A/N: Thanks to those who are still keeping up with this story!

Chapter 6

"You don't sleep much, do you?"

Aaron turned around from where he was standing in front of the stove. He knew Marta was coming; he had heard her footsteps on the floorboards above before she had come downstairs. She had changed into a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt, clothes she had probably found in the closet in the bedroom.

"Not as much as most people," he replied. Last night they had both fallen asleep on the deck but Aaron hadn't stayed asleep that long. Marta, on the other hand, had slept soundly. He had carried her inside and laid her in the bed before climbing in besides her. He had slept only an hour or so more before getting up and going for a long run through the dense jungle. Aaron was confident that their presence at the house was still undetected. How long that would remain the case was the million dollar question.

"Smells good," Marta said as she slipped onto a stool at the breakfast counter. "Is that an omelette?"

Aaron nodded, his back to her. "Yup, my speciality. It doesn't require a lot of ingredients or tools to make."

Marta smiled. "Just when I think I have you figured out you prove me wrong. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

Aaron turned around to look at her. "I can't tell you. I save the best ones for last," he replied with a devilish grin.

Marta could feel her cheeks warm. Aaron just chuckled, though. She watched as he finished cooking. He slid the omelette onto a plate and cut it in two, flipping one half onto another plate and pushed it across the counter towards her. Marta poured two cups of orange juice from a pitcher as Aaron took a seat next to her.

She took a bite of the egg. It was good. "Wow," she said as she swallowed. "This is delicious!"

Aaron smiled and gave her a sidelong glance. "You sound surprised."

"Most men I know just don't cook," she said sheepishly. "Actually, I don't cook much either."

"My grandmother always said you can't mess up an egg," Aaron replied. "Although that's not really true. I messed up more than a few when I first started cooking for myself."

Marta watched as he took a sip of juice. "What was your grandmother like?" she asked cautiously. She was curious but didn't want to pressure Aaron into talking about his past if he wasn't ready to.

Aaron looked up and stared out the window above the sink at the sea. "She was made of steel. She had to be. My grandfather died when my father was a little boy. She was a single parent before the phrase came into existence." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I think she always blamed herself for my father's drug addiction. She felt that she had failed him in some way by not being able to be both parents to him. The truth is he just fell in with the wrong crowd."

Marta nodded. "Did she talk much about your father or mother?"

Aaron took another bite of his eggs and shook his head. "Not too much. I did find out that she had been fighting to get custody of me at the time of their deaths. She knew they weren't capable of taking care of me, not the way that I needed to be taken care of. Their drug use was probably why I was born the way I was. My grandmother knew that and knew that their addiction would only get worse as I grew older. She didn't have any hope of them ever stopping." He turned and saw the concern on her face. Aaron smiled and said reassuringly, "Don't worry Marta; I'm fine. It feels good to talk about this. I never was allowed to before."

Marta felt a surge of relief and returned his smile. "Good. I'm sorry though. Sorry that your grandmother was taken from you when you were still so young."

Aaron reached over and covered Marta's hand with his own. "What about you? It was hard for you too I'm sure."

"It wasn't too bad, really," she said. "My sister and I are extremely close because of what happened." Her voice caught on her words as she realized she most likely would never see her sister again. Aaron squeezed her hand and she smiled. "Anyway, my parent's death was what drove me to succeed. I used to think they would be proud of me but now …"

Aaron leaned forward so his face was only inches from hers. "I told you Doc, Outcome wasn't your fault."

Marta looked down at his hand which was still covering hers. "I know you believe that but I'm not so sure yet." She stood up taking their plates and brought them over to the sink.

Aaron watched her as she cleaned up. The person whose clothes she was wearing was probably at least a head smaller than she was: her shorts barely made it down mid-thigh and he her shirt was skimming her belly button. She was washing the dishes and he watched as her hair swayed down her back with her movement. Aaron had been in more dangerous situations than he could count and faced them bravely but he felt that being in the kitchen with Marta at that moment was the most dangerous one yet. All he wanted to do was pull her to him and carry her up to that big bed upstairs but would he be jeopardizing the fragile bonds they were forming? Instead he asked," Are you ready to hear the plan?"

Marta turned around slowly to face him. She had felt his eyes boring a hole in her back as she washed the dishes. The truth was she wanted to feel more than his stare on her body. He was so tentative with her one moment and then the next ready to devour her whole. Marta knew he was conflicted, knew that his emotions were interfering with what his body wanted. She also knew that she was the only one that would be able to end his internal struggle.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied with a wry smile that was lost on Aaron.

