And finally...Will and Carmen.
It's getting close to the end, thanks for waiting so patiently, and thank you for all the reviews and feedback! I wouldn't have been able to keep it going this long without your support!
"Carmen Banks, I'm here to see Will Graham." The institution felt emptier than usual. There were fewer guards. The only one she could see was the one she was speaking to.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Banks—Doctor Chilton has instructed me that Will Graham isn't allowed any visitors."
"I was under the impression that particular instruction would have expired by today." The guard hesitated, slowly reaching a hand towards the phone at the check-in desk, when a voice sounded from the hallway, accompanied by a single sure set of footsteps.
"Ms. Banks, I apologize for the misunderstanding here." Chilton emerged, then stood upright in front of Carmen, hands interlocked behind his back. He was energetic—alarmingly enthused.
"Is it a misunderstanding on your part or mine?"
"Mine. You, as always, have your facts straight. I've spent the last few days personally ensuring Will Graham is mentally prepared for next week's trial. It took a little longer than I anticipated, but my work is done now. I'll take you to see him, if you'd like."
"I'd appreciate it." The guard shifted as if to follow them, but Chilton nodded in his direction, and he stayed put at the desk. Chilton then began down the hallway, keeping a steady pace to ensure that Carmen would not lag behind, but stay at his side as he spoke.
"I must say, it surprises me that there's anything about Will Graham that could still be useful to you."
"Even after a book is written, there's work to do. I've finished everything except the ending, and in order to finish that, I first need to make sure I've gotten everything else right."
"Of course. I'm honored to have been able to assist you in your work. It's thrilling, being a part of something so—large."
"I'll be sure to mention you in the acknowledgements. How have the last few days been? With Will?"
"Intense. It's difficult to get him to lower his shields, and even after they're down, it only takes a single misstep to send them back up again. But I think I got everything I needed out of him. Once he's convicted, he'll be transferred to a prison, rather than a mental institution. Even if the jury buys the claim that he had no awareness of his crimes, I've verified that the Will Graham of today is certifiably sane. There's nothing now to separate him from any other serial killer."
"Surely you don't believe that."
"I only mean in terms of guilt and innocence. Of course, every serial killer is unique. But they all share that. Guilt." He stopped in front of the familiar door at the end of the corridor.
"Here we are. I had a guard bring him directly from my office to the legal room. He may be a bit sleep-deprived. You'll also notice his restraints are significantly lighter. After the last couple of days, I've determined that Will Graham is not only unlikely to kill again, but incapable. If you'd rather we use heavier measures of precaution, I'm happy to oblige."
"No, that's alright. I agree with you in that respect. I don't think Will is capable of killing. Again. It would be his unraveling."
"Well, he's wound pretty tightly as it is. Good luck getting what you need. Of course, he won't be allowed any visitors the week before trial, so I'm afraid this weekend will be the last opportunity for you to see him. Make this time count."
"I will. Thank you." Chilton nodded, and opened the door. Carmen stepped through.
She stood in the doorway until she heard the door shut, and all noise outside cease. Then she looked at Will. He was staring at his hands, but he looked well. Severely fatigued, undernourished, gaunt, hair shaggy, but overall-light. His hands were steady, and his eyes were lifted, even if the bags underneath were trying their best to weigh them down. He looked, for the first time, like he believed his story was one that could end happily. Carmen approached the metal table at which he sat. Today his only restraints were cuffs on either ankle, chaining him to the table, which was bolted into the floor. His hands were left free, and Carmen was surprised. Chilton, while solid in his conviction that Will Graham was a serial killer, did not believe Will Graham to currently be a killer. As she neared the table, she picked up the metal chair on her side, and moved it, so that she was sitting on the long side of the rectangular table at Will's right, and positioning it so they were only a few feet, rather than two yards apart. She crossed her legs and leaned forward. He smiled—a smile that was broken but not irreparable.
"Hi." His voice sounded better. He was hydrated, at least, and there was a faint humor to his tone.
"Hi." She enjoyed the silence that followed. She'd already taken in his state of mind, it was time for him to take in hers. Today she wore a coat over a white shirt, with riding pants and ankle-high boots. Her pencil skirt and stiletto heel costume was at her home, and she didn't feel comfortable going there just to retrieve it. Her hair was straight, worn down over her shoulders. He noticed today that her eyes were the darker ones. He recognized the shadow as something he'd seen many times before, but never on her. Fear. Of him? Or something else?
"I've felt better since your last visit. More confident. I realized that I only had to tell Chilton what he wanted to hear, without incriminating myself too harshly, and then we're both satisfied." He very slowly reached a hand towards hers, making sure she didn't perceive his movement as a threat. He took it in his own.
"The thought of having someone on my side—of having you on my side, has made me stronger. I'm not fighting a losing battle anymore. At first, with Chilton, I thought that a dependence on someone else for strength was a weakness, but that's only true if the dependence isn't founded on trust. And I trust you." Carmen glanced down at their hands.
"Will—I'm sorry." Her tone was one of regret.
