Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs...I could only BE so fortunate as to create such fabulous characters!

Author's Note: My apologies for the length of time between updates! I honestly had to write a future chapter and back into it in order to get here. The good news is that I have a couple written now.

On a side note, I know that I tend to employ the use of fast forwards and flashbacks...some folks don't enjoy them...but I do hope they work in forwarding the plot.

Song: AC/DC – Highway to Hell

Chapter 5: Highway to Hell

Three Weeks Later...

They say that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. If Auggie Anderson was going to go to hell, he'd make damned sure to take Jai Wilcox and Ben Mercer with him. Especially Ben Mercer. An evil glint flashed behind his eyes that would have made even the most nefarious terrorist take a step back in fear. Never would he have imagined that he and Jai Wilcox would be of like mind when it came to Ben Mercer. It was a pleasant surprise given that the younger Wilcox channeled much of the devious behavior that made his father so notorious in the Agency. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.

"Who knew you had it in you to be so evil, Auggie!" the amused voice of Annie Walker jarred him from his thoughts.

"Annie!" he smiled widely as he heard the soft shuffle of her flat hospital shoes as she entered her room, "We should hang a bell around your neck until we can get you back in your trademark heels!"

She slowly made her way over to his seat by her bed and looked down at him over her nose before ruffling his hair, "And deprive you of the opportunity to exercise your spidey senses? No way!"

He smirked and folded his arms across his chest, "Even superheroes need an advantage."

She brought her hand to her chest in mock horror, "You've completely destroyed my fantasy! Here I thought you belonged on that pedestal."

Auggie slowly rose from his chair and pulled her into a gentle hug, his chin resting on the top of her head, "Heaven forbid I destroy one of your fantasies, Walker."

She pulled away from him and swatted at his arm before turning back toward her bed, "I have a session in a few minutes."

Auggie felt the energy shift the moment the words were uttered. She'd made it quite known over the last few weeks how much she loathed talking with Dr. Weiss. The Army Lieutenant made quite the impression on them both when she first introduced herself. The woman was 5'2" and held no punches. Annie would come back weary, withdrawn and ready to sleep for hours after each and every one. He knew enough to stay out of her way, especially when iritable.

"I'll see you when you get back. We can have tonight's mystery meat, I can regain my crown as the Scrabble King, and then we can call it an early night," Auggie smiled, his fingers lacing into hers as he squeezed lightly.

"Sounds good," she sighed as she slowly moved back toward the door.

It wasn't long before he heard the heavy footfalls of the two men he'd been thinking about before Annie arrived in her room. He rose from his chair, held out his hand, and seemed to know exactly where each stood.

"Jai. Ben."

"Auggie," Ben frowned as he shook the man's hand, "I hate when you do that."

Auggie grinned and shrugged, "I know. It's why I do it."

"We just saw Annie," Jai changed the subject, knowing that when provoked Auggie's humor could be deadly, "She's got more color."

"She seems different," Ben remarked quietly as he walked over to her bed, his hand running over the coverlet.

Auggie opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Jai's sharp recognition that things were about to get heated, "Ben and I have traced the communique back to DC. Everything is in this file."

Auggie's eyebrows raised in surprise as he gently took the file from Jai, "Braille. You shouldn't have."

"Auggie, be serious for a moment," Jai sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I am," Auggie quipped as he ran his fingertips along the document, "It's rather anticlimactic to know the intel came from within the Agency. Especially given Arthur and Joan were none the wiser."

"We believe someone on the 7th Floor knew," Ben remarked as he walked over to the window, his eyes ever alert for a danger that would not come.

"This reeks of you, Mercer," Auggie pinched the bridge of his nose and rose from his chair, "None of this would have happened if you just played by the rules."

Jai put a hand on Auggie's shoulder to stop the man from moving forward, "Auggie-"

"What's going on here?" came a startled voice from the doorframe.

"Annie?" Auggie frowned and turned his head toward her voice.

"Is there such a thing as a delayed concussion?" she asked slowly, her hands on her hips as she met the gaze of each man in the room, "The world hasn't imploded so that must mean I've landed in Bizarro World."

"Annie!" Auggie perked up, his smile a million watts, "You speak geek!"

"Not now, Auggie," Jai hissed as he patted the man on the shoulder then cleared his throat, "Good to see you Annie."

"Please tell me you're not having a clandestine meeting in my hospital room discussing matters pertaining to me," she narrowed her eyes and dropped her voice an octave to make her point, "I may be injured but I can still make your lives a living hell! I will not be coddled."

"May I have a word with Annie?" Ben asked quietly, his eyes shifting to Auggie and Jai imperceptibly.

"Sure thing. We'll go grab some coffee," Jai answered for Auggie and upon his snort of protest pulled the blind man out of the room with more force than necessary.

