Globe Trotting - Santos P2

"Annie," Danielle's eyes went wide as she flew across the room and engulfed her younger sister in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh my God, Annie," she repeated over and over against Annie's hair.

For her part Annie just held on, so happy to see her sister after so very long. Auggie and Calder held back by the bedrooms and just observed.

"What happened? Where have you been? Was there some mix-up, mistaken identity thing? Were you held captive? Oh my God, were you in a foreign prison?" Danielle babbled incoherently through every possible reason for Annie's absence and supposed death.

"Danielle….Danielle…Danielle!" Annie tried to break in several times.

"Sorry. I'm just so shocked to see you, so glad, but so shocked. Where have you been all this time?" Danielle finally asked calmly and Annie separated from her and moved towards the couch.

"Dani, sit down. I'll tell you everything."

"Your hair…" Danielle noticed and slowly pieces began to fall into place.

"You weren't captured, you were under cover? You were safe all this time? And you let us think you were dead?" Danielle looked over at Auggie and the anguish on his face betrayed his guilt.

"Oh wait, it was just me? You let ME believe you were dead while you two played some little spy game with the CIA?" Danielle was working up a full head of steam.

"Danielle, you know it wasn't a game, it was very serious," Annie tried to be calm.

"What could possibly have been so important that you would purposefully mislead me like that. Mislead Chloe and Katia, Annie your nieces think you are dead, do you not understand the significance of that?" Danielle backed away from Annie as if she were dangerous.

"Danielle…"Auggie began as he approached.

"No!" she turned on him.

"You! You stood with me, you held my hand… you, you cried at her funeral. You are an even better actor than this one," she pointed towards Annie with derision.

"You had to believe she was dead…."Auggie trailed off as he realized he was giving her the same exact excuse Arthur had given him about Helen and it made his stomach twist.

"What? For the good of the country? You had to destroy my life and my children's' lives for the good of the country?" Danielle tried to control her tears.

"The good of the world really," Calder interjected.

"And who the hell is this guy?" Danielle pointed towards Calder.

"Our boss and our friend, Danielle, he made this safe and possible," Annie tried not to mention he also pulled the trigger.

"So was I the only one in the dark? Was this an elaborate ruse to deceive just me? Clearly there was a bigger agenda."

"The only people who knew the truth were the three of us," Annie explained.

"Everyone else in the world thought Annie was dead, Danielle, it wasn't just you. Most of them still do think she is dead," Auggie explained.

"Are you safe now?" Danielle asked concerned.

"Yes," Annie nodded although the idea of feeling safe was still tenuous.

"So you are coming home?" Danielle continued.

"Not exactly," Annie sighed as Danielle's nostrils flared.

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"Auggie and I have been offered an assignment abroad, it is a good idea while the dust settles in DC from this last mission ," she explained.

"So you are just going to traipse around the world and leave us to mourn you?"

"While I will technically remain dead, I do not have to hide as I did before. That is why we asked you here Danielle. The CIA is allowing me to come out to you and the girls, to re-establish contact," Annie tried not to use the clinical terms, but in a way it was easier.

"Isn't that nice of them," Danielle snorted.

"If you want me to explain everything to the girls…."

"I don't want you anywhere near the girls!" Danielle turned and stormed out of the room.

The back door slammed shut and Annie looked over at Calder and Auggie with fear.

"I have the car keys, she can't go far," Calder assured.

"The horrible thing is, she's right," Annie swallowed a sob.

"Annie…." Auggie tried to assuage her guilt as he moved across the room towards her.

"If I were her I wouldn't let me near the kids either," Annie stood and brushed Auggie's arm, pulling him into an embrace.

"I told you to prepare for difficult, give her some time to absorb it all," he murmured against her hair and rocked her in place.

***555***

Two hours later Annie could still see Danielle sitting by the edge of the water. Annie picked at her salad while Calder and Auggie caught up on some office gossip from Langley. They could have been braiding each other's hair and Annie wouldn't have noticed, her eyes never left the form of her sister on the beach.

"Annie, eat your dinner," Auggie chided gently.

"How do you know I haven't?" she challenged.

"Lucky guess?" he shrugged.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Calder offered and Annie looked confused.

"Maybe she will listen to someone she isn't so emotionally attached to," he suggested.

"It's not a bad idea," Auggie supported the plan.

"If I lay out the facts, or as many of the facts as I can, maybe she will begin to see the magnitude of what was really going on, get the bigger picture."

"At this point it can't hurt, thanks Calder," Annie agreed.

***555***

"Hey, you OK?" Calder asked as he approached, trying not to startle Danielle.

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, but nodded.

"They send you down here to fight their battles?"

"I volunteered," Calder shrugged and sat next to Danielle in the sand.

"Brave," she wouldn't look him in the eye.

"Your sister is brave."

"That isn't in doubt, she is very brave, at the expense of all others."

"She can be too focused, too stubborn and too prone to going off book, yes. Her heart is in the right place though," Calder tried.

"Why did she do this?"

"Glad you asked. Of course I can't give you all the information, but I can try to paint the picture. A man named Henry Wilcox…"

"I know who he is," Danielle interrupted.

"OK, good. Henry Wilcox was released from jail last year and his son Jai was killed."

"I met Jai once, he was so handsome," Danielle interrupted again, but Calder was glad she was engaged.

"He got his looks from his mother. Anyway, Henry was determined to avenge Jai's death and make a lot of money in the process. He tried using Annie against a lot of people at Langley, including Auggie, by providing some vague intel about a supposed terrorist," Calder paused assuming Danielle would interrupt.

"Annie would never doubt Auggie."

"She didn't so she investigated on her own and found out that it was Henry who was the real terrorist. He had a global network of for-profit terrorists and no matter how we tried to stop him he always seemed to be one step ahead…." Calder continued to talk and Danielle quieted down and listened.

***555***

"What do we do now?" Annie said after she did the dishes and made a plate of food for Danielle if she decided to ever come back up to the house.

"We wait, she needs as much time as she needs," Auggie shrugged and found her hand.

"Yeah," Annie sighed and followed when Auggie tugged her towards a chaise lounge on the terrace.

He stretched out on the chaise and was pleased when she joined him, snuggling in close and tangling her legs with his.

"She'll come around," he whispered in her ear.

"You really think so?" she looked up at him hopefully.

"I do. I know from experience it is impossible not to love you Annie, she loves you, she'll come around," he said honestly and was rewarded with a kiss.

TBC…