Jackson was really glad. How could he not be? His plans were gradually working to perfection, he even felt like he should be grateful to those assholes he had just beaten, for having caused such an unpleasant situation, thus giving him the chance to be Lisa's knight in shining armor and gain her trust.

He had no intention of meeting Allison that night, in order to avoid explaining his bandaged shoulder, so Jackson just headed back to his apartment to get some rest and plan everything for the next day.

As for Lisa, she was already tucked in her bed, yet she was unable to sleep. She kept her eyes closed, but her mind kept going back to Jackson and the earlier events. 'Why on earth did you accept his invitation? What were you thinking?' she mentally chided herself. Jackson's intentions were still rather unclear. He might still want to get revenge after all 'But then again, why hasn't he taken his chance already?'

Anyway, that night just proved to be yet another sleepless night for Lisa Reisert.

The next morning again Jackson checked his cell phone, which hadn't stopped ringing all night, but he just wouldn't answer for obvious reasons. There were missed calls from Allison, Kid and Olsen, too. He knew there would be some explaining to do, and due to the circumstances Jackson would be forced into one of the things he hated the most: lying. Nevertheless he didn't have much time to dwell on these inconveniences. His mind was set on one thing and one thing only. So, once he showered and got dressed, he was on his way to finding a suitable place for his date with Lisa, completely neglecting his 'real-world' duties.

That evening at the Lux, Lisa was at her office. Cynthia had just walked in to discuss some problems at the hotel, while the new front-desk clerk dealt with the guests.

"So...how should we deal with the situation at the Royal Penthouse suite?" Cynthia asked

However, Lisa didn't have a clue and after a rather long pause, she could only reply

"Mhmm, well… let's just do the usual"

Cynthia stared at her friend disbelievingly, as she realized that Lisa had absolutely no idea of what they were talking about.

"What do you mean the usual? Uh, earth to Lisa. Are you there my friend?" Cynthia couldn't' help herself, for once she was not the clueless one

"What's with that Cyn? Of course I'm here"

"Oh, really?" – said the ginger – "Then what did I just say?"

"Uhh, well, you were just saying something about, some room problems"

"Which room?"

"Uhm.. all of them?"

Cynthia let out chuckle at Lisa's expense while Lisa could only blink at Cynthia, clearly confused and more clueless than ever.

"You see Lisa? You have no idea what I'm talking about"

Finally, Lisa had to concede on that one.

"I'm sorry Cynthia. You are right. My mind has drifted away, and I can't seem to focus"

"Well, I don't mean to pry, but what's troubling you Lisa?"

Lisa regarded Cynthia for a moment, as she realized that this whole mess with Jackson was too much of a burden to bear alone. So, she made up her mind and decided to trust her doe-eyed friend

"Ok, here is the thing. There is this man I'm supposed to meet tonight, but I just don't know why I'm doing it, he..."

"Wait, am I hearing right? You're going on a date and you don't know why agreed on going?"

"Will you let me finish, or I'm sealing my lips shut, and you'll die from curiosity" –Lisa threatened in mock irritation.

"Ok, I'm sorry. Go on" – the red head looked down while blushing.

"As I was saying before you interrupted, he has assured me that all he wants to do is talk and, I don't know what he could possibly want to discuss with me"

"So, you don't even know the guy?"

"No, not…really. I mean…" – Lisa needed someone to confide in, but she just couldn't reveal the whole truth about Jackson's identity to Cynthia, she had to figure out a way to tell her story without giving every detail away – "He's not just some stranger I've just met. We met some time ago, in the worst of circumstances. Let's say that everything that could go wrong went wrong, and I swore I wanted nothing to do with him anymore. However, it seems as though he isn't the same man I met back then" – Lisa explained

"Ok Lisa, let me see if I'm following you correctly. You want to give this man a chance; a man who I can tell hurt you badly before, but now you believe that he's changed. Why?" – Cynthia asked clearly at a loss.

