Part 2: Classes, Counseling, & Murder

[Two Weeks Later]

Two weeks into classes and I was about ready to hang myself.

It wasn't that they weren't bad; it was just that they were boring. I KNEW everything we were talking about and I just had to sit there like I didn't know shit. That's the trouble of reading ahead of everyone. But I had to if I was going to be able to work on this case that Will and I had been assigned.

Right now I was waiting outside my Understanding Victimology class because I was early. I was always early. I rarely ate lunch here at the school so I didn't have that to take up my time. Instead I just leaned against the wall opposite the classroom watching as the students trudged by and listening to music. Today was AFI's 2007 album I Heard a Voice.

I was on Summer Shudder when a young man stopped beside me and leaned his shoulder against one of the lockers. "So, I see you all the time just hanging by yourself. I figured I'd introduce myself. I'm Logan."

I reached up and pulled out one of my ear-buds. "What did you say?"

The guy gave a small laugh and repeated himself. "I see you hanging by yourself and I wanted to come introduce myself. Name's Logan."

I looked him up and down for a few seconds before looking back out at the other students. "I like girls, Logan. You should go find one who'll be interested in you."

"Hey now, come on. I'm not that bad. At least tell me your name." He scooted forward until his chest was pressed against my shoulder and leaned his head down to whisper against my hair. "And I like girls who like girls. It's kinda hot."

I clinched my jaw and moved to step away from him because he was invading my personal space and I really didn't like it. But when I went to move, his hand slid out of his pocket and grabbed my wrist tightly.

I froze as I struggled to control the urge to snap his fingers one by one. "Let go, Logan."

He pulled me towards him and I stumbled as I resisted. "I just want to know your name. You don't have to leave."

The darkness inside me started to stir as my free hand slipped into my pants pocket. I slid my fingers around my smooth stainless steel throwing blade and had it halfway out so that I could press it against his throat when he was slammed away from me and into the lockers.

I stared at the large, weathered hand that was pressing against the center of Logan's chest pinning him to the lockers. "I'm afraid to have to butt in as rudely as I did, Mr. Warfield, but when a lady informs you she has no interest then its best that you leave her alone."

My heart started doing its speedy pitter-patter and my world narrowed down to Mr. Mathiasen's hands pressing against the guy's chest. His skin was weathered and tanned but showed signs of being taken care of and his nails were clipped even, showing no signs of dirt beneath them. His hand was beautiful.

"Yo, Mr. M. I was just asking her what her name was."

Mr. Mathiasen slowly turned his dark brown eyes towards me. "Were you feeling uncomfortable with him around, Miss Whisper?" I gave a small nod and moved until I was slightly behind Mr. Mathiasen.

He turned his attention back to Logan and for a second I thought he'd made a small growling noise but that was probably just my imagination. "I politely suggest that you refrain from holding anymore conversations with my student. Do you understand?"

Logan was nodding quickly now and I could tell he was having trouble breathing because Mr. Mathiasen's hand was still pressing against his chest. "Yes, Mr. M. Definitely no more talking to her." He swallowed roughly and looked down. "Can I go, please?"

Mr. Mathiasen slowly dropped his hand from Logan's chest and we both watched as he nearly tripped over his own shoes trying to get away. When we couldn't see him anymore Mr. Mathiasen peered over his shoulder at him. "Are you alright?"

I licked my suddenly dry lips and nodded, pulling my remaining ear-bud out of my ear and tucking them into my pocket without shutting my music off. "I should be after a bit."

Mr. Mathiasen turned completely around to face me and cocked his head to the side and I couldn't help but narrow my focus onto his attractively thin, lightly arching lips as they moved. "Do you want me to write you a note excusing you from your remaining two classes? You may crash in my office if you like."

"Sure… I mean yes, uh, that would be awesome."

I watched unblinking as Mr. Mathiasen's smile crinkled the crowfeet at the corners of his eyes. "You can head that way if you like and I'll go talk to your teachers."

I slowly nodded and reached down to pick up my backpack. "Thanks."

I quickly walked away and clutched at the straps of my backpack in the hopes of calming my heart down. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit."

I repeated that to myself the whole way to Mr. Mathiasen's office. I didn't know why I was beginning to notice things about him. I didn't know why and I didn't want to know why. I should be scared of him… afraid for my life. Not that he was a threat to me or meaning to kill me, but that he could. He was a man after all and it was a man who'd made me as tortured and sadistic as I am now. But because I was talking to him every day after classes about the things that were bothering me something had started to change inside of me. One reason for the changes was that he'd never asked what had happened to me after being taken by the Collector and a second reason was that he didn't judge me whenever I came into his office having panic attacks.

