PoV: Julia

I tucked myself in front of the hood of the truck, sitting in a crouch, and going full Julia Bourne. Castle's emotionless prodigy. Unattached and perfect.

Bang!

I heard the gunshot and locked away my panic and guilt. I don't have time for that, I need to-

My thought was interrupted by a scream, and it sounded like... Kaylee's voice?

Instantly I was on my feet. I stepped out from behind the truck, looking at where the woman and Kaylee had been a moment before, but ready to duck back into cover if it was a ruse.

Kaylee was standing, looking horrified, her hands cuffed behind her. All I could see of the woman was her legs, and a pool of blood getting closer and closer to Kaylee's feet.

"Kaylee!" I called, "Are you okay?"

I watched her lips move, but she seemed shocked. I ran over and surveyed the scene.

Whats-her-name had been shot, precisely in the head. I set my hand on Kaylee's arm, trying to comfort her as I looked around, trying to see who had shot the woman. I came up empty handed, so I lead Kaylee back down the way I had come slowly, still scanning the area for more dangers.

"Hey, Kaylee," I said softly, "Did you see anything?"

"I... um," she swallowed, "I... no. All I know is that I was about to die, then she died instead."

"All right, thank you," I kept my voice calm as I freaked out internally. We had an unknown player in the game, and I had no idea who or where they were. I got Kaylee to sit down by the hood of the truck, and told her I was going to look around, and to call for me if anything happened.

I went out to the road in the parking lot, and walked quickly along, checking every line for anyone with a gun, or who looked trained in combat. Again, I found nothing.

Gritting my teeth in annoyance, I circled back to where Kaylee was. As I walked up, I realized that something was wrong. Her eyes were wide, and she seemed panicked, but as soon as she saw me she mouthed, don't look now, and it seemed quite urgent.

I walked over and crouched next to her, whispering, "What do you see?'

"They're by the red Chevy," she whispered back, "And I think they know I spotted them."

I nodded and flipped around so that we were both sitting with our backs to the truck, and scanned for the car. Sure enough, there was a person standing by a red Chevy, probably a Camaro. They looked unarmed, but their stance clearly indicated combat training of some sort. And as soon as I looked at them directly, I got the feeling that they were looking right back at me, despite the gray hood covering their face in shadow.

I know this person, a part of me was certain, But why? And who are they? They aren't a castle person, so who...

The person slipped their hood back, and my eyes went wide as I recognized him. My shock made me feel as if I'd been given a literal shot of adrenaline. I shot to my feet, grabbing Kaylee's arm as I got up.

"Wha- Hey!" Kaylee said, "What's going on?"

I met her gaze, letting her see my panic and fear, "Run."

We ran, and he gave chase, hurdling over car hoods with relative ease.

We turned a corner, and I went into a crouch, wishing so much I'd thought to grab the woman's gun.

"What are we running from?" Kaylee asked, looking worried.

I turned to face her, "We are running from the most talented super-spy I know of. The bad news is that he works for America," I said, still running through scenarios in my head, "Okay, get ready to sprint."

We both prepared to run. As I crouched, I tried to focus, forget my fear, focus on getting out alive. My fear increased as I failed to keep my emotions in check. Well, at least I'm not gibbering in terror. I thought dryly.

The man called out, "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to talk, nothing more."

Kaylee looked at me, her face pale with fear, waiting for the instruction to run.

"Meg- Julia?" She whispered.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to stop thinking of the horror stories of been told about this man, and shoving my fear down, "3," I whispered back, keeping my voice steady, "2, 1, go."

We sprang up, sprinting between cars of all makes and models. I made sure to stay close to Kaylee, and not outpace her. There where footsteps behind us and I glanced back. The man was following and catching up fast.

"Bianca!" He called after us.

Kaylee glanced at me, "Is that another false name?"

I frowned, "No, I have never gone by Bianc- ah!" I said, swerving around a lamppost.

Kaylee smirked, but she was beginning to run out of breath.

We made to the street and turned to the left, back towards downtown. A familiar black truck came down the road towards us, followed by a police car, and raced right by.

As we ran I glanced behind us and saw that our new pursuant had just left the parking lot.

"Bianca! We need to talk!" He called again, sounding surprisingly desperate. He's an actor, just like you! I chastised myself, Of course, he sounds desperate, he is trying to play you!

