Self-control fail at waiting to post the next chapter. It's exciting writing something new! Thank you to those who reviewed/added the story to favorites.

Covert Affairs =/= mine.


2. In Which Our Words Say Não But Our Voices Say Sim

"Annie, my office."

Joan's summons startled Annie from her work. Across her desk, she had lined up three weeks worth of Russian classifieds and was beginning to think she detected a pattern, in spite of everyone else's insistence she would find nothing. It was either that or the men in Moscow had some particularly disgusting tastes in escorts.

Putting down her pen, Annie smoothed down her skirt and made her way into Joan's office. Auggie was already sitting in one of the chairs, while Jai Wilcox stood beside Joan's desk. Wondering what had managed to drag him downstairs from his shiny new office, Annie took a seat in the open chair. Whatever it was, it couldn't be too good. Auggie's glare could cut glass, while Joan was sitting up so straight, her spine could have been made of steel.

"Annie, you and Auggie are going on loan to Jai this afternoon. His office has been working on rooting out a cell in Rio. We need your skills with Portuguese. Jai requested you specifically." Annie met Joan's gaze, witnessing the barely controlled rage. If there was one thing she knew Joan hated, it was being told what to do with her people. The protest died on Annie's lips. If Joan hadn't won the argument, Annie sure as hell wasn't going to, either. She didn't particularly want to work with Auggie on anything at the moment, but if it got her out of Langley, all the better.

"Where are we going?"

It was Auggie who answered. "Funny, Walker. Did you think these two would let either of us out into the field?" The old bitterness was back. "Jai's coming to Tech Ops to teach us a lesson in sliminess. Much cheaper than moving my equipment to his lair on the seventh floor."

"We think the cell is attempting to smuggle information out buried in audio files. Auggie is going to isolate the transmissions from the background noise we believe is being used to conceal what they're really trying to get out. You're going to tell us what they're saying." That Joan didn't bother to curb Auggie's surliness only spoke further about her opinion on the matter.

"Can't you just send me a sound file to listen to when you're done?"

"It will be faster if you listen in real time. Because you can pick out words, having you present will help Auggie's work."

"It should only take a few hours," Joan said after a moment, flashing an icy smile that was all politics at Jai. "Any other questions? Good."

Annie got to her feet, pausing to see if Auggie would take her arm. When he instead pulled out the laser cane, Annie couldn't help but roll her eyes. She stomped after Jai all the way back to Auggie's desk, the Tech Ops room empty of the usual team. Whatever they were doing, it wasn't for an audience.

Auggie took his seat without a word, leaving Annie and Jai standing awkwardly near his desk. With a forced smile, Jai wheeled over two of the unused desk chairs, offering one to Annie before taking his own seat. He found it strange that the usually talkative agents were silent, but Jai didn't really care if Auggie was in a bad mood. He had gotten what he wanted – the chance to spend time with Annie. His advances hadn't gotten him anywhere in the past, but now that his life was less complicated, he figured it was worth another shot. By the end of the afternoon, he fully intended to ask her for drinks after work. If she wasn't speaking to Anderson, even better. Jai didn't particularly care why Annie accepted his offer. He was confident that with some time, now that she was over Mercer, he could get her to fall for him. The office rumor mill had been on about her and Anderson for years, but given their icy silence, he sincerely doubted there was any truth to it. Besides, Jai couldn't fathom a contest he could lose against a blind man when it came to women.

Without warning, music began to pulse through the room, loud with a driving beat. Annie jumped, unable to stop herself from laughing at the look on Jai's face. Auggie had the volume up high, which neither of them had expected. Annie sighed at the music, a woman's voice singing a haunting melody over the beat. There was longing in that voice, and that was something she was all too familiar with.

"You can get rid of her voice. She's singing about a flower floating down a river...unless you think that's code for something?"

"No," Jai answered smoothly, watching Annie watch Auggie's fingers fly over the Braille reader. "We've already established the singer isn't a part of this. She's fairly young and just starting out. She thinks she landed her big break."

"She had a beautiful voice," Annie murmured, turning her attention back to the music as Auggie made adjustments.

Joan had been right. The project didn't take long, and once the percussion and singing had been muted, Annie had been able to pick up the hidden communication. It wasn't a particularly sophisticated method of sending information, but Brazil had plenty of criminals clawing their way out of the local favelas with little money to spend on more advanced methods of intelligence smuggling. Even the criminals had to start somewhere.

"Thanks, Annie." Jai flashed his infamous smile at her as she handed over her notes, Auggie still silent in his seat. "You were a big help."

