A/N: I'm only two days late!
So here is chapter sixteen, the big 'meet the parents' chapter.
I hope it doesn't bore you...
Anywhoo, the next chapter will be exciting and sexy so forgive me for this one.
It's not my best but it's not terrible!

Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs. Happy Birthday Chris Gorham!

'Come on in boy sit on down,
And tell me about yourself.
So you like my daughter do you now?
Yeah we think she's something else.
She's her daddy's girl,
Her momma's world.
She deserves respect,
That's what she'll get.
Ain't it son?
Hey y'all run along and have some fun.
I'll see you when you get back.
Bet I'll be up all night,
Still cleanin' this gun...'
-Rodney Atkins

Cleaning This Gun

After six hours of sleep, Auggie was rudely woken by his alarm. With a groan he felt around for the snooze button and ended up knocking the whole thing off his nightstand, silencing the offending noise in the process. He muttered a curse and pushed up from his bed, stiff, but not in terrible pain, thanks to a couple of dilaudid he took when he got home earlier that morning. Downstairs he could hear his family, nearly all of his brothers were back in their rightful spots beneath the Anderson roof, only Lucas was missing now. With great reluctance he crawled out of bed. If he was going to make it to brunch with Annie's family he had to start getting ready now.

Without anyone noticing that he was up yet, Auggie managed a shower and a quick shave during which he remembered why his bottom lip felt so heavy. He groaned and mentally started planning a cover story that he should have come up with while he and Jamie were on their way home but they didn't and he would just have to improvise. Not a problem, he'd always been pretty good with on the spot cover stories.

The ever-present commotion that was his family was coming mostly from the kitchen and so he headed towards the living room to avoid his mother's- well- mothering, which turned out to be a mistake. Not three steps in and his foot found something that painfully resembled a Lego trying to interlock with the bottom of his heel. As he plucked it off his foot, he heard a small person take in a quick breath of air.

"Careful, Uncle Auggie," Benji's young voice exclaimed dramatically, the kid did everything with panache, "I'm building an infrared satellite and there's equipment everywhere! Here, I'll take you to the kitchen."

Benji took his hand and pulled him around in the other direction before Auggie could stop him.

"Hey Benj," he said firmly but with a smile, "You can't pull me around like that okay? But don't worry, I can get to the kitchen just fine, you get back to your satellite."

"Roger that," Benji exclaimed and scampered away.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he was immediately assaulted by the sounds of movement; chairs scraping, cups clacking, cabinets opening and closing again, and voices coming from every possible direction. He could practically feel the movement around him and it was enough to make him unsure of his own movements. It was true that he was glad his brothers were home, he missed them more than he thought he could but it also meant they'd be moving and changing things. He missed the days when it didn't matter if someone moved the damn ottoman.

"Morning, Sunshine," his brother Ethan said, tugging him away from frustrating thoughts, "Damn, what happened to your lip, kid?"

Ethan's hand patted Auggie's cheek and the latter groaned and rolled his eyes, like he really needed someone to announce it.

"What," his mother piped up as if on cue, "Oh, August, what happened?"

"It's nothing, Ma," Ethan answered, "Just a split lip."

"Let me look," she insisted and Auggie could hear her quick footsteps cross the kitchen. And this was why he was headed for the living room. "August, tell me what happened this time."

Despite the question, Auggie's tension fled from his shoulders and down through the floor. This time she didn't sound anxious or heartbroken, more exasperated like she did before he was maimed. Then again, his mother was always a little more relaxed when all her boys were home and she didn't have just one broken son to dwell on.

"Nothing, mom," he started, trying to decide – and quickly – what sounded the most plausible, "I left-"

"It's my fault," Jamie said, suddenly appearing from behind, his bare feet slapping on the tile floor, "I left the pantry door open last night."

Auggie ground his teeth together to keep from correcting Jamie. It irked him that – once again – his little brother was taking the fall for him. It was his way, though. Jamie, although quiet and generally a good guy, liked to be in control, even if it meant being scolded by their mother and it drove Auggie insane. They saying 'watch out for the quiet ones' was very true indeed.

"Jameson," she sighed, "What have I told you about that? No doors half open. Always-"

"All the way open or all the way shut," Jamie and Auggie recited together in their best Julia Anderson impersonations.

Julia gave both of her boys a slap to the arm as they laughed together, earning a chuckle from their older brothers as well.

"You're laughing now," she half-sung half-spoke, "Though I'm sure it wasn't funny last night and I'm also sure it won't be funny the next time you try to eat french-fries."

"Oh mom," Auggie grinned, "Always thinking ahead."

"Hush, you," she said, her voice drifting towards the stove. "Careful hun, the stove's on."

"So, where are you going all dressed up," his brother Andrew asked from what Auggie was sure was the island.

