Hi all! I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed, it means so, so much. Especially for those who have also reviewed my other story, Better Late. for the anonymous reviewer letting me know about the copy stuff, thank you, cause I edited some things so that it may be a little better. So thanks :)
Anyway...I only update when I've finished the next chapter, because I've never finished a story before and I really want to stop that :) So yeah, enjoy this and expect more to come. Thanks again you guys!
David Webb walked the Champs Elysees, taking in the scenery although he had seen it many times before. He realized he enjoyed to people watch, for reasons other than to make sure he wasn't in danger. He found himself at the end of the famous road, after almost an hour of strolling, staring up at the tall apartment building in front of him. He opened the door and made his way to the first floor apartment where the landlord of the building lived.
It took a few tries, but suddenly an older woman emerged, looking very tight and irritated. "We have nothing available." She spoke it coldly, her french accent sharp as she moved to close the door.
"Wait, wait," He spoke. "I'm just looking for someone." He stuck his hand in his coat and retrieved a picture of Nicky, holding it up. "Um, an old friend of mine was a student here in the city, lived in the building. I was wondering if you could give me an idea of where she may be?"
"Obviously not that good of a friend," She retorted, looking at him with raised eyebrows. He rolled his eyes and realized this may be difficult. He pulled some folded bills from his pocket.
Her tone seemed to change. "She left, very abruptly. Going back to America, I suppose."
"Do you know where?"
She seemed clueless yet again, so he sighed and unfolded more bills. "I heard her on the phone, in the elevator. Talking to some woman named Pam, about a court date. I'm not sure, but I think she flew into the capital."
He shoved all the money he had out into her palm, more than she expected. "Thank you very much." He replied hurriedly, leaving the uptight woman flustered as he spun and left quickly.
Making his way to the street, he mumbled to himself. He had been wrong! He hated being wrong, hated to having to deviate from his plans. A part of Jason Bourne would always be with him, and the training he had endured as one of the CIA's assets would not soon go away.
It had taken him a few weeks to recover and then he had to get to Paris and do some searching to figure out exactly where Nicky had lived and when. It hadn't taken long, and he had looked forward to having a meeting with her. He didn't know why, but for some reason, her face was stuck in his head. He had to know why; Landy's face, Conklin, anyone else involved had not stuck with him like Nicky had. There had to be a reason.
He sighed, knowing he was going to have to go back to the states. It wasn't that it was hard to get in and out of the country; customs had been a breeze for him, like it always was. They had pretty much stopped tracking him, now that the program had been revealed to the public. But he had wasted time coming all the way over to Europe to end up empty handed.
Or not, really. He thought. At least I know where she is now, for sure.
All he had to do was get there.
---
Kansas City International was nothing like she had experianced recently.
Nicky Parsons stepped off the plane and into the terminal, startled by the scarce amount of people walking around on a Saturday night. She supposed she was just used to the bigger and busier. This was the midwest, after all.
She made her way to the baggage claim quickly, then moved onto the car rental agency. The entire time, she thought about her day before, in DC, when Pam had shown up to take her for an impromptu luncheon, as she brought her the check for her cooperation.
A check that, by the way, would allow her to vacation for a while, at least until she got on her feet.
They sat in the cafe, both eating their sandwiches and making small talk. Pam asked what Nicky would be up to next. She paused before responding.
"Well," She began slowly. "I'm actually heading out, tomorrow. I'm taking a little trip."
Pam's eyebrows raised in curiousity at the girl's ambivalence. "Oh really? Where you going? Somewhere tropical, Florida maybe? Lay by the beach?" She smiled softly and Nicky smiled back.
Missouri is not what I would call tropical, she thought. She shook her head. "No actually...I...I'm heading to Missouri. To see old friends."
Pam's face took on a diffent expression, one Nicky didn't really know how to explain. "Oh really? This...doesn't have anything to do with David, does it?"
Nicky didn't respond.
"I'm not trying to pry..." Pam said, a way of almost apologizing. "I just thought you may need to talk about it."
Nicky's first instinct was to deny it, to act put off that Pam would suggest such a thing, but in the end she sighed. Pam wasn't looking for something she could use later on down the line, although Nicky knew it was always a possibility. Pam was just looking at her like a friend looks at a friend who may need to open up. And as much as she hated to admit it, Nicky needed to open up.
"I was close to his mom, before he left. I stayed in contact with her until I joined Treadstone, and since this seems to be over...I just want to start talking to her again. And I want to get there before he does."
"You think he's still alive?"
Nicky glanced at her quizzically. "You don't?"
