Ok, I realize I'm spoiling you with my frequent updates after the long dry spell I put you through. I guess it's my way to make up for it. at least for a little bit! :) I'm now putting this on a (very) short hiatus to finish 'Auggie's cheerleader'. I'm also long overdue for an update on 'Tech support meet translations', but at the moment my muse doesn't want to play with that story. I hope she changes her mind soon. ;)
DISCLAIMER: The usual... I don't own Covert Affairs.
4. Weekend with the Walkers part 2
While Auggie was on the phone in the car Annie, Hailey, Jim and Louise were waiting by the fence a few yards away. Annie regularly peaked over to see if Auggie was still on the phone and when he pulled the Bluetooth headset out of his ear she excused herself and headed to the car. She gently knocked on the window and Auggie opened the door.
"Was that Joan?"
"Yep. Something's come up and she needs me to get to Langley ASAP. Can you drive or should I call the car service?"
"I'll take you. I'm sure Mom and Dad doesn't mind watching Hailey for a little bit. Do you know what's going on?"
"Nope, Joan just said it was important, but she couldn't discuss it on an unsecured line. I have a feeling it's the St. Petersburg mission that has blown up though."
"We'd better get going then." Annie gestured at her parents and soon they were crammed together in the back seat with Hailey safely buckled in her car seat.
"What's going on?" Jim asked.
"I've been called in to work. I've got no idea what's going on, so I've just got to get over there as soon as possible. Annie said she'd drive if you don't mind watching Hailey? She's due for her nap soon so she shouldn't be to much trouble."
"No problem Auggie," Jim said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. They rode the rest of the way to the house in silence.
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When they arrived at the house Auggie rushed upstairs to change out of the worn jeans and sweatshirt he was wearing and into something a bit more office appropriate. He pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a navy sweater, topped with his brown leather shirt. He opened the panel in the back of the closet and carefully keyed in the code for his safe and got his ID-badge out. With that safely tucked in his pocket, along with his wallet, keys and phone he headed back to the ground floor where Annie was waiting for him.
"Ready to go?" Annie asked as he came down the stairs.
"Yep, ready when you are," Auggie said as he grabbed his cane off the table inside the garage door.
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"So much for a quiet weekend with your parents," Auggie sighed.
"Yep, it's situations like this that makes me appreciate my current position, even if I miss the action of the field from occasionally."
"I have to say it still surprises me that the great Annie Walker, now Anderson, magnet for trouble and flying bullets, is happy with an analyst position," Auggie teased, although there was an underlying tone of sincerity in his voice.
"Oh har Augs, very funny. I was not a trouble magnet."
"Yes you were Annie. You're the only officer I've handled that have managed to almost get blown up on a simple brush pass."
"Watch it there, unless you're tempted to sleep on the sofa in your office tonight."
"I have a feeling I'm lucky if I get a couple of hours of shuteye in the staff quarters at Langley tonight. The sofa in my office sounds like the Ritz in comparison to those damn bunks, but I don't think you'd dare to make me sleep there with Jim and Louise in the house," Auggie said with a confident smirk.
"Aren't you a cheeky one this afternoon? Try me!" Annie said as she punched Auggie's upper arm.
"Ow! That hurt Annie!"
"Don't be such a baby. Oh, get your ID out; we're almost there."
10 minutes later Auggie was walking confidently down the hall towards the DPD. Even if he'd rather have spent the afternoon with his wife, daughter and in-laws Auggie liked the quiet atmosphere in the building on a Saturday afternoon. Before Annie and later Hailey entered his world he used to come in to work on decryptions or ciphers when it was quiet on the weekends. It kind of surprised him that it wasn't more activity in the halls, as he got closer to the DPD; especially considering the urgency Joan had expressed when she called him. As he entered the DPD he heard a buzz of voices coming from the Tech Ops office and then familiar footsteps approached him. The clink of a necklace and subtle smell of Joan's perfume confirmed it was she.
"Hi Auggie, thanks for coming in," she said.
"No problem, what's going on?"
"The St. Petersburg mission is compromised, Jasons cover is blown and we need to get him out of there." Joan gave Auggie a quick run trough of the situation and Auggie got to work.
It was almost 4 am when the car service dropped Auggie off at home. After a few intense hours they'd managed to get the officer out safely and he was currently on a Danish naval vessel, headed for Copenhagen. Auggie's initial thought had been to get a few hours of sleep at Langley and have Annie pick him up in the morning, but he'd decided to go home. He let himself into the house as quietly as he could manage, stashed his wallet, cane and keys on the table by the garage door and headed upstairs. He placed his cell phone in the docking station on his nightstand and quietly changed into his sleepwear and slipped into bed, hoping Annie didn't wake up. Unfortunately he didn't succeed, he rarely did, and he felt Annie move closer to him and seconds later a soft kiss caressed his cheek.
