Covert Affairs fic: "A Favor Owed" (completed)
.
Title: A favor owed.
Author: Keenir.
Summary: Annie balances trade and tradecraft, work and Liza Hearn.
rating: PG-13
Category: AU (from the end of Communications Breakdown).
Disclaimer: none of the canon characters are mine.
Chapters on AO3: One, and Two, and Three, and chapter 4/4.
or read them here:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*** ONE / UNO / BIR ***
Liza Hearn opened the door to Auggie's loft, and stopped where she was, her eyes on the person who was standing in the middle of the room and facing her. Not Auggie. All Liza said was, "I'm surprised it took this long."
"And what would that be?" the mystery woman asked.
There's only one of you, Liza analyzed. That means Arthur didn't send you...unless his attempts at intimidation are getting worse. Though it could be his way of telling me 'I know your habits, I know where you are going to be'...how very Viet Cong of you, Arthur. "That you're spying on Agent Anderson now, and you removed him from the picture," Liza said.
"Well, you're half right. I'm Annie."
"You're CIA."
"What gives you that impression?"
"You're standing here."
"I could say the same about you."
"I'm going to count to five in my head," Liza said, not in mood for these games; Auggie at least made them enjoyable. "Then I'm going to shut the door here. Which side of it I'm on, depends upon you."
"I am with the CIA," Annie said. "But I'm not here officially. I'm just concerned about Auggie."
Thank you. "We all are," Liza said. "But I know he can't talk about the things that give him headaches."
"Well that's comforting."
"The three of us agree on that," using both meanings of the word Annie had used.
Annie groaned. Then, in a normal tone, she said, "What will it take for you to leave Auggie alone?"
I was hoping to lead him slowly to my source - if I went too quickly at any point, that would make him suspicious of any breadcrumbs I dropped. But perhaps this way will work as well. "I need three favors. Two very small ones, and one for the future."
"What are the favors?" Annie asked.
"One," Liza ticked off, "drive with me up to Delaware. There's someone I need to talk to. Two, do you have a spare bedroom?"
Annie looked at her.
"My house is being fumigated," Liza said. "I was planning to stay here with Auggie this weekend, but if you know I'm here, then it's only a matter of time until other agents come knocking." And I won't put Auggie through that.
"And the one for the future?" Annie asked.
"I don't know yet what I'll ask for."
"An ace in the hole," Annie said.
"If it comes to that. Or I might just ask you to pick up my groceries."
Nice reassurance that it won't neccessarily have the fate of men and governments in the balance, Annie thought to herself. "Can I think it over?" Annie asked.
"You can, until you cross the doorway on your way out," Liza said, using the more polite version of the old Roman ultimatum.
Annie nodded, and her cell phone rang. She answered her phone. "Smithsonian's aquisitions desk. How may I help you?" she asked.
"Very nice," Auggie said. "You mind telling me why you asked my driver to hit all the tourist hotspots on the way home? There's still traffic - out here."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Annie said. "I just told her the long route might help you relax better after the day you've had."
"That explains the yoga music." Auggie paused. "And now you're smiling."
"How did you know?"
"I didn't, not until you answered. Then it was just by listening to the nuances of your voice. Anyone in our jobs could tell you that...or any fan of Lie To Me."
"So traffic's a bear?" Annie asked.
"But not a big red one, thankfully. Anyway, the reason I called - where are you?"
"That's why you called?"
"No, but I don't hear the scampering of little girls, so I'm left to wonder where you're taking this call."
"It's past their bedtime, and I'm at my place. Why, where'd you think I was?"
"Just be careful, okay?" Auggie asked, and hung up.
Annie clicked her phone shut, looked at Liza, and thought, Okay. "Where were we?" Annie asked her. Annie knew perfectly well, but both CIA training and growing up as she had, had instilled in her the tactic of asking that.
"Should we leave now, or in the morning?" Liza asked.
"Does it matter?" Annie asked.
"Not for me. But I wanted the ball to be in your court."
"Thank you," Annie said. "We'll go now." What's in Delaware?
