The streets of Florence were eerily quiet that night. Krissy wasn't sure how long she had been staring out at the night sky, lounging in the doorway to the balcony, a glass of whiskey in her hand. Hannibal had awoken some minutes ago, the change in his breathing the only indication of his alertness. His eyes remained shut, head leant forward, no doubt playing a thousand scenarios in his mind, just as Krissy was. He had likely realised by now that his hands and ankles were tied to his dining room chair, the knots too tight for even him to break free from. She expected the medications she had administered would still be flowing through his veins, leaving him as vulnerable as the killer could be. In body and mind.
"My own special concoction from Bella's leftover medications. My hands don't work so well these days, but I measured them out as best I could. I guess we'll find out soon enough if you're going to overdose" Krissy spoke, in a dismissive tone, watching as Hannibal's eyes snapped open.
"Such items would be difficult to move through customs" Hannibal rasped; his voice thick with sleep.
"I travelled by sea. Will was more than happy to assist" Krissy informed him, taking a sip of the whiskey, and enjoying the way it burnt her throat.
"Yet, I do not see him here with you" Hannibal pointed out.
"Aren't you observant?" Krissy mocked, reaching out for her cane, and limping toward him.
Hannibal's eyes watched her every movement, from the way her left leg jerked as she pushed it forward, to her free arm hanging limply at her side, the glass of whiskey close to falling away from her numb fingers. She was thin, but not as undernourished as she had appeared in the hospital. He expected Jack had been pushing her to eat, following the nutritional plan her doctors had passed on. Krissy's hair had been cut shorter since the trial, her natural curls no longer straightened out, framing her face well in the dim lighting of the view. As she came to sit on the wooden chair opposite him, he could see she had a certain glint in her eyes. Something that hadn't been there before.
"You look different when you're asleep. All that bitterness and cruelty...it just melted away. You almost looked like a normal person" Krissy murmured, placing her cane against the nearby table leg.
"You have watched me during my slumber before" Hannibal stated, making her scoff.
"Hardly. Every conscious movement and word you have ever said to me has been a manipulation. You can't help yourself" Krissy suggested, as Hannibal mulled over her words, leaning back in his chair.
"The same could be said of you. Is it truly manipulation if both parties are aware of the other's actions?" Hannibal theorised.
"You knew who I was when we first met. You manufactured a series of events to draw me in, pretended to be my friend—" Krissy began, when Hannibal cut her off.
"I have always been your friend. I only want what's best for you" Hannibal told her, almost sounding defensive.
"You know, it's a little depressing that I once might have believed that. And even more pathetic that you're deluded enough to think so" Krissy huffed, with a click of her jaw.
"Have you come here to resume your therapy? No? Perhaps, it is my letter to your father that has brought you to this city. Tell me, did Jack choose an open-casket funeral for Bella? I imagine the scent of death has become rather familiar" Hannibal responded, coldly.
Krissy's face remained expressionless for a few moments, her blue eyes boring into Hannibal's, capturing his attention instantly. He did not see the way her arm lowered or the flick of her wrist, not until a white-hot pain tore through his leg. He let out a grunt when he looked down to see she had stabbed him in the leg with a pocketknife, deep enough to scar, but staying away from any major arteries. His nose wrinkled, teeth barred for a split second, but no other sounds were allowed to leave his lips. He was always so quiet and composed, like nothing could truly pierce through his person-suit. Not even her.
Quirking an eyebrow, Krissy's hand remained on the handle of the knife, twisting the blade, pushing it deeper into his skin. A broad grin grew on her own lips as something akin to a growl clawed up Hannibal's throat.
"Like music to my ears" She smirked, her fingers trailing over the handle of the blade, before laying her index finger on the top, applying a small amount of pressure.
"I was led to believe...you did not share the same sadism as your brother" Hannibal exclaimed, breathlessly.
"Maybe you brought that out in me" Krissy retorted.
"I told you before...your potential has always been there. And it has always been yours alone to cultivate" Hannibal informed her.
Krissy withdrew her hand from the knife when she noticed the pleased tone to Hannibal's voice. He didn't appear fearful. Curious, maybe. Gratified was the main word that came to mind. She wondered whether she had once unwittingly conformed to his desires again.
