Okay, so this is turning out to be sooo much longer than I originally intended, but the plot bunnies are bouncing like crazy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs.

Oh, and I love each and every one of you reviews, they each bring a smile to my face which inspires me to try and put a smile on yours. So, here's my best shot. :)

Annie watched the girls lead Auggie out of the kitchen with a shake of her head as she did the dishes. She didn't understand what was so different all of a sudden, he was still the same Auggie, she was still the same Annie. So why was it she couldn't think clearly whenever he smiled in her direction tonight. If she could concentrate, she wouldn't be in such a position now. She would have pointed out all the reasons why he shouldn't spend the night.

Like the fact that he didn't have any spare clothes with him and that there was only one couch. She couldn't go out to the guest house to sleep while the girls were her responsibility and she wasn't going to ask Auggie to spend the night out there. And they definitely not sleeping in her sister's bed.

But as she heard the giggles of her nieces, she decided that maybe, just maybe, this could work to her own advantage as well. He was the one who gave Aaron the false hope of a slumber party after all. Quickly she opened the kitchen door and snuck over to the guest house. She'd give Aaron the sleepover she couldn't stop talking about and possibly Auggie's presence would stop them from asking where their mom was, at least until she could come up with something to tell them other than, "Oh, honey, I didn't want to worry you but mommy and daddy are in jail because they keep trying to kill each other." She was definitely not telling them that.

She grabbed some bedding and something to sleep in before changing her shoes. Now all she had to figure out was how to keep the girls occupied until their bed time in an hour and a half. She could play another video game with them, that could keep them busy. Or they could play hide and seek, the girls loved that game. But whatever they decided to do, she couldn't just stand around in the guest house all night.

When she finally stumbled back into the kitchen she practically felt the cluster of green dots on her before she saw them. Auggie was leaning in the entryway and she only had to look at him to know the answer to her unasked question. "You heard the door."

"Right the first time." He frowned when she didn't say anything. "Annie, I'm sorry if I over stepped when I invited myself to spend the night. I don't have to if you don't think it's a good idea."

She walked over to him, shifted all she was carrying so that she could reach over and squeeze his hand. "You're always welcome here, I just hadn't realized you would want to." She smiled now, a wicked thought running through her mind. "Most people would run the other way after a few minutes of my nieces' special brand of enthusiasm."

"Is that so?" He smiled now too as he offered her his arm. "Shall we then?"

She took his arm with a laugh, knowing that whatever change she felt between them was completely insane and a figure her imagination, as they walked back into the living room to the unexpected surprise of complete silence and two impatient stares. "What?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"We want you to play a game with us." Beth had this look in her eye when she answered. One that Annie didn't need translated.

"Beth, no..." Annie warned. Beth was practically Danielle's apprentice matchmaker, and anything she could offer would serve her ulterior motive to get Annie a man.

"Puhlease." Aaron wore the same look and for a brief moment she considered changing her mind, but she stayed unwavering. It was better if she didn't take chances while Auggie was here.

"No." She repeated.

"I hate to jump in, especially when I seem to be missing something but what are we talking about?" Auggie loved this, listening to her resolve crumble as she gave into the children she loved. It was very revealing, telling him that maybe those walls weren't really as thick as she let on. Not to mention it was slightly adorable.

"Truth or dare." It was Beth who answered him, as he'd expected it would be. "Come on, Aunt Annie, we wanna play truth or dare."

She was about to say no again, he could already hear it tumbling out of her mouth. So he jumped in for the girls, because, hey, it sounded like fun. "Aw, come on, Annie. How bad can a game of truth or dare be?"

"Fine, but just remember that you asked for it." She agreed finally, though she was still hesitant. "But only until it's time for you to get ready for bed." The girls whined for a moment but when she didn't retract, they sat down on the floor eagerly. Annie sat on the floor as well before tugging Auggie down to complete the circle. "Who goes first?"

"I will." Auggie offered without thinking about it, that was another thing he and Annie had in common, they loved going first with eagerness. But the more he thought about it, the more he looked confused. Finally, he gave up. "How do you play?"

