A/N: Well, I finally got past the hard part that was Chapter Seven, so here's to hoping these next ones won't be as difficult. Wish me luck, please.

Chapter Eight - It's Not Over

It was a harrowing day for Jake and Cheryl. Ever since finding out the truth that Jackson was actually his biological father, Jake's mind went thought what could be considered like a sugar rush - racing and so full of new information before crashing down and feeling tired from the weight. He also had to tell Cheryl the news, but it was hard, since she was only seven years old, and couldn't really grasp those complicated concepts well.

They were still in the store when Jake had told her what was going on. He really had his work cut out for him, but Cheryl was his little sister (half sister, to be exact), and he felt she deserved to know.

"Hey, Cheryl, let me in, I have some new clothes for you to try on," Jake called to her. Cheryl opened the door, her face lighting up when she saw that it was Jake and not Jackson. Jackson scared her a lot. Before she could close the door, Jake interrupted, asking, "Cheryl, could I just come in for a minuet? I have to tell you something."

"Okay," she agreed and let Jake in. They sat on the fitting room seat, Jake preparing to tell his sister this big revelation.

"Cheryl, this isn't going to be easy for me to tell you, but I really thought you deserved to know this... The thing is, Cheryl, Jackson is my real dad."

Cheryl was very confused. "But how did he and Mommy make you?"

It was never easy to tell a young child where babies came from and how they were made, so Jake came up with the best way to tell her how. "Well, you know how when a man and woman love each other and their love makes a baby?" Cheryl nodded, following along. "Well, there was a time when Mom was in love with Jackson, and he loved her too, and that love made me."

"Then why did he hurt you?"

Now he had his work cut out for him. But Jake was good at coming up with new ideas and strategies. "Well, you know how when you might make Mom or Ryan mad at you and they yell at you? And that there are other mothers and fathers who might spank their kids if they were mad enough? Well, that was Jackson's way of doing that. But he didn't mean it when he said he'd kill me. He never would've done that; he just wanted us to behave." Of course, neither Lisa nor Ryan believed in spanking their kids, but that was the best Jake could come up with.

Cheryl began to catch on. "So you're not really my brother then..."

Jake cut in, "Of course, I'm still your brother, Cheryl! It's just that we have different dads, but we both share the same mom. But that doesn't matter; you're still my baby sister, and I love you."

Cheryl smiled and hugged her brother. "I love you too!"

Deciding to lighten the mood a bit, Jake threw in, "And remember what I told you about dating - don't go out with boys until you're thirty."

"Jake!" Cheryl punched him in the arm and they both laughed and hugged before Jake left her alone in the dressing room to put on her clothes. That was a bit easier than he thought, but that still didn't ease his mind much. He still had trouble absorbing the fact that Jackson was his father, but it was the truth. Even after going through every possibility in his head, they all lead up to Jackson being his father. What a strange world this was.

Jackson parked the car in front of the Best Western Hotel. He looked at the back seats, where Jake was holding a sleeping Cheryl. "I'm going to check us into the hotel. Can I trust you two to stay put?" Jake didn't respond and Jackson sighed, "Look, I know you had a rough three days and I didn't help much, but I'm not asking much."

Jake then said, "Yeah, we're staying in the car."

Jackson then got out and checked into the hotel.When he told them to get out, Jake carried Cheryl, who was too tired to want to do anything else, leaving Jackson to carry their bags of clothes. They went to the fourth floor, where the room number was 4080. Definitely some irony in that one. Once they were inside, Jake set Cheryl down on to one of the beds, and said, "I'm going to take a shower."

"Good plan. I'll order some room service. You feel like anything in particular?"

Jake replied, "I'm so hungry, I don't really care what I have."

"Okay then. Well, freshen up and by the time you're done, the food will be here."

Jake nodded and turned to go to the small bathroom when Jackson interrupted him. "Jake, I'm really sorry. I didn't want it to be this way. But it was the only thing I could do to get you and your mother back."

"You can't get us back," Jake said quietly. "You never had us in the first place." With that, he locked the bathroom door and left Jackson to sulk in his guilt.

Jackson laid down on his prison cot, which still irritated his back, but after nearly two years, he got accustomed to it. He certainly didn't like it though. But having a good book or magazine, such as the 'Italian Men's Vogue' he was currently reading helped keep his mind on other things. That was, until the large orderly, Frankie, came over.