"Don't speak about my father. Not unless you want to lose your tongue" Krissy warned.
"What would you do with my tongue? Cook it? I could recite a rather appetizing recipe if you wished" Hannibal went on, as Krissy let out a sigh.
"What I was hoping, was that the drugs in your system would help loosen your tongue. Instead, you're hiding behind your taunts again. Can't bear to show me another glimpse behind your person-suit?" Krissy theorised.
"We met at a crossroads in my kitchen many months ago. You took a path that led you away from me. That was the choice that you made. As they say, you can't have your cake and eat it, too" Hannibal murmured.
"I suppose not. Instead, I was left with a hole in my chest and my mind left in ruins" Krissy all but snarled, anger simmering close to the surface.
"I would gladly let you cut me with your knife if I believed it would allow you to heal. Though I sense it will not bring you the solace you crave" Hannibal stated, as she found herself believing him, much to her own annoyance.
"I didn't come here to torture you. My memories are jumbled and disordered. I have questions, and you're the only one who can answer them" She confessed, as Hannibal gave a small nod.
"Ask away" He stated.
"You were drugging me when I was your patient?" Krissy inquired.
"Yes" Hannibal replied, as if that alone was answer enough.
"Why?" Krissy pushed.
"I was curious what your drug-addled mind would do" Hannibal answered, as Krissy's face contorted in disbelief.
"Do you even regret it?" She questioned, as Hannibal pursed his lips.
"No. Not when it brought us closer. Though, I would not do such a thing again. The vicious beauty of your mind should not be inhibited" Hannibal explained.
"I think you could do with being a little bit more reserved" Krissy scoffed, causing Hannibal's lips to twitch into a smile.
"I meant what I said in our brief telephone call. I have missed you, more than you know" Hannibal exclaimed.
"And I don't believe you" Krissy retorted, firmly.
"Why not? Have your lawyers convinced you to see me in a certain light? Will, perhaps?" Hannibal pushed.
"I'm perfectly capable of making my own opinions, Doctor Lecter" Krissy muttered, as he noted she had still not used his name.
"Yet, you still do not ask the question you truly wish to ask" Hannibal pointed out, as Krissy ran her tongue over her teeth.
"...That night in your kitchen, did you want me to die?" Krissy questioned, eyes burning with emotion.
"Occasionally I drop a teacup to the floor just to see it shatter; I'm disappointed when it doesn't pick itself up and come back together" Hannibal told her.
"And that's what you did to me? Shattered me and waited to see if I could pick the pieces of myself up again?" Krissy frowned.
"And, so you have. This is your rebirth, Krissy. You have new pieces now, broken and sharp, but just as beautiful. They could lead you down a new path. One that we could share" Hannibal went on, making Krissy huff.
"I stab you, and you still want to run off into the sunset together?" She said, bewildered.
"To be alive at all, is to have scars" Hannibal stated.
"You certainly have a way with words. You could probably teach my new therapist a thing or two" Krissy informed him, watching in amusement at the way Hannibal's lips twitched.
"Back in therapy so soon?" Hannibal inquired, the discontent clear in his voice.
"It really does eat away at you to think I could have anyone else in my life, doesn't it? A therapist. My dad. Even Will. You just can't stand it" Krissy realised, noting the way Hannibal's jaw tensed.
"I could say the same of you. Am I a widower now?" Hannibal queried, as Krissy's eyes flickered down to the ring on his finger.
She wasn't sure how she could have missed the golden band, perhaps she hadn't wanted to acknowledge it, but there it was. A statement of his commitment to Bedelia, and as much as she hated to admit it...her skin crawled at the mere sight of it. Something which appeared to amuse Hannibal to no end.
"I used an old recording of Bedelia that my dad had. Bedelia took off running as soon as she saw me. I don't think she's coming back" Krissy huffed.
"A pity. I had great hopes of bringing her to my dinner table soon enough" Hannibal confessed.
"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone else to fill that gaping hole in your life. Maybe you already have" Krissy suggested, bitterly.
"Have you been following me?" Hannibal asked, though he already knew the answer.
"You haven't exactly made it difficult to find you. Killing two members of Studiolo? I'm surprised the Polizia haven't come knocking on your door yet...or have they?" Krissy realised.
