Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.

Chapter 12: Recreating the Moment

"Jimmy, did I…did I do that?" Cindy asked in a hushed voice.

Jimmy's eyes widened. Why would she be asking that, unless…? "Do you remember doing it?" he inquired.

"I…I don't know!" Cindy exclaimed in frustration. "You said we hated each other, Jimmy, but I just don't know!"

Jimmy stepped back in surprise at her outburst. What did she mean by the last line? Had she figured it out? Dread crept in and clenched his heart. Suddenly his hopes collapsed. She couldn't know; he couldn't let her know. After all this time, the secret feelings had to remain secret. They couldn't be together. They weren't meant to be together. Why had he brought her out here in the first place? Libby was wrong. This was no way to get her to remember her killer. All this was doing was drawing them closer emotionally…and that couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen.

"Cindy, I shouldn't have brought you here," Jimmy said numbly. "I'm sorry. Let's go back."

Cindy turned to look at him, and her face filled with an unexpected anger. "No!" she yelled, her voice echoing into the emptiness of the island. "I'm not going back!"

Jimmy stared at her in shock. What was wrong? She hadn't wanted to come in the first place; he had practically forced her. But now she didn't want to leave, and he couldn't figure out why. The sense of not knowing frustrated him. He always knew everything, and this shouldn't be any different.

"I want to remember, Jimmy. I have to remember," Cindy whispered quietly. A tear slid down her cheek, and to Jimmy's disbelief, he found himself reaching out to brush it away. Cindy slowly shook her head. "Why are you doing this to me, Jimmy?" she asked softly. "Why?"

"Cindy, I don't know what you're talking about," Jimmy said, flushed.

"Oh, but you do," Cindy insisted, feeling more than a little bit aggravated.

"Do you want me to take you back?" Jimmy asked again.

"No!" Cindy exclaimed. "No, I don't. Just show me what you were going to show me. Please."

"But I'm not supposed to get you emotionally upset, Cindy," Jimmy protested. "And it already looks like you are."

"It would make it worse if we left," Cindy told him. "I can't not know what happened here. I can't."

"Fine," Jimmy said. He checked his watch. They still had some time. He wasn't going to hold her hand again, but he could still lead her around the island before it was time to go. "Follow me," he told her as he began walking.

Cindy took a few quick steps to catch up, and then grabbed his hand and squeezed it, which startled him. "Thank you," she said with a smile. Jimmy nodded, but hid his emotion from her. He showed her the cliff where they had jumped from, and the pool of water they had swum in.

"It's beautiful," Cindy remarked when she saw the waterfall.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun, too." His smile soon turned into a frown. "I'm sorry you can't remember it, Cindy."

She sighed. "It's OK. Maybe I will…someday."

"Let's hope it's soon," Jimmy replied. He checked his watch again and decided it was about time. "Come on, there's one last place to show you."

Jimmy sat down on the log and beckoned Cindy to join him. She sat down next to him and tilted her head, wondering what was going on. The sun was beginning to set, and he handed her a small box. "I'm sorry I don't have the original case," Jimmy apologized. "It was probably discarded. But maybe this will still help."

Cindy opened the lid and gasped. Inside, lying on the cushiony material was a big white pearl. "You—you—," she started. She looked up at the sun setting in the sky, and then back to Jimmy. Suddenly she cried out, closed her eyes, and grabbed her head. The images came flooding back like a tidal wave crashing in on her.

"Are you alright?" Jimmy asked desperately, his face etched with concern.

Cindy looked back up and smiled painfully. "I'm fine," she said soothingly. She scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Jimmy wrapped his arm around her, and his worries completely vanished. He didn't care if she found out now. This felt too nice…

"You lied," Cindy said suddenly, breaking him from his thoughts.

Jimmy frowned. "About what?" he asked.

"I don't hate you. I never hated you," Cindy said firmly.

"But, Cindy," Jimmy replied with a frown, "you do. Or you did. I was telling the truth about that." Although not the complete truth about my feelings, he added to himself.

"But I think—I might be—" Cindy stopped, but inside she completed the sentence: in love with you. "I don't hate you," she said. I definitely don't hate you.

"I know you don't. Not anymore. It's a shame we can't forget that you ever did," Jimmy sighed.

"But I have forgotten," Cindy protested. "Can't you?"

Jimmy bit his lip. "I've wanted to," he admitted. "But you have to remember. You have to remember everything, and I have to help you do that. We need to know who tried to kill you, Cindy. If you had been getting threats, why you were out there…everything. Besides, you wouldn't allow this to happen if you were yourself."

"But I don't care about that. And isn't finding out who the killer is different from how I feel about you?" Cindy asked. "Can't I remember that but still forget the other?"

"I don't know, Cindy," Jimmy said. "What if the two are linked somehow? It's selfish of me to want you to—to—"

"To what?" Cindy asked.

"Nothing," Jimmy muttered. He let go of her and stood up. "We should probably go before Kaylee finds out."

Cindy nodded and reluctantly followed him. They were walking for a while, and Cindy found she wasn't able to keep up anymore. She felt a strange dizziness, and then—

Thud.

"Cindy?" Jimmy turned around suddenly to find her lying on the sand, eyes closed.

"Cindy, are you OK?" he asked frantically, rushing over to her side.

"I'm fine…just…tired," she said quietly.

Using all of his strength, Jimmy lifted her up into his arms to carry her back to the hover car. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered, "Jimmy, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

And, oh, how he wanted that moment to last forever.

A/N: From now on, I'm posting all of my updates here at the bottom, as well as replies to reviews. I think people tend to read them more that way. Hope you liked this chapter, and don't forget to review it!

XxDoCxX: Oh, that's OK. Thanks for checking it out for me! I started writing this about a year ago, so it's not quite as good as my recent stuff (i.e. My Happy Ending). I think I improve as I go along, especially with reviewers like you! I'll try to work on it, though. Thank you for telling me what to improve on!

WAYAMY72NARF: Jimmy purposely didn't tell Cindy because he wanted to try and get her remember it on her own. Thanks for reading, and especially for reviewing!

acosta perez jose ramiro: Thank you! I thought the island would be a good place, and I'm glad you think so, too!

starrlightstarbrite: Yes, the J/C FOREVER tree! That's what my penname is off of! It's one of my favorite J/C moments on the show, and I just had to bring it in. Glad you liked it!

jimlover54: Thank you! Don't forget to review this one!

rohe2geth4evr: Thanks! I've always wanted him to find out, too. I hope this update was quick enough for you!