(A/N: Right. Sorry it took so long. But note that it was not a month until I updated. I made it with 39 minutes to spare. Phew! This chapter starts off sort of fluffy, then gets darker, so be prepared. Later!)

Thing Number 12: Rowing a boat

The summer sun was climbing ever higher into the turquoise cloth of the sky, showering the world below it with blinding light and relentless heat. It hadn't rained in a few days, unusual for June, and I was starting to miss the relief from the summer temperatures. Around me, restless waters roamed for miles, bejeweled by the sun and stealing their blue glow from the skies above. I paused for a moment in my rowing to readjust the baseball cap pulled firmly over my eyes and bat pricks of sweat from the flushed skin of my face and neck before returning to my work with forced resolve. The steady sloshing of water over my oars was the only sound that permeated the dull silence that had fallen over the little rowboat.

Marie was slouched between the wooden seats, staring up at the cloudless sky as her head rested on the edge of the boat, humming to herself almost inaudibly. I couldn't place the tune, but knowing Marie I likely wouldn't have been familiar with it even if I'd had a functioning knowledge of the music world.

Charlotte, curled in the bow of the wooden wreck, lifted her head from her crisp white paws, glanced in either direction, regarded Marie and me uninterestedly for a moment, yawned, and, evidently deciding there had been no significant change in the universe since her last awakening, proceeded to return to sleep.

"I've got it!" Marie's head shot up all of a sudden, her gleaming brown eyes meeting mine. "We could have a pirate jokes contest! I mean with the boat and all, it's only befitting."

I paused for a moment. "First of all, you must be more bored than I thought to have come up with that," I shook my head, wishing it weren't so humid, worrying for a moment that Marie was losing her sanity due to sunstroke of some sort, " and second, I don't even know any pirate jokes. I don't know any jokes."

She pursed her lips in a pout, staring out at the endless waters. "Hmmm…" The gentle waves of her light hair were almost blinding in the sunlight and beautifully offset her crimson-touched complexion. "I guess that's true…" she mumbled, then returned her gaze to mine. "But I could tell you one! That'd still be fun! In a way…"

I laughed, shrugging as I continued to pull the oars through the shimmering waters. "Alright. Shoot."

"Right." Marie smiled, tilting her head back and sifting through her memory for something she could use. I was struck by an odd pang of envy at the fact that she had a memory to shift through.

"'Kay, here's a good one! Although they're all seem to have an excruciating lack of quality…" She cleared her throat, making her delivery as dramatically ridiculous as possible. "What," she paused here for affect, "is a pirate's favorite letter of the alphabet?"

I stared at her, considering. "Arrrrr?" I raised an eyebrow, offering a lopsided smile.

Her glare was glacial in return. "I thought you didn't know any of these…"

"I don't." I grinned. "I just possess the wonderful gift of reasoning."

"Yeah," she muttered, scowling and slouching farther down into the boat, her own hat throwing her eyes and the bridge of her nose into sulky shadows. "Next time I'll remember to save my jokes for someone who lacks that lovely gift."

I laughed again. "I'm sorry, Marie."

She shot me a glance, a smile playing reluctantly on her own lips. "That's all right. It's not your fault you're no fun."

"No fun, eh? That's harsh…"

"You're tough; you'll survive." She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "How come we had to take this stupid ol' thing, anyways? It's so slow!"

"It was this or swim," I remarked, glancing at the warped wood. "Besides, dear, I don't really think you have the right to be complaining-I'm the one doing the work. You're just sitting there."

Marie lifted her chin, smiling superiorly. "I'm the creative drive behind the operation. But I'm weak." She pulled her knees to her chest, sighing to emphasize her point. "It can't be helped…"

"Uh-huh." I rolled my eyes, grinning. "Just watch those facetious comments-it's not too late yet to swim…"

--X--

"Land HO!"

"Really?" I perked up, leaning to one side to try and see around Marie, who was sitting up directly in front of me. She noticed my plight and moved aside, and I could see that she was, in fact, right.

Nothing but a large grey-green blotch against the endless blues from this distance, the island was at least visible, and steadily taking shape as our boat grew closer. A few trees were individually outlined against the solid sky that served as a pristine background, and the waves that licked at the sides of our row boat seemed to be drawing us eagerly towards the island.

"Wow…" Marie breathed, never failing to find wonder in things I would otherwise find simple and insignificant.

"Finally excited?" I raised one eyebrow, simultaneously teasing and relieved.

She turned to me, genuine joy lighting her chocolaty eyes, and nodded. "Yeah! Although I must admit I doubted whether we were ever going to see land again for a while back there…"

I grinned, laughing. "What, you didn't have faith in my island finding abilities?"

