A/N: Heya! It's been a while. I recently discovered Covert Affairs and have fallen heads over heels for Augnie/Walkerson. This little plot bunny just came to me and wouldn't leave me alone until I let it out, so enjoy this ridiculously long one-shot. Cheers!

Summary: Captain August Anderson and his unit are assigned to protect the Senator's youngest daughter: Annie Walker. Unfortunately, he hadn't been told one thing: she was blind. AU.

Falling

Captain August Anderson can't believe the nerve of the Senator. Demanding a personal bodyguard team for his youngest daughter, recently recovered from an injury after a kidnapping attempt gone wrong.

More specifically, the Senator requests his team. There are hundreds of other teams who are more than qualified for this job. They aren't as good as his team, but surely his team is needed somewhere more important. But orders are orders, and he isn't in a position to refuse. They want his team to do a simple bodyguard job? Fine. They'll do it.

The instructions he's given are simple: he will meet her first and let her know who he is via a scripted exchange that will be repeated, verbatim. At that point in time, she will give them further instructions before he introduces her to the rest of his unit.

Anne "Annie" Catherine Walker's file is painfully thin, mostly fluff that doesn't give him any specifics about her. Most of it is information that is known to the public – a regular childhood growing up as an Army brat until her father decided to dabble in politics and was first elected Governor, then later Senator.

Her school records are exemplary – an all-star student well rounded between classes, clubs, and extracurriculars. She'd been a part of various sports teams as well – soccer in the fall, softball in the spring, dance all year around. She even placed in some dance competitions until she suffered a series of injuries that prevented her from competing again.

After her father became Governor Walker, a new note was added to her folder indicating that she received some private self-defense training, but failed to elaborate on what sort of training. She is in her early twenties, a couple years younger than him. After her kidnapping attempt, she was hospitalized and spent several months there to recover. Thankfully, she'd had enough college credits to graduate early, so the kidnapping attempt didn't affect her college career. She has recently completed her occupational and physical therapies and has moved out of the Senator's home, courtesy of a hefty trust fund from her grandparents and various relatives. Hence, the Senator's attempt to place a bodyguard detail on her.

There are no further notes in her record, save for a couple recent photos of her – one pre-accident, one shortly after she was hospitalized, and one a couple weeks ago. With her wavy blonde hair, mesmerizing brown eyes, and lithe figure that emphasized her curves, she is easily one of the most gorgeous women he's ever seen. Even gaunt with exhaustion from her injuries, she will turn heads. There is something about her that is dangerously innocent, and it draws out his protective instincts against his will.

Auggie inwardly sighs. He knows there is no such thing as perfection, and she probably knows she's beautiful. He also knows her type, and there is a good chance she is vain and spoiled at best, and near impossible to work with at worst. He sincerely hopes it isn't either, but he also doesn't put his hopes high. His team will deal with things as they fall into place, no matter how impossible Miss Walker might be.

He easily finds her sitting on a bench, staring outwards listlessly. He is careful to make his footsteps heard as he approaches, not wanting to startle her.

The only indication he receives that she hears him at all is the way she stiffens at his approach and the slightest tilt of her head towards him before she resumes her previous position, observing the passerby.

She doesn't even look at him. Auggie hesitantly sits down on the bench next to her, glancing at her from the side of his peripheral vision. Her wavy locks are slightly messy, perhaps from the wind. Even weeks after she recovers, he can still see the exhaustion on her face despite her schooled expression.

The blowing wind throws her scent his direction and he can smell the faint scent of Jo Malone grapefruit perfume.

Moments pass before Annie finally asks, "Are you also waiting for the bus?"

She purposely pitches her voice low but it still comes out as soft and soothing, unexpectedly sweet.

Auggie looks at her for a moment before responding, "Yes."

She 'hmmm'-s thoughtfully before asking, "Are you going far? It's the perfect time to travel this time of year."

He shrugs. "I suppose. I'm going to visit family, then travel solo."

Does she recognize him? Things can go terribly south if she doesn't. His men are positioned for a quick extraction if necessary, but he would prefer if he didn't have to, especially not on the first day of this new assignment.

After a moment, she asks, "What's it going to take?"

