After Amelia had gone to pick up Abigail for the day, there was a tension in the car on the way to the city.
"So… how does it feel, being away from Mark?"
"Honestly, like a breath of fresh air. Awful to say, but it's true."
"I think us setting your place up today is going to make it feel more definitive. You get your own space and don't have to take someone else into consideration."
Amelia hummed in agreement. They pulled up to the apartment building not too long afterwards.
"Ready?"
"...Ready."
Abigail and Amelia Hobbs walked into Amelia's new apartment, each holding a small box of trinkets.
"Wow, good pickin', Amy," Abby commented as they walked into the living room area, "the bay window is a nice touch!"
She walked over and took in the view. There was a lovely park just across the road, along with being on a picturesque street. Even though they had just moved in, Amelia could already tell that this place felt like home.
They spent the morning and afternoon moving boxes into their designated areas. There was a knock at the door as they were stuffing food into the refrigerator.
"Who could that be?," Abigail asked.
Amelia looked out the peephole and saw the chiseled face of Dr. Lecter. She looked down at her moving clothes.
… Shit…
She swiped her hair back, opening the door.
"Hello, Dr. Lecter! Would you like to come in?"
"Thank you, Amelia. Is Abigail here as well?"
Abigail peeked her head around the corner.
"Oh, Dr. Lecter! To what do we owe the pleasure?," she asked nervously.
He held up some styrofoam boxes.
"I assumed you would be famished after moving and unpacking, so I brought you dinner."
"Oh! How kind! I hope you'll be joining us?"
"If you'll have me."
"Of course! As long as you don't mind the mess."
"Not at all. Now, let's eat."
They all took a seat at the table, waiting for Hannibal to open his box, and they followed suit. Amelia took a bite, and the taste was heavenly.
"Mm, this is scrumptious, Doctor. What kind of meat is it?"
"Pork loin," he said with a twinkle in his eye as if he was sharing a joke with himself. "Pork loin with beurre blanc and sautéed vegetables."
He watched as Amelia put another fork full of meat into her mouth, her lips pursing around the utensil. His eyes began to dilate ever so slightly at seeing her enjoy the… "pork" as much as she was.
"This is very thoughtful of you, Dr. Lecter; you really didn't have to go through this much trouble, though."
"I prefer to put my interest in the culinary arts to use. I have a great passion for it, actually. I'm also very particular with what I put in my body."
"It seems to work for you well enough," she commented unwittingly, feeling like sinking into her chair.
Abigail hid her chuckle with a cough; bemusement flashed across Hannibal's face, but it quickly turned into a toothy grin.
"I- I'm so sorry," Amelia whimpered, looking down at her food.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Amelia. I'm flattered."
She gathered enough courage to finally look up at him; seeing no cocky smirk, leering, or cold look coming from him, she began to relax.
"Anyway," Abigail interjected, "Amy is officially settled in Baltimore. Hopefully I won't be in that hospital too much longer since she said she's keeping a room open for me."
"They can't keep you in there permanently; if you make progress in a timely manner, there's no reason you shouldn't be out of there in a month or so," Hannibal assured her.
The atmosphere lightened up after Hannibal had given his two cents on the subject.
The rest of the conversation over their meal was lighthearted. Hannibal amde his preference for refinement and culture very clear. As soon as it was over, Amelia found it had ended too fast.
He's so fascinating and intelligent! Not to mention he's absolutely gorgeous and so… so… genuine, Amelia thought, silently singing his praises.
He began cleaning up their empty food boxes, but Amelia wouldn't have it.
"I can get that later. You're my guest; please, make yourself comfortable," she said, gesturing to the couch.
"Only if you join me."
"Of course," she agreed with a shy smile.
They sat next to each other, their thighs barely brushing against one another.
"How are you adjusting? Coming from a more rural environment to urban surroundings is quite a change."
"I'm glad that I finally got to leave Minnesota; Bloomington especially. My mom and I actually lived in Saint Paul before she met Garrett; I really missed city living once we moved in with him."
"Yes, based on what we saw of the town it seemed a bit dull."
"Usually it was. Now that I'm in a more familiar setting though, I really think it's helping. I'm beginning to remember I had a much different life before he came into the picture."
