Without further ado here's the second and final part of "The Anniversary Trip". Hope you like it. :o)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or any other character I've borrowed from Covert Affairs. Just my universe and the characters I've created.

-14. The Anniversary Trip part 2-

A couple of days after their parents went to Paris Elizabeth and Ethan had pretty much let go of the disappointment not being allowed to go with Annie and Auggie. They were having a blast with Keith; they'd spent two consecutive nights watching scary movies, eating popcorn and falling asleep in a heap on the couch in the den. It was something Annie and Auggie rarely allowed. The third night Keith told them to go to bed before midnight, because he had big plans for the following day; they were spending the day at Kings Dominion theme park. Both Ethan and Elizabeth were excited and because they were both a bit sleep deprived from their all-night movie watching the previous two nights neither of them objected to going to bed.

On their second morning in Paris Auggie woke up with Annie's back against his front and he had his arms firmly wrapped around her. He hated to admit it, but it felt good to spend a week away from work and the kids; just the two of them. Although Auggie was more of a morning person than Annie he also appreciated the opportunity to sleep in, lounge in bed and then eat a late breakfast whenever they felt like getting up. His mind slipped back to the first few years after his accident; it had been the darkest time in his life and he hadn't allowed himself to hope for what he had now. He pulled Annie even closer to him and kissed the crown of her head. She stirred in Auggie's arms and he reluctantly loosened his grip and she shifted in bed so she was facing him.

"Morning sleepy," he said with a smile on his face. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby. You look sort of pensive this morning. Have trouble sleeping?"

"No, I've just been enjoying the feeling of having you in my arms and thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life. God knows where I'd been if you hadn't come into my life when you did. Probably still working from home, still a hermit and still estranged from my family."

"I doubt that Aug, you told me yourself you wanted to get back in touch with your family and that you'd realized you needed to change things. I'm sure you would've made that step without me."

"I actually don't know. Although I was aware I needed to change things I kept coming up with excuses to stay within my comfort zone. I know now I was an idiot, but you know how damn stubborn I am."

"And your stubbornness got you to where you are today. That's what got you through rehab and kept you going after your accident. You're a pretty amazing man," Annie said as she pulled him in for a passionate kiss. "Don't you ever forget that."

"And you're a pretty amazing woman."

Annie smiled and caressed the hollow at the base of Auggie's throat with the tip of her tongue, causing him to shudder with desire and wrap his arms firmly around her.

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Half an hour later they were lying in the rumpled sheets, Annie was resting her head on Auggie's shoulder and she was tracing the taut muscles on his abdomen with her right hand.

"You're lucky I'm not ticklish," he said with a grin.

"I know your ticklish spots Mr. Anderson," Annie teased as she moved her hand to lightly tickle Auggie's side. He laughed and grabbed her hand.

"I think I prefer you tracing my six-pack," he said as he placed it back on his abdomen. Instead of resuming her tactile exploration of her husband Annie sat up in bed.

"As much as I enjoy that I think it's time for us to get out of bed and explore the city again. It would be a shame to come home and only have X-rated tales from our hotel room to tell. It's nearly noon and I'm hungry. What do you think about grabbing some lunch?"

"I'm actually starving," Auggie said as he sat up and lifted his legs over the side of the bed. He stretched before he transferred to his wheelchair and headed into the bathroom to shower.

The week in Paris was very much a repetition of their visit 16 years earlier; they went to see the sights and enjoyed copious amounts of French cuisine and wine. They also did some shopping both for themselves and gifts for the kids. On their final evening Auggie insisted that they should go to the Palais de Challiot to see the illuminated Eiffel tower like they'd done on the final evening of their previous visit. They watched the Eiffel tower sparkle and after sharing a passionate kiss they went back to their hotel. After they'd taken off their jackets Auggie surprised Annie by handing her a box from Tiffany & Co. She gasped when she opened the turquoise box and the contents turned out to be a set of a necklace, bracelet and earrings in platinum with diamonds. Annie had drooled over it when they'd been to Tiffany's to get a present for Danielle on her 50th birthday.

"Auggie! Are you insane? This is…amazing. Thank you." Part of her wanted to protest, she knew how expensive the jewelry was, but she knew they could afford it and she didn't want to ruin the moment for Auggie by arguing about the cost. Instead she thanked him again and kissed him passionately.

"I know I haven't exactly been good at giving you jewelry throughout our marriage, but I saw how much you loved this and I knew I had to get it for you."

