[MEME] -- #5, the AU from Hell

[freshoffthefarm]

[From here, as requested by fakesIt was an op in Vegas, which was so weird since most of her domestic ops stayed in the DC Metro area, and Annie had done her job well. The extra babysitting had been extra annoying (when wasn't it?), but he'd come along to visit an old friend... or so he'd said

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[freshoffthefarm]

The next morning, Annie opened her safe to get her reports and eyed her rings. She supposed that Joan may want proof, so Annie picked them up and took those and the marriage certificate and tucked them into her purse.

At the Agency, she knocked on Joan's door to give her the briefing and then hesitated. When Joan asked her if there was anything else, Annie pulled out the marriage certificate and set it on her desk.

Joan gave it a look and then raised her gaze to Annie. "What's this?"

"A marriage certificate," Annie said promptly, holding out her hands with the wedding rings Webb had bought her. "It goes with these. Webb and I... got married in Vegas."

"I see that," Joan said as she picked up the certificate to examine it more closely. "Was this something you'd been planning on doing for a while, or--?"

Annie felt a little sick to her stomach, but she shook her head. "No. Not even-- No. We started talking late the night before we left and decided that we needed to give our relationship another shot."

"Another shot? Annie." Joan stood and set the certificate down. "This isn't just another shot. This is a marriage. To one of your superiors."

Shaking her head, Annie said, "He's not, though. Arthur's my direct superior. And yours."

It wasn't even remotely subtle about how Joan was the one who had married into her chain of command and Joan eyed her carefully. "Fine. Since I'm guessing neither of you are going to want an annulment, file the paperwork with the Agency."

Annie nodded and turned on her heel.

"Oh, and Annie? Congratulations." Joan gave her a smile that was actually sincere, which caused Annie to smile back.

"Thank you." Breathing a deep sigh of relief, she eyed the rings in her hand and then went down to her desk.

[fakes_death]

Clay's first stop that morning was personnel to pick up the requisite forms for one employee marrying another, then headed up to his office ready to start his day. Everything was going as expected until his desk phone rang.

He looked at the name on the caller ID, and took a deep breath. Joan Campbell. This was it.

"Good morning, Joan," he tried to be as cheerful as possible.
"Good morning, Clayton." She knew, it was in her voice and Joan didn't let him get a word in edgewise, "Annie came to see me this morning."
"Did she?" Clay decided to play stupid.
"You finally did it, didn't you? You poached my agent." Clay could hear the slightest tinge of humor in her voice.
"That's a way to put it, yes." He smiled despite himself.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."

Short sweet and to the point. Much different than what he expected. They'd have to have at least a small reception for those that had been a party to their whole relationship. It was the right thing to do.

At 11, Clay made his way down to the Starbucks in the food court, and waited for Annie.

[freshoffthefarm]

Annie approached at 11:03, having finished up a few extra things and saw Clay immediately. For nine months, the two of them hadn't appeared in the cafeteria at the same time and now they were not only doing just that but being friendly at the same time.

People were already looking, namely their barista.

"Hi," she said as she came up in front of him.

[fakes_death]

"Hi," he said getting in line with Annie, "Joan took that surprisingly well."

He figured he'd get that out of the way early.

[freshoffthefarm]

"Did she? Because she was a little stern with me in the beginning. I got a congratulations, though."

She looked back at him and held out her hand. "Should I?"

[fakes_death]

"She accused me of poaching you, but I think she's happy." He smiled at Annie then the Barista before ordering their coffee, "We should really have a small party for everyone."

When he noticed what she meant by holding out her hand he smiled again, "If you're ready for all the questions, I'd love you too."

[freshoffthefarm]

"She told me that I'd married my supervisor, but I reminded her that we weren't exactly in the same chain of command. I might have also reminded her that she and Arthur were and that was kind of the end of the conversation."

Annie tipped the Barista well and then took her coffee to a table. With her hand under the table, she slid on her rings and then, as casually as possible, used her left hand to drink her coffee. "I don't think anyone will notice. Do you?"

Of course they would. People were still staring.

[fakes_death]

Clay smiled, "In her defense, she did marry him before he was her direct superior. That happened later, not too much later but later."

"Because they're so unassuming." He bought them to be noticed. There was so much about their lives that they had to keep quiet, something a little flashy wasn't inappropriate in Webb's view.

Clay realized his was much less likely to be noticed unless he was in the company of Annie and her rings.

[freshoffthefarm]

"Oh, yes. Completely inconspicuous," Annie said dryly. She looked down at his hand and then up at him. "You wore yours. Weren't you afraid someone was going to ask?"

She was a little worried that maybe he was upset with her for not wearing them to begin with.

[fakes_death]

"If they did, they did." There was no being upset with her or anything else in his voice. "And mine is harder to notice."

Clay took a sip of his coffee, "Women usually get the more difficult questions when someone asks about the wedding. People usually want to know about the dress, the venue, all that stuff. They assume men don't pay attention or care."

[freshoffthefarm]

"Exactly." Annie wasn't looking forward to answering the questions. "I'll just tell them it was a private ceremony and we're having a reception for our closest friends?"

It was a nice way to make sure that some people would feel left out.

"You'll get to see the dress again, too."

[fakes_death]

"That's fine." And since they were both still covert employees it also made sense.

"I can't wait to see that dress again."

[freshoffthefarm]

"You should have said something," Annie told with a quick smile. "I'd have packed it in my overnight bag and worn it for you tonight."

She was flirting in the most obvious manner she could think of and then she caught a glimpse of his watch. "Oh! I have to get back upstairs."

[fakes_death]

"It's alright. I can wait." Another sip of his coffee. Clay really did want to sit and talk with Annie he did not have an ulterior motive of handcuffs or honey.

That didn't stop him from giving her the smile of his that she liked so much. "I'll see you tonight."

[freshoffthefarm]

Standing, Annie placed the hand with all her rings on his shoulder as she passed him by and then gave him a tender kiss on his cheek.

"See you tonight." Then, without looking at anyone in particular, she headed for the elevator.

He wasn't wrong. The first comment came in the elevator, from a woman who worked in the DPD with Annie. When she did a double-take, Annie knew the question wasn't long in coming. As the elevator dinged, the woman asked, "Is that an engagement ring?"

Annie took in her shocked look and awed tone and gave her a sweet smile. "Nope. It's a wedding ring."

Then she headed for her desk.

[fakes_death]

When Webb returned to his office, Trish let him know that Arthur was waiting for him. Clay just nodded, he didn't need the grief Joan didn't give him coming from her husband.

Clay entered and Arthur stood from the chair he was sitting in and shut the door. That usually meant they were discussing something for their ears only. Instead, Arthur poured them both some of his bottle of black label.

"Congratulations."

The conversation wandered from there for the next twenty minutes or so and they both found themselves asking when they became fascinated with younger blonde women who were better at their jobs than either one of their husbands could ever be.

Sometimes he could be modest.