Thanks to all of my reviewers!

SparklesFranqula- I know it was cliché, but it's going to play even more into the story later, so it kind of had to be written. When you think about it, it's kind of sad that a story like that has become cliché, don't you think? What kind of story did you have in mind? How he got his name? What he told his parents?

trudes193- Thanks for the support. Your review made me smile. But GASP- you weren't the first reviewer this time! :P

Medisha- I didn't really think you were complaining. I was just teasing you. :) Yeah, looking back on it you're right about Lisa's response being a little much. I think I was just in drama-mode when I wrote it and forgot that I wasn't writing some kind of formal paper with structure and word importance. And you're totally right- it was a big step for him. I decided that he dug himself into a hole by being a brat in chapter 10, so he was going to have to put on his big girl panties and just tell her.

Brunette bulma- I'm glad you liked it. Jackson's still not love-struck, but he is obviously warming up to her. I actually thought Lady Gaga's hair looked cute blue- it was better than that neon-yellow mess she's had in concert.

Jesscah- You have no idea how much it cracks me up that you commented on his girlfriend story. I had considered writing this huge betrayal "omg so horrible" thing for his issue with lying, but then I thought it would be fun if it were almost a non-event. "I choked you for lying to me because my girlfriend in college cheated on me." I hope my little chase is up to par, just for you!

So the story is M now, but it's still fairly tame for what I have planned later. BLOOD AND GUTS TIME:

Chapter 12: Together We Are Beautiful

"Move to the right," Jackson yelled over the roar of the wind raging through the open windows. The wind was so cold that he couldn't keep from shivering. He wasn't worried- adrenaline was kicking in, and he knew he wouldn't notice things like temperature in a moment. "We can't risk shooting out the back windshield!" He wrapped an arm around the headrest of the car as Lisa swerved.

This gave him the exact shot he needed and he opened fire with his Colt Gold Cup Trophy .45, blowing out the windshield of the blue car. He could see the passenger slump over in the seat, and could barely make out that half the man's face was now blown off. Lisa made no noises, but he could feel her tensed up against his back. He silently hoped that she wouldn't turn around- they were going much too fast for her to take her eyes off the road, and there was a difference between seeing a man get shot and seeing pieces of his face dripping from his skull.

He emptied the magazine, making sure the entire windshield was gone. He had considered aiming for the driver who was now hunched over, the top of his head barely showing as he struggled to keep the car on the road. Jackson knew that if he had shot the driver, the car would have easily gone off the road, but it would have left him with a shootout between himself and the passenger. It was much easier this way.

Jackson tossed the Colt to the passenger seat and transferred the one in his left hand to his right. "When this is over, I'm going to buy you the best goddamn ice cream sundae you've ever had," he said to Lisa, trying to calm her. "And the strongest sea breeze."

He knew the driver wasn't an immediate threat, unless he was trained well enough to handle high-speed driving with no windshield and presumably a few injuries- Jackson knew that he had to have at least clipped him with his first 8 rounds, plus the flying glass shards. However, he couldn't risk the man losing control and taking the car into the ditch. Jackson and Lisa had to get out of there quickly and leave no witnesses- they couldn't afford to stop and go back to finish the guy off. He was so low that Jackson wasn't sure that he could hit him, and he couldn't afford to waste bullets. Maybe if the cars weren't swerving around...

He quickly noted that the car was completely behind and to the left. "Slow down a little, Leese. I want this guy to pass us. Don't let him get behind you." Jackson held his breath and rolled down the passenger window as a precaution. It would make for an easier shot as the blue car passed, but it would also make an easier shot for the driver. "Keep your head as far down as you can," he warned as the blue car started to gain. He aimed through the sight at the driver, who definitely noticed their decrease in speed. Jackson watched him turn his head. Come on, asshole. Try to get a shot off.

As the cars moved closer to a side-by-side position, the driver predictably raised his gun, and along with it, his body. Before Jackson could line up his shot, the other man managed to fire. Jackson threw himself sideways, crouching against the passenger seat. He could hear Lisa scream and prayed she hadn't been clipped. Sitting back up, Jackson rapidly fired the entire magazine, watching the man jerk violently as the bullets penetrated through him to the window behind along with a coating of blood and brain matter. He heard Lisa whimper, and felt her body shaking. "Are you hurt?" he asked, unable to turn around to check.

