I don't really know what I'm writing…
Chapter Ten
Hannibal calmly walked down two flights of stairs to get from Talia's bedroom to the basement. Due to the drugs, Will would not be able to sleep walk, so Hannibal had nothing to worry about other than finishing his business with the intruder.
He approached the door at the bottom of the stairs and unlocked it with a small key. As he cautiously peered through the opening, he found that the stranger was still bound and laying on the floor. The man looked weak, having not eaten for over 24 hours and the entire cellar had the faint smell of urine etched into the floors.
Hannibal frowned at the untidyness. Usually he didn't keep his victims alive long enough to make a mess of his home. The stranger opened his eyes and immediately started to inch away.
Hannibal walked up to him and began to pull out the gag on his mouth. "Feel free to speak now," the doctor mentioned. "I do have a guest, but he's in no condition to regain consciousness."
The stranger coughed once the fabric was removed, glaring up at Hannibal.
"I'm sorry, I've been terribly rude," Hannibal apologized. "You must be thirsty." He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a room-temperature bottle of water. He twisted the top off and held it to the man's mouth.
"I'd rather not untie your hands, so if you want water then you'll have to obtain it this way," Hannibal explained, tilting the bottle back.
Almost all of the water was finished within seconds. The stranger only wasted the last mouthful, which he spit back at Hannibal.
The psychiatrist frowned and wiped the droplets from his face. Hannibal considered killing him at that exact moment, but he decided he'd rather talk first.
"What is your name?" He asked simply. When he got no reply, he turned towards the counter and picked up a scalpel from the surgical tray. He spun back around and made a relatively deep incision in the man's cheek.
"I hate having one-sided conversations," he mentioned. "So if you'd kindly reply, you'd save me the trouble of cleaning up more of your blood."
A deep rumble came from the stranger's throat, but he seemed to have thought better of it. "Duncan."
Hannibal gave a content smile. "Thank you, Duncan. Now I was wondering, why is it that you decided to kill Talia's family and then try to steal her from me?"
Duncan clenched his jaw and continued to glare. Hannibal, in return, settled on dragging the scalpel across the man's jawline.
Duncan growled. "She's my daughter!" He yelled.
"Your name was not listed on her birth certificate," Hannibal countered.
"That's because her mother wanted nothing to do with me. She tricked her douchebag husband into thinking the baby was his," Duncan hissed.
Hannibal circled around the chair. "So logically, you responding by murdering them and trying to run off with the girl," he replied, sarcasm hinting in his tone.
"No, dumbfuck," Duncan sneered. "Of course I talked to her. I fought with her for hours and planned on going to court to gain custody, but my lawyer looked at the case and said that I had no chance because of my 'history'."
Hannibal frowned at the man's language, but he didn't respond.
Duncan huffed. "Are you gonna let me go now? I'm fucking starving."
Hannibal shook his head slowly. "No."
"Why the hell not? I've answered your stupid questions, not to mention the fact that I was down here forever without food or water," Duncan yelled in anger.
Hannibal ignored the rant and instead walked back to his surgical table. He grabbed a large blade before returning to Duncan. He held the metal up against the man's neck and smiled down at him.
"Because I am Talia's father now and I refuse to let you take her away from me."
oOo
Will woke up with one of the worst headaches of his life. Strangely enough, he didn't remember dreaming at all and his clothes were sweat-free for the first time in months. Still, as he started to stand up, the pounding pain in his head made him wonder which the greater evil was.
Will squinted against the light shining through the window and began to identify his surroundings. He wasn't in bed, but Will didn't think he sleep-walked either. Slowly his memory returned and he was reminded that he must've fallen asleep in Talia's room. Across from him in the rocking chair, Dr. Lecter was still fast asleep.
Will looked at the clock. 9:57 A.M., Dr. Lecter should've been awake hours ago, Will thought. Why is he so tired? After all, I'm the one who took care of him all yesterday, what could he do to wear himself out?
Will rolled his eyes and walked over to the chair, contemplating waking the doctor up. He looked down at the man and for a moment, Will didn't move. The man was still wearing the sweater and his hair was disheveled, making him look so… human. Instead of Dr. Lecter's usual fake, plastic appearance, he seemed relaxed and peaceful.
