Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs

Chapter 12

"Hey, ladies," Auggie called into the faculty break room with an air of confidence as he sauntered in nonchalantly. He flashed his charmer grin as he put away his cane and pulled out the chair next to Annie. She couldn't help but notice this was the Auggie she'd first met, when she'd first entered the halls of Langley, and it made her smile.

His confidence was something she loved about him.

Lately, he'd been acting kinda wishy-washy and soft, almost as if he wasn't the Auggie she'd grown to love, but this—this was her Auggie.

"Hey, Auggie," Vivian, Tess, and a few other teachers chorused back to him, and he dropped into the seat next to Annie. Somehow, instinctively, his hand connected with her cheek, and he stroked it affectionately, leaning in before his lips connected with hers, sweetly, perfectly. How did he do that? It was like he had psychic Annie-location. She still didn't know how he could find her, in the middle of a room—perfectly, she might add—and kiss her so perfectly. She tried to push that thought—and how perfectly he had kissed her—from her mind.

"Hi, Auggie," she murmured, keeping to her more reserved, quiet cover. She reached up, taking his hand in hers as she scooted her chair a bit closer to his. "What are you doing, baby? Didn't you eat a little bit ago?"

Auggie shifted in frustration as he heard Vivian and Tess and the others press in closer to hear his answer. He'd purposely found Annie when she was with people, so it would be easier to make sure she went along with his plan, but now that he—they—were here, all he wanted was some privacy with Annie.

It was Tuesday—finally—and grades would be turned in by five o'clock. The midterm pressure for Annie was over, and he'd hoped they could go off, on their own, with a little time to just relax and have fun. Hopefully in public, so he could see if the dreams that had been plaguing him had any merit.

Tess, Vivian, and the girls weren't going anywhere—obviously—and it was rude to just walk away with Annie, right then and there (much as he was tempted to do so). He reached out, his hand connecting with Annie's knee, and he gently nudged her until she faced him. He reached for her hands, cupping them in his own. "Baby, I have a question."

Annie frowned at him slightly, confused. She glanced over at Vivian before her gaze locked with his again. "Okay?"

Gah, she was so adorable. He didn't even have to see her to know it. Just sitting across from her, like this, made him feel his heart fluttering in his chest. Loving her moved him. Was it possible? To feel such love that it made you a better person, that made you want to move mountains for that love?

He reached up, cupping her cheek gently, almost forgetting about the four girls staring at the intimate moment unfolding in front of them. "Runaway with me," he whispered, encouraging her with a soft smile.

She frowned at him a little, again. "Run away?"

He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. The kiss was soft, brief, gentle. "Let's go to Cape May tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

He nodded, stroking her cheek gently, hoping she would understand. "Yeah, baby. You've been so stressed with grades lately, and I just thought… I thought you might like to get away, and to just relax for a little." He offered her a gentle smile, hoping she would say yes. The idea of running away with Annie was more appealing than he should probably admit. "Besides, you've been talking about taking a little vacation, and my brother said you'd love it there…"

From across the table, Tess, Vivian, and the other girls cooed. "Aww…" Tess called above them all, "Say yes, Annie!"

Annie smiled a little as her cheeks flamed, embarrassed. She hid in his arms for a moment, burying her face in his shirt, before he felt her nodding into his shirt. "Yeah?" he whispered, and she nodded again.

He grinned and reached down, finding the sides of her face and cupping it with his hands. He leaned in, kissing her softly, and she could feel his lips smiling against hers in that brief kiss.

Kissing a grinning Auggie was definitely better than just kissing Auggie. She could feel the happiness emanating from him, and she couldn't help but catch his sweet joy. When he pulled away, he whispered, "I gotta go, baby. I promised them I wouldn't leave the library for long. I'll see you this afternoon?"

She couldn't help but be caught up in the wonder of a man who took such good care of her, even if it was just a mission. She bit her lower lip demurely and smiled, reaching up to caress his cheek much like he'd done for her. Nodding silently, she said, "Yeah, okay. Baby?"