"I don't come bearing good news. Hannibal placed a wireless GPS transmitter on my car. I took Winston for a walk in a park a few miles from my house—" At Winston's name, Will's face paled. Noticing this, Carmen added,
"Winston's fine, he's safe. But at the park, Hannibal approached me. He'd set it up to look like a coincidence, but Will—he wanted me to know that he knows. He knows I'm with you, against him, and if he didn't consider me a threat then, he certainly will by now. The park was nearly two hours from his office, he wasn't there by chance. He made it very clear that he was there to find me." Will was silent for a moment, taking in this news. His eyes flickered downwards before he spoke.
"What are you doing? To protect yourself?"
"I rented a decoy apartment in the case of something like this. My house in Wolftrap, that's my safehouse. All of my files, all the information I've gathered, all of it's there. That apartment is disposable. It looks lived-in. I don't think he's gotten a positive location on my house yet, just the general area. If he finds that apartment, it's fine. But if he finds my house, it's over. I took a different car back and hid everything, set up extra security measures. I have a gun in my car. I'm safe for now. I left Winston with Alana for the time being. Hers is the only house safe from him. I have computers set up there for the data to feed to before we send it to the FBI. Of course, I had to adjust our plans. We'll be acting tomorrow." Will was quiet.
"Carmen, I'm sorry. I—I never meant for you to get this close. I thought maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be able to get to you first."
"He didn't. I'd been aware of him for months before he got me in his sights."
"Still, everyone I'm closest to gets burnt. He doesn't like when others get close. And now he's going to take it out on you." Carmen gently squeezed Will's hand.
"Will, this is different. I chose this. I came here of my own accord. It's not my unintentional proximity to you that's endangering me. I chose you. I won't let him hurt Alana or anyone else—even if it puts my own life at risk." He looked up at her, trying to get as close to her eyes as he could.
"No, Carmen this isn't just about Alana. Do you think—if you died—I wouldn't care? When I said he's endangering everyone I'm closest to, I meant you included. When this is all over, when Hannibal is behind bars and I'm free—do you think I'm going to forget you? I trust you, Carmen. It's taken a while for it to become true, but it is now. I would gladly give myself to Hannibal if it meant sparing either of you. Over the last few days, with Chilton—he forced me to work through my feelings towards you. The boundaries of our relationship." He looked at their hands, entertwined.
"I have feelings. For you. And I need to know, right now—if you feel anything." Carmen was quiet, and that silence drew him closer to insanity than three hours of Chilton's psychoanalyzing jibberish had.
"I know the circumstances aren't—ideal. I know it'd be stupid to think that any kind of relationship could begin in this place and survive outside of it. But I think we could—at least—"
"I do. I felt it the moment I read about you. But I knew how unbelievably unrealistic it was to think anything could come from it—and I thought I'd do the next best thing and help you as best I could to get you out of here." She felt guilty for lying by omission, but she couldn't let him know she was. He had intrigued and attracted her, but she only found him through a search for information on the murder she witnessed. He sensed the trepidation in her voice, and he snapped,
"And? I'm too unstable for you?"
But Carmen's voice was soft in response. She hesitantly lifted a hand and placed it on the side of his face, caressing his jawline with her thumb.
"Will, listen to me. There are people who walk the line between stable and unstable, seeking a stable person to serve as their anchor. But why would someone stable ever want to change? You're not ever going to be stable—it's not who you are. But there's nothing wrong about that. Instability isn't a flaw—it's a trait. And stability just isn't part of your personality. But guess what?"
"It's not part of mine either."
She leans into his silhouette so that his forehead cradles hers, and she is breathing in his own shallow breaths. His eyes flicker up from her lips to her eyes, and she follows them. He searches for a moment, irises pivoting back and forth as though her pupils are words on a page of his favorite book and he is reading them. And then, quickly, suddenly, he puts his lips on hers.
His eyes are closed, as are hers, as their lips mesh, each feeling the other's breath as the kiss slowly builds to a frantic crescendo and then descends to a slight fever. She releases his lips and then leans into his shoulder, breathing into his prison uniform. He moves his hands up to her back and falls into her, eyes squeezed fervently shut with the realization that the moment is close to being over.
She whispers into his shoulder,
"It's going to be alright. I'm going to get you out of here." He doesn't respond. He has been lied to too many times to take any solace of hope in her words.
She leans back, and he feels the absence of her warmth immediately.
"I'm not going to give up. We're going to get that evidence. We won't let him cover this up. He's knit a tight web, but there are too many loose ends left. And I know where they are. Don't let Doctor Chilton get to you, Will. Don't let him pull your strings. You are no one's puppet."
"Tomorrow."
"That's when it all happens, yes," "Will, if you were in my shoes, would you be scared?"
"I'd be terrified for my life." He answers, candidly.
"Any last words of advice on Hannibal Lecter? Some sort of personal weak spot?" Will smiled grimly.
"If I knew, do you think I'd be in here."
"Let's just hope we have enough." Carmen stood, gripping the chair tightly as she moved it back to the opposite side of the metal table. She turned towards the door.
"Wait. Advice,"
"If it comes to it, don't hesitate to kill him. He'll be counting on your moral dilemma. But he plays by his own moral code. If you hesitate, you're weak in his eyes. He sees no strength in abiding by beliefs. The best way to prove him wrong is to shoot him. And one last thing—"
"After tomorrow, please come back." The weight of her next words was imminent. These could be the last time she saw Will Graham. How did she want him to remember her? Not as a liar.
"I'll try my best."
The truth.