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Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. The hum that had filled the air as soon as she started to move fizzled away, leaving behind a stunned stillness. The hushed silence that had washed over the small audience was interrupted by Dr. Chilton's obnoxious clapping. Hannibal shot the man a disapproving look that went unnoticed. He'd rudely broken the spell that Olivia had weaved. If he wasn't so entertained by Chilton's attempts at dress-up, he would've killed the man years ago.
Olivia slowly lowered herself back into first position, trying to slow her breathing down. No matter how many times she practiced it, those 32 fouettès always snatched her breath away. Finally she stepped back and sighed. Her posture was relaxed, but nothing less than that. The dancer in her refused to let herself slouch. She didn't even bother looking at her other audience members – her eyes were for Will alone. She beamed at her brother, cheeks flushed and eyes shining. Hannibal had never seen her look so alive. "See? I told you all those months away weren't for nothing." She puffed, pushing the stray hairs out of her face once more.
"They certainly weren't." Will replied, still in awe of her performance. "You've really improved since I've seen you last, Liv. You've come into your own when it comes to the Black Swan. It truly is an art form when you dance. You did those fouettès effortlessly. I can't wait to see more of what you've been working on. If it's anything like that—" he paused, grinning. "I'm more than ready to see it." Olivia blushed prettily as her brother praised her. It was clear for the rest of the group to see that his opinion meant the world to her.
"That was quite impressive, Olivia." Hannibal complemented, stepping forward and smiling down at her. He didn't miss how Will's eyes narrowed as Hannibal spoke to his little sister. His blue gaze darted between the two, wary and unable to help.
"Thank you, Dr. Lecter." She graciously said, smoothing an invisible wrinkle in her skirt. Her prior fear was still lurking in the back of her mind, but she felt sure now that she'd danced her place into safety, at least for the moment.
"I wonder, why did you chose the Black Swan pas de deux? That dance is the prince's doom, if I recall the plot correctly." Hannibal asked as he studied her with those maroon eyes, the french words easily tumbling from his lips; his accent was impeccable.
"Personally I never liked Odette's character. I'm not sure why, but I always felt like she could've reacted better to losing her prince — killing yourself is tragically poetic it's true, but not practical or realistic. There's something... powerful about knowing all the rules while the rest of the characters are bumbling around in the dark. It's more entertaining for me to trick the prince into thinking I'm his Swan Princess, when at my core I'm the Black Swan. Besides," Olivia shrugged "where's the fun in being the good guy?" She smiled guilelessly at Hannibal before sliding past him and towards her bag. Hannibal's eyes followed her wonderingly.
Will didn't like the fascination Hannibal Lecter had for his baby sister. And he couldn't protect her from inside this stupid state hospital. Raw panic began to claw its way in the pit of his stomach. If Liv found out more about Lector she wouldn't be able to stay away, and the psychiatrist would deal with her like he dealt with Beverly. He knew his sister like the back of his hand, just as she knew him.
As soon as it was clear that she had the same empathetic abilities that had claimed him for the past 16 years, he'd fought desperately to keep her safe and attempted to show her how to stay protected inside her own mind. But to his surprise after only one serious incident — one that she still never talked about — she had complete and utter control over the empathy. Will had been jealous for years, and even now sitting on the wrong side of the bars he couldn't stop the painful twinge in his gut when he saw her stare down Hannibal Lecter fearlessly, so secure in her own mind.
Like himself, Olivia Graham was smarter than her unassuming age revealed. It had become startlingly clear at a young age that she was different intellect-wise than the other kids at their school. She was miles ahead of them and bored in every single one of her classes. It became a problem when she entertained herself by "playing dress up" — assuming the characteristics of her classmates. Her little distraction was not unlike the beginning steps to profiling. It wasn't full empathy, but the signs were all there. The innocent game grew dangerous as she delved deeper into stranger's psyches.
