AN - As always I do not own Covert Affairs or any of the characters I'm playing with in this story. I'M BACK! Thank you for the patience, this chapter was incredibly difficult for me to write. I never really liked Simon Fischer's character in Season 3 and that made writing this more difficult than I expected. But it's here, finally, and though I'm not as thrilled with it as I was about the last couple chapters, I'm calling it done so I can get back into the more interesting story line! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! I appreciate all the readers!
Dreaming Through Regret
Chapter 8 - He's So Bad
"Oh!" Annie exclaimed. "I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
"Are you alright?"
"No, uh, I mean, yes, I'm fine." Annie replied as she looked down at the papers strewn across the ground, before kneeling down to collect them. "Are you?"
"Yes, let me help you."
"No, it's okay, don't let me keep you."
"I'm in no hurry." The stranger replied, before leaning down to help Annie collect the pages.
Annie slowly picked up the pages, allowing the other person to pick up several pages as well. After noticing that all the pages had been collected she stood up and focused on the other person. Her planned "accidental" run in had gone off without a hitch. Simon Fischer stood in front of her, looking through the pages he had picked up for her.
"What is all of this?" Simon asked.
"Research. For work. Normally I work digitally, but the internet here is so hit and miss I decided to print all this off so I wouldn't be beholden to finding a decent connection."
"Work? What do you do that has you researching land of this size in areas of Western Africa?"
"Oh, I work for the International Land Conservation Network." Annie replied as she fished out one of her business cards. "I'm Annie."
"Simon." Fischer replied as he traded his stack of papers for Annie's business card. "Have you visited any of those places yet?"
"Not yet, I've only been in Morocco the last couple of days. I'm still trying to narrow that pile of 25 places to maybe 10. I've only got about 10 days left before I head back home."
Simon stared at her in silence for a few moments, then his face relaxed and he smiled before stating "Would you like some help?"
"Help? I mean it would be amazing to talk with someone who knows a little more about these areas than I do." Annie said then paused for a breath, "How would you be able to help? You don't look like you're from around here?"
Simon chuckled as Annie peered at him questioningly. "I suppose I don't look like a local at all do I?"
"Not really…" Annie said slowly, dragging out her disbelief at his ability to help her.
"I actually own several pieces of land here in Morocco and around the rest of Western Africa. All meant to be land preserves."
"Wait, what?"
"Let me help you, I promise it's worth your time."
"Okay, I suppose sitting down with you to go through all these wouldn't be a total waste of time. Even if it's only to hear myself talk through them."
"I know a place where we can get some wonderful local tea and a table to spread out on. Come on."
Annie followed Simon through the streets to a small, quiet cafe where the owner seemed to know him by name. She was relieved that everything had played out the way it had, but also knew that the charade had just begun. She'd spotted Fischer the first day that she had been in Marrakech in a stroke of sheer luck.
24 hours earlier
Annie had just checked into her hotel in Marrakech, the Sofitel, which was only a few blocks from Jemma el-Fna. After settling in, Annie made her way to the large market in hopes of finding a headscarf that would allow her to fit in a little better in Marrakech. The one she'd used in Suez had been blown away on her second visit to the Tikjda National Park. As she walked through the market, taking in all the sights and smells, she came across Fischer sitting at an outdoor table for a small cafe sipping tea. Once she overcame her surprise, she let her instincts take over.
Annie followed him for the remainder of the day until he retired to his hotel, one that was only a few minutes from her own. After waiting half an hour to ensure he did not depart again, she headed back to her hotel and started working out a plan of action for the next day. It hadn't gone perfectly from the start, she'd almost missed him leaving his hotel the next morning despite her getting there just after sunrise. But, now, here she was sitting at a large table, Fischer directly across from her, with several of the 25 land listings spread in front of them.
Present
"What exactly are you hoping to find Ms. Walker?" Simon asked as he picked up one of the listings.
"Honestly, I need to narrow these 25 listings to the top 10 based on whether or not I think I can get a prospective buyer to partner with the ILCN in purchasing it. So, likely something with historic meaning or the ability to act as not only a nature preserve but also an animal preserve."
"Why 10? Why not go look at them all?"
"I haven't the time to look at them all Mr. Fischer. I would have to extend my stay at least a couple weeks to explore all of those listings in person, but it's not in the budget, nor, honestly, is it in my personal interest to do so."
"Call me Simon, please. Not in your personal interest?"
"No, I've already been away from home for 3 weeks, with another 2 weeks to go. I miss my family and fiancé. I may only have 10 days left here, but then I spend another couple of days reporting my findings to my boss in London before getting to actually go home." she replied with a small smile before grabbing a listing of her own to look over. "And you can call me Annie."
