Hannibal was quick to respond after receiving a phone call from a panicked Jack Crawford about his daughter. He reported that in the days since the 'incident', Krissy had barely left her room and was refusing to speak to Jack, or anyone else for that matter. Jack had told Hannibal that he was worried she was going to do something stupid, again. With his interest piqued, it wasn't long before Hannibal found himself standing outside Krissy's bedroom door, tentatively tapping at the wooden door with his knuckles. He waited a few seconds and received no reply, causing him to knock a little harder this time.
"Just go away, Dad" Krissy's voice mumbled from inside.
"Your father is not here, Krissy. Please open the door" Hannibal requested, finding his only reply was silence.
Just as Hannibal opened his mouth to protest further, he heard the click of the door unlocking, as his lips twitched into a smile. He quietly opened the door, as the light from the hallway illuminated the dark room, where the curtains had been drawn. It took Hannibal a few moments to spot Krissy, who was sitting on the floor beside her bed, a bottle of vodka in her hands, already half empty. A most unhealthy coping mechanism, Hannibal thought to himself as he closed the door behind himself. Krissy made no attempt to greet him, only placing the bottle to her lips, and taking a swig of the alcohol. Hannibal debated for a moment about opening the curtains but thought against it. The darkness was an environment both of them were used to.
"Jack is concerned for your wellbeing. Is his concern valid?" Hannibal asked, coming to sit on her bed, close to where she was sitting on the floor.
"I just need some space" Krissy stated, resting the bottle against her knee.
"You're feeling trapped?" Hannibal suggested, looking down at the young girl in the dim lighting.
"Everyone expects me to react a certain way right now…I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations again" Krissy admitted.
Hannibal remembered well how the press had analysed every aspect of Krissy's behaviour when the headlines hit, and expected she received the same treatment from everyone she encountered. Hannibal wondered what would be considered normal behaviour after cracking someone's skull open, even if it was in self defence?
"…Do you think I'm a bad person, Hannibal?" Krissy inquired; her voice thick with emotion.
Guilt. A most reasonable emotion to be feeling. If that was truly how Krissy felt, why was she so afraid of being around others after the incident?
"I think people concern themselves too much with good and evil. The line between the two is very thin. There is no black and white, only a mixture of grey" Hannibal explained, as Krissy turned to look up at him.
"You still didn't answer my question" Krissy pointed out.
"You're not a bad person, Krissy. But I do believe you have violent tendencies. Anger and aggression were all you knew for many years, it is only natural that you would still react in such a way" Hannibal went on, as Krissy scoffed.
"So, what you're saying is I'm fucked up" Krissy muttered, resting her head on her knees.
"You are not beyond help. But you must ask for it" Hannibal told her, getting no reply in return.
Hannibal allowed himself to look around the room properly for the first time since he entered. Krissy seemed to live a very minimalistic life, only having one set of drawers and a dresser in the room. Her possessions were just as scarce, seeming to only own what she would consider essentials. He noticed a suitcase in the corner of the room filled with clothes, a picture frame with a photo of Krissy and Jack laid on the top.
"Are you planning on going somewhere?" Hannibal asked, as Krissy's eyes snapped to the case.
"I don't want my dad to be associated with what I did. It was already hard enough on him when he first adopted me" Krissy exclaimed.
"Jack doesn't care about other's opinions. He only cares about you" Hannibal insisted.
"He shouldn't" Krissy sighed.
"It is natural to feel guilt over an incident like this" Hannibal told her, as Krissy mulled over his comment.
"But that's just the thing…I don't. I don't feel guilty about killing her, I…I'd do it again. The only thing I feel guilty for is Chris watching what I did. I know first-hand how that can change someone" Krissy went on, pleasantly surprising Hannibal.
That was why she didn't want to be around her family and friends. She couldn't fake feeling guilty for murdering her attacker. Something which many would consider abnormal considering how violently she had acted.
"Would you like to talk about what happened?" Hannibal suggested.
"I already told the police everything" Krissy replied.
"I think you will find I am a little more understanding than your average officer" Hannibal pointed out.