Having already graduated early from high school himself, Will decided to take her out of grade school and home school her on his own. He worried that Olivia would get swept away in a profile and start to lose a grip on herself — something that he himself had struggled with when he was her age. The flexible hours of homeschool was what allowed her to become so dedicated to ballet. He'd soon discovered that she had a knack for puzzles. Math puzzles, word puzzles, logic puzzles – it didn't matter what kind. She could solve them in an instant. Or work at them tirelessly until she was successful. This became a slight problem when the empathy ability was discovered.
Olivia wanted to solve people. Find out what made them tick. Root around in their heads and figure out what their internal issue was. Of course, most of the time she was too young to understand about filtering her words and Will would get scathing glares from strangers as his baby sister spewed out their thoughts in the grocery store. At some moments Will worried that his analytical, puzzle-solving little sister was turning into stone when she wasn't in another's head; she didn't seem to care about how her actions affected others. And when he'd started teaching at Quantico, she hadn't showed a wink of pity for the victims. At least at first. So Will had trained her, had taught her. Had given her the chance he'd never had at her age to become normal. He poured love into her in hopes that she in turn would lend it out to others besides himself.
Yet her thirst for puzzles remained. And Dr. Hannibal Lecter was probably the most complex puzzle she'd ever encountered, or probably would ever encounter. Will knew with a sinking heart as he watched the telltale head tilt that he couldn't keep her away from Lecter – that probably nobody could. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. His jaw tensed and his eyes hardened. He would keep his baby sister safe no matter what it took, he swore it.
Olivia managed to pry her gaze away from the confusing doctor, striding back over towards her brother. He schooled his features to hide his thoughts from her, but couldn't stop the smug smirk from curling the corners of his mouth. No matter how fascinated she was with Hannibal Lector, Olivia would always choose Will over him.
"The Black Swan Pas de deux is the crowning jewel of my dancing repertoire." She told him, grinning. "I'll come by again and show you more... if you want." She added quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Will grinned at the sight of her self-conscious blush. He'd forgotten how young she really was. With everything they'd been through, she'd always acted beyond her years. It was hard to remember that she was only a teenager. "I would want nothing more, Liv." He told her honestly, his eyes assuring her that nothing had really changed — he still loved her. He knew who he was, and more importantly, what she meant to him.
She nodded softly, shoulders relaxing as she saw that he was doing okay — not 100% by a long shot, but okay. She beamed at him before turning to look at Dr. Chilton, her face flushed with sisterly joy. "Is there any private room where Will and I can talk? Catch up a little?" She asked, face hopeful.
Dr. Chilton looked at her as if she'd asked if her brother could waltz right out the front door. "I'm afraid this is already too much excitement for dear Will. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Perhaps you can visit another time?" He smiled thinly. "Due call first."
All of the light that had entered Olivia's eyes at the sight of her older brother faded away in that moment. Her entire body sagged as if she was a marionette doll whose strings had just been cut. Olivia shook her head mutely before turning to look at Will, eyes wide with panic. She couldn't leave now. She just got here. She couldn't leave Will alone in this horrible place with this horrible doctor and at the same time she couldn't go back to that house full of dogs but void of Will. Olivia was shocked to find tears clogging up her throat.
Hannibal's hands, hidden deep inside his pants pockets, curled into two tight fists. The broken, frightened expression on Olivia Graham's face twisted something inside of him. The slight sheen to her glistening eyes told him that she was fighting tears. He cleared his throat, trying to flush his sympathy away. This wasn't like him. But the more he stared the angrier he became. His fingernails bit into his palms. There was no reason for Chilton to be rude to the young girl.
He turned from the useless psychiatrist to look at the girl in question. She stood in front her brother's cage, her arms slowly snaking around her own waist, as if that action alone could keep herself together. His keen senses picked up her broken whisper. "But-but I just got here..." She trailed off, misty eyes scanning the room unseeingly, until locking gazes with her brother.
