This is my first story, and since I've never had anyone read my work before (with the exception of my little sister) I don't know if it's going to be any good. Any and all criticism is welcome, even flames, because it all shows you ways to improve. Unless you're just generally hating. In which case, why on earth are you here anyways? Go find something better to do. This isn't going to be Auggie/Annie in the romantic sense yet, but I fully intend to build up to that. Right now, they're just best friends.

Getting to Know You Better

Chapter One: Embarrassment

By Time Lady Zelie

Annie Walker and Auggie Anderson were friends. The best of friends, actually. Annie hadn't been this close to anyone in quite a while, really, as working at the CIA had made it hard to talk to her sister, and before that she'd just been on the move too much to get involved. She and Auggie just got along very well, and had since her first day. On most any day, it could be counted on that they'd be together at Allen's having a drink or two or, if it had been a particularly bad day, more. They talked about a lot of things, like how Katia and Chloe were doing, or a Mingus tribute concert, or some funny incident from the past. One subject, however, was just not talked about: their exes. Whether the reason was respect for Annie's ordeal with Ben Mercer or just because it was and awkward topic, neither of them were sure. But it sure made Annie wonder how they'd ended up talking about it this evening.

"Oh, come on, Walker. I know you have to have had at least one awkward date moment. You can't ignore me forever," he teased her, taking a sip of his beer. He had such a cocky smile on his face, quite possibly because he knew full well she had had several such moments.

Annie ground her teeth together before answering," I tell you what. I'll show you mine if you show me yours, so to speak."

"Someone's a little feisty tonight. All right, sure. I've got nothing to hide," Auggie replied easily. Damn, she thought. She'd hoped that putting that condition with it would deter him. No such luck. It seems to have encouraged him, as a matter of fact. Well...two can play this game...

"Deal,"she said, and they shook on it. "So, my most embarrassing date moment...gimme a minute. I gotta think."

His grin got wider. "Sure, take all the time you need. I'll order more drinks," he said, flagging down a waitress. "Two more beers, please."

"Sure thing!" the waitress replied, just a little too seductively for Annie's taste.

As soon as the waitress was gone, Annie muttered threateningly, "Don't even think about leaving me high and dry here, Auggie."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Besides, I'm about to learn so much about you," he replied as he leaned back in his chair. How he managed to lean so far back and not fall and crack his skull open was a complete mystery to her. Especially considering how much he'd already had to drink.

"Good. Okay, okay, I've got one. This was back in college, my freshman year. I had taken a break from studying for my finals, and was walking towards the quad to maybe watch some ultimate frisbee. I'd just settled down on the grass when this guy walked out of the game and came right over to me, looking hurt and disappointed. 'Annie, why'd you stand me up last night? Surely you didn't forget that you agreed to come have dinner with me last night, right?' he said. I started panicking, because he did look kinda familiar.

" I was feeling really rotten for forgetting all about him, so I promised that he could pick me up for a movie that night at seven. True to his word, he picked me up at seven and we went to see a movie. Unfortunately, it was a horror movie like none I've ever seen, and it scared me so much that I screamed and dumped my drink in his lap. He was giving me such a horrified look, I couldn't even move. That's when I heard him mutter, 'That's the last time I use that to trick a chick into going out with me. I get a damned klutz every time.' I was so embarrassed that I'd been tricked by such a loser and that I'd been scared so easily and been such a klutz that it was all I could do not to run out of the theater and go straight home."

"Wow. That is pretty bad," Auggie conceded as their drinks arrived. He fiddled with his cane a moment before he continued, "But I have a better one."

"Oh really, Casanova? You have a better one?" Annie asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, actually. I know how hard it must be to believe that such a smooth, attractive person as myself could possibly be embarrassedon a date. But yes, even someone as quick thinking and intelligent as I am can be caught by a dating horror," Auggie declared. Annie snorted. He looked offended and said, "What? I'm just telling it like it is!" This made Annie burst into full-on laughter, accidentally whacking her elbow on the corner of the table.

