Amazing Part 23
"You're sure we are going the right way?" Auggie asked for the 5th time.
"I am positive my dear. Would I lead you astray?" Annie asked as her gloved hand patted his in its spot at her elbow.
"Not on purpose, but we are in the middle of nowhere," he pointed out.
"We're in a national park," she laughed.
"Then why do I hear or smell absolutely nothing?" he countered.
"It is a big national park with not a lot of stuff in it," she agreed.
"But we aren't lost?"
"Not according to the map, the compass and the highly trained federal operative leading you around," she whispered the last part despite no one even remotely in ear shot.
"OK," he shrugged and tried not to trip over the clunky snowshoes.
"So, about last night?" Annie began since it appeared they had some time to kill.
"What about it?" Auggie asked hesitantly.
"You mentioned you had to 'tune me out', what was up with that?"
"Heh," Auggie laughed as he shook his head, "you were very vocal last night."
"I know, I was worried I was too loud."
"Volume wasn't the problem for me, you were very ummmm, descriptive, might be a good word," he tried to explain.
"How so?" she was genuinely curious.
"You talk a lot in bed Annie and I appreciate that, helps me gauge your moods, your wants, when I can't pick up the visual clues. Last night you were very specific in a way that was quickly overloading my poor male brain," he chuckled again.
"Really? What did I….oh wait, I remember now. Oh god," she groaned a little.
"You said that too, a lot" Auggie snarked.
"I'm so embarrassed," she cringed.
"No no no no, nothing to be embarrassed about Miss Walker, trust me it was beyond hot," he squeezed her elbow a little tighter and she looked back at him to see he was smiling his happiest smile.
"OK, but in the future you can tell me to dial it back a notch," she offered.
"Sure, tell the hot blonde to stop talking about how good that feels, likely not going to happen," he replied.
"This is surreal," Annie squeaked.
"Talking about our sex life?"
"Talking about our sex life in the middle of freakin' nowhere Alaska."
"That's the way we roll baby," Auggie let go of her elbow and reached out and wrapped his arms around her.
***555***
"Is it bigger than a bread box?" Annie asked with a gleam in her eye.
"Oh god, not the bread box again," Auggie laughed.
***555***
After what felt like hours of aimless wandering Annie could see a clue box and a very bored looking staffer up ahead.
"We are not lost," she exclaimed.
"A ha! You admit you had doubts too," Auggie laughed.
"Maybe, a few," she admitted.
"Greetings!" the bored staffer seemed to perk up at their arrival and that was when Annie saw them, what looked to be tents in bags behind him.
"Hello," Annie called back.
"We are so very glad to find signs of life on this planet," Auggie grinned.
"Kind of desolate, huh?" the guy agreed.
"I thought it was beautiful," Annie argued.
"Her idea of beautiful is a little skewed," Auggie reasoned.
"I think you're beautiful," she kissed his cold wind-chapped cheek.
"Sure, prove my point," he teased.
"Well you are the first team to arrive," the staffer stated.
"We didn't see anyone else, is everyone OK?" Annie was concerned.
"Everyone got a different map and different compass points, we wanted to see what would happen if everyone thought they were lost," the staffer admitted.
"Huh," Annie was impressed with the concept.
"You guys seemed to have been ok with the solitude."
"We played 20 Questions," Auggie replied with over-exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Whatever gets you through I guess," the guy smirked and handed them a clue.
Annie opened the envelope as the guy explained that dinner wasn't for several hours, but there were snacks and coffee and water in the trailer where they could warm up before pitching their tent.
"I'd be willing to walk back through the snow to sleep in the hotel again tonight," Auggie proposed.
Annie just smacked him and led him towards coffee.
After they hydrated, rested and fortified with coffee Annie decided to tackle the tent assembly before exhaustion overtook her, she and Auggie hadn't done that much sleeping in the hotel the night before.
She zipped their sleeping bags together and laid it out on the floor of the newly erected tent with a flourish.
"This won't be bad," she tried to sound enthusiastic.
"Are you kidding, I get to curl up in a sleeping bag with you all night, what could be bad about that," Auggie had come around on the idea of tenting.
"I love you," she said it so freely, like they said it every day.
She saw the eyebrow arch of recognition at the uniqueness of the phrase. They had used it a lot more on this mission than back home and maybe it was time to stop fighting it, they clearly loved each other.
"And I you, Miss Walker," he replied and leaned down hoping she was right there to kiss.
She didn't disappoint him, intercepting his lips perfectly.
"Get a room! Or a tent!" Danielle called as she dragged her and Kendall's tent across the snow.
TBC…