When we get in a fight that isn't huge, she'll sit right outside the door and pout. A couple "I'm sorry's" and a bag of chocolate later, she's sitting in my arms on the couch, munching away.

"Annie, please, come back inside."

"No."

"Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that."

"How do I know what you meant? I'm not you."

I groaned and leaned against the door frame as I sat on the floor. Annie was being difficult again, although this time I knew why.

"You have to trust that I did it for you, Annie. They'd tear you apart over there."

"You don't know that. I've been through worse. I can handle myself, Auggie."

"I know that, but you don't know what I know."

"So what do you know that I don't?"

I rubbed my hands against my face. Annie had been asked to take a dangerous mission in Syria and at first I was all for her going. Then I was informed that one of the agents that would be escorting her in Syria was a part of one of the biggest security agencies in Syria - one that hadn't been very kind to us in the past. They specifically had never been kind to our female agents that we had sent over to help them, and the girls always came back either angry or scarred. Literally.

So what did a clear thinking and concerned boyfriend slash handler do? He hijacked the system so that another agent was sent instead. Somehow, Annie had found out. I blame Barber.

"Annie, they're cruel and awful. I just wanted you to be safe. I know you can take care of yourself. Now please come back inside, people are going to start to wonder."

"No."

Great. Now she's pouting.

"Woof!" Bowser nudged his nose against my leg and played with my sweat pants a little bit.

"Not now Bowser. Mommy and Daddy are fighting."

"We are not fighting."

"What do you call you sitting outside the door while I'm trying to get you back inside?"

"Me being angry at you. Doesn't mean we're fighting."

I racked my brain for ways to make her forgive me. I did feel bad but my conscious told me that it was the right thing to do. Bowser jumped up into my lap and tried to lick my face. Pushing him away, I stood and walked around her to kneel right in front of her.

"Annie, I know you're angry with me. But you have to understand that I care about you."

"I know you care about me."

"Then why is this such a big deal?"

I heard a sharp intake of breath from her and I instantly knew that I said the wrong thing.

"Why is it such a big deal? Why? You went behind my back, Auggie. You didn't even discuss it with me first."

I felt a pang in my heart. Okay, maybe I didn't take the best route...

"I know and I'm sorry. I should have. But we both now that you would have fought me on it if I had asked you."

"Yes. And we would have talked it through like adults and not played this little game like children."

"Who's the one pouting?"

"Shut up."

I didn't know what else to say to her. She didn't say anything else to me so I decided to leave her alone for a couple minutes to let her cool off. Before I went completely inside however, I turned toward her again.

"When you want to talk to me again, you know where to find me."

I collapsed on the couch after I walked in, sinking deep into the cushions. Why couldn't she just see that I couldn't let anything happen to her? If anything ever happened to her on my watch, I don't think I could live with myself. That was even before we started dating but now that we were the stakes were even higher. I loved her too much to send her to place that could ultimately scar her for life. I trust her and I completely believe in her, and I know how tough she is. But I could never put her in front of a bullet.

Having her mad at me wasn't that great either, though.

Bowser started weaving his way between my feet, whimpering. He could tell that Annie and I weren't on great terms and he definately didn't like it.

"I'm sorry Bowser, you shouldn't have to see this."

He just whimpered again.

"Well, how do you expect me to make her happy again? It's not like she's willing to exchange any words with me."

"Woof! Woof!" He barked.

"I've tried talking, I've tried saying I'm sorry, what else can I do?"

"Woof!"

"Wait...I have an idea."

"Woof, woof!"

I stood up quickly, almost knocking over poor Bowser in the process. I tiptoed around him and made my way into the kitchen, opening every cabinet until I found what I was looking for. Once I found it, I walked slowly back to the front door where I could still hear Annie's angry breaths. Leaning against the door frame, I angled my head down toward her.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"So...have I said I'm sorry yet?"

"Yes. Multiple times."

"Oh. Well, are you going to come back inside anytime soon?"

"No."

"Too bad. I guess I'm just going to have to eat this bag of unopened chocolates all by myself."

She was silent for a moment. "Nice try."

I sighed and knelt in front of her again.

"Please, Annie. This is my peace offering. I'm sorry for what I did. It was wrong and I shouldn't have done it without talking to you first. You are strong and I trust you to take care of yourself but this was one of those times where I couldn't make myself put you in the line of fire like I do almost every other day. I'm not just your handler - I'm your boyfriend. My boyfriend brain is definitely different from my handler brain. Please understand that."

She shifted a bit, and I wondered if she was looking away from me or was actually starting to look at me.

"I do understand, Auggie. It's just...we're a couple now and couples make decisions together. And I guess I just got upset that a big decision that involved both of us in some way was only made by you. I know it only involved our work and not our relationship as much, but I'm afraid that if it happens at work that it's going to happen at home, too. And I don't want us to have that kind of relationship. I want us to make our life choices together, you know?"

"I know. But we're still new to the decision making process. We'll get the hang of it. I'm excited to make decisions with you. Together."

"I'm excited, too."

I could hear the smile in her voice and I smiled back at her.

"So, what do you say? All is forgiven and we spend our now free weekend eating chocolate on the couch together?"

She laughed finally and grabbed my hand.

"Sure. Sounds perfect."

I pulled her up and pulled her into a hug.

"So I'm forgiven?"

"Yes. I don't like fighting with you."

"I don't like fighting with you, either."

She pulled away and snatched the bag out of my hands. "Come on, slowpoke!"

I laughed and ran after her, hearing Bowser bark at our sudden mood change. She turned around and pulled me onto the couch.

"I get the first one."

"You always get the first one."

"Not true, Anderson, not true." She ripped open the bag and I heard the wrapper crinkle as she unwrapped it.

"Yes, it is - ump!" She stuck the chocolate into my mouth and kept her finger in my mouth, giggling while she did.

"I told you. I don't always get the first one." I raised an eyebrow at her and clamped my lips around her finger. "Hey..."

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pushed her down onto the couch and let her finger go. "Not a bad trick, Ms. Walker."

"Well thank you. I'll be here forever."

"Forever?"

"With you? Of course forever."

I smiled and kissed her forcefully, elicting a delicious moan from her. It took a while before we had to break apart for air.

"If this is the apology I get, I might have to get angry at you more often."

"You can always get this kind of kiss no matter what."

"I just have to get you in the mood..."

"Not hard to do."

The next hour consisted of us feeding each other chocolates and kissing each other senseless. I will never again doubt the power of chocolate after what happened later that night, too.

The next morning we were awoken by Bowser's barking.

"I should probably take him outside."

"Yeah, but he's got papers."

"Doesn't mean he's going to go on them."

"True."

She curled up into my side and sighed contently.

"I don't want to get up."

"Me neither."

"I'm sorry I overreacted."

"You didn't overreact. It's okay."

"So, we're good?"

"We're good."

She kissed me on the forehead before she rolled out of bed to tend to Bowser. I rolled over onto my back and just relaxed on the bed we had just spent the night in. I could still taste the chocolate and Annie on my lips.

I could honstly say I had a good night. And by the sound of Bowser's excited barking - he did, too.

Or he peed on the rug again.

The ending to this one was...mah. My mind blanked without an ending. Sorry! But as always, please read, review, and enjoy!