"Ouch," she said, rubbing her injured elbow softly. That had really hurt!

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for making fun of people. Karma's a bitch. But seriously, you okay?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll live. Now quit stalling and tell your story!" she demanded.

"Okay. Picture me in high school, about junior year, I think. Athletic, but still on the nerdy side. Not as confident as I am now. So asking a girl out is a big deal, especially the girl I had in mind. She was pretty, no, more like gorgeous, tall, and smart. Her name was Liz Baker, a sophomore in college. I met her at this party one of my brothers threw while our parents were out of town. One look at Liz and I was a goner.

"It took me about three months to work up the nerve to ask her out, but I finally got her to agree to go trick-or-treating with me. Yeah, pretty stupid, I know, but it was all I could think of. And hey, it worked! So, anyways, we'd decided to coordinate our costumes so we'd be an obvious pair, like doctor and nurse. She came up with the idea that we should be Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Since one of my friends worked at a costume shop, it fell to me to get our costumes together. So I went to do that, my friend asking me what the hell I needed a Tinker Bell costume for. When I told him, he gave me this weird look, but he helped me anyways.

"I didn't feel any real need to try my costume on in advance, so I was in for a bit of a surprise when I realized that my tights weren't quite big enough and there was nothing I could do. But I figured, hey, it's only for a few hours, I'll be fine! And I was, until I drove her home. I got out of the car to escort her to the door and I dropped my wallet. I bent over to get it at the same time as she did, and our heads collided. We both stumbled, yelling, when a vey audible rip was heard. That was my tights' seams splitting. Around that time, Liz's brother opened the front door to see what the commotion was all about. I was shocked to see my friend from the costume store, just as he was surprised to see me, my tighty-whities exposed to the world, stumbling around his yard while his older sister mumbles profanity and leans against the bird bath."

"Oooh. Yeah, that is worse than mine. You poor thing," Annie winced.

" Wait. It gets even better. It wasn't just my friend who was disturbed by all the noise we were making. It was more like the whole cul-de-sac was awoken, lights turned on, noses pressed to windows. By the time I got home, someone had already called my mother and told her that I was being publicly indecent. We had quite a lovely little talk about proper attire after that," Auggie responds.

"I'm guessing that Liz never went on another date with you, huh?" Annie commented.

"Nope. But I would have paid money to have seen how she looked when I went back home for a visit for the first time after I moved here. Apparently, she didn't do very well after college. Real pity," he lamented.

"Well, of course she didn't do well! She missed out on a chance to have Auggie Anderson in her life," she joked.

Auggie snapped his fingers and said, "That must be it. See how lucky you are, Annie? You've got your very own me!"

She giggles and says, "Yep. I'm lucky. You're a good friend." The waitress finally comes with the hot wings they had ordered when they first got there, and the conversation drifts until Auggie asks, out of the blue, "So, what's the most amazing date you've ever been on?"

Her head snapped around to look at him. "You just don't know when to stop, do you?"

"Nope. Besides, when you think about it, I really don't know much about you in that area. It's like your entire romantic life is in the dark, with the exception of the Ben Mercer story. As your best friend, it's my job to know everything about you. Even the bad stuff," he pouted.

"Auggie...it's just...weird talking about all that stuff. Let me do it at my own pace," she mumbled.

"That's fine. I get that it's awkward. But you will have to answer eventually. Share a taxi with me?"

"Sure. I think I've had a bit too much to drink to drive home safely," she answered. With that, they got up and started walking out. About halfway to the exit, the waitress popped up again.

"Hey, handsome, if you don't mind waiting until my shift's over, you could come back to my place..." she said saucily to Auggie.

Auggie smiled and said, "Maybe some other time. Right now, I'm too tired and drunk to be interested in much more than going to bed." Annie smiled to herself when the waitress huffed and stormed off. This had been a pretty good end to a terrible week, she thought.