Well, Auggie's going to find out about the surprise Annie's been plotting for him. We'll see how he takes the surprise and whether or not he enjoys the bike outing.

Thanks so much for the alerts and the kind comments. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. And to keep us all out of trouble, I suppose I need to point out that I have no association with the "real" Covert Affairs and this is just for amusement ... mine and yours. Thank you Christopher Gorham and Piper Parabo for bringing such charming characters as Annie and Auggie to life.

Chapter 4 – Annie's Surprise

At the end of their busy but rather routine day, Annie and Auggie left Langley and drove to Georgetown because they'd promised to watch the girls while Dani catered an intimate dinner for a Washington power couple. Dani had bribed Annie and Auggie into babysitting by telling Auggie she was making Chicken Chasseur, one of his favorites, and she would leave their dinners in the warming oven.

Both the girls adored Auggie, who not only was up for playing one of the Braille board games Annie had purchased for these babysitting duties but he also was teaching them basic Braille. Annie rattled around in the kitchen cooking the girls' chicken tenders and sautéing the green beans that they would all eat for supper. When their meals were prepared and the table set, Annie stepped into the family room to call them to the table.

She smiled at the warm scene. Auggie sitting on the floor at the coffee table with the girls reading the Braille notes they'd written for him. He bragged on the messages and gently corrected their childish mistakes.

"Is anyone hungry?" Annie asked.

Chloe and Katia scrambled to their feet, and Auggie unfolded his legs and stood slowly, getting his bearings. He flexed his legs and said, "Annie, all of a sudden I'm beginning to feel my age."

Annie walked around the sofa and touched his hand. "Come on, Super Babysitter, dinner is ready on the kitchen table."

Auggie laughed.

"You laugh now, but it's going to be your job to be sure they are entertained after we eat so I can clean up the kitchen," Annie whispered as they approached the table. During dinner Annie watched Auggie interact with her nieces, encouraging them to talk about their day at school and asking questions about their experiences. When they finished their meal, the girls raced each other to the family room to watch tv before they had to get ready for bed.

"Thank you for being so interested in their activities," Annie said. "You're amazing with them."

"I just do with them what my parents did with me and my brothers when we were that age. We always had interesting dinner conversations," Auggie remembered.

"Well, they enjoy my babysitting stents more when you're here," she told him as they cleared the table together and stacked the dishes on the counter. "Why don't you go check on the girls while I finish? Ask them to pick a book for their bedtime story, OK?"

The girls were engrossed in their Nickelodeon show and Auggie stood at the room's doorway trying to discern where they were. They weren't even giggling to give him a hint of their whereabouts. Chloe turned around and watched him leaning against the door frame. "Uncle Auggie, why don't you come in and sit down?"

"You two were so quiet that I didn't know where you are. I didn't want to step on you or sit on you," he said lightly.

Chloe jumped up from her place on the floor, ran over to Auggie and took his left hand. "We're sorry, Uncle Auggie. I forget you can't see where we are. Is it OK to sit on the sofa?"

Auggie smiled at Chloe's honesty and sincerity; and he let her lead him to the sofa, although he knew exactly where it was. As soon as he was seated, both girls clamored up to snuggle on either side of him and take turns describing the action of the cartoon show. When Annie came into the room, she smiled and shook her head at the scene, knowing there'd been no discussion about bedtime stories.

"Have you three decided on bedtime stories for tonight?" Annie asked mockingly.

"Uh oh," Auggie responded. "Girls, I think we're all in trouble with Auntie Annie, and it's my fault for shirking my responsibility. What stories do you want Annie to read to you tonight?"

Both girls giggled, scampered off the sofa and ran off to their playroom upstairs. Auggie turned to where he'd last heard Annie's voice and said, "Sorry. They were so into sharing their cartoons, I totally forgot to ask them."

"Face it, Anderson. You are such a pushover with kids."

"Am not."

"Yep. Pushover. I've watched you with your brothers' children and Chloe and Katia. Pushover."

