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 this one's kind of short… I've been super busy. Hopefully when I get back down to school, I will have some more free time and more motivation! Thank you SO MUCH for reading and reviewing. It really pushes me to continue these fanfics of mine...

Also, sorry if this chapter is rough. It's late, and I've taken some benedryl thanks to my allergic reaction to strawberries, so I'm all kinds of loopy and dopey right now. That's also why I kept it short. I figured it'd be better for everyone to keep the insanity off the pages... :P

Chapter Seven

"Something There" – Beauty and the Beast

"Belle: There's something sweet and almost kind.. But he was mean and he was course and unrefined. And now he's dear and so, I'm sure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before…
Beast: She glanced this way I thought I saw. And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw. No it can't be. I'll just ignore… But then she's never looked at me that way before…
Belle: New and a bit alarming… Who'd have ever thought that this could be? True that he's no prince charming, but there's something in him that I simply didn't see.
Lumiere: Well who'd have thought?
Mrs. Potts: Well bless my soul.

Cogsworth: Well who'd have known?
Mrs. Potts: Well who indeed.
Lumiere: And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?
Mrs. Potts: It's so peculiar!
Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Lumiere: We'll wait and see a few days more. There may be something there that wasn't there before…
Cogsworth: Well perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before…
Mrs.Potts: There may be something there that wasn't there before…"

"Would you go for a swim with me after dinner? In the pool?"

Somehow Lisa had gone from prisoner to actually wanting to spend time with the man who had almost killed her after the Red Eye flight.

"Only as long as you don't make me think you're dead again."

Lisa smirked.

"Don't tell me Jackson Rippner would actually miss me…"

"No. I don't feel like trying to dispose of your body."

He smirked, too, which put Lisa at ease. They trotted the remaining distance to the stables in silence, though it wasn't awkward. But once Jackson had put the horses up, he noticed Lisa was looking sad once more. A wave of irritation washed over him. She was becoming the most difficult woman to please.

"What's wrong?" he asked, expecting her to lash out.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Lisa didn't want to anger him by mentioning her father and her freedom again, so she decided lying would be better. Jackson saw right through her and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

"You know how much I hate lying."

"And I know how much more angrier you'd get if I told you the truth."

She looked so innocent and he knew she wasn't lying. He felt horrible for making her feel like she needed to lie to him. He loosened his grip on her shoulders and let his hands slide off of them.

"I promise I won't," he murmured. "And you know my word is good."

Lisa nodded solemnly and they began their walk back towards his large house.

"It's just… I'd like to call my father."

Jackson clenched his jaw and Lisa put her hand on his shoulder. It surprised her just as much as it did him.

"I wouldn't say anything, but knowing him, he's worried sick. I just want to let him know you haven't killed me yet and I'm alright here."

"I trust you," he said so low that Lisa almost hadn't heard him.

"This means a lot to me Jackson," Lisa said firmly as he opened the front door for her. "And just as soon as I make the call and we have some dinner, we'll head out for a proper swim. One without drowning scares."

Jackson nodded and Melissa approached, finally home from wherever she had been that day.

"Let me go and get the cell phone and then you can call."

"I can't just use the phone in your office?"

"Remember our little dispute the other day, Leese? It's still shot to hell and back."

Lisa blushed.

"Sorry…"

Melissa was looking at the two of them awkwardly before Jackson turned and walked slowly up to his office. When he finally rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Lisa turned back to Melissa, as well as Peggy. Both were smiling.

"What?"

"Just where have you two been?" Melissa asked.

"Oh, they've been out riding the horses and judging by the sand on her shoes," Peggy interjected, "I'd guess they had a moment on the beach."

Lisa felt her cheeks turn hot.

"It was hardly a moment," she denied.

Peggy and Melissa exchanged glances.

"Then why is he allowing you a phone call? And why are you two going swimming…?"

"Look. I like swimming. And we both agreed that it would be better for my father to know I am still alive rather than assuming I've been chopped into little pieces and thrown into the Bay as fish bait…"

Melissa shrugged and wandered down the hall, disappearing into another room, but Peggy remained, her arms crossed across her broad chest.

"I decided I'd head back over to the guesthouse earlier. Read a book. Call my son."

"You should've come down and watched some movies with me," Lisa offered.

"Oh, but see, I ended up watching the cutest thing I've seen in a while. You see, the guesthouse has an exquisite view of the beach..."

Lisa's gut wrenched and Peggy placed her wrinkled hand on Lisa's shoulder to calm her.

"Come now, love." Peggy dropped her voice to a whisper. "He's just been having a hard few years, that's all. He needs someone like you to prove to him that life's not all screwed up. That he's not all screwed up."

"He's not; at least I don't think he is…"

Peggy patted Lisa on the arm once more before she backed away. They both turned when they heard Jackson slightly limping down the stairs, cell phone in hand. Peggy smirked at Lisa and winked a wrinkled eye.

"I had to let it charge for a second. It's about to go dead."