"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Fucking shit…"

Just as I reached Mr. Mathiasen's office my phone rang and I dug into my pocket as I opened the door. A peek at the screen told me it was Will. I sighed and clicked answer. "Hey, Will."

"You alright, Midnight?"

I frowned as I closed the door behind me and walked over to the far corner where my usual rocking chair sat surrounded by books. It was my comfy hole that Mr. Mathiasen had allowed me to make in his office. "Yah, I'm ok. Why do you ask?"

"You're voice sounded a little strained."

"It's nothing. What'cha need?"

There was a pause as Will was probably grabbing at some papers. His apartment was practically strewn with all kinds of reports on the cannibal killings here in England. "I, uh…" He dropped the phone and I heard him curse before he retrieved it. "Sorry. I was going to say that I think I found some clues as to where Lecter or this copy-cat might be originating from. If you use the particular patterns he had back before he was caught and you blow them up against a map, add or minus a few stray bodies outside of the circle, then he's probably here in London… or one of the close surrounding cities."

I paused in situating myself into my comfy hole. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

I gently plopped down into the rocking chair and groaned, cupping my hand over my eyes. "And there are hundreds of places he could be in the city or cities. I guess our work isn't going to get any easier."

"Nope."

The office door opened and I looked up to watch as Mr. Mathiasen walked in. He closed the door silently behind him and started to walk over to me. I gave him a small smile and held my hand over the phone. "I hope you don't mind me taking a call in your office."

Mr. Mathiasen stopped in front of me and knelt down, propping his elbows on his knees. His brown eyes were kind as he shook his head. "I do not mind. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

I gave him a small smile. "Yah."

He watched me intently for a few more seconds and I swear he could see my pulse racing because of how close he was and how beautiful I thought his eyes were. "Ok."

He stood up with a small groan as his body straightened and I watched as he walked to his desk. When he was sitting down I uncovered my phone but kept my eyes on Mr. Mathiasen. "Hey, Will. Sorry. My psychiatrist just walked in and I asked him if it was alright if I took your call."

There was ruffling of papers before he spoke. "Eh, it's ok. I was wondering why you went silent all of a sudden but I heard your muffled breath and voices so I wasn't too worried."

"Yah."

"So what time do you think you're going to be back home? I'll probably stop by after grabbing something to eat so we can look over what I've recently found."

I groaned. "Can't I just cook for you? I don't like getting takeout. It's not… healthy for you."

Will paused in what he was doing and I heard him swallow roughly. "No offense to you but I don't trust home cooked meals anymore. Lecter turned me off of that when he… served stuff… I ate it… without know."

"Oh… I… Ok, that's fine. I'll just make something for myself and you can grab something to eat before you head over. I don't have to go to my last two classes today but I am going to be chilling in Mr. Mathiasen's office until after our usual session. So probably…" I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked at the time on the dimmed display before moving it back against my ear. "Probably around five tonight."

More papers rustled. "Five? I'll be there around then… if I don't lose track of time again."

I gave a small laugh. "Yah, again. Bye."

"Yeppers."

I clicked my phone off and slid it into my pocket before I stood up and slowly made my way over to Mr. Mathiasen's desk. I casually walked around behind him and peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing. It looked like it was a journal but I couldn't read it. "What'cha doing?"

Mr. Mathiasen stopped writing and gently started tapping his pen against his thumb. He peered over his shoulder at me and I watched as a silver streaked lock of brown hair fell across his forehead. "Just writing. I find writing allows me to calm my mind, especially when filthy young boys assault my patients."

I rolled my eyes at him and teetered over to the edge of his desk so that I could lean against it. I studied the shelves of books in front of me. "Thanks for that by the way."

"Do you always carry a knife on you?"

I jerked my head around and blinked owl eyes at him. "I don't have a knife."

He slowly pushed out his chair and stood up, walking around until he was standing in front of me. I scooted up onto his desk so that he wasn't too close but he stepped forward anyways. His pants brushed ever so slightly against my knees as his dark brown eyes stared intently down at me, as if daring me to deny him. "Empty your pockets."

I licked my lips and dipped my eyes down to where my hands were sitting on my lap. "No."

He moved that inch closer so that I could feel his hipbones beneath his pants. He reached out and gripped my chin, not tightly but hard enough to make me look up at him. "I'd rather not have to do it myself, Miss Whisper."

I bit my bottom lip knowing that I was trapped. Either I would do it or he would. I sighed and reached into my left pocket, slowly pulling out my stainless steel blade. It glittered in the light of the room as I held it out in front of me. "It's custom made for my palm."

