"You seem distracted, Hannibal," Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier said.
Hannibal's maroon eyes looked up from the hardwood floor and towards Bedelia. "I've been in a difficult place this past week."
"Why is that, Hannibal?"
Hannibal stood up and walked over to the window where he looked out into the distance. His jaw tightened and he replied, "I had an evening with someone who is peculiar to me."
"Is this a woman?" She questioned curiously.
"How do you know if this someone is in fact a woman?"
"Hannibal, with males you don't trust them and are highly cautious of them, but with females you find them strange and you don't know how to act towards them. You feel confusion," She explained carefully.
Hannibal turned around and his lips curved into the smallest of smiles. "Her name is Elizabeth Graham."
"Will Graham's sister? Hannibal, this game you are playing with Will is dangerous and something tells me that she's apart of your game as well."
"She's been avoiding me ever since I invited her over for a date just a week ago," Hannibal told her as he slowly paced back and forth.
"You are upset because not only did you open yourself up for even the slightest moment, but that someone else is in control. You can't control her, Hannibal. Tell me what she is like-how she acts towards others. What have you inferred about her so far?" Bedelia asked.
"She's distrustful, polite, cautious, and highly intelligent," Hannibal answered immediately. "Oh and she likes to read books and art."
"What else, Hannibal? Something tells me that you know much more about this woman then you're telling me," Bedelia told him with a blank expression though inside she was very surprised since Hannibal mostly ignores the female race in that area of interest. He already took a keen interest in Will and now his sister caught his eye as well. She didn't know what to expect of Hannibal's panic and loss of control. She suspected that he may have a downward spiral if Elizabeth kept on going as she pleased.
Bedelia was now worried seeing the glint in Hannibal's eyes.
"She has had a string of bad relationships which means that she's naïve when it comes to love. Her last relationship was The Bayard Butcher, perhaps you've heard of him?"
"She dated a serial killer?"
"Engaged actually. She was very much in love with him. Most of his female victims looked like her; this was how he showed his undying love for her by killing others. This frightens her. She scared of letting others inside even though she won't admit it. When she is in love, she'll do anything for them," Hannibal elaborated.
"You want the devotion she gives to her brother and the past men in her life."
"She's ignoring me and I don't know how she's doing it. I can't seem to find her," he confessed in slight irritation and his eye twitched.
"Have you called her?"
Hannibal stopped pacing. "Yes, I've tried everything yet she will not come to the door. She's doing it on purpose."
Bedelia chuckled softly. "I'm sorry for laughing, but I think that Elizabeth is someone that…well, she's honest, Hannibal. Unlike you."
"Partially," she clarified. "There are two sides of you and Elizabeth is completely opposite of both sides. She doesn't fit in your puzzle."
"Yet," Hannibal snapped calmly.
"Yet?" Bedelia questioned and almost tensed. "What do you think will happen if you pursue her? Do you think she'll be like you? Do you want her to?"
"She's stubborn, but devoted unconditionally. Loyal."
"And honest," she reminded him.
"Why do you keep reminding me of that?" Hannibal inquired, seeing right through her attempts.
"Because this is what will keep you away from her. Her honesty is what you're afraid of-"
"I am not afraid of her."
They stared at each other for a long moment of silence until a small smile cracked onto her face and she nodded. "Of course not."
"Hey, Winston," Elizabeth cooed brightly as she ran around her yard. "Come on boy."
Winston barked and ran after her with Elizabeth laughed as he just barely nipped at the toy in her hand. She had to babysit Will's dogs as he went off with Hannibal to catch "the ripper" according to Jack, but she knew that it wasn't him and so did Will. She decided that she didn't want to be involved in the case and still needed to get her things together, bringing them over to her new place.
Elizabeth stroked his fur and praised, "Good doggie. You are so cute-no, adorable."
"Beth," David called from his motorcycle as he parked it near the sidewalk. He smiled charmingly as he walked over to her.
"Hey," she greeted and kissed him on the lips. "This is Winston, Will's dog."
"Ah," he drawled out. "That would explain the dogs running around here as well. For a minute I thought that you had obtained his bad habit."
Elizabeth laughed and told him, "Well, it wouldn't be the first time."
"Yeah, you got my habit of biting my nails when I'm nervous, remember?" David pointed out.
She nodded and sighed in disappointment as she looked down at her very short nails. "Gee, thanks for that."
"Anytime," David joked and rubbed Buster's belly when the dog laid on his back. "You lazy bones. You're so lazy, aren't you buddy?"
Buster's leg shook violently up and down as he licked his lips because it seems whatever David was doing to him, he really seemed to like. The other dogs tackled David to the ground and she laughed. David grabbed her by the waist, pulling her down with him.
