Krissy wasn't sure how she ended up in her en suite bathroom. One moment, Daniel Holden's corpse had been by her feet, staining the carpet below and the next she was leaning against her bathroom door. Hannibal was on the other side of the room, sitting on the edge of her bathtub which was slowly filling with water. The blood had begun to dry on her hands and arms, the red substance a stark contrast to her pale skin. There was no escaping what she had done. Krissy let out a stuttering breath before she slowly slid down the door, feeling tears welling behind her eyes. She fell to the floor with a thud, as Hannibal whipped around at the noise, his forehead wrinkling. She brought her knees up to her chest, leaning down to hide her face as the tears began to flow. She had killed someone. And now she was back at square one, with no way out. She was going to die in the house, she was sure of that now. Maybe she deserved it. She heard a creaking sound from nearby and could sense Hannibal had sat down beside her. Krissy tried to stop her snivelling, but her erratic breathing would tell Hannibal she was crying even if he couldn't see her face.
"You should not berate yourself for your strength" Hannibal's soft voice exclaimed, close to her ear.
"That wasn't strength…that was murder" Krissy retorted, turning to face him.
"Some would argue self-defence" Hannibal murmured.
"…But we know differently, don't we?" Krissy pointed out, as Hannibal reached out to place his palm over her hand.
"Come. We should clean you up" Hannibal insisted, giving her hand a small tug as he pushed himself to his feet.
Krissy attempted to stand on her shaky legs, but it was clear she wouldn't be able to make it across the room. Hannibal placed his arm around her waist quickly, guiding her towards the tub, which was half full of soapy water, the soft smell of lavender steaming from it. Hannibal carefully helped her to sit on the edge as he turned the tap off.
"Do you require any further assistance?" Hannibal asked, receiving a sharp shake of Krissy's head.
"Very well. I will return shortly" Hannibal exclaimed, before turning on his heel to exit the room, leaving the door ajar.
Krissy stripped off in a haze, grimacing as her blood-soaked shirt stuck to her skin. Her entire body was splattered with the killer's blood, a constant reminder of what she had done. She was quick to enter the hot bathwater and began scrubbing at her arms. By the time she was finished, her skin was red raw, and the colour of the water had turned a disturbing pink colour. Krissy could feel she was on the verge of a panic attack as she tried to clean her cuticles, but no matter how hard she tried, flecks of blood seemed to remain. She leaned back against the back of the tub, almost completely immersing herself in the water and closed her eyes. But all she saw was Daniel Holden's cold eyes staring back at her, his throat cut open and spewing over her hands. It was a sight she didn't think she'd ever be able to forget. But she didn't feel anywhere near as guilty as she should have. A creaking sound from the doorway had her eyes shooting up, a startled sound leaving her lips as she saw Hannibal standing there, a large towel in his hands.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Krissy cried, pushing herself farther into the tub, covering her chest with her arms despite the fact her body was hidden by the soapy water.
"I thought you might be in need of a towel" Hannibal stated, taking a step into the bathroom.
"Checking I hadn't drowned myself?" Krissy scoffed, as Hannibal quirked an eyebrow.
"The thought had crossed my mind" Hannibal replied, walking across the room to place the towel on the rail a metre away from the tub.
Krissy flinched when she felt Hannibal's fingers touching her damp hair a moment later, as she twisted around to stare at him with wide eyes. Was this it? Was he finally going to put her out of her misery?
"Your hair still needs to be washed. If you would allow me…?" Hannibal trailed off, brushing his fingers down a strand of her brunette hair.
"I'm not an invalid, Doctor Lecter" Krissy snapped, wanting to pull away, but she realised she had nowhere to go without leaving herself in a far more vulnerable position.
"Far from it. You continuously show what a capable young woman you are" Hannibal chuckled, with a flash of his white teeth.
"And if I refuse?" She pushed, her eyes still watching the older man with suspicion.
