Chapter 8: Columbia

DISCLAIMER: SOME STRONG LANGUAGE AND CONTENT. NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN.

A/N: I do no own Covert Affairs or anything affiliated with it.

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Auggie was playing with the ring on his third finger. It felt strange to be wearing one again after Helen. He never thought he would be wearing a wedding band again after her, even if this was fake. Annie's hand was in his and he could feel the wedding set on her finger as well. Man. Joan sure didn't cheap out. This rock on her finger has got to be worth thousands, he thought. Auggie again had wished he could have seen Annie's face when Barber had given it to her. Though not real, he was sure her eyes must have lit up at the sight of this precious stone that now resided on her finger. He smiled at the thought. They were sitting at an outdoor table in front of a cafe. Sitting there, holding her hand like this, reminded him of another mission they had done together a million years ago in Barcelona.

"There he is, Auggie, at our 10 o'clock. C'mon, you have to 'accidentally' go bump into them." Annie's voice pulled him from his reverie.

Auggie stood from the table and let his cane unfold and snap into place. Unlike any other time, Annie did not extend her arm out for him to grasp. Instead, she began screaming at him. "Sure! Fine! Go ahead then! Go you asshole! I won't sit here and listen to your fucking lies!" For good measure, Annie slapped him across the face and stormed off in the opposite direction of where their person of interest was standing.

Fighting back a grin, Auggie started walking in the direction of the man. He listened intently to make sure he would run smack into him. Sure enough, whack, he felt his cane hit him in the leg.

"Hey, man, watch where you swing that, heh?" the man said in a thick Russian accent.

Auggie stopped and extended his hand out to the man. "Sorry, bro. Didn't see ya there. Wasn't really payin' too close attention, I guess. Damn wife left me to fend for myself out here. Like I know how to get around here, right?" Auggie plastered on his best 'I'm harmless and friendly, honestly' face.

The man grasped Auggie's hand and shook it. "Women, they are nothing but trouble, no? What you do to her? That one hell of a slap, that was."

"Oh, she thinks I'm screwing some pretty waitress that's been all over me since we've been down here. Or, she says she's pretty. I wouldn't know, right?"

The man laughed. "Hey, uh, just between you and me, are you? Eh, screwing this waitress?" He bumped Auggie in the ribs with his elbow.

Auggie grinned at the man. "What can I say? Women love a sexy blind guy, right?"

Laughing again, the man clapped Auggie on the back. "Oh, you funny you are. Name's Halvar."

"Auggie."

Halvar pondered for a moment then asked, "Say, you American, yes?"

"Yep, good ole U S of A."

"Say, if you want make up with your wife, I got some stuff I trying to sell. Make good present for her. Pretty artworks for the lady. Women, they like that stuff. What you say?"

"Well, it's not like I can look at it, Halvar. For all I know you could be selling me blank canvas. Now wouldn't I look the fool if I came back to our hotel room with blank canvas saying 'Sorry honey'?"

"Ah, this true." He seemed to seriously think about this for a moment. "Tell you what, Auggie, I give you card, tell your pretty wife that she come look at what I got, pick anything she can. On house."

"On the house? What's the catch?" Auggie looked in his direction, suspiciously.

"Well, since you ask, my associates trying to get some things to his 'friends' in America. But, eh, you know these customs men, they so hard to get through. If you could take back for us, we call even. You get wife off back we get stuff to America. Simple, no?"

Auggie played at thinking about it for a moment. "Sure, man, you got a deal. Anything to keep that crazy bitch happy, right?" He extended his hand out for Halvar to give him the card.

Halvar handed him the card. "When she come, you come too. We give you stuff and tell where take it."

"Sure thing man, thanks a million." He slipped the card in his pocket and nodded his goodbye. Like taking candy from a baby, he thought. Auggie walked off in the direction of the hotel where Annie would be waiting for him to give her the intel.

Annie hadn't liked the idea of leaving Auggie alone but Joan had ok'ed it. She paced the hotel room nervously until she finally heard the tell-tale swish-clack of his cane. Flying over to the door, she flung it open and exclaimed, "Bout time!"

"Jeez, Walker, when have I ever rushed you like this?" Auggie grinned at her as he felt his way into the room with his cane. Annie extended her arm out to him. He folded his cane and grasped her arm.

"Well, anything?" she asked, impatiently.

As she led him over to the couch, he said "Patience. By the way, that slap really stung!" He held his face, pretending to be in real pain.

Annie rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, you big crybaby!" She leaned in and kissed his cheek where she had slapped him. "Better?"

"Much!" Getting more serious, he started telling her about the encounter with Halvar. After he had finished and showed her the card, she sighed.

"Five weeks here and this is all we've got. Well, atleast Joan let us do more than observe them. I was dying to do anything but take pictures and follow them!"

Auggie started running his fingers up and down her back. "Well, you know, that's not all we've done..." He suddenly grasped her around the waist with both hands, leaned in and started kissing her neck.

Small sounds of pleasure escaped her throat before she protested unconvincingly, "Auggie!" and feigned pushing him away.

He pressed her down onto the couch, reached under her shirt with one hand, while the other pulled her lips to his. "I can't get enough of you, Annie. Every inch of you begs to be touched." His hand went farther up her shirt. "Kissed." His lips ran a course down her jawline to her neck. "I need you, Annie."

