Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. Part of the conversation between Joan and Auggie is almost verbatim from the episode. I added a little, but I wanted to make it known that not all of it was my words. I have changed up some of the events as they take place in the show. My timeline goes a lot longer for our friends than what the show had.

I also want to say that I truly appreciate the two people that have reviewed this month so far (one PM). I was getting discouraged that people were not liking my writing since no one seemed to respond to it. I guess this is a normal occurrence on the site? I am in the middle of writing the next chapter now. My goal is to get at least two more chapters (after this one) up this weekend. I hope that you enjoy (and possibly even review?) what I have so far.

Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs or any of its characters.

The next morning, the nurses came in at 6 am to prep Annie for surgery. Annie had been awake for a couple hours when they came in, but she made certain she kept her breathing even and movements to a minimum (which considering only half her body could move, that was easier than it used to be) so Auggie would think she was still asleep. She felt a tiny bit bad for deceiving him. She definitely did not usually use his disability to her advantage, but he needed sleep. After all, she was about to be forced to sleep for many hours.

Auggie had been true to his word; he held her hand all night. Since she had been awake, she noticed that every fifteen to twenty minutes he would wake up, listen for her and then lay his head back again. This was hard on him, she could see that, but she needed him more than she let on. Furthermore, she wanted him there, and only him. She needed him there in so many ways, more ways than she could express to him at this time. She would need him even if she were not in her current predicament. She had needed him since her first day on the job. She hoped one day she could tell him just how she felt about him and she hoped the confession would not ruin their friendship.

When the nurses came in, Annie pretended to just be waking up. She did not want Auggie to worry about the amount of sleep she had gotten, which was maybe an hour, two tops. Auggie had been so diligent about making sure she got enough sleep before surgery, she did not want him to think otherwise.

Annie knew Auggie was worried about her. Hell, she was worried about herself. So many things could go wrong. Annie could tell that Auggie did his best to stay out of the nurse's way, but still comfort her. He only let go of her hand long enough for the nurses to transfer her to another more portable bed. Then one of the nurses put Auggie's hand back on hers.

Soon it was time for Annie to go back for surgery. As Annie was being pushed toward the operating room, Auggie walked beside the bed holding her hand. No words were needed between the best friends. He knew she would come through the surgery without complications and she knew he would be there when she woke up.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The surgery was one that would be complicated and long-very long. That was the worst part for Auggie-the waiting. They had already removed what they could have of the bullet during the first surgery, but the main focus of that surgery was to insure her heart was okay. This surgery was to get the remaining bullet fragments out from around her spine before they could shift and cause more damage. He knew Annie would be okay, but it didn't stop him from worrying.

He always worried about her, but usually he was there, in her ear, all throughout the danger. This was different. He couldn't do anything to help her. He couldn't be in the operating room with her. He couldn't be listening in on what the doctors did. She was on her own, in the hands of, what he hoped was, capable hands. He decided he had several hours of waiting on his hands he should do something productive. Then it hit him, he may not be able to do anything about Annie's current state in a hospital bed undergoing surgery, but he could go get an update on the allegations against Annie. He could do something about that. And now, with new found determination and purpose, he decided to do just that.

Auggie left the hospital twenty minutes after Annie went back for surgery, after making sure the nurses had his contact information with instructions to call with any information about Annie and the guard knew not to let anyone in Annie's room. He took the CIA car service to headquarters, his usual way to get to work. Annie had been shot eight days ago and the allegations that she was a traitor came up almost immediately.

Luckily, the committee trying to sift through the evidence, testimonials, and information were taking their time. To Auggie's disappointment, Lena was still leading the charge which meant they either didn't believe Annie's statement that Lena had shot her or they found evidence to the contrary. Auggie was still not allowed access to the evidence against Annie. So upon arriving to the building he went straight to Joan's office. Auggie knew he was Annie's only hope right now. No one else seemed to be fighting for her. Joan couldn't or wouldn't help, he wasn't sure which. Author seemed determined to get all this behind him at any cost, including losing one of the best operatives the CIA had known in a long time. And Auggie's hands were tied at what he could do on his own.

He knocked on her office door.

"Come in" Joan stated wearily. Joan was exhausted with worrying about Annie's health and career status. Joan understood that with the treason accusation (untrue or not) against her, Annie could lose her career in the CIA.

