A/N: This is the last chapter, hang on to your shorts. It's a doozy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs, even after twenty- four chapters.

'Days last one way ticket train pulls in,
We smile for the casual closure capturing.
There goes the downpour, there goes my fare thee well.

There's really no way to reach me...
...
'Cause I'm already gone.'

The Fray, Vienna

Vienna

You know when you wake up and there's this feeling in the house, the kind of feeling that gives you chills and makes you want to go back to sleep and not wake up till it's gone. It was the first weekend of March, the snow was all but gone but the blizzard of senior year work was upon them and Auggie had been trying to catch up on his sleep. His fingers had been hurting from reading so much, his head about to explode from listening to books so much and his back sore from leaning over books so much. Those goddamn books were going to kill him. Still, no matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn't sleep anymore. Something wouldn't let him.

The house was quiet enough for it to be early morning, before dawn even. Still he rolled out of bed and made for downstairs. Hushed voices met his ears as he took that last step off the stairs, if he'd known then what he was walking into, he would have turned back but he didn't and he kept walking. It was strange to him that everyone was already up, or at least a few people were. Jamie was always up this early, his mother too but there were too many voices for this time of the day. He didn't know why his heart was pounding so hard in his chest, didn't know why his blood suddenly felt like ice water.

The voices all but disappeared as he walked around the corner and entered the living room and he could feel three or so pairs of eyes on his skin. There was movement in front of him, the sound of the couch creaking, soft footsteps on the hardwood but he could barely hear any of it because his heart was pounding in his head. A gentle hand touched his arm – his mother, he could smell her shampoo and lotion – the simple touch brought him to shaking.

"What's happened," he whispered.

He knew this feeling, from years ago and a moment that he'd shut out, that he wanted to forget and never revisit and this must just be a terrible dream. He had to wake up – now! – before the answer came from his mother's mouth and could never be taken back.

"I'm so sorry, August," his mother began, that was all it took. This was no bad dream, it was happening again. But how? How could this happen again? "It's Corrine."

"No-" he said firmly, he wouldn't let it, this couldn't be.

"It was a car accident," she continued, firm but gentle, "It was late at night. It wasn't her fault. It was quick."

"I don't believe you," he said, his voice too loud, too wrong, too wet.

He backed away from her, wanting to escape from that awful soft touch. Those terrible velvet gloves. This couldn't happen, not to her, it just couldn't. Impossible. His foot caught on something – a table? A chair? – and suddenly the ground was rushing up to meet him. A dull ache shot up his spine but he didn't care. A much worse pain was sweltering in his chest, an ache that made it hard to breath. He couldn't breathe. Where had all the air gone? It fled the room like he wanted to because of the awful sound that was coming from someone. It tore at his lungs and his throat and he knew then that it was him. He was the one screaming – no not screaming. What to call it, he didn't know but if pain could be made into sound, this would be it.

Time passed strangely and everything was so quiet. He didn't really understand what was going on around him and didn't care to find out. There were a few words that he understood but only because he'd asked for them. Mrs. Morgan had called late the night before and told his mother that Corrine had been in a car accident, that she'd been dead on arrival, that she hadn't stood a chance! What did that even mean? It was like they were saying that this was meant to be, that no matter what she did she would always have ended up in that moment, that the high-as-a-kite driver five lanes over scoped her out as though his fate had been tied to hers. How could someone so damn strong fall so damn fast.

She was changing, making her life better, finally taking charge and look where it had landed her. The morgue, the same place she would have ended up if she hadn't made the decision to take the wheel of her life – he winced grimly at the poorly placed pun. Maybe that was it. She'd had two choices the night he thought he'd walked in on her suicide, or at least that's what she'd said to him later when there was no one but the two of them; she could either stay and be her own undoing or leave and make something of the time she'd been given. What a cruel joke. It was one of those damn circles – both roads led to the same end. It wasn't fair, her path had been set.

He was very conscious of getting up from the couch that he'd been sitting on since he woke up that morning, after he'd stopped mourning enough to breathe. He had been through this before and gotten through it, he would do it again, but not yet. He went up to his room, pulled on some jeans, a sweater – it was still cold out, right? He couldn't be sure. At the door he pulled on his Chucks, grabbed his cane – all the usual things. His movements a series of mechanical reactions.

