Full Circle P4
Danielle was eerily calm about everything, Annie thought maybe she had taken something for the anxiety she was so calm, until this exchange.
"Have you seen Auggie yet?" Danielle asked as she took a cup of coffee from the room service tray Annie had sent up.
"Yes," Annie said simply.
"He was a mess Annie, the guy loves you a lot," Danielle smiled and sipped the coffee.
The look on Annie's face must have said enough.
"He knew?" Danielle furrowed her brow.
Annie just nodded, she didn't want to throw Auggie under the bus, but she also didn't want to lie to Danielle any more than she had to.
"I thought you were the best liar I knew, but he has you beat," Danielle put her coffee down and stormed over to her phone.
"What are you doing?" Annie panicked.
"Calling him, why isn't he here for this little reunion?"
"Danielle, please don't do that and please do not be upset with Auggie. Trust me, he did not want me to go through with this, but when I did he had to lie to everyone to keep me safe. To keep you safe," she pleaded with her sister.
"OK, but where is he now? Why did that woman Joan call me?"
"Things with Auggie are complicated," Annie began and relaxed when Danielle put her phone back in her purse.
"Oh no, is he in trouble for helping you? "
"No, Auggie is fine. Auggie and I are not so fine."
"Fix it," Danielle stated emphatically.
"It is not that simple Danielle."
"Nothing you do is simple Annie, he is worth it, fix it."
"I wish I could, but I really think I need to fix me first."
***555***
Auggie was packing up for the day at 6:00 pm and Barber was confused.
"You leaving early?"
"In any other world this is late Barber," Auggie grinned.
"But we live in this world," Barber retorted.
"True words my friend, but I have an engagement with a small squirming creature," Auggie grinned.
"Um, OK?"
"Joan invited me for dinner and to meet the baby," Auggie clarified.
"Oh, cool," Barber nodded thinking dinner at the Campbells sounded anything but cool.
"See you in the morning," Auggie bid farewell.
***555***
"You don't have to leave," Joan reasoned with her husband.
"Auggie isn't ready to see me," Arthur shrugged.
"This is your house, I am sure he expects you to be here."
"He has a lot on his plate right now, he doesn't have to deal with me on top of it all."
"Or perhaps you feel so guilty about the whole mess with Helen that you're the one that would be more comfortable avoiding the situation?" Joan arched an eyebrow.
"Auggie has every right to be angry about Helen, about Teo about all of it. I pulled him into that world and then after Iraq I just assumed he wasn't willing or able to deal with it, so I went on communicating with two-thirds of the team and never read him back in," Arthur sighed.
"We all treated Auggie differently after Iraq Arthur, it was a whole new world for all of us," Joan sympathized.
"Well, mostly for Auggie," Arthur smirked.
"Yeah, mostly for Auggie."
"I tried throwing things at him, the OCA job, the investigation into Jai's death. I wanted to make it up to him somehow."
"You should have told him the truth Arthur, but you didn't and the past is the past. Helen is really gone now and so is Teo, Auggie is all that is left of that life," Joan said softly, stroking her husband's good arm.
"How did this all happen?" Arthur said, his eyes filling with tears over his lost son.
Joan pulled him close and wrapped around him as best she could with his injured arm still immobilized.
"How did we get here?' he spoke against her soft hair.
"Here isn't all bad," she reminded him.
"I know, trust me, I know how lucky we are, the three of us," he looked over at his new son snoozing in a carrier on the coffee table.
"Truth be told I feel a little guilty too, we have this, Calder has his pick of jobs in DC and Annie and Auggie have nothing, not even each other anymore."
"They'll find their way back, don't you think?"
"They seem empty, both of them, they seem spent," Joan stepped away and moved toward the baby who was not showing any sign of need.
She picked him up any way and held him close.
"I still think I should leave you and Auggie alone for dinner, I'll be back later," he kissed his wife and child and called for a taxi to take him to the club for dinner.
***555***
"What are you going to do now Annie?" Danielle asked as they took a walk through Golden Gate Park.
"I have a six week assignment in Budapest," Annie said vaguely.
