A/N: Spoilers for entire season of Covert Affairs, including season finale.

I've got mixed feelings on the season finale, and the weird thing was that I was toying with this idea for a while, but I didn't know how to properly approach it. Luckily, the events of the season finale happened, and voila! Here you have the first chapter. Don't worry, I'm still working on Acta Sanctorum, but this damn thing was taking up all of my juices and wasn't letting me properly work on the other story until this was finished.

It's late. I've still got homework to do. I hope the title and quote are becoming. Reviews/feedback and alerts are always appreciated! I'd really like to hear what you guys think about this! First idea out there like this? I think so. To take a page out of Whoa Kayy.'s book, I'm posting this now to get my foot in the crack. I wouldn't want to wait and then see that there are five other ideas like this one. That would just depress me.

Disclaimer: Covert Affairs belongs to Matt Corman and Chris Ord. This idea is mine though, somewhat, once you get to the nitty gritty.

Can You Save Me?

Can you save me?
From this nothing I've become.
It's just something that I've done.
Never meant to cause you worry.

- Can You Save Me, Apple Trees & Tangerines

Chapter One

She's in the bathroom when he encounters her. He can hear the water running and the occasional pump of soap. Most of all, he can hear the furious scrubbing and the frustrated sounds coming from her.

"You know, if you keep scrubbing like that you might just remove a layer of skin."

He can hear her still scrubbing—more furiously this time—and mumbling something under her breath that distinctly sounds like "it won't come off."

"Annie?" he calls out to her, but she doesn't reply. He moves the laser cane left and right, allowing it to guide him to her. When he places a hand on her shoulder, she jumps under his touch.

"Auggie?" she whimpers. He nods his head, hoping this action will suffice. He's somewhat glad he cannot see her at the moment, for just hearing her pains him. Pretty soon her wet and somewhat soapy arms are wrapped around his neck and she's holding on as if he'll disappear at any moment. "It won't come off," she whispers.

And then she's crying into his shoulder. He puts his laser down on the counter (all the while praying to God that he doesn't accidentally get it wet) and simply holds her, knowing that's what she needs right now.

He's been in her situation before—knows exactly what it is to feel like the entire world around you is crumbling and everyone and everything is slipping from your grasp. Unlike her, he didn't have anyone around him to truly help him cope. He would make sure he'd be there any moment she needs.

They both stand there, in the middle of the ladies' bathroom of the Agency, until she clears whatever fog clouds her mind. His shoulder's wet (along with the back of his shirt) but he doesn't mind. He was there for her in her time of need, and that's all that really matters to him.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, removing herself from his embrace. She turns the sink water on once more, most likely wetting her face and fixing herself. "That was out of line."

"You're my friend," he reminds her, glad that his time she does not jump when he places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm here for you, for whatever you need."

He hears the stilettos clack just once and then feels her lips on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispers. He nods his head in understanding, leaving it at that.

She then taps his hand; he grabs his laser and then grips her elbow, allowing her to lead them out of the ladies' room. They had been gone for a while, but he knows Joan won't wonder where they've been.

Ever since Ben and the whole Sri Lanka fiasco, Annie hasn't been the same. Hell, he doesn't blame her. It's only been a week; he gives her props for even coming back to the Agency and attempting to return things to the way they were.

But ever since she's returned, he's noticed a depressing, defeated tone in her voice. He assumes the meltdown she had in the bathroom wasn't the first one, but the first one she's had at the Agency.

"Hey." He stops her once they arrive at his office. "Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah," she replies back, too eager and too quick for his liking. "Just fine."

"I mean it," he reassures her. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

With a pat on the shoulder, she's gone from his office.

All that's left is the lingering smell of grapefruit and soap—and the fact that the soap is more prominent than the grapefruit makes him worry as to whether or not her hand washing obsession had occurred more than once.

He's at his house—already changed into a pair of sweat pants and tee—when he hears a knock on his door. He wonders who could be showing up at his house at 10:52 PM unannounced and unexpected, but when he opens the door he realizes it's her.

The scent of Jo Malone Grapefruit is masked heavily by the soap and he worries that she's obsessed again. "Come in," he instructs her, moving out of the way and closing the door behind her once she passes through.

He hears her sniffle as she walks by and he immediately knows she's been crying on the way there. Grabbing her hand, he leads her to the couch, sitting them down while he silently instructs her to speak.

"I can't stay in that house," she immediately blurts out. He can hear the tears start again (along with the sniffles), but she speaks through them. "None of them know, and I can't exactly tell Danielle about it all, and holing myself in the guest house only invites her in for private questioning."

He tucks her into his side, leaning the both of them back. "It's okay," he says without thinking and then winces, knowing those were the incorrect words to say to her.

"No, it's not!" she yells, pushing herself away from him. "Every time I close my eyes, I just see Ben taking his last breaths in my arms! And when I open them, all I see is his blood on my hands." He successfully pulls her into his arms, placing a kiss on her forehead and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I've scrubbed so many times, Auggie," she whispers, "but it won't come off."

He can feel the stream of hot tears on his neck and the lump in his throat increasing, knowing that a simply 'It'll be all right' won't suffice this time. So he resorts to simply holding her, placing kisses in her hair, and overall physically being there for her. He knows how it feels to not have anyone there and the last thing he wants is for her to be alone through all of this.

"I'm here for you, all right?" he assures her for what seems like the hundredth time today.

"Thank you," she whispers, placing a light kiss on his cheek. And then on his jaw. And then on the corner of his mouth.

Before either of them can fathom what's going on, her lips are on his and her hands are around his neck and she's kissing him like he'll disappear at any given point. But before he can fully succumb to her touch (for he had succumbed to the kiss the moment her lips touched his), the part of his mind that still has some reason within it stops them.

"Annie," he gasps, slightly out of breath. She's on the other side of the couch now, and he can hear the tears once more.

"I'm sorry," she cries, getting up from the couch.

In that short, two second walk, he realizes something: she needs this. She needs to feel completely numb to everything around her and just forget for a moment or two. She needs to forget about Ben and his death and this past week, and perhaps this is the way to do it. Of course, it's a highly unorthodox way, but it's how he can help her at this very instant.

So, as she passes by him after that two second realization, he reaches out and stops her. He gets up from the couch; the hand that held her wrist in a grip now cups her cheek.

"If we do this, there's no turning back," he tells her, more for his benefit than hers.

"I know," her small voice says before her lips are back on his.

As she leads him to the bedroom—articles of clothing like breadcrumbs being left behind—he realizes her mind's been made up since she walked through the door. Part of him knows that the only reason they're doing this is in order to help her forget about Ben while another part of him worries about their friendship. A small part of him didn't expect their first time to pan out like so.

He did assure her that he'd be there for there, for whatever she needed. He just wasn't expecting things to come down to this.