Auggie stopped protesting, shrugged and smiled. A few moments later, the girls burst back into the room, each carrying a book. They made a beeline to Auggie, shoving a book into each of his hands. "Whoa, what's this?" he asked. "You remember, don't you, blind generally means not being able to read regular books?"

"They're not regular books, Uncle Auggie. Mommy found them on the computer and ordered them. She said you could read them to us sometime when you're here," Chloe explained.

"Yeah," Katia explained jumping up and down with excitement, "they have Braille bumps, real words AND pictures."

"Wow, that's a lot, isn't it," Auggie said as he smiled and patted Katia's back. "Now, why don't you go put on your jammies while I get familiar with these special, new books."

The girls raced up the stairs. "Elephants going up the steps couldn't make more noise," Annie chuckled. "You OK with the reading thing?"

"Sure. I'm touched that Dani thought to do this," Auggie said as he sat down and ran his hand over the cover of the first book, locating the title in Braille. "Help me with the layout of this book, will you?"

"Help me? Did I just hear Auggie Anderson say 'help me'?" Annie asked mockingly.

"Yes, help me. Give me a quick description, so I don't fumble too much. Are you happy, now? Two little girls have forced me into asking for help," Auggie countered good-naturedly.

Annie scooted close to him on the sofa and described the layout, how the Braille was on translucent sheets so the type and illustrations showed through. Auggie nodded. He realized he needed to read a page and then give the girls a chance to describe the illustration and talk about the story a minute before moving to the next page.

In record time, the girls brushed their teeth, put on their pajamas and ran down the stairs back to the family room to claim their spots on either side of Auggie. Annie sat by herself on the loveseat that was positioned in an L shape by the sofa. She'd swung her legs up in front of her facing Auggie and the girls. Auggie began to read the story, a tale of a little girl named Olivia who never went anywhere without her purse with all of her prized possessions filling it.

The story was a little young for Chloe, but it was just right for Katia. The girls took turns describing the whimsical illustrations; and Auggie was caught up in the educational aspect of the story, asking them questions. They each leaned against his sides and alternated between watching his fingers "read" the Braille cells and look up adoringly at his face. When everyone was totally distracted, Annie snapped a couple photos with her phone.

She wanted to remember this sweet moment forever. No worries, not terrorists, no hostages … a simple family night at home with three of the people she held dearest in her heart.

Auggie woke up early Saturday morning and slipped into Annie's small bathroom to shower before he headed into the office for a few hours. Annie heard the water running and got up to make coffee, so he would have a cup to sip on during the ride to Langley. He came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and was only slightly startled by Annie's perky "Good morning."

"Hi, and I thought I was being quiet," he said as he walked toward her voice and opened his arms for an early morning hug.

"You were, but I wanted to make sure you had some coffee. I figured you'd get a bagel or something at the food cart," Annie said as they hugged and kissed good morning. "I'll drive you in."

"No you won't. I've already called the car service. He'll be here in about 20 minutes. You get a little more sleep," Auggie said kissing Annie's forehead.

"Well, if you've already called the car service," Annie yawned.

Auggie dressed in jeans and a long sleeved dark blue polo shirt while Annie poured his coffee and secured the lid. As Auggie gathered his phone, money clip and change, id badge and cane, Annie pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a heavy hoodie jacket over her nightshirt. Auggie slipped into his leather jacket and Annie met him at the door holding two cups of coffee.

"Here's your coffee," she said holding it out waiting for him to extend his left hand. She placed the coffee in his hand and opened the door. Auggie stepped through the door and Annie, with her own cup, followed him through.

"Where do you think you're going?" Auggie asked.

"Humm, I'm going to wait for your car with you," she answered.

"You don't have to do that, you know."

"I do. But humor me."

Auggie went ahead of Annie down the hall to the elevator. Annie stayed a couple of steps behind him intentionally, allowing him to show her he not only could travel the world by himself when he wanted to, he could make it to the main entrance of her apartment building to meet his ride. When the elevator door opened on the main floor, Annie continued to follow him until he was on the sidewalk.

