Solace, Chapter Three
Title: Solace
Author: rainbowsfics
Fandom: Covert Affairs
Rating: K
Warnings: N/A
Pairings (if applicable) Annie/Auggie
Character(s) (if applicable) Annie, Auggie, Danielle
Summary: "Wait. How am I gonna get home?" What if Annie brought Auggie to Danielle's dinner?
Auggie and Annie made their way, arm in arm, down the smooth staircase, Auggie's hand gliding down the wooden railway. They both ducked their heads as they came in to the view of the rest of those invited to the ceremonious dinner party.
"Oh, Annie!" Danielle plastered on a faux smile as she skittered away from the gushing crowd, "You're just in time," she muttered, mostly to herself, as she tugged the two unwilling participants behind her.
Fake smile in place, she brought the two into the dining room, assuring that, with a wide-eyed nod, that they wouldn't try to object.
"Everyone," Danielle spoke theatrically, "This is my lovely sister Annie," she nudged Annie further into the room, as both she and Auggie were cowering near the doorway, "and her friend from the Smithsonian, Auggie."
She motioned them to two conveniently empty seats at the furthest side of table, and the awkward atmosphere of the room dissipated instantly.
"This is going to suck," she muttered, as the date that her sister set her up with began conversing avidly with her about his troublesome commute.
Auggie, sitting next to her and pretending not to listen, smirked, and nudged her subtly. She hid her smile in her napkin. Maybe this dinner wouldn't be so bad after all.
xXx
"Thank you, thanks. No, it's all right. It's a good thing Auggie pulled me out of the way," Annie smiled as she not-so-subtly ushered the Archie look alike out of the door. Once he was outside, she locked the door shut and, leaning against it, closed her eyes briefly.
After drinking too much wine, the mustached banker wasn't able to hold his liquor, and proceeded to be sick upon Danielle's wooden floor. It would have been Annie instead, if it wasn't for Auggie, who, with his finely tuned hearing immediately heard the tell tale signs, and, wrapping an arm around her, pulled her closer to him, and out of the line of fire.
Her eyes flew open when she heard the comfortably familiar chuckles from across the room.
"Just wouldn't leave, would he?" Auggie smirked, leaning on the countertop as Danielle previously had been.
"You spend a lot of your time smirking, don't you?" she mentioned off-handedly, as she pushed herself of the door and made a beeline for Auggie. Matching his position on the kitchen counter, she moved to grab Auggie's abandoned wine glass.
"Oh," he shrugged, "It's part of my charm. Makes me so mesmerizing," he shrugged, imitating humbleness.
"Uh huh," Annie spoke, unconvinced, and continued sipping his wine. It was silent, but not at all awkward, for a little while before Danielle strolled into the kitchen.
"Hey, you guys are still here?" She glanced at her watch. "It's late, I thought you'd be asleep by now."
"Late? What time is it?" Annie brow furrowed as she asked and set down her glass, and glanced at Auggie's watch.
He pressed the face of the watch, and "1:05" rang out, interrupting the calm silence.
"Wow," Annie ran her fingers through her hair, "It is late. C'mon Auggie, I'll drive you home,"
Auggie shook his head, messing up his hair even further. "It's late, and I can call a cab,"
Danielle had slipped out silently when he said this, and Annie answered, "Uh uh. No way I'm letting 'my hero' take a cab," she smirked.
xXx
The car ride home was somewhat quiet, and certainly less eventful than the last car ride. Annie was drumming out a beat on the steering wheel.
Before either of them knew it, they were at Auggie's apartment. Annie stopped the car and both squirmed awkwardly in their seats.
"So . . ." Annie began.
Auggie decided to take her out of her misery, "That certainly was fun." After a while, microwave dinners and meals with one-dimensional girls got old. This was fun, and it reminded him of what being in a family was like.
He could hear her open and close her mouth, as if trying to decide on how to phrase something.
"Thank you," she blurted out. He had found that when not being able on how to say something, she usually just blurted out whatever she could come up, and sometimes, she ended up being a little vague.
"For . . . what?" he mentally went through everything he had done for her, and couldn't find anything in his files that would be worth thanking him for so randomly.
"For . . . for everything," she answered hesitatingly, "For being there for me during my freak out moments, and for coming with me to my sister's."
He sat in shock for a moment before his brain decided to work again. "Annie, you don't need to thank me for that. That comes with the territory of being your best friend."
She giggled softly - music to his ears now - and, placing one hand on his cheek, she chastely kissed the other one and whispered, "Thank you, best friend."
She pulled away and spoke again, "I hope you know what this means. You'll have to come to every weekly dinner now. Dani and Michael like you too much, and well, the girls aren't letting you go any time soon,"
"Well," he quirked, "I guess I'll just have to make a sacrifice."
Auggie felt his way to the door handle and turned back to her, "'Night, Annie."
She smiled softly before replying a "'Night, Aug."
She stayed in that position for a few minutes, waiting until she knew that he was okay and in bed, and replayed the events of the night.
Tonight, they were both sleeping in their own beds.
Tonight, nothing more was happening between them.
And yes, while he could have invited her in and she could have urged him to stay, they didn't.
Because, while something could - and possibly would - happen between them, it wasn't happening tonight.
Because tonight, they were best friends, and only best friends.
But that was okay.
Because she took solace in that.
And with that, she drove off, dreaming of warm pillows and her affectionate grey cat.