He stilled as he fished around in his pocket for his cane. "Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too." It killed him, how much he meant those four words, and how much he hoped she meant them, too. As he stood to his feet, he leaned down, kissing her temple, and he disappeared from view, his white cane leading the way back to the library.

Annie stared after Auggie as he retreated from the break room. A trip to Cape May?

She couldn't help but be mystified by his proposition. Was it just to reinforce their cover? But then, why hadn't he suggested this (or something similar) in December, when they were first establishing their covers? Most of all, why did he want to take her to Cape May?

She shook her head subtly and pasted a smile on her face, preparing for the gushing that was sure to ensue.

With Vivian and Tess in the room, it was practically promised.

The next morning, Auggie woke at 5:30. He figured he would give Annie a few extra minutes to sleep in after all the sleepless nights she'd had lately, and, when he'd woken up, she had been snoring so adorably that he couldn't help himself. (He was a sucker, really.) He puttered around the kitchen (quietly, he hoped), trying to put together a picnic lunch for them. He hadn't been to Cape May since his family had visited Ocean City in sixth grade, but from what he remembered, there were benches and picnic areas enough for he and Annie to relax between shopping, walking, and walking the beach and stop for lunch. Annie usually did most of the cooking, but they'd taken a few hours to label everything in Braille for him for instances such as these, when he needed to know where everything was.

By six o'clock, he was barely focusing on making sure the jelly and peanut butter stayed on the bread and that the food he was gathering wouldn't spoil after sitting in a backpack all day—all his attention was focused on Annie, spending a whole day with her, without the pressure of missions, grading, uncovering Bill's crime ring, and the million other things that were constantly on their minds.

Just a day with Annie. Sweet, beautiful, happy, glorious Annie.

At 6:17, a bleary-eyed Annie appeared in the open archway that led to the hallway, her left hand propped against the wall, her right hand combing through her lovely bedhead. She flipped on the lamp a few feet in front of her, and she blinked to adjust to the light. As Auggie's lazy gaze turned to her, she decide she was glad—very glad, considering the image in the hall mirror she'd noticed on her way out to the kitchen—that he couldn't see her now. She'd slept soundly for the past ten hours, and yet, the deep weariness still lingered. She flipped on the lamp a couple yards in front of her and squinted at the light. "Auggie?"

A slow, tender smile slid up the corners of his face. "Hey, Annie." He almost let slip the endearment he'd called her in public for the past four months—baby—but he caught himself at the last minute.

She ambled over to him, her hand gliding over the smooth countertop. A sleepy smile ghosted over her features when she saw the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, Capri Sun drinks, small bags of potato chips, apples, and—her mouth watered at this—double-fudge mint brownies. Where had he gotten those from?

He was really serious about this. She still didn't understand what had prompted it all, but she decided to simply embrace it. A day with Auggie at Cape May sounded just about perfect. She wasn't exactly sure how he was going to enjoy everything—she'd been to Cape May before, and a lot of it depended on visual cues—but Auggie seemed to be even more excited about the day's activities than she was.

Besides. She was a beach girl at heart. Who was she to stop his joy?

Still half in her sleepy stupor, she wrapped her arms around him and she stared up into his face. "You made double-fudge mint brownies?"

He laughed at the sound of wonder in her voice. "Annie, you act like I don't know you by now."

She laughed, too, and buried her face in his arm. His tee shirt smelled like a mixture of his cologne and laundry detergent.

He hugged her in return for a moment, then pulled back. "Are you almost ready? Mapquest said it'd take about four hours to get to the ferry, and I ordered tickets for the 10:15 ferry…"

Annie watched him with a smile. He was so cute when he got flustered about details like this. She reached up and patted his cheek with a little laugh. "Relax, bright eyes. Just let me change."

As she disappeared around the corner, Auggie stared after her, a confused look on his face, and he said, "Bright eyes?"

Annie's only reply was her laughter echoing down the hallway.

