freshoffthefarm | [AU] ... from the 'meet at a different time' meme

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[AU] ... from the 'meet at a different time' meme

After two years at the Agency, Annie's job hadn't gotten any better (or worse). Sure, it had it's downsides - namely, being shot at (or being shot), but the biggest one had to be the Agency parking lot.

She could never, ever find a parking spot.

Of course, the morning that she'd gotten up early and proceeded to spill coffee on her first outfit, had to jump start her car and then fill a tire with air? She managed to get behind the chatty son-of-a-bitch in the compensation car at the guard shack. She sat there, plotting the ways to key his car without actually getting caught and then he'd moved on.

Smiling at the guys in the shack, she showed her ID, waited until they'd looked under her cars with mirrors, and then picked up the pace on the way to the agent parking lot.

It just wasn't her morning.

The short cut she took through the visitor lot took her right past the spots in front for all the diplomats and the Agency hotshots. She didn't see Mr. Compensation trying to adjust his parking until she'd plowed into his rear bumper.

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No.

"Of course." Her smile widened as she nodded and motioned. "I'll follow you."

No matter how tired she was, she would never turn down a request from a higher ranking agent, especially one who was in direct command of the mission she'd just finished. Besides, if he'd been watching as he'd said, he couldn't have too many more questions, she figured.

Clay led the way up to his office on Counterintelligence's floor. All the walls were glass except for the back one. His desk was in the center of the room and he pulled out a chair for Annie.

"Can I get you anything?"

She held up her almost empty water bottle with a grateful smile. "If you could find another one of these, I'd be really grateful."

Easing into the leather chair across from his desk, she let out a heavy sigh. It was so much better than the one she'd been sitting in downstairs and when she opened her eyes again, her exhaustion showed.

"Just sit for a minute and try not to fall asleep." All traces of the ass he'd been when she his his car were gone. He left his office and found Annie another bottle of water.

When he returned he shut his office door and handed her the bottle of water before sitting behind his desk.

"How are you doing?"

All of his professional questions were answered, now it was time for the personal ones.

"I'm... fine?"

She wasn't quite sure why he was asking since he'd heard everything he needed to know on a professional level in the debriefing and she had no idea why he would care on a personal level. Since it was clear from his expression that he was going to open his mouth and press for a more concrete answer, she continued without being pressed.

"I'm a little tired and I could use a decent shower with actual hot water, but there weren't any bullets involved, so I'll count this one as a win." A pause. "Sir."

"You don't need to call me 'Sir'," he said with a smile.

He didn't believe she was really fine for some reason, and he had to admit the brown hair did nothing for her.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"I was just doing my job."

She knew that 'sir' had just been a secondary tease, but he probably didn't, so she let it go. As for the dark hair, it probably went as well on her as did her baggy cargo pants and drab green t-shirt. All of it was shapeless and dirty and she looked like she'd been living on the streets (or in an Eastern European country) for months.

Of course, she'd looked better during her time as an asset, but leaving had turned out to be a little harder than expected.

"And you did an excellent job." He said it with pride. "Joan didn't lie when she said she was sending her best. You should be proud of what you did."

He was.

"You also bailed me out of a tough situation without knowing it, so my Thank You still stands."

"You're welcome, Director Webb."

This time, her smile was genuine and she nodded at him before taking a long drink of her water. It was obvious that she hadn't had good drinking water in a long time.

She couldn't deny that it was nice to hear someone praise her outright, and to hear the pride in his voice in her work meant that she'd done well for the Agency, as well as for him, and that was something that she would always be happy with.

Giving another slow breath, her eyes closed temporarily and then she opened them quickly.

"Are you going to be okay driving home?" He could tell she was having some problems staying awake and the last thing he wanted was for something to happen to her on the way home after surviving five and a half months of hell.

Her smile softened without her really being aware of it and she gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"I live about fifteen minutes from here. I should be okay if I roll down the windows and blare the radio," she told him, her voice already heading the way of a woman who was going to fall asleep standing up.

"Why don't I take you home?" And before she said she didn't want to put him out he said, "It's no trouble."

She sounded exhausted, and he figured that fifteen minutes would be better spent getting ready to sleep than driving.

She'd opened her mouth to object before he interjected that it was no trouble and then she just nodded. It was better than crashing her car and she could always take a cab in a couple of days to retrieve it.

"Thank you," she said instead, giving him another smile. "Whenever you're ready."

He nodded and stood to pack up his things in his briefcase. Then he helped Annie into her coat, finally getting a whiff of the fact that she hadn't showered in a real shower for who knows how long. He wasn't planning on pointing it out.

"Need me to carry anything?"

He doubted Annie would ever accuse him of being impolite ever again.

"I can handle it," she told him around a yawn that she tried to stifle. Finally, she settle for covering it with her hand. "Thanks, though."

In the elevator, she swayed once and she realized that it was likely yhat she'd never been this tired on American soil.

"Besides, my parking space is closer." Clay knew Annie knew the location of his parking space, since she spent quite a bit of her morning there almost six months prior.

He took her bag anyway.

Annie let him. And, as they reached said space, she couldn't help the small smirk that played over her lips. "I remember the spot well. And the car. I'm glad that she got fixed, good as new."

Yes, it had been six months earlier, but Annie still appreciated a good looking automobile when she saw it.

Clay put her bag in the back then opened the passenger door for her. He was still determined to prove he wasn't raised in impolite society. His mother wouldn't like that anyone thought that about him.

Once he was sure Annie was settled in the car, he went to the driver's side and got in himself, "Just let me know where to go."

Truthfully, Annie didn't actuually believe that about him. Well, not much. And, at the moment, she was far too comfortable against the buttery leather of his car to really care about his previous attitude. In fact, she was a little afraid she was going to fall asleep there.

"Um, just down the road..." She gave him an address and directions that led to an apartment not too far away. Then she relaxed again.

Clay drove to Annie's apartment without so much as a comment. She was exhausted and it was late. The last thing she probably wanted to deal with was his innane chatter.

Driving her home did make him feel better, and he even went as far as to turn on the seat warmer to make sure she wasn't cold.

The warmth of his car, combined with the knowledge that she was finally home, added to the fact that she was beyond exhausted all meant one thing.

By the time he pulled into her driveway, she was curled against the door, asleep.

He pulled into the parking lot on the side of the building and parked his car in a visitor space before trying to wake up Annie.

"Annie," he said at a quieter than normal volume, "You're home. Time to wake up."

He planned on walking her up to her apartment, just to make sure she was all settled in for the night. Ops like the one she'd been on were hard to come back from.

The quiet tone of his voice finally broke through the fog of her brain and she pushed herself to a sitting position.

"Thank you," she said, trying not to yawn. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Her smile was apologetic as she reached for the door handle.

"It's okay," he said trying his best to be comforting. "I know how tired these things can make you."

He got out of the car before opening Annie's door and getting her bag out of the back of the car.

"Mind if I walk you upstairs?"

Annie reached for her bag, now more happy to be home than ever. His offer, however, struck her as more personal than professional. The very tired part of her wanted to say yes, the rational part of her, what was left, tried to give him an out.

"It's late. Very late. Isn't your wife going to wonder where you are?"

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