"Hey, that took a while, what was going on?" she asked sleepily as Auggei wrapped his arm around her and she settled in next to him.
"St. Petersburg went to hell. The mission was compromised and Jason's cover was blown. We got him out of there, he's safe and ok."
"How did it get compromised?"
"I have no idea, Joan's ordered a full investigation. I guess we'll learn more when Jason is debriefed. It was just too damn hectic to get any answers during the extraction," Auggie said with a stifled yawn. They were soon fast asleep in each others arms.
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A few hours later Annie slipped quietly out of bed and pulled on Auggie's Army hoodie over her camisole top. She was surprised that she actually succeeded in getting up without waking Auggie, he was generally a light sleeper, but this was one of the rare occasions where he was so exhausted that he was completely knocked out. She watched him sleep for a second; she loved how he looked completely relaxed and peaceful. When he moved to lie on his side she slipped out of the room, she knew all to well that Auggie's spidey senses' worked in his sleep too. She'd gotten called out for staring at him while he was sleeping more than once.
Annie's parents were already up and were sitting by the kitchen table with cups of coffee.
"Morning Annie!" her mother greeted her.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Very well. When did Auggie get in last night? I thought you said he'd spend the night at Langley when he wasn't back by midnight, but I spotted his cane on the table by the garage door."
"Around four in the morning. He's completely knocked out, I'm letting him get another few hours of sleep."
"That job of his sure can be demanding," Jim stated.
"Yeah, but fortunately yesterday doesn't happen that often," Annie said with a small sigh.
"Ware the plans for today?" Louise asked.
"Danielle and Michael have invited us over for lunch. I guess we should start to get ready. Your plane leaves at 7 tonight, right?"
"Yeah, so we should leave here at 4:30, 5 at the latest."
"Sounds about right. I guess you should pack before we head over to Danielle, that way we can stretch the visit for as long as possible and don't have to worry about coming back here to pack, it'll just be a matter of fetching your bags."
While they chatted Jim excused himself and headed upstairs to shower and get ready for the day while Annie and Louise got started on breakfast.
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The smell of bacon tingled in Auggie's nose and he slowly wake up. He still felt exhausted, but nature was calling and he didn't want to spend the entire day in bed, especially since Jim and Louise were leaving the same evening. He pushed the speech button on his alarm clock. "9:45 am," the mechanical voice said. "Not too bad," Auggie thought. At least he'd gotten little over 5 hours of sleep. He'd get through the day and just go to bed early. A slight headache was pounding in the back of his head, an aftermath from the hours of high pressure, stressful work of the previous day. It also dawned on him that he hadn't had a real meal since lunch at the zoo the previous day. He headed for the bathroom. After relieving himself and washing his hands he pulled out a bottle of prescription migraine medication and quickly downed a capsule. He didn't want to risk a full-blown migraine putting him out of business for days. After brushing his teeth and splashing water on his face he went over to the chair in the corner to grab his Army hoodie and smiled when he couldn't find it. Annie had taken it. Again. He quickly pulled an old Northwestern sweatshirt he'd stolen from his older brother Alex years ago from his dresser and pulled it over his t-shirt before heading downstairs. Annie and Louise were putting the finishing touches on breakfast when Auggie sauntered into the kitchen. Annie smiled at the sight of him. Even wearing a pair of faded sleep pants and an old sweatshirt and with his hair all mussed from sleep he was undeniably a very handsome man. There were still days when Annie couldn't believe how lucky she was to be sharing her life with Auggie.
"Good morning," Annie greeted him as she approached him and kissed him good morning. "I'm a bit surprised to see you up already," she said as she pulled away.
"Well, my nose picked up the smell of bacon and I realized I haven't really had anything to eat, except a couple of power bars, since we had lunch at the zoo yesterday. I'm hungry." A loud growl from his stomach confirmed the statement and with a laugh Annie told him to have a seat. Annie had prepared a feast of a breakfast and conversation flowed lightly across the table. When they finished eating Auggie and Louise cleaned the kitchen, while Annie gave Hailey a bath and got her ready for the day at the Brooks' house. She smiled as she thought about that even though her and Auggie's life in many ways was far from normal and she liked it that way, she savored days like this, when they would spend they with their family, just like so many other American families.
