Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a slow realization, a gradual change. Something that Annie Montrose wasn’t expecting.

The Director of Media Relations for NASA was the youngest child of five, with four older brothers. At an early age she learned how to defend herself and make her voice heard. She was never treated like ‘one of the boys’ growing up. Her father didn’t subject her to stereotypical male norms. He never forced her into sports or anything she didn’t want. Annie always had a mind of her own and when she wanted something she made sure she got it. She always wanted to be the center of attention. A difficult task growing up in a house with seven people. So she had to work her hardest to get the recognition she deserved.

Not pushed into anything she didn’t want, it was always expected of her (and all her siblings) to do the best at what they set their hearts on. For Annie, that ended up being journalism. For a while she thought she wanted to be an actress. The attention celebrities garnered would be more than enough to satisfy that need for attention. However, to Annie, the life of an actress was fake. Pretending to be someone she wasn’t. After one school play she scratched that idea.

She found journalism. Not only did she get to report on stories that impacted people’s lives, she got to be herself. Her no bullshit attitude worked perfectly in the reporting world. Annie also didn’t put up with anyone who put her down. Namely, men who held a sexist attitude towards women in power. Annie Montrose was a common name by the time she started working for NASA. It was an interesting career switch. She had reached a point where being in front of the camera was no longer appealing. At least every day. She wanted to do something different. And she felt that the news she was reporting on was growing stale.

Then, NASA put out a posting for a manager of Media Relations. She applied on a whim and was hired several days later. It was a wonderful change of pace. The job was easier; it was the same sort of topics everyday but all of them engaging. The learning curve was steep but it was a new challenge that she relished in. Quickly she became liked within the agency. Even if her choice of vocabulary could offend even the most seasoned of sailors. After a few years the position of Director opened up and Annie found herself accepting that offer.

Her responsibility increased and she found herself in front of the camera once more. She had forgotten how much she missed informing the public of the latest news. Her position provided her everything that she wanted. Attention she desired and a quick paced environment that kept her motivated. As well as topics that were always stimulating. Not to forget a handsome paycheck.

Annie was the one that got to announce to the world that NASA was going to send humans to Mars. It was a thrilling day, one that she would never forget. It was the top story for weeks, one of her best presentations. Her position as Director allowed her constant updates on the missions. She felt as close to the astronauts as the men and women in mission control. One of the crew more than the rest. Each mission had a media relations liaison. It was a vital part of the Ares Missions. Reporting back to the public on the way to Mars and back. Annie choose the best candidate and worked with the astronaut closely. Preparing them for their responsibilities.

Ares 1 was successful. Annie had worked with Michelle Schaffer; she had also been the pilot for the missions. It turned out difficult for Michelle to update regularly as her role on Hermes took most of her time. The amount of time dedicated to media for Ares 1 hadn’t been as much as Annie would have preferred. But much like any first time explorations, nothing was perfect. Ares 2 went even better. Annie chose Stewart Dixon to be in charge. His job as the reactor tech and biologist allowed him more time to dedicate to social media. There was only one thing Annie wished had been different. Dixon had been a bit dry in the delivery of his updates. In person, it was clear that he cared greatly about his job. But there was something lost in the translation to text.

Then it was Ares 3. At this point, the public wasn’t as interested in going to Mars. It had already been done two times, what more could be discovered? It was a problem that had been expected and Annie was ready for it. She had new ideas ready to be implemented to get the public enticed once again.

Originally, she had planned on choosing Dr. Christopher Beck to be the liaison. But soon discovered that despite his charismatic aura, he wasn’t a good public speaker. Beth Johanssen proved to be too shy. Rick Martinez would have been a good choice but she had learned to not pick the pilot. While Commander Lewis would have done a wonderful job she would have even more to deal with. And with it being the media liaison with NASA and not the ESA, Alex Vogel was passed over. That left Annie with Mark Watney.