"I'm okay," she replied, and Jackson had to strain to hear her meek voice. He watched as the blue car began to drift.

"Go!" he yelled as the car got closer to theirs. His body slammed violently against the seatback as the Lisa floored it. He watched through the back windshield as the blue car drove into the ditch and flipped. If the two hadn't been dead before, he knew that they definitely were after he saw the car explode into a ball of flame. Jackson scowled in distaste- they must have had some explosives with them. What were they going to do- bomb the motel Lisa and Jackson stopped at? Amateurs.

The car began to decelerate to a more manageable speed. Jackson felt Lisa lean back, resting against his back. He could hear her breathe heavily, and let his head fall back, resting it on hers. The two said nothing, but continued to breathe almost in tandem as their adrenaline rushes faded. Jackson closed his eyes, tossing the second Colt to the passenger seat.

"Good driving," he offered, feeling his heart rate slowing again. He was no stranger to killing, but it was his first car chase in years, and definitely his first with an inexperienced person behind the wheel. He couldn't imagine how she was taking it. "Thank you," he said to her, snaking his arm backwards to clumsily wrap it around her waist. He felt her arm clasp over his. Despite her tendency to ask questions, Lisa had done exactly what he had said, and he knew that her quick acting had made a huge difference in the outcome of that little standoff. They were alive because she had trusted him.

The two drove like that for a few more minutes until Lisa finally pulled the car over. The two disentangled themselves and Jackson practically fell out of the car when he opened the door. He held the door open for her as she climbed out, and the two stared at each other for the first time since the incident. To Jackson, it felt like the first time that they had truly looked at each other. He had imagined to see Lisa's face full of terror, or at least some kind of shock over what had just happened. Instead, he saw something similar to admiration and relief. What surprised him the most was what he didn't see- tears.

Lisa put a hand on the back of his head and gently pulled him down so his forehead rested on hers. "You were great," she murmured. Jackson's eyes fluttered closed as she moved her head, pressing her cheek to his. He brought his hand up and tangled it in her short hair, curling his fingers to lightly grip the strands. She closed the remaining space between them with a tight hug, and Jackson buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. He was enveloped in the scent that was Lisa, enhanced with her own adrenaline- a truly lethal combination. Even with the rush of their near death experience, Jackson still couldn't help but notice how good she felt pressed against him. Every curve of her body fit perfectly against him, and he tightened the grip on her hair to keep his hand from moving to even more desirable places.

They stayed in that position for what seemed like a comfortable forever, until Lisa kissed his cheek quickly. "We should probably go," she murmured. Jackson nodded, opening his eyes and releasing her hair so she could step back. He bit back a groan when she pulled away, and the sudden lack of her heat against him sent a chill racing through his body. They maintained eye contact for a few more seconds before Lisa turned and headed for the passenger-side door. Jackson slid back into the driver's seat, grabbing his bag to find two more magazines. He grabbed the two guns from the seat before Lisa got in, loading them. He put both on safety and stuck them in the glove compartment for easy access in case they were needed again.

As Jackson started the car again, he glanced at Lisa. She looked almost disappointed, which he found curious. It occured to him that he could have kissed her a few seconds prior. He wondered if she had expected it. There no denying that was something between them, and it definitely appeared mutual. For his part, he had moved past his anger toward her in that first week since the flight. Grudges had never suited him. He never had the motivation to plan revenge against people who had wronged him, and it was always easier to just accept that what was done was done.

When she had shown up at Caleb's, he was angry at first, but more because he was suspicious than because he didn't want to see her. Hell, he had been more angry at Caleb than her. He had thought she was leading the government to him as her final heroic act, and he could have wrung his brother's neck for allowing her to come. Things changed when he saw her gunshot wound, heard that her dad was dead- the suspicion was gone. He had known from the moment he removed the bandage and saw the infected wound with his own eyes that she was not a threat to him as he had originally assumed.

No, she was a threat to him in many other ways. She was a threat to his comfort zone and his way of life. Almost by accident, she had wormed her way into his life and was now involved to a point of no return. They knew personal information about each other. They had killed together. She had gotten closer to him than anyone other than Caleb, and it both unnerved him and made him feel relieved, almost happy in a way. He spent so many years of his life putting up barriers, daring any brave soul to try and fight their way through.

