-Auld Lang Syne

Between Friends

Annie very carefully balanced the precious goods she'd taken it upon herself to obtain. Using every bit of her CIA training, she kept her footfalls even and soft, eyes fixed on the contents balanced in her hands. She barely dared to breathe as she made her way down the hall in her favorite pair of kitten heels, wondering at the same time if wearing said hells was such a good idea when attempting operations like this.

Growling quietly to herself, she navigated the crowded halls, bobbing and weaving around small groups of people with a grace she didn't really feel considering her small hands were fill with two large cups of coffee in one and two huge wrapped pastries in the other. She also had several packets of sugar and a couple of stir sticks sticking out of the pocket of her suit jacket, and a handful of napkins under one arm. Finally, the doors to the DPD came into view and she breathed a sigh of relief (nearly there after all). Upon reaching said doors, however, Annie realized a rather troubling problem: no free hand to open the door.

Annoyed, she tried to catch the eye of one of her co-workers, going as far as to wave frantically with the pastry laden hand. The coffee was staring to get uncomfortably hot in her hand and she was sure one of the pastries was starting to slip…

There! Jai had seen her.

Sure enough, the young man was half running to her rescue with a charming smile already in place. He opened the door and held it open, his body leaning halfway out across the threshold so that when Annie side stepped through, their shoulders brushed. She knew he did it on purpose, he was always doing things like that: leaning a little too close, hovering almost, interjecting himself into conversations (even private ones) and the like. He wasn't tripping any of her stalker alarms (and after traveling the world over, Annie had finely honed stalker alarms), but there was something about his charming smile that made her wary. She chose to be friendly but still kept her guard up; just until she knew him (and his intentions better).

"Quite the load there, Annie, need some help?" Jai asked grinning and reaching for one of the coffees. Annie neatly sidestepped the grab and shook her head.

"No, I'm good. I'm almost there. Thanks for the door though!" she said as she continued on her journey; her destination was fixed in her sights now. Hurrying, (the coffee was starting to burn, damnit), she darted around several desks and strode into the tech ops booth, Jai close on her heels. Once there, she zeroed in on a certain tech, one who was already turning to face her, eyes unfocused, headphones around his neck, smile on his face. No doubt already alerted to her identity, by her footsteps, her perfume or by Jai's repeated entreaties to let him help her; Annie wasted no time.

"Auggie!" she said shortly, "Hands out!"

Auggie, God bless him, didn't question it, simply held out his hands, palms up and Annie gratefully dropped the pastries into them. He didn't so much as flinch at the sudden delivery, merely took a deep breath and cocked his head to the side placing the scent. Then his features broke out into a happy grin.

"Awww, you remembered!" he said cheerfully, placing one of the pastries on his desk, and unwrapping the second. Annie rolled her eyes at him (pointless she knew, but it was habit really) before using her now free hand to grasp one of the coffees. Hissing in pain, she put both cups down on his desk and stuck her scorched fingers in her mouth.

Auggie's expression changed instantly at the sound of her pain, concern overtaking his features. "Are you alright?"

Annie waved him off (another habit) while explaining, "It's nothing, just hot coffee." She reached into her pockets and took out the sugar and stir sticks, and freed the napkins as well. Putting two sugars in Auggie's hand along with one of the sticks, she then turned to doctor her own coffee.

"I would have helped," Jai pointed out, smirking at her discomfort. Annie shot him a half annoyed, half rueful look.

"You did help," Annie said, "You held open the door."

Jai was the one to roll his eyes this time, but he was interrupted from saying anything further by one of their other co-workers calling his name from their work station. Jai said his farewells and left the booth.

"It was awfully hard to forget that lecture you gave me yesterday, Auggie. Honestly, twenty minutes spent expounding on the benefit of blueberries? I can take a hint you know," she returned to their teasing. Auggie grinned up at her from his seat.

"They're good for you. They help with everything from memory loss to heart disease," Auggie replied. He set the pastry in question down and Annie, with the ease of long practice, placed one of the cups of coffee in his hand without being asked.

