A "Plot Twist" Kind Of Love (Closed)

“Excuse me, I wasn't scared.” Lars said with a mix of a playful scoff and a chuckle. “I was just surprised.” he clarified before actually starting to type work-related stuff on his computer.

Though his interest was immediately piqued when she read the file out loud. “I remember that case. Poor girl. But no one could figure out a motive for why Lau killed her. Or at least, I never heard of one.” he hummed, leaning forward again. “The case against Lau wasn't going to stick even if he was guilty. I can see why Grey would kill the bastard but I don't blame him.” he admitted, agreeing with Anna’s statement about justice. “Though maybe we can get more information from Grey when we talk to him.”

"Of course, my bad," Anna replied, rolling her eyes slightly.

She listened to Larson's comments, and she nodded to herself. Her eyes skimmed the words again as if looking for something else. "Yes," she hummed thoughtfully. "Though it does make me wonder… Freddie Lau was never the confirmed killer of Kayleigh Fenchurch. You would think Grey would've at least waited to make an attempt on anyone's life until it was confirmed who the killer actually was." She continued reading. "And Freddie Lau has a daughter. Lily-Anne. Apparently, she's already taken over his casino empire. That was fast." Her eyes narrowed. "You would think she would spend time mourning her father. It's almost like his loss was more of a celebration than something to grieve."

Anna couldn't help arching an eyebrow. "We?" she asked, a smile working its way onto her face again. "Should I just go ask Nathan to share this case with you?"

Lars chuckled again and waved off her teasing.

“Maybe not officially confirmed…” he hummed. “Grey may have a more personal reason for believing that Lau was the killer. Besides, Lau was considered a gangster by many just because he owned a casino.” he reminded, stating things that might be brought up in the case or questioning. “And if he was, then that could explain why his daughter took over so quickly. Or he could have not been a good father to her so there’s not much to mourn. Or could be because out of necessity in the business world.” he suggested, trying not to influence her one way or another on this case.

He matched her gaze and shrugged. “I just meant that I would be going with you when you go to see Grey. But I wouldn't mind consulting on this case with you if you think Nathan would allow it.” he smirked.

"Indeed, but I still don't understand. If Lau wasn't Kayleigh's killer, Grey's entire motive is moot," Anna replied, thumbing through a few more of the papers. "And that means I have a lot of work to do."

She pursed her lips and sighed before glancing up at Larson and seeing his smirk as he spoke. "I'm not sure, but it's worth a try," she remarked. "If we are going to the interrogation, we better head out now. We wouldn't want to be late."

Anna rose from her desk with a playful smirk of her own. She slipped her arms through her coat sleeves, shrugged her purse over her shoulder, and brought the file with her as she headed for the door. "Shall we?"

“Right.” Lars agreed with both her points. “He may have been misguided into thinking it was Lau and fastened onto the idea.” he suggested as he stood and grabbed a briefcase from under his desk. “Knew I left this here yesterday.”

“Well, whatever Nathan says, I’m ready to go when you are.” he assured. “Even if I’m just there for moral support and lunch after.” he smiled, opening the door for her. “After you, my dear.”

"Yes, well… I supposed we're bound to find out soon, aren't we?" Anna asked. Larson beat her to the door, and she both blushed and smiled shyly at his affection. She strode through the door and made her way down the hallway. When she reached Nathan's office, she knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in."

She eased the door open and stepped inside. "I'm heading out for the Grey interrogation. Larson is coming with me." Nathan arched an eyebrow at that. "Which brings me to my next point," Anna continued quickly.

He rolled his eyes slightly. "I'm not a jury you have to convince, Anna. What is it that you want?"

Anna pursed her lips before continuing. "Nathan, this is a difficult case. You only assigned it to me last night. I can't do it alone. Would it be possible for Larson to consult with me on it?"

Nathan was already shaking his head before she finished her question. "I can't do that, Anna."

"And why not?" she questioned.

"Because…" Nathan trailed off, struggling to come up with an answer. Finally, he just sighed. "Because of policy, I guess. I don't know. He just can't, Anna. Not for this one. He can come with you to the interrogation. But after that, no more. No details. Nothing. Do you understand?"

Anna frowned slightly. Nathan had never been this secretive before. "Yes," she answered slowly, but she narrowed her eyes a bit. With that, she left his office, shutting the door behind her. "That was odd," she murmured to Larson once the door was shut and they were on their way.

