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Prompt #28: Visible - "The blind guy leading the damsel out of the dark tunnels," Auggie joked as he took Annie's hand. "You want to say it or should I?"

Words: 890

"We're in trouble, Auggie."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. On top of being lost in these damn catacombs, wading through ankle-deep sewage, my flashlight's just flashed its last light." Annie shook the flashlight one more time, but all she got was a rattle from the dead batteries. "I must have the absolute worst luck of any field agent alive. All my ops screw up in some spectacular fashion that almost always requires a CIA extraction team to get me out."

"Could be worse."

"How?"

"It could be raining."

Instead of gracing that with a response, Annie tried to figure out their location. "We've been heading west, weren't we?"

"Yeah, for the last five hundred yards. Before that we were going south from the manhole we dropped through."

She hadn't remembered that. Relief made Annie grin and remark, "Well, at least I'm lost with an Army Special Forces guy."

"We don't get turned around so easy." Auggie squeezed her elbow again and tugged. "This way."

"Auggie, I can't see a thing."

He couldn't help the crack. "Great. Now it's an even playing field."

After about twenty minutes, Annie had a thought and couldn't help the short giggle that escaped her. Auggie cocked his head. "Do I even want to know what's got you giggling back there?" he asked.

"Beside the obvious blind joke you haven't yet made?" she said, catching her breath.

"Which one?"

"Blind leading the blind."

"Wow, that is an obvious one. Can't believe I didn't say it first." Auggie chuckled. "Then again, the situation requires some concentration on my part." Checking the air flow at a fork in the road, he asked, "And the other reason?"

Annie gave another short giggle, then answered. "I was so against you coming with me. Good thing you insisted, huh?"

"Yeah. You'd be lost without me," he teased.

Almost two hours passed without incident. With Auggie and his mental map of the underground passages in the lead, Annie felt safe with every step they took.

She had to admit he was right earlier; if it had been winter, she might've been in a whole lot of trouble. But there was another thing - if she'd been alone, she would've really been alone. Their depth underground prevented reception on her cell phone, which meant her earpiece would have been useless as well. In the dark, alone, and lost were not a good combination when in unfamiliar territory.

I guess this is how Auggie feels sometimes, she figured.

Auggie's foot caught on something beneath the sewage. He stumbled slightly, but the change was enough to pull Annie off-balance and pitch her into the garbage. The splash and her shriek made him stop on a dime.

"Annie? You okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Ugh, yeah, I'm fine," she said in disgust. Her hands gripped his arm and tightened as she pulled herself to her feet again. "Great. Now I've got warm, sticky sewage-soaked pants to my knees. Disgusting."

Steadying her, Auggie reached out to touch the nearest wall to re-orient himself. His face scrunched up in distaste at the slime beneath his fingertips. "Can you imagine how much more miserable you'd be if the sewage was cold?"

He heard her gasp and reached to grab her arm. "Did you hurt anything?"

"No, nothing's twisted or broken. Good thing I'm not wearing my heels."

"Yeah, we don't need a broken heel to complicate this nature hike."

She could hear the laugh in his voice. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is," Auggie said patiently. "You're just too grumpy to appreciate the humor." He squeezed her elbow reassuringly. "Don't worry. Between the two of us, we'll get out of here before the sun sets."

"I'll hold you to that."

True to his word, Auggie had them out of the catacombs before sunset - and right into the arms of a CIA extraction team. They were immediately wrapping in blankets and bundled into the back of a van. Nudging Annie's shoulder with his, Auggie heaved a dramatic sigh. "I don't know about you, but I could sure go for a couple drinks at Allen's," he remarked.

"Auggie, I'm a mess," she complained. That didn't stop her from reaching over and squeezing his hand. "It reeked down here. I'm gonna have to shower for a day to get the stink off my hair."

He shrugged. "I've got a shower at my place."

Once again, Annie was glad he couldn't see her blush. "You say that to all the girls you rescue from the sewers?"

"Only the hot blonde ones."

"How do you know I'm still blonde?" she teased with a nudge.

"Is that a yes?"

Annie sighed. "Fine."

Auggie's triumphant grin was bigger than the Cheshire Cat's. "Admit it. You can't get enough of me."

"You really aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"Not a chance."

"You keep it up, I'll spread the word that you're having delusions of grandeur."

In the front seat, the agent riding shotgun bumped fists with the driver and grinned at the thought of collecting on the office pool.

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