"Heya, Jackson, there's a man who wants to see you. He's awfully strange too. He said that you two used to work together."

This got Jackson's attention. "I'll go see him then."

With that, Frankie escorted Jackson over to the visitor's room. Jackson felt dread come over him when he saw who the agency had sent out to talk with him. The man's name was Liev Thompson, one of the higher-ups of the company. He was a tall man, with black hair showing some streaks of grey, and steely dark eyes. He was one of the three founders of the organization. He smirked as he picked up the phone, relishing the expression of disgust clearly written on Jackson's features.

"Hello, Thompson," Jackson greeted, less than pleased to see this man. Indeed, his relationship to Thompson was rather strained. Though Thompson knew that Jackson was very good at his job, he never missed an opporitunity to call out on the fact that Jackson often tried to be an emotionless robot when in fact, he had a lot more emotions than he was willing to admit. What annoyed Jackson so much about this was that Thompson was right, and he was especially dreading Thompson rubbing the events in his face.

"Ah, Jackie. Long time, no see. How's the clink suiting you?"

"I'm doing just fine, Thompson. It's only twenty years, and besides, there's the possibility of me getting paroled. So I'm doing just splendid."

Thompson smirked and decided to cut to the chase. "Do you know why I've paid you a visit, Jackie?"

"No, please enlighten me."

"Well, Jackson, it had taken us a long time to decide your fate, especially considering how you had so many successful missions and then your last one ended in a spectacular failure at the hands of a woman you clearly underestimated. But we came to the decision that we'll let you off the hook, on one condition."

"And what is that one condition?"

"You get Reisert's dear husband, Ryan Emerson, to tell us why he decided to quit the company ten years ago. Does that name ring any bells for you?"

Jackson thought for a moment, and then it hit him. "You mean that Emerson? The one who failed his mission to kill Carl Likens in a hotel speech?" No wonder the guy sounded so familiar to him.

Thompson smiled. "Yes, him. And when you do that, we'll let you live out the rest of your life. Lisa and your little boy can come along with you. We promise we won't touch a hair on their heads."

Jackson resisted every urge to smash the glass and grab Thompson's throat. "You better damn not go anywhere near them!"

"See, there you go again; another emotional outburst from the man who claims he's shut himself away from emotions. Don't worry Rippner, it's all up to you, but we'll still be making sure you accomplish it. Have a nice time in jail, kiddo." With that, Thompson hung up, smiling, loving the fact that he was making Jackson's blood boil. Yes, manipulation was a sweet thing indeed.

After taking a refreshing shower and changing into some clean clothes, Jake felt revitalized and ready to eat. He saw that Jackson ordered a chicken sandwich, coleslaw and fries for him. Cheryl was eating her spaghetti and promised she would take her bath after eating. Jackson ordered a salad for himself. In a matter of minuets, Cheryl was done eating and went to the bathroom to take her bath. The two men ate quietly, until Jake finally decided to talk to his so-called father.

"Just why did you think kidnapping me and Cheryl was the best plan for you?"

Jackson replied, "It was simple. I wanted to reach out to you once I was out of jail, but I knew your mother would never let me within fifty feet of you as long as she was alive. And when I saw all the things your mother had planted in your head about me and Ryan, I had no other choice but to take you and lure her to me, and make her realize that the truth would eventually come out. I added Cheryl into the mix later on."

Jake just couldn't believe how complicated his life had become in just three days. "So why didn't Mom just be truthful from the start and save all of us the trouble?"

"You can ask her yourself when she comes here. I'm just the one who decided to be truthful."

Jake then asked, "How do I know you're not making up any of this? For all I know, you could just be lying to me about being my real dad just so that you can have your revenge."

Jackson looked pained. He was silent for a moment before replying, "Well, I guess your mother left out one important detail about me - I don't ever lie. It doesn't serve me any purpose. And as for any remaining doubts you have, I have something for you." Jackson then took out his suitcase and took a large binder out. Jake opened it, and found a bunch of papers relating to him. The contents included photocopies of his report cards, copies of certain certificates and awards he had won, and photos of him and his teammates, friends and family members. One picture that caught his eye was of when he was sixteen; he had scored the winning goal for his soccer team in the nationals and everyone cheered so hard for him; his teammates hoisted him up into the air while Jake proudly held the cup high up above his head. He considered it the proudest day of his life. And then Jackson handed him another slip of paper and his wallet.