Annie's voice is so mesmerizing that it takes him a moment to register her words. When they hit him, he blinks. What?

"What's it going to take?" She repeats patiently, her voice now cool and devoid of its earlier warmth.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." He confesses, perplexed. He frowns. Is that part of the scripted exchange? Not unless it is changed at the last second, and that never happens.

"What's it going to take for you and your goons to leave me alone? How much money do you want?" She asks, a scowl settling on her features. "I know my father sent you here. I don't need a bodyguard, and especially not a team. You can go back and tell my father exactly what I just said. We're done here."

Annie finally turns towards him.

Or rather, towards his direction.

But she isn't looking at him. Her eyes are slightly unfocused, as if she is looking past him.

Her hands are at her sides, and her fingers are curled around an object next to her. As they stare at each other, she calmly begins to fiddle with the object in her hand, unfolding it to reveal a walking stick.

And then it hits Auggie like an unexpected blow to the gut, and he is too startled to even take offense at her verbal jab.

Annie Walker is blind.

Auggie wants to punch whoever gave him the obviously incomplete file in the first place. And then he wants to kick himself for not noticing at all. He had thought something was off, but he wasn't sure what, exactly. He had assumed that the injury she suffered was mostly psychological, maybe physically minor, but most definitely not to the extent that he just discovered.

"Surprised?" Annie asks lowly, moving to stand.

"Yes." He isn't sure what else there was to say. "It wasn't in your file-"

"I'm quite aware of what is and isn't in my file." She interrupts calmly. "Now it appears that we're at an impasse, Mister…?"

"Anderson. August Anderson."

Annie takes it in stride. "You already know my name, but I prefer to be called Annie. Now, as I said, it appears we're at an impasse, Mister Anderson."

"It appears so." Auggie responds cautiously.

"I stand by my earlier words. I don't want a bodyguard, much less a team. I will not be treated like glass or an invalid. I moved out because I wanted to maintain my independence and to resume my life, albeit with some concessions." She says quietly.

"Your father insisted." He can only respond.

Annie sighs, a note of frustration in her voice. She reaches up with her free hand and runs her fingers through her hair. "I do all the therapies they ask, I attend all the counseling sessions, I do everything they asked, and I only ask this one thing in turn and this is how they respond?"

Then she pulls out a cell phone and punches a number, raising the phone up to her ear, ignoring him for the moment. After a moment, she says, a touch of annoyance in her tone, "So you finally got what you wanted."

Auggie hears a muffled voice on the other line, and then Annie says angrily, "You know how I feel about this. How dare you put a stranger in the middle of it. I don't care how much you paid or are paying."

She listens to a response and retorts angrily, "How dare I? I can't believe the nerve of you! We had an agreement, and I expect you to honor it like those core values you hold so near and dear to your heart."

Annie ends the call before she turns back to Auggie and says bluntly, "I'll pay you double to back off."

He shakes his head, quickly realizing that she can't see him and opting to verbally respond instead, "If you really feel this strongly about it, Miss Walker, my men and I can turn down the assignment. We can't force this on you and I'm not going to take advantage of you."

The relief that crosses her features makes him feel like he's been caught kicking puppies.

Auggie adds, "I'll call to have the contract annulled and voided. You should be good to go by tonight."

A slightly guilty expression crosses Annie's features and she sighs. "Let me see that contract and we can see about revising it instead."

Perplexed, he can only respond, "Huh?"

"My family's not going to let up on me living alone. They're going to drive me crazy with their overprotectiveness. I told you, I don't want a team watching me like a hawk. But I have a spare bedroom in my apartment."

Auggie frowns. "So this revision…"

She shrugs. "As long as you don't make a mess and clean up after yourself, I don't mind having a friend – not a team, but a friend – in the form of a housemate, and occasionally some guests coming over to hang out or whatever. So long as you all clean up after yourselves."

Understanding quickly dawns, and he can't help but think that maybe things will be different after all. Perhaps Annie Walker won't be as terrible an assignment as he originally thought.

"In that case, Miss Walker, my friends call me Auggie."

Her lips tilt upwards the slightest bit in amusement. "And mine call me Annie."

