows that. But her radar doesn't."

"Second reason?"

"Because I don't want to."

He smirked smugly. "I love how you place that second."

Lis scowled and played with the child lock on the door. Oh, if only...

"Child-lock, Leese."

"Yeah, the big white sign directly above it that says CHILD LOCK didn't even turn the lightbulb on," she scathed. Jackson grinned and began sifting through an ancient cd case on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

He settled on a cd and popped it into the player on the floor. It took a moment for the artist to register in Lisa's brain, and then it clicked. Franz Ferdinand. Lorelai loved them and had even bought a shirt that read, "Franz Fucking Ferdinand." At the shocked Stars Hollow faces, Lorelai would shrug and say, "It's better than my porn star shirt." Lisa missed her.

The song was Darts of Pleasure. Lisa listened to the lyrics and shut her eyes, trying to rest.

You are the latest contender
You are the one to remember
You are the villain who sends a
Line of dark fantastic passion
I know that you will surrender
I know that you will surrender
I want this fantastic passion
We'll have fantastic passion

You can feel my lips undress your eyes
Undress your eyes, undress your eyes
Words of love and words of leisure
Words of poisoned darts of pleasure
Died... and so you died

You are the latest adventure
You're an emotion avenger
You are the devil that sends a

Line of dark fantastic passion

I know that you will surrender
I know that you will surrender
I want this fantastic passion
We'll have fantastic passion

You can feel my lips undress your eyes
Undress your eyes, undress your eyes
Skin can feel my lips they tingle - tense anticipation
This one is an easy one, feel the word and melt upon it
Words of love and words of leisure
Words of poisoned darts of pleasure Died and so you died

Lisa caught the lyrics and her temper flared up, to a point that it reddened her face. Without thinking, she grabbed a box of tissues from the floor and hurled it at Jackson's head. He didn't anticipate the gesture and swerved a little as the thin yet bulky and cornered tissue box hit the bottom of his head.

"What the fuck was that for?" he yelled. Lisa cringed as Rory stirred but did not awaken.

"You know what," Lisa argued. "The song. You did that on purpose."

"The song?" Jackson frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't even make me repeat it. Think. I thought you were smart." There was a pause as he mulled it over. Then he laughed.

"Jesus, Leese, do you really have to take things so literally? It's a song. I wasn't trying to seduce you. God. And you say I have a big ego."

Lisa's red face turned even redder with embarrassment. "Um...oh." She wished she could come up with something wittier than that.

He kept chuckling until they stopped for gas at a 7-11 fifteen minutes later.

"Hungry or anything?"

Lisa shook her head. "But I have to use the restroom."

He eyed her suspiciously.

This was a time in which she actually was sincere. The pressure of the child growing inside of her was bearing down on her bladder. "I do. I wouldn't be able to run away if I wanted to."

He began to nod, and then paused. "You don't want to?"

She blushed crimson yet again. "Rory. I wouldn't leave Rory."

She thought she detected disappointment in his sharp features, but it quickly vanished as he gave her a once-over.

She'd changed her clothes and washed up back at the cabin. Jackson had mended her arm as best as he could and applied a salve that took away about half of the pain. She knew that, except for a few bruises, most of which were covered with clothing and makeup, she didn't look like a kidnappee.

Jackson shoved Jess awake and opened Lisa's door. She hopped out and they walked inside. He idly led her to the ladies' room.

"The gas?" she prodded.

"Pay before you pump. Go use the restroom first."

He opened the door and she knew he had planned on going in first and checking it out, seeing if there were windows or anything that could be used as a weapon.

Lisa cautiously stepped ahead and Jackson craned his neck to peer over her. She heard him swear quietly and realized why. It was a multi-use bathroom, with eight stalls lining both sides, some of which were occupied. There was no way he could secure it without arousing suspicion. He caught her arm.

"Go, but I swear to God, Leese, if you so much as-"

"Jackson," she muttered tersely. "I get it. Rory."

He nodded and let her go. She locked herself inside of a stall and relieved herself, then took a few calming breaths. Her mind was yet again reeling with the events of the past few days. Rory's tears, the bathtub, the window, the shard of gas embedded in the thin skin just below her elbow. The old cut suddenly whizzed to life and stung horribly. The pain was dizzying as Lisa stood and tried to breathe in deeply. Jackson's face flashed before her mind's eye. She swayed, her elbow banging against the toilet paper dispenser.

Lisa eased herself out of the stall and tried to suck in air. She succeeded in doing so but it was hot, dusty, and her chest heaved and ached.

Help me, her brain screamed. She almost wished a woman would come out of a stall and help her out of this place. Help me. Who? Jackson? Jess? Rory? An angel? God?

Lisa stumbled to the window and pulled it open. Then, and only then were her lungs filled with fresh, cool, sweet air. She breathed deeply and slowly as her heartrate returned to normal.

What had that been? Lisa was certainly no doctor, but her only guess was that it had been a panic attack. Induced by what? Jackson. Jackson. This was his fault.

She felt a small kick in her stomach and smiled. The little one was there. She hadn't forgotten, just kind of had had more pressing matters weighed upon her in the past few days. Lisa had been depressed, felt sorry for herself in the last day or so. She hadn't acted like herself, and had succumbed. She hated herself. She would never, ever, give in to Jackson. She would keep trying to escape. Her maternal instinct had flared to life again, and now the only thing on her brain was a way out. She knew it was risky for her baby, but felt as if she had no other choice. She could stay with Jack and when four more months had passed, what? He'd take her to a doctor? Of course not. He was wanted in at least two states. Deliver the baby himself? Lisa shuddered at the thought. No. She had to get away.

The window seemed like a beacon of hope. Lisa studied it. It went out behind the convenience store and was more than large enough for her to fit through. It was perfect. Jackson would never know, and when he did find out, she'd be long gone. The dizzying pain had ebbed away somewhat, and though it would be difficult to run, the tingling caged bird feeling in her legs told her that it would push her onward.

But Rory, Lisa thought. Jess would no doubt be awake, unless he felt like earning another beating from Jackson. There was no conceivable way that Lisa could grab her and get away. She'd just have to come back for her, that was it. Yeah. She'd grab Luke, Max, Jack, whoever, and come back for Rory. She wouldn't let Jackson win this time.

With that, she pulled herself up on the sill and swung her legs out.