Hello reader. This is the first time I am publishing anything about Covert Affairs. I hope you guys enjoy. I am tring to improve my writing skills so I can work on more elaborated stories, so please, fell free to review, rate and even PM (I love chatting around with CA fans).

Also, have in mind that English is not my first language, so I am really sorry if I mess this up. Hope it is understandable.

"Thanks for let me talk this out. Bye"

And the voice mail is over. Joan was sitting on her chair and looked really worried. Auggie was standing right in front of her, equally frustrated. He had just arrived back from Iraq, and Annie was already giving him some trouble.

"And this was the last time you heard from her? "– Joan bitted the top of a pen thoughtful

"I wasn't able to trace her down. She didn't pick up the phone. But I noticed something odd in the American Embassy registers"

"Were you hacking the embassy…?"

"They registered an attack situation, on the name of Danielle Brooks." – Auggie did not mind on answering his boss question.

Joan looked up for Auggie's face, and could see on his sightless eyes how worried he was. She was the one who assigned him to be Annie's handler, and they made quite a pair. None of them ever let themselves be restricted by working hours nor protocols; they always had each other's back. In some way, they resembled her and Arthur when they were young.

She moves to the computer and open the traveling protocol.

"I am putting you on the next plane to Amsterdam."

"Thank you, Joan" – he was much more relived. He was about to leave but he stopped himself in front of the door. Then turned back and walked towards Joan "Why me?"

"I am sorry, aren't you her handler?" Joan answered quite mad with such interrogation

"Yes, but… we both know that maybe someone with a working pair of eyes could probably get this job done better."

Joan stood up and sighted. Auggie could sense how mad she was. The atmosphere just changed. He could almost listening his own heart pounding.

"I don't know what kind of self-steam problem you 'caught' in Iraq, but I am quite sure I know my operatives well enough to know what kind of missions they are able to work on." They were standing in front of each other now, Auggie knew how Joan acted when she was confronted.

"Ok…" he turned around promised himself to don't do that again. He could not know, in that point, how many times after that he would commit the same mistake again.

Auggie was not able to go away thought. Joan hold his arm. He sure was surprised; she doesn't have such approach, not normally.

"Auggie, Annie needs you. Lately she has been through a lot: there was Lena, and then Eyal…. She needs to see that she has some people around here that really care for her. Furthermore,…" she stopped for a moment, so far she sounded just like any boss was supposed to act on a situation like this, but the next words sounded much more personal "You need this to yourself too. To let your feeling flow."

"Hm? What do you mean?" the operative was confused.

"Sometimes we get so involved in our jobs that it becomes difficult to understand our own feelings. When Arthur and I started dating, I was so afraid of how dangerous it could be… and how being a spy could be a barrier to our, well, our love…. That I stopped myself from doing many thing I would like to have done."

Auggie was in silence. Hardly even breathing. He have never seen Joan acting in such a maternal way, and even more, suggesting that he was in love with Annie. He opened his mouth trying to say some words. But none was out. They got stuck in his throat, giving him this feeling of sickness. I was as if his heart was joking around, calling him a fool.

"You love her, don't you?" – Joan asked with a glimpse in her eyes. In a matter of fact, she envy this two, wishing that she could live all again with Athur, wishing they could be young again.

The silence wasterrible. But there was no help. He would not say a word about it.

"Keeping yourself doing from doing things you wish to do leads us to the worst type of regret." She concluded going back to her desk, and looking to the frame picture of her and Arthur.

He breathed deeply. And thought about all he has been trough. His boss was right, this was not just about rescuing an operative, it was about his feelings. He have been trying to tell her how he feels like in a while, but didn't have the opportunity to. Nor even the courage. It was about time to start acting up, before he gets himself involved with this kind of regret. He nodded, with a shy smile on his face.

"Thank you for sharing your experience with me, Joan."

"I wish you to the best of luck." She smiled as he walked away.

Later on the same day, Joan headed back home. She arrived late, so Arthur was already there, watching the news on the living room while drinking a cup of whisky. The head of the DPD stopped by the door observing then charming old man as he drinks. He raised his eyes and looked to her with a smile.

"What?" – he said without knowing why his wife was staring at him that way.

"I was just wondering if I would do everything again if I had the chance to." her facial expression was a mix of happiness and sadness. Arthur walked towards her and touched her face with kindness. Although she hadn't been specific yet, he was now able to understand what was going on inside his wife head.

"I would." he said smiling and passing his hands on her hair

"Yeah, me to…."