Author's Note:

Hey look I'm back. I actually managed to get myself to write more. I'm soooo sorry that it took me so long. I've been crazy busy this summer with work and a summer course. Then with classes starting again I feel like I don't have time to breath anymore. I've been writing this chapter little bits at a time.

Peaceful warmth surrounded Annie as consciousness took hold. Her head rested lightly on Auggie's chest, his arm wrapped around her, their bodies pressed intimately together under the blanket. She could tell he was still sleeping. His breathing was so even and he was so still. She could feel his steady heartbeat. His chest and arms were solid muscle under soft flesh. For a moment she had almost thought she was with Ben.

She opened her eyes for the first time since waking up, and she looked up at him carefully trying not to move too much and wake him up. It was Auggie for sure. Ben was dead. Gone forever. In another world, this could have been a romantic moment. But this was Auggie, her best friend. The man she'd thought was the love of her life was gone. She would never have this moment with him.

Annie had slept with guys before without being in a relationship. She had fun with her Tae kwon do instructor back at the farm, but Auggie was different. This whole situation was different. She was spending the week in his apartment hiding from the government. She still wasn't quite sure if the night before had been a mistake. It had certainly been fun. It had felt great to let off some steam and get a good night's sleep; but she was still unsure how to deal with the morning after.

She carefully extracted herself from the tangle of limbs and blankets, and made her way to the bathroom. A hot shower was the best place to think things through. The hot water felt glorious on her skin.

It reminded her of the rain in Sri Lanka, and Ben. Dead. She took a few moments in the shower to relax she tried to stop thinking about what had happened to him. She couldn't.

When she left the shower, she realized that she hadn't grabbed anything to wear. Well. It wasn't like it really mattered if she wore clothing at all. Not like she had to feel awkward if she was naked in his apartment.

She quietly circled the bed and picked up the pjs she had barely worn the night before. She also picked up the sweat pants that Auggie had worn and tossed them into the laundry hamper. She would get to the laundry later in the day. It wasn't like she had anything urgent to do for the rest of the week.

Her stomach growled informing her it was time for breakfast. It didn't take her long to have coffee brewing and bacon frying on the stove. The coffee finished first and she poured herself a cup. She always loved how long bacon took to fry, it allowed for some contemplation of the day to come. She took a long sip of coffee and closed her eyes breathing in the smell of bacon.

"It's a great smell isn't it?" Auggie said behind her making her jump.

"Jeese. Auggie you scared the crap out of me." she said hitting his arm. "You're like a friggin ninja." She said turning around to face him.

"Coffee and bacon, not exactly the healthiest breakfast." He continued. "Yes, I've been told that I'm light on my feet. Probably because I know my way around the apartment." As he said this he grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and deftly poured himself coffee.

Annie was somewhat disappointed to see that he was wearing a t-shirt. She had quite enjoyed the view the night before.

"It's kind of mesmerizing watching you do that." Annie said. It was true. She was always impressed with his adeptness in his apartment. "Oh. And I was going to make something else, I was just waiting for the bacon before getting anything else started."

Auggie was surprised at how comfortable he and Annie were with one another while cooking breakfast that morning. He'd expected some awkwardness after what had happened. They ate in relative silence and it wasn't until they were cleaning up that Annie spoke.

"So are we gonna talk about what happened?" She asked putting her hand on his arm. There was a tone of amusement in her voice.

"Well. Are you okay with it?" He was really hoping he hadn't overstepped any bounds. They were both hurting, "I just want to make sure we're on the same page." He turned to face her wishing again that he could see her, know her reactions.

"I'm good. I mean: I know it's a bad idea, we both do. But I'm okay that it happened." She said. She had put into words pretty much what he was thinking.

"Same here." He said. "It's like eating junk food. You know it's bad for you, but sometimes you just crave it." He smiled at the thought.

"So I'm like a twinky?" She said suggestively stepping closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders as if challenging him. He in turn rested his hands on her hips pulling her even closer.

"Oh you are a very, very good twinky." He said quietly reveling in their closeness, remembering how wonderful she'd felt beneath him on the bed. Then suddenly he stepped back breaking the spell. "But." he said seriously. "There is a time for twinkies and a time for doing dishes." He turned back to the clean up.

Annie laughed a little "Of course." She said. "If the dishes don't get done, you wouldn't know where anything was. You would loose your ninja abilities." She went back to helping clean up.

After a few minutes of cleaning, it was Annie who spoke again. "We need rules, protocol." She said.

Auggie laughed. "This from the woman on the run from the CIA." He smiled. "I do agree however. We need boundaries."

"No nicknames, no babe, no sweety, none of it." Annie replied.

"No dates." He said. "If we eat dinner or get a drink at the pub, it'll be like before."

"No fighting, no head games." She continued.

"We can't ever let it get in the way of work." Auggie said in all seriousness. "It has to be completely separate. If anyone found out, they could figure out that I hid you this week." He knew it had to be said.

"Work. Oh god... They'll know Auggie." Annie said. "They're all trained to see it. I didn't even think..." She stopped.

"It'll be okay Annie. They won't know. They'll all be walking on eggshells around you. They won't know how you're going to behave." He re-assured her. He was sure he was right. He still wasn't sure what to expect from Annie at this point. He had heard her crying in the shower that morning when she thought he was still asleep. He knew she had to grieve and he knew she didn't want to be a burden to him.

A long moment passed and they went back to cleaning. Auggie thought hard about a way to cheer things up. Normally he had a joke ready to go. He decided that honesty would be the best way to make her feel better. When they had finished cleaning up, he turned to her.

"Look Annie. Since I lost my sight, I haven't had many close friends. I can hear it in people's voices, they all feel sorry for me. But you, you didn't even ask about it." He gave a quick chuckle. "You just wanted to know about my cool headphones. Since that first day when I gave you a tour, I knew you were different. I might be the only person you can talk to, but you're the only one I can talk to. We'll figure this out. We're both hurting, it's only natural to seek comfort."

"Thank you Auggie." She said quietly. "We will figure it out."