Archive of Our Own

Annie’s life was split between five befores and afters.

Before her mother died:

1. Her dad would read stories to her.
2. Her mother would make them all breakfast every morning.
3. Her dad would play the violin for her.
4. They would all play pirates.
5. Her dad called her ‘sweetheart.’

After her mother died:

1. Her dad stopped smiling.
2. She would sleep alone.
3. She stopped living with her dad.
4. Uncle Myc told her to call her dad ‘Uncle Sherlock.’
5. She lived with Gran and Grad.
6. Her mother wasn’t there anymore.

Before she got sick:

1. She went to the park to play every day.
2. She asked her grandparents for a dog every day.
3. She talked to Billy the Skull about all the things she’d get to do when her dad came back.
4. She had friends.
5. She never saw her dad.

After she got sick:

1. She had to go to the hospital a lot.
2. She had to pack her things up.
3. She saw her dad again.
4. She gave him Billy.
5. He called her ‘sweetheart.’
6. He promised he’d try to be a better person for her.

Before she met Molly Hooper:

1. She didn’t get much visitors save for the supervised visits from her dad.
2. She didn’t play with the other children in her ward.
3. She only ever read historical books about pirates.
4. She felt alone.

After she met Molly Hooper:

1. She got a visitor every day.
2. She read fiction books with pirates in them.
3. She watched movies with pirates in them.
4. She met Jim Moriarty (she had a firm talking to with her Uncle Mycroft about that).
5. Her dad didn’t visit her as much.

Before Molly became her mum:

1. Her dad told her he was going to have to go away for a while.
2. He told her Molly would take care of her.
3. She didn’t cry.
4. She saw the news saying her dad was a fake.
5. She saw some footage of the Fall.
6. She was soon discharged from the hospital.
7. She started to live with Molly.

After Molly became her mum:

1. She became happier.
2. She met John and he let her call him Uncle John.
3. She met Mary. She liked Mary, even if she was an ex-assassin. She was good for Uncle John.
4. She liked feeling normal even though people were a little slow.
5. She told Her mum the truth: her dad didn’t care about her. Her mum didn’t believe her, but it was the truth.

Before her dad came back:

1. Things were easier.
2. She felt normal.
3. She forgot that he hadn’t left her again.
4. She could pretend he was away because he had to be.

After her dad came back:

1. Uncle John and Aunt Mary got married and were going to have a baby.
2. Her dad started using it again.
3. Her dad got shot.
4. Everyone learned the truth about Mary. What did it matter? She loved John. She shot Annie’s dad in such a way that he would have made it. It was the EMT’s fault for not checking his chart and seeing that he was already on drugs.
5. Her dad was leaving again without saying goodbye.