It was late at DPD but Annie refused to leave until all her paperwork was caught up. It was a Friday night and the office was completely empty except Auggie who was still happily typing away at his desk. The sudden shrill of her Smithsonian line made her jump, and even brought Auggie from his office. After the third ring, she pulled herself from her shock enough to answer it. "Annie Walker, Acquisitions." Her voice was distracted, but she refused to stop working. "Hello Annie." That voice. That voice that she had dreamed, and hoped to hear for the last four years slid smoothly across the line. Auggie perched on her desk with concern when he heard the pen fall to the floor. "Ben." She whispered almost afraid that she had drifted off and this was all a dream. "Annie?" He asked bringing her back to reality. "I'm here." She replied, her paperwork completely forgotten.
"Can you meet me?" His voice sounded almost pleading but she convinced herself it was her imagination. "Of course. When?" She couldn't believe this was happening. "Caroline's Café. One hour." The line went dead. Annie stared at the phone for a moment contemplating if that had actually happened before she hung up and began clearing her desk. "What are you doing?" Auggie questioned hoping she wasn't actually planning on meeting her ex-boyfriend. "What do you think? I am going to go meet Ben." She deadpanned grabbing her purse. She stood but found her path blocked by her blind friend. "You can' do this." He told her praying she would just take his word and sit back down.
Unfortunately, he knew Annie wouldn't do that. "Why not?" She was completely confused at Auggie's change in demeanor. "The guy left you with a note and bar tab remember. He calls out of the blue four years later, and you are just going to go run to him. He will only hurt you again. Why put yourself through that." He yelled. He couldn't place it but he felt dread build in his gut at the thought of her meeting him. Tonight. Alone. "I have to go to him." Her voice pleaded for him to understand. "He could be in trouble. I…." "WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE PULLED FROM THE FARM SO EARLY! HE WENT ROUGE! AUTHER AND JOAN ARE USING YOU TO GET TO HIM! JAI IS TRYING TO SUSDUCE YOU FOR INFROMATION ABOUT HIM!" Auggie couldn't believe he had yelled at her. He couldn't believe he yelled that at her, but he had to get her to understand what was going on. To understand more of the game she was playing but didn't' even know it. He just had to stop her from going.
"It was all a lie. You knew. You knew and you didn't tell me. Were you in on it too…." Auggie could hear the roughness in her voice, he knew she was about to cry, but he also knew she wouldn't. She would turn to anger first. Anger directed at him. "No, Annie I wasn't….." But she didn't want to hear it. "I trusted you. Goodbye August. " She whispered as she fled in her kitten heels. Trusted. Past tense. His own anger bubbled forth. Why couldn't she see he was only trying to protect her. "Fine GO! Get hurt! See if I care!" He yelled but once the elevators doors closed all his anger evaporated. OH what had he done. Sighing and praying his gut was wrong for once he walked back to his office thinking of thousands of ways to make amends and repair the friendship of his most valuable friend.
Two hours later Auggie had finally decided to call it a night, before turning off light the TV in the main sector was blaring that annoying special report alarm. Shrugging it off thinking it was probably another weather announcement he flipped the switch and began his way to the elevators. "At 9'oclock tonight a tourist caught a kidnapping on video…" Auggie's heart began to pound. "At a usually quiet café, 28 year old, Annie Walker, was snatched just as she was walking out of the café. Officials are working hard trying to find the identity of the four masked men and to bring Ms. Walker home softly. …" Auggie could hear Annie's grunts as she fought her attackers as the anchorman played the clip. "Annie." He whispered as he sank into her desk chair. He didn't even noticed when not even twenty minutes later the DPD was swarming with Agents. All working to bring the beloved Field Agent home.
"Auggie?" It was Joan. He heard the concern in her voice. "Did she say anything to you before she left? Where she was going? Who she was meeting? Anything?" She placed a hand on his shoulder almost as if to anchor him to the present. "Ben Mercer. She was going to meet Ben Mercer at that Café. He had called her Smithsonian line, and asked for a meet. I told her not to go. I had a feeling. We argued, but she went anyway." Even to his own ears he sounded defeated and guilt ridden. "Annie has a mind of her own. If she had her mind made up to go there was nothing you could have said to change it. This isn't your fault. Why don't you go get some sleep downstairs? We are going to need you." She gave him an encouraging shoulder pat before walking off. "Oh and Auggie?" She waited until he turned his head in her general direction. "We will bring her home." He heard the assurance in her voice but she couldn't completely hide the concern and doubt. Sighing Auggie began to make his way downstairs to the on call rooms for some much needed sleep. He knew he would need it. He wasn't going to rest until he found her.
