The muse suddenly found the inspiration to finish a chapter that has been in the works for a long time and thanks to a slow day at work I had the time to write it out. (Don't tell my boss...)

I really hope the wait for the next chapter will be shorter, I have pretty much outlined the storyline for it.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs. Still wish I had an Auggie in my life though. :o)

-7: Into the New Year-

With a heavy sigh Auggie closed and locked the front door behind him. It was close to midnight on December 26th and he was tired from his solo journey from Chicago to DC. The trip had gone smoothly, the Travellers Assistance staff had been great and the late hour meant that the flight had been quiet. Auggie leaned against the door for a few seconds and listened to the familiar sounds of his home. It had been a while since the last time he came home to an empty house and he wasn't sure he liked it. Auggie had never minded the occasional period of solitude and quiet, but part of him he already missed Annie and Hailey. It had only been little over six hours since he'd kissed his wife and daughter goodbye at O'Hare and he knew they'd be back in DC a few days later, but he wished he'd been able to spend the rest of the week in Glencoe with his family. Work wouldn't allow that. With another tired sigh he folded his white cane with practiced moves and after stashing that, his wallet and keys on the table by the garage door he headed upstairs to the master bedroom with his carry-on in hand. Within 15 minutes he was fast asleep.

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A few hours into his workday the following day Auggie was sitting in his desk chair, lost in thought. As much as he appreciated the opportunity he'd been given in Joan's absence it was becoming clear to him that he couldn't keep working as much as he was. Especially not with a second child on the way. He didn't want to be like his workaholic father; he'd been like a stranger to Auggie and his brothers at times during their childhood. Annie's comments about feeling like a single parent the night she'd told him she was pregnant also still stung. He picked up the receiver of his desk phone and dialed the extension for Arthur's office. His secretary picked up on the second ring.

"This is August Anderson down in the DPD. I would like to request a meeting with Mr. Campbell as soon as possible."

"Mr. Campbell is free for the next hour. Can you come up here immediately?"

"Sure. I'll be there in five minutes. Thank you."

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"What can I do for you today Auggie?" Arthur asked as Auggie sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Let me start with saying that it means a lot to me that both you and Joan have faith in me and I appreciate the opportunity you've given me in Joan's absence," Auggie started, while trying to figure out what more to say.

"I sense a but in there," Arthur interjected.

"There is," Auggie said with a slight sigh. "The hours I'm working are just not compatible with family life. I was prepared for an increase in my workload, that I'd have to put in a few more hours, but I must admit I had no idea how demanding the job was. Annie feels like a single parent and I can't say I blame her. I spend more time in the DPD than I do at home with my family these days. As much as love my job my family comes first. I hope you understand that."

"I see where you're coming from Auggie. I do. What do you want to do about it? Do you have any ideas."

"Part of me just want to go back to Tech Ops, but I don't think that would be fair to Stu. He's worked hard and he's doing a good job. I do have a few ideas, we could make some changes to the way we run things."

"Well, let me hear them," Arthur prompted.

When Auggie got home after work that day he called for a Chinese delivery and headed upstairs to change into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. As he waited for the food to arrive he called Annie.

"Hi Auggie, how are things back in DC?" she greeted him cheerily.

"Hey babe. I've got some news. I had a meeting with Arthur today."

"Oh, what's going on?"

"We're making some organizational changes in the DPD. Hopefully they'll mean I get back to a more normal work schedule. Well, as normal as it can get when you work for the CIA."

"That's great honey," Annie said, happiness lacing her voice. "When?"

"When everyone gets back after New Year. I have to write everything out and send it to Arthur for approval. I'm almost finished. I'll wrap it up and send it to him first thing tomorrow."

"I hope he approves."

"He pretty much pre-approved it during our meeting, but you know agency bureaucracy. They've got to have all the proper paperwork in place."

"Ah, I see. Gotta love bureaucracy."

Just as Auggie was about to answer the doorbell rang.

"Annie, I'll call you back later, okay? My dinner just arrived."

"Calling for deliveries? Aren't you the lazy one? Enjoy your dinner. Love you."

"Love you too babe. Give Hailey a kiss from me."

"Will do," Annie said as she ended the call.

On New Years Eve Auggie managed to leave the office at three in the afternoon. He'd hoped to be able to leave at noon and go meet Annie and Hailey at Reagan, but he'd decided he'd rather have the following day off and he'd worked hard to clear his inbox of everything he deemed urgent. He was happy he' succeeded and looked forward to spending some time with his wife and daughter. He'd missed them for the past few days.