*** TWO / DOS / IKI ***
"So what's in Delaware that's so important?" Annie asked once they were on the highway.
"I'm going to need you to come inside with me, and stand by the door," Liza said. "You can bring a suitcase or something with you. Just stay in plain sight, and look like you're failing an attempt to be inconspicuous. Do they still teach that on the Farm?"
"That's classified," Annie said. "So -"
"They won't think you're CIA. Or FBI."
"Who will they think I am? And who am I giving this false impression to?"
"Does it matter?" Liza asked.
"Does it - yes, yes it most definately matters -" and her cell phone rang. "Smithsonian aquisitions desk," Annie said, calm in her voice. "Danielle? No, I'm not... I didn't think... You - You let the girls stay up so they could say good night to me?" Annie asked. "God, I'm so sorry, I -" and Liza plucked the cell phone from her hand. If it hadn't been for the need to avoid veering cars changing lanes frequently, Annie would have reached over and fought her for it.
"Hello?" Liza asked, her voice slightly thicker, richer, in a Bronx accent. "This' Jane Rood, American Museum. Yeah, I'm sorry for any inconvenience. I just, see, we finally finished all the paperwork and everything, got the crates moved in. Way my dad raised me, after all the to-ing and fro-ing and getting all those signatures and whatnot, I thought it only right Miss Walker get to see what she signed all that paperwork for." Liza nodded silently, smiling a little before, without a smile, she replied, "Thank you, Miss. And on you saying so, I can't help but mention your sister's great help in suggesting places I can spend the - Oh no, I couldn't do that. Insist? Well okay, I can't argue with that. Thanks again, and God bless you," handing the phone back to Annie.
Not your first rodeo? Annie thought, recalling that saying from somewhere. Taking the phone back, Annie said, "Danielle? Yeah, I..." and listened. "You will? Listen, tell the girls I'm sorry - no, I'm still sorry. I'll make it up to them. Definately. G'night," and let her sister hang up first.
"Family's important," was all Liza said between then and the Delaware border.
Based on Liza's tone and the way she was looking out the window, Annie suspected it was, at least in part, answer to her 'does it matter?' So who am I putting the fear of God into? Annie wondered. But yeah, family's definately important.
*** THREE / TRES / UCH ***
The spot in Delaware was a bar - or a pub, depending on if you were feeling generous - just far enough off the coast that the sea air didn't bother people in the parking lot.
Annie took up a position, and watched everyone - good practice for future missions, a part of her rationalized it - but particularly watched Liza.
Lucky me, Annie thought to herself, all those times at weddings, where I wasn't sure where to go, where not to go, and she used that feeling, that expression, right here, right now, while she waited for Liza to finish talking to the woman she'd come here to see.
Finally Liza finished talking to the woman, gave her a quick hug, and walked over to Annie; and the two of them left, whereupon Liza told Annie, "Don't turn back around, just keep walking to the car."
Annie nodded, but used the windows and any even semi-reflective surface to keep an eye on what was going on behind them.
Once they got to the car, Annie asked, "She thought I was Mafia, didn't she? They all did."
"Not Mafia," Liza said, leaning on the door and roof, looking at Annie as though wondering how far to trust her. "If they thought you were from Mossad or from one of the Mobs, that's not something I can stop them from doing."
"But its a misperception you were willing to let them think."
"I'm sorry, were you under the impression the CIA had a monopoly on misdirection?" Maybe I was wrong, she may be at least as much of a sport as Arthur.
"No."
*** FOUR / QUATRO / DORT ***
As they pulled up into Danielle's driveway with all due quiet, Liza said to Annie, "I was going to save it for later, but now seems just as apt. You're CIA."
"Glad we've established that to your satisfaction," Annie said, putting on the parking brake.
"What that means is, it would be as difficult for you to take down my source, as it would be for an FBI agent to take down Herbert Hoover." Liza thought it over. "Okay, not that difficult. Close."
Wild Bill Donovan's still around? Wait, he was ODS. "Thank you. I take it I'm not going to get my next clue until after your stay?"
the next morning:
Annie entered the kitchen just as everyone burst out laughing.
