I started this before Annie got traded back to the DPD… wanted to start publishing it before everything goes down, but basically this is based on my predictions of who is behind Jai's death. Hopefully I will post a chapter a week or so... please enjoy & review!

It was a regular Wednesday morning in the DPD. Joan had just given an assignment in Kenya to one of her new operatives, Michelle. Michelle was no Annie Walker, but she did know several uncommon African dialects, and she was a good operative. Joan was about to take a coffee break, maybe go visit Auggie, when Arthur walked through her door, holding something behind his back. She smiled and stood up, walking around her desk.

"Hey," she greeted him, her eyes sparkling. "What are you doing here?"

Arthur grinned and closed her office door behind him. He kissed her on the cheek and then pulled a garment bag from behind his back. She looked at him, puzzled.

"What's this?"

"I have a special assignment for you. Top secret," Arthur said with a wink, taking her hand and sitting her down on the couch. He hung the garment bag on the coatrack next to her desk and then sat down next to her. Joan was confused.

"The State Department is having a gala of sorts to honor Jai, seeing as how that was his cover. I need you and Auggie there."

"Why can't you go?"

"Remember when I punched Steve Barr? Apparently he's the type to hold a grudge," Arthur said, smiling. "I wonder if I broke his nose. He wouldn't tell me when I called."

Joan laughed and took his hands in hers. "So, what are Auggie and I doing at this gala, besides looking fabulous and getting to spend time together after someone took him out of my division?"

Arthur ignored the last part and looked her straight in the eye. "I think whoever killed Jai will be there. Someone bold enough to plant a car bomb in broad daylight would definitely like to observe the damage."

Joan's grey-blue eyes widened. "Are you sure? That's pretty risky."

Arthur shook his head. "You want risky? Henry Wilcox will be there. He's getting a special 24-hour pass. With a security guard, of course, but Henry's a weasel."

"So you want me and Auggie to keep an eye on Henry and pick out some possible suspects? Observe the anomalies?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think our guy is an anomaly," Arthur sighed. He tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind Joan's ear. "I think there a pretty good chance he's more assimilated in our world than we think."

"What makes you think that?" Joan asked, worriedly. Arthur looked uneasy. He squeezed Joan's hands.

"I have to tell you something," he said slowly. She nodded. "Auggie didn't just take over Jai's job. He's helping me dig into what got Jai killed in the first place."

"That's why you transferred him?," Joan asked. She was surprised. It wasn't like she had had a theory, or anything, but... why couldn't Arthur have told her sooner?

"Yes. I trust him the most besides you in this place, and trust is hard to come by these days," Arthur said.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?," Joan asked gently. "I'm not mad, but… wait. Please tell me it's not the usual "I want to protect you from the line of fire" excuse."

Arthur nodded. "Nailed it. Joan, it's not because I don't think you can handle it. You're a brilliant spy, and incredibly intelligent and tough. I'm just selfish, and scared to lose you."

"Oh, honey," Joan said, putting her hand on Arthur's cheek. "I promise, I'll be okay. You're not going to lose me."

"I almost did once," Arthur reminded, scooting closer to her on the couch. She nodded and shifted into his lap.

"Yes, but that was '98. I was younger, and less experienced. Everyone needs to have those kinds of close calls to gain perspective in this job."

"And Lena Smith needs to be less cocky and overly confident when it comes to her supposed partner," Arthur griped, frowning.

"It wasn't her fault. I may not agree with Lena, or like her at all, but it was as much my mistake as hers."

"I don't care. I hate how she abandoned you. And you how your boss continued to put you together for months after."

"It doesn't matter now, it's in the past," Joan said, kissing him. She grinned. "So do I get to see the fabulous gown I assume is in that bag now?"

Arthur nodded and chuckled. "Go for it."

Joan stood up and walked over to the coatrack. She unzipped the bag and had her breath immediately taken away by the silky blue fabric.

"Arthur, this is exquisite."

She pulled out the sleeveless Elie Saab gown and held it against her body. She closed her eyes and twirled. "Wow."

He smiled. "You look stunning."

"I'm not even wearing it yet!," Joan laughed, instantly transformed into a giddy little girl. It was like she was Cinderella, and Arthur was her handsome fairy god-husband. Or something.

"Doesn't matter," Arthur said, taking Joan's face in his hands and kissing her. She smiled.

"Sure you don't want to accompany me?"

"Oh, you know I would love to," Arthur said, kissing her again. "But the last thing we need is to make a scene, and if I come, Steve Barr will cause one."