"…She threw Chris in the pool. He couldn't swim, so I jumped in after him. I thought she would make a run for it but…then I was getting pushed under the water. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even scream. I thought…I thought I was going to die. I tried to fight against her but she was too strong" Krissy explained, scrunching her eyes shut as she felt the water running back into her mouth again.
"Then what happened?" Hannibal pushed.
"I stopped fighting. She must have thought I was dead. I heard her calling over to Chris and I just…I saw red. I just kept hitting her over and over. I couldn't stop" Krissy admitted, as Hannibal ran his tongue over his lips, seeing the images clear as day in his imagination.
"I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes…I feel the water racing into my mouth. I choke on it. All the time" Krissy mumbled, shivering slightly.
"You need to sleep, Krissy. I can prescribe you something" Hannibal offered, as Krissy's forehead wrinkled.
"I don't want to be doped up" Krissy complained, turning to look at him.
"It will only be a temporary course. A small dosage of Lorazepam" Hannibal told her, picking his bag up from the floor, which Krissy hadn't even noticed before.
"I'd really rather not add a case of benzodiazepine withdrawal to my list of problems, Doctor" Krissy insisted.
"As I said, a small dosage. If it would make you feel better you could divide the dose. Two 0.5mg tablets. Then we cut it down to one tablet a day soon after…" Hannibal trailed off, opening his bag and quickly fishing out a bottle.
"You always carry meds in your bag?" Krissy frowned, quirking an eyebrow.
"I planned ahead" Hannibal told her, as she took the bottle from his hands.
Little did Krissy know how true this statement was. Hannibal had indeed planned, transferring 4mg tablets into the bottle, meaning Krissy would be receiving a dose of 8mg a day, far above the recommended amount. His imagination ran wild at the possibilities this could lead to. Among the more common side effects of depression, mood alterations and confusion, on such a high dosage one could hope the more serious effects such as amnesia, hallucinations or even aggression.
"What are you doing here, Hannibal?" Krissy questioned, a moment later.
"Jack asked me to-" Hannibal began, but Krissy cut him off quickly.
"You didn't have to come. I'm not really one of your patients" Krissy stated.
"I have realised perhaps we are not too similar to become friendly. I want to help you, Krissy" Hannibal informed her, moving his hand to place on her shoulder, squeezing gently.
Hannibal kept his hand there, feeling Krissy relax against him, clearly finding the gesture comforting. Krissy was alike Will in many ways, both craving physical touch as they were both often denied such a thing. People expected physical contact would make Will uncomfortable and were simply too afraid to touch Krissy. Hannibal found himself enjoying having this power over the pair, a further act of dominance in the trio's relationship.
Krissy looked down at her plate with wide eyes, feeling her palms sweat a little. She was regretting agreeing to accompany her father and Bella to dinner at Hannibal Lecter's more and more with every passing second. Krissy had to admit she felt better since taking the medication Hannibal had given her, finally being able to sleep. Jack could see this change and insisted that she had to come, that it would have been rude otherwise. Growing up it had been strange enough finding herself in a middle-class household compared to what she was used to. Hannibal, on the other hand, was probably the blueprint of an upperclassman. Krissy was uncomfortably out of her depth; debating on which knife and fork she was supposed to use. Her father didn't seem to have this worry, as he tucked into his dinner as soon as it was placed in front of him, beginning to tell Hannibal about how he and Bella had met. Krissy had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at listening to the story she had probably heard over a hundred times.
"I have no taste for animal cruelty, which is why I employ an ethical butcher" Hannibal announced, after Bella had protested about the meat on her plate.
"An ethical butcher? Be kind to animals and then eat them?" Bella mocked, as Krissy laughed lightly under her breath.
Hannibal didn't miss the way Bella's eyes snapped up to Krissy, obviously not appreciating her reaction. There was a clear tension between the two women that Hannibal had always suspected. Jack, as always, seemed to be completely oblivious too this, far too interested in his food. Rising from his seat, Hannibal went to pour his guests more wine, catching a familiar aroma when he approached Bella.
"Your perfume is exquisite. Similar to the aroma on the earth just after lightning strikes. Is it Dior?" Hannibal asked, as Bella gave him an impressed look.
"That is some nose you have there, Doctor" Bella nodded.