Grabbing her customary bagel, "What did I miss?" Annie whispered to Danielle.
"Appearantly the true story behind Night at the Museum," her sister whispered back, just as Liza raised her hands like lion paws.
The girls giggled like mad.
Liza smiled. "You have a wonderful family," she told Danielle.
"Thank you," Danielle said.
To the girls, Liza said, "I wish I was a Walker."
"You do?" the two said as one.
"Why would you want that?" Danielle asked. "Being a kid with that name was no picnic."
Annie nodded.
"Granted," Liza said. "You had the man who tried expanding America, and The Ghost Who Walks. I was just...Rood."
"Rood?" the girls asked.
She nodded.
Annie wondered how hard it had been with the name 'Hearn.'
Just then, Annie's and Liza's cellphones rang.
"And they're off," Danielle and the girls mouthed to each other - and giggled - as both women left the room.
"Yes?" Liza asked into her phone.
"Smithsonian aquisitions desk," Annie said into hers.
"Most of me is curious why I hear both your voices from both your phones," Auggie said.
"And the other part?" Annie asked.
"Thinks this will be a story best told over a beer. I'm in the parking lot at work, which is where you should be soon, Annie. Think you'll join us later, Liza?"
"Count on it," Liza said.
Both women hung up and re-entered the kitchen. "Sorry for this," Liza said to Danielle, "but they just found out something was mislabeled, and we have to get there fast before it becomes a problem."
"Of course," Danielle said. "Well, it was nice to meet you." Her and the girls waved bye to Liza and to Aunt Annie.
"Next hint," Liza said once they were in the car. "Auggie hates my source's son. Though he hates his father too."
"Auggie?" Annie asked.
"No. And you can drop me off as near Auggie's as you can, I'll walk to my car."
"Okay," Annie said. So who does Auggie hate, who hates his own father, whose father is... "You've got to be kidding me."
"Had a feeling you would have figured it out before I left."
*** FIVE / SINCO / BESH ***
The restaurant was never completely empty, but at this hour in D.C., it was at least not crowded, which was what made it so attractive to their purposes. That and, "I can't believe you're saying the tavern is bugged," Auggie muttered once they were shown to a table.
"I suppose somebody wants to be doubly sure nobody drops semi-classified hints about classified stuff," Annie said. "On the plus side, I love the hot dogs here."
"They are famous for them," Auggie granted. "So, Liza, now that Annie's completed whatever herculean labors she volunteered for, and now that the two of you have so graciously decided to read me in on your adventures, what's your plan?"
Liza pulled an eraser from her pocket. The sort of angular pinkish-red eraser schoolchildren across America used every day.
She handed it to Annie, who felt something off about the heft of it - everything else was perfectly eraser about it, even the texture and smell. Touched one corner, however, and its true function was revealed. "A camoflaged flash drive," Annie said.
Liza nodded. "All my evidence, all the research I've done, correlated with everything my source gave me - along with recordings of our conversations."
"Wow, thanks," Annie said. "Wait, do you record everything you -"
Auggie whistled innocently.
Once Annie could speak again, she asked, "What else is on this drive? Some sort of computer virus or worm that will destroy any computer I load this evidence to?"
"The opposite, in fact," Liza said. "Software that functions as insulation against any malignant programs which may be hiding on a computer."
In case our ex-Director left a few surprises. "You always love taking precautions," Auggie said. "One of the things I liked about you."
Liza replied in a language that appearantly only two people at their table knew, and Annie wasn't one of them.
Annie coughed.
"So now what do we do?" Liza asked them. "Or am I still calling the shots?"
"Lets try collaborating, this time," Auggie said.
Liza nodded; Reasonable.
"Wilcox isn't going to go down easy," Liza said. "Or compliantly."
"Maybe he will," Annie said, an idea starting to form in her mind.
Auggie and Liza looked at her expectantly and with no small amount of surprise. "What's on your mind?" Auggie asked.