Lisa had done that, even before they had spoken their first words to each other. It had started during his surveillance. He had been there for some of her most intimate moments, seen her in a state of being that as far as he could tell, no one else had seen. From what he had seen, she worked so hard to keep people at arm's length, which he later found out included her father. He was well aware that he had seen her completely naked, not in the literal sense- which he also had, although he had been gentlemanly enough to avert his eyes when he realized that she was undressing- but completely stripped of her guards. It was just another way in which they were alike. Both were people who had been burned, and for their own reasons, they closed themselves to most of the world.

Maybe that explained the attraction to her. He saw so much of himself in this petite woman that he was sure he knew her in a unique way. He felt that he understood her, that in some ways, they were kindred spirits. They were two lost souls in a battle of "me against the world." They both had their particular people that they were close to- for her, it was her father, and for him, Caleb, but for the most part, they were alone. And now, they had somehow inexplicably banded together, and it had become themagainst the world. Jackson had to admit that he didn't hate having her tag along and ask her incessant questions as much as he told himself.

"I want my sundae now," Lisa interrupted his thoughts, giving him a teasing look. Jackson grinned.

"I'll find you something," he replied, pulling back onto the freeway. He glanced at the clock. 4:30. According to his schedule, they were going to arrive at the ranch at about 9:00. He had no idea where they were going to find a place with a good sundae in December. He studied Lisa. She was coping beautifully so far, but he could see in her eyes that she was a little shaken. It was unreasonable to expect that she was used to the kind of event they had just experienced. He knew they could drive straight through and make it to the ranch just fine, but he wondered if it might be better for her to relax a bit while it was still just the two of them- comfort of the somewhat familiar.

"How does this sound?" he proposed, "We can either finish the trip tonight, or we could stop at a grocery store, get your ice cream and all the fixings for a good sea breeze, and stay at another motel."

Lisa thought about it. "Isn't it dangerous?" she asked. "What if there are more of them?"

Jackson stroked his chin. "It might be. Robert was working with two Russians in addition to his regular guys- that was probably them. They were probably rogue...like I said, this isn't typical. The whole faction wouldn't come after me- they know the agency wouldn't take kindly to it, and they can't afford to make enemies with us. Rogues are more forgivable." He shook his head. "No, I doubt there will be more. What I'm more worried about is how they found us." He sighed. "And I honestly have no idea how they did."

Lisa shrugged. "If you think it's safe, I could use a night off the road. And a great sea breeze." She smiled at him. "And maybe it's time that we come up with a plan for the feds." Jackson nodded.

"Okay, we'll stop in Joplin. It's about an hour away, and then we can head to Bennington in the morning."

Three hours and two sea breezes later, Lisa was laughing like she didn't know pain, and Jackson was amused.

"I really hated my job," she announced as she calmed down, laying on the bed. Her head dangled off the edge. Jackson sat on the floor, finishing her sundae.

"Not surprising," he replied, licking chocolate syrup from the spoon. "I probably would have punched most of those 'special needs' customers of yours in the face. No idea how you dealt with it."

Lisa laughed. "I was used to it. You know, people-pleaser." Her eyebrows furrowed. "I think I thought I deserved it for what happened. Like, I wasn't good enough to be treated with respect."

Two little sentences, and the refreshingly happy atmosphere was dark again. Jackson frowned. "You know that's bullshit, right?" he asked. Lisa nodded.

"Yeah," she replied, but she didn't sound entirely convinced. Jackson pulled himself to his feet and crossed over to the bed. He sat down again, leaning against the side of the bed. He turned his head to stare right at her.

"Leese, you need to stop punishing yourself," he said to her. He hated men like the one who had attacked her. One might be inclined to compare him to her rapist, but to Jackson, they were completely different. In all of their time together on the plane, he had made sure to never give the impression that it was her fault that she was in the situation. Well, sometimes bad things happen to good people. Like you. He never considered Keefe a good man- there was so much that Lisa didn't know about him, so he couldn't really blame her for thinking what she did. He had made that statement solely for her, to remind her that despite the position she was being put in, she was not a bad person.

