(no subject)
"DCI Hunt, can you hear me?" Annie spoke worriedly into the radio, hardly waiting for an answer before continuing, "There's no sign of DI Tyler, but he was right about Vic at the wedding reception. He's just left the hall. Over." Nothing but the crackling of failing electronics. "Can you hear me?" And still she couldn't - which meant there was only one thing to do. "Look, I know what you said, but I'm going after him." And with that, Annie took off down the path, headed towards the woods as she followed Vic Tyler.
He wasn't Sam's father, Annie found herself thinking as she ran. He wasn't, there was no way he could be Sam's father, not even if Sam had been right about the wedding and the keys and the music box. She'd told him it hurt to see him suffering, and that was the truth. What she hadn't told him was how much it hurt to have someone she cared about so much, someone she wanted to care about so much, that close to the edge of insanity, especially when she'd done nothing about it, and all that time she should have known. And that was all the more reason why she needed to do something about this now. She couldn't let Sam's craziness stop this case, no matter who he thought Vic Tyler was. She would do her job, even if that meant going after him herself, and try not to think about how she'd done nothing about Sam and only because she'd let herself start to have feelings for him.
And there she was, in the middle of the woods, seemingly unsuccessful both in tailing Vic and contacting Gene through the radio. "Can you hear me, sir?" she was nearly pleading now. Following him hadn't been a good idea, and she knew it, but she couldn't bring herself to just watch him go. Still no answer, and all she could do was try again. "Please, come in."
"I can hear you."
Annie whirled around to find herself staring at Vic Tyler. Oh, Jesus. Oh, God, she thought, her breathing still rapid from running, and she stammered, radio still clutched tightly in her fist, trying to think of something to say. The only thing that came was, "I'm a police officer."
Vic nodded. "Okay, well, leave me in peace, please. I don't want to be involved."
She took another deep breath, and swallowed. "You are involved already, sir," she tried to tell him, but was cut off.
"What have I done? Eh?" He was starting to circle her, and she took a few stumbling steps backwards so as to keep facing him as he continued talking. "All I wanted was to keep my family safe. Provide for them."
But she couldn't just let him go, not now, and she knew it. "You can discuss all this with DCI Hunt," she said, a slight edge back in her voice, because she wouldn't let herself get scared. She'd been in worse situations and walked out just fine, she reminded herself, and this would be no different.
"They planted you like a little CID stooge," Vic said, face contorting as he gestured with his hands to emphasize and stepped closer to her. She bit her lip, trying hard not to cringe. "Waiting for me, spying on my family. But you've got no right. It's my life." A pause, and then he repeated, stronger, "It's my life!" There was silence for another moment. "Give me that radio," he suddenly insisted, reaching for it in her hand, but she wouldn't, couldn't give it up, though no words formed as she struggled to hold onto it, just a few noises. She saw it coming, anticipated in that one brief moment his fist hitting her face and everything being over and him getting away, but she couldn't help but cry out as he hit her and the radio fell from her hand and her body crumpled to the ground.
She didn't hit the dirt of the ground on the woods, though. Rather, she found herself sprawled out across a floor, the floor of a room she didn't recognize as she blinked her eyes open and sat up with a slight groan. There was music playing in the background, something by Bowie, she was certain, but rubbed her head where it had hit the ground and couldn't quite place what the title was. Maybe Sam was right, she thought for just a split second but dismissed the idea as quickly as she could, as she closed her eyes again and opened them in the hopes that she'd be where she just was. No luck, though, and she did the one thing that she thought would made any sense.
"Hello?"
[Okay, so. Sam Tyler gets to find her first. Everyone else can find her on the couch in the rec room, probably still very confused. Okay? Okay.]
He wasn't Sam's father, Annie found herself thinking as she ran. He wasn't, there was no way he could be Sam's father, not even if Sam had been right about the wedding and the keys and the music box. She'd told him it hurt to see him suffering, and that was the truth. What she hadn't told him was how much it hurt to have someone she cared about so much, someone she wanted to care about so much, that close to the edge of insanity, especially when she'd done nothing about it, and all that time she should have known. And that was all the more reason why she needed to do something about this now. She couldn't let Sam's craziness stop this case, no matter who he thought Vic Tyler was. She would do her job, even if that meant going after him herself, and try not to think about how she'd done nothing about Sam and only because she'd let herself start to have feelings for him.
And there she was, in the middle of the woods, seemingly unsuccessful both in tailing Vic and contacting Gene through the radio. "Can you hear me, sir?" she was nearly pleading now. Following him hadn't been a good idea, and she knew it, but she couldn't bring herself to just watch him go. Still no answer, and all she could do was try again. "Please, come in."
"I can hear you."
Annie whirled around to find herself staring at Vic Tyler. Oh, Jesus. Oh, God, she thought, her breathing still rapid from running, and she stammered, radio still clutched tightly in her fist, trying to think of something to say. The only thing that came was, "I'm a police officer."
Vic nodded. "Okay, well, leave me in peace, please. I don't want to be involved."
She took another deep breath, and swallowed. "You are involved already, sir," she tried to tell him, but was cut off.
"What have I done? Eh?" He was starting to circle her, and she took a few stumbling steps backwards so as to keep facing him as he continued talking. "All I wanted was to keep my family safe. Provide for them."
But she couldn't just let him go, not now, and she knew it. "You can discuss all this with DCI Hunt," she said, a slight edge back in her voice, because she wouldn't let herself get scared. She'd been in worse situations and walked out just fine, she reminded herself, and this would be no different.
"They planted you like a little CID stooge," Vic said, face contorting as he gestured with his hands to emphasize and stepped closer to her. She bit her lip, trying hard not to cringe. "Waiting for me, spying on my family. But you've got no right. It's my life." A pause, and then he repeated, stronger, "It's my life!" There was silence for another moment. "Give me that radio," he suddenly insisted, reaching for it in her hand, but she wouldn't, couldn't give it up, though no words formed as she struggled to hold onto it, just a few noises. She saw it coming, anticipated in that one brief moment his fist hitting her face and everything being over and him getting away, but she couldn't help but cry out as he hit her and the radio fell from her hand and her body crumpled to the ground.
She didn't hit the dirt of the ground on the woods, though. Rather, she found herself sprawled out across a floor, the floor of a room she didn't recognize as she blinked her eyes open and sat up with a slight groan. There was music playing in the background, something by Bowie, she was certain, but rubbed her head where it had hit the ground and couldn't quite place what the title was. Maybe Sam was right, she thought for just a split second but dismissed the idea as quickly as she could, as she closed her eyes again and opened them in the hopes that she'd be where she just was. No luck, though, and she did the one thing that she thought would made any sense.
"Hello?"
[Okay, so. Sam Tyler gets to find her first. Everyone else can find her on the couch in the rec room, probably still very confused. Okay? Okay.]