"You never need anyone," she breathed out.

"I need you." He stopped his ministrations and looked up at her face, very seriously. She always wondered how he could act like he was meeting her gaze even though he obviously couldn't. "I always need you."

Annie reached up and held his face in her hands. "I need you, too. I always have." She leaned in and kissed him. As she pulled away she said, "We really should focus on work right now, though."

Auggie sighed and nodded. "You're right." He leaned back and allowed her to sit up and straighten herself.

"So, when exactly was I supposed to go look at these paintings?"

"He said to call him and set it up. I don't know, Walker. It all seems a little too convenient to me. We follow them for weeks and get nothing and then all of a sudden, wham, info out the ass?"

"I know, but what else can we do? This is the first lead we've had." She smiled and nudged him. "Besides, you'll be there too, ya know."

"Damn straight, I'll be there. You know how hard it always was for me to be stuck behind a desk back at Langley while you always went into these situations alone?"

Annie grasped his hand in hers. "I know."

There was a moment of pure understanding and clarity that passed between them. The weeks spent in Columbia had brought them so much closer, even more so than before Annie went dark. Annie had continued receiving her therapy sessions via video chat weekly. Auggie had even been a part of a few of them. They were doing so well. Annie hoped it could stay this way forever. She never wanted to lose the feeling she had right now, in this moment, holding his hand. So simple, yet so satisfying.

"Well, I guess I better set up that meeting then, huh?" Annie reached for her burner cell sitting on the coffee table.

Auggie leaned over and starting lightly nibbling on her earlobe. "Only if afterwards I can take you to that very large, very comfy bed, Walker."

She giggled, "Oh you just try and stop me."

Annie dialed the number on the card Halvar had given Auggie. As it began ringing, Auggie stood up and slowly began unbuttoning his shirt for her benefit. She gulped. Why does he have to be so damn sexy all the time? I can't think! She thought. As he turned away from her to walk to the bedroom, she noticed the tattoo on his back. It had always fascinated her. It was just so... Auggie.

Halvar picked up the other end of the line. "Ya?"

She shook her head to get back in the game. "Yes, hello. My husband, Auggie, said you had some artwork to show us? He promised me something spectacular to take home."

"Ah, yes, yes, the pretty lady. Here, I give you address, you come tonight, seven, yes?"

Annie confirmed that seven would be fine, took down the address, thanked Halvar for his help and hung up.

Auggie called from the bedroom, "Get that sexy ass in here before I carry it in!"

As she got up from the couch and went to the bedroom she replied, "How would you know my ass is sexy?"

"Oh, you challenge my abilities?"

"Never, Mr. Anderson." she said as she climbed into bed beside him.

"Good," he said as he kissed her, deeply.

As they pulled into the parking lot of the address Halvar had given her, Annie had a cold sense of dread overwhelm her. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. Giving Auggie's hand a quick squeeze, she exited the car and came around to lend him her arm. What stood before them was what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. As they neared the door it suddenly swung open.

"Auggie! Pretty wife! Yes, you come, come." Halvar beckoned them inside.

Annie plastered on her best fake smile and entered the building. "Annie, please." she said as she passed Halvar.

"Yes, Annie. Come, look at what we have for you! I will discuss, eh, business with Auggie." Halvar practically dragged Annie away from Auggie to a separate room. "You look, tell me what you like. Take whatever you please, yes?"

Annie nodded at him and started acting as if the artwork had all of her attention. Halvar left her and closed the door behind him. Whipping out her cell phone, Annie immediately started taking photos of all the artwork and sent it to Barber for analysis. If the art was stolen, that would confirm their theory that they were trying to fund activities in the name of Belenko.

After collecting photos of everything in the room, Annie went over to the door and tried to open it. Locked. Damn, not good. She leaned in and listened as hard as she could. She couldn't hear much but then suddenly she heard loud voices and scuffling.

"Get him, damnit! How hard is it to get one fucking blind guy knocked out, you idiots!" she heard an American voice saying.

Shit! They're trying to take down Auggie! Annie tried finding a way out and found an air duct above some boxes. She had to get to Auggie. Just as she had finished climbing up and pulling the vent closed behind her, two men came barging into the room where she had just been, looking for her.

"Where are you, you American bitch!" one of them screamed. Annie stayed perfectly still. She couldn't help Auggie if she got caught. They began scouring the room, searching for her.

"Hey, just leave her! We got the one we wanted." A voice from the man room called out. The two men left. She heard the telltale sounds of car doors slamming shut and tires screeching away.

Quickly, she climbed back down from the vent and ran out just in time to see a van driving away with the love of her life presumably in the back. She managed to get the license plate before it turned out of sight.

As fast as she could, Annie ran for her car only to find her tires slashed. Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck! She thought. She kicked at the door, slammed her fists against the window, and collapsed against the side of the car. Her breathing had suddenly become rapid and shallow. Her heart beating frantically. Fumbling, Annie reached for the emergency injection she kept in her pocket and jabbed it into her leg. Slowly, her heartrate and breathing normalized. She hadn't needed an injection in nearly two months. What a great time to fucking need one.

Annie pulled out her cell and called Joan.

"Annie?" Joan's voice said from the other side.

"They've got him, Joan. They've got Auggie."