"We've been over these cases a hundred times each," Dita said, "but I still think we're missing something."

Arthur looked across the table at her. She was holding her head in her hands and rubbing her temples. Byer had put an enormous amount of pressure on her to find out where Cross and Shearing were. Arthur also knew that she was up for a promotion, a promotion that she desperately needed. Her recent divorce had hit her hard financially and one of her children had just begun school at Georgetown. The promotion would be a boon to her. He almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

On the table in front of them were all of the missions that Aaron Cross had been sent on as well as the transcripts of all the interactions that had taken place between him and Shearing. Like most of the Outcome agents, Cross's missions had been centered in the Middle East, targeting militant Islamic groups that were splinters of Al-Qaeda. He had taken out countless numbers of terrorist cells all over the Arabian peninsula. A few of his missions had been in Africa and one or two in Europe and Russia. Russia, thought Arthur. He reached across and found the transcript of a check-in that had occurred two years earlier. Arthur read over the conversation between Shearing and Cross, noting that it had ended with the agent counting backwards in Russian.

Arthur glanced over at Dita and saw that her eyes were still closed. He casually retrieved a file on the center of the table. It was from two years ago. The tab said Moscow. He opened it and read, trying to contain his excitement. This was it, he thought.

"Find anything?"

Arthur looked to where Dita had sat up, a hopeful expression on her tired features. He shook his head. "Nope," he said. "Nothing at all."

"Russia?"

"Russia."

Marta sighed deeply and looked out at the water. They had decided to take a walk on the beach of the lagoon. The house really was in a secluded location, she thought. A boat would have to pass very close to the lagoon to see them. Marta stopped walking and turned to look at Aaron. It was still relatively early in the morning but the sun was strong. Aaron had removed his shirt as they walked. It was balled up in one of his hands. The wound on his shoulder was uncovered and healing well. Marta could only assume the one on his thigh was too. Despite everything that happened, she was still amazed at the science that was used to make his survival possible.

A million questions were running through Marta's head but the only word she was able to utter was "How?"

Aaron smiled. "I'm still working on that part."

Marta gave a clipped laugh and shook her head slightly. "Right. I think I know how you felt when I told you the lab was in Manila."

Aaron laughed too and took a step closer to her. "A few years back I had a mission in Moscow. There was a rogue government official who was making deals with an arm of a well-known terrorist group. I took him out. But while I was there, I became friendly with my contact, Sasha."

Sasha, thought Marta. Images of a dark-eyed Russian spy with her arms wrapped around Aaron came to mind. She pushed the mental picture from her head and asked, "How is that going to help us?"

Aaron kicked a shell with his foot and watched as it bounced into the water. "It gives us a place to go, a place where we can plan."

"Plan what?" she asked.

"Did you ever hear the name 'Jason Bourne' mentioned in any of your meetings regarding Outcome?"

Marta shook her head slowly. "That name sounds familiar but not with anything associated with the lab. Why do I know it?"

Aaron sighed and dropped down on the sand, patting the ground next to him. When Marta was sitting beside him, he said, "You've heard the name recently in the news in connection with the death of Dr. Albert Hirsch."

Marta's eyebrows shot up. "He was good friends with Dr. Hillcot. Jason Bourne allegedly killed him, right?"

"Allegedly," repeated Aaron. "What type of doctor was Hirsch?"

"He's a psychiatrist but he holds doctorates in other fields as well such as virology," replied Marta. "He became well known for the advances he made in the field of—" Her voice faltered as she realized what she had been about to say.

Aaron looked at her curiously. "What field?"

"Behavior modification," said Marta quietly as she looked down at the sand.

"Not surprising," said Aaron. He turned and looked at Marta. "This is what I think is going on. I think Jason Bourne was part of a CIA program that went bad. I think the government or CIA or whoever also shut them down and tried to take him out like they did with Outcome. But he's still out there. He's managed to stay alive."

"And you think he may be in Russia?" asked Marta.

Aaron shook his head. "No although by the news reports he recently was there." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I think our best chance for survival lies with finding him. Do you remember what I said to you in the car about being able to say your story fast enough and loud enough? We can't by ourselves but with him, there's a chance."

Marta looked skeptical. "How can you be so sure that Jason Bourne is connected to all of this?"

