The Anonymous | S.H. • O.C.

- 8 -

Ann sits drinking coffee and reading a book, ignorant to her surroundings.

Sherlock, on the other hand, is running around his apartment, screaming and yelling.

"Oh, I don't know! Where is the bloody creamer?!"

"You're literally Sherlock Homes; You know these things" John states calmly.

"Second cabinet underneath the bag of cat bones."

John turns and opens said cabinet to also find the bag of small bones. With a sick feeling in his stomach, John closes the cabinet and leans down on his arms.

"Why is there a bag of cat bones next to the coffee creamer?"

Taking a seat across from the unbothered Ann, Sherlock replies with, "not quite sure, but I am thinking of getting a dog."

Confused, John wonders, "What the hell does that have to do with- you know what? I don't care."

Awaking from her metaphorical slumber, Ann closes her book.

"Man, Shakespeare's a really great writer."

Entering the living room, John comments that he never really saw Ann as a Shakespeare kind of girl.

Sherlock leans over to pick up the book from Ann's lap.

"This is Edgar Allen Poe".

"Same person, right?" Ann furrows her eyebrows.

"Yeah, and IT  is my favourite comedy" John jokes sarcastically.

"It's yours, too?" Ann smiles widely.

"Yeah... I'm really starting to see why you two get along so well."

John walks over to the living room's table to look at his laptop.

"Tell me there's a new case so I don't gouge out my own eyes and play with them" Sherlock begs.

John skims over the screen in from of him, squinting his eyes a tad, to conclude with, "there's a lady who believes her pet frog is plotting against her. A man thinks his deceased girlfriend is back from the dead. And there's someone who is doing a very bad impression of Ann."

"Oh, no; that was actually me. I needed some tea earlier, but was too lazy to make any."

"Boring!" Sherlock finally responds.

"Thought so."

John returns to his emails while Ann twiddles her thumbs and Sherlock appears to be making a large plot for his own suicide.

"What if I start some conflicts and make a new case?" Ann pitches an offer.

"We are supposed to be faking relationship, remember? It won't work out as well in prison."

Ann releases a sigh.

"Well, I'm going to head out and get some lunch; anyone want some?"

After getting two "yes"'s from them, she tosses on her coat and heads out.

John and Sherlock stay mostly quiet for the time between Ann returning.

"How's Rosie?" Sherlock makes small talk with John.

"She's great. How's "being with" Ann?"

With a glance that had edge, Sherlock remains quiet.

Over an hour later, Ann still hadn't returned.

"Should we worry?" John is becoming shaky.

"I'll call her and if she doesn't pick up, something happened."

Sherlock pulls out his cellphone from his front pocket and dials Ann.

She picks up.

"Sherlock..." she says faintly. Clearly something is wrong.

"Ann, what is taking so long?" He asks sounding irritated.

"I..." She doesn't finish her sentence before a loud thud is heard.

Footsteps become vivid and the phone line cuts off.

Sherlock stares blankly at the phone.

"Sherlock? Is Ann alright?" John worries.

"We need to go. Ann's in trouble." Sherlock puts his phone back in his pocket and rushes down the stairs.

Mrs.Hudson stops her vacuuming and asks where they're all going.

Since Sherlock won't respond and tosses on his trench coat, John replies for him and states that, "Ann is in trouble".

Sherlock throws open the door and runs out, John follows, and Sherlock hails a cab. In the short wait, John asks what they're doing and where they're going.

"I'm not positive where her current location is, but I do know one thing." Sherlock sends a small smirk and side-eyed glance.

"What's that?"

He fixes his coat collar and shakes his hair as the cab approaches their presence. Sherlock opens the door and turns towards John before entering.

"The game is on."

He closes the door behind him, indicating that John will need to get his own cab.

Soon enough, they arrive to Sherlock's first idea of Ann's location- Mycroft's office.