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RECOVERY
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After watching those last crime scene photos, Abigail found herself unable to sleep peacefully the next few days; and in the few hours that she did, she kept dreaming and remembering what she had witnessed so long ago. It was like her brain wouldn't allow her rest, frantically trying to form a logical explanation for everything she had experienced lately. Or, and she refused to admit this, as if her mind was actually trying to get her to admit a truth she wasn't ready to face yet.
A truth that sooner or later she would have to accept. And in her case, it happened sooner.
Knowing all she knew now, it was extremely difficult to dismiss the jokes and puns Hannibal and Will exchanged during meals. Before, she had thought they were just parts of weird conversations between her parents, but now she couldn't stop her subconscious from linking what they said to what she suspected.
And one day, she finally admitted the harsh truth.
Her dads were cannibals too.
And one, or maybe both of them, was the Chesapeake Ripper.
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She couldn't deny it anymore. She lived and had been living for many years with murderers. With serial killers. Serial killers that now made her fear for her safety. For her life.
In all her time investigating, she hadn't been able to find any theory regarding how the Ripper chose his victims, so evidently that made her feel completely terrified of doing something wrong and paying for it with her life. And this threat to her life made her become jumpy as well as giving her more sleepless nights.
Which resulted in her falling extremely ill due to all the stress.
Of course, with the fathers she had, it didn't take long for them to figure out that there was something very wrong with their only child.
"Abigail, sweetheart, are you alright?" – asked Will that morning, entering her room sounding worried after finding that his daughter was still in bed. She was already late for school and that was something that never happened with her. His baby was too responsible to miss any class.
The girl didn't dare to answer. She only looked at him, trying to let him know that she didn't want him near her without having to say the words. Of course, being the man and father he was, Will didn't hesitate to cross the room and sit next to her in the bed.
"Oh my God! You're burning up!" – Will immediately stood up and went straight to the bathroom, returning with a damp towel. He sat next to Abigail once again and started wiping her feverish face with it, trying to soothe her. And against her will, she felt herself relaxing into his touch and she continued seeking his comfort even in her scared state.
"I'll be right back, Abigail." – Will started to stand up, but the teenager panicked and grabbed his hand quickly.
"Don't go." – she whispered, afraid of being with him, but even more afraid of staying alone.
"Shhh… don't worry, my love. I have to call your dad and then cancel my classes for today. I'm staying with you here all day." – Will explained, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it adoringly.
"Hurry, daddy." – Abigail pleaded, desperate for some more comfort.
Will wrapped her more snugly with the covers and kissed her forehead affectionately before he left to make the phone calls.
'I can't. I can't be afraid of him.' Abigail kept repeating in her mind, trying to calm herself enough to not let any kind of information slip. The last thing she wanted was to let anyone know the reason why she was this weak.
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Several minutes later, Will returned with his cell phone in one hand and a cup in the other. He deposited his things on her bedside table before sitting next to her once again.
"I've already called your dad, sweetie. He'll be home very soon." – instead of making her relax, this news only scared the adolescent more. She didn't want to be with the two of them when she was like this. She could make any kind of mistake. – "Don't worry, Abigail. You know your dad has always worried. You're his baby girl and he loves you more than anything else in the world." – The words calmed her slightly and she allowed the man to sit her on his lap to help her drink the tea he had brought her.
Nearly an hour later, both heard the front door open and close hurriedly and quick steps on the stairs.
Will got up and hurried to open the bedroom door, kissing his husband and taking his hand to make him enter the room.
"Abigail…" - Hannibal sighed, sad to see her vivacious little girl looking so frail on the big bed.
"Dad." – the girl whispered, extending her hand. Even when terrified, her subconscious kept making her long for her family. Hannibal took off his coat and after kissing his daughter's hand he started to check her.
A few minutes later, Abigail slept peacefully for the first time in weeks. Hannibal had injected her something in order to lower her fever and it had made her sleepy very quickly. But even in her drowsy state, she noticed both men getting in bed with her. Hannibal moved her until she was resting her head on his chest, feeling Will wrap one arm around her waist and resting his head against the back of her neck.
After that, darkness fell over her.
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A few days later, Abigail was already feeling better.
Her dads hadn't left her side for long, taking turns so one of them would always be with her. She appreciated all their care but all the time spent in bed had also given her much to ponder about.
She had started feeling very comfortable with the two men again. At first, she had thought that it was because of the dedication and worry they had shown her during her recovery, but she was aware that it went way beyond that.
It was so much more than that.
It was about the memories of her hugging her daddy, his arms wrapping protectively around her.
It was her dad teaching her to ride a bike, not caring if he was ruining his favorite and expensive suits.
Her daddy taking her fishing while her dad tried in vain to stop him.
Her daddy reading her stories every night and kissing her forehead lovingly.
Her dad patiently teaching her how to cook.
Her dad and her playing with her dolls, wearing costumes and him allowing her put make-up on his face.
Her daddy taking her shopping, spoiling her and letting her buy anything and everything she wanted and delighting in the jealous stares of other girls.
Her dads telling her how proud they were that she was their daughter.
Her dads always there.
Always there for her.
In every single one of her memories.
So with all the proof of their love and dedication towards her, how could she still be afraid of those men when they had protected her and loved her all her life? No one who had experienced such fatherly love like she had could even doubt that they would ever hurt her or that they would ever let her come to harm. And the fact that it had to be confirmed again by their actions filled her with shame. She felt absolutely ashamed for having been afraid of them, for having thought that they would ever do anything but love her.
But now that she was feeling better, she was willing to be the girl she had been before the beginning of her investigation.
And she was going to start by not wondering anymore about her fathers or the products she had been consuming all her life.
Particularly, the meat.
The meat her dad selected and that his daddy not only approved of but also encourage his husband to keep obtaining. The meat she was now completely sure was human meat. And that even when she knew she should have been revolted by the idea of indulging in the consumption of human flesh, the truth was that she wasn't. On the contrary, she found herself not minding it at all and even wanting to taste it again and as soon as possible.
Which led her into thinking on how to make her dads realize that she knew about their secret and how badly wanted to be included in it with them.
"Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?" - asked her daddy, coming through the door and sitting next to her on the bed.
Abigail rewarded him with a beautiful smile, taking one of his hands in both of hers and holding tight to him.
"I feel very good, daddy." - she replied.
'I feel good now.'
A/N: Hope you liked it. Sorry for any mistake found, English is not my native language :)