"You like to laugh, huh? I'll make you laugh," David warned playfully as he then tickled her sides. Elizabeth wiggled furiously underneath him and struggled to get away from his cruel hands as they had caused her to giggle uncontrollably. "Are you still laughing?"
Elizabeth giggled again. "I'll always keep on laughing, Dave. I have to. It's my duty to or who else will?"
David nodded, his brown strand falling aside his forehead and she brushed it out of his face. "I like your laugh. It makes me smile."
David kissed her passionately on the lips, wrapping his arms around her small frame and pulled her closer to him. His hands traveled up to her breasts where he squeezed them harder than her liking to. She whimpered softly and pulled his hands back down to her hips, but he kept on trailing them towards her breasts again. She pulled away from him, her eyes irritated.
"You can't touch me like that in public, David."
"Why the hell not?" He questioned, his eyes squinting in doubt.
Elizabeth forcefully pushed him off of her and stood up quickly. "Because I said so, that's why."
David stood up as well and just as swiftly when she crossed her arms defensively over her chest. "Screw that. You're my girlfriend and people need to know that."
"I don't care what you want. Just because we're dating doesn't mean that I belong to you or am your girlfriend. It's only been almost three weeks. That's still too early. You know how I feel about us going too fast and this is fast."
"What the fuck?" he said crudely and loudly.
"Keep your voice down. I have neighbors!"
"I don't give a fuck because you're my girl and I don't want some guy coming in and messing with that."
"What are you talking about?" she whispered harshly to him, feeling a headache begin to pray on her poor mind right now.
"You and Dr. Lecter!" David yelled. "I saw you two having dinner a week ago. You were flirting with him!"
"And? We are causally dating, David," she reminded him. "I'm allowed to see other people if I want to and Hannibal asked me to."
"Oh so now it's Hannibal now," he mocked and then painfully gripped her forearms. "Did you fuck him already, huh? Spread your legs wide open for that tailored suit freak?!"
Elizabeth broke away from him and punched him in the face as hard as possible. David held his bloody nose in his hand and screamed, "You bitch! You broke my fucking nose!"
"Don't you dare talk about Hannibal that way ever again," Elizabeth threatened.
Why am I defending Hannibal all of the sudden, she thought curiously. I BARELY EVEN KNOW HIM! It's not like our date was that special. I've been avoiding him for a week because of how awkward it was during desert when he had stolen glances at my breasts.
"Elizabeth." Hannibal's voice rang from behind her. She turned around and saw how unaffected he seemed by the scene as he walked up the steps and to them.
"Hannibal, what are you doing here?"
"I saw a damsel in distress and came to rescue you."
She scoffed lightly. "I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle it. Have a nice day, Hannibal."
Hannibal smiled and replied, "I can see that. David, I presume. I heard what you said about Elizabeth and I…that was quite rude of you to say such a thing about this woman. She's not like that. Never."
Elizabeth smiled softly at Hannibal's words and she breathed out in one breath, "It's over, David. Please leave."
David laughed and stood up. "Fuck you, you cunt. You're just as fucked up as I am. So I would check how high your horse is and look in the mirror sometime before you judge me."
With that, David turned and walked to his motorcycle, riding away into the distance. Hannibal had already remembered his license plate inside of his mind.
"Are you alright?" he asked, with worry itched on his voice.
She nodded. "I am. Really I am, but I really thought that I was wrong about him."
Hannibal's fingers lifted her chin up to look at him. "It's okay to wrong about something…to want to be selfish with it even every once in a while, Elizabeth."
"Maybe for you," she replied softly. "But I cannot not feel guilty about something even when I know it's not my fault."
His fingers cupped her cheek and held her there firmly, unable to move. "What are you? Why am I so…so…"
"So what, Hannibal," she asked quietly as they leaned towards each other.
"Why were you avoiding me all last week?"
"I was nervous."
"And afraid it seems," he analyzed.
"I-I can't, Hannibal," Elizabeth admitted and stepped out of his grasp. "We can't date each other or be romantically involved. We're just too different."
"They say opposites attract."
"They also say that opposites drive each other apart as well." She countered.
"But I like to say attract is more likely instead."
Elizabeth gave a mirthless chuckle. "You don't give up, do you?"
Hannibal had this secretive smile come onto his face at her words. "Oh, you have no idea."
"Well, lucky for you, Hannibal, that I too am full of surprises," Elizabeth calmly told him with an amused smile. Hannibal suddenly saw a spark in her eyes that lit up in a field of sudden darkness.
She has a dark secret…one that I can probably use on her, he considered gleefully. I wonder if it's darker than my own.
TBC…
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! YOU GUYS ARE TOO AWESOME! I hoped you liked this chapter and next one is back to the story line.
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