He likes to make her laugh.
She's just got back from a mission with a higher degree of danger than normal, even for her. He catches her before she's gotten to the mediteam.
"There's my favorite little badass!" He greets her jovially, happy that she's made it out alive. Her entire countenance is haggard as she responds.
"Hey Auggie." It's no more than she can manage. He frowns in concern as it sounds as if she's liable to pass out at any minute.
"Are you—" He doesn't have to finish asking as his steadying hand is met with her sticky, slick, and crusting arm. Her intake of breath makes him move to her shoulder instead. "What is it?" Its not the standard confused inquiry but a demand to know the nature of her injury.
"Knife wound, about an inch and a half long." He almost curses. Somehow he manages to keep in.
"Ouch." He remarks. "Let's get you to the medics." Guiding her gently (oh the irony) to the waiting facility, he decides to make it light. For both their sakes. "And don't worry, from what I hear chicks dig scars." Its the first noise she makes that doesn't make her sound bone tired. He smiles.
They're pulling into his driveway after a very long night. She'd insisted they still had to go for drinks because they both needed to decompress. In the end, as always, she turned out to be right.
"Thank you, as usual."
"Hey, its no prob, you know I'd drive you anywhere." He pretends to ponder this.
"Mexico, right here, right now." He proposes jokingly. He can hear the teasing under her stern facade.
"Not without a good reason, I've got a poor defenseless cat under my care you know." Suddenly he thinks of all the mistakes he's in the process of making, and wonders if Mexico isn't a half bad idea. He glances away from her, or rather her general direction.
"Thanks for taking me out tonight. I needed it." He says it to change the subject, but speaks honestly. He can hear the rustle indicative of a shrug.
"You looked like you needed it." She replies easily. It brings a mischievous smirk to his face.
"Oh, so that's why you stuck around an extra 20 minutes?"
"You knew?" She asks, still incredulous after all this time.
"Duh. You should know by now, nothing gets past me." He leans over the divider to kiss her cheek but somehow catches her lips instead. The spark is enough to startle him into pulling back.
"Uh... sorry. Mistakes like that are a Ray Charles occupational hazard." She nods so quickly he can feel it through the air.
"Yeah, no problem." There's an awkward pause that takes a moment for him to breach.
"I'll just be getting out of the car now." Her laugh is jittery, relieved, and breathy. It comforts him because it reflects his feelings exactly. So he smiles.
They sit outside in the dark. There is an overbearing silence that reeks of tears and betrayal. It is because of him, and that makes him feel like running when he thinks he might be frozen. When she speaks it is a heartbreaking sound.
"How..." Could you, he completes for her. It's not something he can answer.
"Annie, you know me." She scoffs and something inside him clenches. He tries to continue as if it doesn't hurt, but is positive he's failed. "You know I wouldn't do anything like this without a damn good reason. I wouldn't willfully endanger another agent." He can hear her turn her head and imagines she's pinning him with a look full of disappointment. It is one of those rare moments he's glad he can't see.
"How am I supposed to trust you again? I mean, can we ever be friends after this?" This drives him to desperation and he turns to face her on the bench.
"You can hate what I did, but please," He grips her tense hand in both of his and is emboldened when she doesn't pull away. "Don't forget who I am." There is another silence, though this one he feels is less oppressive, as if she's considering his words. Slowly, her fingers curl around his.
"Did you sleep with her?" It's not just a question, it's acceptance. Nonetheless, he feels like the next few minutes are crucial, and apprehension settles in his gut.
"She had to believe she was seducing information out of me. It wouldn't have worked otherwise." He can almost picture her biting her lip, if he'd had any idea what her mouth looked like.
"Was it good?" The forced nonchalance almost makes him grin. Instead he stifles how her jealousy lifts his spirits.
"All the sleaze kinda ruined it for me." In response he hears that nearly inaudible hum he's come to associate with her smile. And so he smiles back.
He loves to make her laugh. But some days... her smile is enough.
I'm so upset by the resent turn of events. Is that woman with Auggie in the promos the skanky news reporter? I've heard speculation from both sides, but with all the hints in the recent episodes, I'm so... terrified! I hope this will be proven to be all in my head. In which case, we can all laugh about this later.
The first half of this was written on my iPhone before I fell asleep, so forgive anything you find there. Course... you could always review if you find a mistake...