Annie leaned against the railing of the ferry, loving the feel of the ocean's spray against her face. It'd been a while since she'd seen the ocean like this, and she'd forgotten how much she loved it.

The ocean was endless and free and strong-willed—it did what it wanted, when it wanted. It was a free spirit, just like her. She loved the sound of the waves lapping against the side of the ferry. She loved watching the sea gulls screeching and flitting above the ocean's waters, the occasional dolphin making its appearance. The ocean was quiet, solitary. She loved to think when she was on the ocean like this. Somehow, after staring out into the sea for the past half hour, the worry and tension for the past months had slowly slipped away.

She turned to look when she heard footsteps coming up behind her, along with the scrape of a certain white cane. "Hey, Auggie."

He followed the sound of her voice to her and came to a stop at her side, dropping his arm around her shoulders protectively and pulling her slight form against him. He leaned over instinctively and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. "Aren't you cold out here?"

The breeze coming off the ocean was cool—even cold—during most of the year, but it was still mid-March, and the weather was even cooler than usual. She looked up at his worried face and patted his cheek gently. "Don't worry. I'm fine, baby." She stared back into the ocean and sighed happily. She leaned back against the railing, staring out into the endless sea. "Do you feel that?"

He gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

She held her hand out over the railing, feeling the spray of the water mist on her hand and arm. "The ocean spray." She reached out, taking his hand, and she held it over the edge of the railing. "Feel it?"

He nodded and Annie grinned. "I love the ocean." She stared at the expanse before them. "It's so relaxing." She closed her eyes, trying to imagine what Auggie was experiencing right now. She reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers, and she lifted her nose to the sun, embracing everything about the ocean—its smell, its taste, its sound, the way the pale March sun shined on her eyelids.

Auggie turned to her, an incredulous look on his face, his budding laughter barely controlled. "Annie, what are you doing?"

Her eyelids shot open and she glared at him, a fake pout lighting her features. "Don't you dare even think about making fun of me."

A laugh managed to escape his lips. "Wouldn't dare."

She jerked on his hand. "Close your eyes." She did the same. "Auggie, are you closing them? You better be closing your eyes…"

As Auggie let his eyelids flutter shut, he rolled his eyes. That's it. Annie was certifiably crazy. "I don't think it really matters, Annie…"

She jerked his hand again. "It's more magical that way. Just close them."

An amused smile danced on his lips. "They're closed!"

She let one eyelid flutter open so she could squint at him. Dutifully, his eyes were closed. Closing her eye again, she huffed. "Good. Keep them that way."

For the next fifteen minutes, they stood there, holding hands, while Annie described to him every aspect of the beach she loved, the breeze whipping through their hair, the salty scent tickling their noses. When Annie began to shiver, she opened her eyes and rubbed her arm to try and warm it up.

She'd barely had time to let her eyes adjust to the light when Auggie's hand reached up and cupped her jaw. Her eyes fluttered shut again when his lips touched hers, and she automatically responded to his touch, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She kissed him back desperately, forgetting that she was supposed to be Anaïs and he was supposed to be Auggie the librarian—she was Annie and he was Auggie, and this was the man she loved.

After a few more moments, he pulled away, and she wanted to whimper at the instant loss of connection. Why had he stopped?

He loosed his hand from being tangled in her hair and tucked the loose strands behind her ear before he stroked her cheek gently. "Sorry," he whispered. "I thought I heard someone coming."

She fleetingly wondered why that automatically meant that they had to kiss, but she pushed the thought from her mind. She wasn't going to protest to a kiss.

Annie shivered again in his arms, and he quickly turned around, guiding her back into the warmth of the dining room compartment of the ferry. He deposited her at one of the empty tables and whispered, "Stay here."

She watched as he walked away, his cane guiding him, to the register at the front of the room. When he returned, he held a steaming cup of hot cocoa in his hand. He pulled out the chair across from her and placed the mug in front of her. "Here. I figured you could use this."

