Will was surprised when he noticed a familiar face waiting outside Doctor Lecter's office, a week after the Hobbs' incident. He couldn't understand why Jack Crawford's daughter would be sitting in his psychiatrist's waiting room, as he gave her a distrustful look.
"Please tell me Jack hasn't sent you here to check up on me" Will announced, as Krissy gave him an amused smile.
"Nope. I'm here for my own psych eval" Krissy confessed, pushing herself to her feet.
"You're going into the field too?" Will questioned.
"Much to my dad's disapproval. Honestly, I think the reason he's so desperate to get you back in the field, is so he can have an excuse to say no to me" Krissy explained.
"I've been rubber-stamped so…maybe you'll get that wish" Will informed her, avoiding her eyes as usual.
"Maybe" She shrugged, as Hannibal's door opened.
"Ms Crawford, please come in" Hannibal exclaimed, holding his hand out.
"Wish me luck" Krissy grinned at Will, who gave her a small smile and a nod in return.
Hannibal watched this interaction, as he stepped out of the doorway to let Krissy in. He had planned their appointments so the two would bump into each other, interested to see how they would interact.
"Are we going to get straight into this or starting with all the ice breaker stuff?" Krissy asked, taking her seat quickly.
"You have had therapy before?" Hannibal inquired, taking his seat opposite her.
"Lots…but not for a while" Krissy replied, fidgeting with her hands.
"I'm sensing you don't want to be here" Hannibal stated.
"I want to go into the field, so this is a necessary evil" She shrugged.
They had soon ticked and checked off everything they needed to for her to pass her psych eval, but she still had to have regular therapy sessions with him for the next few months. Plenty of time to see if he was right about her, Hannibal thought to himself.
"How have you been coping since Mrs Hobbs died in your arms?" Hannibal questioned, as Krissy scoffed.
"You make it sound like I killed her" She pointed out, leaning back on the chair.
"It would be normal to feel guilty for not being able to save her life" Hannibal went on.
"I did everything I could" Krissy stated.
"Your sister died in your arms in a similar way when you were twelve years old…has it resurfaced any of those old memories?" Hannibal suggested.
"No" She lied, not meeting his eyes.
"You seemed to zone out for a moment in the Hobbs's kitchen" Hannibal accused, deciding to push the matter further.
"It was only for a moment. And I've been fine since" Krissy told him.
"Do you feel guilty?" Hannibal asked, trying to figure out if the girl in front of him was capable of feeling such an emotion.
"I did everything I could" Krissy repeated what she had said earlier.
"You seem very closed off about your past" Hannibal theorised.
"My past? It's not exactly over" Krissy retorted, with a scoff.
"Your brother is still on the run. Are you afraid he will come for you?" Hannibal questioned.
"No…I'm afraid he won't stop killing…" Krissy confessed, looking down at her feet.
"Is this why you want to go into the field? You want to save as many lives as your brother takes?" Hannibal realised.
"Whatever you say, Doctor" She shrugged, with a sad smile.
Krissy slowly walked down the hall towards the firing range, hearing a round of bullets hitting a target. She was careful as she approached Will, not wanting to spook the man, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights half the time. Krissy looked at the board he had been firing at and saw that while the shots weren't perfect, they weren't a beginner's score. Her dad had sent her to go get him, but Krissy couldn't help but let her curiosity get the better of her.
"You've used a gun before?" She suggested, as Will turned around when he recognised her voice.
"I was a cop…a while back. I'm out of practice" He answered, as Krissy let her eyes sweep over his body.
"Your too tense" Krissy pointed out, taking a step towards him.
"Tense sums up most of my personality" Will muttered, turning back to the shooting range.
"Oh, so you do have a sense of humour?" Krissy grinned, as she came to stand behind him.
"I was being serious" Will replied.
"Still funny…do you mind…?" Krissy questioned, holding her hand out, clearly requesting to touch him.
After mulling it over, Will gave her a quick nod, gripping his gun a little tighter as her small hand touched his shoulder. He was surprised when she began to practically give him a massage, her thumb loosening up the knots behind his shoulder.