"Thanks for making coffee," Auggie said, "this hits the spot on a cool November morning."

"It does, doesn't it?" Annie answered. "Do you want me to pick you up at the office or meet you about twelve thirty at your place?"

Auggie thought a moment. "My place. If I get hung up, you can just hang at the apartment. If you come into the office, you might get an unexpected assignment and then we'd miss the adventure you have planned for us."

Annie looked up at him and smiled. Any aggravation he'd shown earlier at her wanting to walk out with him had disappeared. This morning was one of those rare times when Auggie just didn't "get it." He missed the point that she just wanted to spend a few extra minutes with him … she knew he was perfectly capable of getting to the front of the building by himself. The car pulled up and the driver lowered the passenger window. "Mornin' Auggie. You ready?" the driver asked.

Annie arrived at Auggie's a little before noon. She wanted to get the bicycling paraphernalia unloaded and spread out on the bed before Auggie got home. She changed out of her jeans and light weight sweater and squirmed into her tight fitting bicycle pants and her new shirt. She sat on the edge of the bed to tie her sneakers. She surveyed the equipment on the bed and hoped Auggie would go along with her adventure.

While she was waiting, Annie made a couple of turkey sandwiches and found a container of soup that Auggie had stored in the freezer. He pretended not to cook, but it was just an act. When he had time (and ingredients on hand) he made several amazing soups and a killer chili. Annie studied the soup and decided she had time to thaw it in the microwave and it would be the perfect amount with the sandwiches.

It was almost twelve forty-five when Auggie's key rattled in the apartment door. Annie was sitting at the island sipping a glass of tea and reading the paper she'd picked up when she stopped to buy some power bars and bottled water for Auggie's back pack. She turned on the stool, but before she could say anything he called out, "Annie! I do believe you found my stash of soup."

"I sure did. I hope that's ok, because it's thawed and ready to eat. I just have to give it a couple of more minutes to make sure it's hot."

"You know it's ok," Auggie laughed. "But I didn't think there was enough there for two."

"I made sandwiches, too. We're gonna need some energy for our afternoon adventure."

Auggie laid his cane and keys in their usual place at the end of the island. Annie kissed him quickly, poured him a glass of tea and pulled the soup out of the microwave to dish up. "Your sandwich is at your place, and I just put the tea at ten o'clock."

"Thanks," Auggie said as he sat on the stool and scooted up to the island. He picked up his glass of tea and took a long drink. Annie ladled the soup into bowls and pushed them across the island.

"Your bowl of soup is at three o'clock from your sandwich plate. The spoon is in the bowl," Annie said as she walked around the island to take a seat at the bar.

They ate quietly for a few minutes. Auggie broke the silence, "Are you going to tell me what we're doing this afternoon?"

"Finish eating, and then we'll discuss it and you can get dressed," Annie teased.

"Get dressed. Geez, Annie, I'm not liking the sound of this."

"Eat. You're going to need your strength."

Auggie finished his soup and sandwich, stacked the plate and bowl, and pushed them across the island. "OK, I cleaned my plate and bowl. Now, fess up. What have you planned?"

"I hope you're going to enjoy this," Annie said. "Come to the bedroom."

Auggie smiled devilishly.

"Auggie! No. I have our gear in the bedroom," Annie said.

"Gear? That's even better."

"Come on, climb out of the gutter and come with me," she said turning around and taking his hand."

Standing beside the bed, Annie picked up his bicycle pants and said, "Take off your jeans and put these on."

She handed him the pants. He felt them and a confused expression crossed his face. "Wear this in public."

"Yes. In public. They are bicycle pants. We're going bicycling. I've rented a tandem bicycle to ride on the bike trail."

"Annie, are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I am. Now get dressed. You have the pants in your hand and here's your shirt. I bought you black pants and a black and gray shirt. Your helmet is black with a gray stripe. You're going to look great," Annie said enthusiastically.

Auggie still hadn't started to get dressed. His devilish grin had dissolved into a pensive, almost troubled expression. "Annie, you know I'm all about staying in the background and not making a spectacle of myself. This has spectacle written all over it."

