"I don't want you here," Elizabeth growled at him as she sat up in the hospital bed that she was practically confined to courtesy of her doctor.
Her fath-Klaus chuckled. "You're being a little dramatic, don't you think?"
"The only thing that would make me dramatic is if I were to punch you in the face," Elizabeth told him coldly. "I just might do that actually. You're vey irritating."
"I'm your Dad, Cricket."
"No, you gave up that title when you abandoned me to do God knows what. Probably screw some hooker for all I know," Elizabeth retorted. "Didn't your partner die because you had your eyes on some girl."
"Gary's death wasn't exactly my fault."
She looked at him like he was crazy as she told him, "Yes it was."
"No, it wasn't," he stated calmly then sipped on his coffee.
"Yes, it was."
"No, it wasn't."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No, it wasn't, Cricket."
"Yes, it was and STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Klaus blinked at her and then raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, no need to get so angry about something that was like over a decade ago."
"You want me to get over the fact that caused the death of others and didn't feel any kind of remorse for it?!"
"You make me sound like a super villain," Klaus reminded her. "I've made some mistakes-"
"Horrible and life-threatening mistakes actually. You went to jail for them."
"Never went to jail and it was a mistrial," he reminded her. "And so has Will I heard."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "He's innocent."
Klaus laughed sarcastically, "Yeah. Okay."
"He is," she replied firmly.
"Okay, yeah sure. Whatever you say," he drawled out. "Cricket."
Her hand curled into tiny fists of fury as she said carefully to him, "You can't judge because last time I checked you're like a psychopath or something."
He held a finger and corrected, "I prefer the term misunderstood thank you very much…and I'm a little cynical."
She scoffed. "Oh please. That's like calling The Joker actually sane."
"So now I am The Joker from a comic book," he mused as he looked over his phone. "My, your mind works in strange and mysterious ways. Reminds me of your mother actually."
"You two were perfect for each other."
"Why do you say were? Is she dead to you already?"
"Do not psychoanalyze me, Klaus," she barked at him.
"But she's not dead though. She's in Florida or I think Paris this week. We both made mistakes-"
"Like I said before people-innocent people died because of you and you felt no remorse about it, making you a bad person who I want no relationship with and the worst about all of this is that you did it for your mistress or whatever that hooker's name was."
"Her name is Sarah and she wasn't a hooker. I saved her."
"You chose one person over twenty others. That's not saving. That's called being selfish and murder."
"You're so self-righteous and judgmental. The minute someone disappoints you-that's it! They're suddenly dead to you and have no second chance. For example, Hannibal Lecter. I can't that I particularly like him-"
"Don't." Elizabeth said impassively. "Don't pretend that you give a damn about me. You never did and never will because that is who you are. You are a selfish man. You always have been. You cared more about your job than you did about me. I was actually happy the day you abandoned me and left me all alone because I got a father then."
Klaus chuckled. "You mean Charles…really? He's so boring though."
"He's my dad and you're just the man who knocked up Joan."
"Can I just say how bizarre it is that you call me and your mother by our first names?"
"You're so childish. You never take responsibility for anything bad and you give me excuses for everything and now you want my forgiveness after all these years. Well, too late! Because I never want to see you again."
"Come on, Cricket-"
"GET OUT!"
Klaus stared at her for a moment before standing up and then turned to walk out of the room, but not before telling her, "I abandoned you to give you your best chance. Happy birthday, Cricket."
Klaus left her room and Elizabeth let a tear fall down her cheek before you quickly wiped it away, angry at herself for letting her feel anything for the man who left her all alone when she was only seven years old. Her mother when she was six.
They always missed my birthday. What was another banner year to them compared to catching the killer and Macy's One-Day Big Sale?
"Why are you not in the hospital," Jack asked accusingly.
Elizabeth shrugged nonchalantly. "They released me."
"They said that you were a pain in the ass," Alana corrected. "You forced them to release you unless they wanted to get arrested for keeping you there. You kept on making complaints-outrageous ones."
Elizabeth smiled charmingly at them as she sat down, crossing her legs. "What? I don't want to be chained down to the morgue when it's my birthday."
"You're really gonna milk that today, aren't you?" Alana mused.
Elizabeth nodded. "Oh, yes, I am."
"And in your spare time, you somehow managed to drag yourself to a salon?"
"I needed change. So I got a haircut."
"Again."
"This time I gave myself bangs."
"Well, while you're still on leave, I'm assigning a consultant in your place until you come back," Jack informed them.
"Who?" Alana and Elizabeth asked at the same time.
They heard laughing and Elizabeth's eyes widened as she saw Klaus laughing with Brian and Jimmy as they stood by a dead body.
"Are you kidding me?" Elizabeth muttered to herself then stood up and strode over to them, glaring at Klaus.
"Cricket," he greeted with a smile. "Let me guess…you forced the hospital to let you out early, am I right?"
He turned to Brian and Jimmy, adding on, "She never did like hospitals even when she was a little girl. She would just glare at them like how she's glaring at me right now actually. Her Doom Glare is what I used to call it."
