This idea has been spinning around in my head for a while and I finally had the time to write it out. The beauty of slow days at work... ;o)

Please review and let me know if you're in for the ride - I have ideas for a storyline that will go over a few chapters if people want to read it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my storyline, I just like to play with Annie & Auggie.

1. Unexpected events

The sound of the sliding door leading out to the DPD bullpen opening got Auggie's attention, he slid his headphones down to hang around his neck and turned to face the general direction of the door.

"Auggie, a word in my office," Joan said in her cool, commanding boss voice. Auggie quickly pulled off the headphones and put them in their place to the right of his keyboard, grabbed his laser cane and followed his boss to her office. He closed the door behind him as he entered the room.

"Have a seat. The chair's at your twelve o'clock, about five feet ahead." Auggie quickly found the chair and sat, wondering what on earth Joan wanted.

"When did you last take a vacation?"

"Thanksgiving, I spent a long weekend with my family, remember?"

"Auggie, I'm not talking about spending a long weekend with your family over a holiday, I'm talking a REAL vacation, two weeks or more."

"Umm…well I did go to the jazz festival in Istanbul…"

"Yeah, we both know how that turned out Auggie. If your file is correct you haven't taken a real vacation since you came back to the DPD in 2008. That changes now, you've got enough days saved up for a six-week leave and Personnel informed me that you're about to lose two weeks. You're taking those two weeks starting Monday."

"What? No Joan, I don't want or need a vacation. And with all the ops going on or starting this isn't the best time for me to take time off."

"Auggie, you're one of my best officers, but you're working yourself too hard. As much as I appreciate your commitment it's my job to look after my staff, and I don't want you to run yourself to the ground. Everyone needs a break from time to time, even you. My decision on this is final. Heatherton is fully capable of filling in for you for a couple of weeks, make sure he's briefed on everything by the time you head out on Friday. After that I don't want to see you here until your vacation is over."

Auggie sighed. He knew he was defeated. Deep down he knew Joan was right, but after he lost his sight vacations didn't have the same appeal to him as when he could see. It wasn't like he could just find some cheap tickets online and jump on a plane to wherever he could afford or throw his tent and sleeping bag into the back of his car and head off on an impromptu road trip. Sitting around his apartment for two weeks with nothing to do would drive him crazy, but he realized he just had to try to make the best of it. Maybe he could organize his closet or something...

"Yes Joan, I'll make sure Stu is fully briefed."

"I know you're not too happy about this Auggie, but please try to enjoy your vacation. You need some downtime. We all do from time to time."

"I'll do my best," Auggie stated flatly as he rose from his seat. It was Wednesday afternoon; he still had a couple of days to brief Stu and otherwise prepare his team for his absence.

When he logged off and shut down his computer Friday afternoon Auggie hoped he'd managed to prepare Stu and the rest of the Tech Ops team to cover for him. He knew better than to defy Joan's orders of staying away from Langley during his vacation. With a sigh he grabbed his folded white cane from the top drawer and put the laser cane in there and locked up. The main thing he really didn't like about taking a vacation at this point was that Annie had headed to Madrid, Spain for a mission that morning and knowing he wouldn't be able to handle it was almost unbearable. He'd tried to persuade Joan to let him postpone his vacation until Annie's mission was completed, but she'd flat out refused. She'd said that Stu was more than capable of handling the mission and that was final. It calmed Auggie's nerves somewhat that the mission seemed fairly straightforward, he'd reviewed the file and gone over every detail of the several times and hadn't found any real indications of trouble. Except Annie herself, for some reason most of her missions seemed to turn out to be a tad more 'entertaining' than Auggie and his team appreciated. He sighed as he reached the front doors and stepped out to the curb to wait for the car to take him home. He had no other choice than to trust that the Tech Ops crew was capable of keeping his best friend safe.

As the first couple of days of his forced vacation progressed Auggie slowly adjusted to the thought of having some time off. He had worked hard ever since he started back at the DPD over three years earlier, to prove to both himself and everyone he worked with that he was fully capable of filling his position despite being blind and that he was still the best in his field. The last few months had been crazy, especially since Jai had pinched two of his senior team members a couple of months ago. He rarely spent less than 10 hours a day at the office, usually it was closer to 12 and working six or seven-day weeks had become more the rule than the exception. It actually felt good to be able to sleep until he woke up to absolutely no obligations or responsibilities, to be able to just sit around in his sleepwear or sweats and drink coffee, listen to the news or read a book until he felt like taking a shower and getting dressed.

