This little story has been spinning around my head since the season finale and I finally had the time to write it out. Consider it my Christmas present to you - my faithful readers! I hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas! :)

January 30th 2012: I've just don an extensive re-write on this chapter, following suggestions from a couple of readers and my super busy beta reader that didn't get to read it before it was posted the first time. The story is still the same, but I think the flow is better in this version. My beta agrees.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Covert Affairs, Annie or Auggie.

Reversing the roles - Chapter 1

As Auggie left Annie behind the wheel of his beloved '67 Corvette and turned to walk back to his apartment he knew Annie was upset. He'd just chosen to ignore it and had played on his blindness to pretend to misread her feelings and tell her he could hear her smiling. He was fully aware that it was far from the truth. If Annie had been smiling and happy she would've thrown herself around his neck, pulled him in for one of her warm hugs squealing with joy. She would not have turned on her heel and settled into the drivers seat without a word. Auggie was fully aware of this, but he just had too much to deal with on his own and didn't have the strength to be Annie's rock this time.

The news from Dr. Kessle had been a major blow, even if he'd known deep down what the answer would be. He had adjusted to being blind. Hell, he was doing just fine; he had a great job, supportive co-workers, friends and family and a great apartment that suited his needs. Life was better than he'd dared to hope for those first few weeks after the ambush in Tikrit. Despite this there had been that little glimmer of hope that one day there would be some way to restore his sight. Now that was taken away from him. He had to deal with the fact that he would be blind for the rest of his life. He would never see again. End of story. Dr. Kessle's call opened the wounds from right after the explosion in Tikrit; they felt just as raw and painful as they did four years ago.

Throw in losing Parker and it had been a hell of a week. He'd actually planned on sharing everything with Annie, he needed his best friend more than ever, but the events in Stockholm had changed things. Annie had just killed someone for the first time and he knew she'd come to him for advice, knowing he'd been there himself. He didn't want to burden her with his issues; she had enough to deal with. So, he told her he was going to Africa and planned on spending the next two weeks in his apartment. Alone. It wasn't a complete lie, he'd actually intended on going to Eritrea to see Parker, but he'd changed his mind, realizing that she was another thing keeping him from moving on, that the bond with her was really about her brother. Parker knew that too and she'd gone to Africa to start fresh, to let go of the past. It wouldn't have been fair to follow her.

Annie's mind was racing as she drove Auggie's '67 Corvette around the country roads of Virginia. Auggie's rejection confused her; for the two years she'd known him he'd been her rock. Her go-to guy when she needed a shoulder to cry on, advice or simply someone to share a couple of beers and a shot of Patron with. Auggie was always there, the slightly older guy with tons of experience that always had the right answer and always knew what to do.

Except for this time, the time when she needed him the most. She'd just killed a man for the first time and she didn't want to talk to Joan or some Agency appointed shrink about it. She wanted to talk to Auggie, her best friend. Instead of listening and giving advice like he normally did, he'd just told her that the Agency had people she could talk to, given her his car and told her he was moving on and going to Africa. End of story.

The more Annie thought about it the more she realized it just didn't make sense; it wasn't like Auggie at all. The way he misread her emotions was totally out of character for him; he'd told her he could literally hear her smiling when she was on the verge of tears. He'd seemed distant and preoccupied. The more Annie thought about it the more sure she was that there was something wrong with Auggie, something was bothering him and he wasn't about to let her in on it. Annie's inquisitive streak set in full force and she turned around and headed back to DC, praying she'd catch Auggie before he left for Africa.

Auggie walked straight back to his apartment, the sound of Annie driving away in his car repeating in his ears. His dream car; the Corvette he'd just managed to save up enough money to buy right before he left for Iraq almost five years ago. The car he'd only gotten to drive once, the test-drive, before he was deployed. He knew it was time to move on, to let go of the past and accept that this was his life. He was blind, he would never see again and he had no other option but to accept that. Giving Annie the car was part of that and there was no one else he'd rather give it to. Annie loved driving and she was one hell of a driver. She'd put the Corvette to good use and appreciate it.

As he walked down the hallway from the elevator to his apartment door a wave of anger he hadn't felt since the early days of rehab washed through Auggie; the knowledge that he'd have to rely on the white cane in his hand to clear the path in front of him for the rest of his life all pissed him off. He didn't quite understand where that anger came from. It was years since he'd accepted the cane as a useful tool; hell, it was his best friend in many ways. Deep down he still hated the fact that it drew attention to him and his disability, but thought he'd worked past those feelings a long time ago. Today they all came to the surface.

With a sigh he unlocked the door to his apartment, slid it open, entered and closed it behind him and locked it. With practiced movements he folded his cane and put it in it's place on the tray on the table across from the door with his keys and headed for the kitchen. He needed a drink and going to Allen's was not an option. The solitude of his empty apartment was the only thing he was ready for. Thankfully he had a well-stocked liquor cabinet to his disposal.

