Dr. Gideon sat in the Interrogation Room at FBI headquarters, hands handcuffed behind his back.
"What did you want with Alana Bloom?" Jack Crawford demanded again for the fifth time.
"Ask me again, Jack, and I still won't answer," Gideon responded in a sing-song voice. "You know what I want."
"Why would you want to talk to Dr. Lecter?" Jack asked.
Gideon just smiled. "That's between him and me. But if you won't let me speak to him, I won't tell you anything."
Grudgingly, Jack left the room and walked to the small room where Dr. Hannibal Lecter stood observing the interrogation, holding his jacket over his right arm. Hannibal turned to Jack as he entered the room. Jack sighed.
"What would you like me to do, Jack?" Hannibal asked.
Jack shook his head. "At this point… go ahead and talk to him. See what you can get out of him."
Hannibal nodded, and he and Jack walked back into the room together. Gideon smiled and gave a small nod to Hannibal as their eyes met.
"Ah, Dr. Lecter! Thank you, Jack. I appreciate this. I don't suppose you'll turn off those cameras too? I want a little… private chat with the good Dr. Lecter."
"Absolutely not!" Jack spat.
"Why not, Jack?" Hannibal asked, turning to glance at Jack.
"I'm not leaving you alone with – "
"He's handcuffed and restrained, Jack. There's nothing he can possibly do." Hannibal turned to Gideon. "He may watch through the double-sided glass, with the sound off of course." Gideon nodded, agreeing to these terms.
Looking between Hannibal and Gideon, Jack begrudgingly admitted defeat. "Fine." He turned to Gideon. "But we'll be right outside if you try anything, Dr. Gideon." With that, he left and shut the door behind him.
Hannibal pulled the other chair from a far corner to across the table from Gideon. He draped his jacket over the back of the chair and sat. "Now, Dr. Gideon… what would you like to talk about?"
"I just wanted to let you know that I won't tell them," Gideon said simply. "I won't tell them that you gave me..." he inhaled "the superb and exquisite Alana Bloom's address."
The corners of Hannibal's mouth turned upward. "And why is that?"
Gideon smiled. "Because I want to watch what you do, Dr. Lecter. I wouldn't want to get in your way. Clearly, there's something curious about you, based on how you played me." He shrugged. "Besides, they wouldn't believe me even if I told them, would they?"
"I imagine not," Hannibal said simply.
"Congratulations, by the way," Gideon said, bowing his head. "I'd clap for you… you know, if my hands weren't cuffed behind my back."
"I appreciate that… but congratulations on what?" Hannibal asked, leaning back in his chair.
"All of this," Gideon said, gesturing with his head to indicate the FBI building. "The little façade you have for your friends. It's very impressive."
"Who says it's a façade?" Hannibal asked quietly.
Gideon gave a short laugh. "You willingly gave up Alana to me, Dr. Lecter. You can try and say it was to trap me… but we both know better. You were just lucky that the FBI were so quick."
"Indeed," Hannibal said. After another pause, he added slowly, "She could have been the Chesapeake Ripper's next victim."
Gideon just smiled at this. "That would have been most unfortunate for Alana."
Hannibal rose, walked toward Gideon, and sat next to him, facing the opposite wall behind him. In barely a whisper, he said, "Except you are not the Chesapeake Ripper."
Gideon turned to Hannibal. "I am. Despite what Will and Alana, and even Jack, believe, I am the Chesapeake Ripper"
Leaning in closer to Gideon, without looking him in the eye, Hannibal continued, "I don't believe that you are not the Ripper, Dr. Gideon. I know that you are not the Ripper." With that, he locked eyes with Gideon and gave him a meaningful look.
After a moment of realization, Gideon broke into a wide smile. "You are… you are very, very good, Dr. Lecter."
"And you have been very rude," Hannibal said.
Gideon sighed. "That wasn't my fault. Dr. Chilton seemed so desperate to have the Ripper… I figured, 'Why not?'"
"You took credit for murders someone else committed," Hannibal continued. "You never thought about how the killer would perceive that?"
"I guess it's a good thing I am going back to prison then, Dr. Lecter. I should be safe from… from any attempt at revenge." After a moment he added, "Plus… I suppose further killings would show Dr. Chilton manipulated me into believing I was the Ripper."
"That would be the inevitable conclusion," Hannibal agreed. He rose from the table, grabbed his jacket, and headed to the door. As he opened the door, he turned back to Dr. Gideon. "I will be keeping an eye on you, Dr. Gideon. Be good."
With that, he gently closed the door behind him.