He hadn't been surprised when she told him about the rape. It had been a slight shock that she was telling him, yes, but the story itself wasn't a surprise at all. When he had teased her about someone breaking her heart, he knew on some level that it wasn't the case. He had more hoped that it wasn't what he had thought, that she was a silly girl overreacting to some mildly depressing experience rather than a broken woman whose personal security had been seriously violated. He had seen so much of it. So many people, women in particular, robbed of their self-worth. He had seen what it could do to them, and worse, he had lived it.

Jackson sighed. Someday, he was going to have to come to terms with the fact that he was often part of what he hated, even though he knew the ends justified his actions. He could only rationalize it for so long. Like father, like son. He could keep telling himself that he was different, better, because he never specifically told the women he had come across in his job that they were worthless, but he knew damn well that his actions sent the same message. The difference between the man who had raped Lisa and Jackson himself was semantics, and it made him sick.

"I know," she said, smiling sadly. "And I will. I think I am, actually." She rolled onto her stomach and shimmied closer to him. "Thank you," she murmured and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. It was insane- a few hours ago, Jackson would have welcomed her kiss. Now, it repulsed him. He still wanted it, of course, but he knew he didn't deserve it. He had known since the plane when it became more and more evident to him how special Lisa really was and how despicable he could be. Two little sentences, and things were different again.

Jackson turned his head away, "Stop," he said, getting to his feet. The look of dejection on her face stung him, but he knew he was doing the right thing. He knew he wasn't worthy of a woman like her, and while he wouldn't reject her if it was what she really wanted, he absolutely refused to allow it when she was intoxicated. The irony of how he felt now when compared to the way they met wasn't lost on him- he had gotten her tipsy and took advantage of her lowered guard. Even then, though, asking her for a drink wasn't part of his plan. It was an impulse on his part, a way to live out a tiny bit of his fantasy of the two of them before everything went to shit.

He knelt down by her again. "I'm sorry. Just...not tonight, alright?" Lisa rolled over onto her back. She didn't look sad anymore. Just irritated. Jackson got on the bed and lay down next to her, propping himself up on his elbows. Enough with his personal drama- he wanted the happy Lisa back.

"I thought you wanted to make a plan," he goaded her, grinning when she turned to look at him with excitement.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, "I have an idea. Want to hear?" Jackson nodded, amused. "So, I was thinking that we could lure the feds to an old building, using me as the bait. Then we could have a huge shootout, but with only one shooter so they think it's just me. Then, we could blow up the whole building, but escape out the back, obviously."

"Obviously," Jackson repeated, trying not to laugh.

"So they'll just think that I'm dead because who could survive that explosion, right?" she finished, looking at him expectantly. "Well?"

Jackson chuckled, running a hand through his hair. She was adorable like this. "Well, if they didn't completely surround the building and seal off our escape, don't you think they'll be a little surprised when they don't find pieces of a body?" he asked. "You'd need a nuke to incinerate someone that badly that there wouldn't be anything left." Lisa opened her mouth, but Jackson covered her mouth. "We don't have any nukes, Leese."

Lisa was silent for a moment, but then she snaked her tongue out, licking his hand. Jackson pulled it away quickly with an exaggerated cry of disgust for her benefit. Sure enough, she laughed. "What if I led them on a car chase and then drove my car over a cliff?"

Jackson pretended to ponder it. "How are you going to get out of the car before it goes over, Jane Bond? If you jump out, they'll see you. Oh, and little fact- it's not easy to jump out of a car moving at a high speed if you plan on surviving."

Lisa scowled. "Then what?" she demanded. Jackson dropped his weight onto the bed, resting his chin on the back of his hands.

"That's the problem, Leese," he responded seriously. "It works a lot better if you have a body to trade. We don't have one."

Lisa thought hard, biting her lip. "Well, the morgue has unidentified bodies, right? What if I had to go to the hospital and what's-his-name switched us out, just like you and that guy?"

Jackson shook his head. "Too risky. We can't plan on you getting injured enough to go the hospital with a great chance that your injuries could be fatal, and then pull the exact same stunt. It would be too suspicious if there just happened to be an early cremation, and it's not like the feds aren't going to guard you 24/7 while you're there. Plus, the morgue would have a missing body. That tends to lead to a lot of trouble."

