Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs.
A/N This is set after the season final but is AU from there. It contains vague spoilers for that but really only uses the timeline. This will be a multi chapter story.
The one time he truly needed to see, he was blind. The one time he was wrong was the one time that truly counted. He left her there alone and confused, unaware of what he had done. But he knew now and after an eye-opening trip, he came back. He came back a changed man with one goal in mind; her.
Yes that's right, August Anderson was committing. Well, trying to at least. As it turns out, committing is harder than he thought especially when the girl he was committing to wasn't even his girlfriend. At least not yet. Auggie has had many girlfriends in the past, admittedly not for very long. And then Parker came along. But then Parker left, putting herself in front of him which was a real eye opener. Hiding behind Parker wasn't what he wanted. That's why he started operation 'coffee'. To reach his first goal as a changed man; Annie Walker. And that's why everyone's favourite CIA tech op was sitting in the office of one of the few women he trusted, talking about his relationships willingly.
"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Joan asked Auggie after hearing what he had to say.
"What if she doesn't feel the same way, it could ruin our friendship" Not to mention making me look like a fool Auggie silently added on.
"Well, why don't you ask her out? Given the way she looks at you, I'm sure she will say yes" Joan responded, more than willing to come up with excuses if it meant finally getting the two of them together.
"If I ask her out it will be pretty obvious that I lo... uh, like her' Auggie said. "I need something more subtle."
"Auggie, you're a spy. You should be able to come up with something subtle" Joan replied.
"I tried, believe me but I am at a loss here. Do you think that I would be here otherwise?" He said.
"All right Auggie, give me the rest of the day to think of something and come in early tomorrow so we can go over it before Annie gets here" Joan said.
"Ok, thanks Joan" Auggie replied as he high-tailed it out of her office, glad to have finished the embarrassing conversation.
The next day Auggie walked through the glass doors of the DPD early. Really early. Joan was waiting in her office when he got there.
"Hi Auggie" she said when he walked in.
"Hey Joan, thanks for meeting me" he replied.
"Arthur thought I was coming in to meet another man, can you believe that? I really hope you and Annie turn out better than we did" Joan said.
"Oh, I'm sorry Joan" He quickly replied.
"Don't be. He's the one jumping to conclusions" She responded, quickly adding on "chair is at you're two o'clock."
Auggie sat down and sighed, knowing what came next.
"Ok, here's the plan; there is a charity event coming up for the local police and the CIA would like some operatives there to keep an eye on things. It's a low danger, public event with no cover needed. We can tell Annie that we were short on operatives. There will be a band and dancing, it's perfect. Stu said he would find a suit for you" Joan said.
"Sounds great. I can spend some time with her without the risk of getting shot. Thank-you Joan" Auggie responded, sincerely grateful.
"That's ok Auggie. It will be nice to see you two finally get together" Joan said.
"What do you mean 'finally get together'?" Auggie asked.
"Nothing" Joan quickly responded as she turned back to her paperwork, thereby dismissing him.
Later that day Annie had been briefed about the event and her and Auggie were sitting at her desk amongst the hustle of the DPD.
"Look at all these people Aug, why do we have to go to a silly charity event?" Annie asked him. During the briefing Auggie had pretended not to know anything and despite a few close calls, she brought it.
"I don't know, there probably busy doing whatever it is they do" He replied.
"It seems kind of unfair"
"Yeah, bureaucracy is like that"
"It sucks"
"Why Walker, afraid that you aren't going to have a time with me? Most women would jump at the opportunity to dance with me"
"Yeah, well I'm not most women" she responded, nudging his knee to show that she wasn't serious.
"So Annie, what are you going to wear?"
"Auggie, you can't see what I'm wearing"
"So, I like to know that my date looks nice"
"I didn't know that this was a date" Oh shit, I didn't just say that! Auggie thought, quickly coming up with a cover.
"Pretend date. Are you that desperate to get a date with me?"
"No" Annie quickly responded, caught off guard. The man had a response to everything.
That night, at the event Auggie was standing by the bar, looking over the crowd, waiting for Annie. There were lots of people there, all dressed up in suits and fancy dresses and he had many women come up to him wanting to dance to the slow music that was currently playing but he had turned them all down. Not to mention he had a number of drinks to calm his nerves and Annie wasn't even there yet! And that's when he heard them, the unmistakable sound of Annie's heels followed by the scent of grapefruit.
"Hey Annie," he said when he felt her take his arm. "You look nice."
"How would you know?" She quipped.
"Well, given the fact that I don't hear much fabric rustling around, I'm guessing that you are either wearing a pretty tight dress or nothing at all and I am going with the dress. There were lots of gasps and murmurs when you came in so you obviously look nice" he replied, smirking at her, his sightless brown eyes sparkling with laughter.
"Not bad Aug, you going to tell me the colour too?"
"Yes, it's black."
"Wow, what's next the size?"
"I could but somehow I don't think you really want me to."
"Ok then smartass. By the way, you don't look so bad yourself."
"Good to know. Do you want a drink?"
"Yes please."
Auggie ordered drinks and they shifted to a less occupied area of the room, away from the bar and the area that several couples where dancing in. The room was a hall that had been hired, with a band playing slow mood music on stage and a bar that was set up towards the back.
"So Walker, ready to dance?" He asked, sounding more confident than he felt.
"No" she simply replied. Auggie was taken aback by this but never one to give up, he continued,
"afraid you will step on my toes?"
"Auggie, do you have any idea how much these shoes hurt my feet? There is no way that I am dancing."
"Well take them off"
"Auggie, I can't just go around at a fancy event like this barefoot"
"Sure you can"
Annie amazed herself when she took off the shoes and leg Auggie through the crowd to the dance floor. She put her hands on his shoulders and he put his on her waist. They swayed to the music for a while.
"Not a very lively bunch" Annie said to break the silence.
"Yeah" Auggie replied. "They probably have blisters from dancing and it's too early for anyone to get drunk yet."
"True"
As the night progressed on, Annie called to check in and report. She had just come back in and was standing at Auggie's side when someone who was obviously drunk knocked into someone else and spilled his drink on the floor, precariously close to Annie's shoes which she had forgotten about until then. The woman turned around to yell at the man and knocked over a burning candle in the process. The candle fell and caught fire to the alcohol soaked carpet and the fire spread, engulfing the shoes and a handbag that had been at the woman's feet. People were running around like idiots, yelling 'fire, fire' as if it wasn't obvious enough. Annie stood there dumbstruck at the event unfolding before her. The bartender, who had dealt with this before on several occasions, pulled out a fire extinguisher from behind the bar and aimed it at the fire. There was white foam everywhere but at least the fire was out.
"Annie, what just happened?" Auggie asked her now that the noise had dimmed down.
"My shoes" was the only reply.
All in all, it hadn't been a bad night. The insurance would pay for Annie's shoes and the handbag. It was quite entertaining. Annie had driven home and Auggie was sitting in his living room, contemplating the night's events. Joan had called him after she heard what happened and she asked how it went. Auggie told her to ask him again in the morning. They needed a new plan.