"You're welcome. But I'm sure you didn't need me. The agency has plenty of people who speak Portuguese."

"True. But you're my favorite."

Annie couldn't help but laugh. From the expression on Jai's face, she knew he was playing it up for her benefit. Still, it had been awhile since she had laughed at work. It felt good.

"No need to laugh! I'll prove it to you. Buy you a drink at Allen's tonight?"

"Yeah, sure," Annie agreed, figuring it couldn't hurt. "I was planning to leave in another hour or so."

"I'll see you there." Jai offered up another of his grins, lightly laying a hand on Annie's shoulder as he passed, headed back for his office.

"Sure you don't have cupcakes to make tonight?" Auggie asked, sliding the headphones down around his neck and glaring in Annie's general direction. The venom in his tone shocked her. "Wouldn't want to upset your sister, after all."

"I don't have any plans tonight beyond the bar. Sorry to disappoint."

"Little late for that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Annie shot back, her temper flaring. She didn't like this sarcastic, biting version of Auggie. It didn't suit him.

"Jai sold out his own father to get ahead, you do realize that?"

"I don't see what that has to do with offering to buy me a beer. He's just being nice."

"Don't be so naïve."

"Why do you even care?"

There was a pause, and Auggie turned away. He reached for his headphones, pulling them back up. "I don't," he finally said, beginning to type once more. "Shut the door on your way out."

Annie stood rooted to her spot for a long moment, her mouth agape at his behavior. Sure, she had heard about this from others in the office, Auggie's infamous temper and tendency to act like a real dick on occasion, but she hadn't really believed them. Auggie had never been anything other than mild-mannered in front of her, always ready with a smile even when things were falling apart. The brooding man she faced was a stranger.

She turned and left without another word, her heels loud on the marble floor. There was a time when she would have insisted on an explanation, would have stayed until Auggie finally told her what was eating him, but she didn't have the energy to yell at a brick wall. It wasn't that she didn't want things back to normal between them, or at least back to civil, but mending fences with Auggie meant revisiting all of her feelings for the man. She wasn't ready for that. What she wanted was for Joan to send her back out into the field, where she could forget all about Auggie Anderson for awhile. Being that the field was still forbidden for the time being, Annie would settle for a drink with Jai. She needed a distraction, and he was offering.

Jai was already at the bar when she arrived, shirt sleeves rolled up and jacket resting on his chair. With his loosened tie and tousled hair, he could have been shilling anything from beer to cologne. His attractiveness had never been lost on Annie, but she knew too much about the man he really was to fall for it. Auggie had been right – Jai was the kind of man who sold out his own family for a big office with a leather chair. Annie knew all too well how duplicitous Jai could be and wouldn't soon forget it.

But that simply meant Annie wasn't about to invite him into her personal life or her bed. It didn't mean she couldn't find a way to get along with him. They were coworkers, after all, and Jai had saved Annie's life. She didn't exactly trust him, especially not after everything he had hidden from her about Ben, but he could make her laugh. Annie needed the laugh almost as much as the beer.

They fell into easy conversation. Jai was athletic like Annie, and they shared enough of the same hobbies that they kept up a steady stream of chatter, first on this cliff face, and then on that hiking trail. Annie figured as long as they didn't talk about work, they would get along just fine. And by her third beer, she had finally started to relax. Auggie hadn't shown up to spoil her night, and Jai was being even more charming than usual. Maybe Annie needed a rebound too, someone to take her mind off Auggie. Who better than a man he despised?

The idea lingered in her thoughts only long enough to catch a glimpse of Auggie walking into the bar, yet another gorgeous woman on his arm. Annie sighed, tearing her eyes away from the leggy brunette and back to her beer. Who was she kidding? She didn't want some rebound. She just wanted Auggie.

Jai noticed the instant change in Annie's demeanor and heaved an internal sigh. He had felt her warming to him, the way her smiles had almost seemed like the old Annie Walker once more. All it had taken was Anderson walking into the bar to ruin that. Now Annie was staring at her beer with a murderous expression.

"Annie..."

Her head shot up, a smile quickly put in place, but it was the new smile – the one that didn't quite reach her eyes and looked like it was plastered on by a kindergartener. "Sorry, spaced out for a second."

"You should talk to him."

"To who?"

"Very funny, Annie." Jai leaned back in his chair, his gaze flickering from the girl in front of him to where Auggie stood across the bar with his date. Jai had known the man a long time, and a beautiful woman on his arm was nothing new, before and after the accident. But there was more to it that night, and Jai had a very strong feeling it had everything to do with the expression on Annie's face.