"He really is quite charming, isn't he?" Jack stated, as Hannibal smiled and walked over to refresh his glass.
He next sauntered towards Krissy, leaning down to pour the wine into her glass, that had barely been touched, just as her food. He wondered if she shared the same views as her adoptive mother.
"I first noticed my keen sense of smell when I was a young man. I was aware one of my teachers had stomach cancer even before he was…" Hannibal trailed off, his eyes finding Bella's across the table.
"Wow, that must have been some parlour trick" Jack exclaimed, as Hannibal felt Krissy freeze beside him.
She knew. Of course, she did. He expected it was difficult for anyone to keep a secret from someone like Krissy for long, something which he had to pay heed to. Taking the opportunity of being so close to Krissy, he inhaled deeply. A delightful aroma of roses hit him instantly, as he felt his lips twitch into a smile.
"For our next course, roasted pork shank. And I assure you, Bella, it was an especially supercilious pig" Hannibal grinned, as Bella scoffed under her breath.
"…Krissy, would you help me prepare in the kitchen?" Hannibal requested, as their eyes connected for a moment, a challenge behind them.
Krissy was quick to nod, pushing her chair back and following him silently into the large kitchen. It was as impressive as the rest of Hannibal's home, everything seemed immaculate, almost obsessively so. Hannibal began to take three plates from a nearby cupboard, as Krissy waited for the questions she knew were coming.
"How long have you known?" Hannibal asked, placing oven gloves on to remove the meat from the oven.
"Two months" Krissy replied, knowing there was no point to lying.
"And Jack doesn't know?" Hannibal suggested, watching Krissy nod, before he crouched down and opened the oven.
"Bella doesn't want him to know yet. I figured she deserved some time to figure things out for herself" Krissy informed him, coming to stand beside him.
"It can't be easy. Lying to your father?" Hannibal went on, as he picked up a carving knife and got to work on the meat.
"It's not my secret to tell" Krissy stated, leaning against the counter.
"…Why is it your call Jack your father but Bella simply by her name?" Hannibal inquired, a moment later.
"Her own personal request" Krissy exclaimed, a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Bella is a topic that you have avoided in our talks and I have allowed that. Until now" Hannibal challenged, placing the first piece of meat on a plate.
"This is dinner, not a therapy session, Hannibal" Krissy pointed out.
"You'd be surprised how often the two combines," Hannibal said, an amused smile on his face.
"…Jack was only supposed to be away for two weeks while investigating my brother's case. In the end, he was away for four months. And when he came back he had a traumatised thirteen-year-old girl with him who had been accused of countless murders…Jack didn't exactly give her a choice about taking me in" Krissy explained, as Hannibal listened intently.
"She resented you?" Hannibal questioned.
"She feared me" Krissy mumbled.
"And now?" Hannibal pushed.
"I think she has reluctantly accepted that if she wants to keep Jack in her life, that means she'll have to put up with me too" Krissy shrugged.
"It must have been difficult. Trading the abuse from your own biological mother, to the disdain from your adoptive mother" Hannibal went on, pouring some sauce onto the meat.
"Hard to say. I mean, clearly, I turned out so well" Krissy said sarcastically, as Hannibal's lips twitched into a smile.
"…I don't think she hates me anymore. At least not with the burning passion she used to" Krissy exclaimed.
"I find it very difficult to believe that anyone could hate you, Krissy" Hannibal informed her, watching Krissy shake her head fondly.
"Bella was never given a choice about adopting me. I want to give her a choice now, to decide when to tell my dad. Will you let her?" Krissy asked, as Hannibal mulled this over for a few seconds.
"Of course" Hannibal smiled, as he handed Krissy the first plateful.
"What kind of pig is this?" Krissy inquired, inhaling deeply, finding the aroma strange.
"The slow kind" Hannibal smirked, as Krissy giggled quietly, not realising just how true this was.
"Well, I heard your new case was kind of disturbing, but this is…a lot" Krissy announced, approaching her team, spotting the bodies that were splayed out in the lab, with their backs flayed to give them wings.
"Krissy…hey. Uh, we didn't expect you back so soon" Beverley greeted, awkwardly.
"I'm not back properly. I heard you guys were stumped on the latest case and figured it meant I could get out of my dad's hair for a couple of hours" Krissy shrugged.