"If you don't loosen up more, that recoil is really going to sting" Krissy informed him, continuing her ministrations.
"You know how to handle a gun?" Will questioned, trying not to think about the feeling of her breath against his neck.
"I'm Jack Crawford's daughter, remember?" Krissy smirked, pulling her hand away slowly.
"You and Jack seem to have very different opinions on certain subjects" Will blurted out, as he moved to place his ear protectors back in place.
"Certain subjects like you?" Krissy questioned, placing her own ear protectors back on.
"Amongst other things" Will exclaimed, raising his gun to take his next shot.
He was pleasantly surprised to see he had fared better this time, as all the bullets reached their target. It seemed as though Krissy had been right, Will thought to himself.
"Do you think your ready to go back in the field?" Krissy inquired, as Will's eyes snapped up to hers for just a moment, as they both removed their ear protectors.
"Everyone else seems to think I am" Will replied, realising that no one else but her had asked his own opinion on the matter.
"Like Doctor Lecter?...What do you think of him?" Krissy couldn't help but ask.
"He seems to have respect for me. That's something rare that I can appreciate" Will explained, as Krissy mulled over his words.
"My dad asked me to bring you in for our newest case" Krissy informed him, a moment later.
"Our?" Will frowned, as Krissy turned on her heel.
"Oh, he didn't tell you? Me and you are gonna' be partners, Will" Krissy grinned, not needing to turn around to know the older man was staring at her in shock.
Krissy watched with interest as Will seemed to disappear into one of the scenes in his mind, walking over to one of the bodies and creating a strange movement with his hands. Krissy realised with a sickening feeling that he was acting out shovelling dirt onto the body. Not many crime scenes could make her feel queasy, but this one was succeeding. The bodies had been used as a garden. A mushroom garden to be exact. They were nothing more than fertiliser to the killer, that was clear to see. How could anyone have such a disregard for human life, Krissy asked herself. Her attention was brought back to Will as he seemed to come out of his trance, with an almost seizure like action. It seemed like he had seen something in his head that spooked him. Going against her better judgement, she cautiously approached the bearded man, crouching down on the opposite of the body, trying to ignore the stench that wafted from the corpse.
"You okay?" Krissy inquired, as Will's eyes snapped up to hers for just a moment.
However, before Will could even reply a hand shot up and grabbed his arm, as Krissy's mouth dropped open in horror. The corpse wasn't a corpse.
"Shit...I need a med kit!" Krissy cried in a panic, moving to the head of the body.
Will crawled away from the deformed victim who was gasping for air, as Krissy tilted their chin back to make sure their airway wasn't obstructed. Or at least whatever was left of their airway.
"It's okay, you're gonna' be okay" Krissy told them, making sure she was in the vision of the victim.
"Oh God…" Beverley gaped, as she rushed over to them, quickly followed by Jack.
"I need some oxygen. Right now!" Krissy insisted, as Beverley took off, hearing the commanding tone in Krissy's voice.
"Hey, no, no…stay with me! Stay awake!" Krissy exclaimed, as the victim's hand stopped moving, becoming sickeningly still.
Krissy tried to feel for a pulse but the person's skin seemed to almost disintegrate underneath her fingers. Moving her position, she laced her fingers together and began to perform CPR desperately. Krissy almost gagged as she felt their chest was more soil than flesh at that point, the mushrooms squelching underneath her hand. After pumping the person's heart thirty times, she was about to move to perform rescue breaths, when she realised there was little left of their mouth.
"Krissy-" Jack began, as Krissy cut him off quickly.
"No! I can bring them back. I can do this!" Krissy retorted, continuing to pump their chest.
"They're already gone," Jack told her, moving to Krissy's side.
"I have to try…I have to…" Krissy shook her head.
After five minutes the burning in her arms were becoming unbearable, as her breath came out in short gasps. Jack placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder, as she finally stilled her movements. She looked up at the victim's motionless face, their eyes still open, and felt bile creeping up her throat. Krissy quickly pushed herself to her feet, shrugging Jack's hand away as she rushed away from the scene. She kept going, completely ignoring the calls for her to come back. She needed to get away.
