A/N: The last chapter! This is just too weird. I have been working on this story eight months. Almost nine months. I can't believe it's finally coming to a close! Thank you all so much for reading, and I can't believe you stuck with me, through it all. I still don't think it was the best story I've ever written, but I did the best I could, and I'm proud of the result. I'm still so honored that so many people followed and favorited and reviewed this story. I still can't believe it has gotten over 30,000 hits! It's only slightly less than Christmas with Auggie, which had less than 20,000 hits by the time I finished writing it. :)

(In a nutshell, that means you guys are *awesome*! hehe)

Anyway, on to the story! I hope you like this last development!

Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs. Still. Forever.

Chapter 20

"Aunt Annie! Aunt Annie!"

Annie smirked as she watched Chloe and Katia round the corner, huge grins on their faces. "You're back!"

It had been a long few days since she'd been admitted to the hospital for her injuries. Dani and the girls had visited every day, but still. She was home now, and somehow that mattered to Danielle, Chloe, and Katia.

As they ran to hug her, Katia demanded, "Aunt Annie, what took you so long?"

"Yeah," Chloe echoed. "You were gone like a whole year!"

Annie didn't bother to correct them. It had felt like a year.

Danielle appeared in the doorway, resting her shoulder against the doorjamb. "Hey, stranger."

Annie smiled apologetically. "Hey." She'd already fed Danielle, Michael, and the girls some lie about how she'd been stuck in Mongolia, sorting through artifacts for an upcoming Mongolian-themed exhibit the Smithsonian was about to put on display, and she hadn't been able to get a phone as she was in remote places the whole time. The injuries, of course, came from a bank hold-up in Spain on her way home. Now she just wanted to relax, and she hoped and prayed that Dani hadn't found a loophole in her story.

She sank onto the couch in the living room. She'd forgotten how much she loved this thing, how it conformed to every inch of her body. She'd never sat in a more comfortable couch in her life. She sighed happily as leaned her head against the back of the couch, careful not to let the wound hit the couch too hard. It was still extremely tender to the touch. If she had to wait very long for it to heal, she was going to start complaining.

Katia climbed onto Annie's lap, grinning up at her aunt. "Hi, Aunt Annie."

Annie wrapped her arms around her niece and pulled her into a loose hug. "Hey, baby girl."

"Guess what I did while you were gone?"

She didn't even want to think about the possibility. She'd missed half of the girls' lives on one op. "I don't know, sweetie. Tell me."

Katia opened her mouth wide and pointed to an empty spot in her mouth were two teeth had been. "I lost two teeth!"

Annie smiled. "That's great, Kate."

She grinned. "I know. Dya know how much the tooth fairy brought me?"

Annie shook her head. "No, sweetie. How much?"

"Two dollars!"

She loved how much Katia's eyes widened in pride. "That's a lot of money!"

"I know! And guess what? I got straight 'A's on my report card! Mommy was really proud. And lookie how long my hair is now? Mommy said we could grow it longer if we take care of our hair more. So you know how much I brush it? Five times a day! Mommy keeps telling me I'm going to brush all my hair out, but at least it's not all knotty. And guess what we got? A swimming pool! It's gonna be one of those in-the-ground ones, and Daddy says there will be a deep end, so he can swim, too, but we can't go in the deep end yet because we're not very good swimmers…"

Annie laughed and shared a knowing look with Danielle as Katia continued to babble on. As soon as Katia let up, Chloe, snuggled at Annie's side, began to share her version of the events of the past five months, and they both ran and gave Annie their report cards, and showed her all the little crafts they'd made and kept, and, nearly an hour later, when they tired of bringing her up to speed, they ran off on their own adventure.

As Annie watched them go, she chuckled. Danielle did the same. "Sooo. I guess you don't need me to tell you what you missed."

Even though it wasn't really meant as a slight against her work schedule, Annie knew it was something that bothered Dani. "Sorry! I didn't know it was going to take that long, honest. I thought it was like, one week, two, tops."

"Well, are you gonna be around for a while now, at least?"

Annie gingerly felt the edge of the bandage around her arm. The bullet that nicked her hadn't gone very deep, but still, her doctor at the hospital had insisted that she keep her arm bandaged until it healed. "For a while," she said with a soft smile. "I don't think the Smithsonian really wants me going all over the place, trying to get all these amazing things, when I'm still recovering from my last trip. My boss says she can use me around the office for the next month or so, so I'll probably see you and the girls a lot this summer."

Danielle grinned. "Good."

