A/N: Okay, so chronologically, this takes place before Best Friend. In fact, it takes place before Third Dimension. But I thought it might be fun to take a look at just why Barclay would be scared of Morgan (as Big Mike seems to infer) in Predator. In my mind, his fear of Morgan was all Anna's doing. So when this happens, Morgan and Anna are still broken up, even if they were doing fine when Predator actually happened. Hopefully it's not too confusing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and please review. Thanks!
Anna sifted through the corporate reports the day after the incident. Big Mike was a nice guy and all, but really he should do a better job locking up important documents. Like, for instance reprimands from Buy More brass.
Anna wanted to find out if Barclay, the ass-man from the Beverly Hills branch had reported what happened. And sure enough, he had. Only, the details as reported by Barclay were a bit off.
The Previous night…
It paid having a mole inside the Beverly Hills branch. He was Beverly Hills' dirty little secret. They too had a Jeff. An insufferable drunk that would be unemployable if not for the comfort of the Nerd Herd.
But Big Mike knew about him, and that employee was kept well stocked in all the beer he could drink by Mike, and in turn, he provided leaks about the inner workings of the rival store. It was a useful relationship, especially on nights like this.
Word came down that Beverly Hills was planning a run on the Burbank branch. Nothing serious, but Burbank got the Tyler Martin appearance, and Beverly Hills wasn't happy about it. Of course, Anna wasn't happy about it either, so she was glad to volunteer for night watch duties in exchange for not having to come in while Tyler Martin (gag) was in the store.
And since Anna would be in the store alone all night, Morgan, who at the time was still trying to win her back, had stopped in to say hi. Anna hid from him when he came into the store. She really had nothing to say to him at the time. He'd really upset her by not moving in with her, and instead blowing his money on a stupid car. And she'd started talking to someone else. She didn't know where things were going with Jason, but she just wanted to try something different.
So when he came, she hid. And of course, that was when Beverly Hills tried to make their move.
There were four of them that came into the store that night, armed with spray paint and a carton of eggs. Anna knew she couldn't let them defile the store, but then, if she was seen, Morgan would want to talk. She'd have to be stealthy about it.
She snuck up behind the first Beverly Hills employee with little trouble. Just a little pressure at just the right spot and she had him unconscious.
Two others were grouped together, and Anna managed to get behind them, and perch herself on a shelf. When they came in striking distance, Anna leapt, clunking their heads together and knocking them out.
Anna then dragged all three incapacitated Beverly Hills employees to the front of the store, but stopped when she heard someone approaching. It was Barclay. She ran away as fast as she could, and dove behind the cover of the Nerd Herd desk.
"What in the name of Moses Finkelstein is going on here?" he demanded to anyone that could hear him.
Apparently, Morgan could hear him.
"Barclay? What the hell are you doing here?" Morgan said, approaching the front of the store.
"What the hell did you do to my men, Grimes?" Barclay asked.
Anna saw Morgan smirk. He knew she was in the store, and he knew first hand what she was capable of. But he didn't blow her cover. She had to respect him just a little for that.
"It's nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you don't get your freaks and get out of Burbank right now," Morgan said, a threatening scowl on her face.
Anna, who was still hidden behind the Nerd Herd desk, had to laugh. Barclay actually looked scared. Of Morgan of all people. But as long as it worked…
Barclay drug his employees out of the store one by one, until they were all outside. Once they were all clear, Morgan turned back to face away from the door.
"I know you're in here, Anna," he said.
Anna sighed. "I'm not ready to talk yet," she said, not getting up from her spot. "Please just go away, Morgan."
She peaked out, to see if he would listen. And he did. She saw his shoulders slump, and then he walked away.
Anna collapsed back behind the desk, and let a small sob escape her throat. She still had feelings for him, but God she wasn't ready to confront them. Not yet.
A/N: So next time, we'll actually be dealing with something that happens in the episode, promise. You guys are awesome. Peace.