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

Chapter Nine

"Baby Mine" – Dumbo

"Never a tear, baby of mine. If they knew sweet little you, they'd end up loving you too. All those same people who scold you; What they'd give just for the right to hold you. From your head down to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows. But you're so precious to me; sweet as can be. Baby of mine."


"Do you need help with your bag, ma'am?"

Lisa looked up at the young man looking curiously at her from his seat.

"Um, not thank you. I think I got it."

She pushed the bag back farther into the small compartment and then clicked it shut. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She just wanted to get home as soon as possible. Besides, the man sitting next to her in the seat reminded her too much of Jackson. She took her seat quickly and the man next to her extended his hand to her.

"I'm Marcus Snow."

She eyed his hand for a moment before adjusting her posture. Being assertive should help.

"Look, Mr. Snow. I'm going to be so honest with you that you are probably going to get offended and maybe even want a seat change. The fact of the matter is," she watched as his hand slowly dropped, "I have no interest at all in talking with you and if you even try to threaten me remotely, I will stab you in the neck with a pen."

The man paled and pressed the button for the attendant.

"You're right. I do want a seat change."

Lisa sank back in her seat once he was gone. Good. Sitting by herself. No distractions, no possible threats, no-

"Hello, Lisa."

Lisa looked up. Then she groaned as she watched Melissa plop down in the seat next to her.

"You can't sit there, you know."

"It's empty. Besides, I know the stewardess."

To emphasize her point, Melissa waved at the small, blonde, stewardess in the back, who immediately waved back, grinning broadly.

"She's my little sister."

"Oh… What are you doing here?"

"Escorting you home."

"Jackson doesn't know this, does he?"

"Not a clue."

"Well, you should just head back. There's no reason for you to come all the way back to Florida."

"I saw you and Jackson last night."

Lisa's cheeks grew hot.

"So?"

"So… you're just leaving?"

"He told me to, firstly, and secondly, I need to get home to my father."

"Now that's what concerned me enough to tag along, Lisa. You talked to your dad on the phone before and he was fine. Distressed, no doubt, but fine. Now you talk to him and even though I could see you feeling more comfortable and happy with Jackson, you are so quick to pack up and leave… something's not clicking."

"He's been poisoned!" Lisa whispered angrily. "Someone is pissed at me for ruining Jackson's job with the Keefe's and they've hurt him. Okay? I've been called back."

"What's your plan?"

"I don't have one," she muttered, turning towards the window.

"Well. We have hours. Let's get the facts straight."

Lisa looked over at Melissa.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I like you. And because Jackson loves you, clearly, so I'm making it my priority to keep you safe."

Lisa smiled and leaned over and hugged Melissa.

"Daddy!"

Joe Reisert was pale and sickly-looking as he lay in bed.

"Lisa. He's in need of a lot of rest," Gary Quinn interjected.

Melissa glared at him until he backed up a few inches, giving Lisa space to lean in and hug her father.

"Daddy, I'm here…"

"Leese," he whispered. "You're home."

"Yeah, daddy."

"How'd you get away?"

Gary Quinn observed the quiet conversation from the corner he had backed into. Melissa was pouring Joe a glass of water. He seemed to pay her no mind at all. Nobody but Lisa existed in his world. But Gary Quinn was waiting for the words. He wanted to know who that other person was, for sure, that had been holding Lisa captive.

"Daddy…"

"Did you kill him?"

"Kill who?"

Melissa glared up at Quinn. She'd shoot him later. Maybe. She'd get rid of him somehow. He was untrustworthy.

"Jackson Rippner! I told you!" Joe shouted over in Gary's general direction.

"Jackson Rippner was keeping you?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"He's alive?"

Lisa leaned away from her father and took a daring step towards Gary. The muffled shout from behind her caused Lisa to turn. Melissa had been contained by another, older, man. Still, she was struggling, until the man pressed a point at the base of her neck and she collapsed.

"Melissa!"

"Rippner is alive. Where?" the man asked.

"What'd you do to her? Did you do this to my father?"

"Answer my question and everything will be alright."

Lisa was raging. She lunged forward, only to be stopped in her tracks as Gary grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her back into his arms.

"Let go of me!"

"Answer his questions, Leese, and your father will be alright and so will Melissa."

"I don't know!"

"Lies."

The man took a step towards her father and withdrew a syringe.

"Tell me the truth, Miss Reisert, or I will inject your father with the rest of the solution that currently has him very ill…"

"Maryland!"

The man smiled. Lisa could feel Gary rubbing her arms softly in comfort. It sickened her.

"Where?"

"I don't know," she stumbled. "Somewhere near the beach. A large estate. Woods are on the other side… I don't know, honestly. Please help my dad!"

The older man smiled softly and then injected Joe quickly with the syringe. Lisa screeched and flung herself from Gary's arms and onto her father's sleeping form.

"I told you all I know!"

