After lunch, Auggie went to take his polygraph and Annie was taken to the barn to get back to work. This time, Cheryl stayed with her and was rather talkative.

"You and August are tight. Don't see that much from your company."

"Does another company use your facility?" Annie asked.

"Sometimes. It's a versatile facility. Hard work and fresh air heals a lot."

Annie didn't feel like being psychoanalyzed any more, so she ignored the conversation and focused on the work.

"Your company really does train you to be the strong silent types." Cheryl commented after a few minutes of silence.

Annie looked at her with a smile.

A few more minutes passed in silence. "Did you know August before he lost his sight?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you've seen my file."

"Actually I haven't. My clearance isn't as high as Gary's."

Annie sighed. "No. He was blind when we met."

Another few moments of silence passed while they slowly worked.

"It has to be a big deal, going on a mission with a blind partner." Cheryl asked.

Annie shrugged. "Auggie holds his own."

"I've seen that." Cheryl replied. "But still, it's a major limitation."

Annie knew she was being baited and refused to respond. This time Cheryl let the silence take over.

An hour later, the subject of their brief conversation maneuvered his way into the working barn. "Reporting for duty." He announced to whoever was around.

"Oh, good." Cheryl replied. "I have a special task for the two of you to do together!"

"That doesn't sound good." Auggie replied as Annie walked up and took his arm. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, as well.

An hour later Annie and Auggie were alone with two piles of hay bales. Auggie was pulling a bale from one pile and handing it to Annie, who was on top of the other pile, stacking them neatly.

"I guess it won't matter that this farm doesn't have a gym." Auggie said as he hoisted up another bale.

"I always thought a roll in the hay would sound romantic. Now it just seems itchy." Annie commented as she fished some of the dried grass out of her shirt.

"It wouldn't be my first choice."

"There is more room up here than where we slept last night, though."

Auggie smiled as he slowly moved and selected a new bale. "We could bring a blanket..."

…

Even though they were two world-class trained spies, Annie felt like a kid sneaking around at summer camp when she and Auggie met outside their rooms that night. She practically giggled as Auggie led them along the dark path back to the hay barn. They silently slipped inside. Annie surveyed to make sure they were really alone, then they climbed up the bales of hay they had stacked earlier and spread out the blankets from their beds.

"Ah!" Annie said as she stretched on their make-shift bed. "Tonight you won't be squished against the wall, and I won't be hanging off the edge!"

Auggie pressed a kiss against her shoulder. "And we aren't worried about poisonous snakes and rebel leaders."

"I kind of enjoyed the rainforest." Annie replied, moving her finger over Auggie's chest.

Auggie was quiet a moment. "There were a lot of unknowns." He said, his voice distant.

Annie flattened her palm on his chest in a way that was reassuring. "You were kind of out of your element out there."

"That's putting it mildly." Auggie could finally admit to himself that being without any of his equipment, in the middle of the rainforest, had been one of the scariest moments since he went blind.

Annie gently climbed on top of him, pulled up his shirt and kissed him gently on the chest. "We got out okay, and you played a big part in that."

Auggie placed his hands in her hair and took a deep breath. "When they took you away..." his voice cracked, and he stopped.

"I could see you the whole time. To anyone else, you didn't appear phased by that at all." Annie spoke as she unbuttoned his pants. She didn't add that to her, he had looked as scared as she'd ever seen him.

"If I lost you, I don't know what I would have done."

Annie had worked her way back up his chest where she firmly placed her hand and spoke directly to his face. "You aren't usually one to need reassurances, Anderson, but you would have found a way, and you would have survived. I'm sure of it."

He pulled her hand off his chest. Before she realized it, he had flipped their positions and was on top. The fire in his eyes so powerful that she could swear they were glowing in the dark. "I'm not talking about physically surviving. If something had happened to you, I don't know that I would have wanted to survive. I... I need you, Annie. Not to lead me out of the forest, but to drag me into the forest in the first place. I don't need you because I'm blind, I need you because you are the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

Annie couldn't form words, just pulled her body tight against his. As she tried to catch her breath he took her mouth in a rough, passionate kiss. A kiss that claimed her for his own and expressed gratitude that he couldn't put into words.

…

The barn door made a lot of noise as it slid open. The bright sun shining through was immediately shadowed by Auggie rolling on top of Annie, bringing the blanket with him. By pure coincidence, they fell in a crack between hay bales, out of sight of whoever had walked in.

They stayed quietly pressed together as the footsteps came toward the pile of hay, stopping to remove a bale. A moment later a wheelbarrow squeaked as it rolled out the door. Annie gently tried to get up to check for their escape, struggling in the tight space with the mix of limbs and blankets.

"It's clear." She whispered.

She reached for their shoes that were still sitting on top of the bales. They quickly put on their shoes and balled up the blankets. Annie surveyed the area and carefully led Auggie down, and snuck back to his room. Once the door was shut, they both burst out laughing.

"I definitely feel like I'm back in middle school." Auggie said.

Annie looked at the clock in the room. "We are late for breakfast. Cheryl will be coming for us soon." She said as she brushed the hay off his shirt. "It will probably be easier to change clothes then get all the hay off you."

"Okay," Auggie said as he started to strip.

"I need to change as well. Meet you at the barn."

Annie quickly changed clothes, and casually walked into the barn for breakfast.

"Good morning Annie!" Cheryl greeted. "Auggie isn't with you?"

"He's on his way. We overslept."

"Oh. Must be tight, sharing those little cots."

"Yeah. We made it work." She said as she added some milk to her coffee.

"I see that." Cheryl responded. "Literally. You have a piece of hay in your ponytail."