Jake looked though the wallet and found another baby picture of him being carried by Jackson. And there was something written on the back in red ink, "To my son, Jacob Joseph Reisert Rippner. April 24, 2006."

Jake then took the paper. It was a copy of his birth certificate. The name he thought he'd always had, Jacob Joseph Reisert Emerson, was there, but instead of the Emerson was Rippner. His mother had given him Jackson's surname. Not Ryan's. He brought his eyes to meet his father's. He looked like he was about to cry, and slowly, they hugged. Jackson held his son tightly, and together, father and son cried.

Lisa really couldn't believe it had all come down to this. Armed with a small pistol, a knife, and a pen for good measure, she, Ashley, and Kyle quietly walked down the halls of the hotel. There it was, Room 4080. And to her surprise, she heard pleasant conversing when she pressed her ear against the door.

Cheryl said, "I want to watch a funny movie!"

Jackson then replied, "Tough luck, your brother and I would prefer a more grown-up movie."

Jake added, "Look, just let Cheryl have her way for now. Otherwise, she's going to scream so loud, people miles away from Delray could hear her."

The three of them looked at each other, nodded, and Lisa knocked on the door loudly. The talking stopped and she heard steps coming her way. Lisa pointed the gun at the door and Jackson opened it.

There it was. Everyone could see the sparks flying between the two as they looked at each other intently. Finally, Lisa broke the silence. "Give me my son and daughter back, Jackson, or I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

"Jake's my son as well, Lisa!" Jackson said angrily. He'd be damned if he wouldn't get so much as making her admit to lying for so long and admit what she had done.

"Jackson!" Lisa nearly screamed, shoving him and pressing the gun against his chest, and in his shock, Jackson stumbled back into the room.

"Its okay, Mom," Jake said calmly, standing from the bed. Lisa looked at him in confusion. "We know."

"You... You..." Lisa was so shocked, she couldn't speak.

"Yes, I told them the truth," Jackson admitted.

"Why?!" Lisa screeched. Jackson cringed as Ashley ran to pull Jake and Cheryl out of the room.

"I had to. It was the only way," Jackson insisted, trying to grab Lisa's shoulders, but she reeled back her arm and slapped him as hard as she possibly could. Jackson reacted quickly and slammed Lisa against the wall.

Kyle flinched at the spectacle going on, and pulled on Jake's wrist. "Let's get out of here. I think we should leave these two alone." Ashley and Jake agreed, and the three friends, along with Cheryl, got out of the room, deciding to let the grown-ups solve their fight.

When the door was closed, Lisa slumped against a chair. Jackson then rubbed his forehead, saying, "Look Lisa, I don't want to hurt you, but I'm not walking out of this empty handed. Jake is my son and I have the right to get to see him. You even wrote me as his father on his birth certificate for God's sake!"

Lisa rose up and retaliated, "You have no right to do this to us! I'll admit I made you angry seventeen years ago. But can't you see how much damage you've done now?!"

"This isn't about revenge, Leese," he corrected, gripping her shoulders. "This is about what has always belonged to me. You and Jake belong to me."

"We're not your property, Jack!"

"Then let me re-word this. Jake is my son; therefore, I have an obligation to get to know him. And you're his mother. I at least deserve to get to talk with you, don't I?"

"You may be Jake's father, but by no means are you his dad," Lisa snarled. "Ryan was the one who's raised him."

"Ryan's barely been there for him!"

"Well neither have you!"

Jackson was really getting pissed. "Dammit Lisa, if I could've, then I would've been there for him! Instead, I was off in prison, serving time for what you accused me of!"

Lisa sarcastically replied, "Well excuse me for putting you behind bars after you tried to kill me!"

"No! Excuse yourself for having sex with me in the first place!" Jackson retorted.

"Well then, just shoot me for thinking it would give me a chance," Lisa was crying freely now. "For thinking that there was a even tiny bit of humanity in you that would let me off the hook."

"I don't even think you believe that yourself, Leese. I know you well enough to know that you would never resort to that method, no matter how desperate you were to save your dad and the Keefe family."

Lisa was shocked, "Then do you have a better theory why I gave myself to you? I'd love to hear your bright ideas."

Jackson's reply was simple: "You were attracted to me."

That hit Lisa like a brick. "What?"

"Call me crazy, but I know you still felt something for me, even after I told you about my job. You know why I spent so long following you?" Lisa shook her head, and Jackson continued, "Because I wanted to. Sure, I didn't need to make contact with you before the flight. In fact, my bosses were a bit pissed off when they learned that I did. But I still did it. I really wanted to get to know you."

