Okay, when I threatened a hiatus, I didn't except that things were going to suck (a lot) after that and it would take me two months to update. Basically, I didn't pass a class and won't graduate until December, I had a brutal breakup, and other smaller things that encouraged me to sit in my apartment and sulk. I hope I haven't lost too many readers while I got my stuff together.

I'm going back to Lisa's POV for a while since we haven't been able to see her mindset lately. That definitely added to the writer's block- I'm used to writing Jackson, and I got kind of attached to him. This chapter is a little...meh to me, but I decided to just hammer it out so I can get them to Miami- I have a LOT planned for these two, but they have to get there, dammit.

trudes193- I know I've mentioned this, but I LOVE your forbidden fruit analogy. I keep it in mind when I write for them, but since we're in Lisa's brain now, there obviously won't be as much of it for a while.

pinky's creature feature- Yes, they're right back where they started. I really need to work on my subtlety. :D

empirex- Thanks! This chapter doesn't hold a candle to the previous few, but I hope you like it anyway.

Medisha- I'm glad I didn't get you in trouble in math (or at least a fairly embarrassed). Hope school went/is going well, and thanks as always for your support.

Jesscah- It's going to get her in a little bit of trouble. :) I saw that you updated. I haven't checked out the newer chapters until I had time to really read them, so you should see some reviews from me soon.

son-of-puji- Gah, I love your reviews so much. To be honest, I think my lack of Jackson's inner thoughts totally ruined this chapter since most of what was happening with him was internal and we aren't going to see it much.

AmberOz- Finally got you guys a new chapter. Always great to hear from a new voice!

waitingfortoday- Okay, I need to sit down and respond to your past reviews. I've been really sucking at keeping my brain organized lately. :( As for the nomination, my cats will be so proud! :D

Knowledge is a powerful tool- (Yes it is) Thanks! I get so worried about rushing over time that I end up scared that I'm dragging the story out way too much. Really nice to hear that the pace is flowing nicely for you.

Pirate Gyrl- There's a quote floating around that I think you'd like- "A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes unnecessary." It's attributed to Ingrid Bergman, but who knows? Anyway, thanks so much for the PM- ironically, by telling me to take my time you helped push me to keep writing, editing, and re-writing this much faster than I thought that I would. No worries about skipping chapter reviews sometimes- we all have things going on in our lives.

TheSilverWolfisBack- Thanks! Love your screenname, too!

Clavis Salomonis- Ooh, I caused figurative bodily harm with my words! That makes me feel a little devious. :P

Enjoy.

Chapter 17: Running

As soon as Lisa said the words, she could feel that the moment was broken. The blue in Jackson's eyes sharpened, and he quickly glanced around, breaking eye contact. Lisa gave a sideways glance. She saw a few people staring- some interested, and some irritated, but for the most part, the patrons were minding their own business.

Jackson took a step back, clearing his throat. "Yeah, you're right," he murmured. He walked briskly to a table. Lisa grabbed her drink and followed his lead. She frowned as she watched him fidget. She absently ran a finger down the side of her glass, trying to compose herself. Jackson had given her the most amazing kiss of her life, and now he was acting as though he hardly knew her. She knew that she deserved to know why the sudden change, but she couldn't put her words in the right order. At least, she couldn't put them in any other order than 'What the hell is going on?'

The longer the silence dragged on, the more irritated Lisa got. She clenched her jaw, crossing and uncrossing her legs under the table. She drummed her fingers briskly on the table, staring straight at Jackson. For his part, he seemed to not notice, but she wasn't stupid. He was putting so much effort into not noticing that it seemed obvious to her that he was well aware of her irritation.

Jackson finally made eye contact with her, and Lisa was both amazed and disgusted that he managed to have that same chill in his eyes that she had seen on their flight, as though the last few days had never happened. "Use words," he said softly, "I'm not playing these games with you."

Lisa's jaw dropped. A thousands questions battled for release. You don't play mind games? How can you pretend you have no idea what is pissing me off? What the hell is going on? "I'm done with this," she finally spat, slamming her hands on the table as she rose to her feet. She quickly exited the Tex-Mex, not caring if he was at her heels or not.