"An old friend in law enforcement has taken an interest in my alias" Hannibal confessed.
"You don't have any friends. Friendship has to go both ways. And your just not capable of that" Krissy told him, watching his brow furrow.
"You truly don't believe we were ever friends?" Hannibal inquired.
"Friends don't hurt each other the way we have" Krissy retorted.
"Perhaps then, we have ascended past friendship" Hannibal went on, as Krissy shook her head.
"And you're certainly not capable of what you're suggesting" Krissy scoffed, unable to keep the anger out of her one.
"I loved my sister" Hannibal admitted, his eyes growing unfocused.
"And then she died. And all that got left behind is a shell of a person...you and I have that in common" Krissy stated, eyes flickering down to where her knife was still planted in his leg, his trousers slowly becoming stained with blood.
"We are more alike than you wish to believe" Hannibal informed her, as her lips pulled back into a snarl.
She then ripped out the knife from his leg, as blood began to trickle down his pant leg, and created a pool of red substance on the floor. She wondered how long it would take him to bleed out if she didn't apply pressure. Hannibal's lips were pressed firmly together, refusing to make a sound, even as his body shuddered from shock. She was annoyed she didn't feel more gratified at the sight.
"You know, all those months I spent laid up in my hospital bed, I thought about you. What I'd do if I saw you again. And let me tell, I can get pretty damn inventive. I mean, there really are so many ways to kill someone. But that would be the easy way out for you. You need people. You need people to control and manipulate, take that away...and your left to rot" Krissy explained, as Hannibal's eyes narrowed.
"Should I be expecting Interpol to crash through the doors at any given moment?" Hannibal asked.
"No. There's only one person who deserves to catch the Chesapeake Ripper" Krissy pointed out.
"Your father. You will gift him his redemption" Hannibal theorised, as Krissy gave a small shrug.
"I told him he'd find you in Florence. I never said what condition you'd be in" Krissy smirked, playing around with the bloody knife in her hand.
"Maybe I should leave you to bleed out. Just like you did to me" Krissy muttered, watching as blood continued dripping onto the floor, echoing throughout the grand apartment.
"What drives you to this conclusion? What are you truly so angry about?" Hannibal pushed, as Krissy's face contorted into a rage.
"Maybe because you fucking stabbed me. You left me to die! You...you fucking left me!" Krissy cried, lunging forward and holding the knife to his cheek, just an inch away from his skin.
"You did not want to leave with me. And I could not stay" Hannibal replied, watching her hand shake.
"No. Don't you dare do that. Don't you dare try to justify what you've done. You broke your teacup, without a care for how you left me" Krissy went on.
"If you believe that, why have you come back to me?" Hannibal questioned.
"Because you're the only one who didn't break that night. You started again. A new life, a new wife. Without a care in the goddamn world," Krissy explained, as Hannibal tilted his head.
"I did not forget you" Hannibal told her.
"Right. Is that why you sent that footage to the court? Did the guilt start to get to you? Or were you just curious about what would happen?" Krissy pushed.
"You allowed me my freedom. And I did the same for you" Hannibal pointed out, making her scoff once again.
"You scarred me. Why don't I return that particular favour?" Krissy muttered, twisting the knife in her hand, and pressing the edge of the blade to Hannibal's cheek, causing a line of blood to run down his chiselled jaw.
It would be so easy to kill him. To mutilate him. Like he had done to so many other people. Maybe it would even give her peace. Hannibal certainly wasn't making a move to stop her. But as she watched his blood dripping down onto his shirt, she felt her anger already seeping away. It had ebbed as soon as she stabbed him minutes before.
"I don't have your appetite" She exclaimed, pulling the blade away and throwing it onto the table, as his blood splattered over the expensive oak.
With a shake of her head, she stood up, refusing to meet his gaze and stumbled toward the bedroom, leaving her cane behind. She returned a minute later, glad to see he had made no move to escape. She hadn't expected anything different. Hannibal quirked an eyebrow when he saw she had one of Bedelia's silk shirts in her hand, which she quickly ripped apart. She then slumped back into her chair and begrudgingly began to use the sleeves of the shirt as a tourniquet on his thigh. She took great pleasure in hearing the hiss that left his lips as she tied the sleeves up tight, stemming his blood which had stained the flooring below. Krissy had begun using the rest of the shirt as a makeshift bandage when she felt Hannibal's breath on her cheek. Her eyes darted up to see he had leant down, bringing his face close to hers, his hazel eyes drinking her in. Never one to back down, Krissy tilted her head to the side, bringing their eyes level, now just inches apart from each other.