Krissy wasn't sure how she ended up outside Hannibal Lecter's door a couple of hours later, pacing the wooden floorboards as she debated whether to knock. It seemed like she had caused a loud enough commotion as the door swung open not long after she arrived, as Hannibal tilted his head at her appearance. She looked like she was either close to tears or about to vomit, as she held her hands out in front of her, a mixture of what looked dirt and blood covering her pale skin. Instead of being horrified as she expected most would react, he seemed mildly intrigued.
"Come in" Hannibal offered, stepping out of the doorway, as Krissy rushed through.
"Can…can I wash my hands?" Krissy questioned, making Hannibal nod.
"Of course. Please, take a seat" Hannibal told her, as he disappeared behind a door a few moments later.
Krissy did as she was told, her leg bobbing up and down nervously as she waited for him to return. She couldn't just go home. Bella would ask questions, and her father would look at her with his usual concerned stare. She would have to return eventually but—
"Here…" Hannibal trailed off, placing a bowl of warm soapy water and a flannel in Krissy's vision, not missing how she flinched at the action.
"Thanks" Krissy replied, bluntly, placing the bowl on her lap and quickly getting to work scrubbing her hands.
Hannibal moved to his chair opposite her, wondering why she had come to him. He hadn't believed they had built a rapport yet.
"…I, uh…I'm sorry to barge in on you like this. Are you…busy?" Krissy mumbled, seeming completely different from the confident way she had acted last time she was in his chair.
"No…you seem very distressed" Hannibal pointed out, as Krissy continued rubbing at her hands.
"I came from a crime scene" Krissy confessed.
"I'm guessing you got closer than you expected?" Hannibal stated, gesturing to her dirty hands.
"There was a body…but, uh…it wasn't a body. They were still alive…they didn't make it…" Krissy trailed off, picking at the dirt underneath her fingernails.
"You tried to save them?" Hannibal inquired, as Krissy nodded.
"Whoever did…that to them, they used them as a garden. A mushroom garden. It was…it was horrible" Krissy muttered, almost choking up on her words.
"It does sound upsetting" Hannibal agreed, picking up a hand towel from nearby and approaching her.
"I should have realised they were still alive" Krissy shook her head, placing the bowl on the floor and taking the towel.
"You had been called to a murder scene, there was no reason for you to be looking for vital signs. That's not your job…anymore-" Hannibal began, as Krissy cut him off with a scoff.
"You've been talking to my dad, haven't you?" Krissy realised, running a hand through her hair.
"He has revealed certain details about your temporary unemployment" Hannibal nodded, as Krissy's jaw tensed.
"I'm not here to talk about that" Krissy insisted, through gritted teeth.
"It is natural to feel guilty after an experience like this" Hannibal informed her, changing the subject.
"It's the second time someone's died in my arms in the past few weeks" Krissy sighed, leaning back on the chair.
"None of which has been due to your own actions" Hannibal exclaimed.
"I don't think I'm ready to be in the field" Krissy suggested, her eyes snapping up to her therapist's.
"I must disagree…I believe you may be stronger than you realise, Krissy" Hannibal went on, as she looked away from his intense gaze.
"I can still feel…their body under my hands" Krissy murmured, turning a worryingly green colour.
"Then you must find a new sensation to distract you" Hannibal offered.
"…Well, right now I wouldn't mind having this killer's neck underneath my hands" Krissy muttered, darkly, peaking Hannibal's interest.
A sharp knock on Hannibal's office door made Krissy jump, as both their heads snapped over to see who was on the other side. Krissy stood up quickly, taking a deep breath as Hannibal walked over to the door. He looked over to her as his hand touched the door knob, as if to ask her permission to open it. She gave him a grateful nod, as the door revealed someone she hadn't expected.
"…I, uh…I didn't realise you had…" Will trailed off, as he realised it was Krissy standing in Hannibal's office.
"Perhaps we can reschedule our appointment, Will?" Hannibal suggested, as Krissy rushed forward to step through the doorway.
"It's fine. Honestly. I was just going anyway" Krissy announced, embarrassment making her cheeks redden.
