A/N: I think I like you guys too much. :) Nobody particularly asked for this, but a little Christopher Gorham tweet last night inspired this... and you've been asking for a continuation of Christmas with Auggie. So, here it is. A one-shot, about three years after the ending of Christmas with Auggie. Hope you like-ey. :)
Oh, and FYI, I know nothing about alcoholic anything, lol, so when it comes to the drinks... I'm guessing they have personalities? Or that certain people prefer certain types of alcohol? I have no clue what Auggie would be drinking, lol, so I hope it doesn't come off sounding really OOC. :/
And special thanks to zzanja, who let me know as I was finishing up Christmas with Auggie that if you're saying "my dear" to a boy in Russian, it's not "maya dorogaya," but "moi darogoi." :)
Disclaimer: Covert Affairs is not mine. I'm guessing I don't have to cover my tracks for Ant on a Log, but, just in case, I got that from my first grade teacher. Not me. haha. I have no clue where she got it from. :)
A Night with Annie and Bella Lou
Auggie Anderson pulled the car door open for his wife, and she turned to him, resting her hand on the top of the car door as she leaned in for a slow kiss. "How come you're such a gentleman now?" she teased, dipping into her seat. "After two years of marriage, now you decide to be chivalrous?"
He grinned in her general direction, his gaze softening affectionately. Handing her her seatbelt, he replied, "I have two ladies to take care of now."
Annie smiled softly as she glanced down, letting her hand fall to her protruding stomach. She stared, in wonder, down at the baby girl growing inside of her, until Auggie slipped into his own seat. She could barely believe that she would be holding her baby girl in her arms in less than two months.
Auggie grinned over at her, placing his hand over hears, as he whispered, "Hey, Bella Lou... are you gonna stay up until midnight with Mommy and me?"
Annie glanced over at him with a grin. "Mommy ain't stayin' up till midnight," she deadpanned.
Auggie gave her an affectionate smile as he cupped her cheek. "Aww, you're not staying up with me?"
She reached up and squeezed his hand affectionately. "Honey, I can barely waddle across the room. Isabelle has me beat."
He grinned, remembering back to the vision of them he'd had on the day Annie had agreed to marry him, a little over three years ago. They had named their two children Isabelle and Joshua in his vision. He still didn't know how he had convinced his wife to use Isabelle.
She rolled her eyes as she started the car. "Besides, why do you insist on calling her Bella Lou? Lou's a boy's name."
He laughed with pure joy as Annie's hand slipped into his and they pulled away from the curb. "You're the one that insisted on adding Louisa."
She snorted. "You're the one who insisted on Isabelle Maya. Where'd you get that from, anyway? It doesn't even flow that well."
He grinned. He still hadn't told Annie about the vision. "Oh, I have my reasons," he teased. "You have to admit that Isabelle Maya Louisa Anderson is very pretty, though."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's also really long."
She couldn't help smiling, though. Despite the length, she loved Isabelle's name, and couldn't wait to meet her. She had loved the way that Auggie had instantly known what he wanted to name their baby, no matter what it was. And despite the fact that neither one of them had particularly wanted two middle names, Annie loved that Louisa honored her grandmother, and Auggie was right. Isabelle Maya Louisa Anderson was very pretty. And just perfect, she decided.
After a couple hours of nursing their drinks after work at Allen's, Annie with her club soda and Auggie with his Jack Daniel's, laughing together at Jai's, Conrad's, and Stu's drunken antics as they prepared to welcome in the new year with friends, Annie had begun to droop next to her husband.
Paying for their drinks, Auggie had led her quickly to the car, realizing he'd rather spend the rest of the evening with Annie and Bella than a hoard of drunken colleagues. As Auggie led her back out of the tavern and in the direction of her car, Annie realized she quite liked the idea, as well.
The ride back to their apartment was fairly silent, filled only with the sound of Mingus and Auggie's occasional questions. As they pulled into a parking space near their new apartment (since Auggie's apartment had been fine for the two of them, but would have never held Isabelle, as well), they stepped out of the car and met at Annie's door. Using familiar features of the apartment complex—railings, walls—Auggie guided his wife up to their apartment, and she sank into the couch in the living room, while he moved around familiarly, finding them a late-night snack.
When he returned, she had toed off her flats and shrugged out of her wool coat, dropping it over the edge of the couch. She glared at the thing looking back at her. She didn't want to call it food, because it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. "Moi darogoi," she complained, giving him a strange look as he sank down next to her, "what in the world are you trying to feed me?"