"Then I must insist you dry yourself off and return to your bedroom. I don't believe it would be wise to leave you unsupervised for long" Hannibal explained, as Krissy grit her teeth.
His message was clear. If she wanted the blood washed out of her hair, she would have to allow Hannibal to perform the task. The mere thought of having the killer's blood remain on her was enough to have her turning her back to Hannibal, who she just knew would be smiling smugly.
"Just make it quick" Krissy muttered, forcing herself to lean back against the tub, her shoulders rigid with tension.
"You should know by now that I make sure to savour every part of my life" Hannibal answered.
Krissy clenched her jaw but made no further comment, hearing a clinking sound from behind her, guessing Hannibal was untangling the showerhead. Her heart sped up a little as Hannibal suddenly reached down to touch her wrist, flipping her arm over to spray the water from the showerhead against her skin.
"How is the temperature?" Hannibal inquired, his lips sounding far closer to her ear than she appreciated.
"It's fine" Krissy retorted, wrenching her wrist free from his grasp.
Without another word, Hannibal moved the cascading water over her scalp, making sure to soak the hair from root to end. Krissy felt on edge with every pull of her hair, but Hannibal stayed surprisingly gentle, only a whisper of a touch. He was soon finished wetting her hair, and turned the showerhead off, reaching out for a bottle of shampoo. He always bought the same expensive brand that Krissy had never heard of before, the scent of roses quickly engrossing the bathroom. The moment his dept fingers began to push their way through her thick hair, Krissy went rigid. Her left hand sprung up to grip the side of the tub, wanting nothing more than to push the cannibal away from her. But she relented. She scrunched her eyes shut and tried to shut out the feeling of Hannibal's hands brushing through her hair. Hannibal did as he promised and took his sweet time, not seeming to care as water and shampoo alike slowly drenched his shirt, despite having rolled his sleeves up. Wanting to get to the hair at the nape of her neck, Hannibal moved one of his hands to her shoulder, feeling how stiff her muscles were. When considering fight or flight, Krissy always seemed to choose former, Hannibal mused. He pushed lightly against her shoulder as she got the hint and leant forward, allowing him better access. Krissy inhaled deeply when she felt his fingernails scrape the nape of her neck, causing goosebumps to rise up over her skin. Minutes passed by as he watched as her fingers that had been gripping onto the tub splayed out, the tension starting to seep out of her. Hannibal continued running his hands through her hair until he had created a lather, but still, he didn't stop, now practically massaging her aching temple. His fingers were like a paintbrush, and she was the canvas, Krissy just wasn't sure what he was trying to create. At a leisurely pace, Hannibal swept his hand down the back of her neck, coming to rest both his hands on her shoulders, silky from the shampoo stuck to his digits. He began to knead the skin there, his thumb helping to relieve a particularly tense knot above her shoulder blade. Krissy let out a shaky breath as he moved one of his hands forward, his fingers brushing against her throat, applying some pressure.
"What does that feel like?" Hannibal whispered against her ear, his accent thick.
Krissy's eyes snapped open immediately, thrown from the trance she had been in, only to find Hannibal's hands no longer on her. Krissy's eyes flickered behind her back to see Hannibal already picking up to showerhead and wondered if she was once again imagining things. She couldn't think of anything more dangerous than having Hannibal Lecter loose in your head. She looked down to find a red mark slowly fading on her neck, not far from her collar bone, and felt the tension returning to her body.
"You let that man escape, didn't you? You wanted to see what I would do, you were—" Krissy rambled, but Hannibal cut her off.
"Curious?" Hannibal suggested.
"No. It's more than that. You wanted me to…to choose you" Krissy realised, her forehead wrinkling at the idea.
"And you did" Hannibal exclaimed, his hand coming to the nape of her neck to tilt her head back as he started to wash the shampoo from her hair.
"Better the devil you know" Krissy and Hannibal spoke at the same time, the act sending a shiver down her spine.