Annie shared the seed of her idea with them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the end
Title: A favor owed.
Author: Keenir.
Summary: Annie balances trade and tradecraft, work and Liza Hearn.
rating: PG-13
Category: AU (from the end of Communications Breakdown).
Disclaimer: none of the canon characters are mine.
Chapters on AO3: One, and Two, and Three, and chapter 4/4.
or read them here:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*** ONE / UNO / BIR ***
Liza Hearn opened the door to Auggie's loft, and stopped where she was, her eyes on the person who was standing in the middle of the room and facing her. Not Auggie. All Liza said was, "I'm surprised it took this long."
"And what would that be?" the mystery woman asked.
There's only one of you, Liza analyzed. That means Arthur didn't send you...unless his attempts at intimidation are getting worse. Though it could be his way of telling me 'I know your habits, I know where you are going to be'...how very Viet Cong of you, Arthur. "That you're spying on Agent Anderson now, and you removed him from the picture," Liza said.
"Well, you're half right. I'm Annie."
"You're CIA."
"What gives you that impression?"
"You're standing here."
"I could say the same about you."
"I'm going to count to five in my head," Liza said, not in mood for these games; Auggie at least made them enjoyable. "Then I'm going to shut the door here. Which side of it I'm on, depends upon you."
"I am with the CIA," Annie said. "But I'm not here officially. I'm just concerned about Auggie."
Thank you. "We all are," Liza said. "But I know he can't talk about the things that give him headaches."
"Well that's comforting."
"The three of us agree on that," using both meanings of the word Annie had used.
Annie groaned. Then, in a normal tone, she said, "What will it take for you to leave Auggie alone?"
I was hoping to lead him slowly to my source - if I went too quickly at any point, that would make him suspicious of any breadcrumbs I dropped. But perhaps this way will work as well. "I need three favors. Two very small ones, and one for the future."
"What are the favors?" Annie asked.
"One," Liza ticked off, "drive with me up to Delaware. There's someone I need to talk to. Two, do you have a spare bedroom?"
Annie looked at her.
"My house is being fumigated," Liza said. "I was planning to stay here with Auggie this weekend, but if you know I'm here, then it's only a matter of time until other agents come knocking." And I won't put Auggie through that.
"And the one for the future?" Annie asked.
"I don't know yet what I'll ask for."
"An ace in the hole," Annie said.
"If it comes to that. Or I might just ask you to pick up my groceries."
Nice reassurance that it won't neccessarily have the fate of men and governments in the balance, Annie thought to herself. "Can I think it over?" Annie asked.
"You can, until you cross the doorway on your way out," Liza said, using the more polite version of the old Roman ultimatum.
Annie nodded, and her cell phone rang. She answered her phone. "Smithsonian's aquisitions desk. How may I help you?" she asked.
"Very nice," Auggie said. "You mind telling me why you asked my driver to hit all the tourist hotspots on the way home? There's still traffic - out here."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Annie said. "I just told her the long route might help you relax better after the day you've had."
"That explains the yoga music." Auggie paused. "And now you're smiling."
"How did you know?"
"I didn't, not until you answered. Then it was just by listening to the nuances of your voice. Anyone in our jobs could tell you that...or any fan of Lie To Me."
"So traffic's a bear?" Annie asked.
"But not a big red one, thankfully. Anyway, the reason I called - where are you?"
"That's why you called?"
"No, but I don't hear the scampering of little girls, so I'm left to wonder where you're taking this call."
"It's past their bedtime, and I'm at my place. Why, where'd you think I was?"
"Just be careful, okay?" Auggie asked, and hung up.
Annie clicked her phone shut, looked at Liza, and thought, Okay. "Where were we?" Annie asked her. Annie knew perfectly well, but both CIA training and growing up as she had, had instilled in her the tactic of asking that.
"Should we leave now, or in the morning?" Liza asked.
"Does it matter?" Annie asked.
"Not for me. But I wanted the ball to be in your court."
"Thank you," Annie said. "We'll go now." What's in Delaware?
