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Prompt #22: Mercer - He was there when his capture made her heart shatter all over again.

Words: 574

It was only right that he should be there for her. She would've done the same to him.

Auggie knocked on the guesthouse door, hoping that Annie was home and not asleep. Or worse, had a guy over.

His mind stumbled back to earlier that day...

The capture of Ben Mercer was one of the biggest news bombs that ever exploded at Langely. It was a wonder that any work was accomplished today; all anyone wanted to talk about was the fact that the CIA's top-notch rogue had finally been cornered and brought back home.

Auggie frankly couldn't muster up a care about Ben. He wanted to make sure Annie was all right. She was still delicate about anything Mercer-related, and this was definitely bound to cause some sort of negative reaction in her.

But in a cruel twist, she was called in for a board of inquiry before he had a chance to speak with her. To add fury to failure, he wasn't able to find her afterwards. A helpful intern told him that Annie had taken an early day. He'd been half-tempted to leave as well, but Joan had stopped him in his tracks.

"Let her grieve first," she advised the tech. "Give her space to heal."

So he gave space. Several hours' worth. But once the work day ended, Auggie cut and ran with the single-minded desperation of a spy with an op.

He needed to be with Annie. She'd need a friend now.

He could only hope that he could be the friend she wanted.

Auggie blinked when he heard the sound of unlatching locks in front of him. Composing his face, he held the bottle of red wine tighter.

The door swung open. "Hey, Auggie."

"Sounds like I'm interrupting something." Her nose was stuffed up, making her voice sound more nasal than usual, and he could smell popcorn wafting from inside the guesthouse. Thank God. No male company. "Chick flick marathon? Popcorn and...chocolate...and fries?"

"Don't make fun of me," she chuckled. Her hand closed over his and tugged, inviting him inside. "Aww, you brought red wine."

"Figured you'd like the alcohol. Isn't red wine a staple for this type of thing?"

"Yup." She divested him of the bottle, then led him to the couch. "I assume you'll want a glass too?"

"Yup." From the barely audible conversations, she was watching He's Just Not That Into You. Auggie grimaced; not exactly a good thing to hear coming from your best friend's TV. "Mind if I stick around for a while?"

Pop! went the cork. There was a heavy silence that had Auggie squirming inside. Please don't turn me away, please don't suffer alone.

"Well...I'm getting really bored of serial-watching chick flicks. You seen any good movies, so to speak?"

Auggie smiled in relief. If she was poking fun at his disability she was definitely feeling better. "Well, I heard that The Bourne Legacy was a pretty good watch. And ParaNorman."

"Wanna go see one?"

"You okay to drive?"

She chuckled. "I wasn't depressed enough to drink. You saved me, Auggie." He heard the TV click off, her keys rattle as she picked them up, and an elbow nudged his hand. "C'mon. Let's go out."

"I'd love to," he said with a smile.

Anyone else excited for tomorrow's episode? I know I am!

Review please! We're almost at 150, can you believe it?