Did Hannibal say it because he knew that's what she was thinking…or was it the other way round? Hannibal was in her head and Krissy knew no amount of scrubbing would ever be enough to get her clean.
"Why are you doing this?" Krissy questioned.
"You seemed to require assistance with—" Hannibal started, but she cut him off quickly.
"All of this. Kidnapping me, trying to…to mould me into what you want. Is it all just a sick game to you?" Krissy goaded, earning no response from the older man, who seemed to become very focused on rinsing her hair all of a sudden.
He was finished sooner than she expected, pulling the showerhead away a few seconds later, as she leaned back against the back of the tub, her eyes connecting with his hazel ones.
"Or were you just that lonely?" Krissy went on.
It may have only been from the awkward angle she was facing him, but for a split second, she could swear his person suit fell away. A look of vulnerability replaced it, his eyes almost appearing human. Was there really a man behind all that monstrosity?
"Speaking from experience?" Hannibal mused as Krissy looked away from him, the veil now back in place.
"…I don't want to do this anymore, Hannibal. I'm tired of fighting" Krissy admitted, almost a full minute later, her voice barely above a whisper.
Of fighting you.
Her unspoken words were clear to the man in question, a rare hopeful expression growing on his face, unseen by Krissy. She didn't flinch this time when she felt him touch her shoulder, his palm warm against her cooling skin.
"Then don't" Hannibal responded, simply.
His hand was gone a moment later, as she heard him push himself to his feet and wander towards the open doorway without another word. Krissy's lips were moving before she could stop herself, an idea forming in her head, one she felt she could live to regret.
"How about making a deal with the devil?" Krissy announced, watching as Hannibal came to an immediate halt, his back still turned to her.
"A dangerous bargain" Hannibal pointed out.
"If you stop killing…I'll stop fighting" Krissy offered, as Hannibal slowly turned to her, his head tilted.
"…And as for my culinary activities?" Hannibal inquired.
"I'm sure you've got stock. Eat what you've got left" Krissy replied, as Hannibal pursed his lips.
"This deal feels rather one-sided" Hannibal exclaimed.
"I didn't realise you were such a slave to your desires" Krissy scoffed, watching as Hannibal's lips twitched into an amused smirk.
"Will you begin to eat what I cook for you?" Hannibal insisted.
"As long as it's not got the next-door neighbour in it" Krissy challenged, as Hannibal quirked an eyebrow.
"How would you know the difference?" Hannibal went on, looking far too pleased with himself.
"I suppose I'll just have to trust you, won't I?" Krissy grimaced, as Hannibal's smile grew.
"I must see to Abigail. I will readily await your presence at dinner" Hannibal told her, before turning on his heel and gliding across the floor.
Krissy leaned back against the tub as soon as he was gone, feeling some of the tension finally leaving her after the stressful encounter. Considering she just had a serial killer practically wrapping their hands around her neck, she didn't feel as terrified as she knew she should have. In fact, there were certain ways she definitely shouldn't have been feeling.
"You always did like the long game, didn't you, Krissy?" Her brother's voice broke through her thoughts.
"You don't approve?" Krissy replied, despite knowing she was only talking to thin air.
"Giving yourself over to a cannibal? What could go wrong?" Ken's amused voice stated.
Ten months.
Krissy's mouth was slightly agape, as she traced the date on the newspaper in front of her. How had it been so long since she had become Hannibal's permanent 'house guest'? Hell, a baby would have grown to full term in its mother stomach with the amount of time she had been captive. Maybe that's what was happening to her…she was being reborn. In Hannibal's image. Krissy found she was forgetting things more and more with every passing day. The sound of her father's laugh, the shade of blue Will's eyes were, even the sea breeze. Everything was being replaced. Hannibal had so far kept his promise, and so had she. There had been no further escape attempts on her part. She was forcing herself to be compliant. And the worse part was it becoming easier. Natural even. Hannibal was slivering through her defences; she could feel it. He knew exactly which buttons to press. A soft nudge to her thigh, had Krissy's eyes flickering down, a smile growing on her face when she saw large eyes staring up at her.
