I have been looking for my favorite CA fanfic to be updated all week, which is Aftermath... And its been almost 7 days and still hasn't been updated! So I had nothing to read this week and I took advantage of that by writing this... I hope you enjoy. I'm sure I made some spelling/grammar mistakes sorry!
It had been about a month since Annie got back from Hong Kong and Joan had her baby. Things were far from normal, but day by day Annie felt as if she were returning to herself. Auggie had got his tech ops job at the DPD back a week ago. Annie was going to mandated therapy at the CIA; she still hadn't made a decison on whether she would go back at all.
Annie sat on the bar stool in Auggies kitchen and sighed plucking a grape into her mouth, just as she had gotten used to having him around again he went back to work. She had gotten used to the isolation, and being back at Auggie's apartment took time getting used to. Then when she did get used to it she craved to have Auggie around and to talk to him non-stop. Now not having him around, the silence felt suffocating she picked up her purse and decided to go do some shopping. She honestly didn't feel like going back to wearing heels and dresses yet. She needed a new bra, some more flats, and a new pair of jeans.
She was about to walk out as her phone began to ring, she looked at the caller ID: Joan. Joan, Arthur, Annie, and Auggie had had dinner every Friday night to spend time together, and Annie would usually visit Joan once every week just to see McKenzie, believe it or she loved babies, and she could tell being around Mc Kenzie made her happy. It reminded her of when she used to babysit her nieces when she was in college.
Joan sighed and dropped the magazine as she heard the baby upstairs scream just five minutes after she had put him in his crib. She dragged herself up the stairs as quickly as her half asleep body would allow so that she wouldn't wake Arthur, who had also just dozed off on the couch across from her.
She loved the little guy and could stare at him for hours and hours, but he sure wasn't a good sleeper. I mean Joan knew babies didn't sleep through the night and that they woke up every few hours, but this was different. He woke up four times during his nap yesterday just to scream until someone would walk into the room and pick him up. After that he instantly fell back to sleep.
Once she picked him up things automatically returned calm and he grasp her pinky finger shutting his little eyes again, "Somebody likes attention, uh?" Joan whispered smiling down at the little guy.
The phone started ringing , Joan sighed, her sister.
"Hey, Rose, " Joan said sluggishly dreading this conversation she knew was coming.
"Hey Joan, so I was thinking tonight it's Friday, and its good for people to you know be normal and get to do normal things like... go on dates, even if they have kids."
"And?" Joan questioned pretending she had no idea what Rose was talking about.
"I was thinking its about time you find a babysitter and go on a date with Arthur tonight. I mean baby Campbell is a little over a month old and you and Arthur have only left your house the entire month to go to the grocery store.
"But, but," Joan started.
"But no, you can't even find a good excuse. You know as well as I do that this would be good for you, it would be refreshing."
"Fine maybe it would be," Joan rubbed her eyes laying Mc Kenzie in the crib again, "I guess I have some phone calls to make," she yawned.
"And a nap to take," Rose chimed in, "Love you Joan."
She smiled shaking her head, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this. Love you too."
That is how Auggie and Annie end up at the Campbells residence at 7PM.
"He's actually not that bad," Auggie said holding the baby in the kitchen.
"Joan says he likes the attention when people hold him," Annie slide in the chair by Auggie.
"Well," Auggie said standing up, "maybe we should put him down."
"Ugh," Annie whined standing behind Auggie, "but I don't want him to cry. We aren't Joan and Arthur, he doesn't know us as well it will take forever to get him to stop."
"Annie," Auggie said as he found the bassinet and set the baby in it, "Hes gotta learn to sleep on his own someday, " He pulled the blanket to the baby's shoulders and set on the edge of the couch by McKenzie.
Not ten minutes later a loud wail escaped the little one's lips.
"See look at what you did," Annie moaned twenty minutes later as Auggie tried to get McKenzie to stop screaming, he wanted his Mommy and Daddy. She rubbed her temples and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Maybe he's hungry," Auggie shrugged.
"No Joan fed him right before they left and that was only thirty minutes ago, let me see him," Annie sighed taking him from Auggie and changing his wet diaper. Then she started to walk around the room remembering how it had taken almost 3 hours to get her niece, Chloe, to stop crying one time. The thing that had finally worked was walking and bouncing at the same time.
Sure enough five minutes later his wiggling, howling little body had became still and he was trying to grasp Annie's hair.
"So he stopped?" Auggie asked coming back from the kitchen with a water bottle.
"Yeah finally."
"Is he asleep?" Auggie said finding the pile of baby clothes they had decided to fold for Joan and Arthur.
"No hes.. hey little thing you can't eat my hair. He's trying to steal my hair," Annie told Auggie, the smile apparent in her voice.
"Do you have a crush on a baby?" Auggie asked teasingly.
"Of course I do who doesn't?" Annie shot back.
He smirked, "I'm hurt Annie. Your giving a baby more attention than me."
Annie half laughed and threw a pillow at him which hit him in the stomach, "Not funny," He stuck his tongue out.
"Of course it is," Annie tickled McKenzies side making him giggle, "See even the baby thinks it funny."
"How did it go guys?" Arthur asked once they got home.
Auggie smiled, "I got hit by a pillow it wasn't fair."
"Your just jealousy I like the baby better, it can't talk back," Annie snickered.
"I'm not jealousy," Auggie said deafeningly.
"I think he meant with the baby," Joan said pointing to the bassinet.
"Besides Auggie's little "plan" he was great," Annie said, "I told Auggie how he started crying if you laid him down when he was still slightly awake and Auggie went and laid him down."
"Yeah it didn't work very well," Auggie said.
"I should get a thank you for that. I'm the one that fixed your little plan," Annie yawned.
"Thanks Annie without you he would probably still be crying, happy?" Auggie motioned her.
"Very. Can we babysit again, Joan, Arthur?" Annie asked eagerly.
They looked at each other, "Next Friday?" "Next Friday."
"Yay! Auggie we get to come back," Annie said.
"Yay," Auggie said rolling his eyes.