Title: All is Calm
Characters/pairings: Auggie, Anderson Family
Rating: Teen
Warning: N/A
Author's Notes: This fic was written for Artemis Rayne during Operation Alpha Maiden over at Operation C.A.F.E. Her prompt spawned many fic ideas but this idea was the one that bit and didn't let go. It maybe a while before the next operation so be on the lookout. There's also an idea for Awards for Best Story of the Year and such but that idea is still new.
Read and Review!
Auggie leaned back against the worn but comfortable couch in his parents' living room, a slight smirk on his face as he tilted his head toward his oldest brother, Evan Anderson. "Ready whenever you are, bro."
Narrowing his eyes, Evan tensed, knowing this would make or break his team's hold on the lead. They were only separated by only 2 points. "Ready, set . . . . GO!"
Lucas Anderson, the fourth oldest son, began to describe the word printed on the card he held in his hand as fast as he could while making sure not to say any of the forbidden words. "Part of the name of the first leg in the Triple Crown."
"Kentucky Derby." Auggie stated at once, remembering the name immediately. As a little boy, he had watched the races of the Triple Crown with his family, all of them hoping that there would be a winner that year. His parents had told him that there had been a Triple Crown winner the year before he was born by the name of Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, and had been the last one to win all three legs in a single year. Over time, he had lost interest in them, especially after what happened to Barbaro in 2006.
"Derby." Lucas quickly placed the card down next to him, replacing it with a new card from the deck. "One of the types of natural disasters. . . . happens every year along the . . . can't remember the name." Lucas slammed his hand against his forehead trying to remember. "A natural disaster in the east."
"If you can't remember it, skip it." Evan stated, his eye on the timer in his hand. The rest of the family watched on in silence, which was unusual for them as they were usually a rowdy bunch but Auggie knew the reason why they kept themselves from shouting out other clues. Being unable to see and having dozens of family members shouting him would only give him a headache that would last for hours.
"Tornado? Hurricane?" Auggie guessed, trying to pull up every type of natural disaster he can think of. "Blizzard?"
"No, it deals with oversaturation of the ground with a molecule composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom."
"Mudslide? Flood?"
"It was flood." Lucas slammed down the card once more. "Um, this word deals with something we leave behind. . . ." Despite being blind, Auggie knew his brother was motioning with his arms even though he could no longer see it. It was just a quirk of his brother that he knew from childhood. It had caused many broken decorations when Lucas wasn't being careful which would lead to Auggie pranking his older brother as he was the one usually blamed for it even though he didn't do it.
"Legacy?"
"No, something physical and not long-lasting. . . . If you walk on cement, you can't see it but if you walk in mud-"
BEEP
"Sorry, Uncle Lucas, you can't use the word mud." Michael Anderson, Auggie's 13 year old nephew from his second oldest brother Winston, called out. Auggie groaned as he heard Evan scratch out one of their points.
"My bad. Next card. This has to do with . . . . A geographical location that visitors go see. It's not parallel to the 90 degree axis which makes it well known around the world." Auggie huffed, trying to think of anything that was built wrong.
"The Step Pyramid?"
"No, too old. Built by the people who made the . . . . Who built the Circus Maximus. It sinks deeper every year so they had to put air bags underneath to keep it from sinking."
"Oh, the leaning tower of Pisa."
"Next one. This has to deal with, um, the mind."
"Neurologist?" Auggie grinned.
"No, you dope. Guy who became famous in the beginning of the century and believed in the three types of the subject. He thought that women had penis envy." Lucas added as an afterthought.
"The cracker, Sigmund Freud. I believed he was fixated on sticking things in his mouth, if I remember, since he always smoked." Auggie laughed as his nieces and nephews ewwed over that little tidbit.
"August." His mother, Maria Anderson, scolded from where she sat next to his father, across from him. "The little ones are listening to you."
"Sorry."
"Okay, okay. Next one before the timer goes out." Lucas stated, trying not to laugh at his brother's antics. "This organism has wings but the ones you usually think –"
BEEP! The timer on the table began to flash and vibrate, the plastic cover clattering noisily to alert Auggie the time was up.
