A/N: So it's been awhile. I know I've taken forever to get this to you guys and I apologize, I can promise you that there will never be that big of a gap again. I hope this chapter doesn't let you down. Let me know your thoughts on it. These next chapters coming up are going to be awesome, I have the next three planned out and I'm excited about them.

This is definitely the longest chapter I've written, I'm kind of hoping it will make up a teensy bit for my being a slacker. Thank you to all of you who feed my muse (Charlie), we both appreciate it more than words can tell!

Feast your eyes my dears.
Happy reading.

Photograph

The picture swam in front of her eyes as the tears pooled, she blinked and wiped them away. She didn't like crying. But the tiny rectangular piece of paper that quavered in her hand had a way of pulling such emotions from her gut. That smiling face and those green eyes and all that she wouldn't ever- couldn't ever- have back, all printed to be feasted on with naught but her eyes. The loss of his him was fresh as a knife to her chest, a hot and raging wound.

Auggie was in that picture, his bright eyes peering out from behind rectangular spectacles a mock shocked expression on his face as Corrine's puckered lips pressed against his cheek, her arms thrown around his neck. Then there was him, his arms around her waist in a feigned attempt to pull her away from Auggie. God, they were such hams.

It amazed her how that one picture could harbor so many good times and easy memories. How it could so easily remind her of how wonderful things were and what they never would be again. Gently she ran her index finger over his image, the ghost of someone irreplaceably beautiful. The world was worse off without him in it.

The tap-tapping of Auggie's cane pulled her attention away from the photograph and she shoved it into her notebook and her notebook into her book bag. As she peered around the corner of her hideaway, she laid eyes on her best friend, his sleepy brown eyes barely open, cane sweeping across the plain of the unknown before him. It still hurt her to see him this way, especially after seeing him in that picture. There had been no trace of sleepiness in that picture.

He's so good at it, she thought to herself.

But she knew that his mask was a cracked one, that he dealt with what happened to him by focusing everything on her. She was his constant and he was hers. They were on a high-speed race to self-destruct and at this point she couldn't tell who was winning.

As he passed by her cove, she gripped his arm and pulled him in front of her, those brown eyes wide in surprise. She swallowed a great lump of guilt at the startled look on his face, the realization that he didn't know who she was though he was looking straight at- no, through- her made her sad. That pain in her heart flared again.

"I need to talk to you," she said, the sound of her voice sounding too loud after keeping it to herself for nearly twenty-four hours.

Though a frown hovered on his lips, she could see his shoulders slouch as the tension fled them.

"Christ, Corrine," he said in a harsh whisper, his fingers pushing through his hair as he did when he was stressed, "Couldn't you have just come up and said that instead of pulling me into an alley like you're going to mug me?"

"I-" she flinched at the anger in his voice. Honestly, she didn't know why she did the things she did to him, it was what she would've done when he could see and she hadn't let go of those habits, that would be too much like admitting something was wrong- different- about her best friend. That would be like admitting that… Well. She couldn't think about that. "I'm sorry, August, I just wasn't thinking."

It must have been something in her voice, something that only he could hear because his face softened at her words. He was on the brink of understanding everything, of once again seeing through her and getting to the core of her private misery.

"Are you alright," he asked, placing both of his hands on the top of his cane. Something he always did when he was preparing for a talk. It was funny how much a part of him that cane had become. She remembered how he resisted it at first, flung it across the room on several occasions. That is, until he learned that it was the key to exploration in the depths of his dark and bottomless ocean.

"Everything's fine," she lied automatically. The inside corners of his eyes scrunched up, his head cocked slightly as he evaluated her words. "Don't do that, you'll get wrinkles."

She grinned as she patted his cheek softly, all her woes stored safely in her notebook at the bottom of her book bag. He chuckled lightly and shook his head at the way she swept everything up so quickly. It seemed she got better at it with age.

"I just wanted to apologize for how I treated you the other day," she continued. "It's selfish of me to want to keep you all to myself, I mean, it's too much work 'cause you're too damn handsome and these hormonal teenagers just can't keep their claws off you. Basically, I'm tired, August. You need a girlfriend."

"Is this supposed to be your twisted blessing for me to be with girls besides you?"

"Honey, this is me telling you to go get laid," she smiled. With a tiny bit of hesitance she murmured, "We good?"

"We good," he beamed, holding his arms open for a hug.

