God, my head is killing me.
Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open, squinting at the harsh light that seem to be glaring in her eyes painfully.
She vaguely heard someone whisper, "She's awake. Will, wake up."
She opened her eyes wider and smiled weakly at Hannibal who hovered over her, holding her hand. She raised her other hand, her fingers touching under his eye.
Her brow furrowed as she told him softly, "You look worried. Why?"
"You mad woman," Hannibal whispered. "You say you are no damsel yet here you are."
"You're hurt," she said weakly, outlining the wound on his head. "Tobias…I was so worried about you for some odd reason."
Hannibal let himself smile and stroked her knuckles with his thumb. "He told me that you were dead."
"Yet I survived. It's going to take a lot than some car crash to get rid of me," she told him.
"I imagine so," Hannibal muttered against her hand.
Elizabeth gave him a warm smile and raised an eyebrow as she looked over at Will who was still sleeping on the couch curled up in a ball. She looked back over to Hannibal again.
"Please give that magazine," she asked him to which he complied with doing so.
Elizabeth then sat up slowly and then threw the magazine over at Will saying, "Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."
Will groaned in pain as the magazine was aim at his back causing him to jump. "Oh, God…that hurt."
"Good," she chuckled softly. "I am really hungry. How long have I been out?"
"Almost a week," Will answered as he rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses.
She widened her eyes. "W-What? Please tell you're just kidding, Will."
He shook his head. "No, I am not. Listen, I'm going to get you some real food and be right back, alright?"
Elizabeth nodded and Will kissed the top of her head. Once he left, she turned to Hannibal and asked, "Is he alright?"
"He needs time, but he might be."
"Might? I don't like the sound of that."
"I'm giving him some medications for that so don't worry. It should help him," he assured her.
Elizabeth eyed him curiously. "Thank you, Hannibal. For Will and for…have you been here before?"
"I haven't left your side ever since you were admitted here," Hannibal confessed.
Elizabeth gulped nervously, suddenly feeling her throat was dry. "Oh, well…that is surprising."
"I like you, Elizabeth," Hannibal said softly. "I always think about you if I am being truthful with you."
Elizabeth moved her hand out of his grasp and put her hands in her lap. "I can't. We can't be together, Hannibal."
"Why not?" he asked immediately, eager for an answer.
Elizabeth licked her lips and put her hair behind her ear. "Because I don't think that we should be."
"Why?"
"Because you're not my type I guess. I don't know-listen, Hannibal," she sighed. "We are completely opposite of each other. We wouldn't be happy. We'd probably kill each other actually."
Hannibal chuckled and wondered if what she said was true. "I don't think that will happen."
"You say that now, but you haven't met me when you've pissed me off," She warned him.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because I know you will. No offense, but you're a normal man. Remember what I told you last night-I mean last week?" she reminded him. "Normal guys and I don't really mix well together anyways."
Hannibal leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips then pulled away before she could respond. "I'm not a normal man and you are not a normal woman. I say that you and I are the same whether you'll admit it or not."
Elizabeth gazed at Hannibal, her eyebrows still confused. "Why? Why do you like me so much, Hannibal? Why are you doing all of this?"
"Elizabeth, why do always push people away?" He asked curiously.
"I don't want to talk about it, Hannibal," she dismissed and moved away from him, looking away towards the window. "I don't want a relationship with you, Hannibal."
Hannibal stared at her for a moment before silently standing up and walking out of the room. Elizabeth sighed heavily and stuffed her face into a pillow, screaming into it.
"What happened?" Will asked.
Elizabeth gave him a look. "Nothing, Will."
Will set down the bags of food and the cup holder with two coffees in them. "Are you and Hannibal together?"
"He asked me out on a date like two weeks ago I think. We had a good time, but I wasn't ready for a relationship."
"He looked a little angry when I passed him in the hall. Didn't even answer me when I tried to talk to me," Will informed her. "What did you say to him?"
