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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"Then I won't hold my breath for a second--" Third? "Date."

She went right back to being on the verge of laughter as she lifted her glass. If he'd really gone trawling through her record, he was well aware of her past with Ben Mercer and all that entailed. "Personally, I don't think personal lives should ever be bragged about."

"I would love a second," though he thought it would be a third, "date."

He did really go poking through her record, and read a large amount of it when insomnia struck one night. He knew about Ben Mercer, Iran, and any number of other things that happened to her. He was still impressed.

"That wouldn't really be keeping that and this separate, though." She said it gently, as though he might need the reminder.

After a moment, she added, "That's not an objection. I just don't want you to compromise... morals or whatever."

"My morals have never been a problem, believe me."

Ethics were different, but his morals always stayed intact.

"Mixing my personal and professional lives is okay, sometimes." He thought Annie was worth the risk.

"Sometimes?" Tracing her fingertip over the edge of her glass, she had to ask. "How many times in the past have you mixed the two, Clay?"

"Twice."

He didn't want to explain that in neither case did it work out. Sarah was a mess, and Joan married Arthur. Though, at least in Joan's case they stayed friends and remain so to this day. The same went for Arthur, but Clay assumed Joan never mentioned what happened that time on that one mission...

That was reason enough for her to assume that this didn't technically count as mixing it up for a third time since really, meeting for coffee didn't really count as a date and drinks... well, it was a date to her, but maybe he didn't see it that way? He was older, definitely, so maybe his expectations were different. Higher. Lower?

"I'm guessing it didn't go well. And yet you still say sometimes." She wanted to hope it was because of her. Then she felt silly.

"No. One did go better than the other, but still not as well as I would have hoped."

Clay planned on leaving it at that. "Sometimes it is worth it. If it wasn't I wouldn't be sitting here."

"I won't ask for details," Annie assured him with a laugh, one that faded into another soft expression when he finished.

Considering that she'd met him after plowing into the back of his very expensive car, she wasn't sure why he wanted to meet her for drinks. "Why are you sitting here?"

Straight to the point.

"I like you."

It was just as straight of an answer, but he thought it warranted a little more explanation.

"I liked what I read about, and I'd like to get to know the person behind the agent."

"That puts me at a distinct disadvantage. I don't know a thing about you other than you drive an expensive car and look very nice in a three piece suit," she answered as she lifted her glass to her lips and contemplated him with a sly smile.

"You know I go horseback riding with my mother on Sundays." He briefly contemplated a moment of open-ness, "Other than that, what would you like to know?"

"Any three things that no one else knows about you." To improve the intimacy of the moment, she set her glass down and leaned forward, just in case he did decide to impart some big secret.

That was a tough question and after a few minutes thought he leaned forward to respond.

"I competed in the 1988 Olympics, I still have my childhood teddy bear, and I own a beach house."

"Did you, do you and really?" Her delight in knowing even a little bit about him was clear on her face, her smile lighting up their little corner of the bar.

"I did, Modern Pentathlon, and we lost." He smiled a little bit as he was still proud of his accomplishment.

"I do, he's in my closet and I do, on Virginia's Eastern Shore."

Annie's smile was infectious as far as Clay was concerned, and grinned as well.

"Even if you lost, that's still quite an accomplishment. I don't know any other Olympians." She shook her head as she looked into his eyes, caught up in his smile. He was extremely good looking and rather enchanting to talk to. "The bear thing is just cute and I don't know what to say about the house except I'm not that surprised."

"The car gives it all away?"

She suddenly felt a little ashamed. "Maybe the horseback riding, too?"

Clay just nodded, "That's usually why I don't talk about my personal life. Most people just think I don't really know how to work because I can afford horseback riding, a beach house, and an expensive car."

Annie had no reason to feel ashamed, and he hoped he just didn't make their evening awkward.

"It wasn't a judgment, not really. I haven't seen you work, I've only seen the car and heard about the horseback riding, so I don't have much to base it all on."

It was a little awkward, but she was determined to work through it, mostly because she liked him. "I have the feeling that you wouldn't be where you are today if you weren't good at what you do, though. I think that says more about you than the house and the car."

"Thank you."

Well that was different. Most of the women he dated were just in it because of the suits, the houses, the car, and all the wealth it implied. None of them spent more that five minutes asking about his job, let alone complementing it.

"Besides," she added, back to her smirking smile, "With your clearance, I'm kind of stuck asking about the more frivolous things." Another short pause and she said, "What's the bear's name?"

That got a laugh. When she's right, she's right.

"His name's Theodore."

"I like your laugh."

It came out before she even meant to say it and she covered as best she could by taking the last drink from her glass.

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