"Please, I insist…" Will trailed off, reaching out to grab her hand before she could leave the room.
Krissy looked down at their linked hands, as Will's rough fingertips brushed against her palm, the heat from his hand causing a pleasant feeling to well in her chest. Hannibal watched with interest as Krissy's eyes snapped up to Will's, who surprisingly held her gaze for a few moments.
"Thank you, Dr Lecter" Krissy exclaimed, pulling her eyes from Will, as Hannibal gave her a polite nod.
"Bye, Will" Krissy offered, with a small smile, before turning on her heel.
"Goodbye" Will called after her, watching as Krissy rubbed her palms together.
Hannibal's lips twitched into a smile as he realised Krissy seemed to have taken his advice to find a new sensation to focus on. Will's hand against her own seemed to suffice well enough.
Later that day, Krissy had managed to avoid her father at the B.A.U, making a beeline for where she knew the bodies would be kept. She got a lot of strange looks as she entered the room, as everyone noticed her clothes had changed, her hair still damp from the shower she had taken.
"Alright, listen up everyone. Yes, I had a freak out at a crime scene. No, I don't want to talk about it. So, let's just get on and do our jobs?" Krissy announced, as the group exchanged looks.
"Sounds good to me" Beverley nodded, as Krissy gave her a grateful smile.
"So, what did these people die of? Suffocation?" Krissy suggested, as Brian spoke up.
"Nope. They all died of kidney failure" Brian replied, making Krissy frown.
"Dextrose in all the catheters. He probably used some kind of dialysis or peristaltic to pump fluids after their circulatory systems broke down" Beverley explained, as a theory came together in Krissy's mind.
"Force-feeding them sugar water?" Will muttered, sharing a similar expression to Krissy's.
"You know who loves sugar water? Mushrooms" Jimmy informed them, gesturing to the bodies.
"And you know who doesn't love sugar water?" Krissy exclaimed, as they all turned to her.
"Diabetics" Krissy pointed out, as Beverley's eyes widened.
"Death by diabetic ketoacidosis" Will nodded, with an impressed expression.
"Did you know they were diabetics?" Beverley inquired, looking to both Brian and Jimmy.
"We don't know they were diabetics" Brian scoffed, crossing his arms defensively.
"They're all diabetics" Krissy and Will insisted, at the same time, clearly amusing Beverley.
"Woah…is that a thing you two do now?" Beverley smirked, as Will chose to ignore her.
"He induces a coma and puts them in the ground" Will went on.
"How is he inducing diabetic comas?" Beverley frowned.
"Changes their medication. So, he's a doctor or a pharmacist-" Will started, as Jimmy cut him off.
"Or a nurse" Jimmy pointed out, as Krissy turned to glare at him.
"He buries them, feeds them sugar to keep them alive long enough for the circulatory systems to soak it up" Beverley added.
"So he can feed the mushrooms!" Jimmy realised.
"We dug up his mushroom garden" Brian gulped, nervously.
"Yeah, he's gonna want to grow a new one" Will mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.
"…The killer will be a pharmacist" Krissy suggested, confusing the group.
"They'll be the ones dispensing the medication unlike a doctor and, I mean c'mon, did you see the cannulas on those bodies? A toddler could do a better job…even a doctor" Krissy explained, as Will mulled over her words.
"…You want to put some money on this bet?" Beverley suggested, as Krissy gave her an amused look.
The smile quickly faded from her face when she saw a familiar figure walking up behind Beverley, his forehead wrinkled and his jaw tense. Jack didn't look happy.
"Oh…hey dad" Krissy mumbled, giving him a small wave.
"That still sounds weird to me" Jimmy mumbled, under his breath.
"Where the hell have you been?" Jack questioned, coming to stand in front of Krissy.
"I went for a walk" Krissy shrugged, as Jack gave an exasperated sigh.
"For four hours?" Jack inquired, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Don't have a go at me just because you need to get in some more cardio" Krissy teased, punching his arm lightly, as Jack gave her an unimpressed look.
"…Not the time. Duly noted" Krissy nodded, a moment later.
"You ran out of a crime scene" Jack pointed out, as Krissy looked down at her feet.
