A/N: One more after this one, I think. Then, the wheels are already turning for the third part to this Anderson trilogy.

Chapter 11

He opened the door and waited for her to walk past before he followed her inside. As he bolted the door, he heard her taking a seat on the couch.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"How long do you think?" She needed to know what he'd been able to figure out on his own.

"Three days?" He was pretty sure of that, but still, he had lost an important part of his counter-surveillance bag of tricks.

"Good."

"Is that right?"

"I've been here for about a week, but close contact for three days. So yes. You were right." She crossed and uncrossed her legs. "What was the tip off?"

Auggie nodded toward her. "Open the bag."

She pulled out the container of perfume and chuckled her low, throaty laugh. "I'd venture that millions of women wear Chanel No. 5."

"Not any that I've smelled in the past 6 months."

"Inventive," Joan conceded.

Auggie took a seat across the room from her. "What are you doing here?"

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Not even you can hack the CIA server with absolutely no repercussions."

Auggie felt the flush on his face. "Curiosity was killing me. I had to know if I could still do it."

"Four times?" was her incredulous reply.

"I had to see if I could beat the added security each time," he explained with an innocent shrug.

"It was basically an invitation for invasion into your life. Someone was going to come, but you knew that, didn't you?" She shook her head as she realized his plan. "You assumed I'd do it and the worst that would happen to you would be taking me to dinner. Which you're going to do, by the way."

Auggie smiled quickly. "Sure." His face changed again. He played with a thread on his shirt for a moment in the silent before he laid it all out for her. "I want to come back, Joan."

"Are you sure?" She really needed to know that he was. She'd come all this way to look him in the eye when he said it. "Because no one would think any less of you if you didn't."

He nodded, realizing that was mostly true, but he new he had to try at least. It was the next step he had to take. "I have to. If you can find a place for me."

"There's always a place for you, Auggie. We'll make one if there isn't. You can take it slow and build up to full speed if you need to."

Auggie shook his head. "It's a sink or swim kind of company, Joan. We both know that."

"I'll authorize the use of life jackets, then."

He smiled again. "You'd do that for me?"

"If you need it, which I doubt that you will, but yes. If we're going to do this, we'll give you the time you need to get back up to speed. Arthur agrees. He said I needed to bring you back, no matter what. He says you're invaluable to the Agency and to him."

He would. Auggie reminisced bitterly of the things he'd done for Arthur Campbell in the name of freedom, a cloud of tumultuous remembrance falling across his face.

"What's that look for?"

"Just thinking about past secrets, but we all know that's useless." He stood. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Pizza, of course."

"Fine. I know a good place, but we'll need a cab."

"So this is settled? You'll stop hacking government servers and we'll begin preparing for your return?"

Auggie nodded. "Deal."

"What's your ideal timeframe?"

"After the first of the year. I have a lease on this place until then, and I need to spend the holidays here to let them get used to the idea of me leaving again." He took a deep breath. "And I need some time to make sure my head's right." He hung his head. "I'm still on meds, but things are a lot better."

She nodded, expecting as much. "Fine. Let me know what you'll need, and we'll make it happen."

The next week, Auggie prepared to join the rest of the family, minus a still-deployed Max, at his parents' house to celebrate Thanksgiving. He planned on contributing the pumpkin pie that Rosie had sent home with him the day before. She often had a doggie bag waiting for him when left the café these days. He started to tell her he wasn't actually pining away over Elaina's departure, but he decided just to let her mother him a little. They both seemed to need it.

Dana and the other women had congregated at the Anderson house early on Thanksgiving morning, so Brendan and the boys met Auggie at his place. He wasn't quite ready when they arrived, and they settled in front of the TV to watch a little bit of the parade as he dressed. Emmett and Eamon had helped in the move-in process, Eamon being fastidious about organization and labeling in the kitchen while Emmett and his mom had tackled Auggie's closet. Both understood the importance of order in their uncle's living space, but they couldn't help but gravitate toward the gadgets that had nearly swallowed the dining room table.

"Boys!" Brendan cautioned as they inched toward the technology.

"We're just looking, Dad." Emmett promised as he watched Eamon run his fingers across the keyboard's Braille pad. He scowled at his brother and shook his head.

"You can ask him about it when he comes out and maybe he can show you how it works, but leave things alone now."

"Can we check the kitchen cabinet labels instead?" Eamon asked. He had really enjoyed using the labeler.

"Sure. Just don't move anything, okay? Uncle Auggie knows where everything is right now. He will not appreciate you switching things up on him."

"Ok!" Eamon exclaimed as they bounded into the kitchen and jerked open the pantry cabinet.

Auggie appeared, damp toweled hair across his forehead, in a pair of dark jeans and a grey Henley shirt. He sat on the couch to pull on his socks and shoes. "Where are the boys?"

"In the kitchen. I've asked them to update your organizational system."

"Right," Auggie laughed. "Cause it's always fun to think you're opening a can of chicken noodle soup and get creamed corn or pork and beans."