Annie slowly made her way over to the bed and, with Ben's help, managed to sit over the side. She hadn't seen him since Mexico City and had heard that he'd once again gone off the grid. A part of her suspected that this particular incident had more to do with him than it did with her. Another part of her was afraid to admit that her employer found her expendable and would go through anyone, including Auggie, to get to Ben Mercer.

"Annie," Ben breathed her name like a prayer, his eyes full of regret and sorrow.

"Save it Ben," she told him sharply as she took in a deep breath.

"I meant what I said," he told her quietly, his hand reaching out to cup her face.

Annie met his gaze and felt her body tense at his touch, "You're going to have to be more specific."

Ben chuckled softly, "The polygraph. You changed me, Annie. You made me question my motives-"

Annie shook her head emphatically, "Save it, Ben. I am shot at on simple brush passes every day because someone on the 7th Floor thinks you're too valuable and I'm expendable."

"You've changed, Annie. He's changed you," Ben marveled as he searched her face for any sign of the woman he'd first met three years ago in Sri Lanka.

Annie frowned and bit her lip, "You've put him in danger. If I have to track you down myself I will Ben."

Ben shook his head sadly and bent forward slightly to press his lips against hers, "I'd do anything for you Annie."

Auggie didn't need his eyes to understand the scene playing out before him. All he needed was to feel Jai's arm tense, the sound of his breath sucking the oxygen from the room, and the telltale sign of lips meeting to tell him that Mercer kissed Annie. Mercer was good. He had to give the man credit. Turning on his heel Auggie made his way down the hallway, cane swaying back and forth to ensure he did not walk into anything, and ignored Jai's repeated calls after him. He needed a moment to himself while he processed everything that he'd learned. Truth be told, he needed to get back to Washington and now he had his excuse.

The next morning Annie found herself distracted during physical therapy much to the chagrin of the woman making her life a living hell these last few weeks. Each movement sent hot white shots of pain up and down her body but she refused to allow the pain to get the best of her. She found herself focused on the dark haired man working out on the heavy bag, pummeling it with precision that even a sighted man would be hard pressed to replicate. He moved with a grace that she often admired and sometimes envied. She was clumsy and chaos. He was stability and order. She found herself remembering a day a week ago when she'd found out from Dr. Weiss that she had visitors.

"Annie, you have visitors," Dr. Weiss smiled as she placed a hand on Annie's shoulder, turning her slightly towards the group of tall, physically fit men dressed in Army camouflage.

Annie's eyes narrowed as she searched the group momentarily and then felt her breath catch in her throat, "Are those the-"

Dr. Weiss smiled softly and squeezed the younger woman's shoulder, "Yes, those are the men who extracted you from Afghanistan."

Annie's face paled considerably and her teeth began to chatter as her eyes darted wildly around the room as though looking for something. She had neglected to share with Auggie that the very men who were assigned to her were the same men assigned to his old unit. Somehow she felt that if she'd let him know the true ramifications of the mission that he would somehow become unhinged. She felt Dr. Weiss' hand on her shoulder as she watched the men gravitate towards the blind man hitting the heavy bag. She flinched when she saw them salute Auggie, who was tense the moment they made contact. Her heart broke as she saw one of the men step forward and clap him on the back. Tears burned her eyes as she watched him shift uncomfortably in their presence. Being here was a constant reminder and yet he stayed. He stayed for her.

She felt her breath hitch and she cried out, falling to the ground in pain – clutching her ribs as the PT reached for her arm. Auggie, hearing her cry of distress, steadied the heavy bag and quickly made his way across the room. He always knew where she was, it was so ingrained in him at this point that he probably didn't even need his cane to find her. Dropping to his knees he placed a hand on her shoulder only to find himself flat on his back as she threw off his hand.

"I am not an invalid!" she snaps, her eyes blazing and had he been able to see the look on her face in that moment he would have probably recoiled from the venom that marred her normally beautiful features.

He'd expected this sooner or later, after all he knew exactly what toll physical therapy can take on a body, but at the same time he'd thought that Annie wouldn't unleash her fury on him, "Ok Annie. You know that's not my intention."

He'd said it so evenly, his eyes reflecting the concern his tone had taken, and she wanted nothing more in that moment than to destroy him. The haze of red flashed in front of her eyes so quickly that had she been rationale it would have frightened her to no end. She'd managed to maintain control over her fear and anger, but something inside her audibly snapped. He'd maintained his calm and he'd been her support for three weeks never pushing her beyond her limitations. When she suffered minor setbacks he was the voice in her ear, like he always was, bringing her back home. She didn't want him to be a lap dog. Her Saint Bernard. She didn't want him to put his life on hold for her. She didn't deserve it.

"Right," she responded, her jaw clenching as she rose to her feet, and then carefully chose her next words because they had to do the right amount of damage, "You can't even see what you're doing, Auggie! I didn't ask you for your help! Take a page from your own book and know when to back the hell off!"