"Krissy may have just narrowed down who our killer is" Will spoke up, as Jack raised an eyebrow at the usually quiet man.
"Of course, she did…what do we know?" Jack sighed, as Krissy gave Will a small smile.
Krissy's feet seemed to have a mind of their own as she found herself approaching Abigail Hobbs's hospital room, surprised to see there was no security protecting her. However, Abigail did seem to have gained her own personal bodyguard. Krissy's lips twitched into a smile as she saw Will laid out on the couch opposite Abigail's bed, his head resting on the arm of the couch, with his jacket underneath. He seemed to be shivering slightly, causing Krissy to quietly grab a nearby blanket and place it over his shoulder's. Will looked peaceful as he slept, an expression that was rare to see when he was awake. Krissy caught herself staring at him and quickly turned her attention back to Abigail. Unlike both Hannibal and Will, Krissy didn't feel the same protective urge they clearly did over the comatose girl. Krissy tried to mull over the reason, perhaps it was because Abigail was only two years younger than she was…or maybe it was because Krissy didn't trust the girl. She couldn't believe that Abigail knew nothing of her father's crimes. Krissy had certainly been aware of what her brother did.
"Abigail…" Krissy trailed off, in a hushed whisper, not even sure what she had come to say.
She crouched down, kneeling beside Abigail's bed, and leant forward to whisper in her ear, the words flowing out before she could stop them.
"Krissy?" A voice called out, making Krissy jump and pull away.
Will was looking up at her from where he was lying on the couch, his forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"I was already in the hospital, so I thought I'd come to see how she was doing" Krissy announced, walking over to lean against the foot of Abigail's bed.
"Are you okay?" Will questioned, thinking that she may have been hurt.
"…Oh. No, I'm fine. I was…I went to the morgue to see the body. The guy from the crime scene" Krissy mumbled, looking down at her feet.
Will's frown deepened at this confession, wondering why she seemed so affected by not being able to save the victim. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, stretching his stiff neck as he did so.
"Did it help?" Will inquired, looking up at her for a moment.
"Not really…does coming here to see her help?" Krissy replied, as Will mulled over her a comment.
"Not really" He repeated, with a sad smile.
"Hey, uh…thanks for standing up for me today. I think my dad was about to attempt at grounding me if you hadn't stepped in" Krissy joked.
"I just told him the truth" Will shrugged.
"I hear we found out our killer's name" Krissy exclaimed, as Will trailed a hand over his face.
"And we might have caught him if he hadn't seen that news article" Will murmured, in a dark tone.
"At least this Freddie Lounds got a good picture of you…very striking, even a little mysterious" Krissy teased, as she pushed off from the bed to come and sit beside Will on the couch.
"Shame about the part where she called me a psychopath then" Will scoffed, with an amused smile.
"Well, I've heard some girls are into that" Krissy smirked, turning to him.
"Uh, what time is it?" Will inquired, rubbing at his eyes.
"Almost half eight. In the morning. Have you been here all night?" Krissy asked as Will nodded.
"Go get yourself a coffee. Stretch your legs…whatever. I'll take the next watch" Krissy offered, making Will frown.
"You don't need to-" Will began, but Krissy shook her head and all but pushed him to his feet.
"I can handle a little babysitting, Will" Krissy informed him, as the pair shared a smile.
Just as Will was about to walk out of the room, he stopped and turned around, a question on his lips.
"What were you whispering to her?" Will inquired, remembering how she had been saying something to Abigail before he woke.
"Girl stuff" Krissy shrugged.
This seemed to equally confuse Will and make him not want to ask any further questions, as he nodded and walked out of the room. Krissy turned back to the comatose girl and wondered if she had heard her. Krissy wasn't sure if her words would make Abigail want to wake up.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! So, I've got my motivation back for this story, sorry it took so long for Chapter 2. Remember to go stream Hannibal where ever you can and help us get the show renewed for Season 4! Please leave a review:)
farrahjohnson21: Aw, thank you! I was surprised that no one else has come up with a story with Jack's daughter yet. I hope you liked this chapter:)
starrat: Thank you:) Sorry it took so long for the update!