Auggie stepped out of his Monday morning meeting with Arthur and was greeted by the smell of Tom Ford Azure Lime.
"Auggie, what a surprise running into you here!" Jai greeted.
"Yes Jai, what a surprise, you finding me walking out of the office of my supervisor." Auggie quipped. "Did waiting at the men's room seem too tedious?"
"I was actually coming to speak to Arthur. How are things in the OCA these days?"
"Just peachy." Auggie replied. He added a very fake smile to drive the point home.
"Well if there's anything you need me to do, just let me know."
"I'll keep that in mind." Auggie replied with the same fake smile before walking out.
The next morning, Auggie and Annie were supposed to meet in the gym before work. He didn't think much of her being late, and even when he had finished his workout alone, he wasn't too concerned. Annie's life wasn't always conducive to being able to call and cancel.
After his workout, he ended up behind Reva at the coffee cart. "Reva, is Annie on a mission?"
"That's classified." Reva responded.
Auggie looked confused. "I have clearance."
"The others in this line may not."
Auggie rolled his eyes and gave a slight nod.
Back at his desk, Auggie called Annie's personal number. She answered on the third ring.
"So you aren't working." Auggie stated.
"Oh my gosh. We had gym plans, didn't we?"
"It's okay. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Now I am."
"Anything you can tell me about?"
"Are you heading to the Hill today?"
"I can." Auggie replied. "Though I'm not sure what good can come of that response."
…
Auggie carefully entered the restaurant, standing still a moment to see if Annie called out. Instead, he was greeted by a hostess.
"Can I help you sir?" She asked.
"I'm meeting a friend," He responded. "I'm assuming she's not here yet."
"We don't have anybody here waiting. Would you like me to go ahead and seat you at a table?"
"Please." Auggie responded. "There will just be two of us. If you have something particularly private, that would be best."
"No problem." She guided him to a table in the back of the restaurant. She put his hand on a chair facing the entrance, so he maneuvered to find the one facing the opposite direction. Annie would want the view of the door.
A few minutes later, she walked up to the table. "Sorry I'm late."
"It's all good. What's up?"
She sat across from him and leaned over the table. "My asset was poisoned last night."
"The Chinese contact that got Jai's panties in a twist?"
"Somebody put radioactive materials in his soup bowl."
"Here?"
"I had the same soup." Annie replied.
Auggie's eyes widened. "That's a close call, Walker."
"Yeah. I spent the night in the hospital for observation, but they only got him."
Auggie reached across the table for her hand. "I wish I knew."
"I was fine." Annie replied.
"So what is the lead now?" Auggie didn't let go of her hand.
"Nothing. State asked us to step down."
"That's unfortunate. Are you?" Auggie asked with a smirk.
Annie huffed. "Don't have much choice. Can't test the soup bowl for the radioactive signature off-book. Can't get State to back down. My asset is dying, Auggie, and I can't do anything."
Auggie could hear the pleading in her voice. "Every spy knows the risk." He said solemnly.
...
The next day, Annie was at her desk when Joan came by. "Annie, have you seen Jai this morning?" She asked.
"He said something yesterday about working at the State Department for his cover some today." Annie replied, truthfully.
Joan gave her a look that showed she wasn't accepting this news at face value.
"Joan, I know we are supposed to stand down. But Shen Yue left me this information about Xe Pang and it shows that he is an owner in a mine that produces polonium. The fact that Yue was poisoned and there is this connection is too coincidental. We have the soup bowls from the dinner, if we just test them for a radioactive signature..."
Joan turned and walked away without responding or listening to the end of Annie's explanation. Annie huffed and sat back, frustrated.
She called Auggie on his internal line.
"Anderson." He answered.
"Gym?" Annie replied.
"I'd love to, but I'm knee deep in smoothing done things over between us and the State Department. Know anything about that?" His tone implied that he knew she was involved.
Annie practically growled. "There's a connection Auggie. And if I could look into it, I would prove it."
"I believe you. But Jai is over at State ruffling feathers, and I'm having to clean up the mess."
"Sorry." Annie replied.
"Don't be. It is the most exciting part of my week so far. And I'm on your side. I'll call you later."
"Thanks, Auggie."
Just after getting off the phone with Annie, Arthur called and asked Auggie to come to his office.
"Sir?" Auggie asked.