“Yes we are.” he smiled as he walked after her, electing to wait outside Nathan’s office when she went to talk to him. But since she left the door open, even just a little bit, he could hear the entire conversation. And his jaw dropped when he heard Nathan’s answer. It took all of his restraint to not barge into the office and demand to know why the hell not. Why couldn't he work with Anna on this case when they had worked together on others with no problem before? What was so special about this case?

He sighed and leaned against the doorframe as he waited for Anna to come and get him. “That's one word for it.” he nodded. “I don't remember the last time Nathan said that we couldn't work on a case together.”

"I know," she agreed pointedly. Her boss's reserved answer and hesitance to come up with a reason didn't sit right with Anna. Did Nathan want her to fail on this case? Because if he did, he certainly had another thing coming.

She inhaled sharply once they were through the opening doors of the building and out on the street. Her eyes looked over at him, lit up with the prospect of their little adventure. The issue with Nathan was only a minor detail. She would return to it later. "Should we walk or take a cab?" she asked eagerly.

“I'm half tempted to keep working with you on this just to spite him.” Lars smirked mischievously. “But I don't want you to get in trouble or risk a mistrial if I interfere.” he added sincerely.

Once outside, he caught her stare and smiled back. Nathan could go jump in the Thames. Right now it was just the two of them and he was planning on having a little fun while they were out of the office. “Normally, I would say we walk but if we take a cab, we’ll get to finish the questioning sooner and spend that much more time at lunch before I show you my pictures.”

Anna grinned at his words. "Ooh, so insurgent," she teased. "Are you sure you haven't gotten over your rebellious teenager phase?" Her eyes softened at his sincerity. It was sweet of him to consider her well-being, and it wasn't something she was used to.

She nodded at his suggestion before glancing down the street at the oncoming traffic. "Alright, that sounds brilliant. Could you hail it? I can never seem to get their attention."

Lars chuckled and gave a helpless shrug. “I thought I did… But it does seem to come out every once in a while when someone tries to tell me I can't do something without good reason.” he admitted before matching her soft smile. Of course, he cared for her. She was the best friend he had ever had and he had never had many. Much less someone he could get along with so easily.

“I can. There’s a trick to it.” he smirked as he glanced at the oncoming cars. Without hesitation, he brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly as he held out his other hand, waving at a specific cab.

Anna shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes. "What was the reason he gave? Policy? What policy is he referring to? He's never denied us a case together before, and it isn't like we ask terribly often."

She felt the same way about Larson as he did about her. Anna had never been one to have many friends in the first place, and after she'd graduated college, she kept in contact with very few people. Other than Harry. They'd started dating their senior year. Then three years later, he'd proposed. They'd gotten married, had Daisy, and settled down. And with Anna working most of the time, she hadn't had the chance to make very many friendships outside of the people at work – and that's when she met Larson.

She watched him signal the cab with amusement and awe. "I'll tell you what the trick is," she said, coming up to stand beside him as the cab toward them across traffic and stopped at the curb. Her eyes glittered jokingly. "Masculinity."

“Exactly.” he nodded. “But, I’ll tell you what. After the interview and once return to the office, I’m going to look through the books and see what “policy” Nathan could possibly be referring to, and if I can't find one… I’ll talk to him about it. See if I can get so real answers.” he smirked.

Lars may have grown up a bit of a troublemaker, but he was quite sharp and more than a bit cunning. It was what made him a good lawyer. But when he set his sights on something… Let's just say, you didn't want him working against you.

He laughed a little at her joke and shrugged. “Perhaps.” he nodded before opening the door for her. “But I know that if I was a cab driver, I would certainly stop to give a pretty woman like you a ride.” he said both for her benefit and to drop a hint to the driver.

Anna grinned at his solution and proud smirk. "Sounds excellent to me," she replied simply. "Nathan doesn't stand a chance. And I'd be incredibly interested in hearing his counters after you find out exactly why he can't deny your consulting efforts on this case."

She smiled as he opened the door for her and slipped into the car. Her cheeks turned light pink as she blushed at his words. "Well, you aren't," she countered, scooting over to make room for him beside her in the backseat. "So you don't have to worry about giving 'pretty women' rides any time soon."

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and arched his eyebrows. "And where might a couple like you two be heading?"

Anna's blush instantly deepened. "Oh, no. We… Um, we're not…" She looked over at Lars shyly.

