Friday evening, Parker arrived at Auggie's apartment with an overnight bag. It seemed odd for the second date to involve an overnight bag, but nothing about this whole situation was normal. In her head, this was a weekend tryst with a man that she had sexual attraction with, and even if they wanted it to go further, it couldn't. He was her brother's comrade in arms, and she was moving away for two years. So the overnight bag was perfect for the weekend's intent: nothing long term, just hanging out.
When he opened the door her breath caught in her throat. He was still dressed for work, having only loosened his grey tie that contrasted nicely with the black shirt unbuttoned at the top.
"Come on in." He greeted.
Parker stepped inside and sat her bag out of the way. "Good to see you." She said.
He gave her his most disarming smile. "Don't get all weird on me now. I have a fun weekend planned."
"Oh?"
"Are you hungry or anything?"
"I ate on the way here." She replied.
"Good. Make yourself at home if you want anything. Just try to put things back, or I may never find them again." He spoke as he poured her a glass of wine from the bottle he had already opened.
...
Annie agreed to lots of blind dates, knowing that most of them would never happen. Unfortunately, she had been following through with them recently, without the call of work to keep her away. This is how she found herself pretending that she was having a good time at a blues bar with a very nice man that was completely boring.
The call from Rossabi couldn't have come at a better time. She ditched the blues bar to drive off with her friendly local G-Man.
As they drove around DC, Rossabi explained that somebody from the CIA was messing with his confidential informant, and he couldn't get any cooperation from the official Agency channels in stopping the meets. Annie, anxious for any sort of action, offered to help.
"Your John is really making a name for himself." Rossabi commented as he drove Annie to her car.
She responded with a smile.
"Send him my congratulations."
"I will." She responded.
After parting ways she called Reva, who searched the CIA databases for the person Rossabi had described and found nothing. Annie didn't bother asking for Reva's opinion before going to the bar to meet the imposter.
She was pleased to find Eyal Levine at the corner booth. He stood to greet her. She went to sit across from him, prompting him to explain. "If you sit there, your back would be to the door. Then again that doesn't seem to bother your colleague a few tables down."
Annie followed Eyal's eyes three tables across the crowded room to the sight of Auggie sitting across from Parker. They were both smiling, and he was leaning across the table toward her as he spoke. He looked relaxed and happy, which she hadn't seen from him much. This must have been the woman he was with earlier that week.
Annie's prolonged evaluation did not escape Eyal's attention. "You are close?" He asked, pulling her away from staring.
She pinched her lips together and took the seat next to Eyal instead of responding.
"Pretty ballsy of the CIA, putting a blind man out there as the face of the Agency."
"I'm not here to talk about Anderson." Annie replied.
Eyal's face lit up with recognition. "That's Auggie!" He laughed at himself. "Of course. Why didn't I put that together before? He was your handler."
Annie nodded. Eyal knew too much for her to try to evade.
"You put a lot of trust in a blind guy." Eyal commented. His tone was neither accusatory or judgmental.
"He played a pretty big role in saving your life a time or two."
"I'll be sure to thank him one day." He responded.
"Eyal," Annie's tone was serious. "Why are you impersonating the CIA?"
...
"Wow," Parker said.
"What?"
"A couple just walked out of here staring you down."
Auggie shrugged. "People are fascinated by the blind guy. Even more now that I'm the blind spy." He wiggled his eyebrows with the rhyme.
"It seemed like more than that. She looked at you like a lover."
Auggie turned his head toward the exit, but the woman was long gone. He looked apologetic as he spoke. "I'm not proud of my reputation, but I'm sure you've seen the news."
"Auggie Anderson, man-whore of the CIA?"
He grimaced. "I prefer they call me 'August.'"
Parker laughed.
"How about we get away from all these prying eyes?" Auggie suggested.
"Okay."
...
"You initiated an op in coordination with the FBI involving a member of Mossad, and didn't immediately loop in Joan?" Jai asked, shocked.
"It wasn't like that." Annie responded.
"It definitely sounds like that to me."
"I don't care how it sounds to you." Annie said.
"You should, because your status at the Agency is falling while mine is rising. Evidently when you don't have Auggie covering your ass, you aren't as impressive."
Annie let out a frustrated grunt. "What I did yesterday has nothing to do with my handler. You are just upset because I'm working on an op and you didn't get a chance to take it over."
