[FUTURE] ... an assignment
After a gorgeous weekend spent getting married to the love of her life, followed by two weeks along the coast of Greece, Annie returned to work in the same mood that she'd spent those few weeks: utterly blissful
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Since Annie decided not to carpool, Webb got out of the house earlier than normal. He spent his first half hour reviewing the intelligence brief Arthur left for him. Everything was going just fine, except for the last bullet point that mentioned Annie's name.
Arthur, out of courtesy, told Webb about an hour before the meeting. It was a compartmentalized operation, and as such, required his presence. Webb planned on sitting at the table and remaining as impassive as possible. He had to. Anything else would be unprofessional and he couldn't let anyone in the room think being married to Annie prevented him from doing his job.
When Annie sat across from him he just nodded slightly. Deputy Director Turner was going to do all the talking, at least for now.
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"Four months?" Annie turned a look on Joan, who opened her mouth to speak, and was cut off by Director Turner.
"Four. It's short, compared to other long-term engagements we're running at the time, and we'll have someone watching, though they won't be in contact." Then he turned to Jai and outlined his duties, though 'watching' hadn't been from an up-close perspective. Jai would get Annie's reports in London and decide if any action was required.
Staring at the table they were all seated around, she was at a loss for words. Obviously, Deputy Director Turner wasn't asking; he was telling.
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The idea that he was going to be alone in their big bed, in their big room, in their big house, all alone was killing him.
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"Four months. Piece of cake." She deliberately avoided looking at Webb, well aware that he hadn't so much as breathed differently during the entire meeting. Twenty minutes and his composure hadn't changed at all, but her blood pressure was through the roof. She could feel it.
Looking at Jai, she added, "You'd better have my back," and Joan and Jai both cracked smiles.
"Every time," Jai told her, a hand going to her knee.
When Deputy Director Turner stood, Annie and Jai did as well, each shaking his hand. "Specifics will be worked over the next five days to give us all time to put a few last things in order."
Annie nodded and then, still without looking at Webb, exited the office with Jai. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed as she looked at him.
"My treat," he told her, aware that it was past coffee break time and she needed fresh air right then. Taking her arm, he led the way.
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At four-thirty, she was in her car and leaving the parking lot, her head aching. All she wanted to do was go home, lay down and go to sleep. If she was lucky, that would be the way to get through the next four months. It hadn't sunk it quite yet that she was leaving for a hundred and twenty days, at a minimum.
After she pulled in to the circular driveway, she leaned her head back against the headrest of her car and closed her eyes. It didn't even dawn on her that she might fall asleep there.
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He decided to make the same dinner he made when he proposed, just so she'd have something to eat that he knew she'd like. And from the sound of it Annie should be walking through the door, any second.
Maybe any minute....
Or maybe within the next half hour?
Clay drained the pasta, then headed outside and peeked in Annie's car window. There she was, sound asleep. She had a much longer day than he had, that's for sure. Clay tapped on her window, hoping not to scare her too much.
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"Hey," she said, trying to play off the sleepiness as she stepped out. "Sorry, I didn't even realize I'd been sitting there that long." Asleep? Not her. "It was a long day."
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"Dinner's done, so all you have to do is eat and relax."
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Hurrying into the shower, she kept her hair up and made it as quick as possible, then dressed for the day in a skirt and blouse that made her feel pretty before heading downstairs. The smell of coffee made her smile -- happy and wistful all at once.
"Morning," she said as she entered the kitchen, wrapping an arm around his waist and kissing him on the cheek.
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He was already half dressed for work, pants, shirt, suspenders and tie. The rest of the suit was in the living room.
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The bliss was written all over her face as she leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, taking small sips.
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It was a good thing that Annie didn't have anywhere to be the next morning because, when the alarm didn't go off for her, she found herself sleeping in until almost nine. When her eyes opened, she didn't feel like moving yet, so she lay there and just enjoyed her three-hundred count sheets and the sunlight coming through the sheer curtains.
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When he noticed she was awake he looked away from the book he was reading briefly and smiled, "Morning."
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She loved that he was just there, waiting for her to wake up. His patience with her was astounding.
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