Late in the afternoon a firm and familiar knocking on his door and Annie's voice pulled Auggie out of his slumber. After several beers and more than a few shots of Patron he'd passed out on the sofa.

"Auggie! I know you're in there, your landlady told me."

"Sheesh," he thought, he really needed to have a talk to his landlady about her keeping tabs on him. The elderly lady's protectiveness of him was getting ridiculous. He slowly got up from the sofa and walked to the front door, his head was spinning and he struggled to get his bearings. He unlocked the door and slid it open.

"What do you want Annie?" The words came out harsher than he intended and he realized he was slurring slightly.

"Auggie, what's wrong? And don't tell me nothing, I'm your best friend and I know something is bothering you. Are you drunk?"

Auggie let a heavy sigh escape his lips. There were no escaping Annie Walker's instincts. He moved out of the door and gestured for her to enter. The forrest of empty beer bottles on his coffee table, along with a shot glass and a half full bottle of Patrón Silver confirmed her suspicion the Auggie had been drinking. Heavily.

"I thought you were headed to Africa today, but from the damage you've done to your stash of Patron I take it you're not going anywhere. Wanna share what's going on?"

Auggie closed and locked the door and sat back down on the sofa. Annie followed, but instead of sitting down next to him she grabbed the ever present tray scattered with bottles off the table and went over to the kitchen. She quickly dumped the empty beers in the trash, rinsed the shot glass and placed in the dishwasher and put the liquor bottle back in the cabinet. Finally she wiped the tray and the non slip pad on it and put it back on the coffee table and joined Auggie on the sofa. She grasped his hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"Spill it Auggie."

Auggie sighed and withdrew his hand from her grasp, leaning forward, with his forearms resting on his knees and head slightly bowed he finally started talking. Hesitantly. "It's kind of a long story Annie, I don't wanna bother you with my problems. You've got enough going on in your own mind after Stockholm, I'm sure."

"Aug, I'm your friend, your best friend. I'm here for you, just like you've been there for me more times than I could count. Tell me." She grasped his hand again.

"Remember when you were in Berlin with Arthur and I told you about that memorial for Billy?"

"Yeah, I told you to go. You did, right?"

"I did and it turned out better than I feared. I met Billy's little sister, Parker, and we had an instant connection. A bond that came out of nowhere, I can't explain it. We had a great conversation, then we went to this jazz club…"

"The one you closed down?" Annie interjected.

"That would be the one. We went there because Parker had managed to get her hands on the original sheet music for Billy's favorite song for this scrapbook she was putting together, and the guy that wrote it was playing there that evening and I wanted to get it signed for her. We wound up in a relationship pretty fast, I haven't been that involved with anyone since Tash. Unfortunately Parker was joining the Peace Corps this fall and we both knew we only had a limited time together. Still, I even filed for a Close and Continuing with her. I wanted to do it right, follow protocol."

Auggie paused, got up from the sofa and headed for the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"No thanks, I'm fine."

He grabbed a bottle of water and returned to the sofa. After a couple of hefty swigs of water he resumed his story.

"Anyway, a couple of weeks ago Parker got her itinerary from the Peace Corps, she is spending two years in Eritrea. I was terrified of losing her and tried my best to convince her that we could maintain a long distance relationship; she broke up with me. The next day Joan told me that my Close and Continuing was approved; that I was free to date Parker. Ironic, huh? Anyway, deep down I understood why she did it; she was going to Eritrea to start over, to let go of the past. Our connection was Billy and continuing a relationship with me would've meant holding on to the past. I understand why she broke up, but it doesn't make it any easier."

"Oh Auggie, I had no idea."

"Right after you left for Stockholm I went to see this doctor about possibly restoring my sight through experimental stem cell treatments. He called me two days ago and told me that I'm not a candidate for any of the experimental treatments. There's nothing that can be done to restore my sight. Deep down I knew what the answer would be, I was prepared for a negative result, but actually hearing the words hit me harder than I imagined it would. It opened old wounds that I thought were healed years ago. I know I need to move on, but having that last glimmer of hope yanked away really hurt."

Annie put her arms around Auggie and pulled Auggie in for a hug. She felt terrible, Auggie was her best friend and she had no idea what he was going through. She hadn't even known he was in a relationship with Parker, but then, Auggie always kept things close to the vest. Annie was aware that he was a very private person, and that he rarely let anyone see his more vulnerable side. Annie had caught glimpses of it from time to time, like when he ran of with Natasha and when he finally shared the truth about how he lost his sight with her, but generally he was happy, confident Auggie. Annie realized that this time Auggie needed her to be there for him, it couldn't be the other way around like it usually was. A wave of guilt washed over her; what kind of best friend was she?