Joan sighed and he kissed her one more time.

"I have to go read Auggie in," Arthur said, tearing himself away from Joan. "The gala is tomorrow night at 8, at the St. Regis hotel. I will have a car come to the house to pick you up, and you'll get Auggie on the way to the hotel."

"You got it. I'll make you proud," Joan promised. Arthur smiled and opened her office door.

"You always do."

xxxx

Joan sifted through her makeup drawer the next night, trying to decide on the right lipstick color. She settled on MAC's Capricious, gliding it over her lips. She puckered them and looked in the mirror. She had put her wavy blonde hair in a bun, with a few loose curls escaping artfully, framing her face. For makeup, she went with a simple gray smoky eye and of course, the MAC lipstick.

Arthur came up behind her, staring at her in the bathroom mirror and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You look breathtakingly gorgeous."

She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. 'Thank you, darling. I'd kiss you, but…"

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. She smiled and then walked into their bedroom, sat on the bed, and slipped on her nude peep-toe stilettos.

"Okay, I'm not taking my phone, because Auggie will have his… my makeup is done, hair done…" she trailed off. "Am I missing anything? Oh, earrings!"

She stood and walked over to the dresser, opening a small purple jewelry box. Arthur's hand appeared in front of her, holding a small box. She looked at him.

"What's this?"

"Open it and see," he said, a mischievous grin on his lips. She smiled and opened the box to a find a beautiful pair of diamond chandelier earrings.

"Oh, Arthur…"

She slipped them into her ears and took out the gold hoops in her second piercings. They looked perfect with her hairstyle, and they brought out the sparkle in her eyes. Arthur smiled, very pleased with himself.

"Don't let anyone steal you away tonight," he said, holding her black coat out for her to slip into. She smiled and put the coat on, tying the belt.

"I promise that I'll come home to you," she said, placing a small kiss on Arthur's cheek. She took his face in her hands.

"We're gonna catch this guy, and when we do, he will pay for what he did," she said seriously. "He doesn't stand a chance in hell against us."

Arthur smiled. "Truer words have never been spoken," he said softly, tracing his finger down her cheekbone. He sighed.

"Okay, go, before I change my mind. The temptation is crueler than I expected."

Joan laughed and walked out of their bedroom door and downstairs. When she got to the porch, she saw the car Arthur ordered was already waiting. The driver was standing next to the back door, and when he saw her, he pulled it open. She smiled, thanked him, and slipped onto the cool leather seat.

After she told the driver Auggie's address, she stared at the window and took a deep breath. Joan was a damn good spy, she knew that. But something about tonight felt particularly dangerous and tricky. She knew the speculation Arthur was under for having a hand in Jai's death, and she knew it was likely that whoever killed Jai now had Auggie on their radar. And she couldn't lose Auggie. He was her best friend, her most trusted confidant, and the most honest man she knew.

The car stopped at Auggie's house and Joan went up to his apartment. She knocked on the door and seconds later it swung open, revealing Auggie's grinning face and warm brown eyes.

"Hey," Joan said, leaning in to hug him. She kissed his cheek and held him close for a few seconds longer than normal. Auggie chuckled.

"Your dress feels very nice… silk?"

Joan laughed and Auggie hooked his arm through the crook of hers. "Yes. Arthur bribed me with a very nice gown."

"Well, you look stunning – at least, I assume so – and I'm glad I'll be on your arm tonight," Auggie said with that boyish smile of his. They arrived at the car and Joan signaled for the driver to stay put, helping Auggie into the car so he wouldn't bump his head.

"Thank you, Auggie," Joan said, smiling. He grinned.

"I can hear you smiling," he said. Joan laughed and took his hand.

"Okay, so Arthur read you in, right?"

Auggie nodded. "Yes. Keep an eye on Henry – so to speak – and try to find out who killed Jai. Very covertly."

"Pretty much," Joan sighed, leaning her head on Auggie's shoulder. "I'm worried, Auggie. Not about our spying and detective skills, but about you. And Arthur. The two men I care about most are in a lot of danger right now, and I feel we are walking a very precarious line going to this gala tonight."

"It's going to be okay, Joan, I promise. If you need to calm the intensity, pretend it's a game. Like Scooby Doo. We're the meddling kids, just trying to uncover whoever it is under the mask."

Joan laughed. "Scooby Doo? Who does that make me?"

Auggie scoffed. "Daphne, of course. Hot, smart, and stylish? It's a no-brainer."

Joan just shook her head. "How do you know if I'm hot? I could be horrific-looking."

