Title: Hearn pt 2

Author: Night of the Land

Category: Covert Affairs

Rating:

Summary: It was as if the simple tape was weighing him down.

A/N: Okay so here is the final part to this TwoShot. I know that it's not the way that you guys wanted it to end, not the way I wanted it to end either, but its what happened. I may continue the story if I get the nerve, but for now I have a multific CA in the works and I want to get it all ready and complete and in the can before I let teh world see it. So, I hope you enjoy the final part of Hearn

August Mathew Anderson thought if himself as a generally good person. Most of the time anyway, that is. Right now, all he could think was how horrible he felt about himself, as he made his way into the DPD. Around him he could hear the voices of his co-workers and the gentle scent of faded grapefruit hit his nose. He wanted to smile at the smell of Annie, but couldn't bring himself to it. He knew she was heading his way, he could hear to gentle clicking of her heels, but he turned for Joan's office and managed to evade her if only for now.

His mind berating him for all the bad that he had done over the past few months, he raised a hand to knock on the closed door in front of him. He stood waiting for the 'Come in' he knew would be coming, he fingered the tiny tape recorder he had in his pocket. It was as if the simple device was weighing him down to the point he thought he might just go on and sink straight to hell. As Joan Campbell's voice came through the door, he swallowed hard and pushing the door open slowly enter, his head down like man facing his certain doom.

It was as if the temperature in the DPD had dropped thirty degrees ever since Auggie had exited Joan's office and with a face of stone made his way to his own office. All the operatives in the DPD knew that something had happened. It was normal to see Joan impersonating an Ice Queen, she was after all the head of a major department inside the CIA. However, for Auggie, who's never failing good nature and cheery attitude abounded, it was a rather large sign that something had gone wrong when he began impersonating his own Ice monarch. There was metaphorical frost on the glass walls of the tech department, and all the Techies seem to want nothing to do with their boss, or the Tech Department in general. Not even Annie, who always seemed to be able to knock Auggie out of his funks wanted to touch this.

So with her own heart heavy, she sat at her desk, twirling a pen between her fingers watching her best friend through the glass walls. It had been almost four months since she had discovered her friend was sleeping with Liza Hearn. It had broken her heart, and had caused a strain on their friend ship. However, today it seemed it was all over. Auggie had called her last night, to tell her that he and Liza were no longer together and that he had the Intel that he needed so he was out.

Annie sighed, before she reached for her coffee, she knew that it was going to be hell here today, with out a doubt. She just hoped that Joan would not be so hard on him, despite the fact that he deserved it, even if she was the only one who thought so.

Annie's head snapped around as she saw Auggie emerge from his so called 'Ice Tower' aka the Tech Department, and once more make his way to Joan's office. He entered the door with a slight hesitation and Annie felt her heart sink. He had had his badge in one hand instead of wearing it on a pocket or a lapel like he normally did. What was going on?

Auggie sighed as he sat down once more in the chair opposite Joan Campbell's desk. He could almost feel and hear her look of disapproval, and the tension was so thick in the air that it almost made him feel sick. Taking a deep breath he steeled himself and reached forward, laying his ID badge on his former boss's desk.

After their discussion and after the Intel he had gotten from Liza he knew that there was no way he would be able to continue here. Not after word got out (and it would eventually) that she had (the lying bitch) been using his ID and codes to get into the secure system here in Langley. How she had done it, he would never be able to figure out; however since it was his codes and ID he would ultimately be seen as the leak, despite his own testimony against it.

Joan had presented him with two options. One, leave now and she and her husband would do their best to keep him from being charged criminally. Two, stay at the Agency and face charges and possible jail time. After her presentation with the options she had dismissed him, ice in her voice, telling him to think about it and make his decision by the end of the day.

Which brought him here. Forcing himself to pry his fingers from his badge he titled his head up into her direction and sighed again.

"I've made my decision, Joan." He told her, eyes staring unfocused somewhere over her left shoulder.

He heard her sigh, and then the gentle scrapping of the ID on the glass top of the desk as she picked it up. "I wish that I would say that you will be missed, August." She told him, her voice more icy then he had ever heard it, "But what you did was inexcusable, after all I have done for you to keep you in the Agency, to do something like this."

He knew that she was shaking her head at him. but he brushed the thought off as she continued. "But I have to admit, that the Agency will miss your talent." He heard he stand, the wheels on her chair sliding easily across the floor, and the sound of her heels clicked across the floor towards him. a hand rested on his shoulder as she spoke again. "Go gather your stuff, Auggie, and I'll have someone escort you out."

Auggie nodded and headed once more for the office that was no longer his.

The news had hit the proverbial water cooler faster then he would have expected. As he walked head up proud from the office he had just cleared of his personal belongings, the two Security Agents on either side, he could hear the whispers. As he walked the halls for what he knew would be the last time, he felt as if his world had come to an end. But better this then shamed. There was no shame in leaving voluntarily, only shame at being asked to leave, and in away he guessed he sort of crossed the line into both categories.

They neared the security gate and the main door, and Auggie could hear the sound of Joan's necklace and the scent of her floral perfume as she stood waiting for him. With a gentle hand she shook his hand one last time, easily palming him something. He folded his fingers around the item and realized with a small start that it was a flash drive. He started to ask what it was, but she shushed him.

"Good bye, Auggie." She told him, stepping back from him, patting his arm gently as she did so.

Auggie sighed. "Good bye, Joan." He said, bowing his head slightly, as he made to being to leave before he stopped and turned to look back at her, "Thank you, Joan. For ever thing. I don't think I would have made it to where I did with out you." He told her, before he swept away, the gentle green lights preceding him and the two Security Agents tailing him.

Joan stood her arms folded across her chest as she watched with sad eyes as Auggie left the building for the last time. It was a sad day, but she knew that he would do the best with the information she had passed to him on the flash drive. After all, he was still the best at what he did, and he would make something out of the code he had gotten from Natasha Petrovna for them. By all intents and purposes the code belonged to him anyway, and Joan hoped that he would take the note she had left on the flash drive along with it to heart and seek her out once more.

After all if anyone deserved a chance to live happily ever after and to be loved it was August Anderson.