"What did you say to me? You whispered something in my ear that night. I remember how I felt after you spoke, but I don't remember your words..." Krissy trailed off, watching how Hannibal's eyes softened.
"Tell me" She insisted, her own eyes flickering to his lips as they started to move for the first time in minutes.
If she knew what he said, maybe she could finally understand his actions. Maybe she could—
A sharp knock at the door to the apartment had her heart stopping, twisting around to face the doorway, as the tapping continued. Her hands tensed where they were still resting on Hannibal's thigh. The man in question still seemed more intrigued by her than the newcomer at his door.
"Roman?" A male voice called out, with a distinctive English accent, as Krissy gave Hannibal a warning look.
"Good evening, Antony" Hannibal replied, before Krissy could stop him.
She slammed her hand over his mouth before he could implicate their situation any further, something which clearly amused the older man. She could feel his grin from underneath her palm. She placed a finger to her lips and prayed that the man would leave until the truth dawned on her. Who would Hannibal be on first-name basis with?
"Roman? Aren't you going to let me in?" The voice insisted, as Krissy's jaw clenched.
Moments of silence passed before she heard the doorknob being turned, glad that she had remembered to lock the front door before she had tied Hannibal up. The hint of concern in the newcomer's voice all but confirmed her suspicions. The man was her replacement. The one she had seen Hannibal with at the Studiolo.
"Is everything alright in there?" Roman pushed, knocking on the door once again, as Krissy began debating her options.
There was a good chance her father had already phoned the Polizia and they could have already been heading to the apartment that very moment. She needed to leave. And soon. Maybe she could knock this Antony out? Or just wait for him to leave—
She let out a sharp gasp as she felt Hannibal's teeth nick the skin of her palm, causing her to wrench her hand away from his mouth. She muttered a curse under her breath, before flipping off the serial killer, who huffed in amusement.
"What was that? Roman?" Antony exclaimed, having heard Krissy's gasp.
"Tell him to leave" Krissy stated, as Hannibal appeared to mull this over for a moment.
"...I will be with you in just a moment" Hannibal called out, as Krissy gave him an exasperated look.
"Fuck you" Krissy murmured, quietly.
"It appears you will have to untie me. Antony will be rather concerned with my well-being otherwise. Who knows what he will do" Hannibal explained.
"Not a chance" Krissy retorted, eyes darting to the bloody knife on the table.
"He will be unarmed. And you will have the element of surprise. I expect you could quite easily slit his throat in the doorway before anyone sees" Hannibal suggested.
"He's not the one I'm thinking about killing" Krissy huffed, reaching out for the knife.
"Roman, is there someone in there with you? Are you in some sort of trouble?" Roman questioned.
"Your lover really doesn't know when to quit, huh?" Krissy scoffed, bitterly.
She frowned when she heard Roman beginning to fiddle with the lock on the door, eyes widening as she realised what he was trying to do. He would no doubt be running out the door to find help if he saw Krissy wafting a knife in Hannibal's face, and she had no chance of catching up with him.
"It may have slipped my mind that Antony has a set of keys to this apartment" Hannibal exclaimed, as Krissy reached out to grab his chin, forcing him to look at her.
"Listen up. You make one fucking move against me and I swear to God, I'll stick this knife through your eye" Krissy warned, as Hannibal gave a curt nod, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.
With a shake of her head, she then bent down and reluctantly cut the rope around both his ankles. She was nervous as she slipped the knife in between the rope and his left wrist, freeing his arm, as he stretched his aching limb. She leaned forward to untie his other wrist, freezing when she felt his hand brushing the hair that had fallen over her face behind her ear. As she finished cutting the rope, he was busy running his fingers through her hair, a soft expression on his face. It made her heart skip uncomfortably in her chest, one part of her wanting to shove him away, and the other part...
"Get him to leave. Quickly" Krissy insisted, interrupting whatever thoughts were growing in her own mind.
