Disclaimer- I don't pretend to own anything related to Red Eye or Beauty and the Beast, etc. Duh. If I did, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction to live out some lost fantasy :P

Sorry if Lisa seems mean- she's going to start to chill out. But! While Melissa is helping, she's still standing between Lisa and her freedom. Lisa was just trying to escape and get back home. That's why she did all she did... she just wants to be free :P

Thanks for all the comments! They make me smile!

Chapter Four

"What's This?" – The Nightmare Before Christmas

"What's this? I can't believe my eyes. I must be dreaming. Wake up, jack, this isn't fair. What's this?"

After a few minutes of running, Lisa was panting. She had to take a break or she'd pass out. She leaned up against a tree, pressing her body against it so she would be better hidden. She took slow, deep, breaths. Then a branch broke nearby and she froze, her body poised to spring into a run once again. Before her she saw black shadows moving toward her. Lisa was going to panic or pass out. A few of the figures passed her and Lisa thought that the rest would do the same, but instead, the formed a circle.

"Miss Reisert," one of the people stated. "Have you taken care of our dirty work for us?"

"Who are you? What do you mean?"

Another figure, to Lisa's right, laughed. Lisa tried to count them. It seemed as if there were seven of them altogether.

"Have you killed Rippner?" a third asked smoothly.

"No. I'm… I'm just trying to get home."

"Oh. Such a pity. You'll never see home…"

Then they began coming in closer. Lisa inched her way around the tree only to see the rest of the figures completing the ever-shrinking circle.

"Please. Just let me go home…"

"We can't-"

The figure that was speaking suddenly fell to their knees. Then they tumbled forward onto their face. Lisa heard guns cock and another muffled shot rang out in the silence. Another figure fell.

"Lower your weapon!" one of the figures called.

Lisa wasn't sure if they meant for her to lower her weapon. She didn't have one, as much as she wished she did. In the darkness she couldn't see their covered faces or know which direction they were looking. Everything was confused. Another shot sounded and a third figure fell. The rest began to fire blindly into the dark. Lisa slid down the tree and covered her ears, praying that a stray bullet didn't hit her. She heard someone cry out, and eventually the shots became less and less until a lone figure stood in the darkness, trying desperately to reload his gun.

That was when she saw him. Jackson limped forward and pressed the gun to the figure's head. The man dropped his gun and held up his hands.

"Don't kill me, Rippner," the man begged.

Jackson waited only a second more before he pulled the trigger and the shadowed man fell backward into the leaves. Shortly after, Jackson scanned the woods nearby. He pointed his gun at where Lisa cowered against the tree, but then it fell to his side. Lisa slowly stood, her body pressed hard against the tree. He staggered towards her, acting as if he was going to choke her, but he seemed to trip. He fell forward and groaned painfully into the leaves.

Lisa ran past him. She only made it a few steps before she stopped. Why she stopped, she'll never know, but she did. There in the darkness, she looked back at the slumped black forms and at the weakened man now lying perfectly still in the leaves. Her mind told her it was all a trick. At the same time, Lisa felt she owed him at least enough to bring him back to his own yard. He did save her from the shadowed men, after all.

Lisa crept back to Jackson and nudged him with her foot, ready to spring if he tried anything. His gun was lying in the leaves next to him. She picked it up and aimed it at him, waiting for him to attack. She pressed it to his chest as she leaned down, listening to his breathing. It was slow and even, almost as if he was sleeping.

"Jackson. Get up."

He didn't move. She pressed the gun harder into his chest, but still, he didn't move.

"You've got to be kidding me," she moaned to herself. "You're too heavy for me to just carry you back to the house!"

She looked around, waiting for someone to appear to help her, but no one did. So she hefted Jackson up. She looped her arms under his own and held him tight across his thin chest. She dragged him for what seemed like forever. He occasionally moaned in pain. Lisa could feel the blood from the gunshot wound where it must have hit him in high in his left shoulder. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He was barely healed from her attacks and now he had another gunshot wound to deal with. She was nearly out of the trees, sweating and exhausted, when she heard Melissa's voice.

"Did you finally kill him?" she asked.

Lisa stopped dragging and turned to face Melissa, her arms still holding Jackson up.

"No. He's just unconscious."

Melissa rubbed her cheek where Lisa had hit her.

"Why not keep running? You seemed very anxious to get out earlier…"

Lisa looked down at Jackson's head where it had rolled to the side. He seemed somewhat peaceful in his sleep.

