Note: Written for Prompt 2 of the Tumblr Covert Affairs Hiatus Fic Fest: Joan, Auggie and Annie hanging out at Allen's Tavern. I took some liberties… This is a bit of a Joan character study.

"The miserable have no other medicine, but only hope"—Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare

Joan sat at the bar, both hands on her pint glass, staring into the dregs of the amber liquid. She didn't drink beer often anymore, but it was what she was in the mood for tonight. She wasn't eager to head home any time soon. Things had been very tense in the Campbell household. They hadn't shared the bed in a week.

Joan considered herself a pretty thick-skinned person—you couldn't rise as she had in the Agency and not be—but these things that put her directly at odds with her husband got under her skin. He was a politician more than ever these days, concerned more with appearances than the safety of his operatives. So quick he jumped to judgment, looking for the best way to save face. She took a sip, finishing off her beer.

She hadn't wanted to turn in her letter of resignation. It was the kind of political bullshit that was expected when something went wrong. And maybe it was marital nepotism, but she certainly hadn't expected Arthur to actually consider it. Three days later, it was still 'under consideration'. There had been worse scuffles with State where Arthur had stood by her, even encouraged her when she was ready to cave to the pressure. Not this time. He was playing along with upstairs instead of being his own man, and it infuriated her.

Annie was going to go to Russia whether Joan let her or not. And the trip would make waves when Annie got caught, regardless of whether or not it was sanctioned. For all her entreaties, she knew Annie well enough to know that she'd never be content to just take a picture. And maybe Joan was trying to ruffle some feathers. She wanted Lena brought to justice almost as much as Annie did. She'd never made her distaste for Lena a secret. Since Nairobi she had hated the woman, ever since Lena's actions got her friend killed. But, she'd never suspected her of being a double agent—it didn't necessarily surprise her, but it wasn't something that had occurred to her. The news that Lena had been killed, likely by Annie, was rather satisfying. She had it coming.

"Joan."

She turned to see Auggie sliding onto the stool at her left. His cell phone was clutched in his hand.

"I don't think I've ever seen you here," he smirked.

The corners of her lips curled up at his blind joke. "Well, it was that kind of night." She gestured for the barkeep to bring two more.

"I heard about your letter of resignation."

"Word travels. So good for a spy agency."

"Its been three days," he laughed. "That's actually a long time for that building."

"Who?" she asked pointedly.

"Arthur himself. I was in his office making some noise earlier."

"What did he tell you?" It pissed her off that her husband was talking about this more to other people than to her.

"That there was nothing we could do. That Annie was on her own."

He had changed the topic of the conversation without trying to. It was clear where his focus was. "We knew that if she were to be captured, there wasn't much we could do. You knew that," she reminded him, knowing it would do little to assuage him.

"Bullshit bureaucracy," he growled, taking a long sip of the beer that had just been set down in front of him. "There's always something that can be done."

She studied him for a moment, watching him turn his phone over and over in his hand. He was up to something. Auggie didn't sit idly by when his friends were in danger. "Back channels," she said after a moment. "We can't go in officially, but…"

"Right. There are people who can get the job done. People who don't give a fuck about the rules."

"Who did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Arthur shot down my first choice, and I can't make contact without his help so-"

"Ben?" That asshole was the perfect choice for something like this, as much as Joan hated to admit it.

"He was my first choice. I might not like him, but I think he cares enough to get the job done right-"

"I might be able to get that number."

"I already went with my second choice," Auggie explained. "Since I didn't need Arthur's help to make contact."

"You went outside the Agency?"

"Gave our friend at Mossad a call."

"Our friend?" Joan laughed. She wouldn't call him a friend. More like a pain in her ass.

"Annie's friend," Auggie conceded.

"And?"

"On his way to Moscow. I'm waiting for a call that he got there. Should be any time now."

Joan nodded. That explained why Auggie was holding onto his phone like a security blanket. He took another sip of his beer and sat back with a sigh. The past few months had been very tough on him. As soon as he started to get over his broken engagement, everything went to hell with Annie. As his boss, it should annoy her that he went through back channels to make an extraction on his own—but it didn't. Not in this case. Just as she knew Annie would go anyways, she knew Auggie would do whatever it took to rescue her. He always had. And Joan suspected they had grown even closer during Annie's recovery. How close, she wasn't sure. Their relationship had always been in a hazy meeting ground of co-workers, dear friends, and the hint of something more. When Auggie had been taken captive, she truly meant it when she said that no one knew him better than Annie, even though she herself had known him longer. Annie was his best friend.

"Eyal is a good operative," Joan assured him. "He's a pain in the ass-"

"That's why he's good," Auggie said, tapping his phone lightly on the wooden bar. "He does what needs to be done, approval or no."

"Is his trip to Russia approved?" Joan asked. It was unlikely.

"I didn't ask," Auggie told her plainly. "Because I don't really care. And he doesn't either. This isn't a 'seek approval' kind of mission."

"No, I suppose not."

"I can't help her myself," Auggie sighed, head down. "If I could, I'd be on a plane in a heartbeat, rules be damned." His voice cracked, and he turned away from Joan, taking a big swallow of his beer.

Joan placed her hand on his arm. "Eyal is a good choice."

"I hope so."

"If anyone can do it-"

"He will."

"There are no guar-"

"I can't think like that. I just can't, Joan!" He took a deep breath. "I know that it's risky, but I have to stay optimistic. I have to." He put his head in his hands.

Joan sat back. It was going to do him any good to talk conjecture at this point. He was miserable and needed to hold onto that hope. If this didn't go well, it was going to break him.

His phone rang out, and announced "Blocked ID."

"Auggie." He nodded along with the voice on the other end. "Be in touch when you can. As soon as you can." He clicked 'End' and turned to Joan. "Game on."