"Yes, making new memories in a new place will help you cope with all the tragedy that happened. We can talk more about this on Thursday; why don't we talk about things you're looking forward to?"
"Excellent idea. There's so much more culture and character in Baltimore and I'm wanting to take advantage of that. I noticed on the way in from Bloomington that there's several theaters and museums, so those naturally grabbed my attention right off the bat."
"Have you been to an opera? A ballet?"
"I always wanted to go, but, as I'm sure you probably noticed, Garrett wasn't one for fine arts. My hu- EX-husband would always act really arrogant and complain if I even suggested we go. What can I say, small town small minds."
She's too perfect. So malleable and desperate for validation. Delicious, Hannibal thought, his mind filled with ideas.
"The only thing is that for now I'll be doing all these exciting things alone; what with Abby having a curfew while staying at the hospital not knowing anyone within a thousand-mile radius aside from you and Will."
Hannibal fought to keep his giddiness from showing.
"A charming and beautiful young lady like you will make friends quickly. You are laid back and pleasant to talk to."
Amelia felt her confidence raise a little with every word he spoke. She looked away, suddenly feeling bashful.
"Thank you for your kindness, Hannibal."
"You're welcome, Amelia. I hate to cut our visit short, but it's getting late and I have a long day at the office tomorrow."
"Oh, not a problem at all. Do you have to go very far?"
"No, I live fairly close by."
"Good, then I don't feel too bad for keeping you late," she said, followed by a small giggle.
"Goodnight, Amelia."
"Goodnight, Hannibal. Again, thank you."
"My pleasure," he responded with a small bow.
Oh my, such a gentleman.
"I'll see you Thursday."
"Yessir. Til Thursday."
He nodded and softly smiled before turning and walking down the hallway.
Thursday the real fun begins, Hannibal mused to himself.
Thursday the real healing begins, Amelia reminded herself, gathering Abigail to take her back to Port Haven.
"Sorry, Abby, but I have to return you to the hospital."
"I know. It'll be nice when that won't be an issue anymore."
"I know, honey. I'm counting down the days."
They settled into Amelia's car, the ride back silent as the grave. They pulled up to the doors.
"Do you want me to walk you in?"
"No, it's okay, Amy. Have a goodnight."
"You too, Abby. I'll see you again soon."
She kissed Abigail's cheek and drove off as Abigail headed toward the doors.
As soon as Amelia's car was out of sight, Abigail snuck to the surrounding forest, going off into the night.
THE NEXT MORNING_
Amelia slept in slightly late, putting on a pot of coffee to brew while she got ready for the day.
Just as she was putting her hair up, she heard a knock on the door. She scurried to the peephole and saw a shaggy head of hair until the person turned and she saw the face of Will Graham.
He's stopping by early… but why?
She opened the door, greeting him with a smile.
"Good morning, Will."
"Morning."
"Won't you come in?"
"Yes, thanks."
"I think the coffee is done if you want some."
"Sure, I'll take a small cup."
"Please, make yourself at home."
He took a seat at the table, watching as she moved around the kitchen.
"I decided to stop by on my way to the academy from an appointment with Dr. Lecter and wanted to see how you're coming along."
"I appreciate your concern. Things are going smoothly so far. Just getting settled and the usual exhaustion after moving. How have you been?"
"Can't complain. Living alone in a house full of dogs and teaching at Quantico. Not too exciting."
"A house full of dogs?"
"Yeah, pretty pathetic."
"Pathetic?!? You're surrounded by living animals that freely give affection, that's far from pathetic! Living in a house where the only animals that inhabit it are dead but your step-dad won't let you have a live one is pathetic."
Will felt his heart flutter hearing her talk about how lucky he was to have his dogs. Usually people found him to be weird when he brought up his collection of strays.
"Do you take cream and sugar?," she asked, snapping him out of his daze.
"I take it black."
"Ooh, way macho," she teased.
He couldn't help but softly smile at her antics.
She sat down at the table along with him, sliding his mug over to him. She poured a healthy shot of cream into hers and started stirring, careful not to clink the spoon on the sides, which Will noticed right away.
Maybe an OCD thing. Probably can't stand repetitive sounds.
"What's it like teaching FBI trainees?"
