The tension in the car was palpable, the woman beside him as he drove sat silent as a mouse whilst her eyes stared blankly at the passing scenery. He wanted to reach a hand out in an attempt to sooth her but knowing that it would do no good, the events at the hospital having rattled her slightly and the separation from her best friend only seeming to have made her mood more forlorn.
"Cheer up, you'll see Felicia soon. The doctors just recommended some time at home to recuperate and get back into your old routine"
Sera scowled at his words. Away from the other girl, she felt no need to keep her sunny disposition or the need to be her usual cheery self. That was something she kept up to equal out and pacify the fiery sarcasm and foul temper of the other woman. But now, on her own with Will, she was pissed. Royally pissed and, honestly, the doctors opinions could go and take a jump off a cliff.
"Old routine? I have no recollection of anything to do with you or with where we're going. My best friend is still at the hospital, getting ready to live with a guy she remembers jack all about beyond his profession and his dislike for poor manners. Which, by the way, is going to end badly after the fact that he made her feel threatened. She's rude, randomly violent and sarcastic when made to feel cornered and we've gone and left her alone with a man who can't stand any of those traits in a person"
She turned to face Will, eyes blazing and fists clenching with anger as the man stared in surprise at her, before finishing what she wanted to say.
"So excuse me if I'm not exactly happy at the moment... Now if you'll please just pay attention to the road and leave me alone for the rest of the journey, that would be fabulous. From what I remember, it was a car accident that landed me in this mess and I really don't want to relive the event"
Will snapped his face forward, his mind reeling with the bluntness of her words. He'd forgotten how sharp her own tongue could be when removed from the influence of Felicia, the blond usually assuming the role of, as Sera had once called her, 'queen bitch' and allowing the raven haired woman to be more jovial and teasing.
His instincts as an Alpha called for him to give some sort of reprimand, take control of the situation and reassert his dominance over the Omega that challenged him all too freely. But his heart spoke different, reminded him of the situation and made him see that it was nothing personal, not really, that made her speak so bluntly. She was scared, no memories of her life to fall back on and thrown head first into an ocean of mistrust and frustration. Taken from the only other person she remembered and could relate too, he knew Sera would feel defensive. He could only hope that returning to the home they shared would awaken some small form of recollection and begin the slow process of remembrance.
"I promise, nothing bad will happen to Felicia whilst she's with Dr. Lecter"
Deep breath in. Deep breath out. She could do this she told herself, had no reason to fear exiting the bathroom and leaving the safety of the hospital. Her eyes were glued on the mirror in front of her, scrutinizing the image she made. On the outside, she seemed to the world completely calm and collected, like nothing could faze her or crack the marble mask of her face. On the inside, however, she was an utter wreck of panic and questions.
She scowled, wanting to punch something, anything, to remove the tension and frustration she was feeling towards everything in that moment. Who in their right mind would willingly walk into the clutches of a person they knew to be a serial killer, a cannibalistic one at that.
'You would. You're hardly one to back down or cower'
The voice in her head was teasing, sounded all too much like her jovial best friend for her liking, as she made a good point in the argument she was having with herself, she couldn't remember the last time she had backed down from even the smallest challenge, like her very being rebelled completely against the idea of anyone getting the better of her. She just couldn't back down, so why should this be different?
"All I have to do is behave... Keep calm and don't let myself get riled up. Easy"
'Suuuurreeee... Says the woman who'd fight with thin air if it blew the wrong way'
She dropped her head in exasperation. It was never a good sign if the voices could actually hold a valid point in an argument. A light tapping upon the bathroom door broke her free from the taunting of her own mind, reminding her of just who was waiting outside for her.
"Felicia, you have been in there for approximately twenty minutes. I am beginning to believe you are stalling on our departure"
Her fists balled up as she fought to hold back the urge to reply, to shout 'No shit Sherlock' at the man. She had to behave, it was the only way she'd survive until she could see Sera again. With a heavy sigh, she moved towards the door and pulled it open, eyes locking with Hannibal's as he sent that same, barely-there, smile towards her that made her heart begin to race and a vague blush come to her cheeks.
