The silence was eerie, and Joan could hear the rustling of leaves in the breeze. She opened her eyes and saw Annie lying next to her, clutching her left leg. Blood was seeping through her fingers, and her eyes were squeezed shut in pain.
Joan sat up, looking around wildly for Arthur. But she didn't see anyone. She stood up and scanned the hillside for Henry and Arthur. The sloping lawn was eerily silent, in a post-apocalyptic yet calm way.
She and Annie had rolled a few feet down the hill without her even noticing. She ran her hands through her hair and screamed her husband's name, on the verge of tears.
"Arthur? Arthur!"
Annie moaned in pain from the ground and Joan dropped down to her knees in the grass, putting her hand on Annie's face. She surveyed the damage; it was pretty bad. She could see splinters of bone grotesquely poking through Annie's skin.
"Annie, can you hear me?"
Annie nodded. "Joan… I'm so sorry. I betrayed you, and I… I…"
Joan shook her head, and let the tears start to gather. "No, shh, it's okay. Not now." She slipped off her hoodie and pressed it to Annie's bullet wound, just below her knee.
Annie grimaced. "Henry.. he was going to kill you, he was so focused on you, he didn't see… I snuck around the side.. and when he pulled the trigger, I just ran at you…"
Joan was stunned. "You jumped in front of a bullet for me?"
"I care about you," Annie said simply, her voice laced with pain. "Sorry it took so long to get my priorities straight."
Joan laughed a little. "It's okay. We're gonna get you help, alright?"
Annie shook her head. "Arthur chased Henry to the woods. Go…"
Another gunshot rang through the air, and Joan froze.
"Go find your husband," Annie whispered weakly. She took the balled up hoodie and pressed it against her knee. "Go."
Joan jumped up and ran to the edge of the woods, her face shining with a mix of sweat and tears.
A familiar figure stood by the trees, perfectly still. He looked up and saw her.
"Oh, Arthur." Joan flung her arms around her husband, holding him as tightly as he could.
He smiled in relief, kissing her hair. "Joan."
They broke apart and Arthur cupped Joan's face in his hands, laughing and smiling. She smiled back.
"Hey."
"Hey." His blue eyes shone with the purest form of love and happiness she had ever seen. When she was finally able to tear her eyes away from him, she saw Henry's body a few feet away at the base of a tree.
"Did you..?"
Arthur nodded, taking her hands in his. "It's over."
Joan sighed and threw herself at him again, both of their bodies trembling. Tears of exhaustion and relief now fell from her eyes, and Arthur rocked her back and forth, whispering, "It's okay. You're okay."
xxxx
They were in the hospital waiting room 2 hours later, Joan clutching Arthur's arm as they sat on an uncomfortable couch, waiting for news.
"Joan?"
"Auggie!"
Joan leapt up from the couch and ran to the ER door, where Auggie had just come through. She hugged him tightly, and he hugged back with his free hand (the one not holding the cane).
"Thank god you're alright," he whispered. She smiled and pulled back, kissing his cheek.
"Annie's in surgery. They said she should be fine."
"I still don't understand how this happened," Auggie said as Joan led him back to the couch. Arthur stood up and clapped a hand on Auggie's back. He and Joan shared a look. It was up to Annie to tell Auggie how she had gotten mixed up with Henry Wilcox.
"Hey, Anderson."
"Sir."
"Are you here for Annie Walker?," a nurse asked, coming around the corner. Joan nodded and pointed to Auggie.
"He is."
"Well, she's awake now. You can see her. One at a time, please."
"You go ahead," Arthur said, putting his arm around Joan's shoulders. "We need to go home. Tell Annie we'll talk to her tomorrow."
Auggie nodded, not needing to be told again. He followed the nurse down the hall, and Arthur turned to Joan.
"Ready to go home?"
She nodded. "Please."
xxxx
After a hot shower, Joan sat in bed in sweats, eating Chinese food. Arthur sat down next to her.
"I just got off the phone with Auggie, he and Annie are back at her house. She's in a cast, and will need crutches for a few weeks."
Joan smiled softly and finished off her carton of chicken chow mein, placing it on the nightstand.
"Good."
Arthur put his hand on Joan's cheek, smiling in adoration. "Honey, I am so glad you're okay."
She smiled at him. "Me too." Their lips met in a tender kiss, and Joan wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck, deepening the kiss.
"I love you so much," she whispered, leaning her forehead up against his. "So, so much." Her voice cracked, and the lump in her throat rose.
He smiled. "I love you too." Joan sniffled and Arthur wiped away a few tears with his thumb. She laughed. He kissed her again.
"When I saw Henry pull that trigger… Joan, I swear, if he had killed you, I would have let him kill me too."
"Arthur!" Joan gaped in shock. He nodded.
"I mean it. I didn't even care about killing him. I lunged at him, and I was prepared to not fight, to just go limp and let him get me. Fighting didn't seem worth it if I was alone. But then Annie jumped in front of you…"
Joan buried her head in his chest. "Please, never say that again."
"It wouldn't make sense for me to be around without you," he whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Both were overcome with emotion, but Joan knew that Arthur meant what he said.
