CHAPTER 1

Annie slumped against her red Volkswagen, tears flowing down her face. She picked up her cell from her purse, and dialed Auggie's familiar number. He answered on the second ring sounding oddly excited.

"Aug…are…are you still at Langley…? Her voice shook with her held back sobs.

"Annie? What wrong? What happened?"

"I…I just…can you come down to my car? I can't come into the building like this…"

"Of course. I'll be there in seconds. Just hang on okay, Annie?"

Annie hung up and flung her purse onto the ground by her feet. She hated crying, she was stronger than that, but right now, she wanted nothing more than to fall in a hole and sob. She heard running footsteps and saw a worried looking Auggie sprinting toward her. When he reached her he stood panting, waiting for her speak. Annie didn't say a word, just clung to him like he was the only thing holding her up. She let out all her tears as Auggie wrapped his strong arms tightly around her small waist. He kissed her hair, and let her cry into his neck. He nearly cried himself feeling his best friend tremble in his arms. He hooked his arms around her lower back, giving her more support, and not letting her fall to the floor. He softly walked them backwards and set her on the hood of her car, never letting go of her.

Eventually, Annie's sobs slowed, and she pulled back. She looked up at Auggie who softly brushed away the few straggling tears with his thumb. Annie finally spoke for the first time in those 10 minutes,

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like that. I just, I just can't go back there, Auggie. No one should have to go through that." Auggie sighed and somehow managed to look right into her moist eyes,

"I won't ask what happened in that detention center, but I will tell Joan you aren't going back in there. I'll make sure the op goes cold."

Annie shook her head,

"No need for it to go cold. I finished it. It's officially closed."

"You finished it? Annie that was at least a week long op!"

Annie nodded, "Like I said, no one will ever have to enter that hell hole again."

Auggie smiled and kissed her nose, "And that's why you're my best friend. Now, c'mon, I'll go tell Joan your back, while you get cleaned up, and then you can tell Joan what you found."

"Thanks Aug. Why are you so nice to me?" she asked, the teasing tone finally making an appearance. But Auggie stayed serious and leaned to whisper in her ear,

"Because Annie, soldiers, even former ones, are severely loyal to the things they swear to protect."

"Joan, Annie's back." Auggie said from his boss's doorway. Joan looked up at her tech and saw worry in his blind eyes.

"That's not all you want to tell me. What happened?"

Auggie sighed, and closed the heavy door behind him as he took a few steps into Joan's office,

"Annie finished the op. I don't know what happened in that detention center, and I'm not going to ask, but all I know is that it was hell. She spent the last 10 minutes sobbing outside before she came in. She is cleaning up now, then she will be in here to tell you the rest."

"Thanks Auggie." Joan said. As he started exiting she softly added, "Stay. She'll need you."

Auggie nodded and put his hand out in front of him to grasp the back of the chair that faced her desk. A few minutes later a much cleaner looking Annie knocked tentatively on the door of Joan's office, and shuffled in when her boss replied with a simple 'enter'. All Annie's nerves seemed to disappear when she saw Auggie sitting in a chair in the office. She could make it through anything with him there.

"Joan, I finished the op."

Joan nodded, "So Auggie said. Care to explain how?" she prompted, perhaps a bit more detached than she meant to sound.

"The place was hell. The seniors ran the center. If you were late to class, you got beat up. They made you run to each class for their own sick pleasure, and if you didn't run fast enough, you got beat up. They beat the shit out of me twice. Once for not running fast enough, and the second time for not knowing how to check out a book form the library, and thus being late to class. The leader then proceeded to tell his right hand man, the guy you wanted info on, I need to be 'initiated', which means raped. He took me to my dorm, locked the door, and whispered in my ear he wasn't going to do anything, but he needed to make it look like he did. So he bruised my hips," Annie lifted her shirt up a bit to show Joan the finger shaped marks, "cracked my head on the wall-no concussion, already checked-and gave me a scar with his knife that runs across my back. Oh, and I also have 3 broken ribs from the two beating I got. But enough about me, your guy is innocent. He is just a product of his surroundings. He didn't commit that murder he is in there for. By the way, because I know you're going to ask this, the officers do nothing about what the seniors do. If anything, they approve of it." Annie finished bitterly.

'And rightfully so' Auggie thought to himself. His hands had curled into fists after the third sentence of her explanation, and now lay shaking at his sides.

Joan sighed and shook her head,

"Annie," she almost whispered, "I am so sorry. I will contact someone to close that place down immediately. I'm impressed you finished the op, but I'm sorry for making you go through that. I had no intention of you getting hurt in this op. Please accept my apology."

Annie stared in shock at her boss. Had Joan Campbell, director of the DPD, and wife of Arthur Campbell, just apologize to her?

"Of course, Joan. Thank you for apologizing."

"Thank you for your hard work Annie. Take the next two days off. That is an order. Oh, and I think Auggie better take those off with you."

Auggie's head shot up in surprise, "Me?" he asked incredulously.

Joan just nodded efficiently, "She will need someone to help her cope. You are the best decision. Dismissed."

The two agents nodded and slipped out of Joan's office.

"Well," Annie started, "What should we do for the next two days Agent Anderson?"

Auggie began walking down the short stair case to the bull pen,

"Grab your stuff; you're staying at my place. You can't possibly be looking forward to being alone tonight after sleeping with one eye open for the past two nights. Just tell your sister you will be getting back two days late."

Annie smiled and stopped Auggie's movements to kiss his cheek,

"Thanks Auggie. You always know exactly what I need. And as for Danielle, she doesn't even know I'm back yet."

Auggie smiled and winked before disappearing into his office to grab his stuff to go home. Asking his best friend, who he just so happened to be in love with, to stay with him for a few days may not have been his best idea, but it definitely had its perks.