"You do realize that by cooking or rather, baking them, they lose a lot of their helpful properties?" Annie asked, turning and pulling another chair up to Auggie's workspace. He chuckled while putting sugar into his coffee, and she reached for her own muffin.

"Someone did research," he said, "Wanted to see if I was right?"

Annie huffed, "You're always right. So if they lose all their healthy properties by baking them why do you eat them?" she asked.

Auggie smiled, picking up the muffin from where he'd set it down, "Because they taste good."

"See? Now then, why couldn't you have just said that yesterday instead of spending twenty minutes lecturing me on the miracle fruit?" she teased.

"Where's the fun in that?" he quipped, and took a bite of his muffin with relish.

"Are you always this irritating? Or am I just special?" she groused.

"You're just special," he teased back, "So what's the occasion?"

"Occasion?" she parroted back.

"No one ever just buys me coffee; so what do you need?" he asked, more than a little curious. Annie and he had been close ever since her first week at the CIA. And in the little of six months since then, she had never approached him with bribery of any kind for his help. It must be serious.

"Can't I do something nice for a friend?" she asked, incredulous.

"Oh, I know you're lying now. How'd you get this job? You're a terrible liar."

"Only around you," she replied, poking his shoulder with her free hand.

"That's not a denial of the accusation," he pointed out, "Seriously Annie, what's up?"

Annie worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a minute, hesitating. This had seemed like such a good idea this morning, but now… She didn't want to burden him. Or make him feel like he was being used…but she really did need his help.

"Annie," he said, breaking into her thoughts. His tone was low and serious; his unfocused brown eyes soft. "What's wrong?"

She sighed, why oh why, did he have to be so damn sweet? Always with a kind word, soft look or comforting gesture?

"I need a favor, a big one," she finally admitted.

He quirked an eyebrow, "Am I going to end up with no shoes again?"

She groaned, putting a hand to her forehead, "Aw, come one, let that one go, please?"

He chuckled, "And loose rights to that story? No way. So what's the favor?"

Annie took a deep breath and dove in, "Well, you know how my sister has been trying to set me up with a guy?"

He nodded, Annie had only mentioned it every time her sister had tried to set her up with someone at her weekly dinners. The horror stories had always made for good conversation the next day though. He heard the sound of her running a frustrated hand through her hair before continuing.

"Well the only thing in the world that gets after me more than finding myself a guy is inviting some of my work friends to her dinners. I mean, I do talk about you, and Jai, and Conrad and even Joan sometimes, you know? So she knows about you, in sort of an abstract way. I think that bothers her, she wonders. Anyways, so this morning she says that I should invite one of you to her New Year's party. I tell her no, of course, you guys are busy or have plans already; and she's rolling her eyes at me because I use that excuse way to much to be honest.

"So in response," Annie pauses to grimace here, "my sister tells me that since I'm coming to the party alone, she's going to set me up with her friend Marci's brother, Jeff (who I didn't even know existed. I could have sworn Marci was an only child)…and well, to get out of that I sort of tell her that I'd get one of you, my work friends, to come to the party with me, cross my heart, hope to die and…um…so please come?" she seemed to run out of steam here, finishing her request in a little strangled noise that had him fighting a smirk.

"You do realize," he began, "that you totally got played by your sister, right?"

"Huh?"

Auggie shook his head at her, "Annie, Annie, listen to me, use that CIA training. There is no Jeff. 'Twas a ruse. Your sister just manipulated you into promising to bring a friend from your work for her to finally meet."

Annie frowned at her friend, considering his words. Auggie, for his part, could practically hear her replaying months worth of probing, leading questions about work, dates, friends.

"That little sneak!" she exclaimed.

Auggie laughed out right, unable to hold back at the knowledge that at CIA trained spy had been outsmarted by a housewife. Annie huffed again.

"Come anyway," she invited once he'd stopped laughing, "even if there's no Jeff I could still use the company of a friend."

"And it will finally get your sister off your back about work," Auggie pointed out still smirking.

