A/N-Thank you all for the reviews that got squished in time thanks to the highly annoying .net system!

Lisa started at the sharp rap that Jackson sent to the door. "We're eating now!"

She looked at Rachel. "Are you okay?"

Rachel shrugged listlessly. "I guess."

"Hungry?"

"Not really. Alec made me eat something back at the airport. I wasn't hungry then, either."

Lisa looked into her eyes. They looked scarred. She wondered what this girl had been through to bring her to this breaking point. Surely she wouldn't be so desolate after just an evening of Jackson Rippner-type babble. "Do you want to talk? About anything?"

"Are you a shrink?" Rachel said, a little edgily, then sighed. "No. Thank you. Not right now."

Lisa nodded and helped Rachel to her feet, brushing a stray hair from her face. "Don't worry. These guys are all the same. Empty threats are the worst of it."

"I hope so," Rachel bit back tears. "Because I don't think I can stand to see any more death."

"I know what you mean."

"I don't think you do." Lisa tried not to feel hurt at the girl's guardedness. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, you're upset." Lisa breathed deeply. Time to face the beasts. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Lisa took Rachel's hand and opened the door. Alec and Jackson were seated at the table, already digging into the huge mound of French toast on their plates. Lisa raised an eyebrow and pulled a chair around to one end of the square table so that Rachel could sit next to her. Alec sat directly across from them, and Jackson sat to Lisa's left.

Rachel looked at the food in front of her, then her gaze fell to her hands. Lisa began eating.

"So, Lisa," Alec chewed and swallowed. She looked at him.

"What?" she snapped, taking a drink from her milk.

Jackson glared at her. "Watch it, Lisa. Mouthing off to Alec is like mouthing off to me."

"No, it's not," Lisa pointed out innocently. "He has better hair."

Alec laughed and Jackson rolled his eyes. Looking down at Rachel, Lisa noted that she had the beginnings of a smile. Good. That was good.

"What do you do for a living?"

She paused. At the moment… "Now, or before Jackson kidnapped me?"

"Uh…both?" He shot a 'help me' look at his employer and Jackson shrugged.

"I used to manage the Lux Atlantic hotel in Miami. Then, after I was rudely physically and emotionally harassed on a flight from Texas, I was brought here and now my full-time job is making Jackson's life a living hell. Satisfied?"

"You left something out, Leese," Jackson sighed irritably. Just falling into my new job description, Jack, don't get uptight.

"Oh, yeah," Lisa swallowed and nodded. "I also kicked his ass back at my house."

Rachel laughed. Alec raised an eyebrow at her.

"First of all," Jackson raised his voice. "That's not what I was talking about. And you did not 'kick my ass', as you so eloquently put it."

"No, no, you're right," Lisa mused. "I believe that the more affected area would have been your trachea. Oh, and your thigh."

"Do I want to know?" Alec muttered.

"No," Jackson snapped. "How's the throat, by the way, Leese? And your back, I know that must kind of hurt from when you went down the stairs. Daddy says hello, by the way."

"Fuck you," she snarled. I hate him. GOD, I hate him.

Jackson just smirked and stared at her. I'll stab this fork into those fucking blue eyes of yours. "Not now, Leese, there's company."

"You all are so goddamn egotistical and sick," Rachel snapped, standing up from the table. "How do you sleep at night?"

"With some Lunesta," Alec growled at her. "Sit back down."

"No," she replied. Must be on a roll. She's obviously not done yet. "I mean, Jesus Christ, get a fucking life. You think you're so special, so important because you kill people and try to make them afraid of you. Guess what? I'm not afraid of you, and I never will be. The only reason I haven't tried to hurt you is for my brother. I'm not afraid of anything you think you can do to me, Alec, and I'd like to see you try. All it is with you is empty intimidation and threatening my brother's life!"

There was silence for a few minutes. Alec glared at Rachel. Lisa looked hesitantly at Jackson, who was fighting laughter, and then at Rachel.

She's not lying. I wish I had her courage. All I can do is jab Jackson with a stupid hockey stick.

"Jackson," Alec finally spoke. Lisa looked back at Rachel. She was trembling, slightly, but Lisa suspected that it was from her verbal outpouring of anger. "Will you excuse us for a minute?"