We continued to sprint away as well as we could, but I could see that Kaylee was fading fast. She was only barely going faster than a normal running pace.

She seemed to notice it as well, and said, "Go ahead, stop holding yourself back to stay with me. Go and get yourself out of here."

"No," I said it without intending to say anything of the sort, "We are going to stick together. Just keep running."

She was too out of breath to complain, so we kept running, past the stores again, and across the road, back towards the gas station from earlier.

However, I remembered that there was an alleyway splitting this block of businesses, in a shape like a plus symbol. Instead of running ahead to the gas station, I turned down the alleyway, Kaylee following. Mercifully, there was a minivan in the back street, which we quickly ducked behind.

"Why..." Kaylee puffed, out of breath, "Who is chasing us, and... and why does he look like Matt Damon?"

"Who?" I asked, confused, "Look, I know this is crazy, but I need you not to freak out. We are being chased by Jason Bourne. No, he's not fictional, he's dangerous, works for the Americans, and I'm nowhere near ready to face him."

Kaylee's eyes went wide. She opened her mouth to speak, but I continued first.

I sighed, "I have been told that he might come for me someday and that I must run the other way. He's the only person I've been told to never confront spontaneously."

"Why is he coming for you?" Kaylee asked urgently, "And was he actually behind the assassination of Wombassi?"

"I dunno, maybe he wants to be the uncontested best in North America, or maybe he thinks I stole his sweet roll. I really don't know. And I have no idea what you are talking about. What makes you think that assassination had anything to do with him?"

"The books and movies," she explained insistently "Do you know anything of David Webb?'

I froze, thinking I'd heard some gravel shift. I peaked out carefully. No one was there. I turned back to Kaylee, "Sorry, what?"

"Have you ever-" I shushed her quickly, hearing gravel move again. I looked around the corner of the dumpster.

Bourne had just come around the corner, and was looking around cautiously, his handgun still out, "Bianca? I am not here to hurt you. Can you come out so we can talk?"

I stared at my feet, my heart pounding in my ears.

"Julia," Kaylee whispered, "You're scared, aren't you?"

"Course not," I said, my mouth dry.

She looked at me, and I felt like her eyes were seeing right through me.

"I'm going to go talk to him," She said firmly.

"No, don't you dare!" I hissed, "He will kill you!"

"No he won't," Kaylee insisted, "Just trust me."

And with that, she stepped out from behind the van.

--- --- ---

PoV: Kaylee

As I stepped out from behind the van, I struggled to stay calm. I was about to meet someone who I thought was fictional, and Julia was convinced he was here to kill her. Focus Kaylee, it's hopefully just a misunderstanding, I thought to myself.

He spun to face me, but his gun was pointing at the ground. When he spoke his voice was direct, and calm, "Where is Bianca?"

I responded just as calmly, "Who is Bianca?"

"The one who you sprinted away from me with."

I frowned at him, deciding to go for a more casual approach, "Her name isn't Bianca. She has been known to use false names, however, so maybe she mis-introduced herself to you."

He held my gaze evenly, "Believe me, I've done my research, and she is who I am looking for."

I tried to hold the eye contact, but felt my eyes sliding away, "Who are you looking for?"

"My niece."

I flinched like I'd been hit, "What!? You think my si- friend is your niece?" I spluttered, then tried to regain control, "Cause the last time I checked her last name is not Damon."

He closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly in frustration, and I smirked, thinking to myself, Ha, got you there!

"I have nothing to do with that actor," He said that with so much venom I was taken aback.

"Well, regardless of your last name, what do you want with this Bianca who you believe is my si- friend," I asked, hoping to get more answers.

"I want to speak with her, reconnect, find out what she's been up to," his voice broke with emotion slightly, but he recovered quickly, "But I am not looking to hurt her."

"That would be a whole lot more believable if you didn't have a gun." I pointed out.

"Why are you hiding her from me?" He asked.

"Why do you want to talk to her? Oh, and what's your name?" I added the last bit as casual as I could when internally I was grinning maniacally while shrieking in fear and anticipation. My inner self is excellent at multitasking.

"Well, we haven't spoken for just about ten years, and I'd like to catch up with her. As for my name, it's..." he hesitated for a second before saying, "David. My name is David."