Lisa sighed dramatically. "I don't know, then. I'm out of ideas, except for one that involves a speedboat...I can't drive those." Jackson chuckled. He was going to ask for the speedboat idea, but Lisa yawned widely. With the sugar high from the ice cream plus the vodka, she was already crashing. The earlier car chase probably had something to do with as well. He slid off the bed and scooped Lisa into his arms, moving her to the head of the bed. "We make a good team, don't we?" she murmured as Jackson pulled up the blankets to cover her.

"Yeah, we do," he admitted in amusement. One car chase and this girl was ready to get her camo and sniper rifle and kick some ass.

Jackson pulled one of the Colts from his bag and walked over to the chair in the motel room. He maneuvered the chair so he could have a good view of the front door while still keeping an eye on the window. The curtains were closed tightly, but he would still be ready to react to any noises from outside. He was far enough away from the window and close enough to Lisa that he could grab her and run if something was thrown through the glass. It would be stupid for them to try, since any sort of explosive wasn't exactly discreet and they would have one hell of a time getting away.

The silence was creeping up on him again, leaving him with only his thoughts. On one hand, Jackson knew that he was right. Those two men were likely the Russians, and they were almost definitely rogues. He knew, but it didn't relax him. He also knew that it would have been a better idea to go straight to the ranch, but he was sure Lisa needed a break first. If he was correctly assessing her behavior in the past few hours, she was rejecting the reality of her feelings. She was suddenly jumping into things like it was some kind of action movie, letting excitement and adrenaline replace fear and her own morals. Either that, or he had finally pushed her off the deep end, and she had a sudden development of blood lust, but he highly doubted it.

He didn't doubt that she had no sympathy for the men they had just killed, just like he heard no remorse in her voice when she spoke of the agents she had killed or Rick. One thing he had noticed about Lisa- she definitely was a woman who would do what she had to when pushed far enough. Jackson found himself wondering about her rapist again. He wondered if Lisa would take the experience back if given the chance, or if she realized how much stronger it made her. If Lisa hadn't been raped, would the Keefes be dead? Would she still have had enough fire in her to lash out at him, or would she have cowered like every other person he had come across?

Jackson absently ran his index finger along his bottom lip. Would Lisa remember in the morning that she had kissed him? Would she remember that he had refused to take advantage of her? Was it their first kiss, or their only? He groaned at how pathetic he was being. Either you want a relationship with Lisa or you want her to realize how wrong you are for her- which is it, dipshit? The answer to that was simple: he wanted a relationship with Lisa, but he also wanted her to understand that what she had seen on the plane wasn't a fluke. He could be a nice guy sometimes, but he was just as capable of being cruel if it suited his purpose. He wasn't anything close to a knight in shining armor- he just wasn't a very "good" man.

Mostly, he wanted Lisa to have a clear mind when- if- she decided that she wanted to be with him. Even when she was sober, it was perfectly reasonable to assume that the attraction that she had toward him was just another adrenaline rush and motivated by the fact that they were stuck together for the time being- it's easy to sugarcoat things in order to cope with them. It was possible that when things calmed down, she would remember what a horrible person he could be. She would remember that he was a cold-blooded killer, and was inadvertantly responsible for her dad's death and the fact that she would never see her family again. He knew these things, but he was still dreading the day. Honestly, he was scared. He had allowed himself to get irresponsibly close, and he knew he no longer had enough self-control around her to keep himself from wanting so much more than they had. Worse, he had no idea how he was going to handle it when she inevitably walked away.

He groaned. His injuries were starting to hurt pretty badly, but he couldn't take his pills. They ruined his concentration, and that was something that he needed right now. Jackson tightly closed his eyes as he attempted to block out the pain. Between that, his thoughts, and the knowledge that they could very well still be in danger of an attack, it was going to be a long night.

How was my first action scene? Personally, I despise guns- it tends to happen when you've had them aimed in your face. However, if I had the money, I would totally get a Gold Cup Trophy .45- they're so pretty!

Oh, and I have chapter 13 mostly written- shit is about to get REAL.

Review or I'll send Caleb on your ass- he's a sharpshooter, you know. You'll never see it coming.