"At least I can always count on you, right Winston?" Krissy grinned, reaching down to pet the dog by her feet.
She had been somewhat surprised when Hannibal had informed her he visited Will's home regularly. Whenever a sense of nostalgia urged him to do so, and on one of those trips, he found Winston whining outside the door. In an even more shocking turn on events, he had brought the dog back to Krissy. Alana had taken Will's dogs in after his incarceration, and by the sounds of it, Winston had ended up spending just as much time outside Will's house, as he had in his new 'home'. Alana was devastated that she had lost Will's pet, but Hannibal had, of course, been there to comfort her. Krissy knew deep down, Hannibal had not taken in the dog out of the goodness of his heart, but more as a way of keeping her in line. There had been a clear change in her behaviour the moment Winston arrived. Hannibal would not think twice about punishing the dog for something Krissy did, and they both knew this. Krissy might not have been able to protect Will, but she was damn well not going to let anything happen to his dog.
"C'mon, boy. Let's go annoy Abigail" Krissy grinned, jumping off from the couch, as Winston followed close by, letting out an excited bark.
Krissy wasted no time in knocking incessantly on Abigail's door, not stopping when the girl stated the door was open from inside. Krissy giggled as Winston jumped up to begin tapping on the door with his own paws, panting loudly. They heard an irritated cry from inside and suddenly Abigail was ripping the door open, a murderous look on her face.
"Sorry, did you say something, Abi?" Krissy teased, as walked past Abigail into the room.
"What do you want?" Abigail questioned, placing a hand on her hip, as Krissy walked over to the girl's desk.
"Just came to see what you were up to…oh my god, please tell me you're not doing the freaking crossword. You're twenty! When did you become so middle-aged?" Krissy complained, holding up to the newspaper Abigail had been writing on.
"And when did you become such a child?" Abigail complained, trying to grab the paper from her, but Krissy held it high above her head.
"Ooo, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, huh?" Krissy scoffed, waving the newspaper around.
"You really want to talk to me about sleeping habits?" Abigail challenged, as Krissy's eyes narrowed.
Abigail appeared far too pleased, knowing she had gotten a rise out of Krissy. The former wondered just how much Abigail knew about her 'sleeping habits' or whether she was simply bullshitting. It was difficult to tell with someone like Abigail. With a huff, Krissy threw the newspaper towards the bed, her good mood quickly seeping away. Winston rushed over to the newspaper, starting to immediately chew at the pages as Abigail ushered him away.
"Your dog's shedding all over my room again" Abigail stated, making Krissy roll her eyes.
"It's alright, Winston. She's just jealous because you're the second favourite in the house now" Krissy exclaimed, wrapping her arm around the dog to pull him away.
"Can you just leave already?" Abigail insisted as Krissy held her hands up in mock defence.
She made her way towards the door, with Winston padding right beside her, and made sure she let Abigail's door half ajar, an amused smile on her face. She could hear Abigail's exasperated groan a few seconds later before the door was slammed shut.
"You hungry, boy?" Krissy asked, as the dog gave two excited barks.
"I'll take that as a yes" Krissy giggled, making her way towards the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, Krissy was lounging on one of Hannibal's leather couches, her sock-clad feet laid out in front of her. Hannibal gave her many allowances, but being barefoot on his couch? His prissy sensibilities wouldn't stand for that. She made quick work of cutting a slice of apple, using a small knife she had found in the kitchen. She brought the blade to her lips, using her teeth to pull the apple away from the knife and began to chew. She found herself eating a lot of fruit and vegetables. They were the only things that didn't result in her stomach churning. It was far too easy to worry about what could be in the other items of food Hannibal gave her. Winston soon came padding back into the room, having eaten all the food from his own bowl. He never strayed from her side for long. Krissy didn't think anyone had ever been so loyal to her.