"Time's up. That would be three points since you two lost a point," Evan muttered, adding up the numbers for the last round. "This is enough for you two to win this game since you reached 20 points. You should be ashamed; a 9th grader is almost as good as you are."
"I'm not the one paired with the simple-minded one over here." Auggie pointed to Lucas who was collecting the used cards to put away.
"Hey, just because I don't have a large reservoir of words and synonyms does not make me simple-minded." Lucas complained, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "My brain can't work under the pressure of trying to come up with other words than the obvious ones to describe the main one."
"Sure, it doesn't." Auggie leaned back with his own cup. "Michael, thanks for creating the game. Playing Scrabble and Chess get boring after a while."
"No problem, Uncle Auggie." The Taboo game they had just played wasn't one bought from any store but rather one designed and crafted by his nephew over the past year. The playing cards were printed on a slightly heavier grade of paper allowing Michael to carefully press the Braille version of the words onto the cards on not just one side but also on the reverse, like in the normal version. To those who could still see, the words were printed in color over the raised lettering. The timer was a small device that had the ability to vibrate. The only problem was that there actually less cards than in a regular Taboo game but Michael had promised to make more, especially ones that might be more suited to Auggie's nerdy tastes.
"I'm really proud of you." Auggie heard Winston whisper to his son. "Not many people would go that far."
Draining his cup, Auggie stood up. "I'm going to go get some more hot chocolate."
"Children, move to let your uncle pass through." His mom called out. The children lying on the floor chattered and giggled as Auggie slowly made his way from where he was sitting to the kitchen.
"Here, let me go with you. I've wanted some more chocolate cookies for the last ten minutes." Lucas stood, brushing his hand against his brother's and allowing his younger brother to latch on.
"Luke, you need to stop eating candy. The doctor said he's been worried about your blood sugar." Lucas' wife, Denise, called out.
"Pshh, the doctor doesn't know what he's talking about."
"The doctor's whining about your blood sugar again?" Auggie asked his brother as they entered the kitchen. Trailing his hand along the island counter, he made his way to the large pot where his mom had made the dark smooth drink he had always loved as a child. Once he was tall enough, he would watch as his mother mixed the boiling water with the bar of gritty chocolate that was just right for his favorite drink. He had spent many holidays with his mom, coming up with different ways to make hot chocolate. He was pretty sure that his mom had kept the photo Stephan had taken when he was nine years old and had a fresh mustache of whipped cream on his upper lip.
After carefully making sure that everything was where it was supposed to be and he was not mixing his drink with the homemade apple cider, Auggie began to pour himself another cup.
"He tells me if I don't be careful, I'm going to give myself diabetes." The sounds of the cupboards banging open filled the kitchen as Lucas began looking for where their mother had stashed the chocolate chip cookies. "The doc's been telling me that for the past two years and I haven't gotten them yet."
The heat increased on his finger until Auggie knew he was just at about the top. Smiling, Auggie placed the ladle back in the pot, picking up his cup. "Or you're just ignoring it. We Andersons can do denial like nobody's business." Auggie knew it first hand as he had denied that he was going to blind for the rest of his life. If it hadn't been for Lucas, his mom, and Joan, he knew he wouldn't have been where he was today.
And he wouldn't have meet Annie.
"You know, mom and dad were happy you were coming home for Christmas, especially since you missed the last two. She's been worried that you lost yourself in your job." Lucas muttered, moving to the cabinets on the island. "Could have sworn Mom hid the bag in the kitchen."
"Have you tried the pantry?" His mom would always hide items she didn't want the children to find in the top most shelf in the pantry.
The cabinet paused in its movement. "No." The door slammed, Lucas' footsteps travelling around the island to where the pantry was. "Success! Oh, and it's the good ones." Auggie heard the bag being ripped and Lucas stuffing his mouth full. "Wants shome?"
"Nah, I'm good. Need to keep my figure. How did mom feel when I called?"