Auggie has the contract transcribed to Braille and sent to Annie. Within the hour, she makes her revisions and has them sent straight up the ladder to her father. Senator Walker is so relieved and thankful that he doesn't even contest his daughter. He simply reads the changes and signs it immediately.

That evening, Auggie moves into the spare bedroom in her apartment.

The apartment is surprisingly spacious. Two-and-a-half bedrooms, a kitchenette that is tied to the living room, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a reading nook with a window view, and a balcony on the other end of the view, also with a view.

There are bookshelves on each side of the reading nook, and the shelves are crammed full of books – both Braille and non-Braille. The non-Braille books are most likely books she has had before her accident.

"You live here?" Auggie asks, surprised.

"Yes." Annie simply responds, pointing out the bedrooms and giving him his choice of a room. He opts for the room closer to hers, and she leaves him to unpack, quietly telling him she's going to the kitchen to make tea and repeating her request for him to not make a mess before she's gone.

It only takes him two trips to move in. Auggie leaves his military uniforms and gear with his unit – they will bring it to him if he needs it. That aside, he doesn't own much, and there isn't anything else he needs that he can't buy. He has been careful to leave everything in his room so that Annie won't accidentally trip on it.

The second trip, he notices that she's turned the radio on, and soft, familiar music reaches his ears.

Auggie pauses in his unpacking.

"Charles Mingus?" He asks.

"You got a problem with that?" Annie calls back from the kitchen.

"None, Annie Walker," Auggie responds, feeling a smile curl up as he comments offhandedly, "But I just might fall in love with you. I adore you already. You like Mingus."

"So how did you become blind?" He asks some weeks later.

He cringes the moment it comes out. He doesn't mean to ask, but it slips out before he can help himself. He silently resigns himself to a cynical retort, or worse, her scorn. (He's quickly learned that Annie has a great sense of humor, but she can also be sarcastic and scathingly scornful towards those she perceives treating her patronizingly. Her sharp tongue could cleave stone.)

But Annie only turns towards him, the faintest amusement on her features as she asks, "Are you sure they gave you the right folder? I thought you guys were read into this kinda stuff."

Auggie frowns, but before he can respond, she puts down the book she's reading and says calmly, "Obviously, you know it was a kidnapping attempt. It was by my ex. A whirlwind romance that lasted a couple weeks – the length of time I was in Sri Lanka while vacationing between semesters. Little did I know, he'd follow me back to the States. And I didn't find out later that he was a foreign operative tasked with extracting information about my father."

"That was most definitely not in your file." He concedes.

"Then you probably didn't know that I went blind when the bomb went off after a failed attempt to diffuse it. Backlash from the explosion and shrapnel and whatnot."

"What."

That is most definitely a smirk he sees on Annie Walker's lips.

"Did you forget who my father was before he became Senator Walker?"

Senator Walker is a politician, but before that, he was in the military. Special ops, military intelligence. He is a legend in the special ops community, highly revered and still respected.

But before that… he's been special ops. An explosives expert. It seems that after he is whisked away to work with the CIA and other various intelligence agencies, they've all but forgotten that he is an explosives expert. It makes sense that he'd pass on some of those skills to his daughter.

Auggie lets out a small laugh. "You are full of surprises, Annie Walker."

Annie shrugs. "I got away. The ex didn't. Losing my vision is a fair price to pay for being alive."

Auggie later learns that losing her vision isn't the only price Annie paid for making it out alive.

He is woken up a couple nights later with a fearful scream that pierces through the calm of the evening.

He jolts awake, jumping out of bed before he realizes what is happening.

Annie.

As he leaves his room, he pulls his comm out of his pocket and jams it in his ear. "Jason."

"Yeah, Captain?" His teammate responds.

"Did someone break into the apartment?"

"Negative, sir." Billy answers. "Did something happen?"

"Not sure yet." Auggie responds. "Get me Miss Walker's medical files. Declassified. Send it to my laptop."

He yanks out the comm without waiting for a response and jams it back into his pocket before cautiously making it to Annie's room. The scream is short-lived, and as he approaches her room, he can make out whimpers.