"You have any cool electronic thing you can show them?"

"Sure." Auggie finished with his shoes and grabbed his phone to find the boys in the kitchen.

"Uncle Auggie!" Eamon exclaimed as Auggie turned the corner, slamming into his uncle with a forceful hug.

"Eamon, whoa!" Auggie staggered backwards, realizing his nephew's head was now hitting him mid-chest. "You've grown."

"Course I have," Eamon confirmed.

"What are you doing over there, Emmett?" Auggie asked, a little concerned at the level of quiet concentration his nephew was expending. He hoped Brendan really had been joking.

"I'm double checking your labels. But I'm not moving anything. I'm putting them all back where they were," Emmett explained as he extricated himself from the pantry.

"Bring a couple of things over here, okay?" Auggie tapped the screen of his phone and listened as the female voice directed him to the appropriate app. He scanned the label of the box Emmett has placed on the countertop beside him.

"Kraft macaroni and cheese," squeaked the tinny voice from within the phone. He held the scanning beam over the sides and they listened as she rattled off the nutritional information as well as preparation instructions.

"Cool!" Eamon exclaimed as he thrust a can in Auggie's hand. "Can she read anything?"

"Pretty much. It's a new app, so it isn't always perfect, but I guess it will just get better and better over time." That's how all this stuff worked, right?

"That's so cool," Emmett agreed, much quieter than his brother. Auggie noticed that he'd been a little more distant than Eamon over the past few months. Not that he had spent a lot of time with the boys growing up, but it was clear that Emmett was the more careful, calculating and pensive of the two, never eager to rush into the unknown. Auggie had been dealing with his own stuff since he'd been home, so he really hadn't had time to address it, but he felt a quiet satisfaction as Emmett moved a little closer to his side.

"Yeah," Auggie agreed. "It is pretty cool." He stood. "Let's put this stuff back, get my pie and head on up to Grandma's before she calls to see where we are, okay?"

The boys helped clean up the nonperishables and placed the labeler in the drawer while Auggie retrieved the pie from the counter. Brendan turned off the TV and handed Auggie his coat on the way out the door.

"You left this on the couch."

"Ah, thanks." Auggie clapped his brother's arm as a tactile addition to his grateful nod.

They made their way down to the street to Brendan's waiting car. They piled in and soon arrived at their destination. Brendan took the pie from Auggie's hands as the boys pulled him into the yard and onto a pile of leaves. Cane cast aside, they wrestled in the yard before Dana came out to call them all inside. Eamon ran off first, but Emmett hung behind with Auggie, handing him his cane and sticking right by his free arm.

"What's up Emmett?" Auggie asked, sensing Emmett wanted a little alone time.

"I wanted to know how to help you get places like my dad does."

"You want to learn to be a guide?"

"Yeah. Do you think I'm big enough to do it?"

"Well, the most important thing isn't really how big you are but that you pay attention to what's going on around you and can keep me from running into stuff." He could barely contain the smile fighting to erupt across his face. "Do you think you could do that?"

"Yeah. I can do that!" He pledged.

"Okay. Well, let's try now." Auggie straightened himself and situated the cane in his hand. He showed Emmett how to offer his hand and then arm to the person he was guiding. Auggie took Emmett's elbow and they approached the house. Emmett clued him in to the four steps to the porch. They made it into the dining room, and Auggie folded the cane, hoping he wouldn't need it in the house, even with all the people around. Maybe Maeve would be wearing a helmet?

"How'd I do?" Emmett asked, looking up to his uncle for affirmation.

Auggie broke into a smile. "You did great!" He moved his hand from Emmett's elbow to his shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "Thanks, Emmett."

"You're welcome, Uncle Auggie," Emmett replied as he bounded off into the other room where Eamon had set up a video game.

"What was that all about?" Dana asked, reaching up to kiss Auggie's cheek as he wrapped her into a warm hug.

"Just getting to know one another a little better."

"Yeah?" Dana wiped her hands on her apron. Seeing Auggie and Emmett together excited her. Emmett hung back from the others, observing without engaging too much of the time.

"They're good kids, Dana. You guys have done a great job."

"They've been pretty easy so far, but I fear the worst is yet to come."

"What makes you say that?"

"Growing up with five Anderson boys," she answered with a parting shove. "Troy and Rhett are downstairs with your dad if you want to join them."

"After you say hello to your mother," Gwen exclaimed as she kissed him on the opposite cheek.

"Hey, Mom." He reached for a hug.

"I'm thankful that you're here." She smoothed his hair.

"I'm thankful to be anywhere, frankly." He admitted.

"Are you?"

"Yeah. I really am."

Gwen held him tightly. "That's the best thing I've heard all year, my love."

"Thank you for pushing." He laughed. "Never thought you'd hear that one, huh?"

She kissed his cheek again as she released him. "Happy Thanksgiving, Auggie."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Mom."

TBC