Jeezum Crow! (To utilize a new phrase I've learned through my theatrical exploits :D) It has officially been too long since I've updated this story, and I sincerely apologize to anyone and everyone who cares. When I started thinking, 'hey, remember that old fan fiction...?' I knew it was time to finish a chapter. So here it is! Finally!...Well...that's about it, I guess. Enjoy! And happy Thanksgiving, to those for whom it applies!

Thing Number 13: Stargazing

The pungent scent of wood smoke burned in my nostrils, creeping tauntingly through the layers of my feverish slumber, grabbing hold of me to tug me closer to consciousness and the inevitable.

I gradually regained a vague sense of my state and surroundings, heard the apathetic crackling of a fire nearby, felt the heat it threw off dancing on the skin of my face and arms. The fabric of my clothes was stiff, and slightly damp, as though they'd been soaked and dried back off quickly.

There was a dull ache in my limbs, and fatigue pinned me to the ground, but my head was by far the worst. Sharp pain throbbed at my temples and if I so much as attempted to think past the current moment in time, I was rewarded with a searing nothingness where my memories should have been.

I gave up the fight and cracked one eye, not entirely surprised that I couldn't make out anything but fuzzy shapes and flickers of light. I moaned softly, re-closing the eye and struggling to focus my mind before carefully squinting up into the now clearer night sky.

Turning my head a bit, I noted that I had, in fact, been right; a fire hissed and popped at me from a few feet cross the sandy ground. Stars twinkled cheerfully in the cloudless ebony skies overhead, and the gentle whisper of waves licking at a shore under the moonlight saturated the darkness.

I raised myself tentatively to my elbows, and lifted my head to get a better look around, but the headache that seared through my skull forced me quickly back onto the sand. I groaned, grating my teeth against the hot pain, and was desperately wishing that the fire wasn't so darn hot when something startlingly cold and moist was draped gently across my forehead, chasing away the infuriating heat and pain.

A gasp escaped my lips at the sudden sensations and my eyes flew open to stare into a pair of comfortingly familiar brown ones. "M-Marie! What-? I-I can't…did you…?" I suddenly couldn't articulate the questions swimming through my mind; my efforts only served to further irritate my already sore throat and send me into a fit of coughing. The rushes of pain at my temples became almost unbearable as my lungs fought violently to rid themselves of…seawater?

"Shhh," she soothed, holding the cloth to my head with one hand, the other resting lightly on my chest. "You're all right." Marie's voice was calm, even. Reassuring. So vastly different from the panicked tone I'd heard from her in Paris that night we discovered I was an assassin. Nothing like the worried wreck she'd been when I had suggested we go camping. A world away from her terror when she thought I had…had drowned. Earlier…that afternoon!

I suppressed a cough, managing to bring my breathing back to normal, and focused on the relief that the chill of the damp cloth was bringing to my head. I had to concentrate!

"What…happened?"

"You don't remember?" Marie's gaze was even, masking the concern she felt and her genuine dread of my answer.

"I…" my voice faltered, but I cleared my throat, ignored the pain, tried again. "I feel like… there's something that I should know…it-it's right there, but I just can't…"I made no second attempt to bring my voice back and instead shook my head helplessly, feeling utterly lost.

Marie closed her eyes briefly, withdrew her hand and sat back on her heels. She bit her lip, apparently unsure how to proceed. "You…remember this morning? The trip, the boat?"

I nodded in response. "I remember all that…I remember being close to the island, but then-after that, it's all fuzzy."

Marie smiled minutely, a gesture that was as remorseful as it was quietly amused. "Well…you're right, we were close to the island, and I was excited, so I-well, I sort of stood up too quickly, and…"

A smile played on my own lips. "And the boat tipped over."

Marie laughed uncomfortably; we were both still too close to the event to be able to laugh with no regret and banish the worry that had gone along with it. "Yeah. After that, all I know is that I came up in the middle of all our supplies, and Charlotte had somehow managed to swim to the shore, where she was barking like a maniac! But you-" she paused, taking a quick breath, "you were nowhere to be found. I couldn't see you, I didn't hear anything-God, Jason, I was so scared…"

"Shhh…" I reached up to stroke her cheek with my thumb-was surprised to find it wet with tears. "But I'm all right," I murmured; "you don't have to worry anymore."

Marie nodded and dropped her head, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. The past months of running and hiding had been tough for her, I knew-today's events coupled with her existing anxieties had simply been too much for her to bear all at once.

"Hey," I whispered, patting the sand beside me and shifting a bit to the side. Marie hesitated a moment before stretching out on the grounds and resting her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, tucking her head under my chin.

We stayed like that for some time, simply holding each other, listening to each other's heart beats as the fire slowly died away, leaving only the stars to illuminate the beach.

"Earlier…" Marie's voice startled me after the virtual silence and I glanced down at her.

"Yes?"

"Wh-when you…" she searched for the right words, "were underwater…what happened?"

I sighed, stared back up at the twinkling skies. The images were settling now, the pain receding as the waves of the ocean, but though I had the faces and feelings I couldn't quite put together all the pieces in consciousness as well as I had earlier.

When I finally answered her, my voice was soft, remorseful. "Frankly, I'm not quite sure myself…" I closed my eyes, shaking my head imperceptibly, "I remember a river-there were bodies, people I…knew…"

"People you…killed?" Marie's voice was barely above a whisper; she was curious, but at the same time she was afraid of the answer to her question.

"No." I opened my eyes to look into hers. "No," I said again, emphasizing the point maybe a little too carefully. "I…I think they were…important to me. I'm just not sure…how."

We were silent again, Marie deciding not to prod me, for which I was thankful. If I remembered anything important I'd tell her everything I could, and she was well aware of that fact. So for now she was content to simply be quiet a minute, an hour-the stresses of our life would come later.

I pointed at the stars above me, seeking to dispel any tension between us. "Look-Virgo, right?"

Marie glanced up at me, surprised. "Yeah…how did you know?"

I chuckled. "I'm not sure…it's the only one I remember, oddly enough…"

Marie laughed too, lifting her eyes back to the skies. "There's Hydra…oh! There's one you should know!"

My gaze followed her finger in the direction she pointed. I grinned. "The Big Dipper…All right, so there are two constellations I know!"

Marie closed her eyes, sighed contentedly; we lay silent once more. I listened to her soft respirations as they grew gradually even, her heartbeat slowing to match mine. I suddenly found it extremely difficult to keep my eyes open; the combined warmth from the dying embers of the fire and Marie's body pressed against mine was making me drowsy. Sensations filtered through my exhausted mind-faces, colors, sounds, everything a blur. The idea of putting them all together, scrounging some sort of order from the mess that was my memory seemed daunting to me at the moment. I sighed, letting my heavy eyelids drift shut. There would be time later, I assured myself. I would always have time to struggle with the truth.

But I wouldn't always have this moment.

I wasn't stupid; there are some things one never forgets how to appreciate. This night was one of them, and as consciousness ebbed from my mind for the umpteenth time that day, I committed the feelings coursing through me to memory, knowing I'd likely need them as much in the coming years as I'd need the training that clung to my mind from my former life.

Right now, though, neither future nor past mattered. I had found peace, if only for a moment, and I wasn't about to lose it to Jason Bourne's need for control.

The island was still, and the stars shimmered ever bright in the heavens.