"Well, I don't know what you mean with 'a chance' Cyn, geez it's not like I'm getting married to the guy! – Lisa sighed when she noticed she was acting defensive – "Like I said, he was a real jerk and I don't like remembering my time with him back then; all you need to know is that yesterday he showed up and helped me out of a dangerous situation, even risking his own life in the process"

"Oh my God!" – Cynthia suddenly exclaims "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Of course I am, thanks to him actually. Afterwards, he was so kind and gentle to me… I'm telling you he was completely different from the man I met before, as absurd as that may sound. Hell, I even think he cares for me; I can tell from the way he looks at me Cynthia, he's got this look that just melts me and I think I've drowned in those eyes, and can't get out"

"Oh wow Lisa, it seems like you've got yourself a love-interest"

"Cynthia please, this is serious" Lisa snarled upset.

"Okay okay, you don't have to bite my head off! The point is everything you've told me can only mean one thing"

"What do you think it means?" Lisa asks interested.

"That you're into each other big time"

The realization hit Lisa at once; not only he may have feelings for her, but she was contemplating the possibility of a relationship with Jackson herself. Last night, he had swept Lisa off her feet again, just like he did at the airport when they met for the first time. However, there was still one thing she couldn't put behind.

"What if he still hates me for all that happened in the past and wants revenge?"

"Revenge for what Lisa? What did you do to him?"

"I've already told you. We started off on the wrong foot. It's a long story" – said Lisa, struggling to keep herself from telling the whole story.

"Fine Lisa, I respect your privacy but here is some food for thought; if this guy is indeed seeking revenge, then why did he rescue you yesterday?"

"Mhmm, well I assume that he doesn't want to hurt me anymore. But that could also mean something else"- Lisa answered lowering her voice without realizing.

"Well you know what they say, if you assume you make an ass out of you and me" – the younger woman remarked – "So, here's my advice, stop making assumptions. I mean, here's an opportunity to see what this guy is onto and get it out of your system. That said, I think you should follow through with this date, and see what happens. Who's to say that life doesn't give second chances, perhaps he actually regrets the way he treated you in the past and wants to make it up to you. The point is, you'll never know for sure, unless you two guys have a talk. If you don't, you will just keep wondering what would have happened if you hadn't been so afraid"

With that Lisa's mind just clicked over in understanding. Even if Cynthia wasn't fully aware of what had transpired between her and Jackson, she still had a point; making assumptions would only make things worse. It couldn't hurt to talk to him and see what he wanted. And of course, if things didn't work out for the best, she was certain that he could handle Jackson Rippner 'It's not like I haven't done it before' – Lisa mentally said to herself.

"You know Cyn, you're right. I'll follow your advice"

"Good, glad to be helpful. Now can we go back to the plumbing nightmare at the Royal Penthouse suite?"

"But of course" - replied Lisa, much more at ease than earlier.

Once she and Cynthia have successfully dealt with all the pending issues, Lisa went to the front desk to check up on the new clerk and give her some pointers on dealing with guests with special needs. She'd just finished talking with Ruby, when she was approached by Alex.

"Hi Lisa"

"Hey you, did everything go well?"

"Pretty well, indeed I've got the job" - he said, sounding and looking pretty proud of himself.

"Congratulations Alex. I'm happy for you!"

"Thanks! So, how's everything going?"

"Fine, as always" - Lisa replied with what seems to be her trademark phrase. There was just no way she would tell Alex about what happened the night before.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out for dinner with me tonight, you know, to celebrate?"

Lisa may have calmed down compared to earlier, but she was still well aware of her impending date with Jackson, so she had to make an excuse quickly.

"I'm sorry Alex, I can't" – she paused in search for the right words – "I'm meeting my dad for dinner" Lisa hated herself for lying like this but she didn't have a choice.

The young man's face dropped at her answer, clearly disappointed. But anyway, there would be another chance later on, if he had a virtue, it was patience

"It's OK Lisa, I get it. Family comes first" – Alex smiled down at her in understanding.

"Well, maybe some other time"

"Sure. I guess I could use some rest now, it's been a quite busy day. Take it easy"

"You too Alex, bye"

Once her shift was over, Lisa started feeling kind of anxious. It was 9:50 and Jackson would be there really soon. She waved goodbye to Cynthia from afar, while the redhead wished her good luck, giving a thumbs up.

When she finally made it to the door, it was already 10 o'clock and Jackson was waiting for her. Lisa slowly approached the car while Jackson, ever the gentleman, got out and opened the door for her. Greetings were exchanged, and after she got in the car, Lisa turned to him and asked

"So, where are we off to?"