Title: Thaw

Rating: K+

Spoilers: Takes place right after Annie comes back from Sri Lanka, end of last season.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything. I would not object to Auggie showing up lost on my doorstep, however…

She was different after she came back. After Ben Mercer died in her arms.

She didn't speak to anyone unless spoken to, and even then it was typically a monosyllabic response.

She didn't smile at anyone, didn't flirt.

She didn't go out for drinks after work anymore.

Her entire existence had narrowed to arriving at work, doing her job, and going home.

She was still performing exceptionally well in the field, successfully completing each mission she was sent on, but it was like everything that had made her Annie was gone, leaving behind an emotionless shell, just another faceless agent.

In the DPD, Joan Campbell was frequently referred to as the Ice Queen behind her back; Annie Walker quickly became the Ice Princess.

The only person that Annie let near her was Auggie. Everyone in the office found it strange, even a little unnerving, that they never spoke. He never followed her, but he was always just sort of around, occasionally touching her shoulder as he passed by, letting her lead him when they happened to be getting coffee at the same time, holding her hair when she'd staggered into work with the stomach flu and ended up losing her breakfast in the ladies room.

Auggie, you see, was one of the few people who understood the kind of grief she was going through. He knew that Annie didn't need to talk just yet, which was what the idiot shrink was trying to get her to do. No, she just needed to know that someone was there until she was finally ready to move forward.

It took three months before she initiated a dialogue of any sort. He looked up from his computer when she knocked on his door frame twice.

"Lunch?" she asked. That was all.

"Sure," he replied, standing up and slipping his coat on.

Nothing else was said during lunch, but he noticed that she sat a little closer.

Six weeks later, after she'd returned from a mission in Cairo that left her with 17 stitches in her side and a broken wrist, he found her sitting on the bench in what he'd come to refer to as her 'Thinking Spot'.

When he sat down next to her, leaving a respectful distance between them, she'd scooted over slightly and rested her head against his shoulder.

That gesture was repeated two nights later, when she'd agreed to come to his house for a drink after work, only this time she fell asleep.

He let her stay there long after his shoulder went numb, knowing that she needed the rest.

It had been ten months since Sri Lanka, and they had settled into a comfortable pattern. Annie and Auggie still didn't talk much, but they spent most of their time together. Coffee runs and lunches were a daily occurrence, as were home visits on evenings and weekends. She often initiated brief conversations or physical contact before he did, and had even been seen rolling her eyes at him a few times. One of the techs swore that he even saw her smile once, for just a second.

They were at his house on a Saturday night when the conversation started. He didn't even know how it started, really, nor did he remember what it was about. All he knew was that she was talking, so he went with it.

They moved easily from one topic to another, and were in the middle of a mutual rant about the lack of substance of the current generation of musicians when suddenly Annie trailed off and froze.

Auggie knew the instant that she realized that she was behaving 'normally', and he knew exactly what to do. He opened his arms, and seconds later she was in them, sobbing as though her world was ending. Auggie didn't say anything, didn't try to get her to stop crying, nor did he offer any false platitudes…he just held her as she let out all of the pain and grief that she'd been carrying for almost a year.

Nobody can cry forever, though, even though it feels like it sometimes, and eventually Annie ran out of tears. Despite that, she didn't loosen her grip on him. He didn't either, just wordlessly reached over and snagged a tissue to hand to her.

"Stay with me," she whispered as she wiped her face.

"Always," he promised.

With Annie still in his arms, he stood up and walked down the hallway to his bedroom. He placed her in his bed, then crawled in beside her and pulled her close. Emotionally and physically exhausted, Annie's breathing quickly evened out as she fell asleep.

As he started to drift off, the woman he cared for more than anyone else secure in his arms, Auggie couldn't help but smile faintly.

Slowly but surely, the Ice Princess of the DPD had started to thaw a little.

AA AW

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this little bit of fluff. Hit the review button if you have the chance!