He cautiously knocks on the door. "Annie?"

No response except for more whimpers.

He tries the doorknob. It isn't locked, so he quietly cracks the door open.

Annie is in her bed, tossing and turning feverishly, muttering words in frantic whispers.

He slowly lets out a sigh of relief. It's a nightmare. Nobody has broken into the apartment.

Auggie slowly approaches the bed. "Annie?"

She doesn't respond, but he can pick up the panic in her voice.

"Ben, what are you doing?"

He tries calling out to her. "Annie, you're having a nightmare."

Auggie gently places a hand on her shoulder, hoping it will calm her.

He is wrong.

Her eyes snap open and suddenly, Auggie's world tilt sideways before he realizes what is happening. Annie had felt his presence and responds by jolting upwards into a sitting position. Her left hand reaches out and wraps around his wrist, her fingers applying pressure and pushing him off balance towards the bed. With her other hand, she thrusts out a palm strike that sends pain blossoming across the right half his face.

"Annie, it's Auggie!" He groans out, reeling back from the attack.

Annie pauses, her grip loosening from his wrist.

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion as she asks bemusedly, "Aug-gie?"

"Yeah. Auggie. Your roommate whose ass you just kicked, all without leaving your bed. That starting to ring a bell?"

He still can't believe it. His team will never let him live it down. Captain August Anderson has just had his ass handed to him by a half-asleep blind girl.

There is a hesitant pause as Annie looks at his direction, the expression on her face still confused. Then recognition dawns and her eyes widen. "Auggie? Ohmygosh I'm so sorry. I was dreaming and you startled me and-"

He waves her off, amusement overcoming his own shock and embarrassment. "No worries. I'll live. Although my unit will never let me live it down, but it's good to know you can take care of yourself, Annie Walker."

Even in the dark, he can see the heat blossoming across her cheeks.

She falls silent after that, her gaze dropping down to her hands that are fisted in her sheets.

"So… you have nightmares like that often?" Auggie finally asks, after collecting himself and opting to sit on the bed so he can see her. The pain on his face has faded – for the moment. He'll need to ice it to prevent the bruises from looking too bad.

Annie shrugs. "I don't always remember them. Most nights are better than others."

"I'm guessing Ben's the name of the ex." He comments.

She nods and doesn't say anything afterwards. Instead, she reaches over for the small radio on her nightstand and turns it on. The radio is connected connected to an iPod, and brown noise quietly filters through.

Auggie thinks it's an interesting choice of… music, for lack of a better word.

But it does the trick.

He can see how the low hum of brown noise helps relax Annie and makes a mental note of it to himself. She eventually lays back down, but Auggie can still see the unease that flickers across her features.

Eventually, she turns to him and says, "You can go. I'll be fine."

"No you're not." He quietly responds, leaning forward and running his fingers through her hair. "I'll stay until you sleep."

The nervousness melts off of her and Annie gives him a small thankful smile. He runs his fingers through her hair until she falls into an exhausted sleep.

Auggie wakes up in easy contentment. Everything is warm and comfortable, and he can't bring himself to move. He can't remember the last time he's been so relaxed. Warm sunlight filters through the window, and the sound of someone shifting beside him catches his attention.

He turns to see a head full of blonde hair.

Annie.

He must have fallen asleep, after she did.

He observes her, relaxing at the contentment on her features.

Annie's eyes flutter open and she turns to him.

"Auggie?" Her voice is low and drowsy.

"Yeah." He responds, wondering how she will take it.

She doesn't say anything at first, but he can practically see the wheels turning in her head.

Finally, she runs her hand along the sheets until her fingers trail over his, and she slides her hand into his and squeezes it as she says quietly, "Thanks for staying."

He swallows the lump in his throat beforcing himself to respond, "No problem, sweetheart."

This is how he falls in love with her.

It becomes their thing, him waking up in the middle of the night to her screams or whimpers.

He quickly learns that the fastest way to banish her night terrors is to slide into bed with her and wrap her up in his arms. She always stops thrashing in the throes of nightmare, becoming warm and pliant at his side, snuggling into him for comfort. He's more than happy to oblige, and sleep comes quickly for the both of them afterwards.

