Here we are, with the final installment for The Blind Banker. It's the climax of the show (anyone who knows the episode will know what happens), I just slightly twisted it a bit to fit.
Poor Anna, in this chapter though.
Also, major Sher-Anna fluff moment happens (my heart cant take it).
Side Note: I just got an account on AO3, so I'll also be posting the chapters there as well as here. Plus, if you are interested, I have a facebook like page, where I'll be posting chapter updates, related pictures and whatnot. Feel free to look me up: Loki's Winchester - Author/Artist
Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock or Criminal Minds, just Annalise.
After calling and placing their order to a local Thai place, Anna and John set about in comfortable silence. As Anna stared ahead of her, seemingly lost in thought, John decided to ask something that had been bothering him for a few days now.
"Anna, if you don't mind my asking—are you… sure… you're alright? Don't get me wrong- I haven't known you very long, but you just seem… different this past week. Is everything okay?"
With a resigned sigh, her brown eyes traveled to the doctor and she gave him a weak smile," It's… complicated."
"Boy problems?"
"Hmm? Oh no- not that… complicated," Anna gave a soft chuckle," No… it's just… This is the week that… that I was gave up by my birth family… Even now, I… I don't know why they…" A sudden knock at the door below interrupted them.
"Er… I'll be right back, yeah? We can talk more?" John suggested, to which Anna gave a weak nod.
"Sure."
John traveled down the steps and opened the front door as he rummaged around in his pockets, smiling at the man on the doorstep.
"Sorry to keep you, how much d'you want?"
"Do you have it?"
"What?" John asked, confused.
"Do you have the treasure?"
"I don't understand," John answered, before the butt of a pistol hit him on the side of his head, causing him to fall to the floor. Another man quickly swooped in and grabbed John, hoisting him over his shoulder, as the first one climbed the steps. Anna- having heard the odd sounds below, had gotten up to investigate. Rounding the corner, her eyes landed on the mystery man on the landing below and immediately noticed his gun.
"Where is the treasure?"
"The-?" Anna questioned, before realizing," Treasure… these must be from that gang Sherlock's been chasing… What should I…"
"Where is he?"
"Safe, for now. Now, treasure."
"Sorry, don't know what you're talking about," Anna shrugged, slightly flinching as the man raised the gun and pointed it at her.
"Come with us or friend dies."
"John…" Anna thought in dismay, before submitting herself and walking down the steps carefully. Her arm was yanked as they made their way out. Another mystery person walked out of the house behind them- a can of spray paint in his hands. "Where'd he come from? I never even saw him in there…"
"Get in." The man shoved Anna towards a van, as the sliding door opened- revealing a still unconscious John. She hurried in, crouching beside him and checking his pulse.
"Steady… good. Hang in there John. Sherlock will find us soon… I know it."
Not even ten minutes later, an elated Sherlock raced up the steps of 221 Baker street, calling out," John! John, Anna! I've got it!" Turning into the kitchen, his eyes scanned the empty room, taking note of the neon light above slightly swaying back and forth- but void of any humans. Racing towards the living area, he brandished the A-Z to the empty room.
"The cipher! The book! It's the London A to Z that they're using….!" Sherlock trailed off as his blue eyes landed on the yellow spray paint that covered the windows.
"John…"
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Sherlock looked towards the couch and felt his heart stop as he noticed Anna's jacket still draped over the couch arm.
"Anna!"
The panic rose through his normally calm demeanor, as he processed what happened.
The Tong knew where he lived; they slipped in, took John—took Anna—and unless Sherlock found them quick, they were good as dead.
0o0o
Anna sat there in silence, helplessly watching the people around her. Two men, clad in all black; a woman, also clad in black- and wearing black sunglasses. Turning her attention back to John, she noticed he was beginning to come back to consciousness.
"A book is like a magic garden carried in your pocket."