"Hardly." Jai said, cool.
"Well Reva looped in Joan this morning, so we are legit. Is that okay with you?"
"Glad you are on top of it. Good luck, Annie."
Joan agreed that Annie should pursue Eyal, and not be in touch with Rossabi until they figured out why the Isreali agent was on US soil. Annie enjoyed the chance to reunite with her old friend.
...
"I got my assignment." Parker told Auggie on Sunday morning over coffee.
Auggie already knew. One of the perks of his new clearance level was access to the Peace Corp system, and he had been checking regularly.
"So where will it be?" He asked, as though he hadn't hand-picked it himself.
"Costa Rica." She replied.
"Nice!" Auggie smiled. "Not too far away, and no major civil unrest." Far better than her original assignment in Eritrea, about which she would never know.
"I leave in four months."
"Then let's make the most of it." Auggie replied.
...
The fallout from Eyal's death on US soil was too big to avoid attention on the seventh floor. Auggie was well aware of Annie's friendship with the Mossad agent and the fact that she was there when he was shot.
He wanted to show his sympathy, but couldn't find her. Joan just said that she was taking some time, and everybody assumed she was holed up in her safe house. Her phone had been destroyed at some point in the mission.
Full details of the situation were sketchy, but the rumor was that she and Eyal had been in a hotel when Eyal was pursued by a terrorist code named "The Cardinal." Annie was trying to talk Eyal into giving up the mission when they were found. Eyal had taken a bullet to protect Annie, and she had escaped alive. The mission was successful, revealing information that the CIA and FBI could use. But a top Mossad agent had died on US soil, which was problematic.
"Joan, I know you have a way to get in touch with her." Auggie pleaded.
"She needs time, Auggie. You have enough to focus on right now."
"Joan, you know damn well that if you don't get her back in the field right now, you may never get her back."
"Auggie, maybe she doesn't want to come back."
"I would find that hard to believe."
"You haven't been around her recently. She's made a lot of mistakes."
"She has always made mistakes, Joan. And she always bounced back because she knew she had our support. Is she still getting that support?"
"She knows we support her, Auggie."
"Does she really?"
Joan was quiet.
"Exactly." He said, and then he turned and walked away.
...
Auggie wanted to visit her in person, but settled for an encrypted line to her home phone.
"Hello?" Danielle answered.
"Hello Danielle. This is Auggie Anderson."
"Oh, hi Auggie," Danielle replied, her voice slow and loud.
"I was wondering if you've talked to Annie recently?"
"Annie?" Danielle hesitated. "No. I haven't heard from her in a while. I assume she's traveling for the Smithsonian or something."
Danielle was a horrible liar. Auggie could practically hear Annie telling her what to say.
"Danielle, hand her the phone."
"I can't do that, she isn't here."
"Tell her I'm just calling as a friend."
The phone went silent for a moment. There was some rustling, and then Annie's voice. "Hey."
Auggie smiled. "Good to hear your voice."
Annie huffed on the other end of the line.
"You doing okay?"
"I can't talk."
"Tonight? My place?"
Annie was quiet.
"Have you made up with your sister? I can come there."
Annie sighed. "Okay."
"I'll be there at eight."
…
Liza sat across from Henry Wilcox, sipping on ice water.
"What do you know about Auggie Anderson's new girlfriend?" Henry asked.
"They just met." Liza responded. "She's his girlfriend already?"
Henry shrugged. "Close enough for him to be pulling strings on her behalf."
"Henry, I can't go after Auggie." She said, realizing the path he was paving.
Henry sat back, looking at her. "Why not?" His tone was more sharp.
"He threatened to go public with our relationship."
Henry pinched his lips. "Shame. I thought you might actually be able to follow this through."
Liza shifted uneasily. "I may not be able to get the byline, but I'll get somebody to ask the questions."
Henry shook his head. "I hope he was a really good enough fuck to hold you back like this."
...
Annie was glad that it was Auggie at the door, rather than anybody that could see her disheveled state.
"May I come in?" He asked softly.
"Yeah," she replied, forcing cheer into her tone.
She led him to an open area and he turned to face her. He spread his arms and spoke. "Annie, I'm so sorry."
Instead of replying she pressed herself into his arms and started crying.