Aaron sighed and replied, "When I was in Alaska I saw his name carved into the bunk I was sleeping in. That training ground must have been used by other programs besides Outcome."

Marta sat silently digesting the information. "And you think this agent Sasha will be able to help us locate him?"

"That's the problem," said Aaron with a small smile. "I don't even know if Sasha is still alive. I don't know if all of the contacts were eliminated when Outcome was shut down. It's a tremendous risk for us to take but it's the only move we have. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Marta asked.

Aaron stood and stretched, wiping the sand off of himself. He put his hands on his hips and scanned the water in front of him. "Unless you just want to disappear. We can make new identities for ourselves and live out our lives as those people."

"Live our lives but always looking over our shoulders," she said. "That's not any type of life I want."

Aaron smiled down at her and held out his hand to help her up. "I didn't think so either."

Marta slid her hand into his and allowed him to pull her up. His hand was warm in hers and she held it for a moment before letting go. She looked in the direction of the house and then back at Aaron.

"So," she said, "are we truly alone out here?"

Aaron looked at her curiously. "Yeah, I think we are. Why?"

Marta turned back to look him. "Well, I remember you saying something about teaching me how to use that gun. Is that offer still on the table?

Aaron smiled at her. "It is but not here on the beach. Let's go back up to the house."

A short time later, Marta watched as Aaron placed a silencer on the front end of one of his guns. They were standing outside in the small backyard. Aaron had placed some paper targets up against one of the many trees lining the perimeter. He turned to her, the gun still in his hand.

"Now," he began, "most people think that aim is the most important part of firing a weapon but they're wrong. The most important thing is your grip. If your grip is strong, aiming correctly will follow almost naturally." He held the gun out to her. "Let's see your grip."

Marta took the gun and held it for a few seconds, trying to familiar herself with its weight. When she had run off with the gun in her house, shooting randomly at the agents, it was actually one of the few times she had actually handled the gun. She had bought it shortly after they had purchased the house. Peter had been against it but Marta thought about the nights when he worked the late shift at his lab and she would be all alone in the middle of nowhere. Even though she had no clue how to use it, knowing that the gun was in her nightstand drawer close at hand had brought her some comfort.

She closed her eyes and tried to picture the way Aaron had looked holding the gun. When she opened her eyes, she gripped the gun with both hands and pointed it at one of the targets. "Is this good?" she asked.

Aaron's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Actually it's not that bad considering you haven't had much practice."

Marta turned and smile at him. "I haven't had a lot of practice but I've had a lot of opportunity to watch you the past few days."

Aaron returned her smile."And I thought it was my good looks that have kept your attention on me."

Marta blushed but before she could respond, Aaron said, "Alright. Now that you've got a good grip, let's see how you shoot. Take aim at the target and gently squeeze the trigger."

Marta did as he said but frowned as she saw she missed the mark entirely. She turned towards him, a frown on her face and asked, "What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't take into account the recoil of the gun," he replied. "It caused your grip to loosen slightly which threw off your aim." He paused for a moment, taking in the look of disappointment on her face. A slow smile spread across his features. "I bet you've never failed at anything, have you Doc?"

Marta scowled at him. "You don't have to look so pleased about that. But no, with the exception of personal relationships, I don't fail at things."

Aaron's smile faded. "I don't know too much about relationships Doc but I'm pretty sure that one person isn't wholly to blame when it doesn't work out."

"That might be the case," Marta replied, "but it doesn't make it any easier to accept."

It didn't seem like she wanted to talk any further on the issue so Aaron said, "Let's try it again."

Marta nodded. She gripped the gun once again, turned toward the target and took aim. As she did, she felt Aaron move behind her, holding her shoulders firmly in place. When he spoke, Marta almost jumped—his mouth was so close to her ear and he whispered, "Your shoulders are too loose. Tighten them up and the pull the trigger gently."

Trying to ignore the feeling that his hands were having on the rest of her body, Marta concentrated, squaring up her shoulders. She did what Aaron said and hit the target square on the forehead.

"Hah," she said as she smiled and turned to look at him.

Aaron smiled down at her, letting his hands drop from her shoulders. "Pretty impressive Doc."

"Well, I still have a long way to go before I can match you," Marta replied. The smile faded from her lips slightly as she realized how close she and Aaron were standing next to one another.

"I wouldn't want you to be anything like me Doc," Aaron replied softly. He moved a lock of hair off of her forehead. "You're kind of perfect the way you are."