Annie couldn't help but agree. She'd missed Dani and the girls, and, though the mission hadn't been thrilling and dangerous the whole way through, it had been emotionally draining, and she was glad to have some time to recover.

Besides, that also meant she'd have more time to spend with Auggie.

"Are you going to be around tonight? It's game night," Danielle teased, her voice getting that lilty, sing-songy quality that always meant she was trying to get something Annie knew she wouldn't like.

"What's on the agenda for game night?"

"Sorry!"

Annie groaned. "Dani, you know I hate that game! I'm so bad at it!"

Danielle just grinned. "I know. But it's the girls' favorite game, and they miss their aunt! Come on, do it for the girls…"

Annie groaned again. "Okay. But as long as we can play Trouble too."

Dani grinned. "Deal." She reached out and pulled Annie into a hug, being careful of her arm and head, and she buried her face in Annie's shoulder. "We missed you around here, Annie."

She hugged her sister back. "Yeah. I know." She sighed softly. "I missed you, too."

Auggie was sleeping when there came a knock on his door at 2:17 the next morning. He'd always been a light sleeper, and it didn't take much to wake him up.

He squinted and listened into the darkness, and the knocking came again.

He rolled over in his bed and pulled the blankets up over his head. It was in the middle of the night, for crying out loud. If it was a matter of national security, Joan knew his number. Otherwise, whoever it was could wait until morning.

The knock came again, louder and more persistent this time, and he groaned, throwing back the covers. He reached for his sweatshirt, throwing it over his tee-shirt, as he stumbled out toward the front door to his apartment.

When he reached the door, he leaned his forehead against the door. "Who is it?"

Her voice sounded small, and almost embarrassed. "Annie…"

He took a step away from his door and pulled it open, wincing at the noise it made. "Annie? What are you doi—"

Before he could finish his question, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. "I can't sleep without you."

He caught her, holding her close for a moment. When she didn't say anything further, he reached up and found her cheek, pushing her away a little as he stroked her cheek. "Babe, what do you mean?"

A strangled, frustrated sound came from her throat, and she said, "I tried! I've been trying to sleep since nine o'clock! But I can't. I can't sleep without hearing you snoring right next to me, and I didn't think I'd ever miss the way you always fling your arm against the bed, waking me up every signal night at 2:45, never fail… but…" She sighed heavily. "I miss you! And—"

A slow smile spread over Auggie's lips as he listened to Annie's sleepy tirade. "C'mere," he whispered, covering her lips with his own. The kiss didn't last long, but when he pulled away, his eyes twinkled back at her, and he said, "I love you."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, guiding her back toward his bedroom, and he said, "C'mon. Let's get you back to bed." He felt along the wall with his hand, not wanting to knock her into the wall or a doorjamb.

When they reached his bed, he held the blankets back as she climbed in, and he climbed in after her. He smirked when he heard—and felt—her shifting around, trying to find the most comfortable position. She'd done that every night in Manassas, too. When she lay still for a moment, he asked, "Comfy?"

She craned her neck to look up at him in the darkness, and she grinned. "Yeah."

He laughed softly and wrapped his arm around her waist, wrapping his body around hers protectively. He kissed her jaw gently and nuzzled his face into the space between her neck and shoulder. "Night, Annie."

Her voice already was sleepy. "Mmm-hmm."

Lying there, Annie cradled in his arms, they both drifted into sweet sleep.

Annie stumbled into the nursery room, sleepily taking in the lavender walls, the stenciled flowers climbing up the left corner of the room, the name Rachel painted in large, soft lettering across the wall. A large, plush teddy bear lay, discarded, by the door, and, in the middle of everything, stood a two-year-old little wonder with Auggie's wavy dark brown hair, Annie's nose, and Auggie's chocolate brown eyes. She had pulled herself up against the edge of her crib, and she was doing her little morning jig.

She was still clad in her pajamas, and, when Annie appeared in the doorway, her eyes lit up. "Momma!"

A grin easily lit up Annie's face. "Hey, baby."

Rachel reached out her hands to Annie and grunted, bouncing up against the edge of the crib for effect.

Annie just laughed and reached out, lifting Rachel into her arms. She kissed her daughter's perfect little cheek and grinned. "Hey, baby. How are you? Did you sleep good last night?" She didn't really even expect Rachel to answer—this was just the way she'd always been with her daughter. As she changed Rachel's diaper and got her ready for the day, she kept chattering away, telling her all about what they would do that day, and sometimes Rachel chattered back.

