Full Circle P10

Annie woke the next morning, still clothed, and tantalizingly close to Auggie's body. She threw caution to the wind and closed the small gap of cool sheets and snuggled right into his side. He instantly curled around her like a caterpillar, his body warm and sweet with sleep.

"Morning," he said quietly, not wanting to break the moment.

"I forgot how snuggly you are," she smiled against his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's been awhile," Auggie sighed remembering their last time in a real bed together, the hospital notwithstanding, involved very little snuggling.

"Mmmm," Annie agreed nodding her head against his body, moving her hands up to find his face.

She kissed him gently, not trying to start anything more, just wanting to celebrate this moment. He smiled into the kiss as he had that very first time, but this time he pulled back.

"We should talk," he said the dreaded words.

She flopped onto her back with a groan.

"I know the kissing is more fun, trust me, I know, but we have been down this road already and we need to mark the path better this time," he reasoned as he swung his legs out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To make coffee," he smiled.

Annie used the bathroom, brushed her teeth and returned to the bed. He might want to talk, but she wanted that talk to take place in bed, not across a table, she wanted to remind him what they were talking about and why.

***555***

"At some point in the year after Ben left me again, I realized I didn't care that he was gone. I dated that guy Scott for a while, but he was no one really, he was a place holder in my head for the moment I was ready to admit to you how I felt. Just around the time I was starting to get up the nerve you met Parker."

"Yeah," Auggie nodded.

"The day you gave me the car, I was so convinced we were on the same page. I was shaken from my first gun fight and needed you and there you were trusting me with your precious car and just handing it over like it was nothing, when what I wanted was your heart. I got the car instead."

"I really didn't know you wanted more than the car Annie, you have to know that."

"You were so happy and I was so miserable, but I let go of it, shook it off and convinced myself that you and Parker would never work, that she was just another bump in the road."

"That road got a lot bumpier," he smiled sadly and reached for her hand, she gave it over gladly, happy for the contact.

"Jai died and we were re-assigned and Lena assigned me to Simon and then…."

"Barcelona," his one word really summed up the root of their problems.

"Yeah," she sniffled and he was surprised she was crying.

He unlaced their fingers and brought his to her cheek, used his thumb to erase the tears and then pulled her close.

"It is easy to think all of our problems started with Henry Wilcox, but you're right, we had denied some issues for a long time," Auggie said soothingly against her hair.

"It just all comes back to the same thing though, we never really tell each other how we feel, there is always a cover in place. I am strong and you are clever and we don't need to talk about our feelings, but we do Auggie. I need to know that this, us, is what is best for both of us. In the long run," Annie said honestly, her tears staunched and her hands shaking.

"Why didn't you say something in Barcelona, why didn't you try to stop me?"

"You seemed so happy and I didn't want to interfere with that."

"Even if it cost you your own happiness? You are not a martyr Annie, you are not the one who always has to sacrifice in your job or in your life. You deserve happiness too, you deserve to be safe and loved and happy," Auggie turned her on the bed so they were facing each other, his hands strong on her elbows and for a moment she panicked, considered a way to flee.

"I know that."

"Do you?"

"I am learning that," Annie admitted.

"Why did you ever doubt it?"

"The only person who ever invested anything in me was Danielle. My parents didn't know what to do with me, men never stuck around long enough to figure me out. Within weeks I felt like I lost Danielle and you, you were both moving on and I was left behind with barely a second thought from either of you," Annie hated how pathetic she sounded, but this is what she promised Gail she would talk to Auggie about.

"And Simon was there."

"Simon was easy."

"Nothing about Simon was easy," Auggie snorted.

"It really was, I knew who he was and he knew who I was. Part of me knew he knew which actually made it even easier. He got me, he was kind to me."

"And I was a self-absorbed jerk," Auggie grimaced.

"Never, you were happy and then you were distant and I was just as guilty as you, I avoided reaching out to you I buried myself in the Simon Op so I didn't have to hear how heart-broken you were about Parker, because the only thing worse than you happy with her was you sad without her."

"I was sad then Annie, really sad, but not about Parker and my sadness goes back to giving you the car too. While you were in Stockholm I had my real last chance of recovering my eyesight eliminated."

"What?" Annie said shocked.

"I saw a doctor while you were away, he runs a trial on stem cells and I thought I might be a candidate. Turned out I wasn't."

'Why didn't you tell me?" Annie said almost angry.