Mr. Mathiasen gently took it from my hand, his fingers brushing against my palm and causing me to shiver. He brought it up to eye level and observed the detail of it. "Beautiful." He twirled it around his fingers for a few seconds, surprising me at the ease with which he did so. Finally when he was satisfied he grasped it in his palm and looked back at me. "You are a naughty girl, Miss Whisper. Knives aren't allowed on campus."

I blinked hopelessly up at him. "But… I… need…"

"Do you not feel safe inside my office, Miss Whisper?" I frowned but slowly nodded. "Then you don't need a blade in here, correct?" Again I nodded. He smiled, crinkling his crow feet around his eyes again. He tapped the tip of my nose with the handle of my knife and turned away to walk back to his desk. "I'll give it back before you leave. Now go relax in your comfy hole until it's time for our session."

I sighed and slid off of his desk, walking back to my comfy hole. I curled up in the rocking chair and picked up one of the books I'd brought to read. I guess I could do without my blade for a little while.

You are a naughty girl, Miss Whisper. You are a naughty girl. A naughty girl.

I was sitting once again in the black leather chair in front of Mr. Mathiasen but I wasn't paying attention. My thought were a bit… distracted by thoughts of Mr. Mathiasen's mouth whispering those words against my ear… which didn't happen, but I could definitely imagine it did.

"Midnight… Midnight…"

I jerked out of my reverie and stared straight at Mr. Mathiasen. "Were you talking to me?"

Mr. Mathiasen leaned forward, placing his elbows against his knees and cupping his hands beneath his chin. "What were you thinking just now?"

I fought not to blush but knew it was a failed attempt when I felt the burn along my cheeks. "Nothing. I was just… spacing off." I silently cursed myself for thinking such dirty things.

Somehow I don't think he believed me. "I don't take kindly to being lied to, Miss Whisper, nor ignored."

I dipped my head shamefully. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mathiasen."

"I'll forgive you this once, but don't make a habit of it. Or you'll be punished, and I'm not a lenient man." There was a certain dangerous look in his eyes as I peered out at him from behind my bangs. It sent shivers down my spine. I didn't know if they were good shivers or bad shivers but I knew he'd keep his word. He sighed and reached up to run his hand through his hair. "We were talking about your coping habits when you have panic attacks. Tell me about them"

I shrugged and pulled my knees up against my chest, slowly rocking back and forth. "Usually I have to leave whatever I'm doing and go to a place by myself. I have to be away from people. Secluded. Alone. Safe. Other times I'll…" I stole a look at where my knife was sitting on the glass table beside Mr. Mathiasen. "I'll run my finger along the blade and let the pain calm my nerves."

Mr. Mathiasen arched one of his brows. "And that doesn't affect the way you play the piano?"

I shook my head. "No, not usually. I put superglue over the cuts so they heal quicker."

"I don't want you to do that anymore."

"Don't do what?"

"Cut your fingers."

I narrowed my eyes at him and uncurled myself from the chair, mirroring him. "But I like it."

"Then find something else you like."

"Like what?"

I thought he was going to reply right away with a smart remark but instead he leaned back in his chair and just stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze but didn't move from the position he'd previously been in. I stared right back at him.

"Do you like cooking?"

Not what I was expecting. "I guess I do. I have to cook or I'd starve probably."

"Then cook."

I rolled my eyes. "I do."

"For me."

His answer was completely confusing. "First, how does this apply to me not cutting my fingers and second, why would I cook for you? I mean, I'm sure you're quite capable of cooking yourself."

A small smile played across his lips. "I am."

"Then why tell me to cook for you."

"Because I want you to cook for me."

I narrowed my eyes at him again. "Why."

He slowly leaned forward, his muscles flexing beneath his jacket and I sucked in a shaky breath. Damn him. "To get your mind off of your fear."

"How… would that take my mind off of my fear?"

He slowly stood up, picking my knife up as he did so, and walked over towards me. I froze as he walked around me and leaned over the back of the chair, laying the blade against the side of my throat while his other hand gripped my shoulder. He leaned further a little more and I felt his breath against my hair. "Because you'll be with me."

"Midnight."

As a warm hand gently shook my shoulder I snapped my eyes open and sat upwards quickly, waking up from my extremely confusing dream. In the process of sitting up I smacked my forehead against Mr. Mathiasen's face.

I gasped as he stumbled backwards and put a hand to his nose and I put my hand to my forehead. I could feel warmth begin to pool beneath my hand at the same time blood seeped out from behind Mr. Mathiasen's hand.

I stood up quickly and reached out to grab his arm. "Mr. Mathiasen! Oh my gods! I'm sorry, I didn't know what was going on, I'm sorry!"