Joan looked up from her desk as her office door opened. "Auggie?!" She said surprised, immediately concerned that something had happened to Annie.

Hearing the surprise in her voice, Auggie started with trying to ease her panic. "Joan, Annie's fine. She's in surgery right now. It will take at least eight hours, but probably closer to ten. I needed to do something productive. I couldn't just sit in the waiting room." Auggie paused and Joan saw the exhaustion on his face that she felt. She knew this was all hard on him. Not only was his best friend going through the hardest physical challenge of her life, she was also being taxed mentally and emotionally by the (Joan believed to be false) allegations of treason. She had an understanding into Annie and Auggie's relationship that they had not acknowledged yet. She saw so much of herself and Author in them; they would make an unstoppable couple, if either of them ever admitted their feelings.

"Joan, I have gone as far as I can on my own. I need access to the evidence the committee is looking at against Annie. Joan, I won't take no for an answer. If you won't help me, I will find another way. I'm prepared to resign if necessary." He said almost without taking a breath. Joan knew he was serious. He was an exceptional hacker and could easily find a way around the security built around the evidence in the computer (some of which was of his own creation), but that could and probably would get him fired. She could not allow him to resign, but Joan could not let him think he could honestly have control over her. She was, after all, his boss.

"Because this is a time of extreme duress, I'm going to pretend you didn't just demand I violate a dozen protocols by passing you intel well above your clearance. But try this tack with me again and I assure you will not enjoy the consequences." Joan replied sternly.

In a softer tone Joan added. "I know you are hurting for Annie right now and that you want to help her, but you have to trust the process. Trust that the committee will discover the truth." Auggie had not expected her to roll over and give him the information, but he stood in shock at her complete unwillingness to help Annie.

"Now if you'll excuse me, Auggie, I have to call tech support. I'm having trouble accessing the evidence files on the Manhattan server. I'll have to recite my access code and under no circumstance can I have you overhear it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think I do."

Joan proceeded to make the phone call and Auggie pretended to not listen, but actually listened quite intently determined to gather the information he needed to access the evidence about Annie. After the information was gathered he exited Joan's office without another word and headed to his office in the tech department.

He knew he did not have a lot of time. At best he had another nine hours to work, at worst seven. Annie's surgery was for sure going to take at least eight hours, but could take up to ten or twelve hours. Auggie had promised Annie he would be there when she woke up, and he would. The nurses would call him as soon as she was out of surgery and he would head back to the hospital then. For now, Auggie had a lot of information to go over.

Auggie sat at his workstation for a couple hours going over the information he accessed using the newly acquired security code. It was mostly basic information he expected to see: testimony from the delivery guy that had found Annie and Simon, crime scene photos (which of course meant nothing to Auggie), anecdotal notes from the police report and paramedics, and then of course the evidence that Lena had presented that she claimed proved Annie was selling secrets to the FSB through Simon.

Auggie was hopeful that among everything there had to be clues that Annie was innocent. He just had to find it. From his search, he knew that the crime scene appeared as if Annie and Simon were trying to shoot each other, that Annie had her passport on her, as well as account information for a secret bank account- an account that was apparently receiving regular deposits of $10,000 for the past several months. The evidence that Lena had presented included a sweep drive that Annie was accused of passing documents to Simon with and evidence that she had gone to Cuba without the knowledge of the CIA.

With that knowledge Auggie got to thinking, how had she got to Cuba undetected? Perhaps she got there illegally without using a passport? Perhaps she had a fake passport made? Or maybe that was all a lie completely and Annie had not gone to Cuba? He made a mental note to himself to ask her when she was awake and feeling a little better. For now, he needed to run the Lena angle. If she had shot Simon and Annie, how could be prove it?

In order to best do this, Auggie needed to know about Lena. He knew that she was known as an exceptional operative in her time, that she had worked with Joan on several occasions (and as a result they despised each other), and that as the boss of an elite team whose job was to do the most secretive missions that CIA had, she was a legend. However, Auggie had been in the game long enough to know-looks could be deceiving. On paper, Lena Smith seemed like the perfect spy. She was good at everything that required one to be a good spy, but perhaps she was too good, Auggie thought to himself. Perhaps the facts were not as they seemed.