"I have a brunch date with my girlfriend and her family," he said, unable to keep from smiling. He knew that he should probably be nervous and yet he found himself to be far from. "So who wants to drive me? I would drive myself but I don't think dad's insurance covers that."

"It's like 'Mr. MaGoo Goes Driving'," Jamie snorted.

"I swear officer, I didn't see the stop sign," Auggie laughed.

"Boys," Julia warned as Ethan and Andrew laughed awkwardly at Auggie and Jamie's display. Sometimes Auggie forgot that the rest of his family wasn't as comfortable with his blindness as his younger brother but then again, they weren't around as much either. "Now, have a seat you two and I'll get you some breakfast-"

"I'm going to skip breakfast so I have room to eat at Annie's," Auggie said, making his way from the entry way to the island, his usual breakfast spot.

"Then I'll get you a drink," she said by way of an answer, "Milk, orange juice, coffee?"

"Coffee, black if you don't mind-"

It's amazing how quickly falling happens when you don't see it coming. One moment he was asking for coffee and the next he was on the floor with a developing bruise the shape of a barstool and a thousand voices calling his name. Why there had been a barstool in the middle of the walkway, he couldn't be sure, all he knew was that he found it. Maybe he was just spoiled.

He rolled onto his back, his hip throbbing like a mother. What a great way to start the morning.

"August, are you okay, I am so sorry. I didn't even think about the stool. Are you alright," Ethan said from just above him, sounding so utterly guilty that it made Auggie want to laugh.

And he did.

Several moments of stunned silence later and everyone else was laughing too.

"Alright you jerks," Auggie grinned, "Help me up."

oOo

Simply put; Annie was a mess. She'd had exactly four hours of sleep before her nerves woke her and that lack of sleep was doing nothing to help her now. It was nearly one o'clock and though everything was just about ready she felt like she was going to be sick. No one else seemed to share her feelings though and that just made her even more nervous. Her father and Michael were sitting in the den watching the news, her mother at the kitchen table reading, and Danielle was putting the finishing touches on breakfast, all while Annie paced the house waiting for the doorbell to go off.

"Annie, darling," her mother soothed from her chair as Annie passed her for the hundredth time, "Why don't you have a seat and take a few deep breaths?"

"No, mom," she sighed, "I really don't think that I could sit still at the moment."

"Come on, Annie," Danielle began, "You're wearing trails into the carpet, everything is going to turn out great but you need to relax."

"Ugh. I know," Annie collapsed into a chair and let her head fall into her arms, "I'm just afraid that something will go wrong!"

"Why, honey," her mother asked, putting her book down, "Is it because of August's disability?"

"What? No," Annie's head popped up, honestly she hadn't even thought of that, of course, not until then, "I don't know what I'm worried about-"

"Wait," Danielle interrupted, "Your boyfriend is handicapped?"

"Oh God," Annie groaned, she was embarrassed already and not by her 'handicapped' boyfriend, "He's not handicapped! I mean, he's blind but-"

"He's blind," Danielle repeated with astonishment, her blue eyes round as apples, "Annie, these are things that you tell people! Does dad know?"

"Does dad know what," Jonathan Walker asked as he stepped into the kitchen, empty coffee cup in hand.

"That Annie's boyfriend is disabled," Danielle blurted.

"I do realize that August is blind, yes," Jonathan replied calmly before Annie could jump at her sister's ignorance, she was just the type that would blow the whole situation out of proportion and not because she was mean, but because she was Danielle. "Annie has told me a lot about her boyfriend and from what I've heard he seems like a respectable young man."

Something about her father being so calm made Annie's nerves seem less hyper. That is, until the doorbell rang.

"Annie, why don't you get the door," her father suggested when she froze by the kitchen threshold.

"Right," Annie muttered to herself, "Get the door."

"And I'll go get my gun," her father stated.

"Dad!" Annie rounded on his, her teeth grinding together.

"I'm just kidding Anne Catherine," he laughed heartily, "Now don't make the boy stand out there all morning. Go get the door."

It seemed to take years to get from the kitchen to the front door but when she yanked it open she was relieved by the sight of Auggie. He stood before her in a navy blue button down and black jeans, his hair tamed by a comb and his chucks were admittedly whiter than usual. Not to mention he smelled like heaven. If she could have, she would have jumped him right then and there but then she imagined her father rounding the corner with a hunting rifle and those thoughts all but dissipated.

"Wow," she breathed, earning a smile from Auggie that just about killed her, "You look- nice."

"Your reaction makes me concerned for how I usually look," he chuckled, "But thanks."

Annie couldn't help but giggle, albeit partially because she was still so damn nervous, as she stepped aside to let him in. Once he was past the threshold he folded up his cane and let her put it on the table by the door. She leaned into him and he rubbed circles into her back.

