Auggie trudged home after his eye appointment. His home, he thought with a smile, was truly now their home, his and Annie's. She'd moved completely out of her rented house and decided to just eat the extra month of rent. Danielle now had some of her furniture, and the rest went into storage.

Because Auggie owned the building his computer shop and home were in, they'd be able to save enough money for a wedding. Annie hinted the other night the possibility of a destination wedding, putting the two ideas together once Auggie's passport is approved. He agreed, but they both knew that was something for the future, and needn't be decided right then and there.

As Auggie walked passed the darkened windows and closed sign of Geeks-r-Us, he peered in. He'd closed the shop for the afternoon. September had come, and Carl had gone back to college for his senior year. Annie offered to watch the store for him, but he didn't want to interrupt her work or make her beholden to him. She'd wanted to argue, but soon saw his point. She knew nothing of the business, and a couple of hours closed didn't cause too much pain or grief with his customers. He'd had to do it in the past.

When he came through the front door of his place, Annie greeted him with a hug and a kiss. He reciprocated, but seemed a bit hesitant. Annie pulled back and saw a few lines on his face that only showed up when he was preoccupied, worried, or had something intense on his mind.

She didn't pry right at first, only got him a drink and sat him on the couch. After a few swallows of the Patron, she asked him what happened.

"My eye doctor, the one I'd been seeing for years now – he's the best. He said I'd be a good candidate for lasik surgery."

Annie sat up, her interest immediately upped to another level. "Really? I thought your eyesight was too bad for that."

"It is bad," Auggie said, "but he said its declining progression would get worse and worse until - I told you about this, remember?"

Annie remembered, waking up one morning to find him stuck in a nightmare where he found himself blind.

"Well, apparently, the lasik procedure has gotten more and more refined, and he now thinks I can do it."

Annie couldn't believe it, but by the same worried look on Auggie's face, it seemed he didn't share her enthusiasm. Without wanting to push him into something he didn't want, she asked steadily, "What do you think about it?"

"At first, I was happy, ecstatic. Even made an appointment right then and there for a prelim exam by a guy he recommended. Said he's the best in the business."

"But?" Annie prompted.

"That's just it," Auggie said, pouring and swallowing another shot of the strong drink. "But. Big but." He took a deep breath. He knew he could talk to Annie about this. She'd been the only one in his life that took his eye problems in stride and never judged him by his lack of sight. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Well, if it doesn't, you won't be any worse for the wear. You'll just still have to wear glasses, and you already do."

"That's not what I mean, Annie," he said. "What if something bad happens, and I lose my sight completely?"

Ahh, Annie thought, that's it. He's afraid of going completely blind. She looked at him, taking in his appearance, sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees, head hanging forward. He looked defeated already, and nothing had been done yet.

She pulled the empty glass from his fingers and set it on the table, then wrapped her arms around him. He was stoic at first, but slowly accepted her embrace, wrapping his arms around her as he tucked his head into her neck and shoulder. Annie held on tight, giving him the strength she knew he needed at a time like this.

Several minutes passed as the couple held tight to each other. There was nothing vaguely sexual in the air, as only love and devotion swirled around them.

"I don't want to go totally blind, Annie."

"I know."

"I don't want to saddle you with having to live with a cripple for the rest of your life."

Annie's hands, which had been stroking his back, froze at his words. She leaned back out of his embrace until she could see his face. "Is that how you see yourself?"

"Not now, no, but –"

"But if this lasik doesn't work, or something goes wrong, and heaven forbid, you lose your sight completely, you think I wouldn't want to be with you anymore?"

"I don't know. We've never really talked about this, you know."

"Then we'll talk now." Annie's nearly in tears, but unwilling to let Auggie see her disappointment in his summation of her and their relationship. "I don't give a flying fig whether or not you can see. You'll still be Auggie, my Auggie. The man who, when I teasingly requested that he ask me to marry him produced a ring. The man who – god, Auggie, I can't quite explain why I love you. All I know is that it happened. It's there. And believe me when I say that none of my feelings revolve around whether or not you can see."

The corners of Auggie's lips twitched during her rant. He loved her like this, where she burst forth in broken sentences, her arms waving as she searched for the right thing to say. For a woman who held five times the amount of words in her mental vocabulary given her penchant for foreign languages, the fact that she sometimes was at a loss for words made his love for her explode within his chest.

"I love you," Auggie said.

"And I love you, too," Annie said.

"I'll do it."

"For yourself, right?" Annie asked. "Not for me? Not for us?"

Auggie cradled her face in his hands and studied her, taking in every curve, shadow and color. His hands seemed too gruff and worn to be touching such smooth perfection, but he couldn't stop himself from brushing his thumbs along her cheekbones.

"I'll do it for me, but everything I do now affects us both, don't you agree?"

Feeling safe and loved within the confines of his touch, Annie nodded and said, "I do."