A/N: Sorry this is so late! I really meant to have this published Saturday night, but I couldn't get it quite right… And I've been crazy busy lately! :*(
Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs. Period.
Chapter 4
Annie slipped into Auggie's office, looking around for Auggie as she entered. "Auggie?" The office was empty.
It was a Sunday morning, the day before Valentine's day, and the DPD had been called in. It was almost time for the briefing, and Joan had sent Annie in search of Auggie, but apparently, he was not to be found.
She glanced around the room one more time, and her eyes landed on a small wrapped gift on Auggie's swivel chair. When she saw the familiar scrawl proclaiming Annie, a lump formed in her throat.
Auggie was her mystery man?
She wasn't sure why that surprised her. Auggie had always been there for her, always accepted her for who she was, but always cared a little more than anyone ever expected him to.
She jumped when she heard Auggie behind her. "Annie?" he asked.
She turned to face him, smiling nervously. "Hey, Aug." It was really him? In an instant, she decided not to let him know she knew—he obviously had a plan, and after all he had done for her, she didn't want to mess it up. Besides, she still wasn't sure how she felt about all of this.
"Joan told me you came to find me?"
She nodded, pushing her thoughts from her mind. Slipping her arm through his, she said, "Yeah. Briefing in the conference room."
As they walked to the conference room together, they made small talk, talking about their Saturdays, Auggie's plans for Valentine's day, and Chloe and Katia's excitement about the holiday. As they neared the entrance to the room, Auggie asked, "Sooo… do you think your mystery man'll make his move today?"
If it had been an hour ago, Annie wouldn't have been so sure. Now, though, Annie heard the subtle hint of hopefulness and worry in his voice, and she couldn't help sneaking a glance at his face.
She knew Auggie. She knew that he wasn't the player half the company made him out to be, and she knew how he could hide his emotions like a stoic warrior. But she also knew Auggie—knew his emotions, his heart. And she knew that subtle shadow in his eyes, the way he fiddled with his laser cane. He might as well have run for the hills and howled in fear.
His heart was right on the edge of his sleeve, and she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it until now.
"Yeah," she said softly, confidently. "I think he will."
She smiled when the corners of his lips turned up in a hopeful smile, and they entered the conference room together. She still wasn't sure about a future with Auggie—wasn't sure about risking the best friendship she'd ever had, wasn't sure she could even make a relationship work, not after the plethora of failed relationships in the past.
Yet, the idea of being Auggie's girl… it was slowly growing on her, like the way hot cocoa warms you on a cold winter's day.
By the time the briefings and meetings were finished at nearly nine o'clock that night, Annie wasn't so sure her not-so-mysterious mystery man would even remember about the fact that Valentine's day was less than four hours away.
Fighting terrorism had a way of doing that to even the best romantic.
So she was surprised when she arrived at her desk, file to be translated in hand, to discover a note in that elegant scrawl, her name written across the envelope.
Annie.
She smiled, pulling out the note. What would this last mystery note say? After the long day she'd had, she was looking forward to this note, this hint of happiness.
Auggie had been… there was really no word for it. For the first time ever, it seemed like she was acutely aware of everything he did. The way his eyes followed her every time she spoke, the way he thought he was sneaking "looks" at her when she didn't notice, the way he touched her arm gently before whispering a question in her ear, the way he had guided her protectively to the cafeteria for lunch, his hand lightly touching the small of her back, the way he beamed when she joined in his conversation… had she really missed all of this before?
Auggie made it easy to fall for him, in the end. After a day of watching him practically dote on her—on Valentine's Eve, no less—she couldn't help it.
She glanced down and read the note.
Annie.
I thought we'd do things differently today.
Turn around.
She frowned curiously. Was he standing right behind her?
She couldn't help grinning from ear to ear, though, as she caught Stu and Barber shoving their boss in her direction. "Hi, Auggie," she whispered.
"Annie?" He frowned, surprised that she knew. "How did you know?"
She couldn't help smiling as she took the two steps to close the distance between them. She was so happy—she thought the grin might explode off her face. "I, uh—I kinda found the last gift with my name on it on your chair. When I went to find you for the first briefing, this morning."
He looked at her incredulously. "And you didn't tell me?"
She giggled. "I didn't want to spoil your surprise."
He rolled his eyes. "It's kinda late for that, don'tcha think?"
She smiled shyly, reaching for his hand. "C'mon," she whispered, tugging him toward her hideout, the courtyard with the waterfall.
As soon as they came to a stop, Auggie began to talk. "Annie? I need to know—do you… do you feel the same way I do? I mean, if you don't, I can still—"
"Shhh," she whispered, placing a finger against his lips. "You talk a lot for a guy who has to express his feelings on paper," she teased, leaning in. Reaching up tentatively, she met his lips in a whisper of a kiss.
Auggie's arms wrapped around her protectively, and he deepened the kiss. Cradling her gently in his arms, he both treated her with the utmost care, and yet, ignited her with his unbridled passion.
At that moment, she realized… the looks, the protectiveness, the way he followed her around the room—that was only the beginning. Auggie loved her—wholly, completely—and she couldn't imagine anything better than spending the rest of her life loving him in return.
She pulled away after a moment longer, breathing in deeply as she buried her face in his chest. It was almost too much to believe, to take in. It seemed a miracle that any man would care for her that much, but Auggie? It was like a dream she didn't even know she had been hoping for.
Auggie was rubbing her back soothingly, trying to repair the damage he'd done, and she looked up to find his face filled with anxious anticipation. She couldn't help the slow smile that spread across her face. "So," she whispered. "Does that answer you're question?"
She warmed at the way his face flooded with relief and joy. "Yeah."
She grinned. Leaning up on her tiptoes, she kissed him one more time. "Good." She glanced at the small box still in his hand, the one she'd seen on his desk earlier. "What's in the box?"
He shrugged nervously. "Uh, here."
She accepted the gift, and settling into his arms, she lifted the lid. Inside the small box was one candy heart, the words BE MINE branded across the center. Smiling, she popped the candy into her mouth and looked up at him.
"Annie?" he whispered.
She grinned back at him. "Hmm?"
"Will you be my valentine?"
She snuggled deeper into his arms. "Mmm hmm."
"Yeah?" he teased.
She laughed, looking up at him. "Yeah… After all, you bought my mother's piano for me. How could I refuse?"
He grinned, dipping down to claim her lips in another kiss. "You couldn't."
A/N: Sooooo… what do you think? :) This try completely surpassed all my expectations! I really didn't think it would come out so well, but I really love it. :) Let me know what you think! Oh, and do you think I should add the date itself? I think it could be nicely ended right here, but I had originally planned for it to include their Valentine's date… I'm really itching to get back to Dreamer, though, haha, so let me know which you'd prefer!