"I don't know…" Marie shrugged, a jesting smile playing on her lips. "Something about you and water, I guess…"

"Right…" I chuckled, yet was unable to ignore the pang I felt at her comment. I knew it shouldn't have bothered me, but for an odd reason it unearthed dark feelings that I had been trying to shove aside. I had done things in my past, horrible things, things I couldn't even remember to redeem myself from. I had caused so much hurt, so many lies, and I couldn't even remember. So, desperate as it was, I couldn't help but wonder whether everything would have been better off if that fishing boat had never found me, if the brooding waters of the sea had just swallowed me that night, burying my terrifying past and taking all the pain and deceit with it.

"Jason? Are you all right?"

I glanced up sharply, the concern in Marie's voice snapping me out of my reverie, and offered her a sheepish smile. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."

The skepticism painted across her face told me she didn't believe me, but she was silent for a moment, didn't protest. Finally, simply, her voice quiet but sincere, "you worry me, Jason."

I searched her eyes for a moment, quietly hating myself for having ignored that fact on many occasions, then averted my gaze lest she read anything unwanted from it. "I know." I focused on rowing, wondering why eloquence around people couldn't have been included in my frightening repertoire of skills. "And I'm sorry for that…"

Marie made no response to even indicate she had heard me, and I figured she must have been angry again. For a while the cramped boat forged on in pensive silence, each occupant lost in his own world of thoughts.

I hated it, hated the fact that as long as Marie was with me, she couldn't have a normal life. I hated that I couldn't provide her with everything she needed and deserved, hated that she was being subjected to an existence of running, of hiding, of always looking over one's shoulder but never truly looking back. We had to keep moving, always ahead, and there wasn't the time to linger in the past or truly enjoy the present. We were in danger, I had put us in peril, and it wasn't fair to Marie. And I absolutely hated that I couldn't do a thing about it. I had to live this way-I had no other choice. I only wished that I didn't have to drag Marie down with me…

"I don't care," she muttered suddenly, breaking the silence and shattering my seething thoughts.

"What?" I stared at her.

Marie glanced up, surprise flickering across her face. Clearly she hadn't meant to say that out loud, but after a moment of consideration the surprise vanished and she shrugged, certainty settling over her. "I don't care," she said firmly.

"Don't…care about what?"

Marie looked first at me, then down at her hands folded in her lap. "Well…just all of it…" Seeing my puzzled expression, she shrugged again and shook her head, struggling with how to clarify. "I-I mean, with you not able to remember your past, and these people chasing us, and having to move around all the time and lay low, I…I don't care, you know?" Her eyes found mine again and I realized I had been holding my breath, had stopped rowing.

I blinked.

"I don't care what they say you were, I don't care what we have to do, I don't care what will happen tomorrow, or the day after that, or the day after that. All I care about is you, who you are now, and that we're together. I know it might be stupid, but that's the way it is. I knew it would be a risk, and from the moment I met you I knew my life would never be the same again…"

I flinched, staring at the curving patterns of the wood, feeling guilt rush up from my thoughts to fill reality.

"…I just never imagined it'd be this good."

My breath caught in my throat and for a moment I couldn't move, couldn't breathe couldn't think. 'Good?' Had I heard her right? Was I dreaming? Had I lost my mind? Had she lost her mind? I lifted my eyes to hers, stunned. Somehow she'd managed to read my thoughts and answer my prayers all in one swing. I eventually remembered how to speak. "Y-you're…kidding…" I whispered hoarsely, not taking my eyes off her.

She shook her head, smiling gingerly.

"I-I thought…but-but this life, there's no way…you can't possibly enjoy this! I…"

She shook her head once more, putting her hand up to silence me. "I love you, Jason. We love each other, remember? And as long as I have you, I have everything I could ever need or want. That's all I care about."

I forgot how to breathe all over again, and I couldn't quite make up my mind whether to laugh or cry, so I hovered somewhere in between.

Marie laughed at my loss for a response and leaned in close to me, pulling my lips to hers. I forgot all about rowing and the oars for a moment, my hands stroking her hair and face.

After what could have been an eternity but was likely only a minute, Marie pulled away and flopped back into her original place in the boat, leaving me feeling suddenly cold despite the burning sun.

"Right," she yawned, as if the last few minutes had never happened, "we should get back to rowing. I think I'm gonna be sick if I can't get back on solid ground soon!"

I sighed, irked, grabbing the oars again and rowing as defiantly slowly as I possibly could. "We should get back to rowing…" I muttered, shooting her a look. "You're really something, you know that, Marie?"

She just settled her head back on the edge of the boat and closed her eyes, smiling up at the impossibly blue skies.

--X--

"We're almost there! We're almost at the island!"

I glanced up, smirking. "It would appear so, yes."

Marie shifted to her knees, clearly anticipating a surface that didn't constantly rock unsteadily beneath her feet with excitement. "This has to be the most exciting moment of my entire life!" She shot me a look. "And that's really something, considering your driving habits…"

I rolled my eyes, and started to laugh, but my attention was jerked abruptly back to Marie when I noticed what she was preparing to do. Clearly her excitement over the land was impairing her good judgment, because if I was right about her intentions-

"No, Marie, don't-!"