Dr. Chilton didn't seem to notice Olivia's emotional struggle. All he cared about was keeping the power he held over Will Graham, who'd so easily dismissed him before. Perhaps if he limited visiting hours, he could convince Miss Graham to an interview about the siblings. He stepped forward, gesturing to the orderly as he spoke. "Mr. Brown, would you be so kind as to take Mr. Graham back to his room. I'm sure he needs to rest after all this excitement." He said smoothly, an oily smirk twisting his small mouth. It was apparent that this small man got off on having power over others. He had no trouble at all separating the Graham siblings.
Will's jaw clenched. Liv looked incredibly young, her dark eyes darting over his face as if she was memorizing it. Her hands were trembling and her eyes were glassy. His protective instincts kicked in, wanting nothing more than to pull her in his arms again and never let her go. He couldn't leave her like this. Will surged forward against the bars before the orderly even took a step; Olivia met him halfway instinctively. Will was the center of her world, and she gravitated towards him just like the moon did the earth. He grabbed her hands through the bars in his calloused ones, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. "It's gonna be okay, Liv. I'm going to be okay." He said quickly, even as Chilton signaled for the orderly to "control him."
She shook her head against his lies. This place was poisoning him. "I'm gonna get you out of here Will." She whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling but her eyes steely. "I promise."
The orderly grabbed Olivia's upper arms and roughly yanked her away from the bars, his grip strong enough to leave bruises. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement.
Will's face hardened in anger as she was shoved to the side, tripping and falling to her knees. "Don't touch her." He growled lowly, his voice unrecognizable. He was no longer the awkward and uncomfortable Will Graham, but an untamed and uncontrollable wolf protecting his pup, his eyes colder than ice and his face as hard as stone.
Olivia scrambled back to her feet. "I'm okay." She assured him, voice strained.
The anger remained, but the tension leaked out of his shoulder. At least until the orderly started to unlock the cage. His face drained of color and his blue eyes dulled.
"No, Please!" She cried out, hating the way the orderly locked her big brother up in iron shackles, hating the way he was pulled carelessly and forcefully from the cage, and hating the way his dark eyes were slowly filling with listless fear and shadows she couldn't beat back.
"Be careful Liv." Will said, eyes darting over to Hannibal, before being dragged around the corner and out of her sight.
It was over so quickly that nobody had time to react. Crawford had watched the interaction with interest. The way Will had talked and joked with Olivia showed no signs of the cold-blooded killer that the world perceived him to be. And the anger he just displayed was normal behavior for a protective older sibling defending his little sister — none of his actions reflected the horrendous and vicious crimes he was committed for. Crawford frowned, not liking how the young girl was treated, but knowing that he could do nothing to stop it.
Alana was appalled at the callous manner Chilton had viciously separated the obviously close siblings. Her disgust for the small man multiplied tenfold as she watched Olivia rub her aching upper arms, her slender fingers trembling. Alana's nurturing instinct told her to go and comfort the young girl but common sense reminded her of the youngest Graham's frosty nature towards strangers.
Hannibal was taking deep breaths, relying on his iron control more in that moment than any other. The only giveaway to his fiery rage was his small step forward, but he'd checked himself just in time before acting rashly towards the orderly. The punishment would come later, he promised himself, chest nearly heaving at the sight of the teen's bruised arms.
"Well." Chilton sighed, tapping his cane once against the stone floor. The man was completely oblivious to the emotions filling the room, his condescending and smug tone nearly driving Hannibal over the edge. "I'm sure you can see yourselves out." He nodded his head once in the direction of the front door. "I must take notes on this... fascinating interaction. Miss Graham, please feel free to talk to me about Will's relationship with yourself anytime you're free, I'm sure my findings would be quite helpful for your brother's rehabilitation." He smiled thinly at them once more before hobbling back to his office.
After a few awkward moments, Crawford followed, his thoughts torn between recruiting the youngest Graham to his team and caring for his dying wife. Soon Alana, Hannibal, and Olivia were left in the room. The adults turned to look at the teen standing alone in the main hall.