Mr. Mathiasen waved me away and headed over to the glass table holding the tissues. I followed him and reached the box before him, grabbing up a ton of them. I tried to push his hand away from his face but he tried to stop me. "I'm alright, Miss Whisper. It's just a bloody nose."

I rolled my eyes and finally was able to pry his hand away from his nose. Blood continued to poor down his mouth and onto his shirt. "Dammit!" I pressed the tissues against his nose and then grabbed him by his jacket, using it as leverage to push him into his leather chair. "Sit down and shut up, Mr. Mathiasen. I'm so sorry. I was sleeping and I guess you scared me."

His blood started soaking through the tissues and I cursed again. I allowed Mr. Mathiasen to grab a hold of the tissues while I took a hold of the bottom of my shirt and ripped it. Tissue just wasn't going to do it. "Midnight, you don't have…"

I pressed my finger against his lip and shushed him before I wadded up some more tissues and wrapped them up in my strip of shirt. When I was satisfied that it would at least hold more blood than the tissue alone I gently peeled away the soaked tissues and replaced them with mine. I stuffed the bloody tissue into my pocket instead of dropping it onto the floor because I knew Mr. Mathiasen was very obsessive about cleanliness. "I'm so sorry. Very sorry. I didn't mean to hit you."

I started to slowly brush back his hair as he stared up at me and I couldn't help but admire his beautiful eyes. They were completely dilated as he stared up at me so they looked black and the intensity of his gaze made me shiver delightfully.

His right hand came up and cupped my chin, his thumb wiping at the trail of blood flowing down my face. "You're bleeding."

I shrugged. "Not as bad as you are."

"You're a very sweet girl, Midnight. You don't mind if I call you Midnight, do you?"

"No."

He smiled and trailed his thumb across my bottom lip before moving it upwards to slide into my hair, fisting it. "Good." He dragged my face closer until I had to move the almost soaked cloth away from him so that I wouldn't squish it with my face. "If you kiss me I'll forgive you."

I blinked down at him from inches away and nervously licked my lips, tasting my blood which he'd wiped across them with his thumb. I couldn't believe he was telling me this while we were both bleeding. "Why do you want me to kiss you?"

His grip tightened in my hair and caused me to suck in a deep breath. "Because you're beautiful."

"I'm bloody and so are you."

He smiled and pressed his warm lips against mine with the barest of caresses. "That doesn't bother me." His breath was scalding hot against my lips as he spoke.

I opened my mouth a little and hovered over his. "But I'm also your student and your patient."

"You're also a consenting adult."

He was right… and by gods I was somehow attracted to him. I should be afraid of him but I wasn't. I was very much attracted and it seemed he'd picked up on that. "One kiss."

"One kiss."

I pulled the bloody cloth away from his nose, sat it on the table beside us, and placed my hands on either side of his head, gripping the back of his chair, before allowing myself to press my lips against his. I didn't care that our blood smeared across our faces.

His lips were warm and fuller than I had thought just by looking at them. When the tip of his tongue brushed against my bottom lip I slowly opened my mouth and allowed it to slip inside. I could taste his blood, coppery and warm, as he drew me further into the kiss. His other hand reached around my waist and pulled me downwards until I had to place one of my knees on the chair between his legs so that I wouldn't fall on top of him.

As he was pulling away he sucked my bottom lip in between his teeth and bit down. I scratched the leather of the chair and growled as he let it go.

My heart was racing as I slowly opened my eyes and stared down at him. The lower half of his face was completely covered in blood and it had pooled down into the hollow of his neck.

I had an odd urge to just lean down and lick it clean; instead I shakily pulled away as far as his hands would let me and sucked in a much needed breath. "Bastard."

He smiled and shrugged, slowly releasing his hold on my hair and waist. "Only to you, Midnight. That name coming out of anyone else's mouth and they wouldn't like me very much."

He slowly pushed himself out of the chair and I moved back so that he could, our bodies brushing against each other until he was towering over me. "Should I be scared?"

He brought his fingers up and trailed along the path of blood that had made its way down my neck. "Not of me."

I shivered at his touch, a good shiver this time, and reached out to push away from him. "We should really clean and patch ourselves up, Mr. Mathiasen."

His fingers slid around my neck and squeezed slightly, making my pulse skyrocket. "Please, call me Hann whenever we're in my office… or away from school."

"Hann. That's not a common name."

He shrugged. "It's old Norse. A proud name… and a family name. Many of the males in my family carry Hann as their first name."

"I guess if you put it that way it sounds legit."

He laughed and leaned down, pressing a warm bloody kiss against my nose. "There's a bathroom behind you if you'd like to clean up. I have some moist towelettes in my desk that should clean my mess up."

I stumbled a little as he let me go but I recovered quickly enough.