"There's nothing to say."

Jai remained silent, sipping his beer and watching Auggie laugh with his date. He wasn't surrounded by his usual group of friends, Annie being with Jai and the other tech nerds sitting at a table separate from their leader. With an eerie sense of déjà vu, Jai remembered the Auggie he had been introduced to before Annie came to the agency. He remembered being glad of his London assignment and not having to work with the man. The Auggie he had discovered upon his return to Virginia had been altered, but it appeared he was hellbent on making a return to his former asshole self.

"I think I'm going to go," Annie said after a few silent moments. "I'm sorry, Jai. Thanks for the drinks."

"Do you want me to give you a ride back to Georgetown?"

"No, I'm okay, thanks." She flashed another of her fake smiles, getting to her feet. Auggie was moving in their direction, and she didn't want to talk to him. She wanted to ram her five inch heels through his teeth, but she really didn't want to talk to him. "I'm just tired."

"I really don't mind..."

"You never do, do you, Jai?" Auggie mocked as he came to a stop beside their table. "He doesn't mind, Annie."

"As I just told Jai, Auggie, I'm fine. I'm going home. Good night." Annie made to go around him, but Auggie only placed himself further into her path. She could smell the whiskey on his breath, and she wanted to slap him. Getting drunk at the bar was a new low. "You're drunk," she whispered angrily, her hands balling into fists of their own accord. "You're drunk, and you're in my way. Please move."

"Who cares if I am? It's a bar. And it's not like I'm driving."

"But I am."

"I bet you are. Enjoying my car?"

"I haven't driven it since the day you gave it to me. If you want it back, so you can sit on that roof and pretend you'll ever get to drive it again, the keys will be on your desk tomorrow," Annie snapped, too angry to control her temper. It was like he was trying to push her buttons. Beside him, his nameless date was beginning to look worried. Jai wore his shock openly.

Without another word to either of them, Annie pushed her way past and out of the bar. By the time she found her way into the driver's seat of her car, the tears were falling freely. Any relaxation she had found with Jai's company was gone, instead replaced with the now-familiar sting of Auggie's behavior. How could she have ever thought she knew the man? This wasn't anything like him.

As she drove back to Georgetown, Annie tried desperately to swallow her emotions. Passing comments from coworkers on Auggie's attitude shift were leading her to believe that the man she had witnessed tonight was more of the real Auggie than the one she had known. He had every right to be angry, to be bitter over losing his sight, even over the whole Parker mess, but it was wasn't him. Annie knew Auggie was better than how he was acting; he hadn't worked so hard to get his life back only to throw it away. He was brilliant, but even the agency would only tolerate so much of his bullshit. Annie would only tolerate so much of his shit.

She spent the next few days avoiding Auggie as much as possible, even going so far as to volunteer for walk-in duty. Joan had probably seen through her, but spending the time out of the DPD helped. Looking into the eyes of the conspiracy theorists and nut jobs made her feel a little bit better about what she saw staring back at her in the mirror when she went home at night. Annie wasn't crazy, at least not cover the windows in tinfoil crazy. This thing with Auggie would pass, eventually.

But by the following week, the tension in the office had only grown. Auggie and Annie had always been so close that their newfound frostiness was noticed – and felt – by their coworkers. Any thoughts Joan may have harbored about sending Annie back out into the field were quickly dismissed as she watched the two agents carefully avoid one another. She needed her people to work together, to be the team she knew they were capable of being. Three months ago, she would have been willing to throw Annie and Auggie into just about any situation, confident they would work together to get the job done. Now she wasn't sure she would be comfortable sending them together to pick up lunch.

But in spite of her anger, Annie missed having Auggie around. She missed his ready smiles, their banter, the easy companionship of simply being together without saying a word. Auggie was always easy to be around, or at least he used to be. She knew she should probably apologize for her parting comment at the bar, but she had been hurt. Auggie had lashed out at her first.

She forced herself to press on, dutifully completing Joan's busy work. Instead of going to Allen's after work, Annie went directly home. Sometimes she ate dinner with her sister and the girls, and sometimes she simply sat on her couch drinking a beer in the darkness. The restlessness weighed heavily on her, but no cure presented itself. Danielle dragged her to a few yoga classes and out running in the mornings, yet Annie still found herself unable to sleep through the night.

Her thoughts drifted, sometimes to Stockholm, sometimes to Auggie. Both events ate up her mind, a constant push and pull on her sanity. Annie wanted to put them both behind her, but seeing Auggie at work daily was making it difficult. He hadn't apologized for his behavior, and neither had she. She wanted her friend back, but watching Auggie scowl at his computer and snap at his team, she wondered if that was even possible.