"Because I think I owe him a little bit. He did free my father… and then he just saved my life from those people."

"People?"

"There were seven of them, I think. All dressed in black. I couldn't really see them, but then they started falling, one by one. One of them shot him," she said, nodding down at Jackson.

Melissa hurried to him and checked his pulse. Then she grabbed his feet and hefted him up.

"Let's get him inside and we'll take it from there."

Lisa nodded and together the two women brought Jackson into the house. Lisa held him up while Melissa covered one of the couches in the lounge with sheets. She didn't want any of Jackson's blood to get onto the couches. It'd just be one more thing for him to complain about. Then they laid him out on the couch.

"Can I trust you not to run off or kill him?"

Lisa pulled Jackson's gun out of her pants and laid it on the table while Melissa watched filled with anticipation.

"If I was going to kill him, I would've done it back there and kept on running. Go get the first aid kit."

Melissa had to keep herself from smiling. If Lisa hadn't killed him…. Maybe there was some hope for them. Still, she'd have to call that scheming, sorry excuse for a boss, Brooke and tell her to back off. She jogged off and left Lisa alone with Jackson. She looked down on him. From what she could tell, the bullet had passed right through the meat of his upper shoulder.

Lisa reached over and began undoing his shirt. Jackson's eyes shot open and he gripped her wrist tightly.

"It's me," she commented flatly. He tried to rise and Lisa pushed him back down. "Just lie still. Melissa will be back with the first aid kit."

He tried to sit up once more and Lisa pushed him down forcefully. Jackson hollered out in pain and tightened his grip on her wrist.

"That hurt!" he shouted.

"Well if you'd quit moving around and lie still like I said, we wouldn't have that problem!"

"Well if you hadn't gone out into the woods and gotten into trouble, we'd all be having a nice little dinner by now."

He released his hold on her, but Lisa remained perched on the edge of the couch by his stomach.

"Well if I hadn't gone out into the woods, those people would've just come here and killed all of us during your little fantasy dinner."

He scowled, but he knew she was right. He had originally set off into the woods in search of her, intending to frighten her back to the house, but he heard her talking to the people dressed in black and he knew he had to do something. Melissa finally returned with the first aid kit and she smiled at Jackson.

"You're awake."

"Yeah because she was trying to molest me in my sleep," he commented, gesturing to his partially opened shirt.

Lisa felt her cheeks grow hot and she shot up off of the couch.

"I was trying to get your shirt off to-"

"My point exactly."

"You're an ass."

Jackson looked smug and Melissa just shook her head. How come she was the only one able to see the chemistry? She sobered Jackson by pressing antiseptic against his wound. He gripped the couch and Lisa wandered over to the window, looking out at the pool.

"Come here," Jackson commanded.

"Why?" Lisa asked, turning back to the room.

"Because I said so."

Melissa finished bandaging his arm. It was less than Lisa had originally thought. The bullet had simply grazed Jackson's arm, creating a lot of blood, but not being a serious wound. She inched closer but stopped as he started to straight himself on the couch. He was buttoning his bloody shirt back up, smirking. Melissa closed the kit and began bundling the gauze together to throw them out.

"Fine. Stay there. I don't care." He dug into his pocket and produced a key. He tossed it to her.

"What's this?"

"What are you doing?" Melissa asked.

Jackson rolled his eyes and slowly stood up, wincing in pain at his wounds.

"Those handcuffs aren't doing anything for the situation. I think her little stunt earlier proved that."

He turned casually and disappeared down a hallway. Lisa didn't waste a second in freeing herself from the metal handcuffs. Melissa looked slightly impressed with the progress and she took the handcuffs with a smile.

"Melissa?" Lisa asked as she left Lisa alone in the lounge.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I knocked you out…"

Melissa laughed.

"It's fine. You were doing what you needed to in order to escape. Next time, make it quicker. You've got plenty of power behind your punch, just aim here."

Melissa gestured to a small area on her jaw. Then she was gone. Lisa lingered in the room a moment longer before she crept toward the open door. The hallway was silent and Lisa wondered if just Jackson and Melissa lived in this house. She took a few steps forward and emerged back in the foyer she had come through last night. She was seconds away from opening the door and making another run for it when she heard her name called. It was Jackson.