"Because you always see me as so much more than blind Annie, I didn't want to burst that idealism by giving you the truth. Parker pretty much only saw me as blind, so it didn't seem like such a letdown to her."

"Oh Auggie…." Annie sighed and reached a hand out to smooth the hair back from his forehead.

The ringing phone actually made her jump, her throat was raw from talking, it was the most she had said to anyone other than Gail in months.

"Hello," she said as she slipped out of the bed and Auggie missed her instantly.

He could only hear her side of the conversation but it sounded like good news and involved her going in to the office.

"I'm sorry, have to go," she said unnecessarily as she hung up.

"Yeah," Auggie stretched and stood.

"Can I come back later?"

"Of course. Whatever we become Annie, and believe me when I say I want it to be something spectacular, whatever we are, we will always be friends."

***555***

Barber showed up with dinner, which Auggie was grateful for, but he had to swallow his disappointment that it wasn't Annie.

"She'll be here later," Barber said when he sensed the letdown.

"Huh?" Auggie tried to play dumb.

"You know you have zero poker face when it comes to her, right?"

Auggie just rolled his eyes at Barber and handed him a beer.

"How are you feeling? Should you be drinking?" Barber asked following all the rules Annie had laid out.

"I feel fine, I didn't even need my pain keelers today. I am down to plain old Advil," Auggie rotated the shoulder on the injured side in demonstration.

"Good," Barber smiled in confusion at his boss' odd accent.

"Where is Annie?" Auggie asked nonchalantly.

"Team is going in after the guy that shot you."

"What? You might have wanted to lead with that Barber," he frowned.

"She is running tac from Langley, she isn't on the team."

"Oh," he felt a little better knowing he wasn't so far out of the loop and Annie was not in direct danger at the moment.

"I offered to bring you dinner," Barber shrugged and pulled out some Greek food.

"Thanks. So who is the guy?"

"Some Turkish militant who really did not know he was shooting former Special Forces/CIA guy. He has a world of hurt coming his way," Barber laughed.

"If it is so cut and dry, where is Annie?"

"Is anything cut and dry at the company? Syria is involved or something, I don't know they were all running around crazy, but Annie stepped out to make sure you got some dinner and that it included vegetables," Barber grimaced at the thought.

"I should be there, I am going a little stir crazy here," Auggie admitted.

"I can tell, you look a bit like a caged puma or something," Barber said with a laugh and Auggie smiled at his choice of animal.

***555***

Auggie had no idea how long he had been asleep when he heard the loft door slide open. He was so happy she had come back he didn't dare startle her. He felt like maybe they had made some progress today, but Annie still seemed fragile.

He listened as she hung up her coat and noticed the change in footfalls as she removed her shoes. He heard the faucet and the fridge, the inescapable loudness of opening plastic take out containers and a tiny hum as she forked some cold leftovers into her mouth.

Annie padded up to the bedroom as she pulled her blouse out of her skirt. She had gone to her apartment to change before heading to Langley, but had failed to bring anything with her for tonight in her rush. She was about to grab the tee shirt she had slept in the night before when the glow of street light reflected off of Auggie's bare chest, the bandage covering his wound the only thing marring a perfect view.

Annie brushed her teeth and washed her face, stripped down to her underwear and climbed into bed. Auggie was still feigning sleep and had to control his response when he rolled towards her and felt nothing but silky skin against his hands.

Again, afraid she would bolt he slid one hand over her hip to her stomach and anchored her back against him. He couldn't resist though as he tucked his head into the back of her hair, sifting through the long curls with his nose until his lips made contact with the warm sweet smell of Annie.

She froze, her abdominal muscles tightening under his hand, her spine elongating at his kiss.

"You're awake?" she accused.

He just nodded which only served to bring his lips back against her skin over and over in tantalizing fashion. She turned in his arms, pulled her hair back and away from his face and leaned forward to kiss him properly.

It was the second time in 24 hours she kissed him in this bed and while this morning was all about warmth and comfort, tonight was all about heat and passion. He pulled her closer her bare chest flush against his and her heart raced.

"You broke the no clothes rule?" he growled between kisses.

"Me?" she laughed as her hands skimmed down his long lean torso.

He rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him with ease.

"How do you feel?" she asked as she surveyed the clean dry bandage on his chest, considerably smaller in the days since the shooting.

"You tell me," he grinned as her hands continued to roam.

TBC…