"You know, when you stare at me like that, you almost look like him" Krissy mumbled, watching the dog tilt his head.
Krissy's mind turned to Will, as it did most days. She wondered what he was doing at that very moment. They were both captives, kept down by Hannibal. She wondered what Will would have done if their roles had been reversed? Sometimes Krissy longed to be locked in jail with him, but other times…
"You kind of smell like him too" Krissy smiled, as Winston jumped up to place his paws on her leg, licking at her arm.
"Or perhaps Will smelt like the dog" Hannibal's voice drifted through the room, making Krissy's head snap up.
"It's easy for people to blur, I suppose" Krissy murmured, as Hannibal removed his suit-jacket, placing it on the back of one of his dining room chairs.
"Yes, it is" Hannibal nodded.
He made his way towards the couch, as Krissy brought her knees up to her chest to give him room to sit down. She was sure if it was anyone else, Hannibal would have scolded them for such an act. It wasn't exactly polite to have one's feet on the furniture, but she supposed Hannibal relented due to being allowed in such proximity to her. If there was one thing the last ten months had taught her, was her accusation had been correct. Hannibal was lonely. In a way, they both were. Even Krissy was surprised when Hannibal suddenly reached out to touch her shin, giving a gentle tug before pulling her legs onto his lap. His hand laid on her right leg, just underneath the hem of her leggings, allowing his thumb to touch her bare skin. The whole thing felt far too intimate, pushing Krissy off balance for a moment.
"Good day at work?" Krissy questioned, when she found her mouth had begun working again.
Winston had laid down beside the couch, his eyes focused on Hannibal's hands on her. While the dog was protective, he was also smart and could sense the predatory essence Hannibal owned. It was clear Hannibal was the alpha over all of them.
"I met an interesting woman…Margot. She reminded me of you" Hannibal divulged, as Krissy's eyes narrowed.
"A new plaything to manipulate?" Krissy huffed, as Hannibal gave her a cheshire grin.
"I doubt Margot will need much persuasion to act on her desires" Hannibal responded, his thumb stroking slowly against Krissy's ankle.
"I have no appointments tomorrow. I was thinking we could take a walk?" Hannibal offered a moment later, keeping his hand away from her other ankle, which still had her tag in place.
"Aren't we in a gracious mood?" Krissy teased, carving a slice from her apple, before popping it into her mouth, as Hannibal's eyes watched her movements intently.
"You may bring the dog, if you'd like" Hannibal went on, clearly quite insistent about the trip.
"How could I resist such an offer?" Krissy responded.
"Wonderful" Hannibal nodded, patting her leg, seemingly genuinely happy.
Pushing their unspoken boundaries a little further, when Krissy cut the next apple slice, she raised her arm out to offer the fruit to Hannibal. He studied the knife in her hand for a moment before his eyes flickered up to hers. Would he really trust her to have a knife so close to his being? Krissy's own eyes widened a fraction when Hannibal leaned forward to take the apple slice using his mouth instead of his hands like she had expected. An act of dominance, Krissy realised. As Hannibal's mouth wrapped around the apple slice, he didn't seem disturbed to have the blade so close to his lips. And if Krissy's cheeks flushed a little as she felt his bottom lip brush against her finger, that was a natural reaction. Not whatever Hannibal was clearly thinking as he pulled away with a smirk, chewing on the apple.
A creaking floorboard from the other side of the room, had Krissy's eyes darting away to find Abigail standing in the doorway of the room, a strange look on her face. Krissy wondered how long she had been standing there.
"How was work?" Abigail inquired, echoing Krissy's earlier question.
"Uneventful" Hannibal replied, as Krissy noted that wasn't what he had told her.
"…We were just talking about going for a walk tomorrow. You want to come, Abi?" Krissy suggested as the other girl opened her mouth to reply.
"My apologies, Abigail, but I meant to only extend this invitation to Krissy" Hannibal cut in, as Krissy's eyes flickered between the two.
