A little one-shot that came into my head after the mid-season premiere last week, before I saw the promo where Annie and Auggie reunite in a hallway at Langley.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Just love playing with my favorite characters.
-Coming home-
Annie was exhausted. She had barely gotten any sleep for the past 72 hours. She had bid Eyal goodbye in Stockholm and after meeting a contact that had set her up with a new passport and some money she had headed to the airport to catch a flight to Amsterdam and then a plane from there to DC. She was glad she'd managed to shower and change her clothes at a safe house in Stockholm, but that was 36 hours ago and she felt dirty and disgusting again. Still, she was cleaner than she had been for most of the past month. Since she didn't have any baggage she made it quickly through immigration and customs and headed out to the cabstand. Luckily it was only a couple of people in front of her and within minutes she was in the back seat of a taxi. Without thinking she rattled off Auggie's address. She couldn't bear the thought of being alone and Auggie was the only person she wanted to be around.
Across town Auggie was sitting on his couch, soft jazz was coming through his sound system and he was trying to read a book on his BrailleNote. He didn't have much success in focusing on it. He knew Annie was back in DC, Barber had sent him a text about half an hour earlier that she'd just gone through immigration at Dulles, but since she didn't have a phone with her he had no way of contacting her. Auggie hoped she'd call him when she got back to her house, but it was getting late and he knew Joan wanted her to report to Langley first thing in the morning to start the debriefing process. With a sigh he shut down the BrailleNote and brought it over to his desk where he plugged in the charger and turned and headed to the bedroom.
Just as Auggie was about to ascend the steps up to his bedroom there was a soft knock on his front door. He quickly turned and made his way over there.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"Me," Annie's voice came through the door. A wide smile spread across Auggie's face as he unlocked the door and slid it open.
"Hey," she said weakly as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Auggie. He reciprocated the embrace. The familiar scent of Jo Malone grapefruit was absent and he was shocked to feel how skinny she was.
"What have they done to you?" he whispered into Annie's hair.
"You don't want to know," she said weakly as she let go of Auggie. "Can I stay here tonight? I don't feel like being alone."
"Of course you can. You're always welcome here."
Annie stepped into Auggie's apartment and watched as he slid the door closed and locked it.
"Can I get you anything?" he asked, worry lacing his voice. "Are you hungry?"
"I ate on the plane. I'm just tired and want to go to sleep."
"Sure," Auggie said as he wrapped his arm around her back and lead her up to his bedroom. She sat down on the side of the bed. "The cleaner was here today, so the sheets are clean. I'll take the couch."
"Please don't. I don't want to be alone Auggie. Can I borrow a t-shirt to sleep in?"
"Oh, sure." Auggie turned and headed into his closet. A few moments later he came out, carrying a t-shirt and a pair of faded flannel sleep pants. "Here. I know the pants are probably to big, but if you tighten the drawstring they should be okay."
"Thanks Auggie. Um…you wouldn't happen to have a spare toothbrush by any chance?"
"Top left drawer under the sink. If you want to take a shower I think Parker left some shampoo and body wash here, there's a few bottles on the bottom shelf in the shower that's not mine. The towels are in the cabinet under the sink."
"I'll be right back," Annie said as she went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. When Auggie heard the shower running he quickly changed into his own sleepwear and sat down on the side of the bed.
After a few minutes Annie came out of the bedroom, wearing Auggie's sleep pants and t-shirt, her hair was still damp from the shower. The sight of Auggie sitting on the side of the bed with an unsure and worried look on his face brought a smile to her face. She'd forgotten how safe and comfortable he made her feel. He turned in her general direction when he heard the bathroom door open.
"Did you find everything you needed?" he asked.
"I did. You were right; Parker left some shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I found your stash of toothbrushes too. I put it in the free glass and set it on the far left side of the counter."
"Got it. I'll just go brush my teeth, okay?" he said as he got to his feet and headed into the bathroom. Annie spotted Auggie's watch on the left nightstand, so she climbed into the bed on the other side. It felt like heaven. The sheets were soft Egyptian cotton, they smelled of fabric softener and despite Auggie's claim they were clean Annie could swear the smelled of him. She hadn't felt this safe and comfortable in a long time. She was home. With Auggie.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think :o)