"I'd do the same for you," she whispered, raising her head up so she could stare into his deep blue eyes. He chuckled.
"I'd hope so."
She laughed. They laid back against the pillows together, Joan wrapped in Arthur's arms. After a minute or two, he spoke.
"We can deal with Walker however you want; she's your operative, so it's your call, but I was thinking relocation to Phoenix…"
Joan shook her head. "No. Arthur, without her, I would be dead."
"Without her, you wouldn't have been kidnapped!"
"No," Joan said firmly. "She will get a 2-week suspension, no more, no less. She took a bullet for me, Arthur. She cares."
Arthur softened. He knew that that was what Joan really cared about. Not that she had almost been killed, but that Annie cared about her, saw her as more than a boss.
"Okay. Do you want to go see her?"
"In the morning," Joan said, yawning. "Cold concrete floors are hard to sleep on."
Arthur chuckled and let Joan roll off of him. He sat up and pulled the covers over her, placing a kiss on her cheek.
"I have to make some calls, deal with the matter of Henry's… unfortunate death. Get some sleep, sweetheart."
Joan nodded, then closed her eyes. "I will."
Arthur smiled, so glad to see his wife sleeping in their bed again. It was where she belonged. With him.
xxxx
The next morning, Arthur drove Joan to Annie's house. Joan let herself into the guest house, and saw Auggie.
"Joan?"
Joan looked down at herself. Long gray sweater, jeans, and boots. No necklace, no heels. The only scent on her was the orange blossom soap she had used the night before. She smiled.
"How… actually, never mind."
He grinned, and she saw the warmth in his brown eyes. She loved that he still lit up, even when he couldn't see a thing.
"Annie's in the bathroom," he said, standing up. "Arthur texted, said he wanted to take me to get coffee?"
"Yes," Joan said. "He's outside. He wants to talk some business too, though."
Auggie nodded. "I would expect no less." Joan smiled.
"You girls play nice," Auggie said seriously as he passed Joan. She squeezed his hand and sat down on Annie's couch, chewing on her bottom lip.
Annie emerged from the bathroom and saw Joan. She looked away shyly, then swung herself over to Joan on her crutches.
Joan smiled weakly. "You're a natural on those things," she offered. Annie laughed and sat down, propping the crutches up against the arm of the couch.
"Yeah, I broke my leg when I was 14. This same one, actually. But a broken bone feels a lot different than a bone shattered by a .45 caliber bullet."
They both grew quiet, and then Joan cleared her throat. Time to break the awkward silence.
"Annie, you will be suspended for 2 weeks." She thought she might as well get that out of the way. Annie looked surprised.
'That's it?"
Joan nodded. "Yes."
"Wow," Annie said. She looked at Joan, her eyes apologetic. "Joan, I wish I could take it all back. I was foolish, and I am so sorry."
Joan smiled. "I know," she said calmly. "Annie, you did save my life. I think that more than makes up for telling Henry where I was. It's not like he couldn't have found me on his own, eventually."
Annie exhaled with relief. "That's really… thanks, Joan."
"You're welcome."
"Joan... what I said… I do care about you. It took me so long to realize that I could let you in, but... you are important to me, okay? I'm sorry I made you doubt that."
Joan put her hand on her heart and smiled. "Thank you, Annie. I really care about you, and I always try to do what is in your best interest."
"I get that now," Annie said with a laugh. "If only I hadn't been so stubborn, I would have realized it sooner."
Joan took Annie's hand in hers and squeezed it. "It's okay. What's important is that everyone survived."
Annie nodded. Joan glanced at Annie's cast. "Can I sign it?"
A grin spread across Annie's face. "Yeah!"
Joan smiled and walked over to Annie's desk, fishing a Sharpie out of a can on top of a stack of papers. She uncapped it and wrote "Thanks for taking the bullet. Feel better! xo, Joan" in loopy cursive.
Annie read it and smiled. "Ha. Cute."
Joan returned the Sharpie to the desk and then walked back over to the couch.
"I'll go, let you get your rest. Let me know how you're doing, okay?"
Annie nodded, pushing herself up and grabbing her crutches. She walked Joan to the door of her bedroom, then stopped.
"Joan," she murmured, wrapping her arms around her boss. "You are an amazing person, and I'm glad I have you."
Joan smiled and hugged Annie back. "Thank you, Annie."
Joan walked out into the patio area in front of the house and texted Arthur. She glanced around at the forgotten toys in buckets, and through the windows into the empty house.
Annie really was like a younger Joan. Lonely, determined, and always trying to do the right thing while staying true to her Agency and the people she cared about. Torn. People made mistakes, and Joan had made her fair share while adjusting to the Agency.
Everyone needs a mentor in life; someone to look up to and admire, even if they don't always agree on things. Unconditional care means that the ups and downs always end in friendship.
Annie hadn't betrayed her. She simply made a mistake, similar to the ones Joan had made when she was young, But we grow up, and as we do, we find our strengths. Joan had found hers the hard way, and she was going to help Annie find hers without all of the extra struggle.
The end! I hope you guys feel like this wraps the story up well, and I'm so overwhelmed by all the amazing reviews you have written :) This started as a one-shot, and turned into something I never thought it could be! xoxo.