A/N: Meh. I'm not in love with this. But it's been on my hard drive for ages, and hasn't gotten any better. And I feel like it's been ages since I've posted anything. And, I miss Covert Affairs, like, a lot. So! Much obliged to Jane Faro for beta'ing this (months ago, if you still remember it). Thank you very much for your reading time!

Their relationship was easy, unconscious, instinctual- and when push came to shove between them, it was somewhat akin to trying to gouge one's own heart out with a plastic spoon.

"You do realize what could have happened if you'd been caught? Here I am, going out of my mind with worry, and where are you? Off, in direct defiance of protocol-"

"Protocol? Since when have you ever given half a-"

"-your orders, my instructions-"

"-about protocol? You 'defied' it yourself coming out into the field just-"

"-and I care about protocol when it could-"

"-find me! We almost lost the intel because you couldn't-"

"-your stupid-"

"-me to get my job done!"

"Trust you to get your job done? Annie, you're green! That op was so far over your head, but you just had to get involved, because you're so freaking-"

"Yes, I had to get involved! That agent was going to get himself-"

"-idealistic about the entire-"

"- his contact killed! Wait, idealistic? Where do you get off calling-"

"Yes! You just never let things go! I mean, just once-"

"-so arrogant! You're always soooo much better, and-"

"-I've got more experience than you do-"

"-Bea doesn't even wear that much perfume, but-"

"-and- Wait, what?"

"-you just-"

"Annie! What was that?"

"What?"

"What you just said, run it by me again?"

"…That Bea doesn't actually wear that much perfume?"

"…Care to explain that one?"

"Oh…Uh, that first day we met, when you were showing me around- you made some comment about the women around here wearing too much perfume, and then Bea walked by, and-"

"You still remember that?"

"-yeah, but that's not mrph-pffrmh-"

Their relationship was easy, unconscious, instinctual- and when push came to shove between them, it usually also came to a helpless, needy, hysterical embrace.

"You know, if our esteemed coworkers doubted our sanity before, they certainly have no more reason to trust in it now."