Sure enough, Jackson called her name, but Lisa didn't stop until she was forced to by his hand on her arm. She quickly yanked it away. "I'm done," she repeated, "I'm getting a different flight." Her eyes narrowed. "You're insane." She knew her remark had hit home when Jackson didn't laugh it off or roll his eyes at her. Instead, he immediately sobered.

"What do you want?" he asked, and Lisa couldn't hear any irony or teasing in his voice. He seemed to genuinely be asking the question. Her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"How can you even ask?" she snapped. "You just kissed me." Again, no smart remark from the man in front of her, no 'I wasn't aware' or 'Is that what that was?' It was a more than a little unnerving to see him bouncing from persona to persona so quickly. "Now you're acting like...Manager Jackson."

Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tightly. He exhaled sharply. "Alright, look..." he began. He motioned toward a nearby set of chairs in the waiting area with a questioning look in his eyes. Lisa walked to the area, and he followed. She dropped in the seat and eyed him suspiciously.

"Explain," she said shortly. She had no patience left. She was well aware that they were sitting in the airport that they had met in, that he had kissed her in the very place where he had begun his deception. She had been trying not to let on, but she definitely felt awkward here with him again- it was reminding her of just how good he was at getting what he wanted out of people and the insane glint in his eyes when his plans were thwarted.

Jackson ran a hand through his hair. He was obviously uncomfortable, and Lisa wondered if she was going to have to fight it out of him. She was wondering if she even wanted to when he finally spoke again. "I'm sorry," he admitted, turning his head slightly to avoid eye contact. He fell silent again, and Lisa studied him. Her anger was fading surprisingly quickly as she took the opportunity to think over the recent events- mainly, his silence for the past few hours.

She wondered what he had been thinking about alone in that waiting area. She had watched him from the bar for a few moments, and it had been obvious that he was struggling with something internal based on his pained body language. She remembered very well the look on his face when he had appeared in front of her. His eyes had spoken volumes, but in a foreign language. She would have to have been blind not to see the raw sadness and desperate confusion written all over his face and posture. And that kiss. It was so primal, and she had felt like he was attempting to consume her completely in those few seconds. She realized that she had been wrong. The ice in his eyes was not the same she had seen previously. She saw no arrogance in this man in front of her- just a hollow attempt to recreate the hard exterior.

Lisa reached forward and tentatively took Jackson's hand in hers. Her heart sank when he squeezed it tightly. As much as she hated manager Jackson, she at least learned how to counter him. This broken man in front of her was hardly an improvement. It was how she imagined it would feel to see a malfunctioning dam full to the brim and about to explode, knowing that when it did, you would be immediately drowned along with everything in the vicinity.

She could tell that Jackson had to get all of these demons out of him. What she wasn't sure of was whether or not she had the strength to weather the looming storm. It occurred to her that she was already in too deep, or was she telling herself that because she was too afraid to stand up for herself? Was this just more of her compulsion to make those around her happy?

No. Something told her that she could walk away from him at any point, and he wouldn't come after her. At least, not with malice.

Lisa was undeniably drawn toward Jackson. She did not see a monster anymore. She saw a man who had completely locked himself away as a necessity of the line of work that he was in, a line of work that while at first glance was repulsive, she had respect for. She believed wholeheartedly that what he did was at least for the good of the country, maybe the much of the world. It was heroic in its own way, and she couldn't imagine having the strength to make some of the decisions that she both knew and imagined that he was constantly making. It was little wonder that he had turned into a calculating machine of a man, seeing people as marks and targets. Yet at the same time, she saw the humanity in him, the obvious dedication to what he did and why he did it. Beyond that, she saw the hidden issues- his absolute commitment to his brother, the unresolved pain that his parents had caused, and how hurt he was by what Cheryl was doing. These emotions-

Lisa stopped herself, frowning again. "I'm not your therapist," she blurted in irritation, and immediately bit her lip when he quickly pulled his hand away from hers. "I mean, I can't keep analyzing you," she explained softly, bringing her hand forward to slide her fingers gently across his jawline. "If this is really going to work, I need you to talk to me...you can tell me anything, you know."