Before Will realized what he was doing, his hand reached out and touched the man's face. He traced a finger down Dr. Lecter's cheekbones and along his jawline, taking advantage of a rare moment when the psychiatrist wasn't wearing his emotionless mask.
Will, in becoming more curious, moved his hand up and ran it through Dr. Lecter's hair. He messed it up as much as he possibly could.
"Good morning, Will."
Will immediately retracted his hand. He struggled for words that would explain his actions, but nothing came out. Dr. Lecter watched him silently, his face now returning to its usual, expressionless gaze. Will felt his face heat up and turn red, and then he abruptly turned around and walked out of the room. He could almost feel the doctor's stare on his back.
What the hell was I thinking? Will scolded himself silently. I can't just stroke my psychiatrist, that's unprofessional and unethical and downright creepy! Will tried to calm down; after all, Dr. Lecter didn't seem angry at all. He just looked confused. As he should, Will thought. He just woke up to his patient playing with his face.
Will shook his head and walked downstairs into the kitchen. He figured that maybe if he attempted to make them all breakfast, it would take the attention away from their previous encounter. He took the eggs out of the refrigerator, his hands still shaking. He managed to get five into the skillet before he cracked one onto the floor.
As Will bent down to clean up the remains, he heard the other eggs sizzling on the fryer. He left the eggshells on the ground and turned back to the still-edible eggs, throwing in seasonings that sounded like something Dr. Lecter would use. He ran back to the fridge to throw in some vegetables and pre-made sausages of some kind. He frantically stirred as he heard the doctor coming down the stairs.
"Would you like some help with breakfast?" Dr. Lecter asked.
Will turned around to see the psychiatrist carrying Talia in his good arm. The man looked like he didn't even bother with fixing his hair, he'd just left it how Will had it. Will's face turned red again, and he pretended not to notice.
"Er- no I'm fine. Would you like me to take her? Here-" Will rushed over to relieve Dr. Lecter of holding Talia, but he'd forgotten about the egg he had dropped. In his attempt to run to the other man, he slipped on the gooey egg and fell onto the hard, tile floor.
"Will? Are you alright?" Within seconds Dr. Lecter had put Talia down and crouched beside his patient.
Will rubbed the area of his forehead just above his eyebrow where he'd hit the hardest. His fingers came back smeared in blood. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," Will stuttered, shying away from the doctor.
"Let me see," Dr. Lecter persisted.
"Its fine," Will murmured, beginning to turn away. However, a soft hand then nudged Will's head up, forcing him to make eye contact with Dr. Lecter for a brief moment.
Dr. Lecter reached up onto the counter and grabbed a rag. Will looked away from the man, still embarrassed. He heard running water and then the damp cloth was pressed to his forehead.
"It's not deep and you're not showing any signs of concussion," Dr. Lecter concluded, pulling the rag away.
Will shrugged, still not looking at the doctor. Then Will felt something strange, as if… lips were pressed to his forehead. He instantly flicked his gaze up towards the doctor, but the man was acting completely casual. Did Dr. Lecter just kiss my cut? Will wondered. He stared at Dr. Lecter for a few moments longer, but the man showed no signs as to whether or not that really happened.
Will shook the thought away; it had to have just been the cloth or something. Still, it felt so real.
"There we go," Dr. Lecter stated as he finished wiping up the egg remains.
Will nodded at the man and returned to the grill. The eggs looked completely dried out, but he still turned off the flame and served them on plates. He carried them to the table, the doctor following closely behind. Will put a plate down in front of himself, Dr. Lecter, and Talia, then waited for a reaction.
Talia immediately pushed the plate away and pouted, but Will expected that from her. Dr. Lecter ate a small bite before smiling politely. Will tried a forkful as well, but he almost threw it back up. Whatever the hell those spices were, they were not meant for eggs.
"Sorry," Will muttered. He watched as Dr. Lecter managed to swallow another bite before looking back at his patient.
"How about we go and visit your dogs today?" Dr. Lecter suggested.
Will visibly lit up with excitement. "Really? I mean, I know you've mentioned it before but I didn't think you'd actually go," he admitted.
Dr. Lecter smiled. "I'd love to."