John turned his head left and saw Anna tied to a chair, a cloth gag in her mouth. He saw the expressions running through her eyes-
Worry.
Panic.
Fear.
Three things he honestly never thought he'd see in the eyes of a Holmes. The Chinese woman from the circus walked closer to John, his attention going back to her.
"Chinese proverb, Mr Holmes." The darkness around them only lit by the flames surrounding the tunnel, illuminated everyone's faces enough so the confusion could be seen upon both John and Anna's faces.
"I… I'm not Sherlock Holmes," John told her.
"Forgive me if I do not take your word for it," she said, pulling his jacket open and reaching inside the pocket.
"Ow, ow."
As she pulled away, Anna saw the woman held John's wallet in her hand; she opened it and began riffling though, pulling out a few things.
"Debit card, name of S. Holmes."
"Yes; that's not actually mine. He lent that to me."
"A check for five thousand pounds made out in the name of Mr Sherlock Holmes."
"Yeah, he gave me that to look after."
"Tickets from the theatre, collected by you, name of Holmes."
"Yes, okay… I realize what this looks like, but I'm not him."
"We heard it from your own mouth," she told him, causing him to stop and look even more confused.
"What?"
"I am Sherlock Holmes and I always work alone…" She quoted, as Anna watched the realization dawn across John's face.
"I s'ppose there's no use me trying to persuade you I was doing an impression." Fidgeting in her chair, Anna watched as the woman raised a small pistol and pointed it at John's head. John cringed away from it, panicking slightly, causing the woman to grin.
"I am Shan."
John looked back at her, surprised," You're… You're Shan?"
"Three times we tried to kill you and your companion, Mr Holmes. What does it tell you when an assassin cannot shoot straight?" Lifting her other hand, she cocked the pistol- causing John to cringe again, turning his head and whispering," Don't, don't."
Anna began fidgeting in her chair more, worried for his safety- causing Shan to glance over at her.
"Enough," Shan warned, the finger on the trigger slowly tightening, as she turned back to John. An ominous look was etched across her face. There was nothing more John could do, except to accept what was happening; he stared into the barrel of the gun and waited.
Click.
Both Anna and John grunted as no bullets fired, causing Shan to smile smugly.
"It tells you that they're not really trying."
0o0o
Across London, Sherlock rushed over to the bookcase near the fireplace.
"Tramway…"
His eyes hazardly scanned the shelves, looking for a map. For the first time in many years, his mind can't seem to focus. His fear for the safety of his friend—his sister—clouded his control of mind.
"Oh, Christ," Sherlock muttered under his breath, cursing himself at the moment, until he found the map and yanked it off the shelf. Unfolding the map of London, he turned back to the dining table and unfolded it, spreading it on the table quickly. Running his finger over the many lines sprawled throughout, he finally found what he was searching for, stabbing his finger roughly on a spot," There!"
Sherlock grabbed his coat as he raced out the door, hailing a taxi as quick as he could.
"If anything happens to them…" he thought, giving the driver the destination before pulling out his mobile and dialing the young Inspectors number.
"Please… hang in there… If anything happens to you because of me…"
0o0o
Shan slides a clip into the pistol, re-cocks it and points it back at John's head, as he once again cringes away.
"Not blank bullets now," Shan grinned.
"Okay," John muttered breathily.
"If we wanted to kill you, Mr Holmes, we would have done it by now. We just wanted to make you inquisitive," Shan explained, her face going stern," Do you have it?"
"Do I have what?"
"The treasure."
"I don't know what you're talking about," John repeated himself, exasperated.
"I would prefer to make certain," Shan said, turning away from him and walking over to a large covered object.
"No…" Anna thought, recognizing the shape, as Shan pulled the cloth off- revealing the crossbow from the circus. An arrow was already loaded, the sandbag hanging from above. John sighed deeply as Shan turned back to him.