Jackson's eyes fluttered closed and he sighed. "I'm tired, Leese," he replied, and she didn't think that he meant physically. "I want to...shut it off...but I can't." He leaned into her touch. Lisa chewed her lower lip. He was being so cryptic again. Why couldn't he see that she needed to know what was going on in his head?

Heart racing, she leaned closer to him. Their faces were inches apart. "You can," she insisted, knowing that she was risking repelling him yet again. It was a chance that she had to take though, because she couldn't bring herself to take that next step with him if he couldn't talk to her without making it into a fight. At some point, something had to give, and that point was now.

"I don't think this is a good idea," he murmured, closing the gap between them and pressing his cheek to hers. "If you knew me, you wouldn't be here." Lisa brought her hand up to the top of his head, slowly running her fingers through his hair. She felt for him- it was obvious that while he said one thing, his actions were saying something completely different. She just didn't know how to make it easier for him to stop fighting himself.

"Let me decide," she replied just as softly, turning her head slightly to press her lips to the soft area behind his jawline. "I want to know you." She felt him shiver slightly at her touch.

"You don't," he insisted, but didn't pull away. Lisa continued massaging his scalp. She could feel him relaxing.

"Try trusting me," she said, "Don't tell me what to think. I've listened to everything you have told me so far, and I'm still here, right?" Jackson scoffed, burying his face in her neck.

"So it was someone else announcing that they're leaving and calling me insane?" he asked teasingly, his voice muffled. "Impressive impersonation." Lisa grinned in spite of herself and tugged gently on his hair, earning a soft noise of faux indignation.

"You piss me off," she responded, but her anger had almost entirely evaporated by that point. "Why can't you trust me as much as I do you? You've already told me things that would make most people run. I'm still here. I don't have to be sitting here with you now. Isn't that enough?" She took it as a good sign when he made a non-committal grunt. At least he wasn't arguing. "I mean, how bad could it get? Unless you decapitated babies or something."

Jackson chuckled into her neck. "Dark," he muttered. The two stayed that way for a few silent moments before Lisa felt him sink into her, dropping his chin onto her shoulder. "Just...it won't be immediate or anything," he conceded. She could feel the heat of his cheek against her neck. "Don't walk out on me like that again." He said the last part so quietly that Lisa almost missed it despite his close proximity to her ear.

She tilted her head, her fingers halting. "For now," she replied. "But you have to do better." Jackson nodded slightly.

"I'll try," he said. Lisa smiled. She could hear the sincerity in his voice, and she allowed herself to entertain the thought that maybe it was going to be alright. She wasn't stupid. She didn't expect that things were magically going to fall into place and that she and Jackson would run away into a land of joy and sparkles, nor did she want that. There was something deeply intoxicating about the tension between them, the way that they stretched the other to their limit and beyond. She was doing things that she never though she would ever do, and she wasn't sure that she could handle it without him there.

Ever since her attack, she had thrived on regularity. She had a routine that she ran through every day, because routines left no room for surprise. For the week and a half after the red eye, her routine had been destroyed. The hotel had closed, so work wasn't an option. She was constantly being questioned by some government agency or another, so she couldn't stay shut up in her apartment all day. That wasn't an option anyway because Joe had insisted that she stay with him. It turned into a routine of violation- she was never just left alone, and it had of course put her on edge.

The more Lisa thought about it, the more she realized that she had not been truly alone in those seventeen days for more than a total of 24 hours, not including when she was sleeping. And of course there was nothing ordinary about the six days since her father's death. But now she was had a false identity. She was technically an accomplice of a high profile criminal, and a criminal herself. She had absolutely no concrete idea of what each day was going to look like, which should have terrified her. It definitely would have done so to the old Lisa, Manager Lisa. But no, she wasn't scared. She was apprehensive about certain aspects, but she had not put much thought into the idea that everything was so up in the air.

