The idea for this story came to me after watching last weeks episode of Covert Affairs. What if Annie had been home when Auggie came over and they finally had the conversation we're all dying for them to have? Things have been so busy at work lately, so I haven't had time to write it down 'till now. At least I get it posted just in time for the episode directed by Chris Gorham - I'm SO excited about this one.

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

-Heart to heart-

Auggie stepped out of the cab and unfurled his cane. The driver had told him that the gate was at his 12 o'clock and he had a clear path ahead of him. He swept his cane in front of him and cautiously made his way up the drive. After a few moments Auggie felt the tip of his cane hit something and he reached out and found the gate. He knocked on the fence and called out Annie's name.

"Annie! Annie! Are you here?"

He was met with silence. It hit him that despite being 'besties' with Annie for more than two years he'd never been to her house and he had no idea of the layout of the yard in front of him. All he knew was that the main house was on his right side and the guesthouse where Annie was staying on the left. He knocked again and waited for a little while longer before he turned and dug in his messenger bag to get his phone so he could call for a cab to take him home. Then he heard a door open to his left.

"Auggie, wait! I'm here!" Annie called out. "I was taking a bath. That's why it took me so long to answer."

"I probably should have called first, instead of just turning up like this," Auggie said, feeling a bit like an idiot for showing up on Annie's doorstep unannounced.

"I'm happy you're here. Wanna come in? The door's at your ten o'clock, about ten feet ahead of you. You have a clear path. Can you manage, I'm only wearing a bathrobe."

Auggie nodded and adjusted his direction before he set his cane in motion and walked up to Annie's door. When he reached Annie she gently took his hand and placed it on her arm.

"Sorry for dragging you out of the bathtub," he said as he felt the terry cloth of her robe in his hand.

"Don't worry about it; I was starting to look like a prune. It was time to get out. Stairs," she announced as she started walking up the stairs to her apartment. Auggie followed and when they got upstairs Annie guided him to the window seat.

"I'll be right back, I'm just going to throw on some sweats. You okay?"

"I'm fine. Go get dressed, I'm not going anywhere," he said as he folded his cane and stashed in his messenger bag and lowered the bag to the floor.

# # # # # # # # # # #

A few minutes later Annie emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She joined Auggie on the window seat and grasped his hand. She felt like she needed contact with him.

"So, what brings you over here?"

"We need to talk and I wanted to do it in private. Not at work or Allen's."

"I like that," Annie said, giving his hand a squeeze. "So, what is it that you want to talk about?"

"First of all I owe you an apology. Ever since Barcelona I've been closed off and distant…" He swallowed, not sure how to carry on. "Barcelona was a real eye opener, pardon the pun. I've been desperate for fieldwork ever since I returned to work after Tikrit, I've felt that I can still contribute in the field, but the Red Rover mission was a slap in the face. A reminder of how limiting this," Auggie waved his free hand in front of his eyes, "really is. As long as I'm in familiar territory I don't think much about the fact that I can't see, it's just the way it is. I can function pretty well without much assistance. Unfamiliar territory is another story…"

Annie was a bit shocked with how candid he was; Auggie usually kept things close to the vest and he'd shared very little with her about how his life was affected by his blindness, so she struggled to find the right words.

"Auggie, Barcelona was not your fault. We were sent in based on faulty intel and thanks to you tracking down Red Rover we ended up with a successful mission. We got a win in the end and that 's all that matters."

"Still, if I hadn't been so slow down those stairs…"

"Stop it Auggie. I don't want to hear another word about this. Missions go sideways all the time and the mess in Barcelona was not your fault and had nothing to do with you being blind. I don't want to hear another word about it, okay?"

Auggie knew Annie had a point, but he was also painfully aware that if he hadn't been blind he'd been able to keep up with Annie and they most likely would've managed to escape with the package. He sighed and leaned against the cushions behind him.

They sat in silence for a while before Annie broke the silence.

"What happened with Parker?"

Auggie closed his eyes for a few seconds while he gathered his thoughts; he'd expected the question at some point and he'd wanted to tell Annie about it.

"If you don't want to talk about it it's okay," Annie said softly.

