Hey everyone! I am so sorry it took me so long to update! Time, well, it ran away from me. I have actually had this written for a couple months, but I was not satisfied with it. Oh, well.

I know you have no idea what's going on. This is my own little subplot. You will only see very small details of it until it explodes probably in my own version of season five. I still hope you enjoy.

Once again THANK YOU to everyone that Read, Reviewed, and Favorited! I LOVE you all :)

I'll Follow You Down

By Elanen

Eyal Lavin slowly proceeded through the crowd to the parking garage of the IAD Airport. His car was waiting where he had left it.

The Israeli's affinity for all things American had served him well in his life as a spy. So well in fact, that when a Mossad assignment called for an agent in the States, his name was at the top of the list. He had accepted every mission, anything that brought him closer to his sister's killer.

But the Cardinal was dead, and Sarah's death had been avenged.

It was only within the last year or so that coming to Washington DC had started to mean more to him. An opportunity to see a woman that was surly becoming his world.

Leaving the parking garage, he started the hour drive to the Capital.

Knowing his apartment refrigerator should be empty, he stopped at a small organic food market on the way from the airport to his residence. He was now trying to juggle carrying the bags of groceries along with his suitcase while unlocking his apartment door. He managed to get the door open, and he dropped the suitcase at the entrance.

The familiar smell of disuse that usually clung to the place on his infrequent stays was absent.

As he set the food bags on the kitchen counter, he paused. Something was off. The spy glanced about the living room, but he could find nothing to explain his unease. Moving on to the bedroom, he froze.

There was a pair of high-heels laying haphazardly in front of the open closet door.

Eyal fingered the skirts and blouses hanging on the rack, and hesitantly picked up the shoes. These were Annie's.

He knew she had quit staying here after their ill-fated parting in West Virginia. She must have forgotten her things, or she was unwilling to face this place afterwards.

Knowing what he was looking for now, it was easy to spot signs of her. A pair of earrings on the dresser, a brush on the bathroom counter. Seeing her things without her brought an odd hollow feeling to his chest. If he had never confessed his betrayal to her, this would be all he had left of her.

He did not think he could have lived with that.

But it was not so. It was never meant to end that way.

Shrugging the heaviness from his heart, he placed the Italian heels in the closet. Those were her favorite shoes. He would have to remind Annie that she had left them.

Returning to the kitchen, he put the food away. The refrigerator held the remnants of old food and several takeout boxes, the extent of Annie's cooking skills.

He pushed the old to the back and put the fresh food in front. He would clean out everything before he left this time.

Retrieving his suitcase from the hall, he showered and changed clothes, freshening from the long airplane flight.

He spent most of the evening perusing the information Rivka had sent him on Mossad's missing asset.

He finally detected what had set him off in the living room. One of his books had been removed from the bookcase. He it found lying on the end table by the couch. The Count of Monte Cristo He smiled at Annie's choice. There was no book mark, and he wondered how far she had read.

There was so much he still did not know about her, but this line of thought was not conductive to his study. He laughed lightly at himself. It had been a long time since he had acted this way over a girl.

He went back to his study.

The sun had long since set by the time Eyal was ready to retire. He flipped off the last overhead light in the kitchen and was just about to make his way through the dark to the bedroom, when the front door lock rattled.

He was relieved he had left his weapon close. He pulled the gun from a kitchen drawer and flatten himself against the wall.

XXXXX

Annie piled her clothes in her suitcase. She had barely unpacked from her last trip to Colombia, and here she went again. Her flight left early the next morning.

She skimmed through the Exit Packet, Arthur had given her for Teo. If only for Arthur's sake, she hoped this trip would be more successful than her last. She slipped the EP into her purse. Best to keep it close. Arthur had a contact who could push her through Customs without the usual searches.

As she finished packing, her phone rang, and she absently answered. "Yeah?"

"Lisa."

Annie froze. She heard a voice from long ago in her head. Where is she, Lisa? I won't ask again! Her vision began to tunnel, and she realized she had stopped breathing.

"We need to talk."

The past disappeared, and she inhaled in a rush. "How did you get this number?" She struggled to control her shaking voice.

"It really wasn't that hard." The man remarked. "Listen, we need to talk. In person. It's important."

"No!"

"Come on, Lisa. I know where you are."

She hung up on him, and looked around her room in alarm. How had he found her?

I know where you are. I know where you are.

Her home suddenly felt cold and frightening. She had to get out of here. She knew her fear was unfounded. She was a grown woman and a CIA operative, but the child she used to be could not contain her terror. Her eyes fell on her keys. There was only one place she would feel safe. She grabbed her purse and fled.

XXXXX

Eyal held his breath as the front door opened and closed. Few people knew of this place. Someone either followed him from the airport, or it was a thief with no connection to him. Neither theory seemed likely.

The locked clicked into place. What thief locks a door behind them?

The intruder moved forward and turned into the bedroom.

From his vantage point, Eyal had a clear view of the bedroom. Even in the dark, he knew her the moment he saw her. It was Annie.