Lisa whispered, "How could I be attracted to someone like you?"

"Some things just happen, Leese. But fighting it will only make your life harder. Your son knows you've been lying to him almost all his life now. What are you going to do about that?"

'Oh God, I nearly forgot about Jake!' "Could you excuse me for a moment? I have to talk things over with Jake." With that, Lisa got ready to leave the room.

Jackson watched as Lisa ran out of the room to find the kids. He really couldn't help but have a bad feeling in his gut that things were going to go wrong really soon.

This really wasn't what he had in mind at all.

After his third try for a parole, Jackson had been let go, five years early in fact. He had a great number of plans to get Lisa back, claim his son and expose Emerson. But he wasn't prepared for the sight in front him. After planting some bugs inside Lisa's home, he couldn't believe what had gone one in the past fifteen years.

He watched on as Lisa and her darling lawyer (and former assassination manager) husband were dropping off their five-year-old daughter, Cheryl, to school. Cheryl's first day of kindergarten, to be exact. 'So she had to be difficult.' Jackson bitterly thought to himself. Then again, this only a minor inconvenience. He was adaptable and he would find a way to integrate that girl in his plans somehow.

The one he really wanted to see was his son. Jacob, or "Jake" as he was usually called. Jackson couldn't even believe just how sappy and sentimental he felt when he thought of that boy, but then again, Jake was his son and he really felt proud of him. He had plenty of reasons to be proud of his son. Jake was a great soccer player and a good student. He had a healthy social life consisting of his teammates from the soccer team and was fairly popular. Many of the girls wanted him and many of the guys wanted to be like him. His two best friends were Ashley Worth and Kyle Leeds, both of whom had grown up with Jake and they were a tight-knit trio. Jackson knew reaching out to him would be very difficult. Jake was fifteen, and it was very likely Lisa had drilled that Jackson was a cold-hearted killer into Jake's head since he was little, which he definitely wasn't.

But Jackson knew rushing into this plan wasn't going to end well at all. He had spent too many long years in prison and being sloppy wouldn't do those years of planning any justice. He would find a way to win Jake over, make Lisa realize she was better off with him, and make Emerson talk, even if it would take another few more years.

Jake, Kyle, Ashley and Cheryl all sat outside, the air feeling heavy and everyone seemed mentally worn out. Finally, Ashley broke the silence. "Jake, are you sure you're okay?"

Jake couldn't believe her question. Everything poured out and he had finally snapped. "No, I'm not okay! One minuet, I was a normal teenager living a normal life, and then the next minuet, I find out that my mom's been lying to me my whole life, my real dad is a terrorist she had a one night stand with, and the guy I thought was my dad has been lying to us as well. My life has basically went from normal and average to becoming a soap opera worthy of being made into a TV-movie in the span of three days! Of course I'm not okay!"

They flinched at Jake's outburst, but it was perfectly understandable. He had went through a lot, and shouting it out would do him some good. Kyle stood up and admitted, "Look, Jake, we know that you've went through a lot of things these past days that most people can't even imagine, but could you just try to imagine what everyone else is feeling? We were all worried about you, and yes, it's hard to find out all this stuff so soon, but I'm sure she had her reasons."

"He's right Jake," Lisa suddenly said, appearing before them. Though she was still looking somewhat distressed, she looked more focused now. "Jake, I just want to talk to you. I know you probably hate me right now, but just give me a chance and hear me out. Please?"

Jake definitely did feel something close to hatred towards his mother. But even then, she and Kyle were right. He had to give her a chance to explain herself. "Fine, I'll go with you. But that still doesn't mean that I can really forgive you, Mom."

"I don't expect you to forgive me, Jake," Lisa replied solemnly. "I just expect you to understand why I did what I've done."

"Okay, I'll listen." And with that, Lisa and Jake went some place a bit more private. Family matters were a tricky thing.

A/N: Okay, first off, that Jake/Cheryl brother/sister moment was too sweet for words. And after all the angst and drama in this, I felt that a cute moment between those two would be nice. Second, it's so pathetic that I can very easily see Jackson reading Italian Vogue (proof I have no life). Third, I'm so glad to be over my writer's block - I can finally get my ideas on paper. And fourthly, I feel very grateful to the patient people who've waited for my update. Danke!