“I’ll give you a full report regardless of what he says.” Lars assured. Though he wasn't entirely sure what he would do if Nathan actually did have a legitimate reason for not letting them work together on this case.

The cab driver's comment caught him off guard as he slid in beside Anna. “Uhh… We're just… We work together.” he explained before shaking his head. “Just take us to the police station.”

"I'd expect nothing less," Anna whispered, conscious of being overheard by the driver since they were now in the cab. But she truly didn't. When Larson said he was going to do something, he meant it. That was a quality not lost on Anna. She appreciated it immensely, especially compared to Harry's behavior.

"Yes," Anna agreed. She had been too flustered by the comment to come up with a proper response. "We work together." With that, she followed up Larson's words by providing the address. She knew it by heart, painfully.

She looked over at Larson once the cab was in motion, her blush still evident on her face. "I feel I must warn you," she murmured. "Harry was the one I was on the phone with earlier. When we talked, he was driving. But he may be here."

Her ex-husband was a Detective Inspector in the city of London. Oftentimes, they would run into each other, mainly at the station when she was there to preside over an interview as a solicitor.

Lars softly bumped his shoulder against hers, not paying the driver any more attention once they were moving. “You know me.” he chuckled.

“Oh!” he whispered, partly having expected that but it was still a bit of a surprise to hear it. “I see. Thanks for the heads up.” he said sincerely. Since the pair had worked together on a fair number of cases, this wouldn't be the first time he had run into Harry. There had even been a few times when they had seen each other without Anna being around. “I’ll try to stay professional.” he teased with a light smirk.

Anna looked over at him and tried to offer a smile at the tease. "You're welcome," she murmured. "I will as well…"

She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. Her heart was racing. She didn't want to tell him this, but she figured he might be suspecting something after witnessing her end of the phone call. Anna wasn't stupid. She knew that even if Lars hadn't intended to eavesdrop, he still would've heard bits and pieces. When her eyes opened, they met his. "Harry was at my flat this morning," she whispered, looking ashamed of her own words and actions. "I let him in."

Lars smiled back when she responded to his little joke and nodded. “We could always fake a text from Nathan if we need to get out of there fast.” he offered, chuckling a little. It wouldn't be the first time he’d used an excuse like that to get out of an uncomfortable situation.

He sighed at her confession and cleared his throat. “Do you want to talk about why he was there or how it went while he was there?” he asked gently, not wanting to push but he’d be lying if he said he wasn't curious.

Anna smiled a bit. "We could," she admitted before appraising him with her gaze. "You don't do that often though… do you?" She arched her eyebrows accusingly.

She glanced briefly up at the driver, but he had already reached up and slid the panel between the front and back seats closed. Good. Anna didn't have to worry about being overheard. "He told me it was because he wanted to see me," she answered quietly. "And Daisy. It was fine while he was there, really. I had breakfast already made, so I let him have some. But it was after he left…" Anna felt a chill run through her body at the terrifying memory.

"Not twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Daisy answered, but I quickly shooed her off to get ready for school. It was a bailiff. He was tall, bald, and dressed in all black. And he demanded to know if I knew where Harry was. I told him I didn't, and he wanted to come inside. Obviously, I didn't let him, and he didn't push any further. But… he knew my name. He told me goodbye before he left… It petrified me."

Lars shrugged. “I wouldn't say “often”. Just when things are quickly escalating toward a disaster.” he assured. “I don't use it every day if that’s what you're worried about.”

He nodded attentively as he listened to her story. It was both a relief and a surprise to hear that things had been ok while Harry was visiting. But his raised brow at her shudder, shifted to shocked concern when she mentioned the second unwanted visitor. “What? Why would a bailiff show up at your house?” he asked, trying not to sound as panicked as he felt. He wasn't this worried about Harry. All his concern was for the woman beside him and her daughter. “Are you alright? I don't blame you for being scared but…”

Anna winced slightly at his reaction. "Harry's gambling debts," she answered quietly. "They come… rather often. But I handled it," she added the last part quickly to assure him. "Really, Larson, I'm fine."

Anna herself was more worried about Daisy. She hadn't wanted her daughter to be answering the door for debt collectors and bailiffs all her life. and the one who had come today was particularly terrifying. He hadn't tried to force his way in, which had been a relief for Anna, but he knew her name. Anna was a relatively common name, but the way he'd said it…

"Have a nice day… Anna."