"I want you to come with me over to State. Steve Barr is bullying my wife, and I'm not going to take it."
"Why do you need me?"
"You can hold your own if it comes to blows. I'm not so sure about anyone else I would trust to take with me."
Auggie grinned. "So, I'm going as your bodyguard?"
"Think of it as my backup."
"Fine by me."
"Besides, I worry about your mental health not being around any action. I remember what it was like when I first moved away from field ops."
Auggie bit his lip to keep from making a comment about how little Arthur could really know about how stifled Auggie felt. He was happy to get out of the office, no matter what the real reason was.
"Arthur! What brings you to this side of the Potomac?" Auggie heard the voice boom. "And with Mister Anderson, as well. This must be important."
"Let's discuss this in my office." Arthur stated, turning toward the men's restrooms. Auggie had Arthur's elbow in one hand with his cane and a large secure container in the other. He dropped the elbow as they entered the swinging door, and positioned his body across the doorway, blocking the exit.
"I've got good people, Steve. They have made some great connections in regards to Xe Pang, and you aren't allowing them to act on them."
"Arthur, it is never our intention to get in the way of the CIA, but we have an active investigation."
"As do we, and the documentation, as well as the soup bowl that Pang used to poison our asset is in this case." Auggie could hear Arthur push the statesman against the wall. "You bigfoot the CIA, you play hardball with my wife, and you expect me to sit back and take this shit? This is what we do."
Arthur released Steve and stepped away.
"Would you like a mint?" Her asked Auggie as he walked toward the door. Auggie heard the candies in the bowl.
"Don't mind if I do." He placed his hand out and a few mints landed on the surface. Auggie popped them in his mouth and followed Arthur's footsteps into the lobby.
"I wish you could have seen the look on his face." Arthur said, once they were out of earshot.
"Stunned silence says a lot." Auggie replied. "I do like your style. May I use that tactic with Congress?"
"Hell no." Arthur replied, serious.
Auggie noticed there was somebody waiting for him when he returned to his office. "Well hello, Jai."
"Hello, Auggie."
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Auggie asked as he walked around his desk.
"Did you do that clean up job at State?" Jai asked.
"Sure."
"I don't need you to fight my battles, you know." While the words were tense, the tone was soft.
"It was no big deal." Auggie replied, his tone implying his message of "You're welcome."
There was an awkward silence while Jai lingered at Auggie's desk.
"Everything okay?" Auggie asked.
"Yeah. Sorry to intrude. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of that."
Auggie knew he was lying. "Sure. No problem."
"I'll head back to the DPD now. Don't be a stranger." Jai said awkwardly.
"Okay." Auggie replied, slowly. He heard Jai move toward the door. "Hey," He called.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for taking care of Annie this week."
"Why would you thank me for that?" Jai asked. "You aren't the only one that cares for her, you know."
"Yeah," He replied. "She got lucky this time."
"She shouldn't have been the one handling the case."
Auggie raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.
"Joan was foolish to put somebody as inexperienced as her in charge of such a sensitive case. It should have been mine."
"No matter who was sitting at the table, Shen Yue would have been poisoned."
"Perhaps, but it should have been me."
"So is that why you are here? To complain about Joan's managerial practices?" Auggie asked.
"Of course not." Jai's tone insinuated that Auggie wasn't worthy of hearing those complaints. "I'll head back downstairs now."
...
Annie sat at her desk, staring at the pair of tickets she bought for the Nationals game, fighting her emotions.
"What's wrong?" The voice came from above her and she looked up to see a concerned look on Jai's face.
"Shen Yue wanted to see a baseball game, so I bought these. I'm not sure what to do with them now. You want them?" Annie handed the tickets over.
"You should go, in his honor."
"Baseball games are no fun alone."
"Take your boyfriend." Jai suggested.
Annie rolled her eyes and didn't respond.
"Why sure, Annie, I'd love to see a baseball game with you." Jai said mockingly.
Annie smiled. "Thanks, Jai."
"I was just going to hang out with my dad. You are doing me a bigger favor than you think."
Auggie sat on the couch listening to the Nationals game, drinking a beer. He had never felt so lonely, and wasn't sure what to do about it.
A/N Sorry for the super-long delay on this. I had hoped that the contents of Henry's file would help me out, but no such luck.