Being the lowest ranked member of the crew gave him that extra bit of free time to dedicate to media relations. He also turned out to be very outgoing and easy to talk too. Mark was passionate about space and the Ares Missions. As well as his roles of engineer and botanist. The more Annie met up with Mark, she became convinced he would be able to get the attention of the public once more. Being the ship’s engineer gave him inside knowledge of Hermes. A fact that shone through when he gave a tour of the ship. It became the most viewed video on NASA’s YouTube channel in three days after uploading. Mark did something that the previous liaisons hadn’t. He showed what it was like to be in space. To be an astronaut. His tweets, Instagram photos and Facebook updates weren’t just the status of Hermes. But they included candid photos of the crew, quotes taken completely out of context, video interviews of how the crew felt. The public loved it.

Once Hermes arrived in Mars orbit, Mark took a photo of the planet. It wasn’t the clearest of pictures but it showed the beauty of the Red Planet. He had posted it to Instagram with the following caption “Finally, after 124 days Ares 3 has arrived to Mars. It’s been a wild trip and but it has been a great one here. Accompanied not only by my crew but by everyone who has sent in emails and messages. We have all finally arrived. And we are all going to make history. Again.”

The image and caption went viral. The public focused on Mars exploration with renewed vigor.

It was a great outcome, better than Annie could have ever expected. The only part she hadn’t expected were the feelings she had developed for Mark Watney in the process.

They had spent several hours a week together before Ares 3 departed. Mark was likable, had a great sense of humor and, if she were to admit it to herself, easy on the eyes. She also felt right at home with his preferred used of profanity. (A habit that took a bit of time for him to censor out of his uploads). Once the crew was on Hermes, Mark and Annie stayed in contact. Watney sent her daily emails. At first they were quick and to the point. Status updates about the ship and anything noteworthy that happened in the day’s activities. Then they started with what he did for the day before switching to the crew. Eventually, they grew longer as Mark detailed his thoughts about the trip and he’d ask how she was doing.

Annie began looking forward to reading his email first thing in the morning. Even though his responses were only downloaded once a day, there were times Mark was able to send more than one. The second email never had anything to do with work. It’d include a poorly taken selfie with the entire crew or pictures of his plants with a long detailed message about what his experiments were. But those explanations were never boring to read. Even written, she could hear the joy in his voice when talking about his work. 

Her growing affection for Watney wasn’t realized until she received the worst news possible. Annie had  woken at 4 in the morning when a severe storm was detected with a heading straight towards Ares 3. The crew was ordered to abort and Annie was going to have to give a statement. Then, Lewis sent in her post emergency evacuation report. The shock was universal as everyone read the message. Mark Watney had been killed in the EVAC. Annie’s heart sank.

The news numbed her. Annie had a hard time believing it to be true. She couldn’t get herself to go in front of the cameras. Of all the time in the past she reported unfortunate news this time she couldn’t stand the thought. Teddy gave the news instead. She sat nearby but didn’t listen to the words. The packed media room was silent and all she could hear was her heart beat in her ears. She wanted to take time off work but no one knew how she had felt towards Mark. Not even herself until he was gone.

Each morning she stared at her inbox. There were dozens of messages that needed her attention. But she found herself rereading the archived ones from Mark.

Two months had gone by and everyone was shocked once again. Mark was still alive. It took the entire agency by surprise. Annie was flabbergasted. When she was asked to come in early she wasn’t expecting this to be the problem of the day. After her mind caught up, she immediately switched to work mode. When she announced to the world that Mark was alive, her mind was running rampant with emotions. She pushed them all down, Mark was alive and she was going to do whatever it took to make sure he got home. It was a tumultuous year and half. She wanted nothing more than to be able to talk to him again. A single email would have done the trick. But they were both busy. Busy making sure he returned home.

The day that Mark was saved was the happiest day of Annie’s life. The relief she felt was indescribable. Not only because her job would get easier but because Mark was coming home. She had to tell herself to calm down. Certain that her feelings for the astronaut were one sided, she couldn’t get caught up in fantasies.

It took several weeks after being rescued for Mark to make contact. Annie could only speculate on the recovery he was facing after being stranded for a year and half. She knew him well and knew he’d be able to handle any problem handed to him. Hermes had a seven-month trip before returning home. It took Mark two and half months before he sent Annie an email.

