Wishing and Waiting

A Drink for Now

Auggie Anderson sat at a booth in the back of Allen's Tavern, which was not only his usual haunt but a haunt for many of his spook co-workers. Of course at the CIA all of your co-workers are spooks. Tonight though there was only one spook he was interested in seeing, one Agent Anne "Annie" Catherine Walker. Annie had been working with him for over a year now but it had taken him all of a minute that first day to realize that he could fall for her, and fall fast.

And as time passed by he had fallen, and he fallen much quicker and much harder than even he could have predicted or imagined. He was had just finished his musings over why this was (he had concluded it was because Annie was just simply Annie) when the smell of Jo Malone citrus perfume tickled his nose and the distinctive sound of Annie's heels clicking toward him severed to retrieve him out from his reverie. He smiled brightly in welcome, the happiness he always felt when she was around restored, the depression that had lurked on the edges of his mind since the Accident (as he referred to it) completely dispelled by her comforting presence.

"Hey, Auggie. I'm so sorry I'm late but Chloe and Katia refused to let me even think about leaving before I told both of them a bedtime story." She explained in a rush as she plopped down next to him huffing, obviously annoyed at her own tardiness. He smirked (his signature look, so he'd been told many a time) and said, with an easy confidence certainly he didn't feel, "No problem Annie, you just have to tell me one now." He vaguely wondered if she noticed how he had turned her name into a loving caress. He was one part relieved and one part disappointed when she merely laughed.

At the sound of her laughter his smirk was replaced by something that he had rarely ever used since the Accident but that he had found he was using more and more often since Annie had waltzed into his life- a genuine smile. Making her laugh was one of his favorite hobbies, ever since he had heard it for the first time on that fateful day he was chosen to give her a tour of the CIA workplace. As the waitress' heels clicked closer to our table he figured Annie had flagged her down and sat by quietly as Annie asked the waitress for a simple beer.

As she ordered he thought back on her first day at the Agency. He had woken up late that morning, his headache from the day before had nearly evolved in to a full-fledged migraine, his shoe rack had fallen during the night and when he walked into his closet he had tripped over it, then when he finally made it in he found a mountain of paper work he needed to take care of, and the agent assigned coffee duty that morning had horribly messed up his order. Needless to say when Joan had assigned him to give a tour to the newbie coming into Langley that day he was less than pleased. At the time, he had figured it was punishment for making those two interns cry but the moment he had first heard the unfamiliar sounds of Christian Louboutin's against the cold tile floor and smelled the grapefruit perfume he had blessed Joan from the bottom of his heart.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts as he heard the waitress leave and he could feel her relaxing down into her seat next to him. "So… what did I miss?" She asked casually, a glowing smile in her voice (he could always tell when she smiled; her angelic voice became even warmer than usual). His trademark smirk found its way back onto his face as he joyfully explained that she managed to miss Jai get rejected in a very loud and very public manner. He had found whenever Annie wasn't around, thinking of Jai's mishaps helped keep his spirits up. His Highness getting rejected, and with a beer poured over his head no less, was absolutely priceless and it was a memory he would cherish forever.

She laughed along with him as he told the story until she was out of breath, leaning slightly against him as her breathing regained some semblance of normalcy. He wanted her to stay that way but he found her straightening as her beer was sat down on the table in front of her. After a few (what were apparently very much needed) sips of her beer she relaxed against him and started talking about her two wonderful little nieces. Despite what he'd told Annie, he loved those two bundles of hyperactive energy and absolutely adored how they had dubbed him "Uncle Auggie"… not that he'd actually ever admit this to Annie… at least not right now.

He listened with rapt attention to her tells of Chloe's and Katia's many misadventures and even her stories of similar misadventures of hers and Danielle's when they were that same age. He made a few passing comments here and there but for the most part he just let her talk, enjoying her enthusiasm as she did so. He imagined she made animated gestures with her hands during her retellings of the old and new family stories that she had probably both told and heard a million times before and that her face was lit up as she immersed herself in her obviously happy memories. He wished, for what was definitely not the first time and for what was surely not going to be the last, that he could see her and all her beauty.

Unfortunately, he knew he had to be content with what his other senses told him about her. Like how she always wore the grapefruit scented Jo Malone perfume and how it perfectly blended with her natural scent to form some intoxicating mixture that never failed to draw him in closer. Or how even the lightest touch of her hand sent a wave of sparks and wonderful electricity through his body. He had long since come to the realization that he loved her, but he was afraid to tell her, afraid that it might succeed in pushing her away.

As Annie yawned and rested her head softly against his shoulder he knew that he was content with only a drink for now, along with his best friend and confident status, as he sat by wishing and waiting for her, merely wishing and waiting.