The conversation had continued, as Nicky explained that Jason Bourne aka David Webb, showed up on his mother's doorstep, he may either give her a heart attack or find out things she didn't want him knowing. After studying the process they had used, she knew his memories of their lives before the program could return, but they wouldn't be crystal clear. It would be more like snippets of a life before, pieces of a puzzle they would have to put together along the way. Which is something she didn't want him doing at his mothers, who would be in enough shock. She didn't need him realizing what they had been, when they could never go back to that.
She began her long drive to the small town. Missouri was definitely not the most exciting state to drive through, with miles and miles of empty, flat pasture. But it was good for letting her mull over what she would do, what she would say when she saw Aggie, what she would do about any possible things that came up.
Like what she would do if Jason showed up. That was what she thought of the most.
-----
His plane had landed in DC at almost 5 am, yet he wasn't tired. He had slept most of the transatlantic flight with the help of sleeping pills that weren't even legal in the US. As he had stepped out of the terminal, he lowered his cap and walked through the already bustling crowd. He had known they weren't actively after him like they had usually been, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious.
He knew exactly where he was heading. He had hacked into a CIA system after getting into the US Embassy in Paris and figured it out easily. Landy's office was in the main building in Virginia and knew he would be there before she would.
Now, less than hour later, he was there, sitting on her sofa in the roomy office she had gotten through her promotion that came with uncovering the government scandal that was Blackbriar and Treadstone. Just thinking about the whole debacle was enough to make him chuckle to himself. Blackbriar was the root of everything wrong in so many lives, and while he remembered bits and pieces of everything, he needed someone to help put the pieces back together.
The door opened as the thought entered his mind and Landy strode in, coffee in one hand and a large purse like briefcase on her shoulder. She didn't see him as she immediately went to her desk and sat, head already down, reading something important. He made sure to check that she had closed the door securely before clearing his throat.
She jumped a few inches in her chair, before turning her attention to him with wide eyes. "David."
"Hello Pam."
"What are you doing here?"
"I heard Nicky came to visit you."
A look passed across her face quickly and he couldn't figure out what it was. "She was here, a few days ago." She conceded.
"Helping you with burying Blackbriar, it seems."
"Something I would assume you would be happy with." She shifted back in her seat, crossing her legs as she relaxed, realizing he wasnt't threat. "What do you want, David?"
"I want to know where Nicky is."
"Why?"
He was irritated and it showed, but he plowed on, nonetheless and undiscouraged. "Well, not that it's really your business, but I think she knows more about me than she let on."
"What makes you think that?"
Maybe it was the tone, or the brief shift in eye contact. But David Webb knew right then, that Pamela Landy knew exactly why Nicky was stuck in his mind. "I have a feeling you know."
"She went to Missouri. To visit your mother, actually." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You really don't remember?"
"Not everything," He began. "I mean, there are pictures and clips and her face jumps out at me much more than any of you. I figured she must know something. Why would she go see my mother?"
Pam waited a moment, wondering what to answer. "They sent her in response to the media coverage of the scadal," She lied. "Sort of a PR coverage; in case your family realized it was you...they wanted someone there to explain what was going on."
He decided he believed her. "And if they don't? I mean, Webb is a fairly popular name."
"Well. Then she's a buisness woman who leaves. Believe me, the agency doesn't need or want any more press about this. The more they can avoid, the better."
"And that's all you know?"
"That's all I know." Pam was watching him, gauging to see if he believed her. He seemed to as he rose from his seat, making his way to the door.
"Sorry I can't stay longer. Have to get out of here before it gets too busy." He said, his sense of humor and wit making an appearance. "Have a good day Pam."
And then, without another word, he was gone.
------
It was around 2 hours that Nicky drove, the drive passing easier than expected. She arrived in Nixa in late afternoon, the sun set right behind the towns watertower that stood in the middle, illuminating it's outline. She hadn't been to the town in almost 7 years, and hadn't even spoke to Aggie in five, but she would bet that the woman was at the diner down the road for dinner at the moment, just as she always had been since her husband had died.
She drove up to the diner, and through the glass could see the familiar older lady chatting with the waitress at the counter. Nicky recognized her, but couldn't place her name, knowing the diner that Aggie frequented had been family owned for it's entire existance and just assumed that woman was the owner. She smiled, seeing them laughing about something as both shared a pot of coffee. It wasn't busy in the restaurant, and Nicky knew walking in would probably get their attention.
She opened the door and the chime sounded, earning a look from the waitress but not one from Aggie, busy with conversation. The woman's eye's narrowed in recgnition of which she wasn't sure. She nudged Aggie and nodded toward Nicky who was strolling slowly toward the counter, her heart beginning to race. The waitress muttered something and Aggie turned, her eyes widening as she saw Nicky, who stopped.
"Well, as I live and breathe..." The older woman said. Nicky smiled.
"Hey Ags." She sighed, trying to sound casual. "It's been a long time."