"Daddy!" Hailey squealed as Auggie entered the house. He quickly closed and locked the front door behind him and leaned his cane against the wall next to the door. He squatted down and opened his arms for the hug he knew was coming. Seconds later little arms wrapped around his neck and he hugged his daughter.

"Hey there sweet pea. Where's Mommy?" Auggie asked as he let Hailey go and got to his feet. She took his hand and tugged him toward the kitchen. Moments later he smelled grapefruit and he heard Annie approaching.

"Mommy's in the kitchen preparing food for tonight," Annie said with a smile as she hugged her husband. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, all three of you," Auggie said as he placed a hand on Annie's growing belly. She was almost four months pregnant and it was showing. "Sorry for being later than predicted. The upside is that I got through anything urgent and unless something unexpected happens I have tomorrow off."

"That's great Auggie," Annie said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Auggie on the lips.

"Who's coming tonight?"

"Just Dani, Michael and the girls. They're coming at seven."

"Sounds nice. Anything I can do to help?"

"I think I've got everything covered in the kitchen. Why don't you read Hailey a story? She got several new books for Christmas you know."

Hailey started tugging on Auggie's hand. "Please Daddy!"

"Sure, let's go upstairs and get comfortable," Auggie said. He knew that what Annie really wanted was for him to get Hailey to sleep for a few hours, so she could be up to see the fireworks at midnight. Considering their early start from Glencoe and the excitement air travel usually caused for Hailey Auggie suspected that she was pretty tired and he hoped that by the end of the story she'd fall asleep.

"It's nice to have you back on a more normal schedule," Annie told Auggie over dinner a Friday evening in the middle of February. They were alone, as Hailey was spending the night at the Brooks house. Chloe and Katia had insisted on babysitting so Annie and Auggie could have a "date night".

"It's good to be back on a more normal schedule. Working that much just wasn't working for me and I'm glad Arthur realized it too. It's nice to have a right hand man and so far Jacobs is doing a great job. I think he deserved the opportunity."

"I think so too Auggie. He's a great operative that has proven his worth several times and I have a feeling he don't mind being more in the office?"

"Funny how a wife and a couple of kids can make even the most reckless field operative happy to be stuck behind a desk," Auggie chuckled. Then he got more serious. "You're right. He was very happy when I offered him the position as Assistant Director of the DPD. I think I made the right choice."

"I think so too. Do you think you'll be able to get a few days off to go see your family over Easter by the way? I think we can kiss the Memorial Day get together goodbye this year; I'm due just a few days later."

"I think so. I've put in for Wednesday through Monday off. I haven't taken out any vacation time since Christmas, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Good. I know your Mom is excited about introducing Hailey to the egg hunt and it will mean a lot to Jill and Andrew that you're there too."

Auggie nodded in consent as he chewed on a piece of steak and swallowed before he spoke.

"I know and I want to be there. Unless there's a huge national security crisis I'll be there. I promise. How long will Hailey stay at Dani's house by the way?"

"Dani invited us over for lunch tomorrow. She's considering expanding her menu to include tapas and wants to use us as guinea pigs. We'll take Hailey home with us after lunch."

"Well, I can think about worse things than being Dani's guinea pig. My guess is that we're in for a treat."

"Mine too. Dani say's you're the best judge of her food, 'cause you don't judge the food by how it looks."

Auggie laughed. "Yep, there's no point in trying to impress me with fancy plating. It's lost on me."

"Can I ask you something," Annie said tentatively. Auggie was surprised. He hadn't heard that tone since the early days of their relationship.

"What?"

"Does it ever freak you out to eat something new, since you can't see what you're eating?"

"Not anymore, but in the early days after my accident it did. After a while I got used to it and now it's fine. The only thing I still struggle with now is if I'm somewhere new or with someone that doesn't know me and I have to get by without cues about what's where on my plate. That feels awkward. In situations like that I try to order food that doesn't really require it if possible."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway…what do you want to do for the rest of the evening? Are you up for watching a movie?"

"Sure. How do you feel about a little bit of James Bond? My buddy Andrew at the London station sent me a copy of 'Quantum of Solace', rumor has it the British audio description track is great."

"Cool, I love Bond movies, but I hate describing them to you. They're too damn action packed."

They finished the meal and cleared their plates. While they cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen Annie popped a batch of properly buttered popcorn. Half an hour later they were settled on the couch with a huge bowl on the coffee table in front of them. Annie curled up next to Auggie who had propped his feet up on the coffee table and he draped his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her belly. About an hour into the movie he noticed that Annie had drifted off to sleep; she had gone quiet and her breathing had turned calm and even.

In the next chapter Annie and Auggie welcome their second child.

Should it be a boy or a girl?

Please leave a review and let me know what you think.