Ah! Storms. No. Calm down Kaylee. No! Gah, this is insane! If his last name is Webb, I don't think I'll be able to cope! My mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour, but I think to David it looked like I was just standing there staring at him, which was probably kind of awkward. After a couple seconds of internal panicking, I finally found my voice again, though it was rather squeaky, "Your... your name is David? What... um, what is your... gah!" I stopped trying to speak, throwing my hands up in frustration.

He set his gun down carefully, all while looking thoroughly confused and unsettled, which some part of me looked at and thought was adorable. I shut that part down as fast as I could, as it was only distracting me.

"Are you all right?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned, and my silly heart went all melty.

I clenched my jaw, shoving away those thoughts, and getting my mind under control. I took a shaky breath, "I'm... as well as can be expected. What I was trying to ask is, well, what is your last name?"

"That's getting a bit personal, isn't it?" David replied, tensing up.

I shrugged, "I suppose. But I'd really like to know the answer. Maybe we can swap some personal information?"

He nodded slowly, "That sounds fair. I definitely have some personal questions for you."

I swallowed nervously, "Okay, you first."

Immediately he hit me with his question, "Who do you work for?"

I frowned in confusion, "What?"

"Who do you work for?" He repeated.

"Well, if I'm being honest, I'm currently unemployed," I answered, still confused. But I had my own nagging question that needed an answer, "All right, I answered your question. Now, what is your last name, David?"

"You're lying. I know you are working for someone, trying to keep Bianca away from me," He said angrily, and I flinched, thinking of different scenes from the movies with angry Bourne. He continued to make his case, "You are clearly a highly skilled operative, who has been tasked with protecting Bianca. Why else would you have been willing to die so she could get away? You two have-"

"Whoa, slow up," I interrupted, "You think I'm the trained one? That's just... wow. This is so refreshing, not being the one drawing all the wrong conclusions for once. Also, I am flattered that you would thi-"

He stepped forward, grabbing my shoulders and shouting, "That's enough! You two have been expertly avoiding the government and me! Stop lying, and tell me who you are working for!"

Panicking, I kicked him in the groin. He gasped, releasing me for a second, giving me a chance to step back quickly.

He looked down for his gun, only to see it had disappeared. He glanced over his shoulder, then froze.

Julia was pointing his gun at him, looking determined.

"Bianca..." David said, sounding disbelieving.

"Listen to me closely. I'm the 'highly trained operative'. I don't know what game you are playing with this whole Bianca charade but stop. Right now. If you want to kill me, then I'll happily fight you. But leave her out of it."

"I wouldn't recommend that," I chimed in, "as I seem to be the one who has the best idea what is going on."

"Kaylee, stop. You've already messed this up enough." Julia snapped.

"No, I'm not backing down," I said, stepping between them, "David, please, answer my question about your last name. Your answer will let me know if I'm making the right conclusions, or if I, as usual, am making all the wrong ones. So please, just answer me."

David looked at me and said, "Webb. My last name is Webb."

I closed my eyes, trying to breathe deeply, and calm my racing thoughts, Okay, a guy who looks like Matt Damon shows up. Matt Damon played Jason Bourne. Julia says he is Jason Bourne. He says his name is David Webb, which is Jason Bourne's real name in the movies and books. Either he's lying for no good reason that I know of or the real deal. And he's definitely acting like the real deal.

Julia interrupted my thoughts, "Kaylee, you have your answer. Now go. This is going to get violent."

"No, okay, Julia, there is way more going on here than you know. Assuming the knowledge I have is accurate, that is," I paused, looking quizzically at David, "I never read the books, so how much of the movies is accurate? Is the whole amnesia thing true? Hang on, did Marie follow the book's storyline or the movies? And how did they cast someone who looks exactly like you?"

"What are you going on about?" Julia demanded.

"Um... remember those spy movies I wanted to show you, but Mom wouldn't let me? Wait, you've said she knew a lot about you. Did she know your last name? Is that why she always cut me off mid-sentence?" I had a billion thoughts running through my head, and it was hard to sort through them all.

"How would I know if she always cut you off?" Julia asked frustratedly, "Just tell me what you are thinking, or leave us alone for..." she frowned, seemingly sizing David up, "Eigh- seven minutes."

