Chapter 3: The Breakup, Continued

A/N: I suppose I should state that I do not own Covert Affairs or anything affiliated with it. Please review and tell me what you think. I don't know how long I'm going to make this, it just depends on where the story takes me. I haven't written in a very long time so I'm a bit rusty, sorry about that. Hope you enjoy!

Annie didn't want to do this. She wasn't brave enough for it. But she had promised Auggie that they would put the work in and try and that had to begin with this unfortunate task. She sighed, straightened her navy blue pant suit jacket and stepped through the glass doors of McQuaid Security. Making her way up to Ryan's office seemed like a dream, a haze. Was she really going to do this? This man had just proposed to her and offered her a very high paying job, not to mention he's pretty wealthy himself, and she was going up to tell him no to everything. Of course she was! What was she thinking? She didn't love Ryan the way she thought he might be starting to love her, the way she knew she loved Auggie, and his promise of field work and high pay wasn't enough to keep her here. The C.I.A. was her home, it always had been, and with Joan's promise of field work as long as Annie kept up on her condition and looked into possible treatment options it was really the only place she could go. Especially with Auggie's triumphant return as well.

When she stepped off of the elevator she saw Ryan standing in his office talking to someone on his blue tooth. She lightly knocked on his door, he waved her in and she took a seat and waited for him to finish his conversation.

"Yes, yes, of course, that's fine. You got it. Uh huh. Yes sir. That's right. Ok then, good. See you then! Uh huh. Goodbye." He clicked off his earpiece and turned to Annie and sighed. "Hey. So, I assume you're here to give an answer to atleast one of my offers?" He smiled, confidently.

Annie stood and mentally prepared herself. "Yes, yes I have an answer to both actually."

Ryan's face fell. "So, that's it then, huh? You're gonna go be a desk jockey?"

"Well, no, actually. Joan has made me some assurances..."

"Assurances? C'mon Annie, you know as well as I do that that will last all of five seconds."

Annie put her hand out in front of herself and said, "Ryan, stop, please. I have to get this out." She sighed and began again. "Joan promised me field work and that's all I can say about it. I did come to tell you no to the job but there's the other matter as well."

"My proposal." He said, simply.

"Yes, that. Look, Ryan, I can't marry you. I'm not in love with you like I thought I might be. I was fooling myself into believing it because I thought the person I do love was lost to me. It wouldn't be right for me to marry you knowing that my heart is really with him. We've decided to try to make it work."

Ryan lowered his head and held it there for a moment before looking up at her. "Auggie?" he stated, flatly.

"Yes, Auggie."

"Why him, Annie? Didn't you guys have a go at it and fail miserably?"

"Yes, but the circumstances were very different and we've both had time to think and sort things out. We're ready to try again. I love him, Ryan. So much. When he was kidnapped all I kept thinking was what if I never saw him again? What if I never got to tell him exactly how I feel about him? Tell him how much he means to me? I realized some things in our search for him that I hadn't been willing to admit before then, but I am now."

He just stared at her, unmoving.

"Say something would you?" she asked of him.

"What do you want me to say? You've obviously made up your mind and I know better by now than to try to talk you out of it. You've said what you wanted to say, I assume?"

"Yes, I suppose..."

"Ok, well I have a lot of work to do to rebuild my company, so if you'll excuse me..."

"Ryan..."

"No, Annie, it's ok. I understand. We don't have to keep talking about it. I knew you loved him, deep down, I just didn't want to admit that to myself. The two of you wear that part of yourselves on your sleeves. Bad for spywork, let me tell you." He gave her the tiniest of smirks.

Her face reddened at his mention of them being so obvious. "Ok, well, if that's how you want it. Good-bye Ryan. Good luck."

"Same to you, Annie"