"A perk," Annie admitted.

"Sounds like it'd be an entertaining evening. Alright."

Annie smiled sweetly at him, despite the fact that he couldn't see it, "You are the best you know that?"

"Yes."

"There is no Jeff you said," Annie grumbled so low that only Auggie with his sharpened hearing and close position could hear, "It's just a ruse, you said."

"Auggie was struggling not to laugh at her, "You're the one who said I was always right," he defended.

"You usually are!" she hissed at him.

Annie guided her friend and co-worker through the narrow and crowded hallways of her sister's house, one arm tucked into his. The party was in full swing with only ten minutes 'til the ball drop and Annie was employing every single escape and evade technique she'd ever been taught (and a few she'd only heard of), desperately trying to keep a head of her pursuer. All the while, she tugged a highly amused Auggie along with her. The man had, at this point, been in every nook, cranny, hallway, room and corner of her sister's house as Annie tried to keep out of that man's sight. Hell, Auggie had even been in the linen closet, the pantry and once, in the small space under the stairs. To make matters worse, her darling sister kept catching her and Auggie coming out of these places (the first time, in the linen closet had been priceless in Auggie's opinion) and was coming to some pretty interesting conclusions about Annie's relationship with the blind tech.

And Auggie?

He was just enjoying every minute of it.

"I'm so glad I decided to come tonight," he remarked airly.

"Shut-up," she groused, carefully peeking around the corner and into the kitchen, checking to see if it was Jeff-free. Seeing that it was, she lead the way inside the empty room.

"No really. It's been fun, so I was right about that at least."

"Not helping."

"And you want me to help you how exactly?"

"Shoot me?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her as she passed him one of the cucumber sandwiches he'd taken a liking too from the counter where all the food was placed buffet style.

"Right. I was a pretty decent shot once upon a time, however that was a while ago, my sight has gone downhill in my old age."

"Fine," Annie huffed, "Stab me?"

"Got a knife on you?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but Auggie quickly cut her off, "Do not answer that."

That made her laugh; he had asked her earlier what she was wearing when she'd picked him up for the party. She was wearing a very flattering black and silver, strapless cocktail dress that had a sinfully short skirt. So he knew, if she did indeed have a knife on her (which she did) he most certainly did not want to know where it was (he kept telling himself that).

Annie hopped up onto the counter top and shook her high heels off. They were cute and went well with her dress but they were absolute murder on her toes.

"You've been limping a little," Auggie commented, hearing her shoes hit the floor. He made his way over to her, sandwich eaten, and leaned his hip against the counter so he stood right next to her. He had his laser pointer on him, but since he had been carefully guided by Annie all night, he hadn't needed to use it. Indeed, with the many, many, many circuits he had been lead on through the house during Annie's escape and evade Auggie was pretty confident of his surroundings.

Annie looked at him, from her perch as he came over. She admired the way he looked in his black slacks, white button down and black sports coat. He looked…elegantly disheveled. Being blind, his brown hair was always just slightly tousled, and he'd confided in her a while ago that he was never one hundred percent sure he'd ever had it right. So, she'd taken to absent mindedly smoothing it for him whenever they were alone. Like now, with everyone in the living room to watching the New York Times Square Ball Drop on the big screen the kitchen was empty. At some point in their little adventure, his hair had gotten mussed on one side. With a smile, she reached out and smoothed it down, fingers gentle against his scalp. "These shoes pinch my toes something awful," she admitted; answering his unasked question.

Annie turned her head towards the doorway, just making out the T.V. announcer announcing the 2 minute mark. As a result, she missed the infinitesimal amount that Auggie leaned into her hand. His eyes closed of their own accord at her close and intimate proximity.

When she turned back, he'd returned to himself fully and was waiting patiently for her to finish. She did so, brushing his hair from his coffee colored eyes.

"There you are!" came an exuberant exclamation. Annie bit back a foul Russian curse at the sound of that hated voice.

