Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Covert Affairs. Worst of all, I don't own Auggie Anderson. ;-)
Auggie Anderson was pacing in his apartment and he'd been doing it for quite some time now. Twenty-seven steps to the window, about face, twenty-seven steps to the door, about face, and so on. He was sure that if he were to look down, and he could in fact still see, he would notice a well-worn path on the wood-panel flooring below his feet. He couldn't feel it beneath the soles of his shoes, so maybe it was just a figment of his imagination.
She was on his mind again. She had been on his mind more frequently these past days, weeks, months, etc, and it was starting to drive him mad. He wasn't upset, not in the least, but he was starting to go stir crazy with his thoughts.
She was a strong, independent woman. No one could deny that she was a talented operative; one of the best in fact. She had made mistakes, but so did everyone, even in their line of work. She was still responsible for the highest number of successful missions the DPD had seen in a decade. And even when she made those mistakes, she was clever enough to get herself out. Granted, he helped a lot with that.
He smiled with ease at that thought. He was giving himself too much credit and her not enough.
He opened the latch on his watch and read the time. Something had to have gone wrong. He should have heard from her by now. No, he wasn't at the office, but when Joan suggested he go home for the day, even with his operative still out in the field though technically on her way home, he linked his office phone to his encrypted cell. He wasn't going to miss her call. She was supposed to be home by now. She was supposed to call him once she was on US soil and in the clear. She was supposed to have done that two hours ago.
Something had to have gone wrong. He could feel it in his gut and it was killing him. He needed her safe. He needed her back in the US more than he ever thought possible. He needed to wrap her in a hug and know that she was in his arms and safe. He needed her to be ok. And most importantly, he just needed her.
He had said that to her before, though she was unconscious in the hospital at the time. He remembered grasping her lifeless hand after revealing that detail about not needing anyone but needing her. It was tough to get those words out. It would be tougher still to really tell her how he felt. When the time was right, he would. But, sadly, now wasn't that time.
He couldn't call her; she'd have to call him. It was protocol, though at this point, he was about to say 'screw protocol'. And so he did. He headed over to his closet while checking his pocket for his keys and phone. All were there, as if he knew he was going to need them. He was pulling on his jacket when he heard it; a knock at his door. He froze.
His instincts were on high alert as he quickly moved to the door, keeping one hand on the lock and the other pressed to the steel.
"Who is it?" he called out, using his ears to hear any shifting from the other side.
"Auggie?" The response from behind the door was slightly breathless and he took in a shaky gasp and let out a strangled sob.
"Annie?!"
His fingers fumbled with the lock (something that never happened) and he couldn't slide open the door fast enough. As he pushed it to the side, he knew she was ok. He could smell the citrus scent of her perfume. He could feel the heat off of her body, even though they were still feet apart. He just knew in his core and he finally felt like he could relax.
Annie Walker, his Annie, was here in front of him.
"Hey," she said meekly.
He didn't utter a syllable as he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest. She was wearing those 'kitten heels' again, so she was closer to his height, though he still had at a good 6-7 inches on her. What he wouldn't give to have his sight back, even just for a moment, so he could truly see her.
"Where the hell have you been, Walker?" he mumbled into her shoulder. He felt her grin against his chest and release a huff.
"On a plane, Anderson," she teased. She squeezed him back ever so slightly, but he felt it. He pulled away from her, but moved his hands from her shoulders up to her collar bone with his fingers on her neck.
"What happened, Annie?"
"Delayed flight, awful turbulence, circling the airport for about an hour, burning fuel waiting for a gate to open up. Nothing sinister Augs. I promise. Just my crappy luck of traveling." She had moved her hands as well, as they gently tugged on the fabric of his jacket along his waist.
"You were supposed to call once you landed. You were supposed to call me." His voice caught in his throat the moment he uttered the word 'me' and dropped his head forward.
"Hey," she whispered and she moved her head so her forehead touched his. "I tried, but I had no power left in my battery. You know, for a high-tech encryption phone, if doesn't hold a charge worth a damn."
He was stunned. That didn't make sense. As long as she had charged her phone the night before, there shouldn't have been any issues.
"Annie, that's not possible."
"Well…I did have the phone on throughout the entire flight." She sounded guilty.
"Ms. Walker, I'm surprised at you. You know FAA regulations require all cellular devices to be turned off during the flight so that it doesn't interfere with the guidance systems." The tech geek came out.
He could feel that she smiled at his comment as his fingers slightly touched her jaw line and felt the muscles stretch beneath the skin. He had hoped for it and wasn't disappointed.
"I put it in Airplane Mode. It was safe. Besides, I was listening to music, helping me pass the time. You, of all people, can't fault me for that."
"Wait, what? How on earth did you add music to your encrypted phone?"
"You think you are the only tech savvy person in the room, Auggie?" Though she said his name often, it still thrilled him to have her utter it. It was stupid, something that happened in school-yard crushes, but he had started getting butterflies in his stomach every time she said it. He brushed those thoughts out of his head.
"Yes." A matter of fact answer.
"Well, I have my ways. Anyway, you would have approved." That piqued his interest. "But I digress. You wanted to know what happened and why I didn't call. I ran out of battery power, due to dulcet tones at 30,000 feet, so when we were late and I had no other means of contact, I went to the source. You. At your apartment."
"You could have used a payphone…"
"Right, like those are secure. Besides, I haven't seen a payphone in years."
"Oddly enough, neither have I."
"Har har. You are so not funny and I'm rolling my eyes at you."
"Oh, Annie, you wound me."
"May I continue?" She paused slightly and watched him nod his head while maintaining a smirk. "I knew you wouldn't be at the office, because knowing Joan, she sent you home. So like I said, I went to the source."
"Here." He stated simply. She had come to him.
"Here. To my handler." She confirmed. There was something in her voice that he couldn't place. He made a mental note.
"Thank you, Annie."
"Always, Auggie."
He hummed a sigh of relief and placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling her back into the security of his arms and chest. It had become a thing with them recently; a friendly gesture, with perhaps not so friendly intentions. It had started out innocently enough, on both sides. She'd kiss him on the cheek and he'd kiss her on the forehead as a sign of gratitude or just to let the other know they were there if needed. But the lines were starting to blur and he was noticing he was touching her more and vice versa.
The underlying current of attraction and emotion was there. They meant more to each other than just best friends. They fiercely protected each other, from within the DPD or outside of it. Their colleagues at the Agency noticed how cozy they were getting and while more often than not they chalked it up to the years of friendship and the bond they had. But those who were watching more closely knew that it was more than that.
If only they would act upon it.
"I should get going. I'm sure Dani is wondering about me as she, like you, expected me to call her when I was supposed to land, hours ago." She didn't make a move to exit his embrace while she spoke, but he knew he'd have to let her go sooner rather than later.
"Annie?"
"Yes?"
"What were you listening to on the plane?" She said he would have approved, so he wanted to check.
She pulled away from him and she held a sly smile on her face, though he couldn't see it.
"Mingus."
He was stunned into silence. His mind was racing as he thought that through. Could that mean something?
"Really?" He was slightly suspicious.
"From just after take off, to just before landing."
"The whole trip?
"The entire way."
His voice caught in his throat.
"Annie…"
"I know…"
And deep down, he truly felt that she did. He smiled at her and knew it would be easier to tell her everything when the time was right.
Thoughts?!