She was surprised to see his name in her inbox again. But after that initial moment passed she eagerly opened his message.

Annie-

Sorry for not writing sooner. Sorta got stuck on Mars, as you may know. Spent a bit of time recovering and I’m doing much better. Think I’m ready to tackle my responsibilities with media relations again. If you think that is a good idea of course.

Mars was interesting to say the least. Experienced a whole bunch of stuff. I found myself wishing I could have told you about it. It was a good bit of motivation to stay alive to be able to tell you about how I stayed alive.

By the way, how have you been?

-MW.

The smile Annie had on her face was a ridiculous grin. One that stayed as she typed her reply.

Mark,

Yeah, I noticed. Thanks for making my job fucking difficult. Also, what the hell with the Fonz photo?

I will say I was happy to find that you were alive. A fact that made dealing with my job and your antics much easier.

As for getting back to media relations, I’d say wait. The public doesn’t much care for Hermes and its crew as it does for asking you questions. Wouldn’t want your presence known only to get flooded with insanely personal questions. Something that I’m also working on curbing when you get home.

I’ve been good. Much better now. Looking forward to getting a beer with you again.

Mark’s response the following day was short.

Maybe dinner instead?

Annie had been correct in her previous assumption. Mark was able to entice the public once more. The only thing anyone cared about was what was NASA going to do next? What was Mark Watney going to do next? The response was endless. Favor for the agency had never been so high.

It was Christmas time when Hermes returned to orbit. December 20th they finally made it home, after two days they finally returned to earth. Every headline called it a Christmas miracle. Among Watney’s parents, the other Directors and NASA employees, Annie waited for the shuttle. The media pushed their limits, attempting to get as close as possible. So they could get that perfect shot of Mark Watney finally setting foot on Earth. The crowds cheered when the wayward astronaut disembarked. It was the final end to Watney’s long trip home.

The first week he was poked and stuck by countless doctors. The seven-month trip home allowed him a decent amount of recovery. The medical teams cleared Mark with no lasting effects.

Annie was in her office. Dealing with endless phone calls about getting an interview with Watney. There was knock at her door, she absentmindedly invited her guest in, assuming it was Teddy or Venkat. She looked up when nothing was said right away. She found Mark standing with a smirk on his face. “Hey.” He said as he took a few steps closer.

“Hey to you.” She responded before pushing away from her desk and standing. They shared a few moments of silence before Mark closed the space between them and pulled her in for a tight hug. She immediately returned the embrace. It was longer than she expected and Mark apologized after letting go. Explaining he was catching up on overdue contact.

Watney cleared his throat. “So, like I’ve been telling everyone. Thanks for saving my ass. I really appreciate all the work you guys did. It wasn’t easy, I know that. Probably still isn’t but, I am forever grateful. I don’t think I can ever repay you.”

Annie smiled a bit as she leaned against her desk, her arms folded over her chest. Her smile turned into a playful smirk. “Well, I think you said something about dinner.”

Mark matched her expression. “I think that is a very good place to start.” 

Chapter Text

The first time Mark and Annie went on a date they had no privacy. It turned out that Mark had just as much paparazzi as a celebrity. If not more. The entire world knew who he was and the public wanted to know more about his time on Mars and how he was adjusting. The two were able to play off dinner as nothing more than between co-workers. The last thing Mark wanted was some tabloid running a bogus article. The two played it low key for several months. Not staying at each other’s apartments, only meeting up for lunch dates. It was stressful. Mark wanted to spend more time with Annie. But she was busy taking care of the issues for NASA that his own situation had caused.

There had been days where he’d pop into her office and she’d flat out tell him that he was the last person she wanted to see. After dealing with ‘Mark Watney this’ and ‘Mark Watney that’, she wanted nothing more than a moment alone. Mark wasn’t offended, he understood. But it caused some distance between them. Since returning home, Mark realized how much he missed the attention a relationship provided. However, Annie and Mark never sat down to specify what they were to one another. Mark didn’t want to seem clingy, so he stayed away.