Lisa reluctantly disentangled herself from Jackson. She knew that they were probably attracting more attention, which was the last thing she wanted to be doing. She looked at Jackson, but he wasn't watching her. His attention was focused on a point behind her. "Just keep watching me and act normal," he said quietly, his voice suddenly serious. Lisa watched him sort through his bag with an seemingly casual air, but she could tell that he was moving purposefully. He fished out an old Yankees cap and placed it on her head. He tucked a few loose strands behind her ear, smiling warmly. "Very cute, babe," he admired, his voice now matching his face. Lisa frowned, confused by his actions. He nodded in an indication for her to turn around and when she did, she blanched at the sight of her own face on the TV screen. Obviously, Jackson was trying to disguise her.

"I can't see it, hon. Where are my glasses?" she lied and dug through her own bag. Why hadn't they thought to do this earlier? She slipped the glasses on, trying her hardest to feign half-interest in the update plastered under her photo. It looked like she had been seen in Miami with blonde hair. She glanced back at Jackson quizzically.

"False tip," Jackson murmured, grabbing a newspaper from the seat next to him and glancing through it. "We placed you in Miami. Cheryl has dyed blonde hair. In case any of her survives, it will help."

Lisa nodded. "Lucky that we're fairly similar, huh? If I was six feet tall or something..." She giggled softly, but then stopped. Was she really laughing about killing a woman?

"Way to not be a freak," he replied with amusement, eying her. He sighed, tossing the paper aside. "She deserves it." Lisa nodded. She knew that, but it didn't excuse what she had said. It was just another one of those times that she shocked herself with the person she was becoming.

"What happens after all this?" she asked, changing the subject from Cheryl. She didn't want to think about the other woman anymore. "How do I get credit cards?"

Jackson shook his head. "You can't," he replied. "Not now, anyway. You don't have a social security number. Those are harder to get." He turned to face her. "That means no bank account and you can't get a legit job or an apartment outside our network." Lisa's jaw dropped. She knew that she was going to have to be "on the run" for the rest of her life, but she hadn't understood what that meant.

"It's a prison, isn't it?" she asked quietly, slumping in her seat. Jackson shrugged.

"That's a little dramatic," he responded. "Listen, it's just not easy to have a complete identity anymore if you don't know what you're doing, not after 9-11. Do you think illegal immigrants who steal SSNs can live and work wherever they want?" Lisa nodded, but it didn't change her mind. She still saw her future as a limited cage.

"What about you?" she asked. He obviously 'knew what he was doing.' Maybe she could learn from him and eventually figure out how to broaden her horizons.

Jackson crossed his arms, matching her posture. "I've been John Klein, consultant, for years, Leese...seven. When Caleb and I joined, we got IDs that had been used by two other agents who had died and been taken before the whole crackdown. No records of their deaths, easy. I have an separate ID that most of the agency knows me by. And a million others that I've worked under." He poked the carpet with his shoe.

Lisa was impressed but also sympathetic. No wonder the guy was screwed up. "Do you ever worry that you'll just forget who you are?" she asked sadly. "Like you'll just get lost one day and Jackson just won't exist anymore?"

Jackson frowned. "He doesn't, really. No tax returns, no employment record. There's a useless business degree, high school swimming trophies, and some news clippings about a kid whose dad was killed by his mom. No family other than a brother who never mentions him- no wife, no kids, not even a goddamn pet." He rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm. "Doesn't matter."

Lisa had no idea what to say to this. "What about your future?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder. She wanted so badly to offer him some kind of comfort even if he was content to pretend that it didn't bother him.

"What future?" he asked bitterly. "What about you?" he asked, seemingly done discussing himself for the time being. "Didn't you have dreams?"

Lisa considered this for a moment. "I guess I assumed that I'd eventually get married and have kids." She frowned. Any marriage she had now would be invalid without her real ID. Any kids she had would be living lies right along with her. She felt like she understood Jackson's comment- he was stuck in the present, and now she was there too. "I don't know," she continued, "I thought I'd probably stay in hotel management forever. I never wanted to get any higher, and I'm not really good at much else. Haven't wanted to do much else in a while." She laughed lightly. "They'll probably put 'died of boredom' on my tombstone."