"A trilogy of movies. Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum. Plus the movie Jason Bourne just tossed on top for some reason," I said quickly, trying to stop the situation from escalating, "They are a bunch of movies featuring an amnesiac person who learns he's a secret agent. After his experience, he leaves the black ops operation called Treadstone and tries to live a normal life, but it gets continually interrupted by his past. And based on the - admittedly strange - conclusions I am making," I turned to face David, "They're true, to some degree. And you were Jason Bourne."

David nodded slightly, "It's true those movies were based on me, but they aren't accurate. More fairy tales made out of a ghost story."

"Ghost story is right," mumbled Julia.

"Why is that, Bi- Julia?" He used her name hesitantly like he was worried to pronounce it wrong.

"It's unimportant." She said firmly, glaring at him.

"I'm kinda curious as well..." I mentioned, raising my hand slightly.

Julia sent me a death glare, "Oh really? Of course, you'll side with him. You crush on Matt Damon don't you? And this guy happens to look just like him."

"That... that is completely irrelevant! I'm not siding with anyone! I'm just trying to stop you guys from killing each other! Could you make it a bit easier?" I shouted, shocked that she had chosen to bring that piece of information up.

I heard a quiet noise from David, that sounded an awful lot like a groan. I glanced at him briefly, but he seemed focused on Julia.

Julia sighed, though it also sounded slightly like a growl, "Fine."

"Don't suppose you'll set the gun down?" I asked carefully. Her glare answered my question quite clearly.

"So, David, who is this Bianca, and why do you think she's me?" Julia asked, "And what do you want with her?"

"If you are not her, I don't know if I want to tell you that. Especially as you seem to be the mastermind who made it so hard for me to catch up with you. Who trained you?"

"Mirkwo- dang it!" Julia shouted, looking very frustrated.

"Were you saying Mirkwood?" I frowned.

"Yes, and I didn't realize it was a literary reference till now!" she complained.

I snorted, "Seriously? That's... ridiculous."

"Wow, thanks for the compliment." She said dryly.

"Sorry," I said abashedly, "But I still find your ignorance about pop culture amusing. And I doubt that'll ever change."

David was looking very focused like he was trying to figure something out, and it took all of his concentration. But as soon as I finished bantering with Julia, he was back on high alert, which made Julia tense up and bring the point of her gun up again to point at his chest.

"Okay, let's try this yet again," Julia said, all business, "Why are you here?"

"I've already said why. I'm trying to find Bianca." David said, his voice dangerously calm.

Uh oh, I thought, if he is anything like the movie character, he's running out of patience.

"Who is Bianca?" Julia asked insistently.

"Bianca Richelle Diamond!" He shouted, then his voice went quiet, "The... the only family I have left."

I opened my mouth to comment, but I heard the sound of something dropping. I turned to look and saw that Julia had dropped the gun, which had mercifully not fired, and was standing there, hands clenched at her sides, looking like she'd seen a ghost, and when I say that, I mean breathing heavily, eyes wide, looking at something in front of him, her whole body ready to bolt.

"No..." she whispered while taking small steps backwards, sounding on the verge of tears, "I got rid of you."

"Julia?" I asked gently, "What's going on? What does that name mean to you?"

Her cheeks looked damp now, and she was still backing up towards the entrance of the alleyway.

"No. No, leave me alone," She muttered again, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, then shouted, "No! Go away!" With that, she turned and fled.

"Megan!" I called after her, but she had turned the corner and didn't come back.

I turned, glaring at David, "What did you do?"

He looked just as confused as I felt, "I assure you, I have no idea."

I looked over to the exit of the alleyway that Julia used to run away, and then back at David, "Are you truly David Webb?"

He hesitated for a moment, also glancing after Julia, "Yes, I am."

I took a deep breath, then met his eyes, "Then go catch her."

"What? Why would you trust me with that?" He asked, probably suspicious of why I'd be so stupid.

"There is no way I can catch her but you can," I explained in a rush, "Prove you are trustworthy, find her, stop her, and wait for me. But if you hurt her I will attack you with everything I've got, and you'll end up with another dead person on your conscience."

He nodded, "I understand."

"Then go!" I shouted, and just like that, he was off. Well, I'm probably an idiot. If Julia is right about him, then I probably just ki- no, I'm not thinking about that. I thought, Come on Kay, you don't have time to stand around, let's go!

I groaned but began to jog after Julia and David.