"Everything in the West has its price; and the price for her life…" Shan explained, as John glanced over at Anna," Is Information." The two men walked over and picked up the chair Anna sat in, causing her to give a muffled squeak of surprise. They walked her over to a spot directly in front of the crossbow and set the chair back on the ground, causing Anna's brown eyes to widen.
"Where is the hairpin?" Shan asked John, pointing the pistol at him once again.
"What?"
"The Empress pin valued at nine million sterling. We already had a buyer in the West; and then one of our people was greedy. He took it, brought it back to London and you, Mr Holmes, have been searching."
"Please! Please, listen to me. I'm not… I'm not Sherlock Holmes! You have to believe me. I haven't found whatever it is you're looking for!" John exclaimed, tugging at his binds in a weak attempt to free himself.
Shan turned away from him, loudly declaring," I need a volunteer from the audience!"
"No, please. Please," John begged desperately, watching as Shan walked away. Anna was equally as helpless- her wrists slowly being rubbed raw from her attempts to escape her confines.
"Ah, thank you, lady. Yes, you'll do very nicely."
Anna gave what sounded like an annoyed response, narrowing her eyes at Shan in despise. The Chinese woman paid no attention as she took out a knife, reached up and stabbed the knife into the bag of sand. The small particles instantly began to pour out, lowering the weight to the scale. John watched on in horror, his eyes going back and forth from the sandbag and to Anna.
"Sherlock…" Anna thought, as her eyes landed on the large arrow laying in the crossbow, waiting to be released. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tuned out all her surroundings: the bag of sand, Shan, John. Memories of her youth began to float through her mind.
Going from 'home' to 'home' and constantly being returned to the foster system. The night terrors and the endless fear she constantly felt because of them.
"I'll die here… never knowing my family…" Anna thought, as tears began to silently roll down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her inevitable end. As she did so, however, she saw one face. Then another. Followed by two more.
"Sherlock… Mycroft… Mummy… Father…" Anna thought, as she recognized each one. Opening her eyes once more, she stared at the arrow point, as she recalled the last 17 years of her life- since she was accepted by the Holmes family.
The feeling of finally having somewhere to call home.
The night terrors keeping her up at night, Mummy trying to soothe her after them.
Not being able to sleep after- and Sherlock staying up with her, playing Chess or some other game to keep her mind occupied.
Learning to Ice Skate on the small pond out back from the Holmes residence.
Watching over Sherlock's unconscious body the times he overdosed on drugs.
Visiting Scotland with Mycroft and Sherlock.
Being accepted at University and having Mummy and Father tell her how proud they were of her.
Meeting Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade for the first time.
Meeting Molly Hooper.
Getting in her first row with Sally Donovan.
Meeting Mrs Hudson and John Watson.
Finding Sherlock passed out on the couch in the early morning and draping a blanket over him.
The gentle smiles and small quips passed back and forth with Sherlock.
As the memories trickled through her mind, she realized that she wasn't going to die without a family.
"I have a family. I always have. They might not be blood… but I love them. They love me. And these seventeen years I've been honored to be a part of their life…" Anna thought, the tears uncontrollably rolling from her eyes.
She wasn't even aware of everything going on around her. Sherlock had arrived, Shan had fled; John was struggling with his binds so much that he had fallen to the ground and was doing everything he could to free himself—or to save Anna somehow. Behind her, Sherlock wrestled with one of the Tong warriors, trying desperately to free Anna from her chair—to save her from impending death. The assassin kept Sherlock away though and as the sandbag neared empty, the weight closer and closer to the scale, John made a last ditch effort. Managing to get one foot free enough to kick it upwards- it connected with the crossbow, shifting it slightly. It was enough, that when the arrow released, it buried itself in the Tong assassin instead of Anna. A muffled cry of surprise left Anna, as Sherlock untwisted himself from the red scarf and quickly leaned down to finish untying Anna.