She slipped easily into his arms and nearly melted as his strong grip wrapped around her shoulders. There was no telling what she would do without his strength, 'cause god knows she borrowed all that she had from him. His lips pressed onto the top of her head and she smiled.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class since I'm the reason you're late anyways," she pulled away and took his hand, lacing her fingers with his and pulling him along behind her.

"I don't think I've been on time anywhere since the day I met you," he mumbled.

"Oh, har-har," she teased.

As they walked the hall together, Corrine frowned when she noticed Auggie using his cane even though he was with her. That bothered her a lot, like he didn't trust her.

"Why do you do that," she blurted out, "Use your cane when I'm leading you?"

"Because this," he began, holding up their entwined hands as Exhibit A, "Is not leading me. This is."

His fingers loosened from her grip and traveled up her arm, latching around the crook in her elbow.

"I've told you that a thousand times," he sighed, pulling his cane close to his body to keep it out of the way.

Little more than ten steps later and his weight pressed into her, she looked over to see someone's book bag tripping him up and she managed a slight blush. Normally she wouldn't have taken notice, but after Saturday and seeing the way things effected him made her see everything in a new light. Not to mention she hadn't had a drink that morning and the startling clarity of everything pierced her.

"Oh, guess I should've told you 'bout that, yea?"

"Yea," he sighed again, his wide exasperated eyes staring holes in her skin.

"Yea…"

So much for trust.

xXx

Annie's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment after giving her APUSH teacher her best excuse for not having that damn paper finished, she had spent so much of the night before trying to understand her Algebra 3 homework that she'd abandoned the history paper entirely. But after spending the first quarter of her lunch period bartering with Mr. Finney, her coaxing paid off and she was granted a one day pardon if she could manage to turn it in by sixth period tomorrow. God help her.

She spotted him then, just as he was passing her classroom on his way to lunch. The smile that grew on her face by the sight of him caused her to blush deeper. She had barely known him for five days and she felt like she'd known him for five years. Quickly she gathered her things and fled the room, taking long strides to catch up with him.

His headphones were over his ears but as she approached his nose lifted in the air and he turned towards her. She grinned and knew exactly what caught his attention, she gave his arm a gentle squeeze and he pulled his headphones down around his neck.

"Ms Walker," he drawled, a lazy smile on his face, "Did you make me cookies?"

"I promised I would," she sing-songed, "And I say what I mean."

"I know," he replied softly, a strange look on his face. It stopped her for a moment, but she quickly recovered.

"Here," she pulled him to a stop and pulled out the zip-lock bag of cookies she'd made early that morning while she studied Algebra, hoping beyond hope that she would understand better with a sleep fresh mind. No such luck. "You eat cookies and I'll drive."

"Sounds like a deal," he laughed, folding his cane and shoving it in his pocket.

After handing him a cookie, she very softly patted the back of Auggie's hand as she had seen Jamie and Stu do over the past few days. His hand automatically traveled up her arm and to her elbow and she couldn't help but smile. That automatic connection, that communication without words, it thrilled her. She wondered what else there was to learn, like a secret code that few people knew. It was exhilarating in the most base of ways.

"Oh god, Annie," he slurred around a mouthful of cookie, "These are like heaven, you made these?"

"Yup," she bubbled, "It's my sister's recipe, I made them from scratch this morning while I studied… Dismally, I might add."

"Well, I thank you with my whole stomach," he smiled a wide loopy grin. "What were you studying that could possibly have stumped the goddess of cookie baking?"

"Algebra," she grumbled.

"Algebra," he chuckled, holding his hand out hopefully. She placed another cookie in his hand and laughed at the way he moaned as he took a tremendous bite, "Algebra is simple."

"Oh yea, Mr. Smarty-Pants," she mumbled, "And what math are you in?"

"I'm not," he grinned triumphantly, "I took AP Calc as a junior. I'm done till college."

"Oh boo," she frowned, smacking his shoulder playfully. "I'm not a super nerd like you…"

"Hey! I'm going to ignore that statement and make you an offer," he began cajolingly, "You give me another cookie and I'll give you an after school cram session with the 'super nerd', yea?"

"Hmm," she pretended to think it over, though she couldn't think of a better way to end her evening, "One more cookie you say? I think I can work with that."

"You sure," Auggie said in mock seriousness, "Because I'm willing to up the conditions to two cookies, my final offer, really."

"You got yourself a deal," she laughed.

A silent shiver ran up her spine as his hand left her elbow and slid to her back, rubbing soothing circles deep into her skin and muscle and bone and soul, her hormones robbing her of coherent thought.