As the days wore on, the anger Annie had clung to began to fester. What the hell was Auggie's problem, anyway? Who was he to act like that toward her? After everything they had been through over the last few years, how could he be so cold, so distant? Where was the man who had gotten himself arrested trying to help her? The man who had snuck his way into the field to help her and slept across uncomfortable chairs in a hospital waiting room for her? He was in there somewhere, and Annie was done waiting for Auggie to figure his own shit out.

She waited until the end of the day to present herself at his desk, ignoring the surprised glances from the rest of the team. Annie hadn't set foot in Tech Ops for the better part of a week, in a spite of having previously been practically a fixture. "Can I talk to you?" she asked quietly as Auggie slid his headphones off. "Alone?" she added, glancing around.

He didn't answer immediately, maintaining his frosty expression. "Yeah, sure, just give me a minute." His fingers flew over the Braille reader, followed by a few clicks of his mouse. Annie was surprised to see him shutting down the computer and shrugging on his jacket. "Eyes and ears everywhere, here. I assumed you didn't want an audience," he said by way of explanation, steering her out of Tech Ops and toward her desk. "Grab your keys. We can talk on our way back into DC."

Annie wanted to snap something biting back about his assumption she would be willing to get in a car with him, given his latest behavior, but she swallowed the retort. This conversation had been meant to build bridges, not burn them. In spite of her anger, Annie didn't want this to be an end for them. She just wanted her friend back.

"What did you want to talk about?" Auggie asked once they were in the car. His expression was neutral, but Annie didn't miss the way his fingers tapped against the red and white cane folded in his hands.

"What's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

"Annie, just because you're going through something doesn't mean everyone else is, too."

"Why are you being such an asshole?" she demanded through clenched teeth, whipping the car onto the parkway. It gave her a small rush of satisfaction to see the sudden jolt of the car momentarily throw him off balance. "First you get all crazy about Jai, and now you're acting like a completely different person. What gives, Auggie?"

"Nothing gives."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to."

"I'm trying here, Auggie. I don't know what else to do."

"Why did you lie to me about your sister's bake sale?" he finally asked after a long silence. They were nearly back into DC. Annie glanced over at him, not sure how to answer the question. Her face flamed at being caught in the lie all over again.

"I don't know," she eventually answered. "I really don't know, Auggie. I guess I just didn't want to do this."

"Do what? Talk to me? Isn't that what you're sitting here asking me to do, Annie? Talk to you?" His knuckles were white gripping the cane when she ventured a look at him.

"I just want things to go back to normal."

"I haven't gone anywhere, Annie. You're the one lying and avoiding me, and going to the bar with Wilcox."

"Is that what this is all about?"

"He's a snake, Annie."

"And what about you, Auggie?"

"What about me?"

"What makes you so different from Jai? I know, you've got it all figured out. The agency. Me. Everything. What makes you so much better than us?"

"I never said I was better than you, Annie."

"Yeah, well you sure as hell act like it." Annie took a deep breath, feeling her pulse rushing with her rising temper. "You say Jai uses people, but what about you? What about all these women? If you say you're not using them, I don't believe you."

"They know what they're getting into."

"Do they? Or do you put on the nice, sweet Auggie Anderson impersonation for awhile, until they're comfortable, and then pull out the jackass behavior?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Annie? What I do is my business. I don't hassle you about Scott the doctor or whoever else."

"You know Scott and I broke up," Annie snapped back through gritted teeth. She was so angry she wanted to punch him, but that would slow down her driving. Annie had to keep driving. It was the only way to get rid of him. "Do you even hear yourself? Who are you?"

"I'm the same person I've always been."

"We're at your place. Get out. Door is at two o'clock."

"Annie..." There was a weariness to his voice, and for a moment, a flash of the old Auggie's gentleness flickered across his face. "Why don't you come in for a drink? I'm sorry, okay? I'm just...off lately."

"You're more than off. I'm too angry to talk to you. Get out." Annie refused to even look at him. It was all fine and good for him to apologize in that soft, Auggie tone of voice, but he had lashed out at her only moments earlier. Whatever was going on in his head, it was turning him into a person she didn't want to be around.

"Annie...I wish I could explain this to you. But it's probably better this way." He got out of the car without saying anything else, leaving Annie on the verge of screaming. What the hell was this, some new version of "it's not you, it's me" nonsense? She swallowed the rage, driving away. Annie would force him to explain himself, and soon, but not when she was so angry she might actually hit him... no matter how much he deserved it.