"Where are you going," Jamie asked from the entry way of the kitchen, it was innocent, soft, young.

"Somewhere that isn't this house, I'm drowning in it," he answered.

"Can I go with you?"

"Yea."

They walked together but apart in the cold. Occasionally Jamie would nudge Auggie away from things or tug him back on course. In a way Auggie was glad that his baby brother was there because his own mind was too far gone to really know what his body was doing. That and he really didn't want to be alone. HE wondered if Jamie was sad too, if he was feeling that hollowness that came with losing someone. Auggie switched cane hands and reached out for his brother. He grabbed Jamie's sweater and pulled him around, taking him into a hug that he hadn't realized he needed so much.

The younger boy's arms wrapped around his chest without hesitation and Auggie could feel the catch in Jamie's breathing. So he did feel it – but of course he did.

"I miss her," Jamie's voice broke and the crying started and Auggie cried, too.

"I miss her, too, Jameson," Auggie soothed, trying to keep his own emotions in check, "I miss her, too."

oOo

The funeral service was- difficult. Auggie hadn't wanted to go – Annie had actually had to convince him with the help of Jamie and Stu – the thing was that he'd already said his goodbyes and if he said them again then the first time wouldn't have meant anything anymore. In the end he was glad that he went, if one can be glad about attending such a thing, because it was nice seeing all the people there for her and feeling the loss together instead of alone. But it was the burial that tore him apart, putting her in the ground beside her dead brother – his dead best friend! – broke him into a million pieces because it was so final. She was really gone. He would never hear her talk again, never feel her breathing, never smell her cigarettes and vanilla and Corrine and – Dammit.

He'd had to take a minute to himself near the end and at that time he was sitting by an old tree, far enough away that he could barely hear what was going on beneath the Cabana. His chest had been hurting for the past few days and every time someone came up and told him how sorry they were his tear ducts started acting up. A few deep breaths and he had control again. The way he felt was strange, like he was incredibly sad but he knew that everything would be alright. He hated to say it but maybe it was because he'd been preparing himself for her passing for a long time. God, what an awful thing to think.

He could hear talking explode from beneath the Cabana, signaling the end of the service as people tried to gather up their counterparts and head to the reception. How ridiculous, a viewing, a service, the burial, and now a reception; Corrine would have hated the fuss – too long, she would've said, such a drag. He wished she was there with him, smoking her cigarettes and making inappropriate jokes about the dead. But there was really no way to reach her, for real this time.

"How goes," Jamie's voice cut in, his crunching footsteps finally reaching Auggie's ears.

"It goes," Auggie answered, giving a smile that faltered almost as soon as it arrived. "What about you?"

"I don't know," Jamie said softly, his voice sounding kind of weird, like something was lodged in his throat, "Just kind of feels weird I guess- I keep thinking what she would say if she were here-"

"Join the club," Stu joined in, giving Auggie a slap on the shoulder, "She would have been bored by now, there's no booze."

"Exactly," Auggie chuckled, "And she would have been pissed that they wouldn't let her smoke. Jesus, can you imagine the look on her face?"

"One eyebrow raised," Conrad appeared, his voice the most ragged of them all, in the back of his head Auggie could still hear him crying.

"Hand on her hip-" said Stu.

"Head tilted to the side with that grin on her face-" Jamie continued.

"'Um, excuse me, baby?'" They all chimed in together, falling into comfortable laughter.

There was a silence that followed, each one of them drifting off into their own individual memories of a girl they would never see again. If only she'd known what kind of mark she'd left on their lives, if only she truly understood how much of an axis to their circle she'd been. Now it was stronger than ever, he memory a bond that they would all share for as long as they were breathing.

"I don't think we should go to the service," Jamie said quietly.

"What do you mean, Jamie," Stu asked for everyone.

"Well I mean, what's going to happen there," he began, seeming to feel quite strongly about what he was saying, "There's going to be slew of adults asking us how we feel, a buffet of bad food with worse music playing the background. How is that a tribute to Corrine, like seriously? We're her friends, her best friends. I say we take the party somewhere else and remember her the right way."

"Well said, little brother," Auggie said with a smile, he stood up from the tree and slung an arm around his brother's shoulders, "What'd you say we collect the girls and bust this joint?"

"I think that's perfect," Conrad agreed, the others following suit.