Auggie laughed again. "I've known you longer than I've been blind, remember? Plus, Arthur has good taste, and I hear how that one barista talks to you at the Starbucks kiosk."

"Tyler? Please," Joan said, shaking her head. "He's just scared of me because one time Conrad and I got in a fight in front of him and I threw coffee in his face. Conrad's, not Tyler's."

Auggie grinned. "I remember that. It was just a few months after my accident, and I was so sorry I missed it."

Joan laughed. "Oh, wait! If tonight is like Scooby Doo, are you Fred or Shaggy?"

"Fred," Auggie said, with an air of well-of-course. "Do I look like a hippie?"

"Well, you could use a haircut," Joan joked, running her hand through his hair. He laughed.

"Mrs. Campbell, we are here," the driver said, turning around from the front seat. Joan took Auggie's hand and they exited the car slowly. She looked at the hotel, with all the well-dresses guests milling around in the lobby and out front. With Auggie by her side, she navigated the way to the coat check, handing them her coat and Auggie's.

They made their way through the party, heading towards the bar. Joan made sure to walk slowly, surveying the whole party.

"Okay, tell me what you see," Auggie whispered in Joan's ear. She nodded, even though he couldn't see her.

"I see…. A toned guy who looks like one of Jai's squash buddies giving me "the nod"…." – Auggie laughed – "Steve Barr is glaring at me… and there's a tall, dark man standing next to Jai's picture." Auggie perked up.

"Okay, describe the scene."

Joan ordered a glass of chardonnay for herself and a glass of Scotch for Auggie. "There is a large, poster-sized picture of Jai, framed and sitting on a table. Under it, on the table, is a book that people are writing messages in. Most people are coming and going within 5 minutes, but this guy has been there for at least 15… he's flipping through the book, reading other people's messages…" Joan got an idea. "I'm going to stage a run-in."

"No, Joan," Auggie said firmly. He gripped her forearm. "It's too risky."

"How? I'm just a former colleague, paying my respects," Joan said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Fine," Auggie conceded, recognizing the tone of Joan's voice. She would do it whether he agreed or not. "But give it a few minutes."

She waited seven minutes and then handed her glass to Auggie and straightened her dress before tapping him to let him know she was leaving. She walked toward the table casually. The man moved slightly when he heard her coming, and she flipped to a blank page without looking at him. Joan twirled the pen in her hand for a few seconds before writing her message, knowing that the man would most likely read whatever she wrote.

Jai: We at work all miss you very much. You were a wonderful, ambitious man, and it is sad to see your life end so soon. Thinking of you every day. – Joan

She closed the book and capped the pen, glancing at the man. He was watching her, and not stealthily at all.

"How did you know Jai?," he asked. He had a slightly foreign accent Joan couldn't quite place. She smiled politely.

"Work. I was his boss, but he would have had my job in no time. He worked very hard," she said. It wasn't completely untrue, Jai had been as much of hard worker as he was a snake. He nodded.

"At the State Department, yes?"

She nodded. "That's right. How did you know him?" Joan pretended like she hadn't noticed him lurking around the table.

The man shook his head. "Oh, I didn't. His father and I were old business associates. I don't think I saw him after he was three."

Joan immediately knew he was lying. Until Jai was 5, he and his mother lived in a safe house in London. He was born in the US, but Henry had quickly hidden both Jai and his mother away for the first few years of his life, to keep him safe. It was the one admirable thing Henry had done for his son. And besides that, the man didn't look much older than Jai or Auggie. Unless Henry Wilcox did business with children, this man had most likely never even met Henry.

"Speaking of, have you seen his father? I want to pay my respects," Joan said sweetly. The man shook his head, as she expected him to.

"No, sorry. But it was lovely to meet you…"

She considered giving him a fake name for a moment, but she had signed her real name in the book and she knew many other people at the party, who could give her up by pure accident.

"Joan," she said, extended her hand to shake his. "And you are?"

"Alex," he said, shaking her hand. She made note of a small, diamond-shaped tattoo on his wrist when the cuff of his sleeve slid back. He kissed her hand before gently dropping it, then disappeared into the crowd. Joan processed what happened as she walked back to the bar to find Auggie. He turned when she was about a yard away.

"Joan?"

"Yes," she said, holding her arm out for him to take. She steered him past the table to the staircase, where a man was sitting a fancy baby grand piano, playing a soft melody. She pulled Auggie into a corner and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"He said his name is Alex, but it could be fake. Tall, dark complexion, short black hair, slightly foreign accent, diamond-shaped tattoo on his right wrist."