"The antidote my dear. I simply injected him with the antidote. He'll be up and moving within the hour."

"Like I believe that."

"It'll have to do. Now," he turned to Gary. "Let's get a move on while everyone here is predisposed. We've got to find Rippner and finish the job."

Gary nodded and Lisa looked up at them from her father's side. He did seem to already be regaining some color.

"Finish the job…? You're going to kill Jackson?"

Gary cocked his head to the side.

"Don't tell me you actually… he kidnapped you! And you love him?"

Lisa looked torn.

"Don't kill him," she murmured. "Please. Just… leave him alone."

"I'll kill him slow for even considering touching you. Then, when I come back, I'll show you what a real man acts like."

Lisa rose and bolted for the door, but Gary restrained her.

"Ah, ah, ah, Lisa. Can't have you interfering. Be a good girl and take a nap."

Lisa felt the prick of the needle before her world swirled and she let the sleep consume her.

"Lisa! Lisa, wake up!"

It wasn't Melissa. It was Joe Reisert. Lisa's eyes fluttered open sleepily. She couldn't remember what she had been dreaming, but it had been easier to deal with than real life. Her dad shook her once more and Melissa's face came into view.

"You're fine. We're fine. But Gary and Paul Anderson are missing. What happened?"

They helped Lisa to sit up and it was all she could do not to cry. She bit her lip.

"They're going to kill Jackson. I had no choice… I had to tell them where he was or he was going to kill my dad!"

Melissa looked fearful.

"But," Lisa continued, feeling slightly hopeful, "We can reach Jackson before them! I gave them vague directions."

"I'll try calling him on our way. Let's get moving."

Melissa helped Lisa to her feet, but Joe grabbed her arm lightly.

"Lisa, wait. What are you doing?"

"Daddy… I'm sure you remember Melissa…?"

He glanced over at Melissa, seemingly seeing her for the first time since his own escape from Jackson's clutches.

"Yes…"

"Look. I can't just let them kill him. He was actually decent to me, dad. And Melissa is my friend."

"He kidnapped you. He kidnapped me. He was going to kill both of us and the Keefes!"

"Daddy. He's a person. I can't just let them brutally murder him."

Lisa shook her arm free from his grasp and pulled him into a hug.

"I promise I'll be fine, daddy, but I have to do this for him. He's a friend…"

Joe looked into her green eyes with caution as she pulled away for the last time. He hated to let his baby girl go, especially to save the life of a criminal, but when she put her foot down, there was no stopping her. He just prayed she wouldn't get hurt.

"He's not answering," Melissa groaned for the fifth time from the air phone.

She had tried him multiple times from the car drive using a cell phone, but he still didn't answer. Neither did Peggy. It worried her, but she knew there was no possible way that Quinn and Anderson could reach Jackson before they did… could there?

Jackson was up in the attic of his large house. He heard the phone ringing for… well, he had long since lost count. He was going through case files. People he had killed. People whose lives he had ruined. He avoided that final file to his right. It was the last one left. Reisert, L. H. was on the tab.

He ran his hand over the edges as the phone finally stopped ringing. He had given Peggy the day off. She, of course, refused, but then he ordered her to leave. Now he was alone. Just the way he had intended.

Jackson flipped open the file and immediately found himself staring at the close-up of Lisa Reisert on her way to work. Everything had changed. He was supposed to be a loner. He worked better that way. But it all started with the new agent, Melissa, sitting across from him at lunch.

He looked up at her as if she was insane. Everyone in the cafeteria back at the headquarters was doing the same. "Death wish" was murmured around the hush.

"Can I help you?" he growled.

"I was just wondering if I could sit here."

"I sit alone."

"Exactly. Me, too."

She was a persistent agent. Every day he threatened her, but she continued to sit with him. Eventually he softened just the slightest bit and began to listen to her. She admired him. Melissa had known that he was the best of the best and that if she was going to learn anything at all, she would need to somehow miraculously befriend "Jack the Ripper".

And so she did.

Now, Jackson was beating himself up. Melissa was gone. Melissa was likely to be killed all because of his botched job and her relation to him. Lisa was also gone. Everyone was gone. Lisa, too, would be killed. He fingered the picture of Lisa. His first impression of her. Then he closed the file silently and lounged back against the file cabinets. He picked up his bottle of Wild Turkey and took a large gulp of it, letting it burn him on the way down.

"Good," he murmured. "Good…"

The phone rang again, but he shut it out as he was shutting out the world. He was in his sanctuary. Nobody mattered but him. Nobody could hurt him and he couldn't hurt anyone else. He'd just stay here…

A/N: Okay, so, I've been in a funk lately, so I just have to apologize if this chapter isn't as up to par as the rest. Anyway, it's just a little moving along of the action until we can really get into the nitty gritty in the next chapter. I imagine the ending coming in the next chapter or two. Things are coming to a dramatic close.

Comments and reviews are greatly appreciated and, as always, thank you immensely for reading.