RONIN

                          SAM
               Are you alright?

                          DEIRDRE
               Alright?  It's bloody fucking freezing in
               here!

     Sam pulls Deirdre out of the water and then the two of them
     immediately turn and move towards Vincent, and as they do we
     start to PULL BACK on them, and now the SOUNDS of SIRENS can
     be heard, one, then two more, and then a symphony of noise.
     And we're STILL PULLING BACK ON -

     THE CHATEAU - Or what's left of it, because it's started to
     burn, and quickly the flames start to rise into the night,
     like something out of medieval times as we -

     DISSOLVE TO:

     INT. A HOSPITAL WAITING AREA - NIGHT

     Sam waits outside a hospital room, inside of which we get a
     glimpse of - A DOCTOR tending to a heavily bandaged and
     sedated Vincent.  As Sam waits - TWO GENDARMES and a
     PLAINCLOTHES DETECTIVE approach.  The Detective looks at Sam
     for a BEAT, and then goes to push past him.  Sam blocks his
     way.

                          DETECTIVE
               I need to speak with that man.

                          SAM
               I'm sorry, I can't allow that.

     Sam reaches into his coat, and for a moment everybody thinks
     he's going for his gun, but instead he comes out with - A
     PIECE OF PAPER.  He hands it to the Detective.

                          SAM
               Call that number and ask them what you
               should do.

     The Detective eyeballs the number suspiciously.

     FIVE MINUTES LATER -

     The Detective hangs up a nearby wall phone and then looks
     over at Sam in disgust.  Without another word, the Detective
     signals to the two Gendarmes, and all three men exit.  Now -

     The DOCTOR, a beautiful French Woman, comes up and speaks to
     him in FRENCH -- and the amazing thing is that Sam speaks
     back.  Everything in SUBTITLED.

                          DOCTOR
               You can see your friend, now.

                          SAM
               Thank you very much.

                          DOCTOR
               The field dressing you put on saved his
               life.
                   (giving him a look)
               Where di you learn to do that?

                          SAM
               Here and there, I guess.

     The Doctor isn't entirely satisfied with this answer, but
     it's the only one she's going to get, because Sam moves past
     into -

     INT. VINCENT'S ROOM

     He's barely alive -- but alive nonetheless.  And he's heard
     Sam speak in French to the Doctor.

                          VINCENT
               You son-of-a-bitch...

                          SAM
               What?

                          VINCENT
               You speak French.

                          SAM
               What of it?

                          VINCENT
                   (in mock exasperation)
               Nothing...

     He lies back on his pillow, pissed and yet amused.

                          VINCENT
                   (repeating the Doctor's words
                    in English)
               "Your field dressing saved his life."
               That's three I owe you.

                          SAM
               You don't owe me a goddamned thing,
               Vincent, and you know it.  You stepped in
               front of a bullet for me.
                   (very seriously, he now
                    believes this)
               I owe you a heavy debt.

                          VINCENT
                   (relishing this)
               I know.

                          SAM
                   (rising to leave)
               You better get some sleep, alright?

                          VINCENT
               Tell me something first.
                   (a quick beat)
               The package: what was it?

                          SAM
               I don't know.  Nobody knows, except a
               bunch of people who are too dead to tell
               us.  There's probably a couple of guys
               back at the Company who know, but I don't
               think they plan to tell me anytime soon.

                          VINCENT
               What happened to it?
    
                          SAM
               Gone.  Destroyed.

                          VINCENT
                   (sighs, then a beat)
               I guess that's for the best.

     Sam turns for the door but Vincent has one last thing to say.

                          VINCENT
               Sam, when Gregor had Deirdre by the lake,
               you could have killed the two of them
               with one shot.  You could have had the
               package, finished the job.  But you
               didn't, you sacrificed the job to save
               her life.  Why?

     Same has to think about this for a second, and his answer
     reveals just how full circle he's come.

                          SAM
               It's what you would have done.

     And on that note Sam exits the room, leaving a bemused
     Vincent behind.

     EXT. THE BANK OF THE RIVER SEINE - EARLY MORNING

     A WISPY FOG atmospherically rises off the river -- not too
     thick, not too thin.

     A TITLE: One month later...

     We're MOVING along the cobble-stone walk next to the river as
     a VOICE cuts through the fog.

                          VINCENT (V.O.)
               Would you just smoke already...

     A RIVERSIDE CAFE - Where Sam, Vincent and Deirdre are having
     morning coffee.  A mostly-healed Vincent is smoking a
     cigarette, trying to get Sam to light up.

                          SAM
               I told you, I quit.

                          VINCENT
               Just to keep me company, Sam -- I hate
               smoking alone.
                   (turning to Deirdre)
               How about you?  I thought all you IRA
               types smoked.

                          DEIRDRE
               Only the stupid ones.  Cigarettes kill
               more patriots than bullets.
                   (a quick beat)
               Besides, I'm not IRA no more.

                          VINCENT
               So where do you go from here?

                          DEIRDRE
               I don't know.  I was thinking...Maybe the
               three of us might partner up -- guns for
               hire, that sort of thing.

                          VINCENT
               I'm up for that...

     The two of them turn to Sam, but he shakes his head.

                          SAM
               Not me.  You work too often with the same
               people and you become friends -- clouds
               your judgement.

                          DEIRDRE
               Come off it, Sam -- if we weren't friends
               already we wouldn't be here now, would
               we?