Auggie chuckled. "Nice work. Of course you had to strike up a conversation."

"He started it, actually," Joan said, smiling. "You get anything?"

"Just a few people at the bar gossiping about whether or not Henry would show up. A few sounded CIA. Foreign accent, huh? Asian, European…?"

"I don't know," Joan sighed. "I couldn't quite place it. A little Russian, maybe? Czech?"

Auggie smiled and turned Joan back to the noise of the party. "I have a plan."

An hour later, Auggie and Joan were standing at the bar again. Auggie's plan had been successful. Joan had noticed "Alex" lurking at the Jai memorial table again, so Auggie had pulled out his cane and found his way to the table. He had "accidently" bumped his cane into Alex's shin, and after an apology, he introduced himself as August and asked Thomas to write a message into the book for him. Joan still laughed when Auggie replayed the conversation for her.

"Will you please write: Jai old buddy, it was fun playing squash with you. I'm gonna miss your wicked serve and sense of humor. Cheers, Auggie."

"Aren't you blind?"

"You saying a blind man can't play squash? I have a mean left backhand."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean – "

"It's okay, man. Just do me a favor and try to be open minded, okay? The world is full of too many sight-ists."

Auggie had recorded the whole thing on his phone, so they now had a sample of Alex's accent. Joan was trying to figure out their next move when she saw Henry Wilcox, in a clean suit and with a bodyguard on each side, walking to the bar. She squeezed Auggie's hand and traced the letters "HW" on his hand with her finger to silently alert him. He nodded and turned so his back was to Joan. Henry saw Joan and a sad, weary smile crept onto his face.

"Hello, Joan," he said to her. He turned to the bartender. "Scotch, neat."

"How are you, Henry?," Joan asked kindly. She hated the man, but he had just lost his son. For one night, he deserved to be treated like a human being.

"Like hell," he mumbled, turning back to her. "Did your husband tell you that people think I had something to do with all this?"

"I heard some whispers," she said. "He has been missed."

Henry just frowned. "My son, Joan. I lost my only son. I have truly lost everything to this goddamned Agency." His scotch arrived and he threw half of it back in one gulp.

"Speaking of everything I hate, where's Arthur?," he asked.

"He couldn't make it," Joan said, trying to stay kind and polite. Henry scoffed.

"Hiding is more like it. The bastard came to visit me under the guise of paying respects, just to pester me to talk to the investigators about Jai."

Joan nodded. "Well, we are both very sorry for your loss."

Henry smiled wickedly. "But not enough to get me out of here, huh?," he asked, gesturing to the bodyguards right behind him. Joan shook her head.

"We feel terrible that you lost your son, but not that you are serving time. Make no mistake, what you did was horrible, and you need to pay the price."

Henry scoffed at her again and finished off his scotch. "As will Arthur, one day." He walked off, bodyguards on his tail.

Auggie turned back around, frowning. "Yuck. I never liked him."

"You're not alone," Joan said with disgust, signaling to the bartender for another glass of chardonnay. "Ughh, I don't think I can spend any more time here."

"Do we have enough intel for Athur?"

"I hope so. I've been checking out the party, watching all the guests, but only Thomas stood out. Then again, Arthur said our guy most likely wouldn't stand out. I don't want to let him down, but – "

"Hey," Auggie said, feeling for her hand and taking it. "Arthur just wants you to be safe. My guess is that he'd rather have you come up empty than push it and end up in a compromising position."

Joan smiled. "You're right. Wanna get out of here?"

"Yes," Auggie said. "Tavern?"

Joan grinned. "I'll take us to the coat check."

Joan finally got home a little after midnight. She and Auggie had officially taken themselves off the clock and had 3 rounds of beers before calling it a night. Their slightly unusual attire didn't raise any eyebrows at the bar, many of their fellow patrons were Agency men and women, and they knew the need for a cold drink after a tiring op. The only rule of the Tavern was: don't ask what division the others are from, or what their current assignment is. Pretend you don't know they're CIA, and it's all good.

She crept upstairs quietly, so as not to wake Arthur. She was glad to see he was asleep. She carefully slipped off her gown and laid it on the chair in the corner of the room, making sure not to wrinkle it. She removed her makeup, earrings, and undid her hair. Then she undid her strapless bra, carelessly tossing it onto the floor, and slipped into bed in just her nude lace panties, snuggling into Arthur's side. All it took was a few deep breaths and she was fast asleep.