By the time she was dressed in a lavender sundress Danielle had gotten Rachel for her second birthday a month ago and Annie still hadn't seen Auggie, she bounced Rachel on her hip as she headed out toward the kitchen to find breakfast, she whispered, "Huh, where's Daddy, Rachel? Where did he go? He was supposed to get you ready this morning, and poof! He disappeared!"

Rachel giggled at the word poof and wrapped her arms around Annie's neck, pressing a childish kiss to Annie's cheek. While Annie was distracted by Rachel, Auggie moved to the entryway from the hallway into the kitchen and dining room. "What do you mean, I disappeared?" His eyes twinkled back at her, but Annie noticed, surprised, that his eyes never quite locked with hers, like they'd done in so many of the dreams she'd had before. He shrugged, and, reaching out tentatively, he caressed Annie's cheek for a moment before kissing her good morning. He grinned back at her, and reached out, taking Rachel from her arms. "I made your favorite."

She growled a little as she folded her arms across her chest and wandered to the table, checking to see if it was indeed her favorite. Chocolate-chip pancakes. Of course it was. "You're not supposed to be so utterly endearing."

Auggie grinned back at her as he set Rachel in her booster seat. "You know I can't help it."

Annie rolled her eyes, but she ambled over to him, stilling him when he went to pull his chair out. She cupped his face with her hands, pressing a kiss to his lips as she lightly pressed her body against his. He kissed her back, his arms slowly finding their way around her waist as he pulled her even closer. Almost as quickly as the kiss began, Auggie pulled away, giving her a tender, intimate smile as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "Hey, no fair. You can't do that when I'm supposed to worry about if Rachel's gonna rock out of the booster seat again."

She just giggled up at him and pressed another quick kiss to his lips. "Love you," she said, loving that she still meant it, after all these years.

Auggie grinned toward the spot she'd been five seconds ago, as he pulled out his chair. "I love you, too, baby."

When Auggie woke up the next morning, the distinct smell of grapefruit was on his pillow, and Annie's knees were touching his own. Her hand was intertwined with his, and she was playing with his hand as she watched him. He swallowed sleepily and said, "So you like to watch me while I sleep, huh?"

She blushed as her gaze flew to his eyes. "Uh, no."

He smirked as he reached up, cupping her cheek with his hand. He urged her closer, claiming her lips in a kiss. When she pulled away, he whispered, "Move in with me."

Annie blinked back at him. "Ma-mo—what?"

He caressed her cheek gently again. "Move in with me."

"Wh-why?"

"Because you can't sleep without me, apparently. And I don't want to take this slow. Who are we kidding? I love you, and we were meant to be together."

"You're serious?"

He nodded. "I've been thinking about this a lot in the past month or so."

She studied his face as he waited for her answer. He looked so vulnerable and earnest. "B-but… we haven't even had sex yet."

The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them, and once they were out, she covered her mouth with her hands, mortified. Had she really just said that?

Auggie grinned slowly at her words. "Well, we can rectify that right now, Miss Walker."

Annie blushed even more at his words, but didn't stop him when he reached out, pulling her flush against him as he captured her lips in another kiss, this one searing and full of more passion than he'd ever kissed her before.

Annie craned her neck to look up into Auggie's eyes. He was holding her, cocooned in his arms under the blanket he'd pulled over them, and she could feel sleep calling to her. She didn't know it was possible to feel this comfortable and relaxed. "Annie?" he whispered to her.

"Hmm?" she asked in return, pressing a soft kiss to his bare chest.

"Will you move in with me now?"

She grinned at his persistence. She didn't know how it was possible that he loved her and would chase after her just as much as she would for him. It kind of took her breath away. "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?" Auggie asked, his heart leaping in his chest. He reached down, lifting her chin up as he met her lips in another kiss.

Her forehead still lightly pressed to his, she grinned. His chocolate eyes were filled with so much joy, pride, and vulnerability she couldn't help but feel the surge of love that rose up through her. "Yeah. I'll move in with you." She paused for a moment. "As long as I can girlify it up a little. I refuse to live in a bachelor's pad."

He chuckled and met her lips with another gentle kiss. "Deal. As long as we can keep my mattress."

She laughed. "That's fine with me. It's better than my mattress, anyway. As long as we get to keep the bedding from the mission."

"Don't you think Joan will want her bedding back?"

She shrugged. "She has a soft spot for us. I think I can convince her."

Auggie laughed.

He could feel the sun shining in on them, and he was hungry. "Ready to get up?"

