Hmm… as usual, I'm completely clueless as to where this'll go… but I guess we'll see… Oh, and thanks to everyone who reviewed /alerted/favorited the story! I really appreciate the support! And just a heads-up, this could very well be where it becomes blatantly obvious that a lot of these are in different universes. I like writing scenes for Annie and Auggie.

Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs… there would be a few minor (obviously teenage) decisions made regarding a few things… and then I would probably ruin the show… merp… :/

Soooo… here ya go!

Apodictic- (adj) Necessarily true or logically certain

His fingers ran along the Braille words, Mingus flowed from his speakers, and marinara sauce was bubbling on the stove. Auggie rested on his couch, relaxed to the point of exhaustion and completely at peace.

And then a frantic knock shattered that peace.

Auggie rose to his feet and made his way to the door, moving quickly. He slid the bolt back and opened the door. Annie flew into his arms.

Surprised to say the least, he reeled back a few steps, arms closing around her shoulders sloppily. He then registered that she was crying. Crying couldn't even be considered the right word—tears sluiced down her face, cutting jagged lines through her makeup, eyes clenched tight against her pain.

His arms slid around her waist carefully as he rested his chin on the crown of her head. "Annie? What's wrong?"

She choked back her sobs long enough to mutter into his chest, "He never loved me…"

The weight of her words slammed into him, knocking away any rational thought for a moment. He pushed away the pain that filled her voice and tightened his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and guided her to his couch.

Annie settled onto the seat with her knees curled up underneath her and her face pressed into Auggie's side. Her sobs battled with the light sounds of Mingus—the only noises in the room. Auggie pulled her closer, setting a hand on her shoulder and turning so his blind eyes could fall in level with hers. Her crying quieted as she watched him. "Annie, he…" Auggie fought against himself for the right words to say, if they existed. "He had the chance to be with the most amazing woman he could dream of, and he threw it away. He let go of the only thing in this world that could make him truly happy."

Auggie sighed. "And it hurts, God it hurts, but you have to know that you're better off without him." He shook his head as her sobs started again, pulling her to him and resting his chin against the top of her head again.

She shook her head, fighting against everything she knew. Hands swiping out and clutching his button-down, pulling him flat against her. "Auggie, I loved him…" She choked on his name, fighting down the emotion-driven bile riling up against her. "God, I loved Ben…"

He pressed his face into her hair, lips resting near her ear. It tore him up to see her like this. He's say anything to make it better. He'd give anything to heal her heart. And then she spoke again, derogatory, incredibly wrong words. "Sometimes I feel like I'm nothing without him…" Her sobs began to fade, her voice falling to defeated acceptance.

Auggie froze, arms clinching tightly around her, holding her immobile like that would stop her. But it didn't. "After all, what are we without the people who love us?"

She laughed harshly, resting her head heavily against him. Auggie's mouth opened. "Who doesn't love you, Annie, that really matters?" Okay, so his speech was a little garbled with his disbelief.

She sighed, remaining silent. And the silence was killing her.

He breathed out slowly, pushing her just a few inches away. "So many people love you, Annie. You mean the world to your nieces. And your sister. Jai obviously likes you. Joan actually favors you. Do you know how often that happens? Almost never." He couldn't hold back the harshness in his voice.

"What about you?" She whispered, inching a bit closer.

He sighed, ran a hand through his hair. "Of course I love you, Annie. Why else would I do everything I do to keep you safe?" He shook his head. "You're a good agent—one of the best. And Ben will never be able to take credit for that."

She was silent for several minutes, processing his words, holding herself together as best as she could. And then it clicked. Auggie loved her.

She threw her arms around his neck and held onto him for dear life. He held her through the night.

Whooooo…. Wow. That was super angsty and intense… Hmm…

Well, I was listening to "The Silence" by Mayday Parade as I wrote this which probably has a huge influence on the outcome… so yeah.

Thanks for reading and R&R!

Until tomorrow…hopefully. I may skip the weekends or do one per weekend…

Cali