Disclaimer:I do not own hannibal,mischa, or any other characters from the hannibal lecter movies or books, only Moira Nacht, her familly and Mond are of my creation.
A/N:This first chapter will be mostly about Moira's past and how she came to be at the orphanage, and how she first met I am basing Hannibal's age on the one listed (january 20th 1933) i know it's different in the movie but the book date just makes it easier for me.
Italics=foreign words
Bold=written words
Foreword:What would have happened if there had been a girl at the orphanage, if she had traveled with Hannibal, and helped calm him in his nightmares? What would have happened if this girl had embraced the "monster" inside of him? And what would have happened if they had fallen in love? This story is the answer, this is my version of what happened, because I am that girl, and my name is Moira Nacht.
(Story start Moira's POV)
I was born in Germany In 1934 on January 21st. When things kept getting worse and worse my family decided to get out of Germany while they could, and when I was 6 we moved. We ended up in a small town somewhere in Lithuania, I don't remember the name, and it's not important. What is, is that after a few years, when I was about 9, my Mutter and Vader were killed when they were out scavenging. I was left with my Grandmother and Big brother. We did the best we could but soon my grandmother died. She went in her sleep, quiet, painless, it would not be the same for my brother. My brother and I moved to a different house, further onto the wild, it was abandoned and had supplies in it that we needed.
He was 15 when I was 10 and when some desserters found us they tried to recruit him. Hans refused, and they beat him and killed him. A horrid man named Grutas comanded them and he delivered the final blow. I hid in a closet when it happened and I never felt more horrible in my life. But the men soon moved on when they heard Russian transmissions of roadblocks and attacks not far off. Fortunately they left some of their weapons, extra rations, even some ill fitting cothes. They ran like cowards, forgetting these things. For almost 3 years I made my life in the house where my brother was killed, by myself, with only animals for my company. In time I improved my sewing and cooking,using the supplies the soldiers had left as well as those that had already been in the house. Planning a few days ahead of my needs, I survived as well as I could. When the Russians found me I was 13. They almost killed Mond, my wolf pup.
His mother,who I called "Mama", and I trusted eachother and we would help eachother. Before she died she would take down a deer or whatever animal she could find and bring it to me, I would skin it and take some of the meat and prepare it for myself and I would leave her the rest for her and her pups and mate. Sometimes I would take a bit more meat and put the fur in her den to help keep her pups warm. She was a lone wolf, and her mate died when I was 11. The day I turned 13 she had Mond and a hunter came along and killed her other two pups, and wounded her. I heard the howls and crys and when I got there the hunter was about to kill her. I shot him in the head, he never heard me. I hugged her to me as she died. The I heard Mond whimpering and whining and I picked him up and took him with me, after placing his mother and brothers in the den and closing it off.
For 3 months I cared for Mond, kept him warm,fed him and we grew to need eachother. Then when the soldiers came, with pistols and knives and loud voices, he growled and barked,baring his fangs, he was still pretty small, and the Russians kicked at him, thinking him wild. I ran and picked him up, pointing a gun at the leader. He tried to talk to me and I vaugely understood. I had been taught some German, French, Russian, and bits of English, and I continued teaching myself out of language books after Hans was killed,I was always a fast learner. I was most fluent in Russian because I had thought learning more of my mother tounge to be less beneficial in this time and land, in second was German, than French, and like I said, minimal English. But still I had not spoken any of the languages in very long.
In the end I was taken to what was known as "The People's Orphanage". It was for boys but the headmaster agreed to take me in, and he let me keep Mond, on the condition that he hurt no one. I was placed in his room, so none of the boys would get any ideas, and if any of the bullies did then he was only a shout a few more months and my 14th birthday, I became aware of a boy named Hannibal Lecter. I also learned that the orphanage used to be his family home, his castle. He was mute and he spoke to no one. The only time he did speak was when he screamed the name "Mischa" in his sleep. I know because I heard him one night when I had snuck out of my room to go to the kitchens to get scraps for Mond.
I heard the pain in his voice and I remembered how I had felt when I saw Hans killed, when Mama died, when Mutter and Vader never came back. So I vowed, the next night, I would sneak out after the bullies went to sleep, and if he was having a nightmare I would go and wake him and comfort him. No one deseres to be in pain like that and only be offered hurtful words and actions. At the time I didn't give a single thought to how strange it might seem for an unknown girl to wake him and tell him everything would be alright. But remeber I was still getting used to living in any form of civilization with other people, and I had lost most concept of what was normal and what was strange.
(Flashback third person POV)
Moira snuck into the massive hall, on tiptoe, and soon found him. He was the only one, visibly at war with his nightmares and fears, the only one yelling "Mischa", as he tossed and turned violently. She sat lightly on the edge of his bed, unsure, she was beggining to get cold feet, but before she could, she reached over and started "petting" him on his head.
"Shh, it's okay, no one will hurt you." She whispered.
He still said "Mischa", with pain, but he tossed less. So she did something drastic. She hugged this boy she'd never met, who didn't even know her name. Surprisingly she felt him hug back, as she sat them up, and she blushed as he nuzzled into her shoulder. But she rubbed his back and whispered comfort to him, until she realized, he'd stoped saying "Mischa" and was pulled back, a bit embarassed but still hopeful she'd done the right thing. He just looked at her.
Hannibal was amazed, this girl, he didn't even know her. He'd seen her once or twice, speaking with the headmaster. And now here she was sitting with him in the dead of night, after having woken him from his nightmare in the most peaceful way it had ever been done. He wanted to speak but he couldn't, whether from the trauma that caused the nightmares, or from the shock he was currently experiencing, he wasn't sure. But he was broken from his thoughts by her voice.
