Look out for the <>!

As I walked through back streets to get back to Baker street, my thoughts came back to two nights ago when Sherlock hatched a plan to get me out of this mess with Scotland Yard. The words were still fresh in my mind as it came as a flash back. 

"You can't be serious," I said up to him as I sat on the floor after he gave me his one-word idea, 'death'. 

He nodded at me, completely serious. "You just need to make the world believe Rori Anderson is dead. It can't be that hard can it? I did it once," Sherlock mused as he sat on the couch, throwing a ball up in the air and catching it. 

I frowned at him, not liking this idea. "I have to make ID's and stories and a new life." I didn't know why I was opposed to fake my death, I have done it at least two other times before. However, this time felt different. If I wasn't able to stop Zane then he would make my life hell and I would never be able to go back to this, working at Baker street with Sherlock. I would forever had to run from the law. I didn't want that. I liked it here too much. 

"Don't you do that already in your free time?" He asked, referring to the ids that I make often.

I smiled sheepishly at him, he knew as well as I that I was just making excuses. Why was I making this harder than it had to be? Sherlock wouldn't suggest this plan if we had another option. This was the only option to get out of this mess. If I didn't stop Zane, he would get the treasure and go into the wind like a ghost, like he had always done. If that was the case I wouldn't be able to have proof that this was all his doing. I would forced to spend the rest of my life in prison. 

I looked around the flat with a frown. This place had become my home. I had more now then I had ever had in my life.  I had family, friends, a place where I finally felt like I belonged. I never wanted to lose this. But Zane put me in a predicament that if I didn't stage my death, I would go to prison and still lose it all. 

No we both knew that I had to do this. I then leaned forward, looking at him knowing that this was our only option. "What ideas do you have about this?"

He nodded at me, understanding my struggle because after all, he had done the same thing not too long ago himself. "You need to make Lestrade believe that you took your own life. He hasn't seen you in days. He doesn't know what state you are in. Lestrade wants to see me in an hour, I can let slip that you're not doing well mentally and I need to get back to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't do anything rash."

I nodded at him. This could work. If he saw me kill myself, then he will know that I died.  

"I know that he'll want to come with me here to see for himself what state you are in but you'll already be gone by then. In a few days, you can run into him on the street. If Lestrade sees you kill yourself with his own eyes, he won't question me about it."

"That could work." 

<><>

I was walking down a road close to Baker Street when I saw him. Lestrade. I panicked. He couldn't see me, not yet, it was too soon. We didn't have the plan completely in place. I didn't even have my ID's with me. Maybe he didn't see me, but then that hope faded when he looked at me with wide eyes. I stopped in my tracks. My path was already sealed. I supposed that today was good as if any other day was to die.

Without calling for Sherlock for back up. I looked up at the gray sky and took a deep breath to calm my nerves that suddenly washed over me. I have never done something like this, it set me on edge.

I had to act like I was suicidal. I needed for me to even believe it. I slouched my shoulders forward and look at the ground as I shuffled down the road towards Lestrade as if I didn't notice he was only a few a kilometers away.

"Rori! I've been looking for you. All of us have. I was worried that something wasn't right," Lestrade said as he came up to me.

I didn't look up at him and forced my face blank even though I wanted to snap back at him. Worried? About me? Since when did he care? I was always going to be white collar to him and he would never see me for anything else. 

He just needing to keep an eye on me because he didn't trust me. Even when I'm under Scotland Yard's good graces, I would always be a criminal to him. What frustrated me the most was that he didn't listen to Sherlock. Sherlock defended me but yet none of that mattered, in Lestrade's mind, I did it. I just merely shrugged, "yeah."

I looked up at him for a second to see that he gave me a funny look, he was used to me saying more. "Are you ok?"

And now he cares? I couldn't believe that he was believing this. Maybe this was going to be easier than I thought. "I'm ok." I looked at his worn-out shoes to hold back a smile.

"If you need to talk you can call me but we really need to get you back to the flat. We've been looking for you for over a day now."

I looked at him, knowing that I couldn't go back. This was my chance to fire off and not hold anything back. This had been a long time coming. I wanted him to feel guilty. I liked the idea of making him think that he was the one that pushed me to the edge. "Like I would call you?! You always give me second looks like you cannot trust me. After all that I have done for you and Scotland yard, you will never forget my past. You insisted on putting a tracker on me or even locking me up even though I put loads of bad people behind bars. But that doesn't matter to you, does it? I will always be a criminal to you. Sherlock knows I didn't do it. Any other time you take his word like your life depended on it but yet you won't listen to him about me." 

He took a step back from my sudden out burst. "Let's not do anything rash," he managed to choke out.

<>

It's time to go forward with this. "It's too late for that," I said coolly as I walked past him at a brisk pace down the road. I took an alley. I was walking slow enough for him to follow me but not fast enough for him to lose me. I wanted him to follow. He needed to see me throw myself over the guard rail of the river to believe it. 

"Rori! Where are you going?!" I heard Lestrade say from behind me.

I was only a couple blocks from where Sherlock and I planned on me jumping. I looked behind me and saw him running to catch up to me and at that point I shot off running. He couldn't stop me now. I ran across the road cutting a couple cars off and causing horns to blare but I continued sprinting down the road until I ran into the guard rail.