"No it doesn't. It's just two people on a bike ride, and I get to be the captain and call the shots this time. Now, stop back peddling on me and get dressed," she said emphatically.

Auggie took a deep breath. "Annie … do you realize what you're getting us into?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I've done quite a lot of research on riding with a blind partner, and the owner of the bike rental shop and I went for a ride. I rode as both the captain and the passenger … or the stroker … the second rider is called the stroker," Annie explained. "When I rode in the stroker seat, I closed my eyes to get a good idea about what kind of experience it would be for you."

"Damnit, Annie … is there anything you won't research?" Auggie asked as he pulled off his shirt and pulled the bike shirt over his head.

"Blame yourself, Anderson. You always tell me to research every detail of a mission. That's what I did. We can do this. I can assure you there will be no spectacle involved. Just a fun afternoon on the trail," Annie explained making her case for the ride. She knew she'd won, because he'd put on the shirt and had sat on the bed to take off his jeans and put on the bike pants.

"Now," Auggie asked, "what's this about gear?"

"I got us each helmets, gloves and sturdy sports sunglasses with straps so they won't slip off our heads. I pulled out your lightweight nylon backpack and packed it with our polar fleece jackets, some power bars for a snack and I have water bottles cooling in the fridge," she explained as she handed him each of the items to inspect.

"Sun glasses? Really Annie?" he asked.

"Yes, sun glasses. It was either sunglasses or goggles. It's for eye protection. We don't want either one of us to end up in the emergency room getting something taken out of one of our eyes. The man at the shop said it was just as important for you because you wouldn't see debris blowing, and I might not be able to warn you in time."

Auggie pulled on the gloves and was surprised how well they fit. He picked up the helmet and unfastened the chin strap. "Try it on," Annie said, "if it's too tight, we can take out some of the padding. If it's too loose, there's some extra padding that we can add."

"Looks like it's too tight like this. Will you help me adjust it. I don't want to mess up something," Auggie said holding the helmet out to Annie.

Annie took a couple of layers of padding out, made sure the remaining padding was secure and handed it back. Auggie pushed the helmet on his head adjusted it and secured the chin strap. "That's about perfect," he said with a hint of a smile.

Annie finished packing the backpack with their small items and her wallet, phone and ID. She told Auggie what she'd done and that there was room for him to stash his cane, wallet, phone and ID, too. Auggie took the back pack to the island to finish packing while Annie pulled the water out of the fridge. She stuffed the waters in the outside pocket of the backpack and told Auggie she had their helmets.

Auggie carried the pack by its straps and used his cane to follow Annie to her car. Annie chattered about everything and nothing as they walked to the car to give Auggie a reference to follow. In the car he was quiet, and Annie almost had second thoughts.

"Thank you for doing this for me, even though you seem to have some apprehensions," Annie said as she pulled into the parking lot at the rental shop. "There are a few cars in the lot, but no one's around; so you don't need to worry about the spectacle thing."

"Good to know. I don't like trying new things with an audience," he admitted.

"This isn't exactly new for either one of us, Auggie. We both grew up riding our bicycles all over heck and half of Georgia. Well for you Glencoe and for me a bunch of Army bases … but you get the idea." Annie said as she got out of the car. Auggie stuffed his folded cane into the back pack, picked it up by the straps and took Annie's arm to go into the shop.

"How did you know I spent a lot of time on a bike when I was growing up?" Auggie asked.

"You don't think I'd ask you to do this if I weren't sure you were an expert at riding a bicycle, do you?" Annie asked. "I called your mother."

"Oh."

"Miss Walker, good to see you again," the shop proprietor called out. "I'll meet you out front."

A few minutes later he wheeled the tandem bicycle around to them and after Auggie had a few minutes to inspect the bike, Annie straddled the front of it and held it steady while Auggie was given instructions on how to mount it safely. After they had secured their helmets, Annie and Auggie circled the open area of the parking lot under the watchful gaze of the shop owner.