He stepped down and handed the phone to Lisa. Even as he felt it leave his fingertips he prayed it wasn't a mistake. He needed her, as odd as it sounded to him. Jackson Rippner needed no one. Still, he imagined if Lisa called for help and ended up being taken away from him, he would fall apart. He could see something new in her eyes. Even Peggy seemed brighter as she backed away towards the kitchen.

What was it? Lisa was staring at Jackson and he was staring back. Was it admiration that she felt? He had been true to his word. Of course he would be. Jackson just hoped Lisa would stick to hers. Her delicate fingers began to dial the numbers and Jackson walked down the hall to the sitting room where Melissa had bandaged him up the other night.

"Daddy? Daddy! It's Lisa. Yes. Yes, listen to me."

Jackson gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Here it comes, he thought. She'll say "Listen to me. You have to call the police." Then she'll be gone, just like everyone else.

"No. Not at all. Listen to me. I'm fine."

Jackson opened his eyes. He heard Lisa shuffling back and forth awkwardly in the foyer.

"I said I'm fine. No he's not making me say this. He's… actually I don't know where he went to. Daddy, I'm fine. Honestly. Please don't ask me if I'm sure. Look, how about I prove it to you? How?"

Silence. She was thinking. Jackson could practically hear the gears turning in her little head.

"Well, I don't know how. How about I call you again later? Yes, I'm sure he'll let me. It's just… Daddy, No! I'm not lying. We went horseback riding today. We're going to have dinner and then go swimming. I'm not delusional! Will you listen to me for once in your life? I will call you back. It's not like that, dad." Lisa's voice dropped making it so Jackson could just barely hear her. "No, dad. He hasn't." Her voice rose again. "Dad! I'll call you later. No, not because he wants me to get off, because I'm hungry. He's not starving me, you know. I know it's hard to believe. I can't believe it myself, but… It's not so bad here. I know," she finished with a sigh. "I can take care of myself, dad. I love you, but I have to go. I will call you later, okay?"

A few moments of silence passed and then Jackson heard the cell phone being snapped shut. Peggy hollered from the kitchen that she had finished dinner and for them to come and get some. Jackson rose and made it to the doorway when Lisa appeared. She imagined she looked absolutely ragged. Her father was not at all happy and she couldn't really blame him. Jackson had tried to kill her before and would have succeeded if it hadn't been for her father. She felt as if she was betraying him; siding up with the other team. Still, she did feel safe here. And maybe Peggy was right. Maybe all Jackson needed was to know that the world hadn't gone to shit.

"I didn't say anything."

"I know," he said softly. "Thank you."

Lisa cocked her head to the side. He was thanking her for not trying to escape? Maybe he-

"Are you guys going to come in here and get some of this food, or do I have to let it get cold and go to waste?"

Jackson smirked.

"We'll be right in, Peggy," he called over Lisa's head.

"Thank you for letting me call him."

"Not a problem."

"I'm assuming you heard me tell him I would call him back later…"

"I did."

"So… can I?"

"Sure."

Jackson inched past Lisa and began climbing the stairs again.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to have dinner?"

"Are you asking me to dinner, Leese?"

Lisa felt herself blush and she actually allowed herself to smile.

"I figured I'd better charge the phone for later," he said, waving it over his head as he continued up the stairs.

Lisa simply shook her head and headed for the kitchen. Peggy was leaning in the doorway, as was Melissa, smiling.

"What?"

"He loves you, you know."

Lisa nearly choked, even though she hadn't even entered the kitchen.

"Do what?"

"He loves you," Melissa said bluntly, repeating Peggy's words.

"Hardly," Lisa sputtered out as she pushed past the women and into the kitchen.

"Honey, there's something there between you two."

Lisa took a plate from the counter and began placing crab legs and other seafood onto it. Was there something there? The Jackson she had thought she knew would have never let her call her father. The Jackson she had considered to be the Jackson would have shot Lisa the first night when she was coming to get her father. If she made it past that point, he would have kept her locked up inside that room, or a dungeon, for that matter. Maybe he's just…. Misunderstood, Lisa thought to herself. Maybe he judged me and I judged him all too soon.

When Jackson appeared in the kitchen and took his seat across from Lisa he smiled. He couldn't resist it. There they were, almost like a small family, having a normal dinner. For the first time in a long while, Jackson Rippner felt happy. Lisa wasn't cowering, nor was she attempting to escape. Today had been one of the best days Jackson had experienced in… well, he couldn't honestly remember when the last time was that he felt this happy and content. That's it, he thought. Happy. I feel… happy. As he spoke the word to himself, he found himself smiling broader. When Lisa smiled back, he knew that there was something between them. Finally. And the night was just beginning…

A/N: Thanks again for reading and hopefully reviewing. I really appreciate the time that you guys take to read this and then the additional time that you guys take to make a quick note about the story. I do read them and I try to reform the story and edit my writing a little more each time. :)

Annnnd I was going to name the chapter after "A Star is Born" considering it could be seen as a star being born between Lisa and Jackson, but then again, I couldn't help using the original... and then I just had to quote the entire song, not just a piece. :) What can I say? I love Beauty and the Beast. I'm not ashamed to play favorites, here. haha.