Jeff stood in the doorway of the kitchen, a noise maker in one hand, and a 2011 party hat cocked at a jaunty angle on his head. Jeff was alright to look at, Annie had thought when she and Auggie had been introduced to the man earlier. However, his questionable attractiveness disappeared under the might of his over the top personality. To make matters worse, her sister's friend Marci had apparently had gone ahead and informed her brother that Annie was single, free, and "looking for lovin'". As a result, the man had been following her, trapping her and then talking her ear off. He was worse than that guy from the World Bank for god's sake.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" he exclaimed, crossing the kitchen to her with just a few strides. He placed himself well inside her personal space, effectively sandwiching her between Auggie (who was once again, holding back laughter) and himself.

"I need someone to kiss at midnight," Jeff said smiling at her in what Annie assumed he believed to be a charming or endearing way and took her hand. He tugged her towards him, upsetting her precarious position on the countertop and forcing her to slide off. She half landed on her abandoned shoes and stumbled; Auggie was quicker than gravity however, and caught her with an arm across her shoulders.

"Easy there, Annie. No need to go rushing off, you've still got half a minute," he teased, still barely suppressing his laughter. She glared at him, just to make herself feel better.

"I'm sorry Jeff," she began, straightening, while Auggie let his arm drop, fingers trailing just a little down her arm. She turned to face the annoying man, with Auggie now directly behind her. "I'm keeping to myself this New Year. I think your sister gave you the wrong impression about me-"

"Nonsense!" Jeff exclaimed, "Every girl wants to be kissed on New Years!"

The guests in the next room started chanting the countdown in time with the T.V.; their collective voices echoing through the house to reach them in the kitchen loud and clear.

("10!")

"Not this one, I promise you," Annie said firmly. Jeff took a step forward, and Annie, flustered, took a step back, right into Auggie who once again steadied her, this time with his hands on her waist.

("9!")

Briefly, she realized that without her heels she fit quite comfortably where she was – just the right height for Auggie to rest his chin on the crown of her head.

("8!")

You must kiss someone woman! It's tradition!" Jeff proclaimed, gesturing to himself wildly.

"Ahh…" Annie stalled, scrambling for some way to keep this going to another seven seconds.

("7!")

Auggie listened with rapt attention, he hadn't been lying earlier when he'd said he'd been having fun. Listening to Annie, who was typically calm, smooth and pulled off a perfect performance as a call girl without so much as a blush or stutter on her first day, get flustered and off balance was extremely amusing for him.

("6!")

"Come now, one little kiss!" Jeff said, smirking at her and leaning in so close she could smell the beer on his breath…

("5!")

"What's one little kiss between friends?" he finished, stealing a glance down the front of her dress.

("4!")

Auggie chuckled, unable to contain it any longer. Annie wanted to hit him, but the vibrations of the sound against her back distracted her before the anger could really get started…she couldn't help the little shiver that snaked down her spine at the feeling.

("3!")

His fingers tightened around her waist at the motion. That was her only warning that some impulse had seized her friend.

("2!")

Auggie would never be able to explain what had caused him to give into the impulse. Jeff's question about friends and kisses; the subtle smell of her perfume that had been haunting him all evening and how clung to his clothes; the way her curves felt under his fingers; the press of her against him. Auggie would eventually blame all of it for his next actions. All if it and six months of wonder just what she would taste like…

("1!")

So, Auggie used his grip on her waist to spin her in his arms. He had learned the shape of her body months ago, while sparring with her, and his hands knew almost every inch of her. One hand went to cup her jaw, thumb tracing the corner of her mouth to guide him as he stooped just a little to capture her lips with his own. She made a surprised noise, nearly a squeak, but didn't flinch or push him away. Instead as the crowd in the next room screamed the final digit in the countdown she leaned into his kiss, committing herself wholeheartedly to it. She pushed herself up onto her abused toes so she could press closer, one of her arms going around his waist under his jacket, the other to his hair, twisting into the soft strands.