Annie doesn't ask when he comes into her room. She only wakes up around dawn – which is when he usually wakes up – with a relaxed smile, looks in his direction, and offers a shyly whispered thanks. Sometimes, he'll turn to drop a kiss on the crown of her head as she curls up against him in contentment before they doze off for a couple more hours.

Auggie thinks he could get used to this.

After Annie is asleep, he presses a speed dial number on his phone. He waits for the person on the other end of the line to pick up before he says, "I need you to get a hold of someone for me. Dr. Krane."

Then, one day, their world falls apart. Or rather, Annie's world falls apart, and Auggie's is shattered.

They come back to the apartment after a walk through the nearby park. It's Annie's favorite activity – she refers to it as frolicking and Auggie will vehemently deny it if questioned – and she loves looping her arm around his as they walk. He notices that she's always more at ease – having him as a guide allows for her to maneuver without her walking stick – and has no problem wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her at his side.

"I'll make tea." Annie says as soon as they step through the door, leaning upwards to brush a kiss against his cheek before unlooping her arm from his.

"Sure thing, sweetheart." Auggie lets her go after mimicking her – dropping a kiss on her temple – and goes to his room to drop off his jacket.

Officially, Auggie is her bodyguard posing as her boyfriend. Unofficially, they are dating. At least, that's what he hopes will happen when he finally asks her out. Officially, of course. Senator Walker isn't exactly pleased when Auggie tells him, but at the same time, the Senator isn't displeased.

When he returns to the kitchen, the tea is ready and Annie is pouring it into cups. He smells it before he tastes it – peppermint. He takes a seat at the island table before picking up the cup and blowing on the surface of the tea before taking a careful sip. It's good, as usual.

She slides into the seat next to him with her own cup. She takes a sip and comments, "This would taste better with orange blossoms."

"Any tea you pick out is good." He responds.

Annie 'hmmm'-s thoughtfully as she takes another sip.

Auggie decides to broach the topic first. "So I was thinking…"

"That sounds dangerous." She comments, smiling at him over her cup of tea.

"Do you always shoot guys down when they're trying to ask you out?" He responds with a pout.

Annie freezes. She carefully puts down her cup of tea before looking back up at him.

"Are you-"

"Yup."

She smiles. "It took you long enough."

He can't stop the grin from spreading across his face.

He wants to lean in and kiss her, but for some reason, his body is refusing to cooperate for some reason. He settles for placing his hand over hers and gently squeezing it.

"And might I be the first to offer my congratulations." A voice abruptly intrudes, somehow infuriatingly calm.

Several things happen at once.

Auggie's body shuts down on him and he topples off the chair, hitting the ground hard.

Annie screams his name. "Auggie!"

To her credit, she tries to catch him, but she misses and ends up toppling down beside him.

He can't move, and the fear in Annie's voice is the worst.

The sound of approaching footsteps alarms him, but he can't fight off the drug causing his body to work against him. His vocal cords are frozen and he can't even reach his comms to call for backup. It'll be hours before his team notices anything is wrong.

A figure slides into view, and the newcomer says, "Hello, Annie darling. Did you miss me?"

Even though she can't see him, Annie's eyes widen and the color still drains from her face. Her legs give out from under her – Auggie is furious he can't even move to catch her – and her body trembles as she whispers, "Ben."

Realization hits Auggie when he can finally make out the intruder's profile. Annie was wrong. Her ex wasn't a foreign operative. He was friggin' Ben Mercer. Ben Mercer is legendary. Between the CIA and various alphabet agencies, both national and international, he is on every agency's most wanted list. An ex-CIA black ops agent who only takes on contracts in his favor, every agency in the world's sole aim is to take him out.

The world is rapidly spinning around him, but he can only focus on Annie.

"What did you do to him?" Annie whispers.

Ben gestures to Auggie and continues soothingly, "I just slipped him a little something to incapacitate him, I promise. If I wanted to kill him, he'd be dead." There is a threat underlying the promise.

Annie reaches over and grabs Auggie's hand, squeezing it, as Ben adds, "It's time to go, darling. Before I change my mind and end him."