*** TWO / DOS / IKI ***
"So what's in Delaware that's so important?" Annie asked once they were on the highway.
"I'm going to need you to come inside with me, and stand by the door," Liza said. "You can bring a suitcase or something with you. Just stay in plain sight, and look like you're failing an attempt to be inconspicuous. Do they still teach that on the Farm?"
"That's classified," Annie said. "So -"
"They won't think you're CIA. Or FBI."
"Who will they think I am? And who am I giving this false impression to?"
"Does it matter?" Liza asked.
"Does it - yes, yes it most definately matters -" and her cell phone rang. "Smithsonian aquisitions desk," Annie said, calm in her voice. "Danielle? No, I'm not... I didn't think... You - You let the girls stay up so they could say good night to me?" Annie asked. "God, I'm so sorry, I -" and Liza plucked the cell phone from her hand. If it hadn't been for the need to avoid veering cars changing lanes frequently, Annie would have reached over and fought her for it.
"Hello?" Liza asked, her voice slightly thicker, richer, in a Bronx accent. "This' Jane Rood, American Museum. Yeah, I'm sorry for any inconvenience. I just, see, we finally finished all the paperwork and everything, got the crates moved in. Way my dad raised me, after all the to-ing and fro-ing and getting all those signatures and whatnot, I thought it only right Miss Walker get to see what she signed all that paperwork for." Liza nodded silently, smiling a little before, without a smile, she replied, "Thank you, Miss. And on you saying so, I can't help but mention your sister's great help in suggesting places I can spend the - Oh no, I couldn't do that. Insist? Well okay, I can't argue with that. Thanks again, and God bless you," handing the phone back to Annie.
Not your first rodeo? Annie thought, recalling that saying from somewhere. Taking the phone back, Annie said, "Danielle? Yeah, I..." and listened. "You will? Listen, tell the girls I'm sorry - no, I'm still sorry. I'll make it up to them. Definately. G'night," and let her sister hang up first.
"Family's important," was all Liza said between then and the Delaware border.
Based on Liza's tone and the way she was looking out the window, Annie suspected it was, at least in part, answer to her 'does it matter?' So who am I putting the fear of God into? Annie wondered. But yeah, family's definately important.
*** THREE / TRES / UCH ***
The spot in Delaware was a bar - or a pub, depending on if you were feeling generous - just far enough off the coast that the sea air didn't bother people in the parking lot.
Annie took up a position, and watched everyone - good practice for future missions, a part of her rationalized it - but particularly watched Liza.
Lucky me, Annie thought to herself, all those times at weddings, where I wasn't sure where to go, where not to go, and she used that feeling, that expression, right here, right now, while she waited for Liza to finish talking to the woman she'd come here to see.
Finally Liza finished talking to the woman, gave her a quick hug, and walked over to Annie; and the two of them left, whereupon Liza told Annie, "Don't turn back around, just keep walking to the car."
Annie nodded, but used the windows and any even semi-reflective surface to keep an eye on what was going on behind them.
Once they got to the car, Annie asked, "She thought I was Mafia, didn't she? They all did."
"Not Mafia," Liza said, leaning on the door and roof, looking at Annie as though wondering how far to trust her. "If they thought you were from Mossad or from one of the Mobs, that's not something I can stop them from doing."
"But its a misperception you were willing to let them think."
"I'm sorry, were you under the impression the CIA had a monopoly on misdirection?" Maybe I was wrong, she may be at least as much of a sport as Arthur.
"No."
*** FOUR / QUATRO / DORT ***
As they pulled up into Danielle's driveway with all due quiet, Liza said to Annie, "I was going to save it for later, but now seems just as apt. You're CIA."
"Glad we've established that to your satisfaction," Annie said, putting on the parking brake.
"What that means is, it would be as difficult for you to take down my source, as it would be for an FBI agent to take down Herbert Hoover." Liza thought it over. "Okay, not that difficult. Close."
Wild Bill Donovan's still around? Wait, he was ODS. "Thank you. I take it I'm not going to get my next clue until after your stay?"
the next morning:
Annie entered the kitchen just as everyone burst out laughing.