"That won't help your relationship with Auggie," Danielle pointed out.
"It might actually, we both need some time to heal. The company will be providing support," she said as she looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear her.
"That's good," Danielle nodded.
"I was away a long time, alone, and I need to immerse myself in work and a regular routine. This assignment will allow for that."
"Well, it will give me some time to figure out how to tell the girls you are alive. Maybe when you get back to the states I could bring them out."
"Really?" Annie stopped suddenly.
"Of course, they love you Annie, so much and there is no way I could let them go on thinking you were dead. I'm sure I can come up with a story about you being in a coma or something, they watch enough TV they'll buy anything."
"I can't believe you are being so understanding about all of this."
"What is my alternative, hate you forever?"
"Yes, that is the alternative."
"Well I can't. Am I angry? Sure. Am I hurt? Definitely. What good do those emotions do me at the end of the day, you are my only sister, my closest friend. I love you Annie."
"I love you too," Annie said once again wishing she had said it to Auggie.
***555***
"Auggie, come in," Joan greeted him at the door.
"Thanks," he said softly and took her lead into the living room.
"First things first, I want you to meet McKenzie," she sat next to him on the couch and took the baby from his carrier.
Just over a week old the bundle Joan presented to Auggie was mostly blankets, but Auggie could feel the warm soft weight of the baby in the crook of his arm.
"Wow," was all Auggie could manage.
"I say that a lot," Joan laughed.
"Are you well Joan? I know things went a little crazy at the end there."
"I am fine, the baby is fine and Arthur is recovering," Joan floated the name casually.
"Good, I'm glad."
"We owe you a lot, Annie and Calder too, you guys pulled off a huge victory. Henry would not have stopped until he killed us all."
"I know," his voice was serious but he was smiling at the baby.
***555***
Danielle had talked to Michael in the afternoon and he was happy to have the girls to himself for the evening, Danielle didn't even have to make up too much of an excuse. As she slid into the booth across from Annie in a small French restaurant they stumbled across downtown she asked the inevitable question.
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning," Annie confessed.
"So soon?"
"My assignment goes live on Wednesday and I think they want me to start counseling sooner rather than later," she shrugged and reached for the ubiquitous sourdough loaf that was in the middle of the table.
"Is your assignment dangerous?" Danielle asked with concern as she tugged on the other end of the crusty loaf.
"No, I will be working in a library at Corvinus University, simply observing and writing reports," Annie gave as much information as she could on her mission.
"Oh." Danielle leaned back.
"My life isn't always so dangerous," Annie whispered.
"Sure has been lately," Danielle said as a waitress approached.
Annie thought about it and Danielle was right, she hadn't really stopped since Simon. Russia, followed by Khalid, then Colombia leading right to Henry's front door. The only moments she could remember over the past 18 months where she wasn't afraid were the moments she spent in Auggie's arms, in his bed, with his breath on her skin and his hands in her hair. Just the thought of him calmed her even now, even in their broken state. Annie ordered her meal and turned the conversation around to Chloe and Katia, getting caught up on dance recitals and school plays.
***555***
Auggie waited to call Annie, he hoped she was spending the day with Danielle. He got home from Joan's around 10:00 and spent a few hours just pacing his apartment like a caged animal. He was so concerned for Annie's mental state, but he was starting to think he might need to be worried about his own.
Annie was standing on the sidewalk with Danielle, afraid to flag a cab down and break the spell of the wonderful day they had spent together, when her phone rang.
"Sorry," Annie frowned and pulled the phone from her purse.
"It's Auggie," she said softly.
"Answer it," Danielle encouraged and Annie nodded.
"Hey," she breathed into the phone.
"Hey, how'd it go?" he asked.
"I'm just saying good-bye, I know it's late there, but can I call you in 20 minutes?" Annie asked hopefully.
"Of course," and the phone was dead, he still never said good-bye.
"Whatever is between you now, that man still loves you," Danielle reiterated her point from earlier.
Annie bit her bottom lip and nodded, she knew that was true, but was it enough?
TBC…