Auggie doesn't think he will ever forget the tears falling from her face or the desperation on her features.

Equal desperation momentarily unfreezes his vocal cords and he croaks out, "Don't go."

"He'll kill you if I don't." She whispers.

She reaches out with trembling fingers, her fingertips ghosting down his skin gently. Her thumbs sweep the bottom of his lips, her fingers framing his face. She leans in and brushes her lips over his in desperate apology. With the last of his strength, he returns the kiss with a fierce desperation.

"I'm sorry, Auggie." She repeats, after finally withdrawing.

Ben Mercer steps forward, wrapping an arm around her upper bicep. "Time to go, darling."

Annie flinches, but withdraws, allowing Mercer to pull her along.

She keeps turning to look at his direction until Mercer slams the door shut.

And then they're gone.

Annie isn't sure how long they're gone.

Once Ben pushes her into the vehicle, he is quiet. He doesn't say a word.

There is too much sound for her to make out her location, so she counts. Ben is probably hoping to psych her out by not letting her make sense of the time. But she's gotten pretty good at counting during her recovery. Counting helps her keep track of time, helps her pass the time, and helps keep her sane.

Numbers are something stable in a world otherwise filled with chaos.

The only comfort she has is that Ben hasn't searched her. The burn phone Auggie has given her is still in her pocket, the solid weight of it a comfort against her. A last resort, if possible.

Finally, the vehicle stops.

About 35 minutes have passed.

The sound of a door opening and closing catches her attention. Abruptly, her car door opens and Ben says gruffly, "Get out."

She cautiously steps out and he wraps an arm around her upper bicep, his grip tight.

He leads her inside an air conditioned building – automatic doors swish open.

He drags her into an elevator and presses a button. The elevator doors close and open again not long after.

"We're here to see Dr. Krane." Ben says to someone - a receptionist? - and is given directions.

Dr. Krane.

Annie vaguely recognizes the name.

When Auggie had first moved into the apartment, she heard the name when he was on the phone one evening.

Just who is this Dr. Krane?

She gets her answer shortly afterwards.

She's not sure how it happened, but she's sure Ben did something. And whatever he did, it got the hospital emptied of all nonessential personnel, and she's locked in an office with him and Dr. Krane.

"Dr. Krane is a world renown expert on eyes." Ben explains patronizingly. "He recently made a breakthrough that has the potential to allow blind people to see again."

He lets that information sink in before adding offhandedly, "Of course, if things go wrong, it could just as easily paralyze you. Or kill you. But that's part of the fun, isn't it?"

Annie swallows the emotions threatening to overtake her. Auggie had reached out to this Dr. Krane in an attempt to see if she could regain her sight. He believed that she could be healed.

"It's not something I recommend to everyone." Dr. Krane responds, nervousness seeping through his attempted-calm façade.

The click of a gun catches Annie's attention, and she can only assume that Ben is currently pressing the gun to Dr. Krane's head.

"It's okay, Dr. Krane." Annie speaks up quietly. "Auggie spoke to you, right? He wanted to know if I could be cured."

Dr. Krane hesitates. "You're Annie Walker?"

Annie nods. "What's your verdict?"

"Based off of your medical history, I'm not sure. Shrapnel was embedded into your skin. Some of it got into your eyes and damaged the cells."

"And?"

"I need to scan your eyes first in order to assess the damage." Dr. Krane responds.

"No need, Dr. Krane." Ben responds smoothly. "You can skip that and go right into surgery. I'm sure Annie is dying to see again."

"If the surgery won't do anything to heal her eyesight, it will only cause pain. It could even make her condition worse, leaving her paralyzed or dead." Dr. Krane argued.

"But the upside is that she might be able to see again." Ben points out. "And I want her to be able to see what's going to happen next, so you're going to do the surgery or your blood will paint the walls."

Before Dr. Krane can argue and possibly get himself killed, Annie intervenes, although she is shaking on the inside. She ignores her trembling body and attempts to keep her voice soothing as she says, "It's okay, Dr. Krane. I'll be in your most capable hands. I'm sure things will go smoothly."

There is a long silence before Dr. Krane finally responds, "Of course, Miss Walker."