She shook her head against his shoulder. "Not yet."

He smiled against her hair, but it turned into a chuckle when he heard her stomach growl loudly. He helped her out of bed. "C'mon. I think it's time to get up. You're starving and I promised Joan I'd be in by ten today."

Annie groaned. "Fine…" As she found her clothes, discarded on the floor, she sighed. "But it is so not fair that you get to go back to work and I'm not allowed back for a whole week still."

He laughed as he pulled her back into his arms, holding her close as he guided them back out to his kitchen. "At least this way you can prepare Dani and the girls for your departure."

Annie's eyes widened in worry. "Dani!"

Auggie chuckled. "What about her?"

"I promised that I'd be around for the next month, that I'd make up the past half a year to them for being gone so long."

He laughed. "I'm sure Danielle will understand. Hasn't she been pushing for you to find a guy, anyway?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't think she'll be very happy that the guy I found is taking me away from her so fast."

He pulled her close for another kiss. "I'm sure she'll come around. After all, how could anybody hate me?"

Annie rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly. "Oh, yeah. Because you're just Mr. Charming."

Aurélie Perrot was stuck in her hospital bed, reading her American History textbook to keep up with her classes, when there was a knock on her door. She glanced up and sent her a visitor a dark scowl.

"Go away."

Annie hesitated at the doorway, a worried frown covering her face as she took in the pitiful frame of the young girl in front of her. One of Felix's men had shot Aurélie, in the shoulder, when she'd tried to escape, and, just a few minutes later, another of his men tripped over her, knocking her head into the concrete floor. She'd gotten a concussion out of the ordeal, and she'd had to have surgery to remove the bullet.

She looked better than when Annie had been cleared to leave the hospital, but Ari was still pale, and her eyebrows were knitted together in pain. Annie's heart went out to her. She'd never wanted Aurélie in the middle of this mess, and it made her sick that Ari's injuries were worse than Annie's and Auggie's put together.

"Ari—" Annie sighed. "I know you don't think you can—"

Anger clouded her face. "Of course I can't trust you right now! You put my dad in prison! He wasn't the best guy in the world, but he was my dad! What gives you the right? You used me and my plan to save thousands of people to your benefit! You are the one that put me here!" She angrily crossed her arms over her chest, but when pain shot through her shoulder, she quickly unfolded them and let them fall at her sides. "How could I ever trust you after that? How do I even know who you are? Mrs. Wilcox says you and Mr. And—whoever he is—aren't even married! How could you do that to me?"

Annie sighed again. "Ari—"

"Don't call me that! Only my friends can call me that!"

She sighed again. "Okay. Aurélie. We may not be Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, but I am still Annie, and he was still Auggie Anderson! We are still completely in love, and we still care about you more than just about anything else. Do you know why we were sent in for that op? We were protecting Mrs. Wilcox. Your father threatened her, and she is a very dear friend to many of us. Auggie and I didn't know anything about your project, or what your father was involved in, and we never wanted to hurt you! We didn't expect to get attached to anyone when we moved to Manassas, but when we did, our goal was to keep you and Isaiah and Gavin and Zane and Alexander and all your friends and your teachers safe. All we wanted was to make the world a better place, just like you did."

Aurélie heaved a big sigh. "Mrs. Ander—whatever your name is, just leave me alone. I was doing fine without you here."

Annie sighed as she turned to go. "It's Annie. Just… Annie."

Vivian sighed softly as she sat across from Annie and Auggie in the coffee shop. Jai was watching the girls, and it had given her an opportunity to catch up with Annie and Auggie. She'd missed being around them since their op had finished up over a month ago.

She took a sip of her coffee as she played with her napkin. "I—I wish you guys could see Ari. She's so miserable. I've tried to talk to her, but she's so lonely. Every week, she moves from one friend to the other, but nobody really wants to take in an orphan indefinitely. She's such a smart, sweet kid. I would take her in, but Hannah and Bella are a handful already… and with the baby on the way…" She glanced down at her stomach, just starting to show. "We can't take Ari in, much as we'd like to. She's going to run out of friends soon, and I don't know what she'll do then. She has that full scholarship to whatever school she goes to, but she has to survive two summers and her senior year before that'll make a difference. The foster system won't even take her because she's eighteen already. She started late because of the French/American differences."

Annie sighed as she played with her scone. "I don't know what to say, Viv. I tried to talk to her. She doesn't want anything to do with us."