"Right. No problem. I'll see you at dinner" Abigail murmured, before turning on her heel to leave, her jaw clenched.
Hannibal turned back to Krissy, an amused look on his face, and something dark behind his eyes. Of course, Krissy knew that Hannibal had never wanted to invite Abigail, and that was exactly why she had brought it up. Putting a wedge between the other captive and their captor created conflict. And conflict led to opportunity. Her brother had been right. The long game was always her preferred method.
"What?" Krissy questioned, innocently.
"Protinga mergina" Hannibal exclaimed, a pleased smile on his face.
"It's good to see you. Maybe not in these circumstances but still…it's welcome to see a friendly face" Will spoke up, as the friendly face in question sat down opposite him.
When he heard that he had a visitor that was neither Jack nor Hannibal, his interest had piqued. And when they had requested to meet him in the privacy room, he knew he couldn't deny the request. It was the only place that Chilton couldn't listen in on. He wondered what his guest wanted to converse about.
"I think you're going to think it's a lot better than good to see me in a minute" Beverly smiled, making Will tilt his head.
"Has something happened? Is Krissy—" Will began, but Beverley cut him off.
"Still missing" Beverley sighed, as the disappointment was evident on his face.
"Then I fail to see what I should be so happy about?" Will retorted.
"I believe you" Beverley announced, as Will let out a stuttering breath, appearing awestruck.
"Before Krissy…went missing, she spoke to me. She asked me to look further into Franklyn's murder. It was seen as a clean-cut case from the start, hardly any evidence was taken. You have no idea how hard it was to even get them to—" Beverley started, but it was Will who cut her off this time.
"You found something?" Will realised, his eyes wide.
"On Franklyn's neck. Hannibal's DNA. And the kicker…nothing from Tobias" Beverley explained.
"She always did think out the box" Will said, shaking his head, a small smile on his face.
"It gets better. I've submitted the evidence to the FBI. They've had to reopen the case. Your case, Will. They're going to investigate Hannibal. They have to" Beverly informed him, watching the smile slowly fade from his lips.
"…They won't find anything. Hannibal wouldn't have left a thing" Will murmured.
"He's already left one piece of evidence. Who says there won't be another. Will…we have to try" Beverley insisted, cautiously reaching out across the table, to place her palm over Will's clasped hands.
"For Krissy" Will agreed, as Beverley nodded.
"But that's not it…I've been watching him" Beverley admitted, as Will's eyes narrowed.
"You shouldn't do that. Hannibal is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine" Will warned her, as Beverley pursed her lips.
"Yeah? Well I'm angrier. And I've got a gun" Beverley responded, as a laugh left Will's lips before he could stop himself.
"Have your stake-outs turned up anything?" Will inquired, as a grin grew on Beverley's lips.
"He's been working part-time since your incarceration. Everyone thinks it's because of the stress of Krissy going missing and your arrest, but they're wrong. He's busier than ever" Beverley went on.
"How'd you know that?" Will frowned.
"His mileage. He's barely spending any time in Baltimore. He's going somewhere Will…" Beverley trailed off, watching as the realisation hit Will.
"You think…she's alive?" Will gaped, as Beverley nodded excitedly.
"If anyone could survive him. It's Krissy" Beverley pointed out.
"…That would mean she would have spent the last ten months under the influence of the Chesapeake Ripper. I'd be surprised if she even remembered her life here" Will murmured, running a hand over his face.
If what Beverley said was true, Will was sure about one thing. He had always been Hannibal's luckier victim.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Krissy is definitely starting to suffer from some Stockholm Syndrome in this chapter, the question is, just how far will Hannibal push it? I hope Hannibal doesn't seem OOC, but I feel he acts quite differently when he doesn't have to hide anymore, such as in Season 3. Please leave a review:)
acetwolf94: Thanks for the review:)
Maraki: Aw, thank you! I'm really glad you're liking the story so far:)
livvixxx: Thank you! I hope you like the update:)