Whatever Ben drugged him with doesn't wear off until nearly 4 hours later. 1 hour in, he can twitch his fingertips. 2 hours in, he can finally move his hand. 3 hours in, he hits the speed dial for his unit. They arrive at the 4 hour mark, when he can finally push himself to sit up.

"You look like hell, Captain." Chris offers.

"She's been kidnapped." He says instead, ignoring the offered greetings.

"I already pulled up the surveillance." Bill comments. "It looks like she was pushed into a van about four hours ago. They headed…"

"She left the burner phone on." Jason interrupts unapologetically. "It pinged at the hospital. It hasn't moved since."

Chris claps him on the shoulder, helping him up. "Let's go get your girl, Captain."

Annie wakes up in a hospital bed, white bandages wrapped around her head, covering her eyes. Not that they make a difference, since she still can't see, but…

"It appears that the surgery went well, but it's going to be forty-eight hours until we can remove the bandages for assess the rate of healing, but another forty-eight hours after that until we can safely remove the bandages." Dr. Krane explains. "In the meanwhile, why don't you get some rest, Miss Walker?"

"Thank you, Dr. Krane." Annie says softly, leaning back into the hospital bed. "I'm sure you've done an exceptional job. You should rest as well."

After Ben handcuffs her to the hospital bed to keep her from going anywhere, she wonders if Auggie and his team will find her.

Ben Mercer is cocky and arrogant and borderline insane.

He leaves a wide open trail for Auggie's team to follow. Thankfully, Auggie's team knows him well enough to have brought all his gear over the moment he calls out an S.O.S., and with Bill's driving, it takes them 15 minutes to get to the hospital when it would normally take half an hour or more.

The hospital is mostly empty, so they start from the top floor. This hospital is relatively small - only four stories. So they split up into teams of two, starting from the bottom floor and working their way up.

Of course, they find Mercer on the fourth floor.

And in a scant matter of minutes, Auggie has to wonder, just how the hell has Ben Mercer managed to incapacitated three of his men? His unit is one of the best. They are elite amongst elite, and they are having difficulty taking down one ex-black ops agent.

Granted, said ex-black ops agent currently has two immediate hostages and other staff and patients scared out of their minds and hiding out in various other rooms, but still.

After a brief tussle, he has Mercer pinned down. Mercer may be good, but Auggie's better, and they both know it.

"Where's Annie?" Auggie snarls, his fingers curled into a fist, ready to punch Mercer (again).

Mercer only laughs. "Healing."

"From what?"

"Don't you think it's interesting that a certain Dr. Krane works at this hospital, Anderson?" Mercer responds instead, his tone mockingly conversational.

Auggie's eyes widen, before fury overtakes him. He slugs Mercer across the face again, knocking him out before tying him to a rail with zip ties.

Chris and Jason limp around the corner, supporting a wounded Bill, who has one hand pressed to the bullet wound on his side.

"Watch this one. Call the feds." Auggie gestured to the unconscious Ben Mercer. He turns to go, but turns back around at the last second and orders, "If he so much as twitches, shoot him. I don't care where, but leave him alive."

Chris steps forward, nodding. "We got it, Captain. We also found the Dr. Krane. Go get your girl. She's three rooms down. 434."

With that assurance, Auggie runs down the hall, almost running past room 434. He backpedals and cautiously knocks before cracking it open and calling out, "Annie?"

There is a pause before a soft voice calls out in response, "…Auggie?"

Annie.

She is sitting up in the hospital bed. One hand is cuffed to the side of the bed, preventing her from going anywhere.

"Annie." He repeats, a smile curling his lips as he steps towards her.

"Auggie." She repeats, her lips curving upwards in imitation of his. "Please tell me you've got a bobby pin."

He blinks, but notices a key sitting on the table by the door – way out of Annie's reach. He scoops it up and sits down next to her as he un-cuffs her. "I'll do you one better. How about a key?"

"That'll do, Captain."

He freezes. "How-?"

She shrugs. "You've read my file. You really think I didn't read yours? I've been waiting for you to tell me, but I guess it doesn't matter now."

