"That was unnecessary." Alana stood impatiently before Hannibal's cell as he reclined on his cot, looking at the ceiling.
"No one will miss the late Mr. Brown, Alana. Not me, you, or the poor cleaning staff he used to taunt," Hannibal said as he looked up at her. "Secretly, I'm sure Frederick is happy that his utter hiring failure is now dead. Plus, I had my reasons."
Alana sighed. "Did you finish looking at the case file?"
"He's a shy boy. Would love to meet him."
"Is that all?"
"Oh I could go on. For a price," said Hannibal.
"I alleviated your boredom for over a day. Way I see it, you owe me a debt."
"In the normal world, yes. But this is prison. The rules aren't the same when the person you are bargaining with cannot leave."
"What do you want?"
"Dinner. Here. By the chef of my choice for a month."
"That's it?"
"Your company. Mr. Graham too if he can pull himself away from family life."
"I can't promise that. Similarly, I have my reasons."
"Duly noted. Until you do promise something though, you'll be waiting a long time before you'll discover anything useful."
Alana rolled her eyes and Hannibal went back to the case file. It was then she realized that she had never seen his cell before. Charcoal drawings lined his cell. Florence, Vienna, and Copenhagen on one wall and portraits on the other: Jack, Will, Abigail. She blinked back the memory of the carnage that night. So cold, so much blood. She looked at the drawing currently unfinished on his table. It was her. It was either her sleeping or it was how she looked as he stood over her that night.
The carnage created by the person in front of her was something she couldn't prevent as it happened. As he told her years ago, he worked very hard to blind her to it. Of course she couldn't prevent it. But she wasn't blind to what the Tooth Fairy was doing.
"Fine."
"Fine, what?"
"I'll do it. Dinner once a week by the chef of your choice. I will be here. You have to do one small thing for me in order for this to go forward."
"And what is that?" He asked.
"Never draw me. And destroy that." She said pointing to the picture.
"Done. It's a shame though. You were at peace all those nights."
"Dinner starts Wednesday, Dr. Lecter. They will stop if this is nothing more than a joke to you."
"I never found dinner with you a joke, Alana. Business and pleasure, as always."
She started walking away.
"See you Wednesday."
/fin
