Anne Catherine Walker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
freshoffthefarm) wrote2012-09-05 02:45 pm
freshoffthefarm) wrote2012-09-05 02:45 pm
Entry tags:
[LOCKED] ... for Derek, post 'Glass Spider'
"Omaha" was a no-go.
Annie and Auggie had called Arthur Campbell at three o'clock in the morning after they'd sifted through Jai's safe house as much as they'd dared. Once Arthur had called them both in at six, Annie was forced to account for her actions over the last three months -- and in that moment, she realized that the paperwork she'd dropped off the night before regarding Derek was going to be lost somewhere in the shuffle of bureaucracy. As long as Simon Fischer was out there, she was going to be forced to deal with him and everything she'd brought down on herself in the process.
"The relationship has become... close," she hedged. As close as she could get without compromising her relationship with Derek, though she'd have crossed the line if it had become necessary. Lena had made it clear that sometimes things were necessary in the pursuit of the job. Thankfully, she hadn't needed to cross that line quite yet. Just come far too close.
"How close?"
When Annie looked down at the floor, she made a face and then took a deep breath. "I think he's in love with me."
The looks on the faces of her bosses made the butterflies in her stomach fall into a deep pit. "How can you be certain that his feelings for you are genuine."
"He killed his handler for me," Annie said, sure in that one answer.
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and somewhere between the showdown at the motel with the man who'd blown Jai skyhigh and the race back to Langley to talk to Lena, she'd called Derek to let him know that she wasn't going to be able to make it to dinner at his house that night. No, she told his answering machine, she wasn't going to Omaha, but she needed to prep an exhibit at the Museum and it needed her full attention for the next couple of days.
It wasn't the truth, of course, but since he was in the know, she knew he'd get the point: there was something happening, something serious, and she couldn't talk about it. Not right then, especially over the phone.
As she walked back into her house, Annie got a phone call from Auggie, informing her that something was wrong at the office. That officers were going through her desk and she was needed back at the Agency right away. In that moment, she saw Simon in her kitchen - saw her opportunity to redeem herself - and she told Auggie she'd get back to him.
With the footage of the mall shooting all over the news - and goodness, she hoped the FBI didn't scrutinize that too closely - Annie needed to bring Simon in. When he started talking about running away, she agreed long enough to step outside and call Auggie again. Yes, she told him. I'm coming in.
Telling Simon, seeing that heartbroken look on his face, hurt. Even though her feelings hadn't developed into love, she'd come to care for the man who'd saved her life when he hadn't had to. That he'd known who and what she was the whole time only served to prove to her that he wasn't the bad man that everyone seemed to think he was. Somewhere in there, she knew, he was trying to do the right thing.
The hard shove took her off guard and as she hit the island, the shots that took Simon down made her gasp only a half-second before two bullets entered her chest.
As she hit the ground, she caught sight of Lena Smith before her eyes closed... her last thought was that she was glad she'd filed that paperwork. At least Derek wouldn't get some bullshit excuse. At least he'd know.
Annie and Auggie had called Arthur Campbell at three o'clock in the morning after they'd sifted through Jai's safe house as much as they'd dared. Once Arthur had called them both in at six, Annie was forced to account for her actions over the last three months -- and in that moment, she realized that the paperwork she'd dropped off the night before regarding Derek was going to be lost somewhere in the shuffle of bureaucracy. As long as Simon Fischer was out there, she was going to be forced to deal with him and everything she'd brought down on herself in the process.
"The relationship has become... close," she hedged. As close as she could get without compromising her relationship with Derek, though she'd have crossed the line if it had become necessary. Lena had made it clear that sometimes things were necessary in the pursuit of the job. Thankfully, she hadn't needed to cross that line quite yet. Just come far too close.
"How close?"
When Annie looked down at the floor, she made a face and then took a deep breath. "I think he's in love with me."
The looks on the faces of her bosses made the butterflies in her stomach fall into a deep pit. "How can you be certain that his feelings for you are genuine."
"He killed his handler for me," Annie said, sure in that one answer.
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and somewhere between the showdown at the motel with the man who'd blown Jai skyhigh and the race back to Langley to talk to Lena, she'd called Derek to let him know that she wasn't going to be able to make it to dinner at his house that night. No, she told his answering machine, she wasn't going to Omaha, but she needed to prep an exhibit at the Museum and it needed her full attention for the next couple of days.
It wasn't the truth, of course, but since he was in the know, she knew he'd get the point: there was something happening, something serious, and she couldn't talk about it. Not right then, especially over the phone.
As she walked back into her house, Annie got a phone call from Auggie, informing her that something was wrong at the office. That officers were going through her desk and she was needed back at the Agency right away. In that moment, she saw Simon in her kitchen - saw her opportunity to redeem herself - and she told Auggie she'd get back to him.
With the footage of the mall shooting all over the news - and goodness, she hoped the FBI didn't scrutinize that too closely - Annie needed to bring Simon in. When he started talking about running away, she agreed long enough to step outside and call Auggie again. Yes, she told him. I'm coming in.
Telling Simon, seeing that heartbroken look on his face, hurt. Even though her feelings hadn't developed into love, she'd come to care for the man who'd saved her life when he hadn't had to. That he'd known who and what she was the whole time only served to prove to her that he wasn't the bad man that everyone seemed to think he was. Somewhere in there, she knew, he was trying to do the right thing.
The hard shove took her off guard and as she hit the island, the shots that took Simon down made her gasp only a half-second before two bullets entered her chest.
As she hit the ground, she caught sight of Lena Smith before her eyes closed... her last thought was that she was glad she'd filed that paperwork. At least Derek wouldn't get some bullshit excuse. At least he'd know.