My oh my. Poor Anna baby. You know what they say though- what goes up must come down.
Poor Greg got the brunt of it all too, it seems : (
It's okay. They kissy kissy and make it all better.
Not really.
Yet.
Question: Am I making Sherlock too... out of character? Like... I know normally he wouldnt be as caring and all, but Anna and he formed this close bond after she joined the family- and I just feel like he'd have a small teensy bit of emotion when it came to her? A caring side? I'm trying to incorporate that as minimally as possible to keep Sherlock true... Let me know?
Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock or Criminal Minds, just Anna.
Slowly, her brown eyes blinked open- adjusting to the dim lighting around her. With a groan, Anna rose her hand to her head and gently massaged the side of her temple.
"Where…?" she wondered, slowly sitting up- using her arms to support her upper body as she turned around. To her immediate surprise, Sherlock was sat on the floor beside the couch where she had slept.
"…Sher?"
No response, which confirmed that he was away in his mind palace. Gently swinging her legs over the front of the couch and placing her feet on the floor- she noticed that her shoes were neatly placed beside the doorframe. The soft plush blanket she had been wrapped in moved with her, and quietly she clung to it- trying to remember what happened. As the gears in her mind moved to piece it all together, Anna jumped when Sherlock's deep voice rang out- gently stating a simple fact.
"Twenty hours and twenty-four minutes."
"C-come again?"
His blue eyes opened and looked over at her, as he explained," You were asleep for twenty hours and twenty-four minutes."
"Twenty-?!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise as she digested that information; dreadfully, she asked him in a soft voice," What happened?"
Her brother knew she was worried about her actions, but also knew the truth was the best for her to know.
"You went to work yesterday- Graham sent you home for 3 days. You ranted, we drugged."
"We…" Anna thought, before realizing," You called Mycroft? Sher!"
"What's good for the goose is good for the gander," Sherlock narrowed his eyes. Of course he knew she kept tabs on him for their oldest brother.
"Fair enough…" she murmured, pulling the blanket closer to her body as her mind worked to remind her of yesterday's events. With a sigh, she asked softly," Why me, Sher?"
"Does not do well to dwell on the past, Anna," Sherlock told her, standing up from the floor and dusting off his pants before walking across the room to grab his coat," Besides. Bad things happen to good people."
She gave him a grimace, replying with," Well, I must be a saint- because shit keeps happening to me every time I turn around." He gave his sister a small grin, crossing the room in a few strides.
"Exactly—our family's own angel," Sherlock muttered, leaning down and gently placing a kiss to Anna's forehead. Her eyes closed for a moment, a peaceful smile on her face.
"Where you going?" She asked him, as he went back to the door and grabbed his scarf.
"You're hungry. I'm going for takeaway."
"Sher- you don't have to—"
"I know. Be back."
With another sigh, Anna watched him disappear from sight, before bowing her head and resting it on her palms.
"Why? Why did they give me up?" she wondered for the thousandth upon thousandth time in her life," Did they just… not want me? Did they know I would have… problems? Why… why…"
"You might not care—but I do! For God's sake, Anna—learn to put yourself first once in a while!"
D.I Lestrade's voice rang through her mind, as her eyes opened, and she stared at the floor in remorse.
"He cared about me… and I snapped at him like that… Why? Why do I hurt those I care about? Every time…" A tear fell from her eyes, trickling down her face before dripping from her chin. Sniffing deeply, Anna worked to contain her emotions- deciding to take a shower while she waited for Sherlock to return.
An hour later, Sherlock had yet to return.
"Of course," Anna shook her head in moderate amusement. She should know by now how her brother is. "He probably got sidetracked with a case somewhere."
The sun was barely over the horizon though, and with a quick glance to the clock- she saw it was just before six in the morning. Subconsciously Anna chewed on her bottom lip- before noticing the book on the ground near the couch.
A strangled scream came from her—as the book that had been in her hands went flying across the room, smacking into the opposite wall with a loud thud before falling to the floor.
Grimacing, Anna walked over to it and picked it up, gently brushing it off as she walked over to the bookcase behind Sherlock's chair.
"Alphabetical order by Title and by Author… Sorry Sher," she frowned, knowing that wasn't how he organized his books. Placing the book in the spot she meant for it the other day, Anna turned back around and looked around the empty flat.
"I… I know what he said… but I can't just…" she thought, her actions still haunting her," I have to at least talk to him… Leslie said I needed to learn to talk it out… So… I will…" With a sigh, Anna slipped her shoes on and quickly exited 221, hailing a cab—before she could change her mind.
Half hour later, the sliding doors on the lift opened before her and her eyes scanned the near empty floor. Not many Detective's were at work yet, but she knew they would be showing up soon enough.
"I need to talk to him… before they all show up…" Anna thought, forcing herself out of the lift and walking around the maze of desks. As she approached the small office, her brown eyes fell to the floor- still hurt.
Hurt by how she had treated him. Lestrade had never done any wrong by her. He was a remarkable detective inspector; funny; loyal to his wife and his friends—his wife was another story entirely. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep her thoughts to herself, Anna found herself at the open doorway and hesitantly brought her hand up, knocking softly on the frame. Looking up, she caught his expression as he looked up from the paperwork on his desk.