The water greedily consumed the rest of my sentence. I never really had a chance. It rushed into my mouth and nose, choked me in my surprise. It stung my eyes and burned my throat, and I tried to cough, swallowing a sickening mouthful of the stuff in the process.

I realized dimly I shouldn't be having so much trouble, but my lovely swim had caught me off guard, and even as I thought of only air and fought wildly for the surface, colorful, blurred fragments of the past were slicing their painfully way across my mind. The water surrounding me lent a surreal quality to my memories.

I blinked desperately, frightening images flickering before my hazy vision. I felt as though I was paralyzed, not able to move or think, overwhelmed by the remembrance washing over me more forcefully than the ocean's waves. The sparkling waters that enveloped me were growing murkier, cooler, and I was suddenly standing on land, no longer struggling for breath but observing an unfolding with eerie indifference…

There were bodies in the dark, swirling waters of the river. Faces…I knew them. Overhead was the roar of an engine, the sound growing more distant but no less deafening. I cast my gaze about restlessly, somehow in a separate world from the one I had occupied a moment before. What on earth was going on? How did this relate to me?

I stepped close to the chaos mounting before me, surprised to find I could actually move without feeling the restraints of the water. A small crowd, if it could be called that, had gathered on the riverbank. There was some hushed discourse, a few wails of disbelief, but mostly there was shocked silence.

Until one man broke it. A shout rose above the rest as a pair of shoes tore up the path leading to the river. A sort of choked gasp as the man tripped, not caring, far beyond terror, picked himself up and kept running, blindly, kept on shouting.

The little swarm of people erupted in a frenzy, as if the man's presence had somehow cued their realization. Men raced up the banks, cried out for help, women sobbed and clung fearfully to their children, chaos and confusion seemed to set everything ablaze.

I was baffled. And, suddenly, though I had no idea why, I was terrified.

The man's shouts had built to a scream, he had reached the river and thrown himself into its dirty waters, wading out to the bodies, grabbing them, tears streaking his face, pulling them to his chest, shaking with sobs, disbelief, a single, drawn out syllable tearing from his throat.

"Nnnnoooooo!"

It was a cry so excruciating, so heart shattering, so full of grief unimaginable to most, so saturated with a rage that could have rendered the most destructive weapon powerless, that it was indescribably painful to hear.

And I was both astonished and horrified to find that I was screaming with him.

My vision was blurring, I felt hot tears dripping down my own cheeks almost painfully, and I couldn't stop screaming. Suddenly I understood. I could no longer see what was happening, but somehow I knew it all. I knew it all.

I took a trembling step forward, then another, before my knees gave out completely and I found myself on my knees, I was sobbing uncontrollably, gasping and shouting, feeling as though the watery grief had flooded my lungs and was choking the life out of me.

I knew the faces. I knew the man. His face was turned away and I wouldn't have been able to see him even if he were right in front of me, but I knew every inch of it, every feature, every flaw. I knew his dark hair and I knew his eyes, eyes clouded with grief, so dull, so painfully gray at this moment, but so shockingly blue at others.

They were my eyes.

I gasped as the air hit my skin, instantly regretting my attempts to breathe underwater as I gagged on the salt water and coughed violently, struggling to keep my head above water and forcing the oxygen I so needed into my lungs. I gulped at the sweet, hot air, pain skittering through my skull, behind my eyes, throbbing at my temples and threatening to shut down my mind.

"No," I moaned, my chest still heaving, glancing around wildly for something-anything-to help me.

A boat, upturned, floating a few feet away. Oh, gosh, the boat! Marie! Where was she? What had happened?

"Jason!"

I whipped my head around, regretting it as my headache seared up. I ignored the pain. Her voice, far away…yet not too far. Where was she, darn it?

"Jason! Over here!"

My eyes searched the waters madly, then-there! I spotted her a few yards away, standing…on a beach. The island!

I pushed my body forward, through the water. I was suddenly exhausted, it was all I could do to close the few yards keeping me from dry land and drag myself up onto the sandy ground. I remained on my hands and knees, panting, fighting the aching that threatened to overpower me.

"Jason! My God! I thought-I couldn't find you, and-oh, God, Jason!" She fell to her knees beside me, taking my face in her hands, terrified. "Are you okay? Jason!"

I gave her a wan, breathless smile. "I'm…fine," I rasped, my mouth strangely dry and my vision splotchy.

"You don't look fine! I was so worried! What happened, Jason?"

I glanced at her, struggling to breathe, feeling consciousness slipping through my fingers. "I-I don't know," I whispered hoarsely. "I…I can't…remember…" but as soon as the word left my mouth, the dull ache in my head shot forward with renewed energy and my new-found memories came flooding back in an overwhelming deluge. I screwed my eyes shut in pain and groaned. "Oh, God…"

A million sounds filled my ears: children laughing, someone crying, hushed voices, shouts of joy. Marie's concerned cry was lost in the mix, but one sound stood out.

It was a scream that accompanied me into the blackness…