The kiss grew more passionate amongst the cheers and the playing of that old, familiar tune ("…my Heart is ravisht with delight, when thee I think upon…") and they paid no mind. Auggie turned them and backed her into the counter she'd just vacated. Pressing her there, he tried to get closer, mouth open against hers, tasting her at long last, one hand sunk deep in her hair tangling his fingers in it, the scent of grapefruit engulfing his senses. With one arm around her slim waist it was easy to lift her up and onto the counter, once there, she had the height advantage and was forced to loop one arm about his broad shoulders, fingers fisting in the material of his coat. Auggie dropped his free hand to her knee, tugging her closer to him relishing in the bare skin under his questing fingers as her dress rode up.

Overwhelmed, Annie broke the kiss with a gasping breath, and tried to focus. She was wrapped about him like a climbing vine; he lay his forehead against her bare shoulder, struggling to even his breathing. They kept their holds on one another, waiting to catch their breaths. Jeff had vanished at some point, Annie didn't miss him one bit.

"What's one kiss between friends?" Auggie asked, his voice low and rough in her ear. It took Annie everything she had not to shiver against at this delicious sound.

"It is tradition," she answered, just as quietly in his ear.

And then, suddenly, the spell they had cast on each other was broken by the sound of people coming down the hall, all laughing, talking and cheering the New Year. Auggie took a careful step back from Annie, his hands leaving her. Hers stayed, smoothing down the wayward strands of his hard that her fingers had encouraged into disarray. In that moment, Auggie ached to see her. The final aspect of her presence in his life: hear, smell, touch, taste…see.

He was sure, in that instant, she was beyond breath-taking. He tried to imagine it, tried to do it justice, hair in disarray, lips reddened, face flushed, eyes bright…

"Annie! You missed the ball drop, where were you?" her sister called, as she approached them, scattering the last flutterings of their moment together (with her comfortable but elegant heels and soft step).

"I couldn't see the T.V. over everyone, so we decided to listen from in here," Annie said, and Auggie heard her hop down from the counter to find her shoes. With one hand on his shoulder for balance, she slipped them both back on.

"I have to drive Auggie home," she reminded her sister. Annie stood and then tucked her arm into Auggie's, a position that was quickly becoming as natural as breathing for them both.

"Well alright. But Auggie," she addressed him, "I expect to see you back around here soon," she said firmly.

Auggie gave a charming grin in her direction, "Of course," was his simple (heartfelt)answer.

Auggie returned to work the next morning, still going over the quiet car ride home last night in his mind. They had listened to Charles Mingus, and talked about resolutions and upcoming jobs, never touching on what they really needed to talk about. Neither had wanted to ruin that night…or that kiss.

The scent of blueberries and coffee met him at the door to the tech booth. That, and the subtle winding scent of grapefruit.

"Another favor, Annie?" he teased, happy she was here, and not avoiding him. Happy that whatever it was they had (real, lasting friendship mixed with that tantalizing potential for so much more), wasn't tainted with awkwardness.

She chuckled from what he guessed was his chair, "No favors today, just a cup of coffee and a miracle muffin."

He set his bag down, and she got up from his chair. Putting the cup in his hand, she let their fingers brush. "After all," she said backing from the room on kitten heels, "What's a cup of coffee between friends?"

He smiled, "A new tradition perhaps?"

"I like the sound of that," came her answer.

He was grinning now, following the sound of her footfalls as she left the booth.

"Me too," he replied.

A/N: ...okay so...it's been years since I've done a one-shot; so please forgive me if it's a little...off. I also wrote this in one, long sitting (while listening to Freelance Whales almost non-stop too). I have no idea where it came from. I watched the two episodes of CA online last night for the first time and fell in love instantly with Auggie and Annie (more Auggie than Annie) and the interaction between them. And after Auggie's comment about the CIA encouraging in-house relationships I just started laughing, thinking: there's some foreshadowing if I ever heard it.

I was largely inspired by the fanfiction that has already been posted in this catagory, so I'd like to extend my thanks to every single one of them for forging ahead of the rest of us and breaking new ground here. Kudos.

I hope you enjoyed it, and please review!

-BrokenPoetry