The two spent the next several hours paring down the list of 25 properties to 10. Those 10 properties were spread across Morocco and, despite Marrakech's central location, would take all remaining 10 days to see. Simon had convinced Annie to allow him to accompany her, stating that in the more rural areas of the country she would not be as safe without a man traveling with her. Annie allowed his statement, but only because it worked in her favor, and accepted his offer. The first listing was relatively close to Marrakech, in the Ourika Valley, so they decided to knock that one out that afternoon. Annie gathered up the listings, sorting them into 2 piles, then Simon led her to his Land Rover and they were on their way.
They drove in silence for the first quarter hour, silence that Annie used to ponder her next steps. She'd honestly not expected that her plan would work quite as well as it had. It worried her a little, as she wondered that maybe it had gone off a little too easily, despite her being Fischer's 'type'.
"So, where is home?" Fischer asked, breaking the silence.
"DC." Annie replied.
"Really? I would have placed you in Western Europe."
"I got my Masters degree in Linguistics at Georgetown University, and my sister and her family all live there. I haven't actually spent much time there in the last year though."
"Linguistics?"
"Languages always came easily for me. I speak 7 fluently and I can hold my own in another 7."
"Intriguing Ms. Walker. How did that lead you to your current career?"
"It's easier to learn a language if you are immersed in it, required to use the language day in and day out, so I traveled quite a bit between my bachelor's and master's degrees. I fell in love with travelling, and this job seemed to give me the best of both things. Paid to travel to places that I either know the language fluently or am trying to become fluent in, and I get to help make sure the beautiful places I've visited are around for my nieces to see when they get older."
"Not many people get the chance to have a career that plays to both their skills and their passions."
"That is true, though the last year has been a little more packed with travel than even I find tolerable." Annie quipped back with a smirk.
"And this fiancé of yours? He is in DC as well?"
"No, he is an Israeli importer/exporter based out of London, so he spends as much time as I do traveling the world."
"I suppose that works out well for the both of you?"
"Decently, it's better when our travel overlaps, like it did a few weeks ago. Otherwise I find myself missing him in the quiet moments." Annie replied before posing her own set of questions. "What about you? Where is home?"
"A little bit everywhere I suppose. I own a flat in London, but if I had to call somewhere home it would be Moscow, my sister lives there."
"I wouldn't have picked Russia in a million years. I do catch the British in your voice here and there. What area of London?"
"Mayfair."
"How Mr. Darcy of you." Annie quipped with a laugh.
Fischer and Annie let silence reign in the vehicle for the next several miles, before Fischer broke the silence again.
"Do you travel the whole world for work?"
"Oh, no. They let us specialize in specific areas, otherwise we'd be travelling from one end of the earth to the other!" Annie responded with a grin. "I'm an EMEA specialist, six of my seven fluent languages are European, the seventh is Persian. I'm working on my Arabic and Hebrew as well, but I've still got a ways to go to fluency in either."
"How long have you been with the ILCN?"
"I guess it must be about a year now. It's flown by."
"Where else have you been for work?"
"My first trip was to Ukraine and then they sent me to Germany?"
"You speak Ukrainian?" Fischer asked, surprised.
"God no, not even a little, but I'm fluent in Russian, and they sent me to scope out a parcel of land almost on the Russian border, near Kharkiv, so it was sufficient to get by with."
"I was about to be impressed! I'm slightly disappointed."
"There isn't enough time to learn every language! As much as I wish there was. I'll have to be satisfied with the ones I do have at this point. I'm already trying to learn Arabic from scratch now, I can't add another one!" Annie teased.
They arrived at the parcel of land in the Ourika Valley, and Annie was immediately blown away by the raw beauty in front of her.
"My acreage abuts this one to the east. An oasis sits at the border of the two properties."
"You didn't take both properties?" Annie questioned.
"No, not for lack of trying though."
"Can you show me the oasis?" Annie playfully threw over her shoulder as she headed back towards the car.
Hours later, back in her hotel room, Annie watched the sunset as she reviewed the day. For being a "bad guy" Fischer was extremely charming and personable. She could definitely have fallen into a relationship with him for the job, if it had come to that. Grateful that wasn't the case, Annie pulled out her encrypted phone and sent Eyal a text.
'I found Fischer, Eyal. I've convinced him of my cover so far, but there are 9 more days to go, and each one is full of close quarters with just him as we tour Morocco. I would much prefer those days to be spent with you. Laylah Tov, Bayit. All my love.'
After locking her encrypted phone and securing it back into the safe in her hotel room, Annie pulled out her CIA issued phone and texted Auggie.
'Target Acquired. I need a black Samsung smartphone charger with a built-in tracking device."
15 minutes later she received a text back from Auggie with a set of coordinates just saying "Pick Up Location. Allow 24 hours for delivery."
Every day spent with Fischer got a little easier. They fell into an easy rapport driven by hours spent together with just each other as they drove the length and breadth of the country looking at the 9 remaining pieces of land on Annie's list. Annie managed to catch a break on the fourth day of driving when Fischer stopped for gas and had to pay inside. She swapped his phone charger for the identical one with the tracking device in it. She sent a silent thank you to Auggie for arranging that piece of equipment to get to her 2 days prior.