"Well, I don't need lots of expensive jewelry to know that you love me. You know that."

"I do," Auggie reassured her. Before he could speak again there was a knock on the door and a waiter appeared with a room service trolley with a bottle of champagne in a cooler and a bowl of strawberries. Auggie tipped the waiter and Annie sat down on the edge of the bed and removed her Louboutins. When she finished Auggie held out a glass of champagne in her direction.

"I still don't understand how you manage to walk around on those death traps."

"Years of practice babe," Annie said with a smile as she accepted the glass from Auggie.

"I wonder what Mom and Dad have been up to all week," Ethan mused as they ate dinner the evening before Annie and Auggie were returning to DC. They'd spent a quiet day at home, playing in the pool and since it had started to rain they'd spent the afternoon inside playing board games. Since Keith's plan of a barbecue for dinner had fallen through because of the weather they'd ended up calling for pizza.

"I'm sure Mom's been dragging Dad to all kinds of designer stores. She loves to shop and I'd be surprised if she didn't buy some shoes or something in Paris."

"Poor Dad if that's true," Ethan winced.

"I'm sure your parents have had a great time. There are lots of things to see in Paris and I know the city is very special to both of them. And tomorrow afternoon you'll find out all about it," Keith interjected as he grabbed a slice of pizza. "I hope this week haven't been too bad. I know you would've preferred going to Paris with your parents."

"We've had a great time," Elizabeth assured Keith. "You really are our coolest uncle."

"Well, thank you Liz," he said with smirk. "Although you'd better not tell your uncles in Illinois that."

"I won't," she said with a wink.

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Late that evening they all three of them were in the den, relaxing on the couch. A movie was playing in the background, but neither of them was paying attention to it.

"How'd you become friends with Mom and Dad? I know you're from Glencoe like Dad, but you're about ten years younger than him so you didn't go to school together." It had hit Ethan over the week that although Keith had always been part of their lives and he was close to his father he had no idea how they'd ended up as friends.

"I was injured in a diving accident in the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. At the time things were rough at home; my dad was unemployed and we were barely scraping by on Mom's income as a teacher and my part-time job at Subway. The timing couldn't have been worse and I was depressed for a long time after my accident. Our medical insurance didn't cover proper rehab for me and I had pretty much given up. When I returned to school I just didn't care about anything. I'd been an athlete, a damn good one, and all of a sudden I was a cripple in a wheelchair. It was a big change and I didn't know how to deal with it. One of my teachers ran into Auggie when he was in Glencoe over Christmas break and he came to an assembly at school. I remember being amazed by him; he's kind of a legend at New Trier. One of the best athletes the school has ever seen and he was Valedictorian of his class. I had no idea he was paralyzed so when they introduced him and he wheeled into the gymnasium my jaw dropped. He was wearing his letterman jacket and came across as confident and together."

"That sounds like Dad," Ethan interjected.

"Anyway, after the assembly Coach Carpenter had arranged for Auggie and I to meet. I was waiting for him in one of the locker rooms and I wasn't too thrilled about the idea. I didn't want another cheerleader. I told Auggie that and he said that he wasn't going to be that, but if I wanted to talk he was in town for a couple of weeks and he'd take me out for dinner or something. He gave me his card and l went to class. I met him a few days later and he ended up offering me a summer internship at Murphy; the only condition was that I had to get my grades up. That changed a lot for me. I finally had something to look forward to and I started making an effort at school again. It paid off; I spent the summer working at Murphy and I stayed with your folks. When I started studying at Georgetown they were a great support and we've been good friends ever since. I can thank Auggie for where I am today. If he hadn't come into my life when he did I don't know where I'd ended up."

Annie and Auggie's flight landed at Dulles right on time. The part of flying Auggie hated most was that he always had to wait until the rest of the passengers had disembarked the plane before they came aboard with the aisle chair. Fortunately this flight wasn't full and the process went fairly quickly and they had his wheelchair waiting just outside the plane. After he'd settled into it he thanked the staff for their assistance and he and Annie headed off to baggage claim. An hour later Auggie was behind the wheel of his BMW with Annie in the passenger seat. Before he started the car he turned to Annie.

"Thank you for a wonderful time," he said with a smile. "I'm glad we did this."

"I'm glad we did this too, but I have to admit I miss the kids."

"So do I. Let's hope they missed us too," Auggie said with a small laugh as he turned the key in the ignition.

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I've tweeted a pic of the Tiffany & Co. jewelry set Auggie got Annie - check out Millemini_FF on Twitter.