"He kissed me again and he keeps on pursuing me…asking why we can't be together. I told him it was because we were too different and now I told him that I didn't want a relationship with him," she explained in a soft voice. "I don't give trust that easily and for some reason, Will; I can't let myself trust Hannibal."
"B-But why?" Will questioned in confusion. "He has no reason to make you not trust him. I mean if there is anyone here besides me that you could trust, it is Hannibal. He hasn't left your side since you were in the accident-I mean the man was stabbed and beaten horribly and still he got up, ignored the doctors who told him that he needed to get examined for any severe injuries, and went to your side. I'm surprised he's still even alive if we're being honest and I had thought that something bad would happen to him, but yet it didn't. He thinks of you first, Elizabeth. I get why you don't trust people especially men when you've had boyfriends cheat on you, try to kill you, and your last one completely screwed up your mind, playing with your heart, being a jackass by proposing to you while he was out killing woman who looked a lot like you...what I am trying to say to you, but immensely failing at it, is that to give Hannibal a chance. He's a good man and I feel that you two are perfect for each other."
Elizabeth laughed. "That was some speech, brother. Have you been reading some couples counseling books perhaps?"
Will smiled. "No, I've been listening to you. You give good advice so I thought to repay the debt."
"It is never a debt to advice you, Will," she told him. "Now give me some of that food. I'm starving-famished to be more exact."
"You are very exaggerate when it comes to food, you know?"
"But you still love me."
"Yeah," he scoffed playfully, "You keep telling yourself that."
"Now tell me about the new case," she said firmly.
"Well, it involves," he started as he took out a file and handed it to her. "Bodies on a totem pole on a beach."
She opened the file and her eyes widened in shock. "Whoa! Clearly someone has issues."
"They all died naturally except for the top and bottom which means that they hold value or are the product of his feelings," Will enlightened her.
"And here I thought that I had seen most of everything," she said dazed. "Yet I am still surprised by people."
"Elizabeth rejected you," Bedelia asked for conformation.
Hannibal sighed in irritation, but confirmed, "Yes, she said that-"
He stopped speaking abruptly which caused Bedelia's intrigue in his Elizabeth to become ignited. That woman had caused Hannibal to become disordered and unsystematic. "What did she say, Hannibal?"
"She said that she didn't want a relationship with me specifically," Hannibal answered coldly.
"And how does that make you feel, Hannibal?" she asked carefully.
"Vengeful," he told her truthfully. "I want to hurt her. Ruin her completely-mind and soul."
"Those are some hateful words," she reminded him. "I'm guessing that she was clever enough to climb over your walls and you trusted her-"
"No, I never trusted her," he snapped evenly.
"But you felt that you would've let yourself trust her," Bedelia considered. "You're not just angry at her, but at yourself as well."
"She had something then took it away from me," Hannibal replied. "She's more intelligent than I had thought of her to be. She is very beautiful and cunning yet I cannot stop thinking about her. She dances around my mind at least twice every hour of each day."
"Hannibal," she started. "This feelings you have for Elizabeth is unhealthy."
"I know."
"And yet you continue to ignore my advice to you that you should stay away from her."
"Can you stay away from the earth, doctor," he asked suddenly.
"No, I walk on it every day just like everyone else does, Hannibal."
"Just like Elizabeth. She is the earth. She is beautiful and yet unforgiving in her own way. People don't appreciate her and walk all over her and she gives it no thought just like the earth. People litter her ground with their debris, it's sad to me. She could be so magnificent if only she had guidance."
"Do you feel that you're her guidance, Hannibal?" Bedelia inquired softly.
Hannibal nodded slowly. "Yes, Bedelia, I do, but first she has to learn."
Bedelia forced a smile onto her face at Hannibal. Her worry for this woman became larger than before.