She looked lost and broken, standing apart from them by the cages. Her vacant stare was transfixed on where she last saw Will, unshed tears glistening under the fluorescent lights. Her hands were limp at her sides, missing her brother's warm touch. Hannibal had never seen the usually lively and sharp girl look so empty and vulnerable.
Alana's heart went out to the poor thing. This young girl was obviously traumatized by the harsh realization that her older brother — who was probably a role model for the girl since he was (most likely) her only living relative — was a serial killer. Alana imagined that Olivia was struggling with this knowledge — as much as she did herself when Will revealed his true nature to the public eye. She was about to reach out to the youngest Graham when her colleague beat her to it.
"Would you like to have lunch, Olivia? It's only a short walk from this place to my home." Hannibal could see Alanna stare at him in surprise out of the corner of his eye. Honestly, he was surprised with himself as well. Olivia Graham spelled nothing but trouble for Hannibal, but he couldn't stand seeing that broken look on her pretty features.
His sudden question seemed to break Olivia out of her trance. The sound of his voice brought her eyes snapping up to look at him, but it took a second for his words to register. She managed to reign in her reaction, but Hannibal could see her eyes widen in shock ever so slightly. Clearing her throat, she replied. "That would be nice, thank you." Her voice was small, the spark that fueled her missing.
She looked down at her black pointe shoes, an angry flush staining her cheeks. Why had she thought that she could just dance away Will's problems? It was stupid. And she'd only seen him for barely half an hour until that troll Chilton carted him off. Who knew when she'd be able to see him again? Another wave of tears nearly overcame her. But sitting here moping about it wouldn't help Will — and wasn't that her purpose now? To solve the puzzle that incriminated her innocent brother?
Her spine straightened; her spirit wasn't broken yet — there was still hope. The light she'd seen in Will's eyes lightened the load on her shoulders as she stood completely straight once more. Whatever Dr. Lecter had done to him — she knew she didn't have proof, but she did blame him for clearing Will to go into the field — hadn't completely ruined her older brother yet.
Olivia's gaze flickered up to the man in question. He puzzled her, prodded at her empathy like a splinter in her palm. From an untrained eye he seemed harmless enough, although his large frame seemed intimidating. She imagined that a stranger would never find a man who dressed as nicely or talked as smoothly as Dr. Lecter frightening. But she could barely peek underneath his mask, could just see the predator that lurked beneath his skin. The flashes of insight were too brief to be certain, but more one-on-one time would give her more opportunities to figure him out, and possibly lead him away from his original plan of morphing her brother into a killer like him if he really was who she guessed. It was too early to know Hannibal's true intentions, but having a loose idea never hurt anybody.
The fact was that she would do anything to keep Will safe, keep the small monster she knew that lurked inside of him at bay, was a weakness of hers. Her brother wasn't a bad person, not by a long shot. But it was her cynical belief that a little bit of monster lived inside of everyone, and it only took a few nudges in one direction or another to either keep it locked away or set it free. This wasn't the first time she'd waded inside her brother's psyche — she knew exactly what he could become, what ruthlessness he was capable of if prodded in the right direction. And Hannibal had proven to be very good at prodding.
Curiosity nibbled at the inside of her brain. What was Hannibal capable of if prodded in a different direction? She bit her lip before turning back to her bag and swiftly changing into her converse. Olivia pushed her notepad to the side and tucked her pointe shoes away safely in the bottom of her bag. She'd hoped to have a chance to share her findings with Will on the Chesapeake Ripper, but Chilton forced her to wait until their next meeting. Maybe by then she'd have more to add to the profile.
Her dancer's grace made it seem like she floated up the steps to where Hannibal was waiting for her, Alana having left when she saw that she wasn't needed.
They faced each other, opposing forces standing across a battlefield. Time would only tell if one force would straddled the line. Challenging gray met curious maroon. This was going to be interesting, Olivia mused to herself wryly.
just what will happen when Olivia and Hannibal are alone once again? Will Hannibal finally decide that she is too much of a risk, or will he try to bring her under his wing?