"Be my guest" Beverley nodded, handing her the newest file on the case, as Krissy quickly scanned through the documents.
Brian and Jimmy were quiet as they continued their examinations on the body, not knowing what to say to the girl. Krissy could see the sympathetic look Beverley was giving her and while she appreciated the older woman caring, the last thing she wanted was anyone feeling sorry for her. Will watched Krissy silently from the corner, thinking about how the B.A.U was the last place he was expecting to find her. He found himself flashing back to the last time he saw her, tears running down her cheeks, mixed with blood splattered over her face. The mask she wore to hide how she was really feeling was stitched in so tightly, Will wondered if she even felt it anymore.
"He threw up at the crime scene?" Krissy asked, after a few minutes, finding the information strange.
"We thought he might not have been able to stomach what he had done…but Will has a different theory" Beverley exclaimed, ushering to the quiet man.
"He may have been excited. Feeling righteous. He felt he elevated these people" Will theorised, as Krissy nodded.
"People do throw up because of more than psychological reasons though. What about physical? Any medications in his vomit?" Krissy asked.
"Uh, Dexamethasone" Jimmy announced, taking a look at the list.
"That's used for patients with tumours" Brian frowned.
"Kepra..." Jimmy trailed off.
"He's epileptic. Radiation?" Brian asked, as Jimmy scanned the document.
"Gamma four" Jimmy replied, as Brian clicked his fingers.
"Steroids for the inflammation, anticonvulsants for the seizures, radiation for the chemotherapy. Our guy has a brain tumour" Brian informed them, as all eyes turned to Krissy.
"Good old fashion medical evidence strikes again" Krissy stated, as the men smirked.
"He's afraid of dying in his sleep. He's making angels to watch over him" Will realised, in a haunted tone.
"Nice thought" Krissy mumbled under her breath, so quietly that only Will could hear.
"Are you okay?" Will inquired, his eyes darting between hers and the floor.
"Yeah…I'm fine. Uh, I better get going before my dad catches me here" Krissy exclaimed, walking towards the door.
After hearing about how Will had snapped at her father at the newest crime scene of the 'Angel Maker', Krissy was worried. It sounded like Will had become a tightly collided spring and she was concerned with how he might snap. It also felt good to focus on someone else's problems, rather than her own, but that was another matter altogether. It was very early morning as Krissy pulled up to Will's house, jumping out of her car and pulling her coat closer to her body. Her forehead wrinkled as she heard loud barking from inside the house, and something caught her eye from the roof. Krissy gasped as she saw Will standing on the roof, dangerously near to the edge, as he swayed in the strong wind.
"Will? Will!" Krissy cried, but found she got no response.
It was almost as if he couldn't hear her, his eyes were open but no one was home. Krissy quickly sprinted forward, trying to open the front door but found it was locked. Without thinking twice, Krissy removed her coat and used it to shield her hand as she punched through the glass on the door. It took a few goes, but eventually the glass shattered, as she reached through the door to unlock it from the inside. Krissy grimaced as she pulled away and felt some glass cut along her arm, but she didn't stop. She barged through the front door and ran up the stairs, calling out Will's name. She pushed through the throng of dogs by the window on the roof and began to carefully crawl out.
"Will? Will, can you hear me?" She insisted, taking a slow step forward.
Krissy raised her hand out and grabbed onto Will's wrist, as the man jumped at the contact, almost falling forward, where he would have tumbled off the roof. Krissy quickly pulled him backwards, as he almost collided with her. Will blinked a few times, his eyes darting around his surrounding's, his breathing heavy as he realised it was Krissy holding onto him.
"What the hell was that?" Krissy exclaimed, a panicked tone to her voice.
Will gulped loudly, as he looked down at his feet, wanting nothing more than to get off the roof. He was surprised when he felt Krissy's cold hands come up to touch his face, as his eyes snapped to hers. Will watched as her expression softened, and she dropped one hand from his face, but kept the other there, her thumb rubbing slowly against his jaw. A sharp bark from one of the dogs had the pair coming out of whatever trance they had been in, as Krissy pulled away from him.