She smiled softly back at him as she accepted the cup. "Thanks, Auggie."

Annie grinned up at Auggie through the pair of sunglasses he'd just insisted on buying her. He hadn't been able to see how they looked on her, but he had insisted they made her look like a rock star.

She was tempted to agree. Either that, or like a three-year-old wearing her momma's larger-than-life sunglasses.

Either way, Auggie insisted they brought out her larger-than-life, child-like, exuberant personality. She wouldn't have described herself that way, but she was more inclined to say that Auggie brought the goodness out of her, not a silly pair of sunglasses.

Nonetheless, as she walked down the middle of the strip of gift shops and stared up at Auggie, she couldn't help but think about how much she'd missed this—spending a whole day with someone she loved, talking, checking out shops, letting him buy her gifts.

When they'd first arrived at Cape May, they had taken the tour of the island. Annie was sure he hadn't gotten anything out of it, but he insisted she take a picture of everything the tour guide described. Since the bus didn't stop for photographs and she hadn't thought to bring an actual camera, she was sure she had about 55 blurry photos on her cell phone, but if it could bring out Auggie's heart-melting grin, she really didn't care.

Afterwards, Auggie had dragged her to the beach—well, she was the one that guided them there, but he had insisted. He spread the blanket he'd brought out on the sand, and they ate their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and double-fudge mint brownies, and Annie teased him about who had insisted on peanut butter and jelly this time.

As she stepped around a center display on the cobblestone street, she couldn't stop the smile that lit her face at the thought of the sand castle Auggie had insisted they build. By the time they'd finished, their hands were blue from their repeated trips to retrieve the freezing ocean water to hold the castle walls in place, but she had to admit—building sand castles with Auggie was fun. She had been laughing all day, from his jokes and antics.

She'd missed this, the pressure-free time with Auggie. They'd done nothing but spend time together, but somehow, the stress of the mission and her little revelation in December had gotten to her. She loved the way that they'd walked together, hand-in-hand, for the past hour, browsing whatever shops piqued their interest. She felt like they were close again, like they had always been, before that first dream. That was more reassuring than she could have ever imagined.

"C'mon," she heard Auggie say, and she turned to see what he was talking about. "Let's go in this store."

She read the store's title curiously. Trina's Trinkets. The window didn't display anything particularly interesting. She laughed. "Aug, you don't even know what store it is."

He shrugged. "I don't need to. That's what days like this are for."

She grinned into the sleeve of his hoodie that he'd donned when they boarded the ferry that morning. "Okay. Let's go." The shop was small, stuffed with little trinkets, with narrow aisles. She stopped short when she saw the crowded aisles.

Turning around partially, she looked up into his eyes. "Okay. It's kinda crowded in here, okay? Here, put your cane away. 'Kay, just hold onto me, okay?" She guided his hands to her hips, knowing it was a decision she'd probably regret later, but really, she didn't know what else to do. There was hardly any room for one person to walk, much less for her to guide Auggie to the place, side-by-side.

Auggie wondered if Annie had any clue what she was doing, when she placed his hands on her hips. Despite her lacy, flowery blouse (he knew it was flowery, because the cashier at the shop he'd bought her those rock star sunglasses had complimented her on it) and her soft cashmere sweater, he could feel the warmth of what he assumed was her perfect skin, and following Annie around a gift shop in Cape May was the last thing on his mind. The feel of her perfect hips under his hands was driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was turn her around and kiss her for real.

During the past week and a half since his little realization, he'd enjoyed every kiss, every touch (what healthy male wouldn't?), but he'd held back. They were, after all, undercover, and Annie was still officially his best friend. He felt like a pig, taking advantage of her without her knowing about his feelings.

But all day, Annie had been so perfectly Annie that he thought he was going crazy. This was the Annie he'd fallen for, and it was driving him insane, being so close to her, spending so much time with her, without being able to say anything. Though no one from MCA was around to increase their stress level, they were still undercover as August and Anaïs Anderson, and there was no way he could tell her now.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it any longer, she came to a stop and reached for one of his hands. "Hey, c'mere," she said quietly, apparently unaffected by the past several steps, and she tugged him over to where she was standing. "Look at this."