"So eager to have me to yourself once again?" Hannibal inquired, as she simply glared at him, gesturing for him to stand up with the knife.
He pushed himself up a moment after, wiping away at the blood on his cheek with the edge of his palm, appearing surprisingly steady despite the medications still in his system. Krissy was quick to grab the rope on the floor and push it under the table she was sitting at. Her eyes darted around the room for a place to hide as Hannibal approached the front door. She sunk to the floor, crouching down underneath the table and hiding behind the chair she had been sitting on. Grabbing Hannibal's suit jacket from one of the other chairs, she placed it over the pool of blood on the floor, grimacing as it quickly began to be stained with blood. She was well and truly fucked.
"Gods, Roman. What happened to you?" Antony gaped, taking in Hannibal's dishevelled appearance and blood on his shirt.
"I was mugged earlier this evening. The perpetrator has been dealt with, be assured" Hannibal lied, easily.
"Still, don't you think you should go to a hospital?" Antony suggested, eyes flitting down to the makeshift tourniquet on his leg.
"It is not necessary. Besides, I now find myself in your capable hands, Mr Dimmond" Hannibal smirked, as Krissy rolled her eyes from where she was still hidden under the table.
Antony made his way into the apartment as Hannibal shut the door behind him, before locking it. Krissy allowed herself a moment to survey Antony Dimmond. He was attractive, it couldn't be denied. He looked even more like Will than he had the other night, with an expensive-looking scarf wrapped around his slender neck. Perhaps, that was why Hannibal sought him out?
"Are you alone?" Antony inquired.
"Mrs Fell is out for the evening" Hannibal replied, as Antony's lips turned upward into a grin.
"Then it seems we have the apartment to ourselves once again, Roman..." Antony trailed off, his brow furrowed.
"I must say, it feels rather odd to be calling you that prat's name. Won't you tell me your real name yet?" Antony pushed.
"The idea of identity is a rather fleeting notion, is it not? We mould ourselves into the most appealing image for those around us—" Hannibal began, when Antony cut him off.
"Enough with the philosophical bullshit. Come, now. I am sure I can handle your true identity" Antony stated, as Krissy watched Hannibal's jaw tick, clearly irritated by the interruption.
Antony's insistence was met with a few moments of silence, as Krissy could see the change in Hannibal's demeanour. His true self was picking at the finer stitching of his person-suit, aching to be set free. An animal ready to pounce on its prey.
"...Hannibal Lecter. I assume you have heard of me" Hannibal announced, holding his hand out to his lover, in the form of a mocking handshake.
A humourless laugh left Antony's lips, his brow furrowed, trying and failing to understand Hannibal's angle. He took a step back, almost subconsciously, shoulders going rigid as some part of him realised the danger he was in.
"I think you should leave the humour to me, Roman" Antony mumbled, as Hannibal raised an elegant eyebrow.
"I thought you were a man who enjoyed being twisted into uncomfortable positions, Antony. Was that a lie?" Hannibal asked, taking a step closer to him.
"I've heard about that man. I think half of Italy has. He's a monster. Not a joking matter" Antony went on, shakily.
"I think it not wise to offend me at this moment" Hannibal warned, as Antony jumped back a few paces, eyes wide.
"Enough, Roman. Whatever this game is that you're playing, I want no part of it" Antony exclaimed, as his back hit the table Krissy was hiding underneath.
Krissy peaked out from under the table, spotting the way Antony's hand twisted around his back, desperately trying to grab the paperweight from behind him. Hannibal walked forward to loom over the man, a dark look in his eyes.
"I think this game is over" Hannibal stated, as Antony's hand gripped the paperweight, his intention clear.
He never had the opportunity to strike Hannibal with the object, as a blade cut through the back of his ankles, causing him to stumble forward, crying out in pain. Hannibal watched with interest as Antony fell to his knees, panicked sobs leaving his lips as he clutched at the blood pouring out from above his shoes. Krissy then crawled out from under the table, the knife still in her hand, watching the horror dawn on Antony's face. A hand was thrust toward her suddenly, and she looked up to see Hannibal smiling down at her. She took his hand, allowing him to heave her up onto her feet, her other hand still clutching the knife.