Annie was calling out what she was doing to Auggie and he was following her cues. "I'm going to start braking now, so be prepared to help me hold up the bike when we stop. I'll put my left leg down," Annie said. Auggie concentrated on the movement of the bicycle and Annie's body to help her steady the bicycle when they stopped.

The shopkeeper observed their riding skills and when they came to a stop, he walked up to them and said, "I think you're ready to take out on the trail. You both look comfortable on the bike, and you work well together. Be careful, watch for bumps, and remember I close at six."

"Thanks," Annie said. She turned back to Auggie to ask, "Are you comfortable enough with me now to hit the trail?"

Auggie made his thinking face before smiling. "I'm fine as long as you feel comfortable doing this," he said even though he still had his reservations about the ride. Well, not the ride itself as much as being a little worried about them getting into a situation where he wouldn't of much help. He told himself to stop worrying. He had an encrypted cell phone with gps in it. If they ran into a problem, he'd at least be able to solve it by calling for help giving emergency personnel a location. He smiled again as he thought to himself, "I'll always figure out a way to make Annie's safety my first priority."

Annie looked over her shoulder and said, "You look pretty deep in thought. Are you ready to head up the trail?"

"Sure am. Are we putting the right pedal down and pushing off with the left pedal?" he asked.

"Yep," Annie answered.

They started slowly, but were steady and Annie steered them onto the trail. "This part of the trail is flat and pretty straight, so we can test getting up some speed," Annie yelled back at Auggie. "Just don't let your feet slip, cause the pedals keep going and you could get some dandy bruises."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Auggie teased.

They pedaled up the trail for about a mile. Between calling out which way the trail curved, rough patches and whether she was breaking or needed some extra power for a little hill, she described the remaining colors on the trees and the landscape. Auggie appreciated Annie's commentary on their surroundings, but what he was appreciating the most was the speed and the feel of rushing air on his face.

"We're approaching a down-hill stretch followed by an incline," Annie warned, "then there's a curvy part of the trail where it follows a meandering creek. Are you ready for that?"

"Sounds like fun. Let's get up some speed going down, so it'll be easier going up the hill," Auggie responded. "Tell me when you want me to really power down for the hill."

"Will do," Annie yelled back. "You're getting into this."

They were on the trail alone, so Annie felt comfortable with asking Auggie to help her amp up the speed half way down the hill to make the climb of the incline easier. Although slowed at the top of the hill, they still had decent speed to coast through the first curves by the creek.

"There are some picnic tables ahead," Annie said, "are you ready to take a break?"

"Sure, if you are."

"Get ready to break, stop and help me steady the bike so we can get off," Annie instructed.

Once off the bike and sitting on the picnic bench leaning against the table, Auggie patted Annie's thigh and said, "I was wrong in doubting how much fun that could be. I guess I didn't like the idea of not being able to captain the bike."

Annie took his hand, squeezed it and stretched up to kiss him on the cheek. "Doesn't matter, Auggie, cause you gotta know you're always going to be my captain. Besides, there's a box full of military insignias back in Illinois that prove it."

Auggie responded only with a slight smile and a gentle squeeze of Annie's hand. They sat for a time and enjoyed the warmth of the November sun through the cool breeze. "This is fun." Annie said as she pulled the water bottles out of the backpack. "It's kinda nice to pretend we're just government employees enjoying a typical Saturday afternoon in D.C."

"I never knew you aspired to normalcy," Auggie responded.

"Generally, I don't. But sometimes it's nice to spend a normal afternoon like this," Annie explained. She handed Auggie a bottle of water and dug out a power bar. "Want to share this power bar?"

"Sure," Auggie said holding out his hand for his half. "And, you're thinking that riding the trail on a tandem bike with a blind guy qualifies as a normal weekend activity."

Taking a slow swig of water, Annie thought rather than making a hasty reply. "Well, Soldier Boy, it's as close to normal as I'm willing to go."

Auggie smiled and let out a little chuckle as he gave Annie a shoulder check. They both laughed.

