Four.
She doesn't know how it's possible, but Danielle forgives her immediately. She doesn't want to lie anymore. So she hops on the next flight to the West Coast.
She kisses Auggie on the cheek and says, "It's too late for heart to hearts," because she doesn't think she has a heart anymore.
Annie asks for a phone the second she gets on the private jet to D.C. The nondescript agent in a suit just shakes his head. She tries to make pleasant conversation with him. She tries to politely inquire why she can't have a phone. She tries to plead her case. She tries to scoot closer to try to pick his jacket pocket, but he sees her game and shoots her a stern glare. She is seconds away from knocking him out and stealing his phone when he gets up and walks to the cockpit of the jet, leaving Annie alone with her thoughts and anger.
Annie considers hijacking the plane, but decides to just wait it out. Somehow, she manages to fall asleep, only to be awoken by the nondescript suited agent shaking her shoulder gently what feels like seconds later. She almost rips off his hand. "We're landing, ma'am."
"Can I have a phone now?"
"Ma'am, I'm not authorized to give you access to a phone. There is an individual in the black SUV who is authorized," Nondescript Suit replies tonelessly, almost bored. Annie realized he never called her anything but "ma'am." She doesn't ask him if he knows her real name, because does it really matter? She just needs to get to that SUV with the authorized individual with the phone.
Surprisingly, Joan is sitting in the back seat of the unmarked black SUV when Nondescript Suit opens the door for Annie. She sits calmly with her hands folded over crossed knees and greets Annie with an amicable, "How was your flight?"
"Fine." Even to Annie's own ears she sounds short and bitchy.
"I'm taking you to a safe house."
"Can I have a phone?"
"Were you planning on calling your sister or Auggie?" Joan smiles knowingly. For some reason, this bothers Annie.
"Maybe I just wanted to order a pizza," Annie drawls sarcastically. She isn't in the mood to play a game.
"Auggie has been reinstated to his former position in Tech Ops. He is currently running a mission and will not be able to be away from the office for some time."
"And Danielle?" Annie tries to keep the desperation out of her voice. She is pretty sure she was going to call Danielle first, before Auggie, which would explain why Nondescript Suit and now Joan are playing keep away with a telephonic device. It pisses her off. "Or can I not call her?"
"No need," Joan replies shortly. The driver gets into the SUV and puts the car in gear. He drives quickly through the security checkpoints of the back part of whatever airport Annie landed in.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means I've already called her." Annie stares in disbelief at Joan, whose smile has long since morphed into a look of concern at the tone of Annie's voice. "She's meeting us at the safe house."
Annie just looks at Joan before blurting out, "You had no right," surprising even herself at the ice flowing through the car. "You had no right to assume I was going to even tell her I was alive!"
"You were going to tell her," Joan states calmly, like any other fact the whole world would obviously know. "You were going to call her the second you had a chance, whether or not the CIA had cleared it. So I cleared it for you. Danielle has been read in on as much as we could share at this time. She knows that you faked your death to take down a terrorist and that you are a hero. That is what you can tell her. You should not give any details until the Wilcox story breaks the news. Even then, it isn't up to me if you can tell her that."
Annie turns and looks out the window sullenly. She realizes that she's not mad that Joan told Danielle, just that she hadn't had more time to prepare to actually see her sister. The sister who thought she was dead. Who buried her. Fuck.
"How'd she take it?" Annie asks in a raspy voice a long while later.
"Surprisingly well."
And that was that.
The safe house is in suburban D.C. When they arrive, Annie takes a deep breath to try to calm her fluttering nerves. Joan reaches over for Annie's hand, but Annie jerks her hand away. "Are you coming inside?"
"No. I think you can handle it from here, Annie," Joan voices gently with a small smile on her face.
"Thanks, Joan." Annie doesn't really know what to do, so she steps out of the car and grabs her black backpack from the floorboards. "You'll be in contact, I assume?"
"Someone from the Agency will be," Joan affirms. She studies Annie for a moment longer, then pushes her hair behind her ears. "Take care of yourself, Annie. I'm sorry."
Annie would think back to those words, later, much later, and realize Joan knew a lot more than she would ever let on. Joan knew that Annie had no intention of coming back before Annie even thought of it.
The moment Annie closes the door to the safe house, she is pulled into the kind of almost uncomfortably tight hug that only her sister can give. They stand there, wrapped in their rocking embrace, sobbing onto each other for what feels like centuries.
"I'm so sorry," Annie gasps between hiccups.
"Come to California with me," Danielle replies determinately. "You have so much to explain to me, and I am so angry with you, but I love you. I love you so much. I forgive you, and the girls will forgive you, and maybe one day even Michael will forgive you," Danielle pulls away to grin at Annie through her tears. "We all love you, and we want you with us. Please come with me."
Annie knows she won't be able to say no.
They put Annie up in a hotel a week later, after Danielle leaves back to California but before Annie has finished debriefs. The debriefs are brutal and vicious and soaked in doubt of her competence even after all she's been through. They tell her she needs to stay in the hotel room, with no contact with anyone besides the CIA, until her last day of debriefing. Annie doesn't bother to argue.
When the Agency tells her they suggest she 'take some time to herself', which everyone knows is code for 'don't bother coming back to the CIA', Annie accepts. She already has plans to send her resignation letter and hop on the next flight out to the Golden State.
"Annie," Auggie chirps cheerfully when he hears Annie's door open. He is leaning against the hall right outside Annie's hotel room.
"Auggie," Annie replies dispassionately. "I take it you heard about everything?"
"Yeah, I did. Listen, Walker, I'm–"
"Sorry. Yeah, I know. That's all anyone seems to be around me," Annie starts walking down the hall, duffle bag strap draped across her chest. She doesn't bother offering Auggie her arm. Auggie notices this little detail.
"Can I give you a ride to the airport?"
"No, thanks." Again, Annie's voice is completely emotionless. It unnerves Auggie. If he is being honest with himself, her voice alone terrifies him.
"I promise I won't get behind the wheel," Auggie tries to joke.
"Protocol dictates that you shouldn't be seen with me."
"Fuck protocol," Auggie spits angrily as he grabs Annie's elbow. "Annie, this isn't how all of this should have turned out. You deserve better from the Agency."
"I do. But we don't always get what we deserve," Annie mutters and shrugs off Auggie's arm and keeps walking down the long hall.
Auggie knows what she's doing; she is trying to distance herself to make their inevitable separation hurt a little less. He tried the same thing with his own family and friends after he was blinded. It doesn't work. It hurts just the same.
"I know. I know that, seriously? Look at me," Auggie can't help the hysteria that creeps into the edges of his voice as he waves his hand in front of his blind eyes. "I know that better than anyone. Please, Annie."
"I don't know what you want from me. I can guarantee that I can't give it to you, though."
"Stop trying to distance yourself!"
"Can't really help it since I'm moving clear across the country."
Auggie stays silent and listens to Annie's footsteps stop as she turns to look at him. Without warning, she forces him against the wall of the lobby and kisses him hard. He responds; how could he not? But he knows this is all a terrible idea. This whole situation is terrible. "Annie," he gasps out.
"I loved you so much, Auggie." Annie chastely kisses him one last time on the cheek and moves out of his reach.
"Let me drive you to the airport," Auggie pleads, trying to ignore the past tense in Annie's confession. "Let's just talk about this, please, just really quickly."
"No," Annie lets a feverish laugh escape her throat. "It really is too late for heart-to-hearts. Don't you see, Auggie? I don't have a heart for you anymore."
Author's Note: Thank you for reading and reviewing!