Lisa lingered at the base of the stairs and listened carefully. He called her name once more. She inched up onto the first step, hesitant. Should she just run? He probably wasn't strong enough to chase her again. Melissa was busy somewhere back in the maze of the house, so she also couldn't respond right away. Lisa turned and stepped down, landing back at the base of the stairs.

"I know you're listening. Just come here."

Lisa looked back up at the stairs and Jackson appeared. He had on a clean plain-white t-shirt and a new pair of dress pants. He watched her expectantly and then he gestured toward the door.

"You going to leave again? There's the door." Lisa looked over at it and when she looked back up at him, he was leaning on the railing, watching her. "Or… or maybe you'd like to indulge in your female curiosity and come here."

Lisa looked once more at the door and then began to come up the stairs.

"This better not be some sort of trick…"

Jackson smirked.

"I'm too tired for tricks tonight."

"Then what's your game?"

When she was two steps away from the stop, she stopped her ascent. Jackson straightened himself, now standing fully upright.

"There. I'm here."

"No… here." He gestured down the hallway. "Into my office."

Lisa cocked her head to the side and then Jackson disappeared down the hallway, limping. She heard the door open, but it didn't shut. She came up to the second level and peeked around the corner. The light was on in the office this time. She stepped forward and then waited in the doorway. He looked amused at her caution and then he held up the remains of his phone where he had shot it earlier.

"Trying to make an escape call?"

Lisa folded her arms across her chest. She turned to leave, but Jackson simply said "Stop."

"Yes. I was."

"Didn't we agree you were to stay here instead of your father?"

"You're sick."

"Answer the question."

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I agreed to stay here in the place of my father."

"So don't you think that calling the police would break our little deal?"

"Look. I was just-"

He held up his hand and then swept the plastic pieces into a trash can beside his chair.

"I'm not asking for your opinion, Leese. I'm asking for the facts."

"Yes!" she shouted, leaning heavily on the doorframe.

Jackson smirked.

"And… what would happen if our deal was broken?"

Though Lisa hated the idea, she knew he only wanted "the facts".

"You'd… kill him."

"Correct. So. Remember the plane ride? Remember how I told you to stop gambling with daddy's life? This is the same sort of thing."

"You're horrible. I help you and this is what I get?"

Jackson laughed and leaned back in his chair, wincing as his arm came in contact with the back of the chair.

"If I remember correctly, Leese, you knocked out Melissa. You tried to stab me and then I helped you."

"You say tomato; I say toe-mah-toe."

"Don't get cute."

"What do you want, Jackson?"

"You."

"Me?"

Lisa stood up straight, no longer leaning on the doorframe. Jackson looked surprised that she didn't know. Even still, he could feel a slightly different meaning coming through in his tone. It surprised him nearly as much as it did her. But, he was better at hiding it.

"Well yeah. Remember? I did tell you I was going to have to steal you…"

"So what? You just want me to stay here in your house? Keep you company? Are you that lonely?"

The smile on Jackson's face faded. He leaned towards her in his chair.

"The deal was that you have to stay here. Don't worry about my motivation. Let's just say that I love seeing you squirm."

Lisa took a large step forward. Now she was standing over Jackson. She felt powerful. In-charge.

"Maybe I like seeing you squirm."

He laughed.

"Me? You're the easy one. It's not even a challenge to make you blush or make you uncomfortable. But you expect to make me uncomfortable?"

He reached a hand out and placed it gently on her hip. Lisa blushed and immediately tore herself away from his hand. He laughed so hard that his blue eyes disappeared as he squeezed his eyes shut. There was another flash of lightning and the lights cut off. Jackson silenced himself, looking for Lisa in the darkness.

"Where'd you go?"

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" she called from the far end of his office.

Lightning brightened the room for a split second and he saw a flash of her. She was silent.

"Not in the slightest," he called.

Jackson reached onto his desk for his knife, but it was gone. Lightning flashed once more and Lisa was suddenly straddling him, his own knife pressed against his skin. Jackson leaned back into his chair, but Lisa followed him, keeping his knife trained on his skin. He could just barely make out her smile.

"What about now?"

"Yes," he whispered after a pause.

The lights flickered for a moment and then came back on. Lisa released him and tossed his knife onto the desk.

"You really don't lie, do you, Jack?" she asked him from the hallway.

He slammed his fist down on his desk. He had been too cocky and allowed himself to be vulnerable. And of course she had asked that fatal question and he wasn't going to lie to her. He had never felt this way before. So frustrated. So excited. So angry and so playful all at the same time. This woman would be the death of him.