Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thank you for Cony, for editing it for me.
She bit her lower lip, a telltale sign that she was nervous, and thanked God he couldn't see her. She knew that tequila plus Auggie would not be a healthy combination, but she promised Pete. So she'd soldier up, and drink that whole bottle with him, consequences be damned.
They decided to grab something to eat at Allen's, since both of them new that the tequila itself would do enough damage on its own, no need to add drinking it on an empty stomach. Their order arrived pretty quickly, a couple of burgers and a side of fries, and they ate in a comfortable silence. They already had a couple of beers each, and Auggie was already feeling a little buzzed. Not enough to do something stupid, but it made it hard for him not to think about the past. As Annie fished her car keys in her purse, he wondered if it would be better to call a cab, or a car service, and come back later for Annie's car, but she assured him she was alright to drive.
Annie had developed a high limit on alcohol during those four months she spent in Israel. She shuddered just thinking about all the times she drank herself into a stupor just to be able to exist. It was a miracle she's not an alcoholic right now. The first couple of days were the worst. She never imagined the toll that killing Henry would take, she was absolutely destroyed after that. She felt guilty about Teo, felt even guiltier about Helen. She hated herself for spending that night with Auggie, accepting so little of what he was offering. Then her heart gave up on her, and she felt it was a sign. So she did the only thing she could think of: she went to the one person who would help her, no questions asked. Not that Auggie wouldn't help her, it was just that she didn't want to deal with the questions he'd ask.
She felt bad for Eyal, because she knew he'd never deny her anything, and she had nothing to offer him in return besides friendship. At that time, she was not even sure if they could still be friends. She spent that 4 months in his company, let him help to put her together, and apart from one night, one especially dark night, they never crossed that line. Eyal always said that she could come to him for anything. She didn't even need to trust him, she just needed to know if she could use him to complete her mission. And he never failed. He never asked for more, never complained. He just put her back together. With a lot of alcohol involved in the process.
A couple of minutes later, and they found themselves driving to Auggie's apartment, the bottle of Patrón neatly tucked in Annie's bag. She debated between going to her place, or finding some neutral ground, but in the end decided that Auggie's would be the easiest choice. She knew it would be a long night. They had so much to talk about, and it would be better if he was somewhere he could get around easily and feel comfortable enough. She knew it would be hard, they had so many memories there. But she would get through it. It was worth it. He was worth it. I mean, their friendship was worth it. She couldn't risk it being any more than that. Yes, she could handle being her friend, but that was it, she couldn't let the lines blur again. Losing him once was bad enough, she couldn't fathom the idea of losing him again. She had made a decision and she would stick to it: no romantic entangles for Annie Walker. Not anymore.
The drive was short. Too short. They were both silent, suddenly, conversation seemed too much of an effort. She turned on the radio, and just kept driving. Soon, they arrived at his apartment, and she found a parking space right in front of it. They came up the stairs quickly, and silently. He opened the door for them, and stepped back to let Annie in.
She was taken a back at how little his apartment changed in two years. It was as if she had been there yesterday. She stood there for a while, just drinking it all in. When the memories were too much, she started moving around. She went in search of shot glasses while Auggie changed into a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He thought about offering her something more comfortable to wear, but was afraid she would read him wrong. Having Annie in his home was already wreaking havoc with concentration, he didn't know how he would feel knowing she was wearing his clothes too. Would it bring too many memories to her too? He wondered just how far he could push her before she ran. Well, it wasn't as if she was wearing a suit and really uncomfortable, impossible shoes. She was in jeans and a sweater, and probably flats. He decided to say nothing. If she wanted to change, she'd get her go bag in her car. He knew she'd have one ready.
He came into the living room at the same time she exited the kitchen with the glasses, the bottle of Patrón and a couple of water bottles. She placed the glasses and bottles on the table, and filled both glasses with the tequila. She took a deep breath, and offered Auggie one of the glasses. "To Pete!"
He accepted the shot of tequila she put in his hand, sat on the couch by her side, leaving a little bit of room between them, but being close enough to grab her arm if he needed. He held up his glass in a mock toast, and downed the first shot.
