"I guess this means I'll finally get around to setting up that safe house you bugged me about so much." Annie said after her second shot. They were both sipping on beer as well.
"Hmmm. I would offer to help, but since I can't know the location of your safe house..."
"That's okay. Not sure how I'll explain this to Scott, though."
"Scott?" Auggie asked.
Annie felt a blush creeping up. "Oh, he's um... A doctor that I've gone on a couple of dates with. Nothing serious. But I don't know how to explain suddenly moving and not being able to tell him my new address."
"You'll be able to figure something out." Auggie said, absentmindedly. "Why haven't you told me about him?"
"That information is need-to-know." Annie replied.
Auggie nodded and took a long sip of his beer.
"Auggie Anderson, are you jealous?" Annie teased, carefully watching his features.
Auggie smiled and gave a sly grin. "As your handler, this is something I may have needed to know about."
"I'll send Reva a memo." Annie didn't take her eyes away from Auggie. He did seem slightly jealous. "In the meantime, Scott and I are supposed to go to Seneca Rocks on Saturday, but I guess that isn't happening."
Auggie sighed. "This career isn't conducive to happy relationships."
Annie huffed. "That's an understatement."
They both were quiet for a moment and Annie poured another round. "Any idea what Liza was asking about?"
Auggie tilted his head. "If I did, I couldn't tell you."
"I guess we are going to have a lot of secrets between us. I'm not used to that."
Auggie nodded and accepted the shot she handed over. "Yeah."
They swallowed the liquor and sat in silence a moment. "What have I been missing in the DPD?" Auggie asked.
For the next hour Annie updated him on Jai's discontent, Reva's odd behavior, and how Barber was adjusting to his new boss. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Should I hide in a closet in case it's your boyfriend?" Auggie asked with a whisper.
Annie giggled. They were both a bit tipsy.
"He's not my boyfriend. But if it's him, I'll give you a warning and you can climb out the window, like a respectable spy."
Auggie grinned.
"Closest one is at your five o'clock" she whispered, practically in his ear, before she went downstairs. Her breath made his skin tingle.
Auggie reached for his cane, just in case. He stood in front of the couch, perfectly still and listening.
"Danielle?" Annie said, her tone questioning and accusing as she opened the door.
Auggie exhaled and move toward the stairs.
"I worried about the two of you holed up in here with a bottle of tequila and no food. So I brought you some sandwiches."
"You really didn't have to do that." Annie replied add she took the plate of perfect little triangles.
"I know I didn't. Consider it a peace offering. I mean, you still have to move out, but I don't want you to think I don't care. I'll leave you two alone with your CIA clubhouse for now."
"Thank you, Danielle." Annie said with sincerity. Then she closed and locked the door.
"She knows I'm here?"Auggie asked as Annie came up the stairs.
"Yeah. It was an incidental confession at the unplanned read-in."
"I had more faith in your skills."
"Our evasive techniques rarely work with family. She keeps a good secret."
"And makes a good sandwich, I'm sure. What kind did she bring?"
Annie rolled her eyes at the fact Auggie had listened in on the whole conversation. "Looks like a variety. Turkey, something with cream cheese, and a pb&j."
"She takes good care of you." Auggie said as he picked up a sandwich and sniffed it.
"A little too much sometimes. I may enjoy the distance."
Later, Annie and Auggie were sufficiently caught up with each other's lives, as well as pleasantly drunk. Auggie checked the time.
"Wow. I didn't realize it was so late. I should get home."
"I would offer you a ride, but I shouldn't be driving right now. Do you want to stay?"
Annie asked the question without thinking, but realized it could be taken more than one way as soon as it left her lips. Auggie himself seemed to be questioning her intent for a moment.
"I have several meetings tomorrow and need to be fresh. I'll call a cab."
Annie walked out to the courtyard with him and they waited for his ride.
"Thank you for this." Auggie said. "I needed an evening to unwind. Even if we couldn't go to Allen's."
"Anytime." Annie replied. "Well, anytime I have a place where you can visit without breaking protocol, which might be a while. But we'll work something out."