To Sequel.
Author: rainbowsfics
Fandom: Covert Affairs
Rating: K
Warnings: N/A
Pairings (if applicable) Annie/Auggie
Character(s) (if applicable) Annie, Auggie, Danielle
Summary: "Wait. How am I gonna get home?" What if Annie brought Auggie to Danielle's dinner?
Auggie and Annie made their way, arm in arm, down the smooth staircase, Auggie's hand gliding down the wooden railway. They both ducked their heads as they came in to the view of the rest of those invited to the ceremonious dinner party.
"Oh, Annie!" Danielle plastered on a faux smile as she skittered away from the gushing crowd, "You're just in time," she muttered, mostly to herself, as she tugged the two unwilling participants behind her.
Fake smile in place, she brought the two into the dining room, assuring that, with a wide-eyed nod, that they wouldn't try to object.
"Everyone," Danielle spoke theatrically, "This is my lovely sister Annie," she nudged Annie further into the room, as both she and Auggie were cowering near the doorway, "and her friend from the Smithsonian, Auggie."
She motioned them to two conveniently empty seats at the furthest side of table, and the awkward atmosphere of the room dissipated instantly.
"This is going to suck," she muttered, as the date that her sister set her up with began conversing avidly with her about his troublesome commute.
Auggie, sitting next to her and pretending not to listen, smirked, and nudged her subtly. She hid her smile in her napkin. Maybe this dinner wouldn't be so bad after all.
xXx
"Thank you, thanks. No, it's all right. It's a good thing Auggie pulled me out of the way," Annie smiled as she not-so-subtly ushered the Archie look alike out of the door. Once he was outside, she locked the door shut and, leaning against it, closed her eyes briefly.
After drinking too much wine, the mustached banker wasn't able to hold his liquor, and proceeded to be sick upon Danielle's wooden floor. It would have been Annie instead, if it wasn't for Auggie, who, with his finely tuned hearing immediately heard the tell tale signs, and, wrapping an arm around her, pulled her closer to him, and out of the line of fire.
Her eyes flew open when she heard the comfortably familiar chuckles from across the room.
"Just wouldn't leave, would he?" Auggie smirked, leaning on the countertop as Danielle previously had been.
"You spend a lot of your time smirking, don't you?" she mentioned off-handedly, as she pushed herself of the door and made a beeline for Auggie. Matching his position on the kitchen counter, she moved to grab Auggie's abandoned wine glass.
"Oh," he shrugged, "It's part of my charm. Makes me so mesmerizing," he shrugged, imitating humbleness.
"Uh huh," Annie spoke, unconvinced, and continued sipping his wine. It was silent, but not at all awkward, for a little while before Danielle strolled into the kitchen.
"Hey, you guys are still here?" She glanced at her watch. "It's late, I thought you'd be asleep by now."
"Late? What time is it?" Annie brow furrowed as she asked and set down her glass, and glanced at Auggie's watch.
He pressed the face of the watch, and "1:05" rang out, interrupting the calm silence.
"Wow," Annie ran her fingers through her hair, "It is late. C'mon Auggie, I'll drive you home,"
Auggie shook his head, messing up his hair even further. "It's late, and I can call a cab,"
Danielle had slipped out silently when he said this, and Annie answered, "Uh uh. No way I'm letting 'my hero' take a cab," she smirked.
xXx
The car ride home was somewhat quiet, and certainly less eventful than the last car ride. Annie was drumming out a beat on the steering wheel.
Before either of them knew it, they were at Auggie's apartment. Annie stopped the car and both squirmed awkwardly in their seats.
"So . . ." Annie began.
Auggie decided to take her out of her misery, "That certainly was fun." After a while, microwave dinners and meals with one-dimensional girls got old. This was fun, and it reminded him of what being in a family was like.
He could hear her open and close her mouth, as if trying to decide on how to phrase something.
"Thank you," she blurted out. He had found that when not being able on how to say something, she usually just blurted out whatever she could come up, and sometimes, she ended up being a little vague.
"For . . . what?" he mentally went through everything he had done for her, and couldn't find anything in his files that would be worth thanking him for so randomly.
"For . . . for everything," she answered hesitatingly, "For being there for me during my freak out moments, and for coming with me to my sister's."
He sat in shock for a moment before his brain decided to work again. "Annie, you don't need to thank me for that. That comes with the territory of being your best friend."
She giggled softly - music to his ears now - and, placing one hand on his cheek, she chastely kissed the other one and whispered, "Thank you, best friend."
She pulled away and spoke again, "I hope you know what this means. You'll have to come to every weekly dinner now. Dani and Michael like you too much, and well, the girls aren't letting you go any time soon,"
"Well," he quirked, "I guess I'll just have to make a sacrifice."
Auggie felt his way to the door handle and turned back to her, "'Night, Annie."
She smiled softly before replying a "'Night, Aug."
She stayed in that position for a few minutes, waiting until she knew that he was okay and in bed, and replayed the events of the night.
Tonight, they were both sleeping in their own beds.
Tonight, nothing more was happening between them.
And yes, while he could have invited her in and she could have urged him to stay, they didn't.
Because, while something could - and possibly would - happen between them, it wasn't happening tonight.
Because tonight, they were best friends, and only best friends.
But that was okay.
Because she took solace in that.
And with that, she drove off, dreaming of warm pillows and her affectionate grey cat.
To Sequel.