"No...no. Don't" Antony pleaded, falling onto his side.
"I enjoyed our time together, Antony. But you have caught me at a rather awkward moment..." Hannibal trailed off, reaching for the paperweight his lover had planned to hit him with.
"Don't even think about" Krissy hissed.
"Would you rather I let him slowly bleed out on the floor? Better I kill him than you, don't you think?" Hannibal pushed, making her frown.
"Oh, how thoughtful of you" Krissy huffed, neither noticing how Antony had begun to crawl toward the door, a trail of blood following him.
"I was not the one to make the first cut, Krissy" Hannibal pointed out.
"No...you never are" Krissy murmured, angrily.
A loud gunshot had her flinching, and reaching for Hannibal's arm almost instinctively, gripping his stained white shirt. Her mouth went slack as she saw Bedelia standing in the doorway of the apartment, a gun in her hand, lips drawn in a fine line. Krissy's eyes flitted down to Antony, noting the bullet wound to his forehead, as blood leaked down onto the floorboards. Krissy gulped as the blonde entered the apartment and rolled Antony onto his back with her dainty foot, only looking at Krissy when she was convinced the man was dead.
"I thought you left" Krissy exclaimed, as Bedelia gave her a cold look.
"I considered what you said. There are three choices for friendship with Hannibal Lecter. Join him, kill him or be killed by him. I have no desire to die, nor do I think myself capable of killing him. Alas, I have one choice left" Bedelia explained, as Hannibal's smug smile grew.
"What a loyal wife you are" Krissy sneered.
"As are you" Bedelia retorted.
"I'm not going to be locked up by you again" Krissy stated, turning her attention back to Hannibal, knowing she was outnumbered.
"I have no desire to do so. You have outgrown all the chains that used to hold you down. You are free to do as you wish" Hannibal told her.
"You still haven't answered my question. What did you say to me that night?" Krissy insisted, as Hannibal slowly reached out to cup her cheek, giving her ample time to pull back.
"You remember. But you wish you did not" Hannibal replied, his thumb brushing against her skin, achingly gentle.
"...No. I don't. All I remember is you cutting into me" Krissy exclaimed, in a pleading voice.
"Betrayal and forgiveness are best seen as something akin to falling in love. Forgiveness is too great and difficult for one person. It requires two. A betrayer and a betrayed. Which one are you?" Bedelia questioned, approaching the pair.
"I'm not so sure anymore" Krissy mumbled, pulling away from Hannibal's hand, whose brows furrowed at the gesture.
She could see how Bedelia's hand twitched at her side, her finger still on the trigger of the gun. There was desperate want in Hannibal's eyes as she gazed into them, knowing he would not allow her to leave again. He couldn't. She and Bedelia knew that.
Hannibal took great pride in staying one step ahead of everyone. Playing every possible outcome in his mind over and over. Krissy's unpredictable nature had been something that had drawn him in right from the beginning. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the moment that she lunged forward, her knife piercing through the skin and muscle of his chest. Bedelia's horrified gasp echoed through the apartment, as Krissy kept her handle on the blade, her other hand reaching up to clutch at Hannibal's shirt. Krissy's eyes watered as she watched Hannibal's lips pull back into a pained smile, reaching out to place his shaking hands over the hand still holding onto the knife.
"It's time to see whether you can put the pieces of yourself back together again. Just like I did" Krissy told him, as he gave her a look of understanding.
"The teacup shatters once again" Hannibal murmured, shakily.
With a cry, Krissy wrenched the knife out of Hannibal's chest, who grunted in pain. Bedelia rushed to his side in an instant, pressing her hand against the wound that began to spill with blood. Krissy stumbled back, dropping the knife to the floor, and sucking in a deep breath. Hannibal was falling to his knees a moment later, looking up at her with a look of...something she wasn't ready to accept.
A moment later, she was running from the room as fast as her bad leg could carry her, refusing to look back.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I think I re-wrote this scene about a hundred times, so many conflicting emotions to get across. We'll be heading off to Lithuania in the next chapter, as Hannibal licks his wounds. Please leave a review:)
neneloudmouth: I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! Thanks for reviewing:)
FeliciaMartinez: We love some female rage, and this chapter had plenty, haha. Thank you for reviewing!