She was snickering under her breath, and, for the moment, deeper thoughts were gone when Annie placed a little trinket in his hand. "What is it?"

She laughed again. "It's a cowboy. Riding one of those huge tractors that they use for farming? But he's riding it like he would a horse, and it looks like he's trying to lasso something." She took the trinket from his hands again and started snickering all over again. "I wish you could see his face," she laughed, leaning against his side. "I'm pretty sure that's the stupidest face I've seen. Ever." Rolling her eyes, she placed the trinket back in its spot. "Who would hang that on their rearview mirror?"

Annie started moving again, and she reached to place his hand on her hips. Pulling his hand away, he placed it on her shoulder instead. "I think it'll be easier this way," he said. Her hair still tickled his hand and wrist, but it was better than what had been happening earlier.

Annie watched Auggie sleeping with a soft smile. They were finally on their way back to the ferry dock, and it was nearly eight o'clock. It would be after midnight by the time they got back to Manassas.

He was reclined in a few of the chairs, his curly dark hair blown by the little breeze that made its way into the dining room. She knew she should probably be the one sleeping, since she would be the one driving them both home to Manassas, but she couldn't help but watch him sleep.

She threaded her fingers into his hair, brushing it out of his face, and she smiled sadly. "I love you." She caressed his cheek lightly. "I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself."

She could help it when her mind wandered, wondering what it would be like to actually be Auggie's girl, for them to be completely in love. The possibilities made her ache with longing.

Auggie listened with a smile as Annie started mumbling to herself again. He'd been counting since they left the Cape May ferry dock. This was the sixth time. He was fairly sure it was a tactic to keep herself awake. He was fairly sure she was convinced he was sleeping soundly and that she wasn't aware of how incredibly adorable she was being.

He caught a few mumbled phrases: "people… stupid at ten o'clock," "Lady Gaga is not entertainment" (he had to hide his snicker at that one), "gas stations are funded by fascist governments…"

He wondered how much she'd want to kill him if he begged her to pull off to the side of the road. She really made it impossible to not fall for her harder every second.

When they pulled up to their designated parking space for the apartment, Annie shook Auggie awake. "Auggie? Hey, Aug, wake up," she whispered. When he stirred, turning to face her, she squeezed his shoulder. "C'mon. Grab the backpack. We're home."

The small walk from their parking spot to their apartment was relatively quiet. Occasionally, Auggie would nudge her with his shoulder and reveal a corny, sleepy joke. She laughed at them all.

When she unlocked their front door and pushed it open, Auggie nudged her again. "Sooo… admit it, Annie. You love me." His eyes sparkled down at her, and a teasing grin lit his features.

She stood, staring up at him. She did love him. It wasn't like she was trying to ignore it, but something snapped in her, and she just couldn't deny it anymore. Her hands reached up, cupping his face in warning a few milliseconds before her lips crashed to his. She was surprised when he responded, pulling her into his arms, angling her head slightly to the right, for better access.

Then, just when she started to forget just exactly what it was she'd just done, Auggie pulled away, holding her at arm's distance. His chest heaving just a little too adorably as he stared down at her, he whispered, "Annie… Annie, what are you doing?"

Tears blurred her vision. No, no, no… this could not be happening. He had actually kissed her back, right? She hadn't made that up… after all that she'd suffered, after all the pain she'd inflicted on herself, after all those dreams, this could not be happening. They were perfect together… weren't they? Weren't they?

He was lightly caressing her arms, and she jerked away. After all the rumors, she'd never believed he was the heartbreaker. Auggie was too good of a man for that… but now? She folded her arms across her chest, backing away in a desperate attempt to put some distance between the two of them.

"What was I doing? You couldn't tell?"