Jackson laughed too. "Wouldn't surprise me. You'd probably just be walking around one day and then fall over and die because why not?" He glanced at her in the same mock suspicion he had given her on the plane. "Are you sure all this excitement isn't going to kill you?"

Lisa scoffed. "Probably. Then they can put 'Was very boring. Things got interesting...shame...I guess' on there instead." They both laughed again for a few seconds. Jackson rested his head against hers.

"Seriously," he said, and his words came out haltingly, as though he wasn't used to saying them. "How are you taking...everything? You keep asking about me...but I've kind of, I don't know, ignored you." Lisa furrowed her eyebrows. She glanced around quickly, making sure that they were still well out of earshot.

"Well..." she began, "I've been kind of avoiding the big picture. A lot has happened, and it's been pretty horrible. I guess it's like, I can either obsess and cry about how unfair it is or I can make the most of it. I just keep telling myself that Dad didn't die so I could give up. I owe it to him to move on." She bit her lip. "That sounds horrible, right?"

"No," Jackson assured her. "A little cliched in some parts, but there's nothing wrong with surviving. You're not betraying him by not mourning all the time." He paused. "Do you still think you're in prison?"

Lisa nodded. "A bit," she replied. She found that it wasn't as awkward to open up to him as she thought it might be. It helped that they weren't making eye contact. She always felt that people were somehow judging her when they looked at her. "I'll adjust, but it's hard to think right now that I can only live and work in pre-approved places. It's like starting my life over."

"That's exactly what it is," he responded, glancing behind them as the boarding announcement for the final section was made. "I guess I don't have to say that we really need to watch what we say now, right?" Lisa nodded, but made no attempt to move. There was still a line to get on the plane, and they had no reason to rush to their seats.

"How are your injuries?" she asked, glancing up at his throat. There was still some scabbing, but it mostly healed. In retrospect, she was grateful that she didn't do permanent damage, at least not that she was aware of.

Jackson shrugged. "They're fine. I'll spare you the details, but I think I'll live. For now." He reached over and tapped the rim of her cap, knocking it down. "Just don't punch me, and things will be okay."

Lisa readjusted her cap and frowned. "For what it's worth," she said, taking his hand, "I'm not sorry." She grinned wickedly. It wasn't really a lie. She didn't like seeing him in pain, but she didn't regret what she did to him.

He rolled his eyes and gave her a mock laugh. "I'd question your sanity if you were," he replied, and rose to his feet. Lisa followed suit, grabbing her bag.

"No really," she said, grabbing his hand to keep him from walking. "Thank you, I guess. Not for everything, but for now...I'd be dead if it wasn't for you." She wanted to elaborate, to explain that she meant that beyond helping her with a new identity, she was convinced that having him around was helping her find herself. She had never felt like less of a shell of a person than she did around him. She didn't feel like she had to please him like she did with everyone else in her life. In fact, attempting to pacify Jackson only seemed to irritate him. She just didn't think she had the words to make him understand yet. He would probably just say that she was being sappy.

He looked at her with those piercing eyes. She could tell he had something on his mind, but all that came out was "Sure." She smiled and leaned up, stealing a quick kiss from his lips. Jackson flung his bag over his shoulder and began walking to the counter. "Oh," he said, turning back around. "You kind of look like a boy."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. He was trying to get a rise out of her, but it wouldn't work. "And you kissed me."

Like I said earlier, I think the chapter is lacking due to the POV switch. It won't last long- as of next chapter (if not, the one after that), the POV is going to switch around since our favorite couple is going to be split up at certain times and doing their own thing. So no worries, we'll get Jackson back soon.

A little side note- when I was going through my iTunes trying to find good titles for this chapter, I came across "Let Them Hoes Fight". I ultimately decided against it, but it's just some trivia for you.

I feel like I should explain why I made Jackson and Lisa have that kiss only to bring the conflict back right away. It was definitely time for something to happen with these two, but I adamantly refuse to believe that they would go from all the angst to a cute lil bunny couple.

As always, reviews are my fuel. They should be in Miami in the next chapter, and we'll get some deeeeaaaaaath.