"Are you okay?" He almost thought she expected a verbal reply before she supplied him with a pad and pencil from a little bag on the floor.
"I'm not quite sure how I am, I think I'm okay. But why did you wake me?" He didn't mean it in a bad way, he just wondered why she seemed to care. She read it, using the light from a ceiling lamp by his bed.
"I've heard you scream before, you sound like you are in so much pain. I wanted you to know, that someone cares, and I-I hate hearing people like that. It makes me remember bad things, bad pain."
"What is your name? Mine is Hannibal."
"I know, I asked Headmaster what it was when I saw you hurt one of the bullies once. You and I seem to be the only ones who stand up to them. I'm Moira."
"How old are you?"
"A lady never reveals her age."
"But you are only a young girl, you aren't yet a lady." Hannibal gave the smallest of smiles at her little huff of indignation.
"I'll have you know I am a young lady at 14 years..." She trailed off, realizing she'd given him the answer he'd wanted.
"Fine then how old are you?"
"I just turned 15 on the 20th of january."
"Your birthday is a day before mine!"
She almost shouted, but quieted herself when she remembered where they were, and heard a few boys stirring.
"Remember we aren't alone."
She whispered gently now.
"Then maybe we should go somewhere, where people aren't sleeping... unless you want me to leave now, then I will."
She got up and picked up her bag, full of scraps for her and Mond's midnght snack. She began to walk away, but she felt a tug on her arm, and turned. It was Hannibal, he shook his head and got up to follow her, and he scribbled on the pad and showed her.
"No I want to talk more, please."
She was happy that he wanted to keep 'talking' with her, and it was visible in her smile.
"Alright but I have to feed Mond first or he will get antsy and worried."
Hannibal had a look of confusion on his face as she pulled him along, walking quickly toward a part of the castle that was like a stable. When they arrived he saw a wolf and tried to find something to defend him and Moira, but soon he stood still as she walked toward it. Then he ran up to keep her from getting too close, and it growled at him, and prepared to attack.
"Ah ah ah, mein liebe don't worry, he's just a confused friend."
Hannibal looked on in amazement as she sat down with the wolf and started to pet it and hand it food from her bag.
Moira looked up and giggled at him.
"Come on Hannibal, he won't hurt you, I promise. Come, sit."
She patted the ground next to her. He sat, cautiously keeping his distance from the wolf.
"Oh don't worry silly, Mond is a perfect sweetheart, I raised him right." Back to the pad and pencil.
"You raised him?"
"Well it's a long story, but yes, I have so far, he's only a little more than a year old."
"How do you know?"
"He was born on my 13th birthday. I knew his mama, and his brothers, and even his father briefly. Like I said it's a long story."
He was amazed again by this girl, she had raised a wolf pup and had known a family of them, next thing he knew she'd be telling him about how she'd killed someone. He had no idea how right he was.
"Will you tell me your story? I want to hear more about you, you seem so different."
Moira looked at her watch and saw how late it had become, it was almost 3 in the morning.
"I don't know Hannibal, I mean soon it will be morning and the headmaster will be waking in 3 hours. And I've never told it to anyone, it hurts to think about parts of it."
Hannibal knew what she felt, and an image of Mischa flashed in his mind for a split second, and he felt a pain stabbing at his heart.
When his expression changed and his eyes cringed shut, Moira knew something was wrong. And for the second time in the 2 maybe 3 hours she had known him, she hugged him close.
And once more he hugged back, and they stayed like that for goodness knows how long, both of them needing to be close to someone. They eneded up falling asleep. They were woken by Mond whimpering and nudging them. When they opened their eyes they realized how close they were, how close their faces were, specificaly their lips. Moira started blushing, and Hannibal was just a bit confused as to what to do in this smiled and tilted her head down and glanced at her watch.
"Oh, no! Hannibal it's almost half past 5, you need to get back to the hall, other wise the headmaster will have you punished."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine, I can just say I came out here to see Mond and fell asleep. The headmaster will understand, he treats me almost like a daughter."
"Alright. When can I talk to you again?"
"How about tonight, I'll come right after the bullies get to bed, and we can talk. And if you want I will try to tell you some of my story."
"Then I will see you tonight My Lady."
Hannibal bowed with a flourish as Moira read the note.
"Tonight it is My Lord. But please try and sleep a bit before I come and get you. I know the nightmares have to be beyond horrid, but I can't make you into a creature of the night, just so I can talk to you."
Hannibal smiled sheepishly and nodded that he would try.
Moira smiled and gave a short giggle before packing up her things and preparing to bid farewell to Hannibal, for now. And as she stood up she was surprised to be the one pulled into a hug.
"Hannibal?"
Hannibal looked at her, as if saying 'Yes?'
"Thank you."
He squeezed Moira, in a kind of 'your welcome'. They soon let go of each other, knowing it would be hell if Hannibal was missing from bed when the bullies woke, but before walking away, he took her hand and pressed a chaste gentlemanly kiss to the back of it. And then he was gone, running through the corridors back the the sleeping hall.
Moira blushed, a bit taken aback(not in a bad way) and then she laid down next to Mond and snuggled up to him.
"So, mein Mond what do you think of my new friend, do you like him?"
Mond whined and nuzzled her hand with his nose.
"Don't worry, he won't replace you. But don't you think it's a good thing I finally have another friend?"
Mond just laid his head down as if saying 'Alright, you win, it's great'. Moira just laughed and closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep before everyone else awoke and before she missed her breakfast.
