Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.
New Type of Body Language
A/N: Based on a prompt I found on Tumblr: Will is a serial killer. One day he stumbles across one of the Chesapeake Ripper's kills and is inspired. Hannibal is not flattered by this and tells him as such in his own gory display. Will gets a bit miffed and responds… If anyone else has written a story for this prompt please let me know, as I'd hate to accidentally write a rip-off of your story. I'm planning to edit it slightly, as I personally believe Hannibal would be flattered if someone was inspired by his work if they weren't claiming to be him, but I could be wrong. Let me know what you think and how you'd like this story to go!
Chapter One
Will's jaw dropped as he stared at the gory scene before him. It was close to five in the morning and the sun was just beginning to rise in the east, bathing the scene before him in an eerie light. A body was strung up in the middle of the scrapyard Will was scoping out as a protentional location for dropping the next victim. You see, Will was a serial killer. 'The All-American Killer' as the press had so fondly taken to calling him, after all, Will had killed at least two people in every state, with his highest kill rate being along the East Coast.
At first, he'd been known as the East Coast Killer, as thanks to his fathers' job he'd been forced to travel up and down the East Coast with his father. He'd killed for the first time at the age of fifteen and it had been messy for weeks after Will had been on edge, waiting for the police to break down the door and arrest him. However, the forensic team working the team had been involved in an accident on the way back to the labs from the scene.
All the useable evidence had been lost, it had been plastered across every front page and it had only gotten worst after Will had killed for the second and third time two years later, having worked out how to clean up a crime scene after himself leaving no evidence behind at all, other than the body and the displays he posed them in, but using the same MO. He was the killer who had slipped through the polices fingers. The families of the second two victims had blamed the police, claiming if they hadn't lost the DNA and fingerprints left at the first scene, they wouldn't have been killed and the would-be-killer would be behind bars.
Instead, Will was free and he knew what he was doing. In the span of the five years he'd been known as the East Coast Killer, he'd killed twenty-nine people and, in the process, became one of America's most wanted, even to this day he was still in the top five but no longer as the East Coast Killer. During this time, he'd also completed college and graduated. In his final year the East Coast Killer he'd passed his entrance exam and been accepted onto the New Orleans police force, he'd even worked on the investigation into his kills before he'd been discharged from the service after being stabbed in the shoulder.
After the death of his father, Will had left the East Coast and branched out moving from state to state under the guise of working on cold cases as he aimed to make detective. He knew better than to get cocky though and he refused to make mistakes. For his kills weren't to show off or to tort the police and later the F.B.I., no he killed because those he killed deserved to die. Thanks to Will's empathy disorder, every time he met someone's eye he found out everything about them… Including their deepest darkest secrets and the sins, they tried to hide.
It was these personalities he couldn't get out of his head, which was when Will had realised, the only way he could get them out of his head was by killing them. That's what his first kill had been. His victim's personality had gotten so deep into his head, when Will had accidentally crossed paths with them one night, he'd just lashed out and killed them. And from that day forward, every time a criminal or murderous personality got into his head, to put it simply they became the next victim of the All-American Killer.
A grin crossed Will's face as he studied the Chesapeake Rippers latest victim. The body had been posed so that it was laying reclined on an old sunbed. The victim, early thirties, white, male, Will noted, had been stripped down to their underwear and their chest had been cut open and hollowed out and from within the empty cavity and assortment of flowers flowed as well as small hand-held gardening tools which held some of the missing organs. The kidneys were missing, Will realised, so it was definitely a Ripper kill. Pulling out his phone, Will quickly accessed Freddie Lounds' website and left an anonymous tip before quickly continuing on his way, an idea already forming in his mind.
)o(
The Ripper Strikes Again!
After an anonymous tip left right here on 's chat forum, I was led straight to the site of the Ripper's latest gruesome murder. Pictures to follow shortly. When will the F.B.I. catch the Ripper? How many more victims will the Ripper claim? This has been Freddie Lounds reporting from the scene of the crime.