I looked at the black water flowing smoothly knowing what was going to happen next. This was always the plan, it suddenly didn't matter if this was early, it was still going to happen like we planned.

Even though this was all staged I felt slightly hysterical. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to be alone again but I didn't have a choice. Zane took that option away from me.  

I felt the wind whip my face. It was freezing outside. I hadn't told Sherlock and doing this on my own scared me a little. I was used to having backup. Then again, did I really need his help to throw myself over? I just had to do it and get out without hyperthermia setting in. I took a couple steps back from the rail and then looked behind my shoulder. Lestrade was about 50 feet away from me with a clear view.

"Don't do this Rori, we can work this out," he said as he held out a hand to me, knowing what I was to do next.

I shook my head at him. "You're always one for facts, evidence, I looked at all of that. For pity sakes I would believe it. There's no way to work this out." I forced a bitter laugh. "You're a man of law and the law is not on my side."

"But that's not a good reason to die! Don't do it!"

I took a deep breath and replied coolly, "goodbye Lestrade." And Before he had time to react, I turned around and jumped over the barrier then plunged into my black watery grave.

Before I could swim up to get a breath of air, an under current brought me back under, causing water to fill my lungs. I struggled to swim up to the surface and once I popped my head out of the black depths, I coughed up all the water I could get out. I looked to see if I saw Lestrade, which to my luck was nowhere to be seen.

I smiled but that smiled faded as soon as it came to my face as a huge wave crashed over me and brought me down with it.

I started to panic as water forced its way down my throat again. This time the freezing water stopped my limbs from working correctly. I felt frozen under the ice water, unable to move. I was sinking into the river as the coldness started to shut down my body. I started to see black spots and then it was completely black.

<><><><><>

I felt pressure to my chest which caused me to spit out the water in my lungs. I turned to my side and coughed up the rest of the water then laid on my back again. I was freezing but I wondered who pulled me out more importantly. That's when I saw Sherlock right beside me.

"Careful, or I would have been going to a real funeral." He was just as wet as I was. He must have gone after me. But how he found me so soon, I didn't know and I didn't care to ask.

"Next time I fake my death I'll remember not to throw myself into the river in the middle of winter. Scariest moment of the month." I shivered violently.

"Let's get you out of those clothes, Lestrade will be calling me soon," Sherlock said as he stood up. He offered his hand to me and I took it.

I followed Sherlock down the road until we made it to a small bar. We walked in and the heat instantly warmed me up. 

Sherlock handed me a bag. "Change in the bathroom, clothes are in the bag." 

I nodded and walked into the bathroom. I changed as quick as possible and when I came out, Sherlock was sitting at the bar with two drinks. I walked over to him and sat down. "You picked the wrong bra for me," I said as I looked at the bright yellow strap on my shoulder. 

"Be lucky I remembered one. You should have packed a bag yourself. So here is that ID that you made, you left it in the flat this morning." Sherlock said and gave me my new ID that was missing a photo.

I took it and stuffed it into my clean and dry blue jeans.

He looked at me with a frown. "You have to change your look. Do something that Rori would never do. You don't want to get caught."

"I know." I twirled my still drying red hair as I thought about it. I had to not look like myself. What was something that I would never do in this life time?

"Change your hair to pink," Sherlock bluntly stated.

I gave him a look that said, 'no way'

But he replied saying, "that's perfect though, see even now you would never think about it."

I scrunched up my face as if I just ate something sour and spat out, "fine." I had never dyed my hair and honestly I would never do it.

"Here's a burner phone. We'll meet back at this spot in three days to talk about what you found  and what I found." He said and stood up from the bar stool he was sitting on. He downed his drink in one gulp. "Try not to call me unless it's important. Lestrade is going to be keeping a close eye on me for the next few days." 

I nodded. This was our good-bye as official partners for the moment and I didn't want to say those words yet. Once he left this bar, I was a new person. "Thanks."

He put his hand on my shoulder with a small smirk. "See you soon," he said coolly before he answered his phone, "Sherlock."

The phone was just loud enough for me to head Lestrade frantic on the other end. "She threw herself over the guard rail into the river Sherlock. I already called on a search party but you need to get down here."

"I'm on my way," Sherlock said and hung up the phone.

"Did you get the dummy?"

"I'm going to take a detour and throw it in. Molly said that she would say on the report that it was you. And are you going to tell John?"

I frowned at him. I had to keep him safe. I couldn't bring him into this now. It was safer for him to think I was dead. I shook my head at him but remained silent. 

Sherlock sighed, not happy with the response. He pulled out a bill and put it on the table to pay for the drinks. "It's your choice. I'll see you soon." And with that he left me in the pub alone, knowing that Rori Anderson was dead.

Hiya!

just wanted to make a short message and say merry Christmas. it's crazy to think that I have been writing this story for about a year and that's not even counting the break that I took! I don't think I've ever made a story so long!

OH MY GOODNESS!! the new season of Sherlock is coming out soon!!! is anyone else super excited?!

well anyhow I hope you enjoyed photo of pink hair Rori and I need to get to bed.

night!