He grinned over at her. "What? Haven't you ever heard of Ants on a Log?"
She stared at the peeled banana in front of her, covered in peanut butter with chocolate chips marching across the top like a little army. "Ant on a what?"
He rolled his eyes. "You really were a deprived child. We made these all the time when I was in first grade. Just eat it. It's healthy and yummy, and I'm sure Bella will love it."
She rolled her eyes. "It's not Isabelle I'm worried about."
He leaned in to steal a kiss. "Don't worry. You'll love it, too."
She took a bite hesitantly and steeled herself against humming with pleasure. It was delicious. Whatever it was. She reached for the DVD case of the video she had selected while he was playing master chef. "Can we have movie night? Please?"
He accepted the DVD from her. "What is it?"
She grinned. "Miracle on 34th Street."
He groaned. "Another Christmas movie?"
She giggled, leaning in for a kiss. "Yeah, honey. Bella loves Christmas already. I can tell. And her daddy's gonna have some problems coming to him if he decides he doesn't love Christmas anymore."
He slid to the front of the couch, preparing to make his way to the DVD player, but leaned in for a kiss at the last minute. "There's no way I'll stop loving Christmas," he said. "Did you forget what happened three years ago?"
She grinned back at him, taking another bite of her snack. "No way. Just making sure you didn't, either."
He grinned as he prepared the DVD. "There's no way I'll ever forget the day you promised to marry me," he said, turning to wink at her. "I just don't happen to be as enthusiastic about the matter as you are."
She grinned around her next bite. "Well, Isabelle and I are gonna love it. So you best prepare yourself, Mr. Anderson."
He grinned, coming back to sit next to her. "I'll be prepared. Don't worry. Somehow, Bella Lou and I will out-Christmas you, ever single year."
She grinned at the prospect. "Promise?"
He rested his hand on her stomach again. "We promise."
As she finished her snack, she settled down next to her husband, resting her head in his lap, and Auggie reached out, intertwining their fingers and resting their hands over their daughter. As the opening scene began to roll, Auggie whispered, "I love you."
Annie craned her neck to look up at him. "I love you, too, moi darogoi," she whispered, already falling asleep.
Despite the fact that he knew she was asleep ten minutes into the movie, he let it play, loving the way that it reminded him of her. In the two years they had been married, their love had never dimmed, but he had grown more and more in love with her as she became more and more excited about their baby. They both knew it wouldn't be easy, being parents, but he couldn't wait to share this, too, with Annie.
As the movie finished, he switched it to the news, listening to the reports of celebrations around town, anticipation of the fireworks, and reports of the ball dropping in New York City.
He noticed, with somewhat of a start, that this was the first time he had experienced New Years' Eve like this. While he had still lived with his family, his mother had thrown large, festive parties, and they had all eagerly anticipated the arrival of the new year. Once he had gone out on his own, he had spent the time with friends, usually with lots of alcohol, ladies, and loud celebration. Even the past three New Years' Eves, he and Annie had spent the evening with either friends from the CIA or with Dani, Michael, and the girls. This… this was much different, but he decided he'd rather spend the lingering few moments with Annie and Bella than all the alcohol and friends in the world.
As he heard the reporter announce that the countdown had reached twenty seconds to midnight, he gently nudged Annie's shoulder, kissing her to wake her. "Annie? Babe?"
She slowly stirred in his arms. "Hi," she said sleepily, smiling up at him.
"Hi," he returned with a smile. "Guess what?"
She reached up to caress his jaw gently. "What?"
The celebration erupted on the television. "Happy New Year."
She grinned. "Happy New Year." She propped herself up on his lap, meeting his lips in a kiss. He tasted like chocolatey peanut-butter-and-banana goodness, hope, and love. When air was required, she pulled back, loving the feel of his strong arms around hers.
He tugged her onto his lap, and she melted in his arms. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he whispered. Leaning in for a soft kiss, he said with a happy grin, "Guess what?"
"What?"
"This is our last New Years' before Bella's here."
She smiled sleepily, resting in his arms. "I'm gonna be a mommy," she said with a soft wonder.
He smiled, kissing her temple. "Yeah, Mommy, let's get you to bed," he teased.
"Okay..." she drawled, letting him help her to her feet as he guided her to their bedroom.
As Auggie settled into bed next to her, he wrapped his arm around her protectively and nuzzled his face into her neck before he dropped off to sweet sleep.
It was a new year, with new opportunities. In five short weeks, he was going to be both a husband and a father. That was something he would celebrate, for sure.
A/N: Review, please! I'd love to know what you think!