Grabbing her customary bagel, "What did I miss?" Annie whispered to Danielle.
"Appearantly the true story behind Night at the Museum," her sister whispered back, just as Liza raised her hands like lion paws.
The girls giggled like mad.
Liza smiled. "You have a wonderful family," she told Danielle.
"Thank you," Danielle said.
To the girls, Liza said, "I wish I was a Walker."
"You do?" the two said as one.
"Why would you want that?" Danielle asked. "Being a kid with that name was no picnic."
Annie nodded.
"Granted," Liza said. "You had the man who tried expanding America, and The Ghost Who Walks. I was just...Rood."
"Rood?" the girls asked.
She nodded.
Annie wondered how hard it had been with the name 'Hearn.'
Just then, Annie's and Liza's cellphones rang.
"And they're off," Danielle and the girls mouthed to each other - and giggled - as both women left the room.
"Yes?" Liza asked into her phone.
"Smithsonian aquisitions desk," Annie said into hers.
"Most of me is curious why I hear both your voices from both your phones," Auggie said.
"And the other part?" Annie asked.
"Thinks this will be a story best told over a beer. I'm in the parking lot at work, which is where you should be soon, Annie. Think you'll join us later, Liza?"
"Count on it," Liza said.
Both women hung up and re-entered the kitchen. "Sorry for this," Liza said to Danielle, "but they just found out something was mislabeled, and we have to get there fast before it becomes a problem."
"Of course," Danielle said. "Well, it was nice to meet you." Her and the girls waved bye to Liza and to Aunt Annie.
"Next hint," Liza said once they were in the car. "Auggie hates my source's son. Though he hates his father too."
"Auggie?" Annie asked.
"No. And you can drop me off as near Auggie's as you can, I'll walk to my car."
"Okay," Annie said. So who does Auggie hate, who hates his own father, whose father is... "You've got to be kidding me."
"Had a feeling you would have figured it out before I left."
*** FIVE / SINCO / BESH ***
The restaurant was never completely empty, but at this hour in D.C., it was at least not crowded, which was what made it so attractive to their purposes. That and, "I can't believe you're saying the tavern is bugged," Auggie muttered once they were shown to a table.
"I suppose somebody wants to be doubly sure nobody drops semi-classified hints about classified stuff," Annie said. "On the plus side, I love the hot dogs here."
"They are famous for them," Auggie granted. "So, Liza, now that Annie's completed whatever herculean labors she volunteered for, and now that the two of you have so graciously decided to read me in on your adventures, what's your plan?"
Liza pulled an eraser from her pocket. The sort of angular pinkish-red eraser schoolchildren across America used every day.
She handed it to Annie, who felt something off about the heft of it - everything else was perfectly eraser about it, even the texture and smell. Touched one corner, however, and its true function was revealed. "A camoflaged flash drive," Annie said.
Liza nodded. "All my evidence, all the research I've done, correlated with everything my source gave me - along with recordings of our conversations."
"Wow, thanks," Annie said. "Wait, do you record everything you -"
Auggie whistled innocently.
Once Annie could speak again, she asked, "What else is on this drive? Some sort of computer virus or worm that will destroy any computer I load this evidence to?"
"The opposite, in fact," Liza said. "Software that functions as insulation against any malignant programs which may be hiding on a computer."
In case our ex-Director left a few surprises. "You always love taking precautions," Auggie said. "One of the things I liked about you."
Liza replied in a language that appearantly only two people at their table knew, and Annie wasn't one of them.
Annie coughed.
"So now what do we do?" Liza asked them. "Or am I still calling the shots?"
"Lets try collaborating, this time," Auggie said.
Liza nodded; Reasonable.
"Wilcox isn't going to go down easy," Liza said. "Or compliantly."
"Maybe he will," Annie said, an idea starting to form in her mind.
Auggie and Liza looked at her expectantly and with no small amount of surprise. "What's on your mind?" Auggie asked.
Annie shared the seed of her idea with them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the end