After stopping by the gas station to pick up a pack of Corrine's favorite brand of cigarettes, the crew walked to the shoreline and planted themselves on some old driftwood that they'd used for the party all those months ago – damn, it seemed like a lifetime. The wind that rushed off of the water was cold but no one really minded, this was Corrine's place, she'd loved it here. Auggie passed around the pack and everyone took one and lit up. The coughing that followed was hilarious and someone mentioned how Corrine would be calling them all 'babies' right about then.

Annie wove her fingers through Auggie's and they shared in each other's warmth, listening to and sharing stories about that green-eyed girl who partied hard and loved even harder. Auggie took the last drag of his cigarette and put it out in the sand. His throat had constricted, his mouth watering a bit too much, pressure building behind his eyes.

"It'll be okay, August," Annie said, her tiny hand turning his face down towards her as tears rolled down his skin, "Everything will be okay."

He nodded as the sobs started coming and as Annie kissed away his tears and held him close, he didn't care who was watching.

Prom had been fun, perhaps a little different than everyone had been expecting but it certainly wasn't terrible. Annie and Auggie had danced a lot more than she expected and she also had been able to witness why Conrad wasn't allowed to dance at parties – it was rather frightening and also dangerous. Still, even after drinking a considerable amount of spiked fruit punch she could feel a cloud looming over her head. It was something that she'd been thinking about and something that she and Auggie had been avoiding.

Annie sat outside the gym in one of the dugouts by the baseball field. She was freezing her ass off but she'd needed some time to herself to think. So much had happened this year, good and bad, and she knew that there was even more to come. Graduation was lurking around the corner and she felt like she was being stalked by adulthood. Not to mention she would be spending most of her summer out of the country on various trips and on the beach with friends and – god it was just so much to think about.

"Annie," Auggie's voice called at a bit of a distance, "Annie?"

"I'm in the dig out," she called back, a smile on her face. He always came looking for her.

His cane lead the way to the fence just behind her and he seemed to be surprised that he couldn't go any further, his hands reaching out to find the chain link fencing.

"What're you doing out here," he asked softly, "I had to ask one of the guys where you went. Is everything alright?"

"I think so," she answered, she turned around and looped her hands in the link just above where Auggie had looped his, "Just thinking about some things, is all."

"Sounds kind of lame," he said matter-of-factly, "Mind if I join?"

"Of course not," that was mostly true, "The gate is about five steps to your left."

She watched as he cautiously made his way around, giving him hints every once in a while by saying something pointless so that she could help him without actually helping him. His independence lately had been hitting pivotal levels and it made her happy to see him so confident in finding his own way around. They'd all grown up so much in this last year of high school. This last year of childhood.

Once he was sitting on the bench beside her, cane folded up and stowed, she scooted in close and held on to this closeness.

"So tell me," he said, taking off his jacket and draping it around her shoulders, "Tell me what has you so worked up that you're sitting out in the freezing cold without a jacket and without your incredible boyfriend on prom night."

"I think we should break up," she said simply.

Auggie tensed and turned towards her with eyes as wide as apples, she would have sworn that if he'd opened them any further they would have fallen out.

"Not right now," she said quickly, making Auggie look confused, "But I mean – ugh, what do I mean…"

She took a long breath, this probably wasn't the best time to be discussing this but she really did have to get this off of her chest or she wouldn't be able to relax.

"It's just that after high school is over we're going to different schools with different people and long distance relationships suck and I don't want to mess up things between us because of that because I feel like so much could happen if we tried to stay together but failed and-"

"Annie," he said quietly, an amused little smile on his face, "I agree."

"You- you do," she asked, watching as his fingers trailed up her arm so gently it could have been butterflies.

"Yes, I do," he sighed, his eyes shifting downward, he'd been doing that more, his eyes drifting off unexpectedly, "I don't want to screw things up either, I like you too much but for now… well, for now, let's just enjoy the time we have left together and later we can figure out the friendship between us. Sound good?"

Her heart thudded in her chest, looking up at the boy that she'd fallen so hard for. In their short time together they'd been through so much and the thought of losing him to anything made her feel sick to her stomach but she was so glad that he'd agreed, that she hadn't messed things up already. She'd already lost one friend this year, she couldn't lose another.

"Sounds perfect," she said, pressing a kiss to his mouth.

An epilogue is on its way!

MM