Still not owner of Hannibal.
Chapter 7 – Reckless
Will had just finished his class on how he had caught Garret Jacob Hobbs. He felt a bit sick and the reaction of his students had made him angry. He was on edge already, but the text of Evelyne had calmed him a bit. She was supposed to join him here so he could show her the way to his place. He had warned his dogs this morning to behave nicely. He wanted to pay back the debt he felt he had to Hannibal's foster daughter. She had been kind, attentive and easy to deal with. Contrary to most of the people he knew.
As if summoned, Alana entered his classroom and Will immediately felt like in a trap. While he was attracted to the beautiful woman, he knew she was too uneasy with him to make him feel like he was okay and not crazy. He decided to get it done with, since Evelyne might arrive soon.
"Hi."
"How are you, Will?"
He decided to answer sincerely, since she was making him tense and unnerve.
"Uh, I have no idea."
"Um, I didn't want you to be ambushed."
"So, this is an ambush?"
"Ambush is later. Immediately later soon to now. When Jack arrives, consider yourself ambushed."
And of course, here was the big bad wolf. Will straightened and threw back his shoulder, staring at Jack without flinching. He was starting to get tired to be treated like a broken china.
"Here's Jack."
"How was class?"
"They applauded. It was inappropriate."
"Well, the review board would beg to differ. You're up for a commendation. And they've, uh, okayed active return to the field."
Alana, who had stepped back, intervened.
"The question is, do you want to go back to the field?"
And of course, before Will could reply, Jack interrupted.
"I want him back in the field. And I've told the board I'm recommending a psych eval."
Will would have questioned it, maybe looked at Alana in other conditions, but he looked up and saw Evelyne, leaning on the wall, calmly reading a book, hiding a yawn behind her hand. She looked tired, like she had not slept well, and still she was there. He was a bit surprised to see a motorbike cask hanging off her arm.
"Fine, I guess Alana won't be the one doing it, so it must be Hannibal. Fine, I'll go. But I won't get therapy or anything. It's just for your, uh, beauty sleep I guess."
Alana and Jack both raised their eyebrows at him, expecting a fight or more resistance but Will was already packing and getting ready to leave hurriedly.
"Yes, I want to check if you didn't get too close to this. After all how many nights did you spend in Abigail Hobbs' hospital room, Will?"
He knew Jack was trying to pick up a fight, seeing what was wrong with him but Will only glanced up at Evelyne who was tucking her book away and caught his eyes. She waved as he replied, waving back at her. Alana looked back at who he was waving and saw the girl standing politely at a safe distance.
"Fine, I don't mind. No need to convince me. I got to go, so..."
Will passed them, ignoring their baffled look at his abruptness, and he walked up to Evelyne. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the way she was slightly glaring at Alana and Jack, though it was kept under wrap. She nodded politely at them though, her upbringing shining through.
"Did you wait long?"
"No, just enough to finish my chapter."
Will knew that Jack and Alana were watching them, he could feel their curious gaze which frazzled his nerves even more so. He heard them step closer and saw Evelyne straighten up but the tiredness she displayed made him angry: she was forced to deal with them because of him. Anger bubbled, the lack of trust his friends had in him, the rudeness of Jack dismissal, and Alana's confusing signals, fueling his feelings. He accepted their deal, hasn't fought them over it, what else did they want?! He won't let them ruin his afternoon he had been looking forward to. But before he could snap at them, he caught the mischievious spark in Evelyne's eyes, and she turned to them lavishly.
"If you are done, I shall kidnap our good Will here, he promised me fun times."
With that said, she swirled away, Will jogging slightly to catch up with her with a brief goodbye, holding in his laughter, knowing the two agents behind were flabbergasted. He would have felt a bit bad, but really, he wanted to see Evelyne interract with dogs, with the same fondness Will saw in when she talked about Glacial. And he had to admit it to himself, having that common link with the younger girl that she didn't have with Hannibal, it was a bit exhilirating. He didn't have anything against the doctor appart from him picking at his brain, but there was something about Evelyne that made him act a bit more naturally, his unafraid self, the one he craved to have back.
"I left my bike on the pavement, in front of the building. Should I meet you up at the Parking Lot exit? I saw it I think."
"Yeah, sure, it's on the left, all the way behind the main Hall. You'll follow behind my car? It is a bit far though, will you be okay on your bike?"
She scoffed, and looked at him cooly.
"Yes, of course, don't worry. I've been biking since a while now, though don't tell Jack, I don't want Hannibal in prison because he taught me how to safely drive before I got my licence."
Will chuckled a bit.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."
He watched her put on the helmet on and got to her bike where she put on a bigger jacket, made for biking. They joined outside, and he took the lead, watching her weave between the cars with her motorbike expertly. He briefly admired how she handled the roaring metallic beast under her, recognising the bike to be a MY 2015 Kawasaki Z800, mat black. He mentally thanked the doctor for being so stern about her safety and education, she did not took any risk and drove smoothly.
While he drove and peridiocally checked up on Evelyne with his rear mirror, he thought back to the previous few days.
As soon as he got checked out of the ER, he had went to Abigail Hobb's room. He knew it was a bit unhealthy and he should not have gotten attached, it would complicate a lot of things and it already brought him a psych eval. But he felt responsible for her, he knew it was because he got too much of Hobbs, and the paternal feelings were seeping through, yet, some of those feelings were from him. It had taken a bit of restless inner-searching,a few sleepless nights, but he had discovered that some were genuine.
He didn't know what was scariest.
The fact that Hobbs was still there, in the corner of his eye, ready to pounce, or the fact that he was getting fast attached to impressionable minds, that he could feel paternal towards Evelyne, of all of the people, the strange, stranded girl, with a complicated even stranger as a guardian. Getting attached to Evelyne meant getting closer to Dr Lecter, the ruthless psychiatrist that saw too much, but was too polite to say the truth out loud: 'you're crazy'. But her way of being, discreetly analysing on the side-lines, and yet, unable to be invisible, quite like her father-figure, she stood out whether she wanted it or not.
It had sparked something in him, to see her, blood splattered on her, it scared him to think that, but he thought it suited her, the blood on her lips, her hands almost dripping with it. It painted a strange picture of innocent violence. The darkness that he always had, on which he kept a tight leash on since his Homicide years had strained in his tired brain. And yet, when she took care of him, brought him out of shock and distracted him with private stories, he felt warmth spread inside him, the cold of the dread after killing someone (again), of seeing and yet not seeing 'See? See?', it all melted away under her touch, her voice, with that peculiar French lilt, dancing in his brain, replaced Jacob Hobbs' voice.
Today he might be able to pay her back for her thoughtfulness, to explore further those paternal feelings, his curiosity about her and Hannibal, that strange relationship they had '"Is everything alright?" "Yes. Do not worry. I just had to remind her of something she does not appreciate."'.It made him impatient.
He stopped at a red light and watched as Evelyne pulled up next to him. She tilted her helmet towards him and nodded towards the empty road, reeling her bike, the smoke billowing behind her, as she laid down on the front of her bike, like a racer. Will didn't had to think much to understand what she wanted to do. Truth be told, he shouldn't accept her challenge. He was the oldest adult, an ex-cop at that, and he has seen enough road-kills to know it was a stupid and immature idea.
Really he shouldn't.
It would be almost out-of-character.
He reeled his engine, clutched his wheel, and smiled with all his teeth. He felt elated, ten years younger, his body pumped with adrenaline. With no one in sight (it wasn't that surprising, so deep in the middle of nowhere), he pushed down the accelerator as soon as it turned green, the both of them racing over the road.
It was stupid, reckless, immature, fun.
He lost the race.
