Full Circle P7
Nick strolled in to tech ops the next morning looking for Auggie, but finding Barber instead.
"Hey Nick," Barber raised a donut in greeting.
"Hi Eric, Auggie around?"
"Not yet," Barber said with mild concern.
"Not surprised, I left him with a very eager lady last night," Nick grinned.
"I'm sorry?" Barber said confused.
"When I left Auggie last night he had a ride home, a very attractive ride home, if you get my drift," Nick smirked.
"Oh," Barber said quietly.
"Tell him I am around today, flight out at 19:00."
"Will do, um, who was the woman?" Barber replied as he munched on the donut, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Amy Jacobs."
The concern deepened.
***555***
Auggie didn't want to call Annie while he was drunk and with Amy Jacobs' lip gloss still on his lips, so he showered off his bad evening and went to bed, his phone right nearby in case she decided to call first. His sleep was fitful, traditional dreams eluding him, replaced by a kaleidoscope of emotion: fear tumbling into loss into sorrow into longing.
He woke up exhausted, but convinced of one thing. He wasn't letting Annie run away again. He grabbed the phone and called, unsure of the time zones or her schedule.
"Hello," she answered.
"Hey," he replied, his chest opening up at the sound of her voice.
"It's good to hear your voice," she sounded as relieved as he was.
"Can you get away for the weekend?"
"I think so."
"Want to grab a drink Friday night?" his voice dipped to a seductive lower register.
Annie smiled as she remembered the last time he asked her that, she played along.
"Allen's Tavern?"
"I was thinking somewhere nicer."
"Sure," the word was so soft he was almost unsure if she said it or if he just remembered it from the plane.
"How about Paris?" he continued the conversation.
"That is nicer than Allen's," she laughed.
"I'll email you the details."
"OK, can you just talk to me for a few more minutes?" Annie asked knowing Auggie was likely on his way to work.
"Sure," he agreed as he shouldered the phone against his ear and tied his tie.
***555***
"I have good news," Gail began as Annie walked into the hotel room.
"Yeah?" Annie smiled at the woman who had been so comforting and helpful.
"I've cleared you with Calder and Joan," Gail handed over a glass of wine from the room service cart in celebration.
"Already?" Annie asked, she had 2 weeks left in Hungary.
"Yes, you've done very well Annie. I hope these sessions have helped, your work is solid, you have come back to society in a positive way. You are ready to go home."
"Funny you should mention that," Annie perused her dinner options as she spoke.
"Oh?"
"I am going to see Auggie this weekend."
***555***
Auggie strolled into his office with a smile and a very large cup of coffee.
"Dude, what were you thinking?" Barber began.
"Am I wearing the polka dot tie again?" Auggie looked frightened and fumbled for the Braille label.
"I heard about Amy Jacobs," Barber whispered the end and Auggie sunk into his chair.
"Whatever you heard was wrong."
"Nick said he left you alone with her last night and that you both seemed eager…."
"Nothing happened."
"Auggie, you do remember that I know you, right?"
"Eric, you do remember that I outrank you, right?" Auggie tried for a stern look.
"How could you do that to Annie?" Barber cracked a bit on the end.
Poor Barber, he really did have a soft spot for Annie.
"I didn't, I realized what I was doing and I stopped," Auggie tried not to be too proud of himself since he hadn't managed the same level of restraint with Helen.
"Really?"
"Really. Need me to head down to polygraph?"
"No," Barber sighed with relief.
"In fact, I am going to see Annie this weekend," Auggie fired up the computer and began a request for time off.
"Oh, good."
"And unless she is planning to tell me to hit the curb, hopefully we will return to DC happy and ready to get back to whatever passes for normal around this place."
***555***
"Good luck Annie," Gail said as they finished their last session.
"Thank you Gail, I was kind of dreading this whole process," Annie admitted.
"Most of the people I see are," Gail smiled.
"I feel like I have come a long way, seeing Danielle, being here, now I just have to sort things out with Auggie."
"You love him Annie, I don't doubt that for a second. Make that the focal point of your conversations, let go of the past, help him do the same," Gail imparted her last bits of wisdom.
Annie knew, no matter where they were and no matter how many people were around, the first thing she was going to do was tell Auggie she loved him. She had almost waited too long.
***555***
Auggie was packing the last of his toiletries when his cell rang.
"I am not working today," he called out to an echoing bathroom.
He sighed and went for the phone any way, his job wasn't one where you ignored a ringing phone.
"Hello."
"I know you are technically off today, but I also know your flight isn't until noon," Nick said in a hurry.
"What's up?"
"I am stuck in Stockholm," he began and Auggie remembered the last time he had to get an Operative (and her sister!) out of Stockholm.
"I am sure Barber can get you home."
"He is, but I am supposed to already be in DC and I have that hand off with the Turk at the Capitol Grande."
"I told you to let someone else take that assignment, the risk was too great you would not make it back," Auggie sighed and felt for his watch.
"You could go, get the flash drive, up load it to me and I could still be a hero. I am trying to make my mark here, I have to be superhuman, you know that better than anyone," Nick pleaded.
"I do," Auggie sighed.
"You know the protocol, you can get this done and still make your flight and everyone wins."
"You're lucky I like you Galster."
"You are actually the best, everyone says people are the best, but you Auggie Anderson, are THE best."
"Well I might possibly be in a very good mood today," Auggie grinned at the thought of being near Annie.
***555***
Annie got to Paris early, having had a much shorter flight. Full of nervous energy she stalked around a few galleries at the Louvre not really seeing anything. The hotel confirmation Auggie had sent her was for 2 rooms, she wondered about that, was he flying all this way to tell her he thought about it and she was too much work for him? Or was he hoping they could have an actual conversation with their clothes on first?
Annie didn't care about the sex at the moment, or at least not primarily, her first and foremost goal was talking. She realized how much she had to say to Auggie, all the things they glossed over last year, all the things she regretted but also all the things she loved about him, why she chose him, why she would dedicate herself to always choosing him.
Realizing the art was a lost cause for her today she headed out to the crisp Paris afternoon and found a café and ordered some herbal tea and a small but decadent piece of pastry. Her time in Budapest had been very healing, a month of kick boxing and swimming and yoga and therapy had brought her body back to where she liked it and her mind back to where she needed it. Auggie would have the final say on just how her heart ended up.
***555***
Auggie entered the Capitol Grande with his Nationals Cap on and a copy of Time magazine. A blind man purchasing a print magazine was exactly as funny as it sounded, but the guy at his local corner store didn't say a word when Auggie asked which one of the glossies in front of him was Time and then slapped it on the counter.
He found the fountain in the center of the lobby and oriented himself to the couch at the 2:00 position, crossed his left leg over his right and opened the magazine. The lobby was busy and Auggie was trying to sort the noise into categories of normal and abnormal. He heard what sounded like someone walking swiftly and breathing a little harder than normal, and was about to get worried when the shout was heard across the lobby.
Turkish erupted around him, at least 3 voices. If he could see he would have realized he was surrounded and while he was not the target he quickly became the victim when he stood to investigate. Auggie couldn't see the gun, couldn't know he was saving the asset's life, all he felt was the jolt and searing pain of another bullet in his chest.
TBC…