I went to the bathroom and closed the door. When I turned the light on and looked into the mirror I was completely shocked at what I saw. My entire face was covered in blood, most of it wasn't mine. And on the tip of my nose was Hann's lip print.

I giggled a little but then sobered up. "Damn girl, what have you gotten yourself into?" I should definitely not like my psychiatrist/teacher. And usually the only think I felt towards guys was revulsion and fear. "But…" I touched my bottom lip which was swollen. "Maybe I'm not a monster after all… maybe I just need someone who's dominate enough and strong enough to protect me." I sighed and turned on the sink, reaching for one of the washrags that were folded neatly beside the faucet. Thankfully it was red so that when I wet it and wiped at the blood on my face it didn't show.

It didn't take me long to clean up my face, neck, and hands but there wasn't anything I could do about the bloodstains on my shirt until I got home… heck, I'd probably have to toss it since it was now ripped at the bottom.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Are you alright, Midnight?"

I took one last look in the mirror to make sure I had gotten all the blood and took one last swipe at the cut on my forehead for good measure before I dropped the rag into the small basket behind the door. I quickly opened the door and blinked up at Hann. "Yah, I'm ok. And woah…" He'd changed shirts and cleaned himself up rather quickly. "You, uh, changed."

His eyes twinkled merrily. "I always keep a spare shirt, tie, and jacket in my desk."

"That's smart I guess."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small round Band-Aid which he proceeded to unwrap. "I found one of these and thought it would work on your cut." I felt my heart flutter at his kindness as he gently reached up and pressed it over my cut. Thankfully it was clear so I wouldn't look like a dork on my way out of the building.

I reached up and touched it to make sure it was on. "Thanks." I shifted nervously on the balls of my feet and wasn't sure what to say.

"Do you regret kissing me?"

I quickly looked up at him and shook my head. "No! I… I just… I've never been kissed like that before."

His deep chuckle warmed me through as he reached out and brushed down a stray hair. "I won't rush, Midnight. I'm a patient man and I know what I want. I don't want to scare you away."

I scoffed. "I'm not easily scared."

"Liar."

True. "Ok, maybe I am… but… if you… I'll promise to try and not be afraid."

He smiled and slid his knuckles along my jaw. "Good girl. Now, I think it's time for you to go home. You said you'd meet your friend at five, didn't you?"

"Oh shit!" I slapped my hand over my mouth and blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's alright. Next time though you owe me a kiss. That will be your payment every time you use those foul words in my office."

I smiled up at him. "I'm truly grateful to know you, Hann. I've been so afraid for so long I didn't remember what it was like to just be me until recently… with you…"

"Hush before I never let you leave." He pulled me out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. "Go on now, Miss Whisper. We've had our session for the day."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to my comfy hole and stuffed my things back into my backpack before slinging it onto my shoulders. When I walked back towards the office door, Hann was waiting. He held the door open for me and I waved goodbye as I left. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Mathiasen."

His smile was the last thing I saw before he closed his office door and I focused on getting back to my car. I needed to be able to focus so I wouldn't crash my car.

I couldn't really believe it. I'd kissed Mr. Mathiasen… err, Hann.

I gave a small girly squeak as I started my car and pulled out of the parking lot. I was definitely going to enjoy my counseling sessions from now on.

When I pulled up outside of my house, Will's car was parked against the curb and he was leaning against it with a bag of takeout hanging from his arm and his messenger bag over the other.

I opened the garage and pulled in and he walked up the drive. I waited until he was inside before closing the garage door and getting out of my car. "Will, you're early."

He didn't smile, just nodded. "The local police found another body about an hour ago."

I frowned. "Why didn't you call me?"

"You were in counseling. I figured it could wait an hour."

"But I could…"

His hand reached up and brushed the Band-Aid on my forehead, cutting of my complaint. "What happened? You smell like blood." His hand moved from my forehead to one of the bloodstains on the collar of my shirt. "And your shirt is stained."

I pushed his hand away from my collar and refused to look up at him. "Someone shoved me into a locker and I cut my forehead. Mr. Mathiasen helped patch me up before I left."

Will gave a small grunt and let his hand drop. "That's why I hated college. Human contact, socializing. Nothing I want really."

"Yah." I felt bad lying to Will but I couldn't tell him what I'd done with Mr. Mathiasen.

When I finally peeked up at Will he was still watching me. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yah…"

He narrowed his eyes for a few seconds before shrugging. "You hungry?"

I rolled my eyes and walked up to the house door, unlocking and shoving it open for Will to step through. "Uh, no. Not if I'm going to be looking at gory pictures of a dead body."

