In Sickness and In Health

Disclaimer: The Bourne Legacy is a part of the Bourne franchise created by Robert Ludlum and I do not own even the slightest part of that. This is only a labour of love adding to the ever expanding Bourne universe.

Aaron sat shirtless on the bed, hunched over with his arms resting on his knees, Marta sitting by his side.

'How could you be so stupid?' Marta asked as she drew the needle through the skin of his right bicep, closing the knife wound he had returned with.

'I'm not stupid!' Aaron muttered, shuddering as the cotton thread borrowed from the neighbour's sewing kit pulled at his skin.

'A mugger?' Marta wiped some blood from his arm as she repositioned herself for a better angle. 'You should have just given him your wallet, its not like there was anything important in it.'

'He wanted my watch.'

'So give him your watch.'

'It's my watch, I need my watch.'

Marta sighed as she knotted and then cut the thread. 'There done, anything else I can do for you?'

Aaron looked sideways at her for a second before facing forwards again. 'You could kiss it better, I hear that helps.'

Leaning forward Marta gently placed a kiss on his hot skin, just above the stitched wound, feeling Aaron shiver under her touch. Leaning back she frowned, while she liked to think she had that affect on a man Marta was fairly certain that was an unusual reaction for Aaron.

Reaching out she placed a hand on the nape of his neck. Did he seem strangely warm? 'Aaron, are you feeling okay?'

Aaron hummed. 'Tired.'

Marta cupped Aaron's cheek and turned his head towards her. 'Aaron?'

Aaron blinked slowly at her, his pupils looked slightly unfocused and his reactions seemed sluggish. 'Hey.'

'How long have you been feeling ill?'

'One, maybe two days.' Aaron shrugged. 'It's okay, I'm okay.'

That was around about the time they had been befriended by a group of English tourists and invited to a party. 'I told you not to drink the local beer.'

'Gotta blend in, Doc, gotta stay safe.'

Marta ran a hand across his forehead, brushing away damp hair. 'You're warm.' How could she have missed this? His reactions were exactly the same as when he used to fight the anaesthetic at Morlanta.

Aaron smiled. 'You make me hot.' He blinked as a look of embarrassment crossed his face. 'No, I mean, no you have that affect on a guy, Doc.'

'Oh very smooth, Bond.'

'Bond, James Bond.' Aaron closed his eyes as Marta continued brushing his forehead. 'James and June, remember James and June?'

Marta nodded. 'Our first aliases.'

'Let's be James and June again.'

'Okay.' Marta stroked his cheek.

Aaron leant into her touch. 'We could buy a house with a picket fence.'

Marta smiled at the thought. 'We could get a dog.' She played along.

'Kids, we could have kids.' Aaron opened his eyes and looked up at Marta. 'Could we have kids?'

Marta nodded as she rapidly blinked away tears. 'One of each.'

Aaron smiled as he reached up to brush his fingertips across her cheek. 'Marry me?'

'I, I –'

Before Marta could formulate a response to Aaron's delirious request he lurched over to the side of the bed and threw up.

When Aaron next opened his eyes, his head felt clearer. He felt more himself. Blinking in the gloom he assessed his situation. What light that seeped through the drawn curtain made him think it was early afternoon. The air had a sickly smell to it, like a hospital. It also felt enclosed like the room hadn't been open for a while. Somebody, he assumed it was the Doc, had undressed him while he had been sleeping, leaving him in only a pair of boxers.

He was lying on his left side on the bed, curled against the back of a sleeping Marta. Right arm draped over her waist, his hand captured in hers. He was slightly amused to see Marta had placed herself between him and the door, a position he automatically took wherever they slept. The handle of a bat or stout piece of wood was leaning against the mattress on Marta's side of the bed.

Aaron laughed at that. 'You protecting me from the bogey man, Doc?'

Marta didn't reply.

'Hey,' Aaron slid his hand out of hers and brushed some hair away from her face. 'You awake?' he moved the strap of her singlet to one side and kissed her bare shoulder, then shook her gently. 'Marta?'

'Mmmm.'

'Hey, sleepyhead.' Aaron ran his fingers along her side, tickling her.

The reaction was immediate, Marta stiffened then half sat up reaching towards the bat.

'Hey, hey,' Aaron reached out and rested a hand on her waist. 'It's just me.'

'Aaron?' Marta lay back down on the bed, and then turned so they were lying face to face. She reached out and placed her left hand on his cheek. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, sure,' Aaron replied.

Marta blinked several times, trying to wake up properly. 'What time is it?'

'You tell me.' Aaron reached up and wrapped his hand around Marta's left wrist where his watch was resting. 'Sleeping in my spot, stealing my watch, what's the deal, Doc?'

'Oh,' Marta moved her hand away from Aaron's face and fumbled with the band as she tried to take his watch off. 'You were sick; I think it was the water.'

Aaron gently moved Marta's fingers away and took the watch off for her. 'I didn't drink the water.'

'But you drank the beer.'

Aaron closed his eyes as he remembered the party. He couldn't believe he'd made such an idiot, rookie mistake that could have cost them both their lives. 'How long was I sick?' he glanced at the watch, now safely on his own wrist again and checked the date. 'Four days.' He said, answering his own question.

'Its okay, I was careful like you taught me.' Marta said. 'I only went out when I absolutely had to; I never went to the same place twice and I left at different times of the day so I wasn't predictable.'

Aaron's smile held more than a touch of pride. 'You did good, real good.'

Marta smiled back. 'I learnt from the best.' She reached out and touched his right shoulder. 'These are almost ready to come out.'

Aaron traced over the spot where her fingers had touched his skin and found a neat row of stitches. 'Did I get into a fight?'

Marta pushed herself into a sitting position with her back against the headboard. 'Someone tried to mug you.'

