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

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

[From here, as requested by

fakes]
--

It 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.

She hadn't seen hide or hair of him during her mission, but when she went to have a drink in the bar at their hotel late the night before they were supposed to leave, she found him sitting in a dark corner. When didn't he sit in dark corners, really, but she rolled her eyes and put a smile on her face to join him.

Their breakup and subsequent dealings had been difficult, and after that State Dinner, she'd gone out of her way to keep her distance from him as much as possible. That didn't mean they couldn't enjoy a drink or two (or seven) while in Vegas.

Unfortunately--

When Annie woke to the pounding in her head, she almost couldn't open her eyes. When she finally managed, she ignored the immense nausea she felt and peered at the walls in the hotel room she was in. She hadn't been given this nice of a room, not on the Agency's dime, no. This was something else. Turning, she caught sight of a man's head and her eyes widened, causing the pounding to pick up and she clenched her eyes shut again with a groan.

Clapping both hands, right over left, on her head, she felt something heavy and lifted them again almost immediately. Seeing the wedding ring set on her left hand, she gasped.

"Oh, my God."

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Ignoring the offer to join him in the shower, Annie stared.

"Someone seducing you on your couch isn't as out of place as I think?" She finished adjusting her pants and looked at him a little quizzically. "Do tell."

"Well maybe on the couch, but not the act itself. Adrenaline does some interesting things sometimes."

He was brought back to a discussion he had with Mac a few years earlier. The same thing happened, though she killed someone and it didn't end with him drinking so much that he had to take a cab home. Annie was better for him in more ways than she realized.

"I guess it does."

She paused in her redress to look down at him and then nodded, holding out her hand. Even though she'd taken a shower already, the water always made her feel a little better about life in general. "Come on, Mr. Webb. The shower will probably do us both good."

"Or we could get some use out of that bathtub of ours."

Clay figured that might be more of Annie's speed. The jets would probably soothe whatever soreness she has and it would also prevent her from having to wash her hair.

"That," Annie said, turning on her heel and walking backwards as she pulled him along, "actually sounds like a much better plan."

She could pin her hair up and just relax with him, not worry about things like standing up or scrubbing backs.

Clay let himself be pulled along and into his bedroom by Annie. "I figured you'd enjoy it. I think my bathtub missed you for nine months."

He hoped it would also get rid of some of the soreness in her muscles. "I'll go get it started," he said as he headed into the bathroom.

"Your bathtub is inanimate, Clay," Annie said as she pulled her shirt over her head. "It can't have missed me, just like the bed didn't miss me. I missed the bed, though, and I definitely missed the tub."

She watched as he went to go get the water started and she used the extra time to finish getting undressed and to put up her hair. Then she took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders to work out some of the stiffness before wandering into the bathroom.

"Maybe I just missed you in my bathtub," he called from the bathroom right before he started the water. Then he made sure they had two towels ready for afterward, and added some epsom salts to the water to help Annie get rid of some of that soreness.

Clay came back out into the bedroom to get undressed, "It should be ready to go in a few minutes."

His statement made her smile again and she stepped to the edge of the bathroom and stared at him; naked as she was, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd just missed her looking at him the way she currently was.

Then she got to watch him get undressed, too - one of her favorite pastimes. "I'll keep an eye on it. And you."

Clay had no idea that Annie enjoyed watching him get undressed, and strangely enough, he didn't think that any of this was something out of the ordinary. He just thought Annie was talking to him, and keeping an eye on the water.

"I hope it makes everything a little better," he said before getting up to head into the bathroom himself.

"Just being with you makes things better," Annie said quietly as he walked closer, slipping her hand into his and stopping him before they got into the tub. "I want you to know that I'm grateful that you were there today."

Which translated into 'thank you for staying married to me', even if she didn't say all that.

"I'll always be there for you." Whenever she needed him. Which meant he was happy to stay married to her and was very glad he walked out of that courthouse forms in hand.

Clay got in the tub first, then did his best to help Annie just in case she was still not moving quite right yet.