)o(
Two Days Later
Hannibal Lecter opened the door to his office to find Jack Crawford standing in his waiting room.
"Agent Crawford," Hannibal greeted, stepping aside to allow Jack entrance.
"Good Morning, Doctor Lecter," Jack nodded as he walked past Hannibal. "I was hoping to talk to you about Will."
"Will?" Hannibal questioned.
"Will Graham," Jack elaborated. "He's a teacher for the F.B.I., I was informed Dr Bloom suggested he seek you out when he expressed a desire for therapy outside of those he works with."
"Ah, yes," Hannibal said. "Will is one of my patients. Is he alright? Has something happened?"
"No," Jack shook his head. "He's fine. I was hoping to talk to you about him."
Hannibal moved over to his desk and sat down.
"You must be aware of doctor patient confidentiality, Agent Crawford," Hannibal said. "I will be unable to discuss any of Will Graham treatment with you or what we discuss during our sessions."
"Treatment?" Jack questioned. "What treatment?"
Hannibal shot Jack a pointed look before turning his attention to the paper work on his desk.
"Will Graham is on medical leave, is he not?" Hannibal stated.
"Ah, yes," Jack cleared his throat. "Encephalitis, I believe."
Hannibal inclined his head in agreement, "is that all, Agent Crawford?"
"I need you to clear Will for active duty, Doctor Lecter," Jack said, turning to meet Hannibal's gaze. "You are aware of Will's unique gifts when it comes to catching killers?"
"I am aware of Will's empathy disorder," Hannibal nodded. "However, I can not do as you ask. I will not clear Will for active duty."
"Why not?" Jack depended.
For a moment Hannibal contemplated on killing Jack then and there, but the death of an F.B.I. agent was bound to draw unwanted attention.
"You are aware of what happened last time Will entered the field," Hannibal pointed out. "Entering the minds of killers day after day caused tremendous stress and he suffered from a mental breakdown, which almost resulted in him dying after his sleepwalking caused him to leave his house and walk through the woods surrounding his home in the middle of the night during the height of winter. Had it not been for his dogs following him and keeping him warm after he tripped and knocked himself out, we would not be having this conversation right now. I do believe it was after that incident that Will himself referred himself to me on the recommendation of Doctor Bloom."
Jack was silent.
"I will not clear Will Graham for field work, Agent Crawford," Hannibal continued. "And as his psychiatrist, I would recommended he does not re-enter the field."
Jack breathed out through his nose, "Thank you for your time, Doctor Lecter."
"Of course," Hannibal said, rising from his seat and moving towards the door to let Jack out. "Should you ever require any help, my door is always open. I understand your wife, Bella, is a patient of mine. It can be difficult when a loved one is suffering, you need someone to talk to as much as she does, Agent Crawford."
Jack just nodded and walked out the door. Shutting the door after Jack, Hannibal walked over to his desk and switched up on his tablet which was already open to Tattle Crime.
)o(
A New Ripper?
Earlier today the F.B.I. was called out to the scene of a new gory murder. First responders claim it was the Ripper. However, an inside source from the F.B.I. can confirm this is not the work of the Ripper, but in fact, another killer mimicking the work of the notorious killer Chesapeake Ripper. Is there another killer in town? This has been Freddie Lounds reporting, stay tuned for more updates.
)o(
Later That Day
Will Graham was just putting the last of the papers from that afternoons lectures in his bag, his class having been dismissed a few minutes earlier, when Jack Crawford entered the lecture hall with a file tucked under one arm almost casually. Sighing, Will carried on putting the papers away as Jack approached his desk.
"Mister Graham," Jack cleared his throat.
"Its doctor actually," Will replied, not looking up.
"Doctor Graham," Jack tried again. "I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time."