Things got better when the public stopped caring as much about Mark. He reached the point where he was just another member of society. Just another astronaut. Just another guy. It took almost a year, but he got there. Annie was less stressed and they were able to start spending more time together.

Over the course of the previous months, Mark never talked much about Mars. Except in an academic setting or for the few interviews he did. Those were all technical. Exploring all the extreme things he did to survive. A few asked personal questions. ‘Did you think you were going to die?’ or ‘How did you cope with being alone?’, but that was the extent. Mark hadn’t talked about his feelings on Mars much to anyone. Not even Annie.

A group NASA employees went out for drinks following work on a Friday night. Mark, Annie, Martinez, as well as Stewart Dixon and Tina Ruben from the Ares Two crew. Rick was the first to leave, he didn’t want to stay out too late. Tina went next. Stewart hung around the longest. Him and Mark went beer for beer until Stewart was just about to pass out. Annie, the designated driver, got Stewart a cab before turning to the inebriated Watney. She shook her head as she watched him sway slightly in his seat. She got a glass of water from the bar before returning.

“Drink this.” She said as she slid the water over to him. Mark stared at the clear liquid before grabbing the glass and downing it.

“Amazing how easy it is to just get a glass of water.” He said once he drained the cup.

“I know, you just turn on the tap and out it comes. Let’s get you home.” She said not realizing the point he was making. She put her arm around Mark to give him support walking. She helped him into the passenger seat. Making sure to buckle his seatbelt before climbing into the driver’s side. “Did you want to go to my apartment tonight?” She asked as she turned over the engine. Mark didn’t respond, he hummed as he leaned his head against the window. “My place it is.”

It hadn’t stopped raining for most of the night. It had abated from the downpour but the rain was still coming down rather heavy for the drive home. A part of the trip required using the interstate. Usually it would have made the trip faster, but as Annie approached their exit, red tail lights lit up the way. She slowed down, there had been an accident. Mark sat up right and looked out the windshield. Traffic wasn’t moving. “Someone fucked up.” He said as he rose a bit out of his seat in attempt to look over the cars to get a glance at something. The motion was fruitless.

Annie sighed, she just wanted to get home and get in bed. “Yeah, hopefully we can get through this quickly.” She replied as traffic barely inched forwards. It took twenty-five minutes to reach the crash site. It had only recently happened and was still being cleaned up. Several cars had been involved. One of which rolled and landed in the median. The car was on its side. Mark stared at the vehicle as they finally passed the accident. “That looks bad.” Annie said as she too glanced at the car down the ditch.

Mark was quiet. Uncharacteristically so as they were able to start picking up speed again. Annie glanced to him. He stared off into space. Literal space. She followed his eye line towards the stars. “What are you thinking about?” She asked, but he was zoned out. Her voice didn’t get his attention. “Hey, Earth to Watney. Come in, Mark, can you hear me?” She asked louder. It was a running joke between them to use radio lingo, since most of his job involved such vocabulary.

He blinked unevenly as he turned to look at her. Mark squinted. “I hope that person is okay.” He said.

“Which person?” Annie asked.

“The one that was driving the car that rolled.” His voice was quiet.

“I’m sure they will be okay.” Annie reassured him. Mark didn’t say anything. She glanced over but kept her attention on the road. They would be at her apartment soon.

“On Mars, when the rover rolled, I was terrified the entire time.” Mark started, his gaze fixed on the controls in the center console. “It happened so suddenly. One minute I’m trucking along then the next, I’m being tossed about. I freaked out but was able to tuck in on myself.” Mark repeated the motion of pulling his arms and legs in and ducking his head down. He stayed that way for a few moments before straightening out. “Then everything came to an abrupt stop. I laid still for quite some time. I was banged about, my head hurt from running into things.” Mark leaned against the seat. “You’d think that a person could only experience so many brushes with death. Everything on Mars was something that could Earth. But with a side of possibly dying.” He sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. “I mean; I think I was scared the entire time I was stuck on that damn planet. There was scared and more scared and occasionally terrified.”