It was Harry's habits that had forced Anna to split up their marriage. She couldn't live on the brink of poverty anymore. And the shadows of it still haunted her in the form of random bailiff visits and maxed-out credit cards.

Lars sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I’m sorry, I over reacted. For a moment I was worried he did something more serious than just that.” he apologized.

They didn't talk about Harry a lot since it was always an awkward topic at best. But he knew enough about the guy not to press. “You sure you're ok? I've seen you handle barristers, judges, stubborn witnesses, and even me on occasion but I don't think I’ve ever seen you this rattled before.” he admitted.

Anna shook her head. "I don't think you overreacted," she murmured, glancing out the window to see if they were getting close to the station. "I've worried about that all my life, so honestly, it's nothing new." She bit her tongue for saying that. It was true, but it was something she'd never told anyone. She was waiting for Harry to be thrown in jail, which he seemed to have coming.

She looked back over at Larson with a faint smile. It was true – of all the crazy things that happened in her life, it was Harry that made her the most anxious. "I'm fine," she answered again, though it didn't sound as sure as the last time she'd said it.

Lars smiled faintly at the reassurance and nodded. “You have a reason to worry about that… Though you shouldn't have to.” he said, almost resenting Harry for all the trouble he had and was still causing his friend.

“No offense, Anna, but I believe you less than I did before.” he admitted, gently taking her hand comfortingly. “You know I won't judge you if told me something was wrong.” he assured her.

Anna laughed quietly while closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Oh, my God," she murmured. "Why do I love him, Larson? What is it about him that makes me take him back every time?" Her use of the present tense was not intentional, but it was true. Anna did still love Harry, even with all the hell he was making her go through while she did it.

Her eyes flew open when he took her hand in his. The motion was so simple and yet so comforting. "Larson, everything is wrong," she whispered earnestly. "I'm asking for just an ounce of control and getting the most out-of-control circumstances that it's humanly possible to get. I'm worried Daisy hates me, and Harry is… well, Harry. The only thing I ever have felt in control of is my work, and now Nathan took that from me too. The only thing right in my life right now is you."

The blatantly honest words passed Anna's lips before she could stop them. Her heart began to race slightly. She meant what she said. But would Larson feel the same?

Lars honestly couldn't answer her first couple questions, for quite a few different reasons. But he suspected that she wasn't really expecting him to answer… Though he had a suspicion that the real reason had something to do with Daisy. And possibly the familiarity of being with Harry. And the memories of when things were good between them.

He nodded at her whispered venting and carefully slid closer to her before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I know.” he agreed. “I doubt Daisy hates you. A lot of kids just go through that phase where they think they hate someone but it rarely sticks. And I’ll talk with Nathan. I’m sure I can get him to change his mind.” he assured.

Though his face warmed at that last part, not having expected Anna to think of him that way. “I… I’m flattered.” he stammered, unsure on exactly how to respond. “I’m glad that I can be here for you and give you some kind of comfort. And you can come to me for anything.”

He was right, Anna wasn’t expecting him to answer her first few questions. She didn’t even know the answers herself. All she knew was that aside from the few times she saw Harry when she was working, he would turn up out of the blue at her flat and need something. Money. Food. Her. The worst was when he wanted her. He begged her to reconsider their divorce and start over. That was the only thing she could stand firm on where Harry was concerned. She would not listen to his pleas. Their marriage had been doomed from the start, but they were both too blind to see it.

She immediately leaned into his warmth and rested her cheek on his shoulder. His words and touch were both comforting and reassuring. A small smile crossed her face. “I hope you’re right,” she whispered.

“Of course,” she mumbled, like it was obvious. “You’re my best friend, Larson. Thank you.”

Lars smiled and hugged her when she leaned against him. “You are my best friend too, Anna.” he whispered back. “And I promise you won't have to deal with this case alone, even if Nathan finds a way to try to stop me.” He would have to be careful in that situation if it came to it, but he was sure he would be able to convince the other man. He had always been slick and that had become a very useful quality as a lawyer.

Anna smiled and relaxed at his touch. "Thank you," she murmured again, closing her eyes and savoring the moment. Though it wasn't for much longer.

The cab pulled to a stop, and the driver slid open the window between the seats. "Here you are," he said shortly, eyeing them with an I knew it expression that made Anna blush again when she opened her eyes and saw it. Immediately, she began to dig through her purse for cash to pay him.