"Him. It was a man." He took his shoes off and lined them up against the wall before heading into the kitchen, dumping his things on the kitchen table. He'd been in and out of my house enough times to know where everything was so I just let him do what he did while I went to the back of the house to my bedroom.

I left the door open so that I could talk to him. "Tell me about the man." I opened my walk-in closet and quickly peeled off my bloody clothes.

Before dropping the shirt into the hamper I brought it to my face and breathed in Hann's scent. He smelled… earthy with a touch of lightly scented soap. Clean. Manly… Heady. He didn't wear cologne.

"He was found just outside London, in a woody area. He was missing his lungs and the muscle along his ribs."

I sighed and pushed thoughts of Hann away as I grabbed a clean dress and walked out of my closet. I froze like a deer in the path of headlights when I saw Will standing just inside my bedroom door.

His eyes were following the path of my completely visible scars. His voice was low, admiring almost but hurting at the same time. "You were tortured."

I quickly wrapped my dress around my body and tried to cover everything. "No."

He walked forward and gripped a handful of my dress, gently prying it from my fingers. He dropped it on the floor and reached out, trailing his fingers along the scars that disappeared beneath my bra. "He made you suffer for a long time, taking his time; enjoying it. He wanted to see if you were strong enough."

I looked away so that he couldn't see the pain in my eyes. "No."

His hands moved from scar to scar, tracing the raised and dipping flesh. No man, aside from the Collector himself, had touched me like this… or seen my scars. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't want anyone to know that he made me into a monster."

Will shook his head and turned me around, lifting my hair away from my back so that he could see the intricate scars there. "You're not a monster."

I swallowed roughly and closed my eyes tight trying to block the images of the Collector cutting me. "You don't know how long I suffered, what he put inside my head… what he made me watch."

I shivered when Will's hands slowly wrapped around my waist and he pulled me against his body, burying his face against my shoulder. "Is this why they force you to go to a psychiatrist?" I slowly nodded. I felt uncomfortable with Will being this close to me but then again I was grateful that he didn't think my scars disgusting. "Will you tell me about it?"

I pulled away from him and leaned down to pick up my dress. "No." I didn't look at him as I headed towards the bathroom. "I don't ever want to re-live that nightmare again, Will. Not for you, not for anyone."

"Midnight…" He took a step as if to follow me but I closed the bathroom door behind me.

As I leaned against it I heard him sigh and walk away. I cupped my face in my hands and allowed myself to cry for the first time in years. "Fuck." I slid down the door until I could curl my arms around my knees and bury my face, leaving my dress tucked beside me. "Fuck."

I don't know how long I sat there on the bathroom floor crying but it wasn't until Will gently knocked on the door that I finally moved. "Midnight. I… I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for touching your scars… and for asking about what happened. It's not my place. I… I just suck at being social with people. I don't… I saw the scars and I knew what had happened to you. I could almost see it. I'm sorry." I heard him drop his head against the door. "Please don't lock yourself in the bathroom, Midnight. It's already been almost two hours. Please."

I wiped at my tears slowly but didn't answer him.

"Are you alright? I could call that guy, Mathiasen, if you need someone to talk to. I… I don't know what to do."

"Go away, Will. Go home. I'll be alright." I slowly slid down the door until I was lying flat on my back. I turned to the side and curled my legs against my chest, closing my eyes.

I heard Will bang his head against the door once more before walking away. I didn't know if he was going to leave like I'd said but I didn't care. I just didn't want to deal with anyone right now.

"Beautiful." The Collector's breath burned hot against my ear as he slowly sliced his blade down my back again, blood slicking his fingers.

I had screamed for so long that my voice was barely a whisper. "Fuck you, you sick bastard."

He moved his free hand up to my hair and grabbed it tightly, fisting a handful and jerking my head back until I could barely breathe. His black eyes peered deep into mine, so black they seemed to swallow me whole. I was afraid of his eyes. "You're so much stronger than the rest of my collection, Midnight. Don't make me cut your tongue out."

He slammed my head back down onto the examining table and moved his hand back against the other side of the cut he'd just sliced into my back. The blade bit deeper this time and I let out a small sob, jerking my arms against the chains holding me against the table. "Pain is a beautiful thing. It's a passage, a rite that we must go through in order to grow stronger. I want you to be as strong as me, Whisper. I want you with me forever."

I could feel the blood seeping from my body, the warmth of it wrapping me in a seemingly safe cocoon… an illusion, I knew, but a slightly comforting one.

The Collector's torture room slowly spiraled away into darkness as I finally lost consciousness.

Warm hands slowly lifted me from the floor as the memory of the Collector's torture drifted away. I tensed at the press of cloth and the sound of a steady heartbeat before I heard Hann's smooth voice. "Shhh, Midnight. It's just me."