"What do you think, Auggie? She couldn't stop telling her friends that her youngest son was coming to visit during the holidays after being MIA for more than a year. I don't think if you hadn't come for a visit, I think she would have gone to your apartment by herself."
"It's not entirely my fault. Things went . . . . Tango Uniform last year at work and I had to work the Christmas before that." Auggie said slowly, trying to reveal not too much to his brother despite that fact that he knew his blind brother worked for the CIA still. There were some things that were just not meant for civilian ears. "With everything going on globally, work's been kind of chaotic." Not to mention that paranoia was still running rampant with the consequences of the leak being uncovered by Jai Wilcox. And the fact that his trip to Africa hadn't gone the way he had thought it would have.
Sometimes, being in love just sucks.
"I still can't believe you decided to stay there. I mean, aren't there people who want to see you out the door." Lucas continued to talk around the cookies. "I'm sure being where you are, other people don't take it well when they find out the Company have a blind person looking over a department."
Auggie's mind flashed back to a memory of Henry Wilcox storming into the DPD when he had arrived for his first day after being released from rehab, demanding answers from Joan on why she hired a blind cripple for the position of Tech Ops. "There were some people who wanted me out but I've proven myself capable of handlings my department." His mind flashed to Annie asking the question about his headphones instead of how he went blind that first day over two years ago. "And then there are some people who don't see me as a blind man but rather a man who is blind."
"Uh huh." There was a pause in Lucas' chewing. "That look you have on your face is hinting that you're thinking about a girl."
Auggie rolled his eyes. "It could be a man for all you know." He replied calmly, taking a sip of his cooling hot chocolate.
"Right, right. That would have worked except for the fact I know you're not gay. Is she a girlfriend? Or your personal guide?" Lucas nudged his brother in the side.
"She's not my personal guide. Annie's my best friend."
"Annie? That girl you talked to mom about for the past couple of months? The one you've been helping out at work?" Groaning, Auggie knew telling his mom about his best friend simply was not a smart choice. But it wasn't his fault that his mom's ears were as good as her youngest son's; Maria Anderson, matriarch of the Anderson family, had picked up Annie asking Auggie what he wanted to watch.
"It's not like that so get your mind out of the gutter."
"But that's all you talk about to mom. It seems to me that my little brother has a crush." Auggie raised an eyebrow. He knew he towered over his brother by four inches. Evan had him beat by two.
"It's not a crush. She's just a very good friend, someone who knows me, is my wing woman and my drinking buddy. That's it."
"You know, denial is not just a river in Egypt. Just how many people do you personally train to fight off the bad guys in dark alleys? Do you hang out with other colleagues from the Company back at your place? From my perspective, she's the only one you take in interest in besides a work relationship."
Auggie shifted uncomfortably. Annie wasn't the only that had needed extensive training in hand-to-hand combat, he had to admit, but she was the only he had offered to help. The other field operatives he watched over besides Annie did not come to his apartment for a little chatter nor did he drop off little somewhat personal voicemails when they came back from a mission. Sure, when they were at Allen's and he happened to be there, they would hang out, talk for a bit then go home separately. Completely unlike how he went with Annie in her car and then continued the small talk at his place or how she would drop him off.
It wasn't like he had a crush on Annie.
She was just Annie.
"Lucas, you're making it more than it is." Auggie finally said, wanting to drop the conversation completely. He was saved when Winston popped in.
"Are the two going to talk in here? Mom's wondering where the two of you are."
"Hold on." Auggie quickly poured himself another cup before heading back to his seat, Lucas following with the bag of chips which were quickly confiscated by his wife and handed to the children.
Auggie curled up on his side of the couch, his long legs tucked under him, his hand wrapped around his warm cup. As he settled down, Auggie listened to his family chatter on around him. Denise was sitting on the other side of the couch with Lucas sitting between her legs. From the soft sucking sounds Auggie heard coming from where Denise was sitting, Nicole, the newest addition to the Anderson family, was busy drinking in her mother's arms. The older nieces and nephews were sitting closer to the large fireplace, no doubt taking advantage of the heat just like he and his brothers had done when they were younger.
