A/N: This is for samcheese1 who wanted to see Auggie ask Joan how Annie was doing. Thanks for the reviews :) Love hearing your ideas for where you would like this story to go. Any constructive criticism is totally welcomed as well :)

Disclaimer: *Checks asset list* - Nope, Covert Affairs is still not mine.

Chapter 3

Auggie stood outside Joan's office waiting for her to get back with Annie. He had been concerned when she walked out in the middle of their conversation earlier. It wasn't like Annie to end a conversation without getting the last word. And their conversations usually ended in light-hearted banter. He had known she wouldn't understand his decision to take the job as the new head of the Office of Congressional Affairs. He barely understood it himself. He had confessed his desire to get back into field work to Annie, and she knew how much it meant to him. Perversely, his heart had done a little lurch at the concern Annie expressed at the thought of losing him. He grinned at the thought of her missing him. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. At least it would be easier to hide how he felt about her if he wasn't constantly on the other end of her walking into danger. At the same time, the thought of not being the one in her ear as she was on missions was going to drive him crazy. He only hoped he would be able to avoid destroying Annie's new handler for letting her get hurt.

He shook his head. Annie getting hurt was not something he could allow himself to think about if he wanted to get through this week. Tomorrow he had his first media conference as the Head of the OCA and he needed to have all pistons firing to get through it. Must stop thinking about Annie. Must focus on new job. Auggie laughed self-deprecatingly - it was a waste of time trying to control his thoughts, he wouldn't be able to settle them until he was sure that Annie was alright.

His heart sank slightly when he heard Joan's footsteps approach alone - it was the end of the day and apparently Annie wasn't going to come back to talk to him before she left. That was definitely a change from the normal. She usually drove him home after work so he didn't have to call a car service. He followed Joan into her office. He heard her sit at her desk and get comfortable; clearly she wasn't going to initiate this conversation.

"How's she taking it?" He asked hesitantly, unsure if he wanted the answer. He stood half facing the wall, muscles tense, head turned towards Joan. He knew she was perceptive and wondered if she had realized how much he cared about Annie. He was pretty sure he had managed to hide it from most of the department but Joan knew him well. Accepting this job had been the hardest decision of his life, but when it became a matter of extracting Annie from a mission gone wrong or giving up his own covert status he had known what he had to do. He couldn't ever tell Annie though - she would blame herself for him losing his opportunity to ever return to field work and she shouldn't have to deal with that guilt. It had been his decision, and if he had to choose again he would do the same. He would give up anything to keep Annie safe. He heard Joan's chair turn towards him slowly and her slacks rustled slightly as she placed her hands in her lap.

Joan glanced up at him and took a deep breath while she analyzed how much she should tell Auggie about her conversation with Annie. Too much about how hurt Annie was and he would try to wriggle out of this new contract his had with Arthur, ruining any chance he had of promotions later in his career. Some things were also not her place to share with him. Like how she had a distinct feeling that Annie liked him as more than just a friend. She decided to settle for the basics.

"She's hurting but she will be okay Auggie. You need to recognize though, that there is a high possibility that you will lose her friendship as you step into this new role. You'll be busy, high profile, and there will be eyes on you at all times. Maintaining a friendship with Annie will be risky. Are you sure you are willing to risk her safety in order to stay close to her?" Auggie clenched his jaw as Joan mentioned how dangerous it would be for Annie.

He knew that trying to keep her in his life was one of the most selfish decisions he would ever make but the reality was that he was not strong enough to face the betrayed look in her eyes if he pushed her away. He would find a way to keep his promise to Annie that they would maintain their friendship but knowing that his presence was a constant danger to her would mean he would need to keep her at a safe distance. For her own sake they would never be able to be anything more than friends no matter how deeply he cared for her. He suppressed that thought as soon as it crossed his mind - she would never see him as anything more than a friend anyway.

"I can't lose her Joan. It's not an option. We'll keep it under the radar but she would be in more danger from out of control emotions if she lost her best friend. And just for the record, if you order me to stay away from her I am going to break protocol." His voice rose slightly at the end of his sentence, his tone the only thing showing just how close to breaking point the thought of losing Annie had him. He had his body language carefully controlled at this point. He had consciously lowered his shoulders and relaxed his arms trying to convince himself and Joan that friendship was all he ever wanted from Annie. His breathing was deep and slow. But nonetheless, Joan smiled slightly as she heard the concern in his voice.

"You're fine Auggie. Besides, you seem to be forgetting that I'm no longer your boss. This is an off the record conversation between friends. As long as you are both careful not to be seen in public together you should be fine." Her light tone turned serious as she continued.

"I should warn you though that one mistake will cause Arthur to make you stop seeing her." His fist clenched without his permission as the fingers of his other hand ran through his hair distractedly. He knew that Joan was warning him because she cared about both him and Annie but hearing his worst fear spoken out loud was still hard. He nodded and turned to walk out of her office before he gave himself away. When he reached the door he paused and spoke quietly to Joan.

"Keep an eye on her for me will you? It'll take me a while to figure out how to make this work." He tried to sound unconcerned. Tried, and failed miserably. The words he had meant as an offhand request came out low and husky. Why was it that he had so little self control whenever Annie Walker was concerned?

"Auggie, you have the DPD wired, I doubt a new recruit could go on a date with an ugly guy without you hearing about it. I'm not under any illusion that that will change now that your office is on the seventh floor." He smirked. Yep, Joan knew him well.