I let out a sob and buried my face against his shirt. "He was cutting me again. He was touching me with his filthy hands. His eyes…"

There was another hand that touched my arm and I flinched away. "Midnight."

Hann slowly pulled me away from the hand. "Will."

Will let out a small sigh. "I hurt her, didn't I?"

Hann's voiced rumbled through his chest as he slowly walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. "Her mind isn't stable right now but I don't think you purposefully hurt her. She's more fragile than she lets on… her trauma worse than even I thought."

"She never told you what happened?"

Hann shook his head and I felt his fingers tighten for just a second. "No."

There was some rustling and I heard the sheet on my bed being pulled back. Hann gently placed me down on the sheets and tucked my feet beneath the cover before trying to sit up. I gripped his shirt tighter and sobbed again. "Don't leave me, please."

Hann stared down at me, blinking slowly, and he gave a small reassuring smile. "I planned on staying the night. It would be bad to leave you alone right now, Miss Whisper."

I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I slowly nodded, glad he wasn't leaving. I felt like he was the only one who could protect me. There was something dark about him, something strong that was hidden behind his cool demeanor. "Thank you."

Hann nodded. "I have to leave for a few seconds to grab my bag from my car." He patted my hand that was clutching his shirt. "But you'll have to let my shirt go."

I swallowed roughly and slowly unclenched my fingers. I could see that I'd wrinkled his shirt. I tried to smooth them out but Hann gently took ahold of my hand and tucked it in against my chest. "I'm sorry for wrinkling your shirt."

Hann chuckled. "It's alright." He slowly stood up, his hand lingering for a few seconds longer over mine. "I'll be right back."

I gave a small nod. "Ok."

Hann turned away and strode out of the room. Will stayed in the doorway for a few seconds, his eyes showing his apology to me, showing his pain at hurting me.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but he shut it with a snap and turned to follow after Hann. I could hear Will speak up in the livingroom. "Thanks for coming, Mr. Mathiasen. I didn't know what to do. I'm… I'm not very good with other people."

"No worries, Mr. Graham. Sometimes it takes just a sound to trigger traumatic memories. You did the right thing in calling me. She should be alright but it might take some time. I'm going to call the school tomorrow and inform them that she's not… well enough for classes at the moment. I'll take care of her, Mr. Graham."

I heard Will sigh. "I wish I could as well."

There was a small silence before Hannibal spoke again. "May I ask what your relation is to Miss Whisper?"

Will coughed and shuffled his feet. "We're… we work together. I don't know if she's told you but she helps the FBI with cases until she graduates. I'm a special agent and we're working on a case together."

"She had mentioned she wanted to work for the FBI but she hadn't informed me that she was working on a case."

"Oh."

"May I ask what it is you're working on?"

"I…" Will paused. "I don't think I'm comfortable with talking to a psychiatrist about this sort of case… the last time I did I… made some bad choices and it nearly got me killed."

"I see. I can understand the apprehension then. But, if you need someone to talk to about your nightmares then I might be able to help that way."

Will seemed uncomfortable when he spoke again. "I never said I had nightmares."

"I know."

I heard Hann walk away after that and the door open and close as he left to grab his bag. Will shuffled around in the livingroom and I just stared up at the ceiling, fighting the cold chills that were wracking my body.

A few minutes later the door opened and closed as Hann came back inside. He didn't pause to say anything to Will but walked straight back to my room.

When he walked in I slowly sat up and watched as he sat his bag down just inside the door and started to pull his jacket off. "Thank you… for… being here. I'm… not normally like this."

I watched the muscles beneath Hann's shirt flex as he turned, closing the bedroom door before he hung his jacket on the door knob. "It's no problem. Sometimes things happen and we can't control them. I don't blame you, nor should you blame Will."

I nodded and started to pick at my sheets, a nervous habit I'd picked up after my ordeal with the Collector. "I don't… blame Will that is. He didn't know. I… freaked when he touched my scars."

Hann turned and stared at me intently. He slowly walked towards me and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching up to cup my cheek. "It's alright."

I closed my eyes and leaned into his palm. "Is it always going to be like this?"

"No… maybe years down the road you'll stop having panic attacks. But, it will take years. Not days, not months. Years. And then one day you'll be doing whatever you'll be doing and it won't happen anymore. You'll forget this fear. You'll overcome it."

I slowly opened my eyes, a tear hanging to the edge of my lashes. "Are you sure?"