"It's fine. I want to tell you. I've been wanting to tell you for a while, time has just never been right…. Anyway, long story short; I went to Africa, proposed to her and she accepted. I was happier than I've been in a long time. Then we were kidnapped by the Somali pirates…" Auggie sighed. "My training kicked in as soon as they boarded the boat. After we were taken into town and locked in a cellar Parker started questioning how I was able to stay so calm and knew what to do. I decided to read her in and told her I'm CIA."

"You read her in while you were taken hostage? I take it that didn't go well?"

"No. It was a big mistake. She started questioning who she was marrying, it was obvious that she felt betrayed."

"Well, you can't really blame her, can you? I mean it must have been a shock to her, and especially considering the situation you were in."

"I know. I just figured I'd go with the truth since I was planning on reading her in anyway." Auggie raked his hand trough his hair.

"That's when she broke up with you?"

"Sort of, but after we were rescued I proposed to her again and she accepted. She came back to DC with me, the Peace Corps gave her a couple of weeks leave to decompress. For the first couple of days things were fine, but the first day I went back to work things went downhill."

"How so?"

"Parker was watching me get dressed in the morning and asked what I wanted to do for dinner. I told her I'd be working late. I knew Arthur wasn't happy with my trip to Africa. She asked me what I'd be working on and I didn't answer. She asked if she wasn't supposed to be asking about that. I told her she was free to ask, but I'd either have to lie or ignore the question. I could sense that my answer didn't go down well with Parker, but I was running late and had to get going. I figured we'd have time to talk later. Anyway, it was close to 11 at night when I finally got home. Parker had packed her stuff; I bumped into her suitcase, and was ready to leave me. I managed to persuade her to stay the night so we could talk in the morning."

"I take it that didn't go well?"

"Nope. When I woke up she was already dressed and had a cab waiting. She gave me back the ring and left. For obvious reasons I couldn't follow her…" Auggie's voice trailed off and he hung his head with embarrassment, he hated to admit his limitations.

"Oh Auggie, I had no idea… That was the day you called me and wanted to meet at Allen's wasn't it? And I blew you off. Sheesh, I'm a shit friend." Annie moved closer to Auggie.

"Hey, you were at work. I understand that, I really do Annie."

"At least we're both here now," Annie said with a small smile. Auggie let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah. Almost losing you made me realize how much you mean to me Annie. I need you. I never need anyone, but when you were in that hospital, floating between life and death, I realized that I need you..." Auggie's voice trailed off and he wasn't sure how to carry on. He swallowed the lump of emotion that was building in his throat and continued. "At first I just needed you to wake up so you could help me clear your name, but at some point I realized that I need you. I can't imagine my life without you Annie."

"I can't imagine my life without you either. You were my tether to reality when I was in that Russian prison. The thought of coming back to you was what got me through those horrible weeks."

"Really?"

"Really Auggie. Remember last year, when you gave me your Corvette?"

"Um yeah…I don't give away '67 Corvettes every day."

"I guess you've got a point there," Annie said with a laugh as she snuggled closer to Auggie who still had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Well, I wanted to tell you I had feelings for you. Beyond being best friends, but you gave me the car and told me you were going to Africa to tell Parker how you felt. I had no Idea you two were so involved. I wasn't smiling that day Auggie; I was about to cry. I didn't want to spoil your happiness, so I held them back 'till I was driving around the Virginia countryside."

"So, what do we do now?" Auggie asked after a few moments of silence. Part of him just wanted to grab Annie and kiss her senseless, but he knew this wasn't the time. She'd just gone through major trauma and needed time to heal and decompress.

"I don't know Auggie. I'm not ready to move into a relationship right now, I hope you understand that."

"I do Annie. Of all people I do. A relationship was the last thing I wanted after I came home from Iraq. What I did need was a good friend and someone to talk with. I didn't have that, but I'd love to be that for you if you'll let me. When you feel ready we can talk about the next step."

"I like that idea Auggie. Spend the night here? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course. Anything you need," he said giving her shoulders a squeeze.

Please leave me a review :o)

PS! Working on updates for both 'To Live Again' and 'The Volunteer' but crazy days at work and a distracted muse isn't a good combo. Hope I have something for you soon though.