Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs, but I will take ownership of my OC.

Prompt #8: Heels - Her footsteps are unmistakable.

Words: 568

One thing that sucked about being blind - sometimes Auggie could get tricked. It really didn't happen often, but when it did, it threw him for a loop.

So when he heard footsteps he recognized in footwear that didn't match what he recalled as normal, he was understandably confused. Taking off his headphones, he concentrated harder. He couldn't tell if it was the right shoes but the wrong footsteps or vice versa. But one thing he knew was that they were definitely heels.

Frowning slightly, he hedged, "Annie?"

"Nope," came the bubbly voice of Clara, the new tech girl. "Just me, sir. I have the files you wanted."

"Oh, okay. Thanks Clara," he said, still a little surprised that he could mistake his newest tech for his favorite agent. They had very different personalities and voices, not to mention footsteps and perfume choices. Annie was a trace of Jo Malone Grapefruit, while Clara was a bare whiff of pomegranate lotion.

There was a small pause, then those confusing footsteps echoed again. "You okay?" she asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Yeah. Just...tired," Auggie replied.

"You normally can tell it's me, if you don't mind me saying so."

He shook his head. "I don't mind, and you're right. I don't know what's wrong with me today. Did you get new shoes or something?"

"Actually, yeah. They're stiletto heels. I'm trying to get used to them."

Stilettos. That explained a lot. Clara usually stuck to low-heeled pumps or sneakers, if she could get away with the latter around Tech Ops. Annie usually wore stilettos, which is why he had the minor moment of confusion.

"Ah," Clara said after a few minutes of silence. "You thought I was Annie Walker."

Caught, Auggie fell on a time-honored tradition and tried to talk his way out. "What? No, I just - Annie normally comes around right about now, so I assumed you were her."

"Uh-huh," said the tech, not sounding like she bought a word. "Right. And you're just caring because, what? You're just friends?"

And she was treading dangerous territory that Auggie was trying not to think about. "Getting a bit fresh there, Piper," Auggie said with a hint of grin to show he was teasing. "You wanna take the Croatian cipher that's been sitting around for the last two days?"

"Didn't you get that memo? Decrypted and translated yesterday," she fired back.

Auggie gave a mock groan. "I've trained a monster."

"Clara Piper, monster cryptographer and hacker. Grr," she said teasingly. "But on a serious note, Annie should be back soon. Don't worry about it."

True to her words, four hours later, Auggie heard the familiar click-click-click sound of a pair of Louboutins making their way to his office. Now he knew without a doubt who they belonged to.

"Hey Annie," he called when the footsteps crossed his threshold. "Have a good time in Aspen?"

An exasperated sigh escaped her. "Geez Auggie, how do you always know it's me?"

"Talent, my dear, lots of talent," was his glib reply.

Through another doorway, he could hear Clara snort something that sounded vaguely like "Bullshit."

And yet another OC is born! Geez, they just pop up like daisies!

Review please!