I own nothing. All my Hannibal stories are also on my AO3 account, ThatGirlTheyKnow, and my writing blog on Tumblr, wordsareagirlsbestfriend.
Abigail was sleeping, and somehow, it didn't make it any easier for Alana to think about her from an objective point of view. You'd think that without the girl's big, soft eyes looking at her, and without having to hear her timid, pleading voice, Alana would be able to separate herself from the strong protective instincts the girl gave her. Maybe it was because Abigail looked so young, so vulnerable and so beautiful in her sleep, that Alana felt her need to protect and care for the girl grow.
Alana took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the only way she was able to tear her gaze away from Abigail. The woman conjured up her memories of the girl, her opinions, and tried to re-evaluate them with facts in her mind. Tried to think not from a carer's, or a friend's, or any personal point of view. She tried to think from the point of view of Jack, who had to look at all possibilities and suspect everyone.
Abigail Hobbs is a victim of her father and of society.
Yes.
Abigail Hobbs is a very damaged young woman who was just as shocked at her father's actions as the rest of the world.
Maybe.
Abigail Hobbs is innocent.
Maybe?
Abigail Hobbs spent a large amount of time in her father's hunting cabin with her father.
Yes.
Abigail Hobbs has a predisposition to manipulation.
Yes.
Abigail Hobbs would have made the perfect bait.
Definitely.
Alana's eyes snapped open and she stared at the girl in the bed, denial rippling throughout her entire body. She had no proof, of course, just like Jack had no proof, but that didn't mean that it wasn't true. That didn't mean that Abigail was innocent, as much as it pained Alana to think it.
Alana's hand reached out and grabbed Abigail's tightly, but the girl did not wake up.
Abigail Hobbs probably helped her father kill those girls. She probably knew, the entire time. That didn't mean she wanted to, or that she had a choice, but she probably still helped him instead of discreetly contacting the police or asking anyone for help. The chances were, Abigail Hobbs has been lying to everyone this entire time.
Maybe she killed Nick Boyle. She knew how. And Alana saw how she reacted at the body. It could have been just shocked at seeing a dead body, true, but it could have been something else…
Denial was a terrible thing, Alana mused. Denial let guilty people walk free and denial let people be walked all over.
She looked at Abigail's soft, cold hand in her own, and ran her thumb over that smooth skin. She sighed, and closed her eyes tight. Imagined those wide, scared eyes and that pleading voice.
Denial was a very human emotion.
And Alana Bloom was all-too human.