Aaron matched her position, a little shocked to realise how much energy and effort it took. 'You weren't there?'

Marta shook her head. 'No, I was safe here.' She leaned forward to look at him closely. 'You don't remember anything from the last few days?'

Aaron frowned as he tried to think back; finally he just shook his head. 'Why, did I do something embarrassing?'

A look passed over Marta's face that Aaron couldn't interpret. 'Oh, no, no.' She said hurriedly.

Aaron watched Marta slide across the bed to sit on the edge, facing away from him. 'Marta?' he asked.

'Hmm?' Marta grabbed a hair tie from the bedside table and began pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

Dammit he had done something. Aaron moved to sit behind Marta, slipping a hand under her singlet to rest against her bare skin, just above the waistband of her underwear. Marta sighed and leaned back against his hand. 'What did I do?' he asked her.

'Are you thirsty?' Marta tried to change the subject. 'I think there's a bottle of water around here somewhere. You need to stay hydrated.'

Aaron rested his head against her left shoulder blade and closed his eyes, trying to remember just what he had said or done. There was something nagging at him, something at the back of his brain. 'James and June?' he whispered.

Marta's body stiffened under his hand for a moment. 'What?'

Aaron opened his eyes and sat up straight. 'James and June.' He said with a bit more force.

'What about them?' Marta tried for casual and failed as she looked back over her shoulder. She searched his eyes, looking for recognition of that first night. 'Aaron?'

Aaron frowned as he tried to force the memory to the surface. Finally he sighed and shook his head. 'Nothing.'

Marta turned back to face the door again as Aaron rested his head back on her shoulder. 'Never mind,' she said. 'I'm sure if it was important you'll remember.' Although there was a part of her that wondered if he would regret the moment if he did.

Aaron began rubbing his thumb back and forth across Marta's spine. 'You know there is something that I remember.'

'Oh?' Marta swallowed. 'What do you remember?'

'This.' Aaron moved closer to Marta, bringing both arms around to encircle her waist. He kissed the tip of her ear before tucking his chin down against her shoulder so they were cheek to cheek. 'Contact,' he said, reaching up briefly to caress the side of her face. 'I remember you doing this. It made me feel safe, just knowing you were there.'

Marta reached back and affectionately ruffled Aaron's hair.

'I never had this before you.' Aaron said.

'Sure you did.'

'No,' Aaron shook his head the roughness of his stubble scratching her cheek. 'Nobody ever cared enough. There was only you; even when you were Doctor Shearing and I was your lab rat.' Aaron smiled at the memory. 'Remember how you'd hold my head as I'd count backwards.'

Marta laughed a little. 'Well you would fight the anaesthetic and not lie down when I told you to.'

'Bet you did that to all the participants.'

Marta shook her head. 'Only my favourites.'

'I was your favourite.'

'One of my favourites.' Marta corrected.

'No,' Aaron turned his head and leaned forward to look at Marta. 'I was your favourite.'

Marta turned to smile at Aaron. 'So sure of yourself, even back then.'

Aaron smiled back. 'Would you have me any other way?'

Marta tilted her head to one side and just looked at him, silently.

'Marta?'

'I'm thinking.' Finally she just shook her head. 'No, I wouldn't have you any other way. Although . . .'

Aaron raised an eyebrow at her unfinished sentence. 'Although?'

'I would have you healthy.' Marta turned back around, bending over to grab a pair of jeans. 'You need some food.' She said, as she began pulling them up her legs.

Aaron leaned against her back again hugging her tight. 'This is all I need.'

Marta laughed. 'While the Beatles might agree that all you need is love. My medical degree says otherwise. Come on,' she tapped him lightly on his thigh. 'Let me up, I'm going to see if I can find you some soup.'

Aaron reluctantly let Marta go, although it did give him the opportunity to watch the little shimmy she did as she pulled the jeans up over her hips. Why had he never noticed that before?

Marta turned to see Aaron's goofy grin. 'Bed,' she said, sternly.

Aaron held his arms out towards Marta, his goofy grin morphing into a sexy smirk. 'Come with me.'

Marta moved towards Aaron and leant over to snatch her t-shirt up from beside him. 'I want you in that bed, now.'

Aaron snapped a casual half-hearted salute. 'Now that's an order I can obey.'

Marta pulled the t-shirt on then folded her arms. 'Well?'

Still with that sexy smirk on his face Aaron pushed himself backwards until he was resting against the headboard. 'Tuck me in?'

Shaking her head Marta walked over to the bed and pulled the thin cotton sheet up to his waist. 'Better?'

Aaron just continued smirking at her and held his arms out again.

'Honestly, it's like dealing with an overgrown child.' She muttered affectionately. Sitting down on the bed facing Aaron, Marta reached out and hugged him.

'Now its better,' Aaron said. 'You make it better.'

Marta rested her forehead against his and caressed his cheek. 'I won't be long.'

As Marta moved away from him Aaron reached out and cradled her face in his strong hands. 'I should go with you.'

'I'll be careful.'

'You'd better be.' He growled.

Marta kissed his forehead. 'You taught me well, remember?'

Aaron clenched his jaw as Marta grabbed a small backpack and left the motel room. As soon as the door was closed he threw back the sheet and staggered from the bed. Lurching from one piece of furniture to another he made it to the window and pulled the curtain aside. His eyes darted about the busy scene below, going from one person to another until he spied the dark haired woman walking down the street. Sighing in frustration at the state of his health Aaron sat down on a nearby chair.

He would sit here and wait until she came back. And god help anyone who even thought about standing in his way if she didn't.

Author's note: I hope Aaron didn't come across as too needy, but I just think he is craving human contact. And if the movie is anything to go by he is more than happy to take it whenever and wherever he can.