Marta didn't know how to respond. She wanted to tell him that he was perfect too but words seemed to escape her whenever he looked at her the way he was looking at her now. She could feel her breath coming quickly as he moved in even closer to her. He reached down and took the gun from her hands, tucking it into the waistband of his shorts.

"Don't want any accidents now, do we," he whispered as his lips descended on hers. HIs arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace.

Marta could feel his hands move down her back until they rested on her hips and she pressed into him. His lips were moving insistently over hers and she sighed as his tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring eagerly. With every passing second she was falling deeper into his embrace and she felt as if her legs were going to melt right into the ground. And it was to her very own surprise when that's exactly where she landed: on the ground, flat on her face, with Aaron on top of her back.

"Shh," he whispered before she could say anything, "someone is coming up the driveway. I'm going to roll off of you in a minute. When I do, make a beeline to those shrubs over there and stay down!"

Marta didn't respond, just nodded her head, indicating she understood what he was saying. Her rate had increased by a thousand beats, something she didn't think was possible considering how high it had already been while she had been in his arms. But just as quickly as he had thrown her done, he was up and running to the corner of the house, gun raised. Marta did what she was told and dashed to the shrubbery that bordered the small patio. It didn't offer much in the way of cover but she supposed the Aaron didn't want her to go into the house if someone might be trying to break into it.

Aaron stood, gun up trying to concentrate on the sounds he had heard just moments ago. Footsteps cautiously making their way up the driveway. He peered around the corner of the house, though and immediately his level of stress diminished. It was Eugenio, carrying shopping bags. He turned and located where Marta was crouching in the bush, giving her the all clear sign. She didn't stand until she saw Aaron tuck the gun under his shirt.

Marta quickly walked over to him and took his outstretched hand as they walked to meet Eugenio. She watched as Aaron conversed with him in his native tongue. From what she could gather, he had decided to bring more food for them but the rest of the conversation was lost on her. When they were done speaking, Eugenio looked at her and smiled, grasping her hands in his warmly.

"He's thanking you for taking care of his son when we were on the boat," Aaron said.

Marta shook his hand and said, "Tell him of course. He's a sweet boy and I hope that the bad men didn't scare him too much."

Aaron translated for her and waited as Eugenio responded before saying, "Unfortunately he is used to such bad men but counts himself lucky that we were around to help them out."

After exchanging some more pleasantries, Eugenio said his goodbyes and then turned and headed back down the driveway. Aaron and Marta stood and watched as he disappeared onto the private road.

Marta turned and asked, "What else were you talking about? I know it was more then just what's in these bags."

"He told me that he heard in the village that government officials would be heading up to this house in two days," he said. "Apparently there is going to be some sort of public auction for it."

Marta sighed, "I guess we're going to have to decide on a plan sooner than we thought. Is it going to be a problem?"

Aaron shook his head. He took her hand and started to walk back up the driveway with her. "Nope. Eugenio told me a very interesting story. Apparently the owner of this house knew that the authorities were on to him. He knew they would start confiscating his possessions because of the conspiracy charges. Besides this very beautiful vacation home, he also has a plane. Nothing too fancy, a small Cessna. It was his most favorite toy, if you will." They had reached the front of the house and he opened the front door, allowing Marta to go ahead of them.

He followed her into the kitchen and started taking some of the food out of the bag that Eugenio had given him. It was all homemade by Eugenio's wife and it smelled delicious. Marta watched as Aaron plated pork and rice and poured glasses of water for them. She took the two plates and put them on the table as Aaron sat down with their drinks.

"So I'm guessing this CEO's favorite "toy" plays a part in our plans," said Marta in between bites.

Aaron nodded. "When he learned that the government was going to repossess it, he staged a fake fire in the warehouse where he keeps the plane. He bought a broken down model that was similar to his. That's what really burned in the fire."

Marta looked at him with eyebrows raised. "How does Eugenio know that this story is even true? It sounds little far-fetched to me."

Aaron smiled and replied, "He knows because he staged it. The CEO paid Eugenio to do it and keep an eye on his real plane in the event he was able to get the charges against him dropped."

Marta returned his smile with a wide one of her own. "Amazing. I'm just not sure how we're going to be able to take it all the way to Russia."

"It won't take us as far as Russia but it will take us up to Japan." He leaned forward and took her hand in his. "Ready to take a ride in the sky?"

Marta squeezed his hand and replied, "When do we leave?"