Hannibal had been sat on the edge of the bed when the door had been pushed open, his eyes moving from the screen of his I-pad as he cancelled appointments and meeting the gaze of Felicia. His pulse gave a slight jump as a hint of a smile teased upon his lips, eyes darting quickly and un-noticed as he drank in the sight she made now that she was dressed and ready to leave. The subtle swell of her hips and breasts were defined beautifully by the figure hugging turtleneck dress, it's royal blue shading matching with her sapphire eyes and enhancing the features as they glistened with the fire of her soul, the pale gold of her hair falling free in soft waves that he wished to run his fingers through as felt her pressed against his body.
That, however, would need to wait as he noticed the cold gaze she was fixing upon him, lifting himself from the edge of the bed and moving to grab the overnight bag before turning back to the woman before him. He could see the conflict within her eyes, the warring emotions of her natural desire to fight against him and the small lingering desire for self preservation as she watched his every move with ice in her eyes.
"Are you ready to leave dearest?"
Amusement spiked through him as he saw the slight twitch of her eye, registered the clench of her fist as she tried to keep control of herself. She was so raw in her emotions in that moment, something he had not seen from her before. Always so in control of herself to hide the secrets of her countless crimes, the crimes committed by both she and young Sera. But for now his precious ice queen was without her mask until the day she remembered her truth and he would enjoy this whilst he could.
"Do I really have a choice Hannibal?"
"There is always a choice dearest. But, where there is choice, there is always someone who will go against your decisions... Now let us leave"
The car pulled up slowly outside the house, the remainder of the afternoon sun shining down weakly as Will turned off the engine and got out of the driver's seat, moving towards the passenger door. He'd intended to do the gentlemanly thing of opening the door for her, offering his hand perhaps to help her from the seat, only to have the door flung open and nearly catch his leg as she pulled herself free of the car with a look of irritation on her face as she caught his eyes for a split second before breaking the contact.
"I don't need your help to get out dumb ass."
He pinched the bridge of his nose as she stormed towards the front door. The car journey had been difficult, filled with silent tension after her outburst at him and the raging emotions that surrounded her attacking his own senses like a brick to the face. He had felt nothing but stress, panic and nervousness rolling from her the entire time and even his attempts to sooth her with the remains of their bond had failed miserably, his scent and pheromones doing nothing but making her panic further as they sat in silence.
He had to wonder whether Hannibal was having the same miserable success rate with his own mate. Sera may have been giving him the cold shoulder but it had to be better than what Felicia must have been like. The woman had a nasty habit for revenge when angered.
Sera hid her frown as the empath gave a weary sigh and followed her towards the door. She knew he hadn't done anything to deserve the attitude she was sending his way, knew he was trying his best to make her feel better and more at ease and it made her feel slightly guilty for treating him so badly. She was just stressed, confused about what she was meant to do without Felicia there to talk too about what was happening and worried to death about whether the other girl would actually survive the week with Lecter.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't be taking everything out on you, it's not your fault that any of this happened"
Will smiled slightly as he turned to look at her, feigning eye contact once more as he allowed a small portion of his pheromones to reach out towards her and sooth her mind slightly, happy to see some small amount of tension leave her shoulders .
"I know it's hard right now, but it will get easier and your memories will come back eventually if you just give it time... You don't remember me yet, not really, but I'm here for you and I hope I always will be"
Sera blinked at his words, her heart swelling slightly at the honesty he was speaking to her with. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel that this man was real in front of her. The man she had dreamt of for six months, longed to have for herself, was right in front of her and yet she couldn't bring herself to reach for him. But a part of her mind begged for her to do so, the part of her mind that seemed to sing with joy at the sheer sight of him and the part of her mind that seemed to hold all her memories locked tight within a chest that she didn't hold the key for. She only knew for certain that his words and his scent made her feel safe, comforted and more at peace. It was strange, but nice.
"Thanks... I think I needed to hear that"
She bit her lip as a sudden wave of shyness hit her, something she rarely felt but couldn't suppress at the sight of Will's gentle smile becoming slightly warmer with her words as he placed the key in the door, hearing the latch unlock as she had to fight the urge to move just a little closer to him.
The moment was ruined however as the door was pushed open and the pair were ambushed by Will's pack of strays, knocking Sera flat on her back against the wooden flooring of the porch as each dog, tails wagging vigorously in excitement, greeted her with a happy yap and a nuzzle to the face or hand as she laughed, pulling herself into a sitting so she could fuss them properly.