The car arrived and Annie led Auggie out. He gave her arm a squeeze and opened the door. "It will work out with Danielle. I promise."
…
Saturday morning, Annie was in her new apartment installing a safe when her phone rang.
"Are you sure you don't want to come help me unload boxes?" Annie answered.
"Protocol is protocol, dear." Auggie replied. "As much as I would love to help."
"I could drive around the block three times and not tell you where we are."
"Do you want me to give you advice on where to hang pictures?"
"I don't really own any art. Just shoes."
Auggie laughed. "Everything going okay otherwise?"
"As well as it can. How about you?"
"Same old same old." Auggie replied. "You know, I don't think I've ever been able to use that phrase to describe my life."
"I'm sure you have. You just don't remember the super-boring times." Annie's phone beeped and she checked the caller ID. "Auggie, the office is beeping in. I'll talk to you later."
Annie pushed the button to switch the call. "Hello?"
"Annie, we need you to come in." Reva said.
"Right now?"
"Of course right now. I would have said if it were otherwise."
"Okay."
Annie put away her power tools and sighed. Her safe house seemed so big and empty. She didn't mind leaving it to go get work done.
...
Soon after getting off the phone with Annie, Auggie got a call call of his own.
"How good is Reva?" Arthur asked, as a greeting.
"As good as it gets, Sir." Auggie replied.
"No, you are as good as it gets. She doesn't have field experience. Are you sure there isn't another handler with field experience and better instincts?"
"I'm sure there are, sir. But they wouldn't have the technological know-how that Reva does."
"So she's the best at the technical portion?"
"She's very good." Auggie was pretending that this wasn't the most random phone call from his boss on a Saturday morning.
"Okay." Arthur said as a goodbye before hanging up.
After the fourth phone call from Arthur, Auggie decided to go to the office.
"Auggie! What brings you around the DPD this Saturday?" Arthur asked.
Auggie pinched his eyebrows, but played along. "Got lost on the way to the gym."
"You aren't dressed for the gym, which I find unlikely anyway, since it's on a different floor and you have been coming to the DPD for years." Reva replied.
"Auggie, since you are here, let me read you in."
Auggie could hear a resigned huff from Reva, and grinned. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to watch over your shoulder."
"Obviously I wasn't worried about that."
Arthur explained the situation and Auggie realized that the man was worried sick for his wife. He felt for Reva. The woman hadn't been on the job long, and she was having to work with Arthur questioning every decision.
After being read in, Auggie asked Reva what tech was sent.
"Arthur, she is right. Two way communication would have been too much of a risk. This way you can see what is going on, and send in backup if needed. Reva, you have backup on hand?"
"Of course. I'm not an idiot."
"Arthur. You are in good hands. Don't worry."
"I know that. I just..." Arthur sighed. "It's hard not to worry with Joan out there."
"Joan knows what she's doing. As do Ben and Annie. They will be fine. I'll be in the gym."
Auggie was surprised to get through his workout without interruption, so he stopped by the DPD after a quick shower. He found Reva alone.
"Everything turn out okay?"
"The hostages were freed, except one that was in on the situation. He is in custody with the other attackers. Annie and Joan are on their way back now." Reva explained everything as if reading from a list.
Auggie propped himself on the side of her desk. "How are you?"
She sighed. "In the DST I knew what to expect every day. This is just so unpredictable."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"I can usually find some sort of order among disorder. There are patterns and I can form expectations. I just feel like I can't find the pattern here."
"There is none. It will get easier. Sorry to show up today. I knew Arthur was going crazy, but I didn't want to step on your toes."
"It's okay. He backed off after you talked to him, so I appreciate the intrusion."
Auggie sighed. "I miss the chaos."
Reva looked at him like he was crazy.
"The OCA is so structured. I have a schedule, right now, that tells me 75% of what I'll do next week. And that other 25% is going to be filled with rumors and diversions."
"Sounds relaxing from where I'm sitting."
Auggie smiled. "On that note, I'm going to go enjoy an interruption free weekend. Glad everything came out okay."
"Thank you Auggie."