Hannibal wants her, but even he doesn't know what for. He only thinks he does, but he won't say it to her. Hannibal's secrets are what make him able to survive. Elizabeth had unintentionally pulled Hannibal into her world and he planned to stay, latching onto her mind and body. She feared how far Hannibal would go to prove it.
"You can't stop me, Willa," Elizabeth teased him as they drove over to the crime scene where Jack had told them that there was another murder. It had been only two days since she woke up and she wanted to be rid of that hospital…and the food and gowns she was forced to wear. She hated hospitals because of all the death that happened there and the sadness as well. She couldn't help, but think of it whenever she was near one.
"I thought Dad told you to stop calling me that," Will scolded as he cleaned his glasses.
"Oh, please. What? Are you gonna snitch on me," she mused.
"Whatever you say, Elijah," Will countered with a smirk.
She gaped at him then smacked him playfully on the arm, laughing. "You ass."
"Hey, you started it with Willa so why not give you another name like Elijah since your name is Elizabeth and mine is Will and Willa."
"Ah, touché, Will Graham," she drawled out.
They parked near the other police cars and found themselves in the woods which looked dead and something out of a horror movie when the girl is running away from the serial killer after he had just killed her boyfriend or something. This must've been used for like Friday the 13th, she thought.
They followed police officers towards where Jack was supposed to be…and Hannibal as well. She wanted to talk to him, but every time she tried, there was always something in her way whether he wasn't there or didn't answer her texts or calls. He is being a real jackass. All I want to do is apologize to him for what I said and actually go out on a date with him. I wanted to actually give him a chance and open up a little. I wanted to tell him all of these things yet he won't fucking answer me! When I get my hands on him-
"Oh my God," she whispered when she froze and saw the murder.
"Lizzie," Will called when he walked to Hannibal and Jack, but noticed her absence. "Lizzie, are you alright?"
It was David.
His body was hung up in the air, naked for all to see. His arms and legs were spread out wide, displaying his body for the world to see him. Ropes hung around his wrists and ankles, keeping him wide and still. A crow was perched on his shoulder as if sensing death.
His penis was cut off along with a gaping hole in his stomach, all of his organs missing except for his heart which was torn in half as if broken. His eyes were wide and dead as if whoever did this to him scared him to death. In the hole of his stomach were her...were her favorite flowers, blooming red roses with a white rose in the middle of them. She looked more closely at his body, her mind telling her to look away, but her eyes could not. She found that there were restraint marks on his ankles and wrists.
She gulped nervously as a silent tear went down her cheek yet her face showed no emotion as she asked, "It was the ripper wasn't it?"
Jack nodded. "We believe so. Elizabeth, do you know this man?"
She stared impassively at them. "Yes, I do. He was the new boyfriend that I had, but we broke up just a day or two before the accident though we made up and were still friends. Red roses are my favorite and white ones are my second favorite. Abel Gideon warned me that the ripper would escalate if he felt threatened by me."
"What else did Dr. Gideon say?" Jack questioned.
"He was interested in the butcher case along with Will and myself," she explained. "I would have told you, Jack, but I thought that Gideon only wanted to draw attention to himself by psyching me out or something."
Will circled the body and said, "He doesn't like David at all…I think he hates him. Why did you two break up?"
"Well, he was not only controlling, but an asshole as well. Possessive with me and he thought that I was his girlfriend, but I actually never confirmed that with him in a way. He hated the thought of me with another man."
"Did he know about your date with Hannibal," Will questioned.
"Your what?" Jack questioned with his hands on his hips as he looked between her and Hannibal.
"Yes, Hannibal and I went out on a date, Jack. David knew because he peeked through the window of Hannibal's house. He got insanely jealous and I punched him in the face when he insulted me."
Will tried not to smile as he asked her, "And you reconciled with him?"
She nodded. "Yes, I put it behind me. We didn't really talk much after we said our good byes. I did care for him though. I liked him a lot actually."