"You seem tense," he said quietly, "Are you sure you're-"

"August Anderson, I presume," Mr. Walker said with a smile as he came into the entryway, causing Annie and Auggie to jump apart like repelling magnets, "I'm Annie's father, Jonathan Walker and you can call me Mr. Walker."

Annie watched as Auggie's head snapped up to her father, his shoulders straighter, the skin about his knuckles turning white as his hands clenched and unclenched. It was refreshing to know that she wasn't the only one who felt the tension that a situation such as this should bring.

"It's good to meet you, Mr. Walker," he smiled, holding his hand out for her father to shake, "And you can call me Auggie."

Jonathan Walker's blue eyes cut over to Annie before he shook the boy's hand and he gave her a quick wink.

"Well, Auggie, I hope you're hungry," Jonathan said, somewhat seriously as he gently touched Auggie's elbow, "Because my Danielle has made quite a buffet. If you'll just follow me to the kitchen we'll see if things are ready."

A half-surprised half-panicked look crossed Auggie's face as he took Mr. Walker's arm and Annie felt panicked too, not wanting her father to do something that would embarrass her boyfriend or her. It surprised her to notice that he nearly matched Jonathan inch for inch, his height just never seemed as imposing as her father's. She scurried after them as he led Auggie easily through the house. It never ceased to amaze her how her father seemed to know how to do everything. Whether it was putting last minute sequins on her princess costume for Halloween or leading her blind boyfriend without tripping him up, Jonathan Walker never failed at anything.

Next obstacle was her sister and that big mouth of hers.

When they took the two steps up into the kitchen, Annie was happy to see that everything was in its rightful place including, though not limited to, the best honey-banana hotcakes in the world.

"Auggie," her father began, bringing them all to a halt in the kitchen, "I believe you've already met my wife, Catherine-"

"Good to see you again, Mrs. Walker," Auggie smiled, holding out his hand which she quickly took as she offered a soft 'you too'.

Danielle gave Annie a quick look at his words and Annie rolled her eyes. Ignorance kills.

"And my daughter Danielle," he said, no one innocent to the fact that he didn't formally introduce Michael.

"Hi, Auggie," Danielle said with a smile, pulling Michael next to her after they shook hands, "And this is my fiancé, Michael Brooks."

"It's good to meet you both," Auggie said as he shook Michael's hand, "And congrats on the engagement."

"Thank you," Danielle gushed, wrapping her arms around Michael's waist. Annie did her best to keep from gagging and from the look on her father's face she was sure he was doing the same, "It was very recent and we are so excited. Right now we're trying to figure out a good date for the wedding-"

"Alright," Mrs. Walker interrupted, clapping her hands together and saving them all from an earful, "Let us fill up our plates before all this wonderful food gets cold."

oOo

The conversation during breakfast had been polite, the occasional question here and there, and Danielle occasionally blurting out something that she thought of for her wedding. He also noticed Mr. Walker's lack of opinion when wedding plans were mentioned, which, in Auggie's mind, made Mr. Walker's opinion that much louder.

Some twenty minutes later and Auggie noted the clinking of silverware as everyone finished their breakfast, the sound of scraping chairs arriving shortly after. He moved to stand too, though he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do. These damn 'meet the parents' ventures should come with a how-to manual. Though, he imagined that it would be a hell of a lot easier if he could actually see.

"You okay," Annie asked, taking the dishes from his hands.

"Yea," he smiled, "I'm- awesome. How am I doing so far?"

"Perfectly," Annie whispered.

"August," Mr. Walker said as soon as Annie disappeared from his side, his giant hand gently conforming to his elbow as it had earlier, "I would like to have a word with you privately. The den would be most comfortable."

"Of course," he replied, forcing himself to sound at ease though he felt totally uncomfortable.

Having Mr. Walker guide him was a concern for Auggie, he usually didn't let strangers do that without cane in hand but he'd let Annie put his cane on the entryway table. It had been a surprise when the man led him to the kitchen that morning but he'd been caught off guard then and Annie had been close behind. This was different but what the hell was he supposed to say?

"Hey, where are you two off to," Annie's voice chimed from behind, her small hand brushing against his shoulder.

"We're off to have a man to man conversation," Mr. Walker informed his daughter, "Don't worry, it won't take long."

"Well- alright," Annie relented, sounding a tad suspicious.

Before Mr. Walker led him to his doom, Annie gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

They made it easily to the den and Mr. Walker even led Auggie's hand to a leather couch that – despite how comfortable it was – he just couldn't make himself relax into. He heard Mr. Walker's footsteps take him somewhere across the room, his seat squeaking at he settled into it. A recliner was Auggie's guess, his own father had a similar one in their den.