"I no longer consult on cases, Jack," Will cut him off before he could get started. "I've been down this road before. 'I just need you to look at this one scene for me, Will.', 'Will, we need your help.', 'Please, Will, this is the fourth victim in as many months. Help me stop them before they kill again.'. Do you know what happened last time, Jack? I almost died."
"I spoke to Doctor Lecter," Jack said.
"What did he have to say?" Will asked. "Let me guess. He wouldn't clear me for field work."
"… No, actually," Jack cleared his throat. "Doctor Lecter said, if you passed the psych exam there'd be no trouble with re-entering the field."
That caused Will to pause for a second.
"I'm sorry, Jack," Will shook his head. "I can't return to the field. I can't risk it. Besides, I have students to teach."
"People are dying, Will!" Jack exploded losing his patience's. "I've got the Ripper running around dropping bodies every other month and we're no closer to catching him than we were this time last year or the year before that! Now we're got a new killer entering the playing field, a Chesapeake Ripper Copycat. People are dying, Will."
"You have an entire team, Jack," Will breathed out slowly. "And hundreds of agents who'd be willing to help you out. Everyone wants the Chesapeake Ripper caught, I'm just not willing to risk my health like I did before. I almost died, Jack and for what? Because you're right! We're no closer to catching this guy. I've given you a profile, there's nothing more I can add to it, short of the guys name and date of birth!"
"Will-" Jack began.
"No, Jack," Will cut him off. "I've given you everything I have to offer on this case. There is nothing more I can give you on the Chesapeake Ripper."
"What about the new killer?" Jack questioned, opening the file he'd bought with him and placing the pictures on Will's desk.
"Jack, I can't do this anymore," Will exclaimed.
"Just one look, Will, please," Jack said.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Will look a calming breath.
"Fine," Will spat out. "One look, but that's it."
Turning his attention to the photos, Will was greeted by the site of the murder he had committed the night before. The body was sat upright in a deck chair, a book about gardening in its hands. The body was surrounded by flowers, having been set up in the middle of a public garden. The body had been sliced down the middle and its innards spilt out onto the seat in front of it. However, the bodies eyes had been removed and the empty sockets had been stuffed with scrunched up paper. With gasped and took a step back from the table, as if coming out of a trance and began breathing short and rapid breaths, faking a panic attack.
"Will!" A female voice exclaimed and seconds later there were hands on his shoulders, guiding him to sit down and rubbing his back as the voice talked him through a breathing exercise.
Blinking back to awareness, Will was greeted by the worried face of Alana Bloom. Forcing a warily smile Will nodded to her and Alana looked him over with concern before turning on Jack.
"What were you thinking, Jack?" Alana demanded. "You know he hasn't been cleared for this kind of work. You could have set his recovery back or caused him to relapse! Do have any idea how long its taken Will to get to this point? Where he can sleep at night without the fear of nightmares or the worry he'll wake up somewhere that isn't his home?"
"It's okay, Alana," Will said, standing up shakily. "I'm okay."
Alana turned and looked at him, but she didn't look convinced.
"What did you see, Will?" Jack asked.
"Nothing you didn't already know, Jack," Will replied. "The paper in the eyes. If you look into the victim, they'll most definitely be guilty of something. This is the work of the All-American Killer. He's not mimicking the Chesapeake Ripper or copying his work, he's replying to it. What ever message the Ripper was trying to send, the All-American Killer is replying to it or at the very least trying to start a conversation."
"The All-American Killer is trying to start a conversation with the Chesapeake Ripper using corpses?" Jack asked in disbelief.
Will shrugged, "how else are two killers going to communicate? It's not like they can look each other up in the phonebook."
)o(
Hey! Was this good, bad, worth continuing? Also, how do you think Hannibal would react to someone being inspired by his work/killing in his style? Because I'm torn between him being unimpressed and adding the killer to his menu or being deeply flattered that someone has seen the artistry of his murders and is responding to it.
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.