Aside from that request for tech she'd reduced her contact with Langley to radio silence, hesitant to do anything that would give her away as CIA instead of a newbie ICLN employee. It made the nights lonely, having no contact with anyone, aside from the litany of unanswered texts she sent every night to Eyal. She smiled to herself, reliving the days they spent together in Israel, and wrapped the button shirt she'd stolen from Eyal tighter around her. The not knowing where Eyal was and if he was alright sat low in her stomach, making convincing anyone, let alone a master spy like Fischer, that she was elated at her engagement more difficult to pull off.
Thinking about her "engagement" made her giggle a little. She could picture Eyal as he read the text declaring him her "fiancé", his eyes would widen in surprise before he laughed, impressed at her ability to weave a story that would get her out of having to become intimate with a man that wasn't him.
A sigh escaped her lips, six more days of this charade before she'd get to go back to DC. At least there she didn't have to hide her melancholy, she'd be able to write it off as worrying about the mission and bringing Jai's killer to justice. Danielle would go out of her way to try to distract Annie, despite not having any inclination of what the root of her sister's sadness really was. Auggie would try to drag her to Allen's for beers and would eventually no longer allow her to ask for rainchecks. Getting through these weeks was something Annie would do, because it was all she could do. Eyal would be back with her as soon as he was able to, dwelling on his not being with her would not make it go any faster for either of them. Eyal would be happier if she spent her time as she would have if she hadn't known he was on a Black Ops mission with Kiddon. It would just anger him if he learned that she hadn't done so.
Finally the last day was here, one final trip to make. Agadir was today's destination, just a little more than 3 hours drive each way, to view one of the largest and most interesting parcels of land on Annie's list. Fischer collected Annie from her hotel just as dawn was breaking, two cups of piping hot, strong black coffee waiting for the pair in the car. Aside from polite, if groggy, hellos, no words passed between the two until the last sips of coffee were swallowed.
Fischer broke the silence first, "It's odd to think this is the last day of our whirlwind tour of Morocco. I've enjoyed seeing it through your eyes the last 10 days."
"It was definitely a whirlwind tour. I can't remember the last time I spent hours in a car day after day. It's been incredibly helpful to have your insight into all the properties we've looked at."
"Not being looked at sideways during this process has been a novelty that I don't normally get to enjoy. Most locals are extremely wary of private purchasers given the history of colonial reach into the area. Partnering with you and your ILCN credentials has given me a sort of legitimacy with them." Simon said with a low chuckle.
"Good to know that I gave as much as I got on this adventure. I'd hate to owe or be owed a favor." Annie teased with a wink.
"I'd be interested in continuing this partnership."
"What? How do you mean?"
"Well, I have the capital to make huge land purchases, but none of the backing you have working with the ILCN. The ILCN needs capital, which I have, right?"
"True, I hadn't considered it that way. Even so, I don't know how the ILCN will respond to a partnership like that."
"How about I give you my card and you can call me after you meet with your boss in London? No need to make a decision now."
"Okay. Thanks."
Idle chatter filled the car in fits and bursts until they arrived in Agadir. The last piece of land abuts the Souss-Massa National Park, just south of the city, and overlooks the Atlantic Coastline. Annie and Simon hiked into the property for about an hour until they reached a sheer cliff that dropped from dense forest to sandy beach. The waves crashing onto the beach engulfed Annie in their cadenced sound, drawing her memory back to the afternoon spent at Ajami beach with Eyal.
"You alright?" Fischer asked, breaking Annie from her memories.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Annie replied, after taking a deep breath and blinking away the beginnings of tears.
"You're sure?" Fischer queried, not quite believing Annie's words.
"Just missing home." Annie replied before quickly turning back the way they had come.
Contrary to the plans they had made to spend several hours hiking through the parcel of land in Agadir, Annie begged off asking to head back to Marrakech early. Despite the exhaustion that had crept over Annie after the moment on the cliff, she fought her desire to sleep on the drive home. The operative in her was highly aware of the fact that Fischer was a target, not a friend.
It was early evening when Fischer pulled his car up to the entrance of the Sofitel and he stopped Annie briefly as she made to get out of the vehicle.
"It wasn't something I said, was it?" he queried.
Annie paused, and turned to face him before replying, "No Simon, not at all. It's just been 5 weeks since I've been home and seen my family or fiancé. The waves on the beach earlier just reminded me of the last day I got to spend with them."
"Alright. If you're sure?"
"Absolutely, I promise."
"Then I look forward to hearing from you after you meet with your boss. I think this partnership would be beneficial to all parties." Simon stated with a smile.
"Give me a week, okay? My boss is not one to make snap decisions." Annie countered, with a wry grin.
"I'll be seeing you, Annie Walker." Fischer said as Annie closed the passenger door behind her. That single statement sent a shiver of fear to rush down her spine, and the way he said it was the first indication that maybe, just maybe, she hadn't pulled her cover off as well as she'd thought.