"You can relax, Auggie," Mr. Walker said with a smile in his voice. "There are more reasons than one that I brought you down here with me. First of all I have a few questions for you regarding your character and this concert and after that I just needed to get away from the wedding plans."

Auggie couldn't help but chuckle. He was honestly pretty tired of them as well.

"First question," Mr. Walker said, his chair groaning as - Auggie assumed – he leaned forward, "How did you bust that lip of yours?"

"Well," Auggie began, honesty and self-preservation warring inside of his head, "I was out with some friends last night and this jac- jerk made some crude comments about my friend Corrine and I sort of- well, I overreacted."

"Thank you for your honesty," he said, sounding surprised, "I don't condone fighting but a woman's honor should always be defended. Did you win?"

"Naturally," Auggie grinned despite himself.

"Excellent," Mr. Walker laughed, "Now, I'll get straight to the point. What are your plans for the future? College, work force, travel?"

"College," he answered almost immediately. He had wanted to go to college since middle school and with his disability, it would be nearly impossible to get a decent job without going to school, but he didn't think that was worth mentioning. "I've already applied to several universities. My plans are to major in computer science and make a living off of security software and management."

"That's pretty impressive," he said, "Where have you applied?"

"Uh, MIT, Harvard, Georgetown U, Cornell and Brown are my top choices," he began, he could go on for hours about colleges and why he wanted to go. His father once told him that he was a walking advertisement for Ivy League colleges everywhere. "I should be hearing back from a couple of them soon because I have to register for classes early so that they can get the textbooks in braille for me. I have to say that if I had my choice it would be MIT, though, definitely."

"It sounds like you have some solid plans," Mr. Walker approved, but there was a slight hesitation before he asked his next question. Auggie had been expecting it, though he was glad no one brought it up at the table. He hated having everyone uncomfortable because of him. "May I ask you how you lost your sight?"

"Yea," Auggie said quickly. With Annie around, he was getting used to talking about his disability and to be honest, it felt damn good. Like a weight being lifted. "During a CAT scan after a concussion I got when I was sixteen, doctors found a tumor in my brain and determined that it had to be removed if I was going to make it to twenty. Unfortunately it was in a place where its removal left me a 22 percent chance of being able to see at all after the surgery and, obviously, ended up leaving me with nothing."

"So it's only been two years for you," Mr. Walker asked with gentle curiosity. So that's where Annie got it from.

"Yes, sir, it'll be two years in March," Auggie said, finally relaxing back in the squishy couch. It really was quite comfy and, despite the fact that her father was mere feet away, he caught himself thinking of what he and Annie could do on a couch that comfortable. Damn teenage hormones. "I gotta confess that I didn't really start dealing with it until this school year started. Actually, Annie's really gotten a lot out of me and I don't think she even realizes it."

"My Annie has that way about her," Mr. Walker said adoringly, "She's an amazing girl. This brings me to my next- concern. I don't mean to sound condescending or disrespectful but I have my worries about your ability to keep my daughter safe in New York City at night."

"I completely understand," Auggie said after a moment's hesitation. It wasn't Mr. Walker's concern that had his frustration levels peaking but his own limitations. It was something he hadn't really considered before then. "There will be other guys there, my younger brother for one and then my friends Stu and Conrad."

"And you trust these boys," he challenged, no doubt watching Auggie like a hawk.

"With my life, every day," Auggie said sincerely, realizing just how much trust he really did put into his friends, especially Jamie and Stu. "They would never let anything happen to Annie and I would do everything in my power to protect her, too."

"I'm going to trust your judgment, August," Mr. Walker said seriously, though Auggie was almost certain that he could hear the hints of a smile there, "You seem like a respectable young man, whose been through hell and back with dignity and I really do admire you for that. A lot of grown men fall apart going through the things you have-"

Auggie knew he was blushing. No one ever really commended him for anything that had to do with overcoming his disability, it was still too tender for his family and though he couldn't be sure, he had a feeling that that was why it took him so long to deal with it himself.

"However," his voice grew very serious then, all traces of friendliness frozen over, and Auggie felt that old tension creeping back into his posture, "I'm sure you realize what I could do to you should anything- and I mean anything- happen to my daughter while she's with you. And I would suggest that you don't break Annie's heart or I will be obligated to break your mother's. Is that understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Auggie nodded with fervor, "It's understood."

"Excellent," Mr. Walker said, his friendly demeanor returning as though nothing had happened, "Lets go back up to the family room for coffee, shall we?"

For once in the past two years, Auggie didn't have to see for Mr. Walker's words to be clear. Crystal clear.

A/N: So, what'd you think?
What do you think will happen on the long road trip, the smoky concert, and the - uhem - hotel room?
I would love to hear your thoughts!
-I hope this wasn't too boring...-

Thanks for reading!
MM