She turned on the bedside lamp, and tossed her phone and keys beside it. She was obviously distraught about something. She sank to the edge of the bed and buried her face in her hands.

He placed his gun on the counter, and he was about to make his presents know when her cell phone startled her. Annie's head jerked up. She reached for the phone, and he could see the panic written on her face.

"No, no, no!" She dropped the device on the floor and crushed it with her shoe. "You can't trace me. You can't find me. You can't control me." Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Not here." She finished in a whisper. She rolled over on the bed away from the door.

"Annie?" Eyal hesitated as he came into the bedroom.

She jerked up, and he realized he had scared her. She hastily wiped at her eyes. "What are you doing here?" She half laughed, half sobbed. "I'm sorry. This is your place. What am I saying?"

He sat beside her on the bed. "What's going on, Neshama?" He put his hand on her arm, but she pulled back.

"I'm sorry. I should go."

"Annie?" He tried again to touch her, but she resisted.

"I have to get out of here." She was talking more to herself than to him. His presents was scaring her, and he realized in her fear she was unaware of who he was.

He didn't want to frighten her, but he hated to leave her in this state. He caught her arms from behind and pinned her against him. "You're safe, Annie." He whispered in her ear. He released her.

She stopped struggling as his voice washed over her. "Eyal." She relaxed in his arms, and then started to cry again.

"I can go, if you wish me to." He offered. "You will be safe here."

"No, please don't leave me." She was still trying to get herself under control.

Eyal was relieved when she didn't refuse him. As much as he wanted to know what had put her in this state, he knew she wasn't ready to talk. "Lay down, Annie." He gently pushed her into her former position on the bed. He removed her high heels, and propped himself up on his elbow next to her. She pulled his other arm down around her. He drew her back against him, and silently held her as she sobbed.

He could just see the beginning of the bandage that covered her shoulder. The dark bruise on her neck stood out. He gently brushed her hair out of the way and ran his finger over the outline. It looked worse than she had let on over the phone. Eyal wondered if part of that story was what led her here tonight, but it would not explain the damage to her phone. Seth Newman was dead. Whoever had frightened her was on the other end of that unanswered call.

He kissed her lightly behind the ear. He continued to softly kiss her on the neck until her breath evened out, and she fell asleep.

XXXXX

Annie was alone in bed when she woke. The night came back to her in a haze, and she took several calming breaths. Everything seemed worse in the dark of night.

She rolled out of bed, and noticed the pieces of her damaged phone had been removed from the carpet. She would have to get a new one now.

She showered, and was glad to remember she had fresh clothes in the closet. She had just finished dressing when she heard Eyal return from wherever he had been this morning.

She was nervous to face him after last night. She had been such a wreck. No doubt he would have questions she didn't want to answer.

He smiled at her when she entered the kitchen, and handed her a cup of coffee. It was from the small coffee shop on the corner. If Eyal was passing on the chance to cook an actual breakfast, he must have somewhere he had to be soon.

"What are you doing in Washington?" Maybe not the best question to start with, but she was good at avoidance. "Not that I'm not happy to see you…" She trailed off, and he laughed lightly.

"One of our assets in Iran, a Pedro Bara, is missing. Mossad tracked him here."

"And you're supposed to find him, and force him to return?"

"He's one of our best assets, Annie. But not only that, we think he was kidnapped. His father is a very powerful leader in his country. We think whoever wanted him paid off his bodyguard."

She nodded and sipped her coffee. "You have a lead."

"I do." He nodded. "You could come with me…" He knew it was a long shot. She had her own work to complete, but he did not want to leave her yet.

"I'm sorry about last night." Time to take the plunge.

Eyal blinked at the turn in conversation. He realized she had been working herself up to say these words.

"I just showed up. I had no idea you were here…" She tried to apologize.

He touched her arm. "I never rescinded my offer for you to stay here, Annie. You are always welcome no matter what."

She nodded hesitantly.

"I have something for you." Eyal moved around the counter and retrieved something from a drawer, and offered it to her. It was a cell phone. "I added a little Lavin touch. It masks which cell towers you bounce off. It is completely untraceable and secure. I took the liberty of adding my number in case you had not memorized my new one."

She stared it at it in shock for a moment. Eyal was caught off guard when Annie threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

He wrapped his arms about her.

"Thank you." Her voice shook, and she swallowed back tears.

"What happened, Annie?" He asked in concern.

She pulled back, and he could see she was agitated at his question. "I, uh, I have a plane to catch." She avoided his gaze.

He nodded. She didn't want to talk about it, and he wasn't going to push.

She slipped the mobile in her purse.

"You are headed back to Colombia."

"Yeah, Henry wants me to take out Teo, and Arthur wants me to bring him in."

"What are you going to do?" He walked her to the door.

"Whatever feels right." She shrugged

Catching her arm, he pulled her into another hug. "I meant what I said, Neshama. You are always welcome here, whether I am here or not." He reluctantly let her go.

"Thank you. Good luck finding your missing asset. I'd go with you if I could."

He smiled at her, and leaning back against the doorjamb he watched her walk away.

TBC in Into the White