"You scared the hell out of me, Will. I thought…" Krissy trailed off, as they sat at the kitchen table a few minutes later.
Neither of them needed her to finish that sentence. Even if Will had been only sleepwalking, it was clear that his subconscious had no qualms with leading him into harm's way. Will felt strangely comforted by the worry that was so evident on Krissy's face. Not many people worried about him. The list started with Krissy, found Alana halfway and most likely ended with Hannibal.
"You're bleeding" Will exclaimed, his eyes finding the blood that was running down Krissy's arm.
"Shit…sorry" Krissy mumbled, seeing how the red substance had dripped onto the table.
"You got hurt trying to stop me from jumping off my roof and you're apologising to me?" Will scoffed, as he stood up to grab his first aid kit.
"Sorry?" Krissy shrugged, with an amused smile.
Will pulled his chair up close to Krissy, taking out a piece of gauze and a long line of bandage, which Krissy went to grab. He pushed her hands away, as she gave him a look.
"I'm fully capable of bandaging my own arm, Graham" Krissy stated, as Will's lips twitched into a smile.
"I know…but I want to do it. Let me alleviate a little of my guilt" Will insisted, as Krissy reluctantly gave him her arm.
"Well, when you put it that way" Krissy grinned, as Will placed her hand on his lap, and started to clean the cut.
"What were you doing out here?" Will asked, knowing that his house was a long way from anywhere.
"Dad told me about your argument at the crime scene. I wanted to check up on you. And it's lucky I did!" Krissy exclaimed.
"I haven't been sleeping well" Will sighed, as he placed some gauze on Krissy's wound.
"I'm surprised Doctor Lecter hasn't written you a prescription. He seemed way too eager to write me one" Krissy informed him, as Will started to bandage her wrist.
"He's put you on medication?" Will frowned.
"…I think he was worried I might hurt myself…or somebody else, if he didn't" Krissy admitted, as Will taped the bandage down.
"When instead you got hurt trying to help someone" Will answered, his fingers still touching the underside of her wrist.
"I know. It really is all your fault. Maybe you should kiss it better?" Krissy teased, as Will shook his head fondly.
"I think you'd enjoy that a little too much" Will smiled, as he let go of Krissy's wrist.
"So…how long has this sleepwalking been going on for?" Krissy couldn't help but ask.
"Recent. Very recent. I've thought about zipping myself up in a sleeping bag but that feels too much like a poor man's straitjacket" Will joked, as Krissy gave him a sympathetic look.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Krissy asked, watching Will shake his head.
"Do you want to talk about what happened to you?" Will questioned, as Krissy shook her head this time.
"What I do want to do, is make you breakfast" Krissy announced, pushing herself up from the chair.
"I'm not hungry" Will shrugged, as Krissy gave him a look.
"Not what I'm asking, Will. Let's have a look at what you've…okay, this is gonna' be harder than I thought" Krissy mumbled, opening Will's fridge to find it bare.
"Really, it's fine-" Will started, but Krissy wasn't about to take no for an answer.
"C'mon, we're going out for breakfast" Krissy insisted, as she grabbed her coat.
"I'm still in my pants" Will pointed out.
"I hadn't noticed" Krissy grinned, looking him up and down, clearly being a lie.
"Will you pass me some trousers?" Will asked, an amused smile on his lips.
Walking over to one of the chests of drawers in the other room, she was quick to pull out some black trousers, throwing them his way. Will gave her a questioning look as he realised she knew where to find them.
"Something you should know about me, Will. My observational skills are impeccable…actually they get me in trouble. A lot" Krissy explained as she placed her coat over her shoulders.
"I think that's just you" Will teased, as Krissy giggled lightly.
"C'mon, I can smell some pancakes calling us" Krissy insisted, grabbing Will's hand and almost dragging him out of the house.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Uh-oh, Hannibal's manipulations are going to really start to affect poor Krissy in the following chapters. Will she realise what he's doing before he pulls her under? Let's hope so. And in case no one realised, yes. Hannibal was feeding Krissy and the Crawford's something that wasn't pig. Please leave a review:)
BookwormKW: Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad your enjoying this story as much as I am:)
farrahjohnson21: Haha, I see what you did there! Thanks for reviewing:)