So, I really wasn't going to write anything else, and normally when I write a one-shot I'm done. But then Azurite wrote a review and asked for another chapter, or fic, possibly from Auggie's POV. And I started writing. :) Honestly, I'm not sure if it is completely true to his character, since I feel like I understand Annie more than I understand Auggie. But I'm so in love with the first line that I decided to post it anyway, after about two days of debate :)

So if you hate it, it was Azurite's idea. And if you love it, it was all mine :) haha. Enjoy!

Spoilers for 1x07, Communication Breakdown

Disclaimer: I still don't own Covert Affairs.

If he could look in the mirror and see his reflection, he wonders if he would recognize the man he's become. He once told Joan that he would do anything to get back in the field. And now here he is. But it's like a family reunion – you're all excited because you forget how much you hate everyone until you're actually there with them, and then there's no turning back.

He used to do this sort of thing without batting an eye. A kind of autopilot – the type of mission every young, good-looking man at the Agency was assigned. Meet, Seduce, Uncover. The three step process to any covert intelligence gathering that didn't involve a willing volunteer spilling secrets. He couldn't count on one hand the number of women he'd dated in order to plant a bug or steal a file. He wasn't even sure he could add up fingers and toes. Not that all of them were as complicated as Tash and Liza. No – most were easy. Mindless lunch dates, going out for drinks. Maybe even a kiss or two, but nothing complex. Nothing difficult.

And now…Now he smiles at a woman who is trying to destroy his employers. Now he feels his brain actually considering her wild schemes. Just for a moment. But it is a moment that terrifies him. This isn't how an op is supposed to go. It's supposed to be easy, especially for a trained veteran in this line of work. And it would be, if he could poke through her computer while she was asleep in his bed after a night of…well, passion. Or, at least, imagined passion. But he can't see those files that she has under lock and key. He can't read the names or addresses of her sources. And so it drags on, flirt by flirt, night by night, piece of removed clothing by piece of removed clothing.

He said he'd give anything. And now he has. His love, his friendships, his integrity. He lost it all for one last chance at an adrenaline rush and bragging rights to a closed case.

He'd been so proud of himself. At his idea, at the casual way he "accidentally" met up with her. At the "slip of the tongue" that let her know he worked at the CIA. He'd been on the top of his game. Not even Jai could do better. Not even Past Auggie. He actually said, one night, with Liza sleeping in his bed, "Look who can't do field work now." And then one whispered sentence from a friend he still hardly knew had brought his childish high crashing down.

"James Bond was a lonely, sad, old man."

James Bond never had a chance with any of those pretty girls that starred in one movie, and one movie only, before meeting their deaths. Because they thought he cared for them. They sacrificed everything for him because he made them believe he felt something other than vague interest and lust.

And the one woman who put her trust in him so completely was now equating him with a man who twisted words and pulled heartstrings to get what he wanted with no thought to the consequences.

Annie. How could he explain this to her, so green, so idealistic? She had asked him how dirty she was going to get, and the answer he had given her had been no answer at all, because there was nothing really to say. He was so covered in mud that he wasn't sure anyone could tell the difference between him and the dirt he had thrown himself in. He remembers the way she talked to him, like he was some pure, separate entity, untainted by the mess of the CIA and their protocols and rules.

He almost wishes he was still pure. Still clean. His body screamed to be put back into the mud, so unused to the feeling of the sun on his skin.

But he misses the smile in Annie Walker's voice when she greets him in the morning with a coffee and a compliment.

Review! Let me know what you think!