"Pretty simple. I show them crime scenes and tell them my observations, and that's about all there is to it."
"Have you shown them the one that was in our house in Minnesota?"
"Yes. That is of special interest since it was a major investigation."
"What was your take on all that happened?"
Will thought about it for a moment.
"If you want, you can come with me to my lecture today. I'm sharing my final points on the case."
"That sounds incredibly interesting! I'll get dressed really quick!"
She ran to her room and threw on black jeans and a sweater. She carried a pair of fall boots into the kitchen and slipped them on while Will finished his coffee. She poured hers into a travel mug.
"Ready whenever you are."
"We should get going then."
They walked out of the apartment and Amelia locked the door behind her. They exited the building and Will ran ahead of her to open the passenger door for her.
So chivalrous.
She sat down in the car.
"Thank you, Will."
He nodded and walked around to his side, plopping into his seat and turning on the ignition. They took off in the direction of Quantico, a long drive ahead of them.
"Do you mind if I turn on some music?"
"Not at all."
"Any requests?"
"Anything you pick will be fine."
She put her music on "shuffle", the first song that played was "Foolin'" by Def Leppard.
They sat silently as the music played until Amelia began singing.
"Is anybody out there, anybody there,
Does anybody wonder, does anybody care…," Will cut in hesitantly.
"Oh, I just gotta know,
If you're really there,
And you really care…," Amy belted out, staring him down to see if he would keep up.
"Cause baby, I'm…," Will trailed off.
"F-f-f-foolin', ah f-f-foolin'
F-f-f-foolin', ah f-f-foolin'," they sang in unison, Amelia laughing and Will letting his lips stretch into a goofy smile.
"Whoo, that's a lot of effs," Amelia mused.
"Hair bands are famous for them," Will reminded her.
The rest of the ride was spent discussing their likes and dislikes in entertainment. The ultimate takeaway being that Amelia liked a little bit of everything, and Will was a bit picky.
Will pulled into his parking spot and they both hopped out of his car. They walked slowly towards the ominous looking structure of the school.
"My word, that's an imposing sight."
"Yeah, quite the dark and eerie atmosphere isn't it?"
Will opened the door for her, letting her in front of him; her scent lingered behind her as she passed him.Will was entranced by her delicate, sweet aroma as they neared his classroom.
He opened the door for her to enter, following behind. As usual, all of his students were in their seats, awaiting his arrival. Will flipped on the projector, the exterior of the Hobbs' home popping up on the screen. Amelia took a seat in the front, eager to hear Will's perspective on the crimes committed by her step-father.
"This is how I caught Garrett Jacob Hobbs. This is his resignation letter. Can anyone spot the clue?"
A couple of students hesitantly put up their hands.
"There isn't one. He wrote a letter; left a phone number, but no address, that's it."
He clicked to the next slide, a photo taken of Garrett after he had been shot. Amelia felt her blood freeze in her veins, her apathy overtaking her.
"Garrett Jacob Hobbs is dead; the question now is how to stop those his story will inspire. He already has an admirer," Will announced, the last sentence hushed, "A copycat."
Amelia listened to every word that came out of his mouth, enraptured by how deep of an understanding he had of a killer's mind.
As will carried on with the material that was more geared toward the students, her mind began to wander.
How could a man who loved his daughter so much just snap? And why kill others if he was so keen on keeping Abby with him?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the doors opening, a ray of light peeking through followed by two silhouettes. In walked agent Crawford and Hannibal.
I wonder what he's doing all the way down here…
Hannibal's eyes found hers straight away, a surprised look overtaking his face.
She waved to him excitedly; he smiled and gave a soft wave back.
"The Minnesota Shrike abducted and killed eight girls over an eight-month period; each of then had the same hair color, eye color, height, weight, and we're the same age as his daughter, Abigail Hobbs. There was also a ninth victim who fit Abigail Hobbs' profile, but she wasn't murdered by Garrett Jacob Hobbs. We can tell that who did wanted us to know wasn't the Minnesota Shrike. He's better than that; he is an intelligent psychopath, he is a sadist, he will never kill like this again. So, how do we catch him? This copycat is an avid reader of Freddie Lounds and ; he had intimate knowledge of Hobbs' murders; motives, patterns, and, arguably, elevate them to art."