"Let's head back," Auggie suggested. "We can get cleaned up, and I'll take you out for a nice dinner. We'll continue the charade of doing what normal people do on weekends in D.C."

"Sounds good to me," Annie said as she stashed their water bottles.

Going back to the bicycle, Auggie suggested he get on the bike first since he was taller and it would be easier to steady it for Annie. She looked up at Auggie and smiled. "Sure, that's great," she said.

Auggie nodded and smiled.

Annie's smile grew wider as she realized that no matter what they encountered, Auggie would always figure out a way to be her protector. They got on the bike and enjoyed the return ride.

When they returned the bike, the shop owner commented he hoped they had enjoyed their afternoon. As Auggie unsnapped the chin strap on his helmet, he said, "We did enjoy it. I'm sure you'll be seeing us again … especially since we've invested in this gear."

Walking to the car, Auggie draped his arm over Annie's shoulder. She looked up at him and asked, "Did you really enjoy the afternoon?"

"I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed it," Auggie said squeezing her shoulder.

Driving out of the parking lot, Annie asked what he had in mind for dinner. "You are thinking casual, aren't you? I don't have anything at your place except a pantsuit and shirt for work and casual things."

"I was thinking of the Italian place a couple of blocks from the apartment. My neighbors say the food is good, it's in walking distance, and we can go casual," Auggie said.

Annie and Auggie sauntered down the street to the restaurant about seven thirty. The sun was down and the fall air was crisp and invigorating. Auggie was using his cane and Annie had casually looped her right arm around his left arm. As they walked her hand slipped down to his and their fingers entwined as they walked and chatted. "Here it is," Annie said as she changed their direction and walked toward the door.

The warm aroma of garlic, olive oil, basil and tomatoes greeted them as they opened the door to the busy restaurant. The hostess asked how many in the party and then led them to a two-top table along the brick wall near the back of the room. On their way to the table, several people from the neighborhood yelled out to greet Auggie, who waved and smiled in the direction of the voices.

Annie described how the room was arranged and that the tables were not especially close together. The hostess placed the menus on the table and Auggie, pulled Annie's chair out for her before trailing his hand along the table to his chair. Before Annie had a chance to pick up her menu, the waiter appeared with water and asked what else they would like to drink. Auggie suggested a bottle of merlot, to which Annie responded, "That's perfect." Then, she asked the waiter, "Do you have a Braille menu?"

Initially, the waiter looked confused, but Annie smiled and glanced in Auggie's direction. "I don't know, but I'll find out right now."

"Annie, you didn't have to do that," Auggie said. "I would have been happy with you reading the menu."

"I know, but we've never been here before. I know you like to read your own menu when one's available."

The waiter returned with the menu for Auggie. He took the menu from the table and replaced it saying, "Here you go, sir."

Auggie thanked him and picked up the menu to check out his choices for dinner. When the waiter was out of earshot, Annie let out a little giggle. "What's that about?" Auggie smiled.

"Oh, the waiter is a little flummoxed waiting on you. It's kind of amusing … he'll get the hang of it after we come back a few times," Annie shared.

"That's not nice, Annie Walker," Auggie said with a little smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, Slugger … making fun of other people."

"I find my amusement where ever I can find it," Annie explained.

After they had feasted on house salad, eggplant parmesan, lasagna and wine, Annie and Auggie strolled leisurely back to his apartment. Both feeling the warmth of the bottle of wine they shared, neither had closed their jackets. They held hands and talked about what might happen next week at the office. Since they had asked for time off around Thanksgiving, they doubted Annie would be sent off on any missions that could run the risk of interfering with her holiday.

"I guess I'll be doing some more stretches on the Russian watch desk or one of the South American desks," Annie said thoughtfully.

"Look at the bright side," Auggie offered, "we'll have a little stretch of time to spend some evenings together before Thanksgiving."

Well, Annie pulled off her surprise and to her delight, Auggie enjoyed himself. Check back at the next update to see what happens when they leave to spend time in Glencoe. Thanks so much form reading.