Several shots later, things looked a lot more normal between them. Auggie totally underestimated Annie's drinking capacity, he thought she would be all but passed out by now, judging by how drunk he was. But she was matching him, drink for drink. They were sitting on the floor, side by side, laughing together. He was telling her a story about a raid gone wrong a long time ago. They were laughing so hard that they could barely talk. The clock chimed, and Auggie noticed how late it was. Annie mentioned she took a couple of days off vacation, so he knew she was not working tomorrow. But he knew she should get back home before it got too late, or before they did something really stupid.
It was hard not to think about the past right now, with Annie sitting beside him, drinking tequila, sharing a couple of laughs. Too much time has passed, but still, he felt stuck. He was still in love with her, he'd probably be in love with her forever. But there was so much between them right now… so much hurt, so much to apologize for. Hell, he wanted another chance, but they just got back to some common ground, after two years of radio silence. It was not the right time.
"You know what, I think we should take the 'Vette out some day. Drive to the shore, make something of the days off you took…" Auggie said, the sudden silence between them a little unnerving.
"What about you? You've just come back to the agency, how will you afford a day off? She asked, thankful for any kind of normal conversation. Sitting on the floor of Auggie's apartment was the closest thing to normal between them.
"I have my ways, Walker. You should know that." He smirked.
"You think you can sweet talk Joan?" Annie teased him. She knew they have grown even closer after his return to Tech Ops.
"I'll offer to babysit little Mack, she'll be fine with it." He quipped.
"I thought you were better than that Anderson. You'd use a three-year-old just to spend a day at the beach with me?" She flirted, not really realizing what she was doing, and shoulder-checked him.
Auggie was suddenly speechless. All he could see right now, well, at least in his mind's eyes, was a day at the beach with a nearly naked Annie Walker by his side. He coughed, to disguise how dry his mouth suddenly was, from imagining the scene: Annie walker in a tiny little bikini, stretched beside him on the sand, the sun casting a warm glow around her, a cold beer in one hand. Her skin would glisten from the heat, and she would put her hair up, exposing her very kissable neck… What the hell happened to your discipline, Anderson… He scolded himself. He was all but physically reacting to the images in his head.
He downed another shot of tequila, and decided to put some distance between them. Fast. But his body didn't seem to work properly. He tried to get up, but he discovered he was a lot more hammered than he imagined when he fall back on his ass. Annie, obviously, found it pretty hilarious. She tried to help him get up, after she stopped laughing hysterically, but all she did instead was managed to get both of them on the floor again, tangled in each other. They remained like that for a little while longer than they should have. He cleared his throat, and placed a lock of her hair behind her ear, his other arm holding her in place, while his finger danced lightly on her skin. He could feel the goose bumps his touch evoked.
"I think you should go." Auggie whispered, afraid to speak aloud, willing his heart to stay put together and not break in a million pieces. He had yet to lose his hold on her hair. If he was a religious man, he would start praying for strength, strength to let her go. He had no business starting anything with her right now. He should just let her go. Let go of her.
"I… I'm sorry." Annie mumbled. She tried to break free, but Auggie was still holding her down. He couldn't look into her eyes, but didn't really need to do that to know he hurt her, telling her she should leave. He could read her words pretty well, and even if he couldn't, she was suddenly as stiff as a board. He sighed, trying to clear his head.
"Annie…" He started, but she silenced him with her finger on his lips. If her scent alone was almost torturing, the feeling of her skin on his lips was his undoing… His mind was screaming for him to let her go, but his body refused to listen. His heart refused to listen.
"No, it's okay. I… I should go." Annie said. She placed her own hand on his, trying to free her arm, but couldn't move his hand. "Auggie, please…" She whimpered, but he didn't know if it was because he was hurting her by not kissing her, or not letting her go.
His mind went blank for a second, and his body took control. He pulled her close to him, and kissed her, softly at first. Tentatively. He could feel her yielding, little by little. He tried to hold back, to keep it light and soft. But Annie whimpered again, trying to fight the urge to lose herself in the kiss, and losing the battle, and he felt his control slipping away. And then, she all but melted into him, fisting her hands on his shirt. That was it, he snapped. In a swift move, he had her under him, his body pressing hers to the living room floor, her arms held above her head, and he kissed the daylights out of her.