Two weeks. Two full weeks since Annie's kidnapping and nobody had any new leads. Not the CIA, FBI, or local police. It was almost as if they had completely vanished. There was only one op running in the DPD right now, and to everyone it was Priority. To Bring Annie Walker home. "Did your contacts in Germany have anything?" Auggie heard Joan ask Jai but like everything thing else it was another dead end. With a shake of his head Auggie moved to closed his office door determined to shut out the outside world, but just as the door begin to slide the annoying Special Report alarm sounded. Everyone one in the office stopped what they were doing to watch. Praying it would be about their agent.
"Only moments ago we received a tape concerning the kidnapping of Annie Walker. We will watch it live…" Auggie heard some rustling he figured it came from someone messing with the camera. He heard several gasps around the room. He was so engrossed in his intent to catch every word of the bulletin that he didn't notice Jai standing next to him. "It's Annie. She's pretty banged up. Looks like they have been trying to get information from her." He appreciated that Jai allowed him to draw conclusions on how that made her look. "FOR the sins of your Lover." The sound of the firearm was undeniable. The sounds of sobs around the room confirmed his nightmare. They had shot her. Annie was dead. There was laughter coming from the screen then more rustling. "Come and Get me Mercer." The accented voice spat before white noise filled the room. "She's gone." Auggie whispered as he made his way back to his chair. He kicked the trashcan in frustration before allowing himself to grieve. He never heard the door slide close, giving him privacy. Jai walked away unsure how he felt.
Auggie missed the next two days of work but finally made himself get up and get dressed knowing it would be what Annie..(even the name made his soul ache)….would have wanted. As he walked into Langley he almost forgot for a moment that she wouldn't be there to greet him with coffee, or fill his senses with her unique scent. Sighing he forced himself to press on. Once he reached the DCP everyone would pat him in sympathy. Telling him that if he needed anything to just ask. They all saw how much he was hurting. When he was finally able to slid into his chair he couldn't help but rub his sightless eyes praying that this was all just a really bad dream, and she would be walking into his office any moment with her 'kitten' heel clacking ever so softly. When the door did slid open he let his hopes rise, only for him to realize it was only Joan. "We cleaned out her desk this morning." He didn't have to ask who 'she' was. "I found this. It's for you." She handed him an envelope that was indeed addressed to him, in braille. "Thank you." He managed before quickly opening the letter as fast as his shaking hands would let him. "Let me know if you need anything." Joan told him before slipping out, closing the door behind her.
Auggie read it through once in complete disbelief. Just to make sure that he wasn't just allowing his own desire and grief to let him read what he wanted he began again. Slower.
"Dearest Auggie,
I'm not sure how I am able to take on the missions that I have the last two years and still not able to tell you how I fell. Once of life's mysteries I guess. So I decided to write it. Who knows I will just read this to you.
Auggie, you are my best friend since Day 1. There was never a hidden agenda with you. You were always there. No matter what. You never left, and you never would. I have known for a while that you feel more than friendship. And I thank you for not pressing it on me. To let me figure it out for myself. I was too afraid to fall in love again, but I'm not anymore. So here it goes.
I love you. So very much. I can't imagine my life without you. I never cared that you were blind, because you've always seen me better than anyone I've ever known. I can see us having a future. Kids. A family. Would you want that?
Seeing you everyday has become a piece of heaven to me. I know you would never leave. That's why I can feel this way. It's why I can smile. It is why I can love you. I guess I will see you soon. Until then you are in my thoughts and in my dreams.
Love Annie,
Ps. CIA encourages inter-office dating.
P.S.S. If I haven't said it. I LOVE YOU!"
Auggie didn't' t even realize he was crying until a tear fell onto his hand. She had loved him. He couldn't believe it. She had loved him and knew he loved her. He smiled a little knowing that she died knowing how he felt. He could see them with a family. He could see her as a mother, as his wife. He could see all of that, but none of that matter anymore. She was gone. Auggie allowed himself to bury his head in his hands and sobbed for the love that would never be, and the life they would should've but never will share.
Two days later the entire DCP showed up at the funeral, to say their final goodbyes. Annie's sister, husband, and nieces were too distraught to ask many questions of the vast amount of mourners her sister had. One by one they all left until he was alone. He kissed the pure deep red rose before throwing it onto of the casket. Tears staining his cheeks but he was ashamed of them. He didn't dare wipe them away because they were for her. His Annie. He knelt beside the casket and touched the cool wood. Cherry would. She would have liked that. "I love you too." He whispered. He felt a hand on his shoulder. A man's hand. "They will pay." The voice said. He knew that voice, he had heard it through the phone the night Annie disappeared. Ben Mercer. "Good." Was all Auggie said. Make them pay. Just like that he was alone once more. He patted the wood once more before clamoring back to his feet. "Yes, they will pay. Annie. They will. I promise." He whispered before walking carefully away.