Amelia found herself on the edge of her seat, her eyes focused solely on Will.
Hannibal watched her, highly amused at seeing her so enthralled with the "copycat's" work. He almost found it in himself to hope she would one day put all the pieces together.
"How intimately did he know Garrett Jacob Hobbs? Did he appreciate him from afar, or did he engage and ingratiate himself into Hobbs' life? Did Hobbs know his copycat as he was known?"
He's so inciteful.
"Before Hobbs murdered his wife and attempted to murder his daughter, he received an untraceable phone call; I believe the as of yet unidentified caller was our copycat killer."
A shiver ran down Amelia's spine. She turned to look at Hannibal, who had a very unnerving smile stretching across his lips.
The lights clicked back on, the presentation was at its end. There was a round of applause and the students filed out one after the other. A couple of the young male students stopped in front of where Amelia was seated and gave her predatory looks. They approached her, oozing arrogance and overconfidence.
"Hey, honey; you must be new."
"You can leave," she said in a dismissive tone.
"Aww come on, baby, we're just having a little fun."
"Yeah? Well, fun's over. Now shoo," Will interjected.
They gave her a once over, glared at Will, then left.
"Thank you, Will. Hopefully those two learn to be a little more subtle," she joked.
"My apologies for our trainees trying to put the moves on you, Ms. Hobbs," Jack addressed her.
"Don't worry, agent Crawford, I've dealt with worse. Luckily, Will was here to chase them off."
Hannibal looked at Will like he was an adversary; an obstacle that needed to be out of the picture before he could begin manipulating his other pawns.
"What brings you down here to Quantico, Amelia?," Hannibal asked.
"Oh, well, Will stopped by the apartment to check on me and offered to bring me to his lecture since I was asking about his opinions on Abby's case."
"I see. And did Will's observations give you any closure?"
"For the most part; I'm rather intrigued by this copycat killer, though."
"Really? For what reason?"
"I can't explain it, really… The way he carries out his work is so… so…"
"Refinedly macabre?," Hannibal suggested.
"Yes, that's a good way to put it. He's just so…fascinating."
Hannibal felt his pulse quicken with delight.
This will be even more gratifying than I expected. But will dear Will get in the way?, he questioned as he looked at the way Will kept his eyes on Amelia. That simply won't do.
"Amelia, I can take you home; Will lives twenty minutes the opposite way."
"Oh, I'm so sorry Will; I wouldn't have bothered you if I knew you lived this far away from my apartment."
"That's why I didn't mention it," he muttered.
Amelia knew he didn't mean for her to hear it, but she did; and she was on cloud nine.
"If you're sure I won't be a bother, Hannibal."
"Certainly not, I would adore some company on the drive back."
"Very well, then. Will, I'll see you again soon. Hannibal, we can leave whenever you like."
Hannibal had a barely-there smirk as he placed his hand on her upper and back, guiding her out of Will's classroom. He turned his head back in Will's direction, giving him a wink.
Will felt a tightness in his chest as he watched Hannibal touch Amelia. He felt a stab of jealousy run through him, his demeanor changing from hopeful to bitter.
As Amelia walked with Hannibal, she noticed his hand lingering on her back; she didn't question it.
"Do you help on cases too, Hannibal?"
"I'm called in from time to time to help with investigations. I help Will cope with the intense amount he empathizes with killers."
"Empathizes? With killers?"
"Not 'empathize' in the traditional sense. He can accurately recreate a crime in his imagination and it helps Jack Crawford capture the culprit."
"Oh. That doesn't sound like the most pleasant ability to have."
"It's not. Will suffers for how much help he provides."
Amelia's heart ached for Will. He must be so frustrated and depressed.
They both turned when they heard footsteps quickly approaching them. It was Will.
"Would you like to join me for lunch? I don't mind taking you back home at all," Will offered.
Amelia looked at Hannibal, who had a look of indifference.
"Um… Hannibal, would you mind if…"
"Not at all. Go enjoy yourselves."
"Thank you, Hannibal. I'll see you tomorrow," she beamed at him.
He gave an insincere smile back. His smile fell as he watched her walk away with Will.
If rivalry is what you want Will, then be prepared