"Jesus Annie!" her physical therapist gasped as she watched the blonde unleash the fury of her words.

Auggie's face flushed for a moment as he took deep, steadying breaths to control the feeling of hurt that hit him in the center of his chest. He couldn't see her face, but he could feel the heat of the words. He knew that she was lashing out. He'd done it to so many people after his injury that he'd successfully managed to isolate himself from everyone except Joan Campbell. He could feel a ripple of energy behind him and he knew in that moment that Dr. Weiss had entered the room to take Annie for a session.

"Fine," Auggie held his hands up and sighed, the resignation in his voice was audible.

"Why are you still here?" Annie continued, the heat of the moment and the anger she felt bubbling to the surface.

Pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes as he prepared for the next volley of fire, "You know why I'm here."

"Another cog in the wheel, Auggie," she snapped, her body so close to his that he could feel the heat radiating from her, "I told you that I don't remember anything! I'm not going to remember anything so go crawling back to Joan like the good little lap dog you are!"

The force of her words stung more than he could have ever imagined and for a moment he felt an overwhelming need to apologize to every single person he'd come across in those first few weeks after losing his sight. If he stayed in the line of fire for any longer it would certainly cause permanent damage. She was lashing out at him in a way that was so uncharacteristic for her. It was moments like this when he truly wished that he could see her face. The venom was carefully constructed and he knew her well enough to know that they were being said with a purpose. She wanted to hurt him. For the life of him August Anderson couldn't put his finger on why exactly that was.

Auggie wiped the sweat from his brow as he reached for his water bottle, his breathing coming in deep pants as he felt the exhilaration of winning a round with the heavy bag. He remembered the first time after his accident that he'd been able to win a sparring match with his physical therapist. So caught up in the emotion of realizing that though he'd lost his sight it did not mean that he was less of a person that he'd failed to recognize that he was crying until his PT clapped him on the shoulder. Being back here after so many years brought up the memories of his own recovery and the dark places he'd found himself in those earlier days. He'd come across doctors and nurses that he'd cut to the quick with his sharp tongue only to apologize for his behavior. So many of them were simply happy to see him as well adjusted as he was that they even asked him to meet with several soldiers back from Afghanistan. At first he was reluctant, but after that first week with Annie he realized just how important it was to show support.

"Captain Anderson?" a voice he knew almost as well as he knew his own came from his right and Auggie couldn't stop the wide smile that plastered his face.

"Of all the military hospitals in all the world, you walk into mine," Auggie shook his head in amazement, his hand reaching out to feel for the man whom had addressed him, "Curtis, what brings you to Landstuhl?"

"We had a couple injured in our last mission," Curtis remarked as he eyed the man before him in amazement, "Had a free pass to check on 'em so we figured we'd also see how the spook was doing."

Auggie frowned as he set down his water bottle on the stack of floor mats next to him, "Spook? Were you running Charikar?"

"You really are all-knowing aren't you?" Curtis marveled as he grasped Auggie's forearm.

"You were with Annie?" Auggie pressed as he cocked his head to one side as though he had just been given a crucial piece of information.

Realization swept over Curtis like a bucket of cold water and he had to shake his head in amazement at the turn of events, "Hell of a mission, Auggie. She's lucky to be alive."

"Guess I know who to thank for bringing her back to us," Auggie raised an eyebrow, his face the mask of pure calm but internally he wanted to throttle the woman for not telling him she'd been with his old unit.

"Tommy was injured," Curtis told him quietly knowing that his former superior would want to know.

"How bad?" Auggie frowned and folded his arms across his chest, adopting a stance he'd rarely used since leaving the Army.

"Lost a finger," Curtis shrugged as he looked out into the gym, searching for the young blond woman, "She's a fighter that one."

Auggie felt a ghost of a smile tug at his lips as he nodded imperceptibly, "That she is."

Auggie knocked on her door quietly and waited patiently for her to invite him in. He'd known that Annie Walker was a fighter since the moment they met in the hallways of the CIA. Right now, Annie Walker was fighting herself and his presence was only serving to distract her from the real work she needed to complete at the hospital. When he heard her voice acknowledging his request to enter, he squeezed the handle of his bag in an attempt to steady his nerves. He knew the moment that she saw him because a small intake of breath could be heard.

"I'm being recalled to Washington," he told her quietly as he nodded to his bag.

Annie stiffened in bed, realizing that this was what she wanted but when confronted with the reality it hurt so much more than expected, "It's for the best."

"I'll call you when I land-"

"Of course," Annie cut him off and forced a smile to her face.

"If you need anything-"

"I'll call you," she responded with a hitch in her voice that she hoped that he wouldn't pick up on.

"Annie-"

"Have a safe flight, Auggie," she told him lightly and turned her attention back to her book.

Auggie Anderson suddenly felt the weight of the world on his shoulders as he made his way from Annie's room. Good intentions. So this is what hell feels like?