2 Thursday's Later:

Ring, Ring the electronic doorbell chimed from Campbell's porch.

"I'll get it," Ryan McQuaid stood from the dining room table giving no time for Joan or Arthur to get up not wanting to interrupt their dinner.

"Thank you," Joan smiled up at him, her right hand holding a fork and her left gently bouncing her son in his table bouncer that he had almost grown out of.

At the door McQuaid was greeted with Annies warm smile. They hadn't talked since this morning, Annie had left the house frustrated with him to go to a variety of appointments.

"Ugh," Annie complained as cups fell from the cabinet when she was reaching for a metal thermos on the top shelf. She was running late and distracted from an earlier conversation with Auggie.

"I can pick them up," Ryan chimed, reading the newspaper at the bar.

"I got it!" Annie huffed out, throwing them back in the cabinet quickly.

He lowered his paper eyeing her, "If your nervous about the appointments today I can go wi-"

"No, no, I'm fine. I got it. Thanks." She said shortly and sharply, Ryan knew that was the end of the conversation, "Bye," she called already halfway to the door.

"Don't forget we are eating with the Campbells' tonight!" He called back.

They had had arguments in the past about Annie being too independent and Ryan being too needy and clingy.

Truthfully, Annie would have liked Ryan to go with her today. She had another shrink session, her yearly physical, and a heart check up, but she needed time to think about what had just happened with Auggie.

They had been laughing on the phone outside at 4am, but evening in Auggies time, about his encounter with a well known monument, "You should have seen it with your actual eyes, maybe one day we can meet up somewhere," Auggie mused, still chuckling about it.

It had caught Annie off guard some, Auggie was usually more concealed but their relationship had vastly improved in the last couple months, "Of course, that would be great,"

"If you're lucky," He paused, "I will even let you have some of my Patron."

Annie did even think about it before another breathless laugh along words, "Wow, I love you," flew out of her mouth. And just like that she couldn't take them back. She hadn't said I love you to anyone since before she went dark. Her stomach lurched at what she had just said. She was on the balcony outside of her boyfriend's bedroom and had just told her ex-boyfriend she loved him. And worse she meant it. Then, Ryan had been so supportive of her relationship with Auggie because it was the only friend she had.

She took a deep breath, reaching her first appointment: "I'll have to deal with this later."

She strode past Ryan after giving him a reassuring smile that they were good, and greeted the Campbells in their dining room, "Sorry I am so late," It was half past 7, "There was a wreck and my appointment got mixed up and ended up the last of the day."

"No problem, Annie, feel free to make yourself a plate," Arthur motioned toward the empty plate at her seat.

"And how did it go?" Joan asked, beating Ryan to it. Annie could tell from the concern in her voice that Joans was asking as a friend, not as Annie's boss.

She shrugged, "Not much to say until the labs come back, but the physical was well," she reached over the table to get the bowl of pasta from McQuaids side.

"That's good and how have you guys been? I'm sorry we couldn't make it last weekJoan had her cousins over to meet Mac," Arthur explained for Joan as he was finished with dinner already.

"They haven't ever met him, they couldn't believe he was so big," The excitement in her voice came through as Arthur took him out of the bouncer.

"I can't believe he is so big either," His Dad replied, "I'm going to get him ready for bed, you enjoy dinner," He patted his wife's shoulder and then directed his attention to McQuaid who was also finished, "If you want to grab a beer and start the game I will meet you downstairs."

That left just Joan and Annie at the table.

"Don't tell anyone, but I heard through the grapevine that Arthur is planning something huge for your anniversary," Annie whispered only semi-quietly. She was sure that Joan knew at least something of it, everyone else seemed to. Annie and Ryan actually agreed to the honor of taking care of Mac the week they would be gone. Joan and Arthur trusted very few around their baby.

"I take it you're not telling me where though," Joan quipped back. She knew Arthur had booked somewhere for an entire week. They were going on the trip in a month. But he wouldn't give her more than that.

"No, but I do think you will love it," Annie replied, probing at her food with her fork. She hadn't eaten since 10am, but wasn't hungry. She dreaded going home with Ryan, the conversation with Auggie had played over and over in her mind all day.

After dinner, Joan had invited Annie up to Macs room where they were playing with him before bedtime.

"I did something I shouldn't have," Joan caught her full attention, letting out the secret, "I want you to be able to fully trust me and your friend, not your boss," she paused, "The only way I can do that is to be honest. I pulled information about you from databases and I had to go way back, but I found something and nothing," She shook her head almost looking confused.

Annie's stomach dropped for a second time today, immediately understanding Joan. She wanted to run for the door. She was already guilty this morning. She was shaken from what she had admitted to Auggie. Her shrink appointment had drained her even more emotionally. Then, this was coming.

Baby Mac started to squirm on his play mat, Joan was folding clothes and by the time she reached over from the pile to pick him up Annie had already scooped him up, gently bouncing him to console him. Or maybe to console herself, Joan noted.

Joan thought Annie was hiding something about Mercer that night at the restaurant. Then, Joan reconsidered that it could have been something else. Arthur and Joan had kept strict tabs on Annie when it had involved Ben. Annie was so green of an operative during that time it wasn't hard. Joan and Arthur knew Mercer inside and out, they knew him personally. Just 10 years ago he was in their dining room eating dinner with them. Joan knew that Annie had made the call to leave that relationship in the end on the tarmac after they saved Meghan. So, she needed to know that was tripping Annie up that night. In the end she came up empty handed, almost.

Annie could have denied it, but it wouldn't fix anything. Annie could explain it away as a break, but Annie had never been the kind of person for breaks. What can I say? I can't say the whole truth. There was no proof anywhere, it was 17 years ago. She could paint the canvas anyway she pleased.

"I'm not doing this as your boss." Joan swiveled her bottom from the pile to face toward Annie, "I am asking as a curious friend. Where were you from the time you stopped high school to your first semester of college?"

She really knows, Annie was still dumbfounded that Joan put it together. Even the CIA had never flagged it, she had never been asked about this in her entire life. Now where were those 20 months that were missing from her life?

….

To be continued

Author's Note: Please review if you are reading. Even if you review as a guest and just say "reading" so I know someone is enjoying it. Also, if anyone is confused about this, or has any ideas where it is going, or wants me to include anything in particular let me know.