He started to realize just how tired he really was and that Joan was actually right; he did need a break. He was also fully aware that once the initial bliss passed he'd start to become more restless, so he needed to make some plans for the rest of his vacation. He considered going to his parents in Illinois, but decided against it. As much as he loved his parents he knew he'd be just as restless after a few days there, especially because his mother still didn't realize that he wasn't helpless and didn't want or need to be waited on. It usually resulted in some tense moments where Auggie did his best to convince his mother that he was fully capable of making himself a sandwich or getting a beer from the fridge. He could deal with it for a long weekend, but not for a week or longer. It sure as hell wouldn't be the relaxing vacation Joan had ordered him to take.

"Auggie…Auggie are you there?" Annie's voice slowly pulled Auggie from his slumber. "Auggie, please, open the door. Come on." Auggie flipped his watch open and checked the time; 8:05 pm. He realized he must have fallen asleep sometime during the movie he'd been watching. "I'm here Annie, just a sec," he called out as he crossed the living area and unlocked and slid the door open. Before he managed to take a step back Annie threw her arms around his neck, sobbing. Auggie just held her in a tight embrace for a few minutes, stroking her back soothingly. Then he quietly asked if she had anything in the hallway she needed to bring inside, she nodded against his chest and let go of him for a few seconds to pull what sounded like a suitcase inside and then she shut and locked the door behind her. Auggie put his arm around her and brought her with him to the sofa.

"What's going on Annie?" Auggie asked softly.
"I got home from my mission late last night and guess who was in the kitchen with Danielle when I came in to grab my coffee this morning?"

Before Auggie could answer she carried on. "Michael. Apparently he's been transferred to the DC office of his new employer and they've decided on trying to save their marriage, for the girls sake I guess."

"And this is bad news that has you on my doorstep crying because...?" Auggie frowned, he just didn't get why Annie was so upset.

"As I told you; right after we got back from Stockholm Danielle let me move back to the guest house. Apparently things have changed with Michael back in the picture. He doesn't feel they're safe with me in the house; he actually gave Dani a hard time for letting me move back. I don't know what to do Auggie, I just feel so lost!" Annie's voice rose slightly at the end.

"What does Danielle have to say about this? After all, she's the one that invited you to move back in, right?"

"She came up to me while I was packing after I got home from work this afternoon and said she was sorry, but she really wants to try to make things work with Michael and she's not about to argue with him about it. I do get where she's coming from and I understand that she wants Chloe and Katia to grow up with both their parents around. I feel so selfish for being so upset with it." Annie sighed and leaned into Auggie's strong shoulder, he tightened his grip around her.

"Have you talked to Joan about this?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, she was surprisingly understanding and gave me the rest of the week off and granted my request for a week of my vacation time after that, and promised me to fast track the vetting process as soon as I find a place."

"I told you Joan isn't all that bad. I guess we've got some work to do," Auggie said with a smile.

"We?" Annie asked, confusion lacing her voice.

"I'm on vacation too, remember? It's not like I'm busy, I'd be happy to help you look for a place, well, so-to-speak."

"I'm sure you've got more entertaining things planned for your vacation than searching for a place for me."

"Not really. It's not like this is something I asked for. Joan forced me to take two weeks off because I was about to lose them and I haven't had a 'proper' vacation since I returned to the DPD after my accident."

"So, you were just going to spend two weeks sitting around your apartment, doing nothing? I don't really buy that Aug, you're too restless for that."

"What do you suggest I do? It's not like I can just go online, find some cheap airline tickets and just hop on a plane. Four years ago I would've done that or gone on an impromptu road trip, now everything I do requires planning and preferably someone to go with me. Some things you about being blind you just can't get around. It's why I usually don't bother to take vacations."

Annie didn't know what to say. This was one of those rare occasions when Auggie revealed that there were chinks in his armor. He rarely showed his vulnerable side, he tended to keep things close to the vest. After knowing him for almost two years Annie was aware of this and the fact that she was one of the few people that actually he trusted enough to let her see beyond the happy, confident mask he put on. She was aware that although he seemed to have adjusted to being blind he still struggled with accepting his disability and the limitations it put on him. Usually Annie didn't think much about the fact that Auggie couldn't see; he made it so easy to forget that most of the time it just sort of faded into the background

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"Are you hungry?" Auggie's voice pulled Annie from her musings. She realized she was actually starving.

"Starving now that you mention it. Danielle tried to persuade me to stay for dinner, but I just couldn't bear facing Michael. The way he looks at me, like I'm some kind of dangerous criminal or something…"

"Well, how 'bout we order some food? Pizza? Chinese? Whatever you feel like is fine with me."

An hour and a half later they'd polished off the pizza and both were on their third beer. Annie was feeling a lot better than when she'd arrived at Auggie's place earlier that night. She was infinitely grateful for having him in her life.