After what seemed like days of working, Auggie finally found enough information that he thought he could actually do something to help Annie. After hours at his computers and then a couple more hours on the phone with various people who knew Lena-Auggie had a plan. First, he needed to speak with the delivery guy that had found the crime scene to see if there was any evidence of anyone, specifically Lena, near the crime scene. Secondly, he needed to speak with an off-site cobbler that Lena was associated with. He knew that the passport that Annie had with her that day, was not her usual passport, nor was it one that the agency had made for her. As a planned formed in his mind he gathered all the necessary documents to take to Joan. He couldn't go without her knowledge and approval.

As he was turning off his equipment and getting ready to head out to start putting his plan into action, Auggie's personal cell phone rang. Usually, personal calls were strictly prohibited under any circumstance to be taken within the confines of the CIA, but Auggie did not care, he had to be able to be reached when there was news of Annie. It had been barely seven hours since he left the hospital. He had expected to have at least two more hours to work.

Picking up his phone on the second ring, "Anderson" he stated into the receiver.

"Mr. Anderson, this is Sarah from Georgetown University."

"I did not expect your call for a few more hours. Is Annie out of surgery?"

"Yes, sir. She is out of surgery. We need you to come back as soon as you can. There were some complications."

Auggie's heart stopped, he stopped breathing, and he felt a catch in his throat all at the same time the moment he heard the word 'complications'.

"I will be there soon." was all he managed to get out before hanging up the phone.

It would take him thirty minutes to leave the office and that was if he could get a car immediately. He called the car service the moment he got off the phone with the hospital, then quickly made his way to Joan's office.

He didn't knock as he entered. He hadn't heard voices as he approached the door, so he hoped no one was in there with Joan.

"Auggie?" Joan looked up from her desk in surprise as her office door flew open just as she was going over some extremely sensitive documents. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't see what she was working on, she would have scolded him and probably forced to reprimand him.

"Joan, sorry to barge in on you. Can we speak freely or is there someone else in the room?"

"We are alone, but I'm not happy you didn't announce yourself before coming in."

"I'm sorry Joan, this could not wait, I have to get to the hospital and I have news to share."

"Go on." Joan said as she put away the files and documents she had been working on.

"Joan, Lena shot Annie. I know the committee doesn't believe Annie, but I believe her. I just don't know how to prove it. I looked up what type of car Lena drives, can you go back to speak with the delivery guy that found the scene to see if he remembers that type car in the vicinity of the incident? There were complications with the surgery or I would go myself. There is also a cobbler I suspect made the fake passport that Annie used to get to Cuba. The number on the passport that was in her possession was on hers and not made by us. Can you go speak with him as well? You know I'd rather do it myself, but Annie needs me. I promised her I would be there when she woke up and if there were complications, I need to know what happened and what she will be waking up to."

Joan understood his need to be with her. She knew this was something neither of them had expected Annie would be going through. She was strong. She was an exceptionally great operative that was now undergoing surgery that might determine if she ever walked again. How it stood right now, it did not look like she would.

"Auggie, I've got it covered. Go be with Annie. She needs a friend right now, more than she realizes. I assume the file in your hand is the information I need to complete those tasks?"

Auggie had forgotten he was holding the file. "Yes, it is." he said as he walked forward towards where he knew she was. "I will call you when I know more about Annie. Please call me when you know more about this" indicating the file he still held. "If you need me for anything, I will have my laptop with me at the hospital, I can work from there."

"Just place the file on my desk directly in front of you; I will get started on that as soon as I am finished with what I was working on as you came in. It is also related to Annie, but is not on your clearance level and not included in the information you reviewed this morning. It is my own research." She paused for a moment, uncharacteristic emotion in her voice when she began again. We will clear Annie's name Auggie. I don't believe for a second that she has been unfaithful to her county. She doesn't have a disloyal bone in her body."

"Thank you Joan." Auggie stated as he laid the file down and turned to exit to meet the car he hoped had already arrived. This was about to be the longest car ride of his life. Anxiety began to build in him as his mind raced with all the possibilities of what the "complications" were and what they meant for Annie.

Author's Note: What do complications do you think Annie's faces now?