"An… I—You still have a few days," he said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"I know… sir…" Anna nodded, her voice soft, as her eyes fell to the floor again; taking a deep breath, she looked back up to the detective inspector as she asked him," Can we speak?"
Lestrade saw the torn look in her eyes, how they were glistening with unshed tears and his resolve broke into pieces.
"Of course- come. Close the door," he said, standing up from his desk and walking around to stand in front of it. He leaned back against the desk, folding his arms across his chest and waited patiently. Anna closed the door with a soft click, slowly turning back around to face him.
"I—My actions yesterday… they were… uncalled for, especially towards you…" she began, trying to find the correct words," You were only… and I… you didn't deserve…" He watched as she fought with her words, but when the tears finally began streaming down her face- he broke even more.
"Hey, hey- it's alright," Lestrade soothed, reaching a hand towards her and leading her over to the couch, kneeling down in front of her as she covered her face with her hands. "You had a rough week- and after a near death like that? It's to be expected to lash out a bit."
"But not at you!" Anna exclaimed, not thinking about the words she was saying, as she rose her head and stared at him," Of all people—you didn't deserve to be the one on the receiving end!"
"Anna… rather me than—"
"Than who!? Sherlock?! He'd shrug it off! Mycroft?! Wouldn't faze him!" she exclaimed," You didn't deserve all that! You—you're…" Her voice trailed off, realizing she was about to say too much; instead, she carefully chose her words, whispering," You're the best man I've ever met, Greg Lestrade."
Silence stretched for a few moments, as Anna stared off to the side- afraid to look at Lestrade. Afraid to see the rejection in his eyes.
"Anna- look at me."
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she slowly brought her eyes over to him- surprising herself to see not rejection—but kindness and empathy in his eyes.
"You—are by far, the best Forensics that New Scotland Yard has had the opportunity to hire. You're strong and unafraid to put someone in their place. You put up with Sherlock in ways I've never been able to understand," Lestrade told her, a soft smile on his face- before it went serious," But in all the years we've worked together- I still feel like I barely know you. I know you're brilliant. I know you're a workaholic. And I know that for one week out of the year- you seem so far away and distant."
"I—"
"No, no- let me finish," he shook his head, using his 'superior' voice," So, if being on the receiving end of your bad days means I get to know you a bit more- then I'll gladly be there for all those days. Promise me—if you need someone to talk to—you'll find me? Ring me? Something?"
They stayed there, staring at one another for a few moments, before Anna gave a nod of agreement.
"Alright," Lestrade gave a gentle smile, standing up and offering her a hand. As he pulled her up, he reached to his desk and handed her a tissue. "Now, regardless of this understanding- I hold to what I said yesterday. Three days off. Come back in two days and I'll give you back your ID card."
"Understood," Anna nodded, briefly looking out into the bullpen. There was a lot more people out there- and she even saw Donovan and Anderson standing at one of the desks, looking in their direction. Shaking her head to herself, Anna turned back to Lestrade, giving him a small smile.
"Maybe… someday, when we both have time… we can talk? We could just, go for a walk or something…"
"Could meet at the pub," He suggested.
"I—I don't drink, actually."
"You—what?" Lestrade questioned, perplexed.
"With the medication I take, Mycroft and I agreed it would be best to not mix with alcohol."
"Medication for what?"
"I eh… I take Aripiprazol… it eh, helps with my night terrors…" Anna explained, rubbing the back of her neck. Lestrade nodded once as he digested the information, briefly sticking his tongue between his teeth before replying.
"Good to know, no pub then. S'pose a walk in fresh air wouldn't hurt any."
"Right. Get you out from behind that desk," Anna remarked, playfully smiling at him as he narrowed his eyes- an amused smile on his face.
"Alright you- get on out of here. Days off, remember?" Lestrade said, raising an eyebrow as he put his hands on his hips- trying to look all boss-like.
"Sir yes sir," she joked, sticking her tongue out at him briefly; he rolled his eyes at her childish antic, before opening the door to his office. As Anna prepared to walk away, Lestrade called out to her.
"And I mean it, Holmes. If you need anything, I'm here. No matter the time or the reason." She looked over her shoulder at him, a gentle smile on her face.
"Thank you, Lestrade."
He gave her a brief nod, before she continued towards the lift- passing by Anderson and Donovan.
"Even when she's ordered to stay away, she still can't follow orders," Donovan quipped, causing Anna to glare at her.
"Oh, piss off Donovan. Maybe you should find a new boy-toy to get your rocks off, since someone is obviously not getting the job done."
"Why you—" Donovan began, but was cut off by her desk phone ringing," Donovan." Making it to the lift, Anna pushed the button and waited- not long though. The doors slid open and she walked on, waiting patiently.
"Leslie was right… talking really does help…" Anna thought with a smile," Now, let's… let's stop at the market. Grab some shop. I'll make supper for John and Mrs. Hudson tonight… as thanks—and apologies."