"I guess I'd better try to find a motel to stay at for the next few days," Annie said with a sigh as she finished her beer and set the empty bottle down on the coffee table.

"A motel? What about the safe house?"

"The whole building's being fumigated, it's off limits for at least a week. My cover docs and everything from my safe is in temporary storage at Langley."

"You're welcome to stay here, I don't mind. You'll probably be over here a bit anyway, if we're gonna look for a place for you."

"Aug, you're place isn't exactly ideal for a roommate arrangement, even a temporary one."

"Hey, we're both adults and my bed is a king. We'll manage," Auggie replied with a wink and a smirk plastered on his face.

"I'll take the couch, it's fine."

"No you're not. That couch is not very comfortable to sleep on, unless you like to wake up with a backache. Trust me, I've passed out there more than once and I always regret it when I wake up."

"You really want me in your bed, huh?" Annie said, slightly teasing, nudging him in the side with her elbow.

"What man wouldn't want a hot blonde in his bed?" Auggie countered with a confident smirk.

"Sheesh Aug, you're incorrigible! Ok, as long as you stay on your half of the bed and don't get handsy I guess it's ok. Thanks."

"No need to thank me, what kind of friend would I be if I let you stay at a flea ridden, dingy motel when there's room at 'Chez Anderson'?"

When Auggie woke up the next morning a slight movement on the opposite side of the bed startled him until a whiff of grapefruit hit his nose and the events of the previous night came back to him. He lay completely still for a few seconds, listening to her breathing. It was calm and even, so as far as he could tell she was still fast asleep. He groped around his nightstand as quietly as possible and located his watch. He quickly checked the time; 8:45 am. He quietly slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom.

Annie woke up 20 minutes later, the sound of Auggie opening the bathroom door and moving to stand in front of his closet, clad in only a white towel. He pulled a pair of worn jeans and a t-shirt off their hangers and she watched as he crossed over to his dresser and pulled out pair of boxers and socks before heading back to the bathroom. Just as he was about to close the door behind him he turned in her general direction and with a confident smirk plastered across his face said; "Enjoying the show Walker?" Then he turned away and closed the door behind him. Annie felt like an idiot. She'd learned pretty early on that Auggie had kind of a sixth sense and always seemed to know when someone was watching him. This morning she'd forgotten. Auggie regularly wore fitted sweaters and tailored shirts that showed his muscular build at work and Annie had seen him in a tank top in the gym more than once. She knew he kept himself in great shape, but having his muscled upper body, still slightly damp from the shower, on display only a few feet away from her had made it impossible not to stare. She'd thought Auggie was handsome from the first time she met him and as she'd gotten to know him she'd grown aware of the fact that she wanted their relationship to move past the friendship zone. Between her being hung up on Ben, then dating Scott and Auggie's constant flirting and hitting on coeds at Allen's Annie had buried her feelings for Auggie. Now they were waking from their dormant state and Annie didn't quite know what to do about it. Part of her wanted to kick them back to hibernation and just keep tings as they were, but another part of her wanted to confess her feelings to Auggie. The main thing that held her back was her fear of losing the best friend she'd ever had.

A few minutes later Auggie came back into the bedroom. Annie had gotten out of bed and was digging in her suitcase for something to wear and her toiletries. She looked up at Auggie as he crossed the room.

"Annie?" he asked, looking in the direction where he heard the sounds of her looking through her suitcase. He figured she'd placed it on the chair in the corner.

"Yeah, I'm over in the corner, just trying to find something to wear and my toiletries. Apparently packing when angry and upset isn't a very good idea."

"Let me know if you need something. I put some towels for you on the counter, to the left of the sink by the way."

"Thanks Auggie…. found it! I'll just jump in the shower real quick and get dressed."

"Ok, I'll get some coffee going while you're in the shower then."

"Great. Thanks again Aug, you're a lifesaver!" In a spur of the moment she walked up to Auggie and planted a kiss on his cheek before heading to the bathroom.

The sudden act of affection startled Auggie slightly and he froze for a few seconds before he managed to compose himself. He'd had feelings for Annie since he met her. The way she'd never seemed to be fazed by his disability, it never seemed to have mattered to her. She'd seen him, not the blind guy, from the first time they met and Annie had quickly become one of few the people that Auggie trusted and opened up to. When they first met she was still hurting over Ben Mercer and when she finally let go of him she'd jumped into a relationship with Dr. Scott. Then Auggie met Parker and he'd pushed his feelings for Annie back into the best friends category. Now he felt those emotions coming to life again and he wasn't sure what he should do about it. Just as Annie, he was afraid of losing his best friend, the one person besides his parents and Joan he trusted implicitly. Annie was too important for him to lose and he knew he needed to thread carefully with her.