Annie was shocked to say the least. She had never heard him talk about his experience on Mars in such a way. She had wanted to ask but was never sure if she should. The way he acted so distant sometimes, she just gave him his space. She didn’t say anything and just let him talk.

“I really hate that planet.” He was looking out the window again. Staring up at the black, star-studded sky. “Don’t get me wrong, I am glad I had the chance to go. But I just wish it had gone to plan. So many things could be different right now if things had gone to plan.” He turned his attention to Annie. “Like us. Spent 124 days talking to you. I had to make my correspondences professional for NASA’s sake but damn. I wanted to ask how you were doing and what your favorite movie is. I thought, ‘Hey, you’ll only be on Mars for a month then you’ll get go home. You’ll get to talk to Annie in person.’” Mark laughed at himself. “Yeah, Mars had different plans I guess. The solar system’s most intense cock-block.” He sunk into his seat. “Then I get home and so much shit has changed. NASA wants to poke me with a million needles, send me to six different shrinks. And for what? To make sure I’m okay? I appreciate the concern but it’s over kill. All I needed was just one person to talk too. Preferably someone without a psych degree so they couldn’t analyze everything I told them. I really just wanted to talk to you.” Mark admitted.

They had long since reached Annie’s apartment. She had parked but let him continue on. She looked over to him. She had tears brimming the edges of her eyes. She managed a smile. “I’m happy to listen to anything you want to talk about.” Annie said softly. She blinked back the tears. “Let’s get you inside.” She said as she turned off the engine and got out of the car. Mark had the door open by the time she got to the passenger side. She held out her hand, he took it in his. They stumbled up a flight of stairs, Mark laughing and attempting to stay quiet at the late hour. Annie shushing him several times before they made it to her unit.

After making sure Mark consumed one more glass of water she put him to bed and joined shortly after. She was almost certain that Mark had already passed out, but as she settled in, he turned to face her. He held his arm out to her and she instantly scooted closer to lay against him. Mark wrapped his arm around her and she held on to him. He released a contented sigh.

“You can always tell me about Mars.” Annie said breaking the silence of the room. “I’d like to know. I think it is important. I will always listen.” She could almost feel his smile against her neck where his face was buried.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Mark kissed her neck. “I thought about you just about every day. Wanted to let you know how I was. I only wish I could have sent you a message. But NASA might have frowned upon that.” He said lifting his head to look at her. From the smirk he held on his face, she could only imagine what that message would have been about.

“Everyone, me included, appreciates that you kept it PG… Well, most of the time. Mr. Look A Pair of Boobies.” She teased. He laughed.

“Okay, that was funny.”

“It was but being in charge of PR I couldn’t admit that.” She snuggled down into her pillows, staring up at Mark. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask about Mars sooner, or listen sooner. Everything was just so crazy when you got home. I thought if I had to listen to one more person talk about Mars I was going to lose it. That included you. I just never considered how your story would have differed. I should have.”

Mark shook his head. “Don’t worry. I don’t think I was really ready to talk about Mars when I got home. Barely wanted to do all those damn interviews.” He laid his head back on the pillow, the alcohol still heavy in his blood stream. He closed his eyes. “Sorta wish I could have taken some pictures. Because despite how much Mars wanted to kill me, it was beautiful.”

“I bet it was.”

“It reminded me of you.” She started smiling, “Beautiful, cold and deadly.” Mark added, she looked over to see a grin on his face.

“Get out of here.” She pushed against him, attempting to free herself. But Mark held on tighter.

“Can’t fight me, Montrose.”

“Oh, watch me, Watney. I will.” She said as she pulled a bit more but Mark didn’t budge. Annie soon gave up. “Fine. You win this time.”

He smirked before leaning over and giving her a light kiss. “Good.”

She rolled her eyes. “Go to sleep, Watney.”

“Way ahead of you.” He said as he settled in beside her. Annie glanced over, his eyes were closed. She smiled softly, content.