Annie knew it without his saying it, but it was still nice to hear. And as she settled into the bathtub with him, leaning against his back, she felt the swell of emotion that she knew was going to lead to tears again.

Swallowing it back as much as she could, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her hand searching out his under the water. When she found it, and felt the ring on his finger, a tear slid down her cheek anyway - another kind of emotion.

Clay held Annie's hand and just looked her over. She looked no worse for wear, other than the cuts on her head. He assumed she probably had a few more nicks and cuts from the window glass in her hair.

When he noticed her tear he couldn't help himself, "How're you doing?"

"I'm okay," she whispered, not willing to get into a discussion about what was (and what wasn't) going on in her mind. "Just a little tired, a little emotional, a little sore."

She smiled for him, even though her eyes weren't open. She had a feeling he was looking at her for a reaction anyway. "This is nice, just relaxing."

So saying, she tilted her head into his chest, nosing along his jaw a little.

"Okay," he said as he ran his thumb over her knuckles under the water. "You'll probably be less sore after all this." Clay honestly didn't know what else to say.

"Probably."

Her agreement came with a soft smile, a tenderness that she saved just for him, no matter what else she was doing. Her hand turned in his so she could thread their fingers together. "You know, I still remember the first bath we took together and all I can think about, every time, is how much I don't deserve you. Everything you've put up with, after all these years..."

She didn't move, her voice didn't raise. She just sounded tired. "You deserve so much more than a wife half your age that you married in Vegas, Clay. I hope you know that I know how lucky I am."

"Annie, everything I've put up with, and everything I've done makes me wonder what I managed to do to get you. We got married on a whim, but I really don't care about that. I care that we got married. I think we're both lucky."

He was quiet for a minute just enjoying his bathtub and some quiet time with his wife before he spoke again, "Ever since that dinner, this quote I read years ago's been floating around in my head, 'You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person who you cannot live without.' that's when I realized, that not having you in my life was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. You're perfect for me, Annie. It doesn't matter that we got married in Vegas and you're half my age. I should have bought you those rings nine months ago."

Unable to help herself, Annie was in tears before he was done. It was awkward because she was facing the wrong way to hug him or kiss him, so she had to make do with pulling his arms around her and hugging him while he hugged her.

"You're-" She couldn't say anything to that. The words just wouldn't come. Instead, she lay her head back, closed her eyes and thanked every deity she could think of that she'd gotten as lucky as she had. "I love you."

Clay heard the unmistakable sound in Annie's voice, she was crying or getting ready to. Today was entirely too emotional. She lost a good friend and he almost lost her. This was bound to happen eventually.

"I love you too."

Annie sat there as quietly as she could until she was sure that she was going to fall asleep there if she didn't get out and then she sat up. "We should get out."

Her voice was a little dead, but she gave him a tired smile before standing without help. Her muscles were already complaining, but she didn't want him to know it. He would just worry more than he already was and she didn't want to be the cause of that.

There was a difference between knowing she was going to be sore and actually seeing it. Handing him a towel, she wrapped one around her own waist before disappearing into the bedroom to get dressed.

Clay let Annie have a little space as he dried himself off and drained the bathtub. When he left the bathroom he brought one of Annie's painkillers and a glass of water with him. Some rest should help her feel better.

He set both on her nightstand before getting dressed for and into bed.

She'd just finished getting dressed when he re-entered the bedroom and she gave him a tired smile when she saw the glass of water and the prescription. "Thanks."

Taking the pill quickly, she got into bed with a wince that she hid as well as possible, then stretched out next to him, her arm wrapping around his stomach. The best she could hope for was a lack of nightmares and she sincerely hoped the painkiller she'd just taken would help with that.

Clay put his arm around Annie so they could assume their usual cuddle. He was genuinely worried about her as he'd seen one too many operatives get careless when someone who was important to them was wounded or died. He didn't want that to happen to Annie and hoped that he would be able to keep her grounded.

"Goodnight, Annie," he said before lightly kissing her, "I love you."

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

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