Epilogue

After six weeks back in DC, Auggie felt he was hitting his stride. Under the careful watch of Dr. Rosen and his new psychiatrist Dr. Strake, he'd been functioning well without medication for almost a month. His clearance to return to work on a limited basis had been granted. It was only a level 7 to start, so basic algorithms and coding in the basement with some new grads and old hats was all he got to do, but he'd made it back through the door. He was gingerly easing himself into the good graces of any and everyone who had anything to do with tech development. He soon found himself with the world's most sophisticated toys at his disposal to aid in his daily tasks. After the bomb rocked his world, he hadn't even allowed himself to think that any of this would ever be possible. But it was, and Joan was adamant that he return to her division as soon as he was cleared to do so.

He'd even settled into a weekend routine. He grabbed coffee just down the block from his place and usually spent most of the late morning and early afternoon navigating, spending as much time re-learning the city the way he needed to know it now. The concentration this required almost overwhelmed him, though. Because if it hadn't, he most certainly would have eventually noticed the tall, handsome, well-built man that a woman whose advances had been rebuffed at a bar just the night before described to her friends as "Brad Pitt in Troy but with a buzz cut" (which really would have been Brad Pitt in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but she was staunchly Team Aniston) shadowing his every move on that particular Saturday.

Lieutenant Max Anderson watched in painful admiration as his younger brother found his way through and across the city streets, only very occasionally stopping to ask for direction or assistance. Rhett had tried to warn him of the shock he would experience the first time he saw Auggie with the white cane in his hand moving cautiously from place to place, but he realized that nothing could have adequately prepared him. He almost forgot the vast divide between them, the mistrust and hurt, the secrets he wouldn't ask Auggie to reveal and the ones he couldn't yet tell. Almost. But he couldn't. It was too much of a risk to admit to himself, much less to a brother he hadn't seen or spoken to in over two years, that he too had opened himself to vulnerability, that one slip could completely end the only life he'd ever wanted or imagined.

As he watched, his silent phone vibrated in the pocket of his grey wool coat. He glanced at the screen, unable to keep the small smile from briefly crossing his face before he quickly banished it and answered. His heart raced as he listened to the voice on the other end of the call say his name.

"Hey, Max. Did you catch up with your brother?"

"Mmmhmm," he nodded. "I'm in his neighborhood now."

"Well, are you going to talk to him?"

"I'm not sure yet." He really wasn't. "I don't think I can. Not yet."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Be someone else, Max thought. But that wasn't helpful or constructive. It all was what it was. "No," he decided.

"Are you headed back tonight?"

"My flight leaves at 5:30."

"Want me to meet you at the airport when you get in?"

"Nah, I'll grab a cab."

"Okay. Safe travels." There was a pause, as though the words shouldn't be said over the phone. "I love you, Max."

Max closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I love you, too. I'll be home soon."

He severed the connection and looked up. Auggie had opened up an almost an entire block lead over him. Max debated for a moment if he should follow or just give it up and head back to the airport. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could even fly standby on an earlier flight and make it home at a decent hour. He took two steps in Auggie's direction before he stopped. This was not the time. They needed to talk, really talk, but Max couldn't explain his previous actions. And his brother had returned to his life in DC, which also likely meant his job at what Max had deduced over the years to be either with the FBI in counterterrorism or the CIA. If pressed, he would have to say CIA. That's the only way Max could reconcile what he knew to be true with what he assumed also was. And, in his experience, their people were fiercely loyal. He'd served a few years earlier with an operative in Afghanistan. It appeared that everyone in the Agency had drunk the Kool-Aid, and that seemed to allow them to see the world differently than other people, like the rules didn't apply to them. But what did Max know; maybe they didn't. That's what had gotten them in this place to begin with. He took a deep breath and punched the number Rhett had given him into his texting app. It seemed the best way to reach out to Auggie with minimum contact.

I came to see you but didn't quite make it all the way there. I know there's a lot we need to discuss, but I can't yet, and I'm guessing you can't either. Rhett told me everything, and I'm so sorry to hear about your injury but glad that you're getting things back together. I wish I could be there for you, but I can't right now. Please know that when it can happen, I want us to try to put things right, if it's not too late. Good luck. Max

He hit send. By the time he looked up, Auggie was gone. He reversed his course and returned to his hotel where he had stowed his bag behind the counter after he'd checked out. He grabbed a cab at the corner and headed over to Reagan to get out of this city. As he checked in for his flight, his phone vibrated again in his pocket. Auggie had replied. Hot tears stung Max's eyes, distorting his vision slightly as he read his little brother's words.

I'll wait forever if that's what it takes. Be safe. I miss and love you. Auggie

He wanted to call and apologize for being such an ass for so long. He wanted to unload his troubled mind on his brother, whom he knew could keep his secrets and try to understand if Max asked him to. But he couldn't. He didn't. This was enough of a lifeline to keep him going, to let him know that eventually, when the time came, if it ever did, Auggie would help him find his way back. The gate agent called his name overhead, and he approached the counter. She handed him a boarding pass to the earlier flight. He smiled as he took it. Maybe things were starting to go his way.

Across town, Auggie sat in his apartment, phone in hand, replaying Max's message over and over. He wished Max had stopped by. He wished they had talked. He wished they could put whatever Max was holding onto behind them. He'd come back to DC for a fresh start, but he appreciated the comedy in that thought. He was in the same apartment, working his way up to doing the same job that he'd done before. It wasn't a fresh start; it was returning to the past. And like Max had been a part of that past, Auggie wanted Max to be a part of the new life he was forging, too. But he'd wait, just like he said he would, until his brother was ready.

Auggie had learned quite a bit about patience over the preceding six months, and he had a suspicion he'd continue this education over the next few years. So, yes. He'd wait. And he'd do whatever he could to reach out and connect to Max, however he could, just like his parents and brothers had for him in his darkest days. Despite the life he'd put together in DC before being deployed this last time, he couldn't do it alone anymore. And maybe he couldn't even before. Max needed to know this, too, although Auggie realized it was a lesson his brother would have to learn on his own. But Auggie vowed to be on guard for when Max did, and he knew the others would be there, too. His life wasn't perfect. There were rough moments every day and some days that threatened to do him in. But he hadn't broken yet, and he had a sneaky suspicion that he wouldn't.

FIN

A/N: Thanks so much for your continued reading and reviewing, messages and follows along the way. I wanted to give you a little teaser of what I'm planning to work on next - a present-day story (although likely not canon) that will focus on restoring Auggie and Max's relationship as well as advancing Auggie and Annie's romance. I appreciate your willingness to step into my vision of the Anderson world and hope that you'll come on that next journey as well. Now I may take a few days and read and recharge, but I'll be back soon :-)

bp