"I'm very sorry, Elizabeth," Jack told her sincerely. "Now the ripper is going to closer to you, Elizabeth so you have to be careful. If he gets close enough, we can catch him through you. Now for your safety, you can't go anywhere alone. If what Dr. Gideon told you was true then you might be next on the ripper's list. It is imperative that we know where you are every hour, Elizabeth. You must tell or be with either Will, Hannibal, or myself, is that clear?"
She nodded silently and sighed. "Will, can you take me home?"
"Of course," he said and began to walk back to the car.
Meanwhile Elizabeth turned to Hannibal and walked over to him, whispering, "I am truly sorry for what I said to you, Hannibal. It was very rude of me. I don't trust people easily because of what has happened to me in the past with other men. I didn't give you chance…but I would like to if y-you want to that is. I am willing to try…for you, Hannibal."
"Why?"
"Because I can't run away from my feelings for you and I'm afraid, Hannibal," she confessed softly. "I'm afraid that the ripper will come after you before I could ever tell you and apologize."
Elizabeth went on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth gently then walked back to Will's car who was suppressing a smile along with Alana.
"Wow," Alana started with amusement. "That was some kiss."
"I didn't kiss his lips only the corner of them," she corrected when she came closer. "Then again…I'm sure you and my brother have had better kisses than that."
They widened their eyes at her and she ignored them as she stepped into the passenger seat of the car, smiling widely when Will got in as well.
"Why do you always have to embarrass me?" Will asked.
"I could ask the same or you, brother."
"We can't be together."
"Why's that?"
"For almost the same reasons you have Hannibal," Will said as they backed out of the lot and onto the woods. "She says that we're too opposite-too different. She has feelings for me, but she won't act on them when I'm this disabled with my mind, can you believe that?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean disabled with your mind, Will?"
"I've been having hallucinations, loss of time, and sleep walking. I've thought that maybe it involves some kind of medical issue in the brain or something, but Hannibal tells me otherwise."
"What did he say to you?"
"He said that it's all in my head to sum it up," Will elaborated.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked angrily. "I deserve to know when you're in trouble, Will."
"Here's a good question, why didn't you tell me when you had a secret admirer who wanted to love you and then kill you, huh? He was threatening your life and yet you told Hannibal."
"He was there," she practically shouted at him. "It just happened."
"Like it did with me too," Will retorted. "Hannibal is my friend and has been helping me though even I feel that I am slowly slipping away."
"Then stop this," she pleaded. "Stop working for Jack and go back to teaching, Will. I don't want to lose you to that other person. I have met him and I don't like him."
"You don't have to remind of that time, Lizzie," Will told her sternly, his hands tightening around the wheel as they pulled up to her house. "I remember perfectly what happened on that day."
She sighed in frustration as they both got out of the car and walked up the steps. She suddenly stopped as she put her key into the lock. "Do you hear that?"
Will thought about it for a moment, closing his eyes and listening. His eyes popped open as he answered, "It sounds like music."
They opened the door and cautiously stepped inside. At first, all they could hear was music. The stereo was playing a song that she immediately recognized. Her hands started to shake as she heard the lyrics to the song, Run for Your Life by The Beatles.
It was about a guy who would rather kill his girl than watch her end up with someone else, she thought grimly.
Well I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or I won't know where I am
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end ah little girl
Well I know that I'm a wicked guy
And I was born with a jealous mind
And I can't spend my whole life
Trying just to make you toe the line
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
"The ripper," Will whispered so softly that she thought he thought she wouldn't hear him…but she did.
TBC…
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! You guys are still too awesome for me and thank for your support! Like I said before, Hannibal gives a taste of what messing with him is like which means that he's stepping up his game. Although she apologized to him, Hannibal doesn't forgive so easily as you can see by the song which I have been just dying *no pun intended* to get to ever since I heard it on Pandora and I was actually watching Hannibal at the time. It was a creepy night for me haha. I hoped you liked this chapter.
REVIEW. FOLLOW. FAVORITE. Until next time…