Annie was trying desperately to escape the tall blonde man currently trying to take her "somewhere more comfortable". She would dump her beer on him, but then she'd be left without beer… She desperately looked around for Brianne, but she was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully it was almost ten, so she could get going without feeling like a cop-out. She studied the leering guy in front of her and ground her heel hard into his toes. She then deftly slipped out of his reach, sniggering as he hopped around spewing choice words in her general direction.

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into Danielle's driveway, glad that no police cars had been prowling. She hadn't drunk that much, but knowing her luck they would have pulled her over and she would have been late to call Auggie. She quickly changed into her ratty house-clothes, and settled into the couch. She was just about to pick up the phone when it rang. Growling to herself she punched talk.

"Look, I don't want to buy whatever it is you have to sell, and it's very important that I call my friend in Africa RIGHT now, so please just go away," she grumbled into the mouthpiece.

The phone chuckled in a voice that was interestingly familiar. "So even if I was offering to sell you a lifetime supply of free alcohol you'd just want me to hang up?"

"Auggie! I was literally about to pick up the phone to call you. Also, you can't sell me a lifetime supply of free alcohol. It doesn't make sense."

"Don't be so picky. Free alcohol is free alcohol. Anyway, it's six in the morning here, and I've told you what they think is coffee."

"How did you even know what number to call?"

"You thought I would be your friend for over a year and not have memorized your phone numbers? What if there was an emergency? What kind of friend would I be?"

"A friend who didn't resemble a stalker? Anyway, how's your week been?"

"Interesting."

"That's…interesting. Care to elaborate?"

"Well for starters I no longer own any shoes."

"Hey, you can't blame me this time. Anyway, I gave them back when you nearly broke your toe on the barstool."

"Yeah, yeah. This time, though, I gave them away. There's this kid, May, who reminds me so much of Katia. She always wants piggyback rides. And she loves my shoes, so I gave them to her. Parker thinks I'm nuts."

"So do I, but I'm sure May thinks you're great."

"I also found out Parker hates jazz. I guess I was listening to that Mingus CD too much - I think she buried it or something. Anyway, she told me it was making a racket."

"What? First tequila and now jazz? Who is she? Sorry. Freak-out over now. Hey, I beat up a pervert at the bar today. Oh, also I spilled coffee on your car."

"It's your car now anyway. If you want to treat it like crap I can't legally kill you."

She laughed, quiet for a minute as he told her more about the past week. It was so relieving to talk to him, but the best bit was just sitting listening to his voice. There was something different today, though, that she couldn't quite place.

"Hey Aug," she began in a lull in the conversation, "why'd you call me? It's always me who calls you."

He sighed on the other end of the phone. "I heard guns this morning."

"Oh. Wow. Are you OK?" She knew there was no real threat – the village was pretty well removed from the small border skirmishes that erupted – but she also knew that memories were sometimes a bigger threat for Auggie than real danger.

"Psh – I'm basically invincible you know," his weak attempt a levity sounded hollow, "I just…You know, I told Parker and she laughed. Like with the shoes. It was the first real fight we've had. Well, if you don't count her music rampage."

"Oh Auggie, I'm sorry. Are you…good now?"

He sighed, and she could tell he was running a hand through his hair. "I haven't actually talked to her yet. It was only an hour ago."

There were a few beats of silence, and Annie wondered what to say. She knew that a good friend would tell Auggie to sort things out with Parker, maybe advise him on a cheesy "I'm sorry" gesture. But she'd already proved herself a pretty crappy friend when she'd let him go gallivanting off on this insane adventure in the first place.

Auggie spoke before she could muster the courage to tell him to come home.

"I just needed to talk – really talk – to you first. We've basically been talking about the weather for the past month." She sagged back into the sofa, relieved beyond belief. It felt like some sort of gate had opened in the middle of her chest, and suddenly she began talking.

"My nose burned for a week after Stockholm. I kept feeling that guy's blood. I basically became Lady Macbeth until I went to see one of the therapists at work and I was so mad that I couldn't talk to you. I wasn't mad that you left, really, I understood, but I needed to talk. And I don't like using code names on missions and I miss you and creeps keep hitting on me at Allen's and I'm so bored."

"Wow. I caught Lady Macbeth and hitting on me, and now I have a really strange mental image. But, really, I miss you too."

"You didn't just call to tell me that, though, did you?"

"No. I miss my computer and I miss real coffee. I miss Stu and missions and feeling like I'm actually doing something. I like Adonay and Daniel, but I'm not in control here and all I'm doing is getting in the way."

"I'm pretty sure they don't think so."

"That's what Parker says. She doesn't get – "

" – that you need the missions?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah…So what're you gonna do?"

"That's why I called you." She knew he was serious, and she panicked. She wanted to tell him to pack up immediately and come home, to forget Africa. She wanted to tell him that without his voice in her ear, she didn't trust any move she made on missions; that her heart sank every time she glanced at his empty office; that once a week wasn't nearly enough time to tell him all the stupid crazy things that happened in a day. Suddenly, though, she thought of Parker coming home to an empty house and a note that said something like the truth is complicated. Well, not that exactly, but something equally cryptic. So instead she said, "You should talk to Parker. Work it out. And when you're ready, you should come back."

"Since when did you start giving inspirational speeches?"

"Since you went on loan to the Peace Corps," she smiled into the phone.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna have to take your advice, Walker. We don't have the privilege of company shrinks in the Peace Corps, you know."

"And it's probably a good thing, too what with all the lost souls and bleeding hearts that tend to sign up."

"Huh. It was good to talk to you, Annie. I've missed it."

"Yeah. Yeah, me too. See you Auggie."

"Bye Annie. I'll talk to you soon."

And for the first time in a month, she could literally hear him smiling.

AN: So I'm just going to plow on through to the end now. Thank you SO much to everyone who's reviewed/alerted etc. It makes me happy! :) (As evidenced by the smiley face.)