The girls laughed and Annie just shook her head with a smile. "Beth will go first. You'll catch on soon enough."

"Okay, I choose... Aunt Annie. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Annie answered almost automatically.

Beth pondered this for a moment, searching her brain for the things she wanted to know most about her aunt. "What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?"

Parade myself around as a hooker, she thought to herself, but she couldn't exactly say that to a child. So she chose the next best thing she could think of. "When I was nine, your mom was convinced that everyone hated my hair. Now I wasn't very popular and I was always getting in trouble so I wanted nothing more than to be liked. So I cut it short, so short my hair resembled Auggie's here. For the next few months I almost refused to be seen in public, I looked like a boy after all. A boy with a very girly name." She could remember those days now without wanting to kill Danielle, now that was a challenge within itself. "Alright, my turn. Aaron, truth or dare?"

Aaron took forever before finally deciding on "Dare."

"I dare you..." Annie mulled it over for a second. "To stand on your head." And so she did, after a slight struggle and cheers from her Aunt and sister. Auggie only cheered when he was sure she'd done it.

"Auggie." Aaron continued the moment she finished taking her bow. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"When did you wall in love with my aunt?"

"We... he's not..." Annie's flustered voice was enough to have him chuckling as he patted her leg next to him. He had long since accepted that some day there would be something there, when it was the right time. But evidently, Annie still hadn't come around.

"It's my question, Annie. Shut it." He waited for her to smack him, but was satisfied that he wasn't in too much trouble when none came. "Love isn't like a Disney movie or a fairytale. It's messy and it's dangerous." He could practically hear the smile in Annie's sigh and the girls didn't complain when he acted like he'd answered the question. "I pick Annie. Truth or dare?"

And the game went on for a while with nothing more exciting than any normal game of truth or dare. Annie relaxed and began to enjoy herself, which may have been the problem. She let her guard down, so that when she tried to tell the girls it was time for bed she was unprepared. "Please, Aunt Annie, one more. Then we'll go straight to bed. I promise." Beth wanted to see just one thing before she went to bed, to prove something to her little sister.

"Fine, one more. But I swear, if you don't go straight to bed after that, you're going to face the wrath of Annie Walker." Annie growled playfully, reaching over to tickle Aaron into submission.

"Yeah," Beth rolled her eyes dryly. "I'm really scared. Can I ask now?" She waited until Annie gave the nod of consent. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Annie didn't think she could take another truth, some of them had turned out to be things she never intended to divulge to anyone outside her parents and her sister.

"I dare you to kiss Auggie." Beth gave her this toothy grin and she knew she'd been played.

"You want me to what?" Annie couldn't keep the blush off her face.

"Kiss Auggie." Beth repeated as Annie contemplated her choices. She could refuse, but she'd never hear the end of it, not to mention the fact that she would never be able to look Auggie in the face again. She could kiss him, and oh how she wanted to. If she did, she could satisfy her curiosity and write it off as a kiss between friends in a silly children's game. She couldn't find a downside to actually kissing him... except one. She didn't want to lose his friendship because of an awkwardness caused by one foolish kiss. For that reason, she clung to the decision that it wasn't worth it.

"Annie?" Auggie's voice was slightly unsteady and for a moment it seemed as if he was resigned to something. "You don't have to kiss me, if you don't want to. Nobody's going to make you."

He made it sound like the worst thing in the world, kissing him. It really wouldn't be. In fact, she had no doubt that she'd probably enjoy it. And she wanted to prove him wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to kiss his lips, just in case this strange feeling was completely one-sided.

Coming to rest with her decision, she leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. "I know." Then she looked at the girls with her more-than-serious face and they took off up the stairs. "I have to go make sure they get tucked in, you can come with me or there's always the TV.

"Does tucking in mean stories?" He asked hopefully. He couldn't tell you what was so appealing about listening to a bedtime story, but there was something.

"For Aaron, yes." Annie's voice was soft, but bright. "Why? Are you interested?"

"Naw." He lied, though his embarrassed smile gave him away completely.

"Well, come on then." She laughed as she pulled him too his feet.