"No, Annie! Come back. I need to tell you some—"

She stared at him coldly. "I love you, okay? You may be evolved enough to figure out to bypass that emotion, but I'm not impervious to it!"

Auggie blanched, frozen in place. "You love me?" He took a few hesitant steps toward her, desperate to hold her in his arms again. This was definitely not the way he imagined this happening, but she did not get to drop a bombshell like that and stalk off.

He heard her footsteps back away from him. "Auggie, just… leave me alone, okay?"

He strode over to where he'd heard her last, going off of memory where everything in the apartment was located. His outstretched hand connected with her arm, and he pulled her closer. "Annie, c'mere," he whispered. One hand still clung to her arm, and he cupped her face with his free hand, stroking her cheek gently. "Annie. Annie. Annie!" He jerked her a little, trying to get her attention. "Annie, listen to me." His eyes fluttered shut, and he couldn't believe he'd given her the wrong impression. "What did I tell you, when we first accepted this mission from Joan?"

She stared back at him coldly. "That you'd be the best husband ever."

He smirked at that. "No, no, the other thing."

"That you wouldn't let anything happen to me?"

He let go of her arm with his hand and let it frame the other side of her face. Pouring all the love he could manage from his eyes to hers, he whispered, "Yeah. I'll never let anything happen to you, Annie. I promise. Annie, I'm crazy about you. Okay?"

She sucked in a shaky breath, trying to decide whether or not she should believe him, and he stroked her cheeks gently. "Yeah, baby, believe it. You take my breath away, okay? I don't even know how to live without you."

He stared down at her for a moment before he ducked down a few inches, capturing her lips with his. At first, it was just a tender caress, barely more than a whisper. He was obviously trying to convince her, gently, sweetly, perfectly, that he was as crazy about her as she was about him. She pushed up on her tiptoes, kissing him back. When he tilted his head gently and deepened the kiss, she moaned softly and threaded her fingers through his dark, curly hair. He still tasted like double-fudge mint brownies, and the thought made her grin like a fool.

Pulling away, she giggled and buried her face in his chest. How was it possible he made her so happy?

After a moment, she felt his strong hands find her face and he tugged her face up to his eye level, bending down just a little to be even with her. "What was that all about?"

"What, the kiss?" she asked, grinning like a fool. "I think that was kinda obvious."

He grinned back at her like an idiot and kissed her forehead sweetly. "No, baby, the laugh…"

"Oh." She blushed a little. "You taste like the brownies still."

He smiled across at her, stroking her cheek gently. "You know, you're incredibly adorable."

She blushed again, ducking her head in slight embarrassment.

"And I love it that you think fascists run gasoline companies."

Her cheeks blazed with fire. "You heard that?"

He chuckled, leaning in for another brief kiss. (How could he help himself, when she was only inches from him and was being so adorable, and well, just because he could?) "I heard it all, honey," he whispered. "You're too adorable to sleep through."

The thought of that made her grin like a fool and warmed her all the way to her toes. "I am, huh?"

"Yeah," he whispered, kissing her sweetly.

When he pulled away, she reached over and flipped on the light. "Let me just put the backpack away, and we can—" she called over her shoulder.

But before she finished her sentence, she stopped short, staring at the mess before her. "Auggie?" she called out in a trembling voice.

He turned toward her, worried at the tone in her voice. "What?"

"Wh-what happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?"

"The-the apartment. Somebody broke in."

She only had to look at the slashed couch, the destroyed kitchen drawers and the contents of the apartment, strewn across the floor, to know this was no ordinary break-in. "Call Jai. Right now."

A/N: Happy? I was going to hold it off for one more chapter, but I was tired of putting it off. :)

And the whole Cape May thing was kinda inspired by my impending beach trip in a few weeks, for which I'm practically giddy. :) Last time I went to the beach, we went to Cape May, and I loved it. The little shop in one of the scenes was inspired by a shop that's actually at Cape May, but I don't remember what it's called. And the tractor thing definitely wasn't there. lol.

Review, pretty pretty please! :)