"Don't worry, Annie Walker," he said happily as he popped the rest of his cookie into his mouth, "Together we'll slay the Algebraic Beastie."

xXx

Auggie hated the after school rush. He hated the bells, the announcements, the hoards of people that shoved him around. Even his magic people-repellant cane couldn't break the crowd. With great effort and mass confusion, he managed to get to the right wall of the hallway, hoping that he would have more luck. Yea right. Truth was, he could have made it easier on himself and waited in his final class for Jamie to pick him up, but he felt so ridiculous sitting in there with his teacher, waiting for his baby brother to take him home. His ego couldn't take the hit. So instead he let himself get jostled by the crowd and his mood plummet.

There was so much on his mind that afternoon, too, that he found it impossible to concentrate. He'd started his day with Corrine and had been surprised to find that she didn't smell even faintly of alcohol only her usual cigarettes and vanilla, that was strange enough for this time of year. Whenever it was this close to her birthday, she started tearing at the seams. Her apology had sounded genuine, too, surprisingly so for the wooden girl.

Then there was Annie. He found himself thinking of the dinner they'd shared, of the way she spoke. He certainly liked that the most about her, the cadence of her voice. It was unmatched by anyone's he'd ever heard because she used her mouth differently, he wondered why that was and made a mental note to figure it out. There was so much life when she was around, it oozed off of her and seeped into his skin. It was an addicting quality.

A warm, slim hand slid into his and he breathed a sigh of relief as the scent of grapefruit washed out everything else. Speak of the devil. He allowed her to pull him along, using his cane to protect him from the maniacal book bags and corners that were always out to get him.

"Good god," she mumbled, "It's like burrito day at my old school."

He couldn't help but laugh at the statement.

"It's Monday," he said over the roar of students, "Everyone's anxious to get it over with."

Auggie pulled himself closer to Annie and lowered his grip on his cane. It was strange to him how it was so easy to trust this girl, this girl that he had known for little more than five days. There was something genuine about her and he couldn't help but want that in his life. It was nice, the way she just accepted who he was and went along with it. Unafraid to ask questions and be curious. Most people thought that being curious around him was a sin. But not Annie, her childlike curiosity intrigued him.

"So," she asked, pulling him into the lobby where the incessant noise echoed higher up in the ceiling and the crowds of teenagers spread out, finally he felt like he could breathe, "Whose place are we headed to, yours or mine?"

"Oh-" the question caught him off guard, "Oh I was- I was thinking my place would be best, it'll be real quiet."

That was true, his house would be empty save Jamie, his mother worked Mondays as a nurse and his father wasn't home till late on weekdays. But it wasn't the only reason he preferred his own house. He didn't want to come across as needy to Annie, to think him weak, he wanted her to see him in his own environment where he could walk freely and take care of her, not the other way around. That and he wasn't in the mood for a 'meet the parents' session.

"Okay. Sounds good."

It was funny, it couldn't be said that Annie wore her emotions on her sleeve, but she most definitely left a bread crumb trail to get to them. This fascinated Auggie and he couldn't help but enjoy learning to follow the weaving paths. It was a refreshing challenge after battling the Minotaur in Corrine's labyrinth. He shook his head, he shouldn't be comparing the two, it wasn't fair to either one.

xXx

Auggie's house was big. It was a huge white farm house with a wraparound porch and a million windows. The front lawn was gigantic and lush green and she was positive that the backyard would be the same, there was a tire swing hanging from a tremendous oak tree in the front and a bench swing on the porch. Annie felt like she had just walked onto a set in Hollywood where the Bradys lived, it felt like home. A smile curled on her lips and she followed Auggie up the stairs to the front door, in awe at how homey everything was. She herself was used to a neat and quickly set up house, more a place to stay than a place to live.

As they pushed past the red front door, her eyes grew wide. The inside was even better than the outside, pictures on every wall, old, comfortable looking furniture, a fireplace that looked like it could house a tree and made her want to curl up and sip hot cocoa with a good book, and worn wooden floors that told so many stories of those who tread on its grains.

Auggie hung his cane and his jacket on the coat hanger- they had a coat hanger!- as she feasted with her eyes on the memories of the house. Her feet took her a bit further into the living room where- just above the fireplace- hung a family portrait. Her eyes were as wide as lollipops and she counted again. There were six boys in that picture- six!- all surrounding a beautiful green eyed woman and a man with a broad chest and a charming smile.

So that's where he got it, she thought to herself.

"Annie," Auggie's voice drifted to her ears and she turned to see him leaning against the entryway, arms crossed, smile amused.