"Of course," he nodded. Alec stood and grabbed Rachel's arm. Lisa lept from her

chair as well and pried his hand from Rachel's elbow.

"Don't touch her," Lisa snarled. She felt tight hands reeling her backwards and she fell into Jackson's chest.

"This is none of your concern, Lisa," Jackson hissed in her ear. "Stay out of it."

When she looked up again, both Alec and Rachel were gone.

"I hate you!" Rachel screamed as Alec shut the door. As he began striding towards her she grabbed a vase from the countertop and hurled it at him. It hit his knee and he swore as it smashed. This isn't over yet, Rach. You think you can beat me with what you say, or hell, a vase, but you can't. And I'll prove it to you. Nobody humiliates me like that in front of Jackson Rippner.

He grabbed ahold of her shoulders as she darted back for the door through which they had come and slammed her against the wall. Her head bounced back against the plaster but she made no sound. You'll be screaming by the time I'm done with you.

"You hate me, Rachel?" he yelled. "I'm not too fond of you, either! The only reason you're here is because Jackson picked you for a job!"

"Aren't I lucky," she slurred. Her eyes looked distant. Stay awake. I'm not done with you yet. He hit her across the face, just for the satisfaction of it.

"And do us all a favor and quit with the fucking sarcasm! I don't know if you're trying to be a bitch or if you really, really don't care about your brother at all, but either way you're not helping anybody!"

"Not helping anybody or not helping you?" she snapped at him. "I find it kind of funny how you can't take a little verbal abuse."

He paused, taking a calming breath. Alright, then, let's see how you like it. "What about you, Rachel? Can you take a little verbal abuse?"

She glared at him. "Yeah. A hell of a lot better than you can, I'll bet."

"Why are you such a loner? You never answered my question."

"Did you ever consider that I didn't answer because it's none of your fucking business?" He hit her again. Now her lip was bleeding.

"It is my business, Rach. Everything about you is my business. Mine. Everything about you is mine. You're mine." His hand rested on her neck.

He saw her eyes turn down for a minute and he thought he saw a flicker of a tear in one of them, but that could have been his imagination. "It's not your business."

Alec let his hand slide to her shoulder. "Is it still none of my business?"

Her jaw tensed. "Yes."

Lower. He heard her sharply inhale her breath as he explored. It's strange. I hate this girl but I'm still finding some sort of satisfaction by doing this. Do I hate her? I think I do. She annoys me, but in a way I just want her to keep talking…I think maybe I like that. He willed his mind to focus on the task at hand. Wear her down. You can't let her keep doing that to you in front of Jackson. You're in charge here, not some backwoods teenage hick.

"Stop it," she said, her voice thick. She still wasn't crying.

"I don't think so," he whispered as he moved to her abdomen. "Unless you feel like telling me your little secret yet…"

"Don't make me do this…" Now he was trailing the waistband of her jeans. His finger was on the button and…

He got bored. Goddamn it. Why don't I feel like doing this anymore? Jesus H. Christ. Grow the fuck up, Rocher.

Rachel fell to the ground as he unceremoniously stormed away. Now she was crying. He thought.

This is easier. This way she'll have to tell me. She won't risk her brother.

He grabbed his phone and twirled it between his thumbs. "Hey, Rachel, look at me."

"No."

"No?"

"No. I don't want to." Stubborn little bitch.

"Okay." He dialed a number. "Terrence? Yes, it's Rocher. She's being uncooperative, you can just go ahead and kill-"

"No!" she tried to stand. "D-don't!"

"Don't what?" he pressed the phone against his neck.

"Don't kill him!"

"Kill who?" he widened his eyes innocently.

"Don't kill Chris," she pleaded. "Please."

"Will you-"

"Yes, I will tell you my story," she cried. He heard what she called him quietly after and smirked.

"Ok, then."

"Never mind, Terrence." He hung up to the monotonous beeping of the busy signal.

A/N-Alec sucks. So does Jackson, but Alec is a bit more confused, I think. We'll get more into his, Lisa's, and Jackson's backstories a little later, right now it's all about Rachel Redford! So enjoy, and please review as always!