Her Protector
A/N: This is a Walker/Anderson fiction there maybe hints of Walker/Mercer and Walker/Wilcox. I am not a fan of the later two but for my story to develop the way I see it going they maybe needed at some point. I of course will try to keep it A-Squared but please don;t through rotten fruit if I have to venture. : p So without further interruption from the annoying author lets begin. I hope you enjoy the story.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN COVERT AFFAIRS. If I did their would be more Walker/Anderson and definitely no Anderson/Hearn *yicky*, plus I would have me an Auggie!
The Watcher
He watched her through her bedroom window. He had left her in Sri Lanka going on three years now and every time he saw her his stomach knotted with regret. Of course Ben Mercer didn't have regrets. "Just keep telling yourself that Mercer", he thought to himself. She stirred in her sleep and he froze the last thing he needed right now was for her to know he had been close to her watching her every move since the day Arthur Campbell pulled her from the farm. He climbed down the tree and walked back to his car that was strategically parked down the street, totally unaware of the camera that was snapping pictures just two cars down.
Jai Wilcox had been assigned to Annie Walker to extract information about Ben Mercer and to find out if she was still in contact with him. Of course the only people who knew about this "op" were Arthur, Joan and himself. He knew that he had to get close to her but he also knew that the rapport she had with Anderson was going to be a problem. The two of them had let the other past the walls they had set up after their respective tragedies. But Jai knew that is this op went south the he would have to answer to not only Arthur but Auggie as well.
Annie Walker woke from sleep an hour earlier than usual. She couldn't place the feeling but she knew something was off. She rolled onto her back and stretched thinking it was just the dream, the one that had started when she had started the agency. Annie got up and went to her bathroom to shower. She stood under the hot water thinking about the last year and what had happened with her being pulled off the farm early, to meeting Auggie, and to making Joan a friend. The latter had been a recent development only budding in the last couple of months but it was nice having a girl friend to talk to and not want to throttle. Auggie said it was because Joan saw a lot of herself in Annie. Annie was just glad she had made an impression. After her shower Annie made her way out of the guest house into the main house to be met with the tornado that was her sister and her family. After fielding a chorus of " who's, what's, where's, when's, and why's" she exited the house and made her way to the CIA headquarters in Langley.
Annie walked in the door and as usual Conrad fell into step beside her, "Hello lovely Annie, and how are you this morning?" he questioned, entirely to cheerful for that hour of the morning.
"Well I woke up and hour early and dealt with two extremely talkative nieces and a nosy sister who wants to know why I'm not dating anyone and I haven't had enough caffeine yet." Annie answered knowing she was over sharing but like she said she needed caffeine.
She broke off from Conrad and entered the coffee shop smacking squarely into Jai who caught her to keep her from falling. Annie didn't know why but Jai made her skin crawl and she couldn't bring herself to fully trust him. She pulled her self upright and out of Jai's grasp a little more harsher than she had meant to. "Sorry. Need caffeine" she growled storming the rest of the way into the coffee shop. The girl behind the counter knew Annie and had her coffee ready when she reached the counter, "It's on the house today Annie."
"Thanks Josephine you are a goddess." Annie praised giving the girl a ten dollar tip in the tip jar.
"Ahh Jo Malone grapefruit. I thought I heard Conrad and Wilcox talking about kitten heels and a war path." Auggie laughed.
"Ugh men and family. Right now I can do without both. I may make an exception for you Auggie. But don't press your luck." Annie grinned through the threat.
"Liar. You'd take me with you. You can't go a day without me." Auggie was holding her elbow as they walked toward the DPD.
"I have just had it with over zealous men and my sister who can't seem to understand when enough is enough." Annie pushed open the door and walked in. "Wow I haven't ever seen him down here I didn't know he knew where the DPD was, although why wouldn't he know I mean his wife runs the department..."
"Wait Arthur's down here. Quick tell me what you see." Auggie interrupted.
"Oh, well Arthur, Joan and Wilcox are in her office and neither Joan nor Arthur looks pleased." Annie summed up the scene before her.
"What I would give to be a fly in that room." Auggie thought to himself.
##
"He was to close to her Arthur we can't keep using her as bait he is bound to stop just looking one day and she could get hurt." Joan was talking to her husband in a voice that was almost begging. But Joan Campbell didn't beg.
Arthur Campbell was not a stupid man by any means, but he was sure that chasing Mercer away from Walker was not conducive to the op. As long as Mercer didn't harm Walker he wasn't going to terminate the op. If he caught Mercer it would be a huge boost to his career. The only thing that seemed to eat at him was that Joan had such and invested interest in this girl. They had already formed a budding friendship. He knew that Joan could personally make his life hell but then again she does that well enough already."Joan, I need Mercer to stay close to Walker it's the only way to keep him within the agency's sight."Arthur told his wife with a slightly scolding tone.
"So the best way to protect her would be to let the rouge agent stalk her?" Joan asked incredulously.
"No the best way to protect her is to have Jai watch Mercer watching her." Arthur answered like it was the most logical answer.
Joan snorted, "Jai? He can barely tie his shoes without your permission let alone break protocol if it was called for."
Jai looked up at Joan, "You do remember who my father was don't you? I know how to break protocol believe me. If it needed to be done I would do it." Jai left the office thoughts of how easy it would be to break protocol for Annie Walker, and it scared the hell out of him.