"How many of you are there," she asked in wonder.

"Six," he laughed, "I have four older brothers and Jamie. He and I are the only ones left at home, though Matt comes around a lot, he gets homesick pretty easy."

"And I thought one sister was hard to deal with," Annie breathed.

"I'm going to head up to my room and drop my books off, you can follow if you want," he said, turning and heading for the stairs.

For the first time she noticed that he wasn't using his cane, he just moved about as freely as anyone, occasionally reaching out to touch something- the wall, the railing, the chair railing- as though to keep track of himself. If he amazed her any more she would burst. For a brief moment she paused to take everything in, including a deep breath, and set off to follow him.

As they ascended the stairs, she took in all of the portraits on the wall, family outings and posed pictures, each one housing an Anderson boy or two. She wondered what Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter must be like with such a large family. It was always so quiet for Annie's family, but she didn't mind, it gave her more time to spend alone with daddy.

Once they reached the landing, Auggie slipped into the third door on the left and Annie peeked inside. It was dark, just a bit of light leaking through the curtains. It felt strange to look into his room, like she would learn all of his secrets once she stepped inside.

"Oh," he said suddenly, as though remembering something obvious, "You can turn on the light if you need to, just remember to turn it off so my bulb doesn't burn out."

She flipped the switch that was just on the inside of the door and stepped in meekly. Though she could never figure out why, it always made her nervous to be in someone's house for the first time. It was a home for them, a sanctuary and she wasn't quite sure how to treat something like that.

"Don't be shy," he smiled, looking in her vague direction, "Come on in, you can sit on my bed if you want."

She crossed the room and sat carefully on his bed, all the while her eyes scouring the walls and floor and desk and everything else imaginable. His room was neat- by necessity, she supposed- but it was so much more personal than she had ever achieved with her own quarters. There were posters on the wall- from when he could see- bookshelves and a set of drawers, some things were scatter on the floor but for the most part it was clear.

Auggie had moved to his closet and her eyes widened as he took off his shirt, the smooth skin of his back interrupted by a puckered scar that ran from the top of his right shoulder to the middle of his back. Curiosity burned in the back of her mind but she stamped it out, instead looking about the room a bit more. Her hungry eyes settled on a picture that sat on his nightstand and her brow crinkled. It seemed strange for someone like Auggie to have a picture beside their bed. It had no frame and was torn on one corner but it was clearly a memory and a good one at that. In the other pictures- including the family portrait- Auggie had been too young or too far from the camera for her to pick out, but this, this was definitely him.

His warm brown gaze smiled at the camera from behind rectangular glasses- he wore glasses- and the smile on his face was unmistakable, he was on top of the world. Corrine's long thin arms hung around his neck and her dramatically puckered lips pressed against his cheek while another boy tugged at her waist. There was something oddly familiar about the boy and his alarmingly green eyes and sun kissed hair, though Annie knew she'd never seen him before.

"Who's the boy in this picture," the question bubbled from her mouth and Annie was startled by it, she hadn't intended to give a voice to her thought.

As soon as Auggie turned to face her, a new shirt hiding that curious scar, she knew that she had stepped on something tender, from the hurt in his eyes to the awkward shifts in his weight. She wished she could mop up her words but she'd forgotten where she'd put her voice.

"What picture is that," he asked, attempting lightheartedness.

"The one on your nightstand," she said, trying to sound casual.

"Oh uh," he moved to sit beside her on the bed and held out his hand, she gently placed the picture in his palm, "That's Chris, Corrine's twin brother. My best friend."

That's why he looked so familiar, she thought.

"He- uh- he died a couple years ago," Annie felt a pang in her chest at the sadness in Auggie's eyes as his fingers swept over the photo, "This is the last picture of him. He died when we were sixteen."

"Oh," Annie said in respectful quiet, but that curious tongue of hers couldn't be held down, "What happened to him?"

"Well, he was epileptic and he had a seizure in the bathtub," he replied, she could tell by the set of his mouth that he was locking up his emotions. He placed the picture back on his nightstand and stood to his feet. "Drowned."

"That's so sad," Annie whispered, unsure of what else to say. She wasn't sure what was polite in this situation.

"Yea," he said casually, "Corrine took it real hard, can't even talk about him. Now that's sad."

She couldn't be sure, but he almost sounded angry. He went to the door and smiled towards her, seeming as though the conversation had never happened.

"You ready to slay that beast," he asked.

"Not really," she smiled.

"Well, let's armor up and get it done."