John watched from the ground- relief having flooded him that it was over, Anna was safe. As soon as she was free from the bonds, Anna flung herself at Sherlock, who wrapped his arms around her, soothing her the best he was capable of.
"It's all right," Sherlock whispered, as Anna burrowed her head into his should and sobbed freely. She let all the emotions she had held back over the past week finally flow free. All the uncertainty, the doubt—everything. Her hands clenched at his jacket, as Sherlock gently rubbed a hand up and down her back, whispering to her.
"You're safe now, Annie… I won't let anything ever happen to you… Ever…"
John watched- slightly in pain from the awkward position- but shocked at the amount of compassion Sherlock is showing. As he watches, he realizes that the two are much closer than most people probably give them credit for. A soft smile washes over his face as he watches in silence.
Sometime later, the police had arrived to clear up the mess. Anna, still curled into Sherlock's side- this time wearing his jacket- walked along side her brother and John. Dimmock was waiting beside a police car just outside the tunnel, and Sherlock pauses a moment to speak with him.
"We'll just slip off. No need to mention us in your report."
"Mr Holmes…"
"I have high hopes for you, Inspector. A glittering career."
"I go where you point me."
"Exactly," Sherlock answered, walking away with a protective arm still around Anna. As they neared the street, all three recognized a black car, seemingly waiting at the curb. The door opened and Mycroft exited- and much to John's surprise, he could see a look of worry etched across the eldest Holmes' face.
"I've come to take you back home, Annalise."
Anna tightened her hold on Sherlock, as if trying to silently fight the separation.
"It's quite all right," Sherlock whispered, giving her a chaste kiss to the forehead," You're safe. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he helped usher her into the car- and as Anna climbed in, Sherlock and Mycroft exchanged silent looks.
A single nod from both before Mycroft climbed back into the vehicle, Sherlock and John watched as the black car drove off.
"Let's head back to Baker street, shall we?" Sherlock asked John.
"Please," John agreed.
As she sat in the comfortable leather seats, Anna could feel Mycroft's eyes on her- though he said nothing. Yet. Minutes ticked by- before he finally did speak.
"How are you feeling, Annalise?"
No response.
"From what I gather, you were extremely lucky tonight."
Still nothing.
"Mummy wouldn't let us hear the end of it if something ever happened to you."
Silently, Anna burrowed further into her spot, her eyes staring out the window unseeing as the city passed by. With a sigh, Mycroft seemed to give up his attempts at conversing with her. Finally, they reached Seymour street- and Anna went to get out onto the sidewalk. Before she could shut the door, Mycroft once again spoke- but this time, his voice much different than usual.
Softer, almost tender.
"If you need anything… you know where to find me. Never hesitate to reach out." Finally, he received a response of some sort, as Anna finally looked him in the eyes.
He saw the unbridled pain in her eyes. The fear. The exhaustion. A single tear fell from her eyes once more, as a gentle smile lifted the corner of her lips just briefly. Closing the car door- Annalise walked the small entry path to the door, before inserting her lock pin and opening the door. Walking down the hallway to her flat on the main floor, Anna shut the door behind her and rested against it for several moments, her eyes closed. The silence stretched around her- which usually she couldn't stand the quiet, but now it soothed her.
The lack of sleep from the past week was slowly catching up, and after shedding Sherlock's jacket on her couch, Anna made to go to her bedroom before she stopped short. Her eyes locked on the fireplace mantel—where a Lucky Cat was perched. She knew for a fact it wasn't there that morning.
Was it?
Walking over to it cautiously, she saw a small note folded beside it; opening it- she instantly recognized Sherlock's scrawl. Reading the message, she felt more tears form at the corners of her eyes but tried holding them back. Walking back where her bedroom was located, Anna simply fell to the comfort of the bed- not bothering to change into her night clothes. Tears of love trickled from her eyes as she succumbed to sleep; Sherlock's note held tightly in her grasp as she slept.
"Love is weakness, but when it comes to family, that Does Not Apply."