And then she swallows, her shoulders slumping as she whispers miserably, "I'm sorry for leaving you, Auggie." Tears slide down beneath the bandages as she says, "I was so scared for you and-"

Auggie doesn't wait for her to finish. He gathers her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin and brushing his lips over the crown of her head.

"Don't apologize for Mercer," he simply says. "I don't hold anything against you. I'm not angry at you or with you. I was so worried for you."

Annie swallows her tears, looking up at him as she whispers, "I love you, Auggie."

He smiles, bending his head and brushing his lips against hers as he murmurs in response, "I love you too, Annie."

4 days later, Annie sits in Dr. Krane's office.

"Are you ready for the verdict, Miss Walker?" Dr. Krane asks.

Annie slips her hand into Auggie's, and he squeezes her hand reassuringly as she responds, "As ready as it's going to get."

When Dr. Krane removes her bandages at first, she blinks open to hazy golden light.

"Everything's so blurry," she murmurs.

"Give it a couple minutes for your eyes to adjust, Miss Walker." Dr. Krane advises. "So far things have already exceeded my wildest expectations. From here, things may clear up over time, but they can also bell curve, improving before deteriorating. We'll have to keep tabs on you."

Annie nods and finally turns to Auggie, tilting her head to look up at him. She squeezes his hand and reaches up with her other to run trembling fingers through his dark brown curly hair. It is as soft as she imagined. His chocolate brown eyes are misty with emotion, filled with wonder, as he watches her.

She rubs a couple strands of hair between her fingers before moving to the expanse of his face. She brushes her fingers against his clean-shaven skin, and Auggie swallows. He stays silent, watching her with a steady gaze, his eyes never leaving her.

Annie comes to one conclusion, the same one the butterflies in her stomach have been telling her long before she could see him. Auggie Anderson is ridiculously good looking.

"So do I pass muster, Miss Walker?" He finally chokes out. He looks a bit nervous, but he has no reason to be.

"Wow." She finally breathes in response, unable to resist the smile and joy that overcomes her.

Auggie laughs. "Those were my exact thoughts when I saw you for the first time, babe."

Annie finally slides her hand free of Auggie's in favor of standing up and reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, leaning into him. Auggie responds by wrapping one arm around her waist, the other moving to cup the back of her neck.

The distant sound of footsteps let them know that Dr. Krane has stepped out to give them a moment of privacy.

"So where does this leave us?" She murmurs.

"I think a proper introduction ought to do the trick, Miss Walker. Captain August Anderson at your service. My friends call me Auggie."

Annie smiles. "Anne Catherine Walker. My friends call me Annie. I also love it when my boyfriend gives me terms of endearment."

Auggie smiles. "Well then, I do love it when my girlfriend smiles. She's gorgeous."

Loving Annie is easy. It's Auggie's favorite thing to do.

After Ben Mercer, the only reason he will leave her is either because he has been ordered to report in or because his team has eyes on her at all times.

The night they come back from Dr. Krane's office, Auggie officially moves into Annie's bed. This way, he can stop the nightmares before they happen.

Annie still needs to see various doctors and therapists to help her cope with her recovering eyesight and the trauma from Ben, but this small thing is something only Auggie can do, and something he loves to do.

Going to sleep and waking up with an armful of Annie is his favorite thing in the world.

When Auggie comes home one evening, Mingus is playing softly in the background, and Annie is in the center of the living room, her arms outstretched, her body turning in slow steps as she moves around the room.

After watching her for so long, Auggie clears his throat and calls out, "Care for a partner, Annie Walker?"

Annie's lips curve upwards in surprised joy as she meets his gaze and playfully responds, "Only if this partner knows how to dance and can keep the both of us from knocking the furniture over."

Auggie laughs, stepping forward to gently take her hands in his. "I think I can manage that." He places one hand on his shoulder and her other hand slides into his. He places his free hand on her waist and draws her in.

As he does, he finally recognizes the faint perfume she always wears. "Jo Malone grapefruit?" He murmurs.

"Yes." Annie simply responds.

They stay in the center of the living room, moving in synchronized motion as he turns them in small steps. All the while, her head is tucked into the crook of his neck, and he nuzzles the top of her head.

He could get used to this.

FIN.