(A/N: Posh…this one gets corny, I'm putting that warning out there right now. Hopefully no one finds it unendurable…I figure Jason Bourne is allowed to be corny every once in a blue moon. :) Enjoy! ((If at all possible, that is…)))

Thing Number 8: Listening to the Rain

I placed a wet foot cautiously on the slick tile floor, shaking droplets of water from my dark, cropped hair and reaching for a towel to dry myself off.

Typically I didn't take showers in the middle of the day, but after I came home from my run soaked to the bone and covered in sand, Marie insisted.

I couldn't blame her, really. The only thing worse than a trained assassin is a dripping wet, sand-covered assassin. So I took a shower.

The downpour is what did it. One second I was running along the shoreline, the clouds hanging contentedly in the sky, and the next I was being assaulted by drops of water that slid like ice along my flushed skin, taking the sweat I'd worked up with them. Not entirely unpleasant, no. Actually it was a magnificent feeling, one I love.

The problem existed in the simple fact that water acts as glue when sand is added into the equation. It started with my sneakers, which quickly turned from black to tan, and spread quickly to my lower legs. When I reached up to wipe the water from my eyes, I noticed my hand, too, had sand on it.

Now, I understand that sand gets kicked up when one runs on it, but my hand? I'm not even sure it's physically possible to kick sand that high. At any rate, however it happened, I quickly became consumed by the sand, which was contending with the rain for a place on my skin and clothes.

Needless to say, the state Marie glanced up from her book to find me in when I returned home nearly sent her into hysterics. My t-shirt and sneakers were back out the door onto the front porch before I could speak a word, and I was shoved unceremoniously through the bathroom doorframe.

I managed to grasp the wooden frame with one hand, preventing my momentum from carrying me into the sink, and poked my head out the opening Marie had been about to close off with the door.

"Marie!" I was panting, still beat tired from my run. "Wh-what are you doing?!"

"Wash yourself!" Marie glared at me. "You're covered in sand!"

"It's lovely to see you, too, Marie," I grinned, leaning my weight on the doorframe.

She raised her deep brown eyes to mine, posture confident and almost defiant. "I'll be glad to see you," her voice was teasing, and a smile lurked beneath her stern exterior, "but right now all I see is sand!" With that, she yanked the door to the bathroom shut (giving me barely enough time to pull my fingers out of the way) and left me (and the sand) alone.

--X--

"It's still coming down, huh?"

Marie glanced up as I pulled a clean, dry shirt over my head, settling onto our worn couch next to her.

"Yeah." She gazed out the open window for a few seconds before returning her attention to me and smiling. "It shouldn't be this rainy yet. The monsoon season starts in June, and it's only May…"

I countered her smile with a lopsided one of my own. "Maybe the weather caught wind of your mood and decided to follow suit."

Marie scowled, shaking her head at the ceiling in mock disgust. "You think you're sooo funny, don't you?"

"Some people appreciate it more than others…"I grinned, leaning back, and put my arm around her waist, pulling her to me.

She sighed contentedly, leaning her head on my shoulder. "I like you better this way…" she murmured thoughtfully.

"How? Quiet and loving?"

She shook her head. "Clean."

I couldn't help it-I burst out laughing.

Marie kissed my neck, just below my ear, and slipped her arms around me. "You laugh," she breathed, "but you know it's true."

I tightened my grip around her, my free hand tracing her jaw as my lips met hers. "I suppose…" I chuckled softly. "But you'd take me dirty…"

She blushed at this, her head returning to my shoulder. "You're terrible."

"It's a gift," I grinned, stroking her light, wavy hair.

Silence consumed us, broken only by the lively rush of the rain.

"This can be our thing of the day," Marie's voice startled me after the calm silence.

"What can?"

"This. Have you ever listened to the rain?"

"I hear the rain all the time, Marie. I was just out in it half an hour ago."

"I know you've heard the rain, Jason. I asked if you've ever really listened to the rain, thought about what it's trying to tell you."

"What it's trying to tell me…?" I paused, staring at the droplets of water cascading down the window. I'd never really thought about rain before. "No. I guess I haven't."

Marie grinned. "Then it's settled. Listening to the rain will be our 'thing of the day.'"

I glanced down at her suspiciously. "Didn't you have an original plan?"

"Of course." Marie shrugged.

"What was it?"

She hesitated briefly, meeting my gaze mischievously. "Musical theater. I figured you'd go more for this."

I groaned, feigning horror. "Marie! Thank God it rained!"

Marie kissed me again, patting my shoulder reassuringly. "You would have liked musical theater, Jason. I might even have gotten you in tap shoes…"

I glared down at her. "It's doubtful."

She smiled that gosh awful smile at me, the one that could break any mustang, the same that had forced me to heed her will any number of times. "Of course, dear."

A sigh escaped my lips as I shook my head, grinning. "You're too much, Marie."

"I know; you've told me so before." She gazed out the window once more. "Now, silence. The rain has something to say and I don't want you to interrupt it."

I bit off my smart retort, opting to please Marie. I wasn't exactly sure what the rain was going to say, but the shower of drops blanketing everything outside was undeniably calming.

Everything was new after it rained, I realized gradually. The air smelled fresher, cleaner, and every surface glistened in the sunlight, made beautiful by the forces of nature.

It was pouring, leaves and branches lifted aloft by the sweeping wind. I wondered vaguely what it would feel like to float on that breeze, without a care in the world. To feel the rain on my skin and actually think I was worthy of the chances it would give me, the chances it gave everyone. Whenever it rains, the sense of a chance to start anew is present in everyone's heart; the problem exists simply in the fact that people rarely take the rain up on its offer.

Maybe Marie was right.

Maybe the rain does have something to say.

If so, it's certainly waiting patiently for people to come around and hear it.

Who would've thought?

Something as simple as rain carrying such an inspiring message...

I guess I still have a lot to learn, but with Marie's and the rain's help, I think I might just be able to learn it.

I certainly hope so…