"Hey guys, you seem happy to see me"
She was still grinning as Will reached his hand out to help her back up, feeling a warmth spread through his as she accepted the offer without a second thought. Maybe things would be ok, maybe it wouldn't take as long as he had feared for her to get her memory back. There was nothing he wanted more than to have his vibrant flame back to normal and burning bright once more.
"They missed you almost as much as I did"
She sighed, eyes staring out at the world as the car drove through the streets of Baltimore, the sound of Vivaldi's Winter playing softly from the stereo. The entire car journey had been like this, neither she or Hannibal attempting to make conversation, though she suspected his silence was due to the almost glacial atmosphere that shrouded her. She was not in the mood to talk to him, not now that she was trapped in a moving vehicle with him and still intent on the attempt to behave herself in order to survive, and that meant keeping silent. She'd always had a bad habit of speaking without thinking.
She could feel his gaze upon her every so often, when the lights were on red and he could spare a glance away from the road or when the panic would spike in her heart and a fresh wave of her Omega scent would hit him and his knuckles would turn white as he gripped the steering wheel.
The scent of winter made his blood burn hot in his veins as she failed to realise what she was doing to him. He would have to teach her to regain control he thought as he indulged in the combination of Phlox and Winter Jasmine, the crisp but vague scent of fresh fallen snow mixing with the floral fragrance and adding a clean, almost tranquil effect to the aroma. She sang of pure winter, a personality as cold as ice under most situations, like a blizzard that kept most away, but beautiful and dazzling when seen in rare moments of peace by those brave enough to get close enough. Mixed with the pale perfection of her flesh, the equally pale gold of her hair and the deep blue shading of her eyes, it was little wonder that Sera had nicknamed her the ice queen.
"How long until we reach your house?"
She was still refusing to meet his eye, a tactic she had used many times before in their early days together to refrain from any behaviour that he would view as undesirable. She may have had a sharp tongue, but her survival instincts had always been equally as sharp. Unfortunately, that wasn't what he wanted right now, he wanted her to fight against him and to snap back with ice in her eyes. It was the only thing he knew that would prove the woman he loved was still there.
"We will be there soon my love"
He saw the way her hand twitched against her lap, the slight narrowing of her eyes at the endearment, but also the blush that said it was not entirely unwelcome. She was fighting not only himself, but her natural urge to accept him. He smirked slightly, knowing that he had already won this challenge.
"I believe that I owe you an apology, dearest. It was wrong of me to force my pheromones upon you back at the hospital grounds. I would hope that you will not hold it against me that I allowed my instincts to take over in a moment of foolishness"
Her hands clenched together, head snapping back to face him finally. She had been willing to forget that the incident had happened, will to let it go and not let it rattle her cage. Well to hell with him if he was going to be the one to bring it up.
"Quite frankly Dr. Lecter, your apology means rock all to me right now"
The words had left her mouth before she had time to stop them, the sudden appearance of her temper taking over before leaving her to regret it as she bit the inside of her cheek and sent a mental tirade of abuse towards herself, eyes focused anywhere but at Lecter and the voice of Sera still stuck in her head not doing anything to help.
'So much for behaving yourself... You couldn't even keep it up for a day'
She dared a glance back at the man, feeling her heart skip a beat at the amused and triumphant gleam within those sanguine eyes before he returned to watching the road ahead once more. She felt her blood boiling once more as a realisation hit her. He had done it on purpose, She had forgotten that this man seemed to know her personally and he had used the knowledge of her motor mouth and foul temper to get a reaction from her.
She sniffed in irritation, hearing the low chuckle of the man as he enjoyed his victory. Two could play at that game she thought. If he was going to play dirty tricks on her, then she would do the same. It clearly wasn't good behaviour he wanted from her at the moment, so why not have fun with the good doctor and get a little revenge for his actions towards her so far? If she remembered correctly, she could easily use his OCD to play her own games with him.
I am so sorry this update took longer than I thought it would. I hope that you all enjoyed it and will let me know your thoughts. As I said before, the girls are going to be spending a few chapters apart for now as Will and Hannibal attempt to rebuild their bonds with the girls.
A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and Favorited after the last chapter, I hope you all continue to enjoy and show your support as we progress.