As he sipped the warm liquid, Auggie heard his father and mother talking in their corner opposite the eight-foot Christmas tree. He dad was sitting in his black leather lazy boy, his feet propped up while his mother was in her rocking chair that was an heirloom of the Anderson family. The same rocking chair that had put him and his brothers to sleep when they were born as well as the previous generations of Anderson children and which would no doubt pass on to Evan's wife when it came time.
I wonder what Annie is doing? Auggie wondered, a finger trailing the rim of the cup. Talking with Lucas earlier about her had brought up feelings that he had been having for a while now but believed were just wishful thinking on his part. Ever since he had given her his car, things had been slightly off for a lack of a better term. The bantering was still there as well as the little flirts and teasing but there seemed to be an underlying tone that Auggie caught now and then but never what it was exactly.
Draining the last of the hot chocolate, Auggie placed the empty cup on the table in front of him. Maybe I need to have a talk with her but am I really ready for whatever's bothering her? His heart rate sped up as wild thoughts began flying through his mind, little instances that might have offended her. But they weren't something that Annie would have taken offense at unless . . . . The realization hit him just as he heard his mother shout out a warning.
But it was too late as a pillow slammed into the side of his head. Growling on reflex, Auggie caught the pillow before it could fall to the floor and throwing it back at the laughing Winston. "Jerk! You're lucky I'm too comfortable over here otherwise I'd be beating you up right now."
"Sorry, Augs but seeing you drift off was too much of a tease. I just couldn't resist." Winston said as he tucked the pillow throw under his arm.
"Winston, I didn't raise you to be a heathen, especially in the presence of the children." Maria motioned toward the younger Andersons who were giggling at their uncles' antics. "And, August, you shouldn't have thrown the pillow back."
"I couldn't have missed considering how big Winston's ego is."
"You knocked him good too." Evan quipped, awed slightly by the precision of Auggie's throw. He yelped slightly as his wife Arielle pinched on the shin.
"Listen to your mother or I'm sure your kids will copy later in the week and then where will you be?" Arielle admonished. "Remember last Thursday, Tim and Ed were wrestling each other in the family room when you came back from work?"
"Neanderthals, the lot of them." Maria groaned, raising her eyes upward. "I've raised a herd of Neanderthals."
"Easy, Maria. Let them have their fun. It's Christmas after all." Auggie's dad, Kyle Anderson lightly chided.
"Well before the family degenerates back into early humans, anyone up for singing some Christmas songs?" Stephan questioned, going to the closet and pulling out an instrument case which Auggie knew was the guitar his brother always played when in the mood. The locks on the case clicked open, a couple of the strings thrumming just enough for Auggie to hear as his brother pulled it out.
"Jingle Bell Rock!"
"12 Days of Christmas!"
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!"
"Mary had a little Lamb!"
All of the children laughed at Adrian, Lucas' oldest son and Auggie's godson.
"Hold on, children, yelling out songs will just give your Uncle Stephan a headache." Maria looked at her youngest son. "Since it's been a while since you've been here, Auggie, how about you chose the first song?"
Auggie smiled at the love and happiness he heard in his mom's voice, knowing he couldn't really deny the request. Even if it did seem a bit childish for him to be the first one to pick. Stroking his chin, he went over the songs his brother knew. "Silent Night."
"Silent Night." Stephan lightly plucked a few of the strings in thought before playing. The light first notes left the guitar, the family quieting as they listened to Stephan. A couple of the children began humming to the beat, off key but something about it had Auggie smiling in response.
As his family began to sing, Auggie paused, wanting to listen to his family sing.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
The deep voice of his dad and the light one of his mother had him thinking back to his childhood, warm and laughter-filled nights passing through his mind. The children's were soft, their innocence reflected in their singing. The crackling of the fire, the ticking of the grandfather clock in his dad's study were all familiar sounds.
Calming sounds. So different from the chaotics ones at Langley. For the one night, Auggie let the worries and burdens from being the Head Tech Ops fade away for the moment, letting himself fully enjoy being back with his family.
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
He joined with them, a smile on his face.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
It was good to be home.