Author's note: Thanks again to those who have been reviewing. Only a couple of chapters left to go, but stay with me please. This is so much fun to do. Unfortunately for me, they explained away everything in Sri Lanka in last night's two-parter. That makes this story somewhat AU, but at least Jai was his handler!

Disclaimer: Don't own Covert Affairs and yada ya.

They reached the graves without incident. Bernardo and his friends helped pull Auggie and Annie out, then began digging the grave. Annie still was struggling unconsciously through the effects of her poisoning, so Auggie propped himself up in the back bed of the truck and let her use him as a pillow. Bernardo got into the cab of the truck and slid the back window open so they could talk as he drove.

"It is about two of your miles to the river," Bernardo stated as they drove away from the graves on what had to be the world's bumpiest, muddiest road. "Once you get there, the boats work like busses. You pay your passage and are given a hammock to rest in while the boat continues down the river. When you reach your stop, you exit and continue on the way. They are very simple to ride."

"Thank you," Auggie said after a moment.

Bernardo was silent for so long Auggie thought the conversation was over. But just as he was about to say something to break the silence, Bernardo said, "You really love that girl, don't you?"

Auggie did a quick check to make sure that Annie was still unconscious, then answered a simple "yes."

Bernardo chuckled. "So, why have you not told her then?"

Auggie frowned. "There are others who she likes better than me," he said at last. "Ben Mercer for one, and another who has the looks and the power and who is not just seen as 'cute'."

"You want some advice my friend?" Bernardo rhetorically asked. "Tell her. You've done a lot for her saving her like this, but it won't mean a thing unless you tell her your feelings. Women aren't like us men; they don't see life like us. You may have moved the world for them, but you have to tell them about it."

Auggie scowled, annoyed. "What are you, the love guru?"

"No, I'm just smarter than you," Bernardo laughed. "Women like the strong man. You may have filled the role of the 'friend' in the past, but once you saved her, you moved into the big leagues. If you love her, you'll..."

Suddenly, one of the truck tires blew. The truck skidded to a stop (though it wasn't going to terribly fast so it was not a big deal for Annie and Auggie). Bernardo let out a string of frustrated Portuguese and climbed out of the cab. Auggie had heard the tire blow, but it sounded strange in his head; as if the sound had echoed before it happened. He listened with all his might and sniffed the air; the breeze brought to him the scent of water and fish. They must be near the dock. He caught a strange whiff of another familiar scent as well... gun blast.

"Ohh!" With a terrible groan and a sickening thud, Bernardo's steady stream of words ceased.

The rainforest was the most terrible place Auggie could think of to be right now. The constant yammering of the forest made it impossible for Auggie to single out a footstep. He stood up in the back of the truck, and he felt as if he were alone on a small raft in the middle of a sea of sharks. Suddenly, the car jolted, and a menacing chuckle pierced through the blackness on Auggie's right.

Auggie kept his balance and turned to the right, but he knew his assailant would have moved on. Suddenly, the truck jolted from the left, and Auggie turned a one-eighty. It jolted from the hood next, the assailant chuckling all the time. Auggie knew he was being toyed with. He kept his voice low and (he hoped) deadly.

"Have you nothing better to do with your time than terrorize a blind guy?" he asked toughly.

A full laugh followed; Marco's laugh. "Oh, I don't terrorize people," he said, his voice mimicking sincerity. "But you, you are a different case. You took away my retirement, and you deserve what you get."

"Well, the whole thing is your fault. If you hadn't have made up those crazy stories and lied to me, I wouldn't have tried to escape. Why did you lie, anyway?"

Marco guffawed. "Don't you know that every perfect lie has a grain of truth in it?" he asked. "It's best to mix up truth and lies; then you can manipulate anyone well. But what is the truth and what is the lie? That'll be a mystery you could have solved, had you lived long enough."

"Who are you to think that Ben Mercer'd tell you anything anyway," Auggie asked, trying to keep Marco's mind off of killing him. "He lied before to Annie; he's even double crossed her! Who are you to think he'd tell you everything; he would have given you the slip. As it was, did he not come prepared? From what I heard, he brought a bomb with him to insure his escape."

That last bit was the wrong thing to say. Marco's voice went from borderline psychopath to deadly. "You were in the kitchen last night," he stated quietly, angrily. "No more games."

Auggie heard Marco back up, then disappear into the sounds of the rainforest. Auggie fumbled for his camping knife that was in his pocket. He quickly unzipped the zipper, seized the knife, zipped back his zipper so he wouldn't loose Annie's medicine, and flipped his knife open. He stood in knife fighting stance, his back to the cab, feeling like a piece of prey. "I wish I could see!" he screamed frustratedly in his mind; when his senses were jammed by everything else, he felt he was not only blind but deaf as well. Panic started to grip him, and he whipped his head from right to left, hoping to hear something. "Come on already!" he yelled out into the forest. "Get it over with!"

Auggie felt Annie stir at his feet; she sounded as though she were waking. "Please, stay asleep," Auggie murmured. The last thing he needed was Annie waking and asking what was going on. Gently, he scooted her over to the side of the truck, so she would be out of the way of the brawl... if there was one. "COME ON!" Auggie shouted.

Suddenly, the truck jolted. Marco had charged it from the front and vaulted over the cab. Auggie felt two mud-slicked boots plant into his back, and Auggie went down. WHAM! He smacked his head against the tailgate, and his thoughts began to swim. He was conscious of his knife flying away, and conscious of a laughing, maniacal agent pummeling him mercilessly from the sky. "I've lost," he realized as he feebly tried to defend himself. To his credit, he did deal back one blow, but that only made his attacker pin him down, his hand grasping Auggie's throat and cutting off his air.

"Now, you will die!" said Marco gleefully, and Auggie felt everything shutting down.

Then, it was as if a miracle happened. The weight was lifted from him, and Auggie could breathe once more. "I am DONE being strangled," he coughed. His head was still ringing from the first crash on the tailgate, and Auggie wondered if he'd have a concussion. Auggie knitted his brows in confusion then; how had he escaped? Marco didn't just let him go of his own volition. Auggie sat up, and put his hand directly of something warm, sticky, metallic-smelling, and undeniably blood. "Ah!" he yelped in surprise. "Annie? Annie! What happened?"

Suddenly, Auggie felt a hand grab his arm. "Auggie, calm down," Annie said tiredly. "It's okay; I'm right here!"

Auggie looked in the direction of the voice, and reached out his non-bloody hand. His fingers felt for her face, and he relaxed as he felt her smile. "Annie, are you alright?" he asked worriedly. "I'm feeling blood..."

"I'm okay, just tired. Auggie, what on earth are you doing here? I wake up to find myself in the back of a pickup truck with that traitor Marco effectively strangling you."

Auggie smiled as comprehension dawned on him. "You're my miracle," he whispered.

Annie's smile could be heard in her voice. "I saw him strangling you, and I saw a knife, so I just... well... be glad you can't see. It isn't pretty here."

Auggie sat up, his head swimming, but he was grateful he had no vision to worry about. "Is he dead?" Auggie asked.

"If he isn't, he will be in a couple of minutes. I kind of stabbed him... well... at the base of the skull."

"Nice," Auggie deadpanned. He stood up and felt the truck sway below him. "Is that just me, or did you stand up?"

"I stood up. Auggie, what on earth is going on? Why are you here?"

"I'll explain in a while," Auggie replied. "Right now, we have to get to the river as fast as possible. It's about three fourths of a mile ahead. You've got to trust me, Annie."

Annie gently replied, "I do trust you, Auggie. You've always been on my side."