Vivian sighed. "I know. But I've been talking to her. I think she really misses you guys. You were almost like second parents to her. Her father refuses to see her in prison. She needs parents, and deep down, underneath all that pain, I think she really loves you guys."

Annie glanced at Auggie and sighed. She wanted to help Ari—really, she did—but she couldn't help someone that didn't want help.

Annie slowed to a stop when she reached the door to MCA's library. Ari was sitting at one of the tables, reading one of her textbooks, her head propped up by one of her hands. She looked so incredibly lonely and sad.

Stealing herself against an outburst, Annie quietly slipped into the library and sat down across from Aurélie. "Hi, Aurélie."

She looked up. She frowned, but she didn't try to get rid of Annie. "What do you want?"

Annie sighed softly. "To talk to you. Look, Ari. I know you're still not very happy with Auggie or me, but look at you. You're all alone, wandering from family to family… we're really worried about you."

Aurélie glanced up at Annie, tears brimming in her eyes. "Well, what do you want me to do? I don't have any family… none of my friends want me to live with them. Even the government doesn't want to take care of me. I'm on my own."

Annie reached out and cupped Aurélie's cheek, stroking it softly. "Oh, Ari…" She sighed. "Auggie and I want you, okay? Come live with us. We can't promise we'll be the best, but we'll be there for you, and we won't lie to you."

A sob shook her body. "How can I be sure?"

Annie's face softened. "Aurélie. Sweetie, look at me." She lifted the cap sleeve of her shirt, revealing the scar from the bullet wound. "I did this for you, okay? I did it for the world in general, but I did it for you, because besides Vivian and Jai Wilcox, you were the only one I really cared about here, okay? It may be a little weird that we're so young, and you're already eighteen, but we can give you a home, and food, and we'll love you more than anyone else in this place, okay?"

Aurélie glanced around the room a bit self-consciously. "Oh-okay."

Annie's smile brightened, and she tucked a strand of Aurélie's hair behind her ear before drying her tears. "Okay? C'mon, sweetie. Let's get out of here."

Annie helped Aurélie pack up her books, and, as they walked out of the school, Annie's arm around Aurélie's thin shoulders protectively, she asked Ari about everything they'd missed in the past month. When they got to the car, Auggie turned around in his seat, grinning when he smelled Aurélie's lavender perfume. "Ari!"

She giggled through the last of her tears. "Hi, Mr. Anderson." She slipped into the back seat of Annie's VW. "Can we stop by Lily's house? I have to get my stuff…"

Annie smiled into the rearview mirror. "No problem, sweetie."

Auggie ambled out into open area of the apartment, smiling to himself when he heard Annie putting away dishes in the kitchen. "Hey," he whispered to her, kissing her gently as he pulled her into his arms.

"Hey," she returned, grinning up at him, as she let her hands linger on his chest. "So how's Ari?"

Auggie shrugged slightly. "Time will tell, I think. She's been through a lot, but I think she'll be better soon." He twisted his head in the direction of the guest room, which now served as Aurélie's bedroom. "She's sleeping now."

Annie smiled softly. "So, are you ready to be a daddy?"

Auggie rolled his eyes. "You knew you'd get this out of me someday, didn't you?"

She giggled. "Maybe."

"Are you ready to be a mom?"

Annie shrugged. "I—I don't know. But if anybody's worth trying, it's Ari."

Auggie nodded. He felt the same way. He nodded toward the couch. "You ready?"

She rolled her eyes. While they'd been in Manassas, they'd developed a habit of watching their favorite televisions together. Now it was practically a tradition, and Hawaii Five-0 was one of their favorites. "Yeah, let me just grab the popcorn."

A/N: The last chapter! I'm thinking of posting the idea I have for an epilogue, but I'm not really sure. Would you like to see an epilogue for this?

As for this last dream… when I first started the story, it was a larger focus, and Rachel was supposed to be in a lot more dreams, but when I did all the overhauling in the middle, it kinda got cut out. This last dream and the epilogue would connect, though. :)

Also, I'm thinking ahead toward my next project. I'll be taking a break for a few weeks, as I'm starting my last semester of college on Tuesday (*woot-woot!*), and I want to get my schedule figured out, and I just haven't figured out what I want to do yet. I have several ideas, but I'd like opinions on one. Would anyone like to see The March continued? If so, it'd follow Annie's and Auggie's honeymoon. If you'd like to see it continued, leave me a review on The March (or send me a PM), and I'd love to hear what you'd like to see happen on their honeymoon. It'd kinda be a similar set-up to Christmas with Auggie, I think. :)

And as always, review please!