Hann slowly reached up and wiped the tear away. "I was a boy long, long ago… there was some fighting among nations… not wars or anything - I'm not old enough for any major wars to have been going on when I was a little boy. But… I had a little sister, Mischa, who was very precious to me. I lost my parents when they both got very sick…" Hann lowered his hand and slowly traced along my collarbone, his eyes never meeting mine. "My sister and I were… put into a home of some very bad people… I had to watch them kill my Mischa."

I inched my hand towards Hann's free one and looped my fingers around it, holding it lightly. "Hann."

Hann looked up at me finally and I could see all the pain and anger he'd hidden for years. "For years after, I had nightmares of her. I could hear her screams as she begged me to help her. I couldn't do anything because I was chained up. Years passed before I encountered those men again and…"

I whispered. "You hurt them, didn't you? You killed them."

Hann nodded, the light grey in his hair reflecting in the lamp light. I let go of his hand and reached up to push it back and tuck it behind his ear. "I killed all of them."

I moved forward onto my knees, pushing the blanket away from me. I didn't know what I was feeling for Hann but I knew that the hurt I was seeing in his eyes and the pain I heard in his voice was something I couldn't deal with. He'd bewitched me.

I cupped my hands against his jaws and leaned my forehead against his, whispering lightly. "I killed him too. I cut him up so that no one could ever find him and so he couldn't ever hurt anyone again. I became the monster he'd wanted. I became him."

Hann slid his arm around my waist and pulled my body forward until I was pressing tightly against him. He buried his head against my shoulder and I could feel the tremors in his body as he fought not to squeeze me tighter. "You're not a monster, Midnight. Not to me."

I wrapped my arms around him and dug my nails into his back, his shirt the only thing stopping me from bleeding him. "I don't know what it is about you, Hann, but you make me like you. I shouldn't and I don't know why, but I do." I kissed his neck lightly and heard him let out a barely audible sigh. "You're beautiful to me."

[Hannibal]

The clock beside Midnight's bed showed that it was 3 a.m. I'd been watching Midnight sleep for almost eight hours, something I'd never done before. There was something that drew me to this girl. I couldn't explain it but I found myself… attracted to her, beyond my usual attraction to a person. I didn't want to eat her. I wanted to possess her.

With a soft groan I slipped my hand out of Midnight's smaller one and stood, stretching backwards as my back popped. It felt good.

I leaned down for a few seconds and pressed a soft kiss against Midnight's forehead before I left the room.

All of the lights were turned off, probably by Will, but I could see anyways. When I stepped into the livingroom I saw Will's form spread out asleep on the coach.

I quietly walked over to him and sat on the edge of the couch. I reached forward and took his glasses off his face and closed them, turning to set them on the coffee table in front of me.

He was older than when I had last seen him, aged by his fears and the job he still worked.

The last time I'd seen him he was laying on my office floor, stomach slashed and blood slowly pooling out around him. It was something I'd deeply regretted doing. Will had been one of the only people I'd come to call friend. Someone with a mind like my own… not a killer, no, but with the same twisted thoughts.

He hadn't caught me because he could see that I was the cannibal he'd been looking for, he'd caught me because he'd placed himself as my victim. And that's what he'd become the night he'd confronted me.

I reached out and brushed back one of his soft brown curls. "I've missed you, Will. You have no idea." In my own way I had loved Will, had wanted to possess him the same as I want to possess Midnight.

They are both like me; twisted and tortured; survivors of horror. I was the bigger monster here though, more depraved than either of them… but they were like me.

Leaning forward I softly pressed a kiss against Will's lips, savoring the taste of them. I had never gotten the chance to kiss him. I had only ever hurt him, and I'd regretted that every day since then.

I pulled away and stood up with a smile. "You'll be mine, precious Will, and so will Midnight. I won't let you go this time. This is my last chance."

And those words were true. I was a man who wasn't growing any younger. I was already in my prime, a man of 47 years.

I sighed and moved away from the couch, first heading into the kitchen for a glass of water and then back into Midnight's room where I stretched out on the bed beside her, pulling her against my body and wrapping my arms around her waist.

She let out a small, contented sigh and pushed her hips back against me, snuggling close.

I swallowed hard and gripped one of her hips tightly so that she couldn't move anymore. I didn't want to lose control with her right now. I was a man who prided himself with control.

It was going to take time to warm Midnight up to me but I knew it would be worth it.

What I wasn't sure of though was if I had enough time. I knew that the only reason Will was here was because he knew my work. He knew my victims. It would only be a matter of time before either him or Midnight realized I was the cannibal they were looking for.

I didn't kill often but if they put the connection together too fast it would ruin what time I did have with both of them.

I guess I just had to cut back on the 'free-range' rude I ate.

Kissing Midnight's shoulder I closed my eyes and forced myself not to think anymore. It was time for sleep because tomorrow I would start seducing Midnight and Will.