"What are you doing here? I thought that you were leaving," Elizabeth asked in slight annoyance.
"Well," he drawled out. "You see, I was going to, but Agent Crawford told me of his situation and asked for my services. I accepted the job here he offered me. I like it here though it's too cold."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't want you here."
"That's not up to you as of this moment because I am going to meet the man that has captured my children's attentions," Klaus told her before calling, "Dr. Hannibal Lecter I presume."
"Will isn't your child," Elizabeth growled.
"Such hostility," Klaus joked. "And it's only ten in the morning. Wait till about two in the afternoon then we can talk, but right now I really want to get to know the doctor whose heart you broke."
"What makes you think I dumped him?"
"Because it's you, Cricket," Klaus explained like it was the simplest thing in the world.
Before she could say anything, Hannibal strolled up to them and she mentally groaned, wanting to strangle her father for getting involved in her life-for butting his nose in it now of all times. Where was he when Joan left another child again? When Roger was still around?
Hannibal gave a greeting smile to everyone who greeted him back politely. He almost thought that since everything had come into place that it was all too easy for him. Everyone seemed to believe him, not Will. He wondered why though. He had his theories and suspicions.
He was talking to Jack when someone called his name causing him to turn to the person in question. He was surprised at the new face he saw. Whoever he was, he seemed charming and Hannibal could see that he had a knack for manipulation. The unknown man smiled at him then talked a few words to Elizabeth who seemed to become gradually furious at whoever this man was.
Hannibal looked skeptically at them both; he didn't like how close they stood by each other. The man could be described as handsome. He looked older than Elizabeth and he knew that she liked older men, but this man seemed a little bit too old maybe. He had golden hair and nicely wavy and curly at the same time. He wore a well-cut three-piece suit, a button-down shirt with no tie, and beaten up brown shoes. He looked amused at whatever Elizabeth had told him.
"Hello, Dr. Lecter," Klaus greeted as he gave him a charming smile. "I'm Klaus Adams, a consultant with the FBI. Oh and Cricket's Dad-I mean Elizabeth."
It explains why she doesn't seem to like him that much…of course, he's her father. The man who abandoned her thus causing her trust issues to begin. It all started with him, Hannibal concluded. Why does he name sound familiar?
Hannibal could see the resemblance they shared in looks, but he doubted that they had the same personality.
"Klaus Adams? Where do I know that name from?" Hannibal asked and shook his hand. He noticed how Klaus seemed to be analyzing him very closely. Too closely for his liking.
Klaus gave him that same charming smile he used on everyone which seemed to intrigue Hannibal. Klaus appeared to be alert and yet managed to mask it well with his charismatic persona. He made it seem as if he could see right through him…Hannibal knew though that this was only used to intimidate him into being scared.
"I was around here and there," he vaguely answered. "So you're the man that Elizabeth seems to be taken with? You chose a psychiatrist…really? That's very interesting."
"Why?" Hannibal asked curiously.
"Oh, because she doesn't like to talk about her feelings," Klaus said with a wave of his hand. "You know that whole thing and all. I'm very and delightfully anxious to work with you, Hannibal. I've heard many things about you."
"I hope they were good things," Hannibal replied, chuckling.
Klaus gave him a shrug. "Eh, here and there."
"There being from Will I assume."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes which irked Hannibal and made him almost glare at her.
Almost.
"So who's this Ripper I hear all about?" Klaus asked while a woman came up to them and handed him a teacup. "Oh, thank you so much, Brenda."
"Really?" Elizabeth asked incredulously. "You've only been here an hour."
"Two hours," he corrected then smiled. "I like my tea just like Hannibal likes his art, am I right?"
"Yes. I do. How did you know?"
"A wild guess."
Klaus turned around and looked over the photos of The Copycat murders as he drank his tea. Hannibal watched him closely and as discreetly as possible when he started to examine the cases before a wide smile broke onto his face.
"Will didn't do it," he announced.
"And how do you know that," Jack asked slightly callously.
He sipped his tea before shrugging. "It's so obvious. He has mental problems. Check. He can't remember anything. Check. He's clearly a little crazy. Check. No alibi. Check. He was at every crime scene. Check. Um, what else am I missing here?"
Jimmy added in, "Oh, the fish hooks."
Klaus pointed at him. "Yes! Hard evidence was out in the open to put him away. Therefore he's innocent. Case closed."
"Case closed?" Jack inquired. "That easy for you I bet. Here in the FBI, we actually need evidence first."
Klaus raised an amused eyebrow. "Well, you think he's innocent so you're gonna believe me. I bet Elizabeth said the same thing, didn't you, Cricket?"
"I did," she sighed heavily in annoyance. "But didn't believe me because I'm the crazy protective sister and all."
"No," Jack corrected her firmly. "There was no evidence to prove your theory."
"Is it me or does the copycat cases remind me of the ripper's?" Klaus asked.
"Why would the ripper pose as a copycat especially to his own killings," Jack asked, seeming a little frustrated with Elizabeth's father.
"He's narcissistic probably," Klaus suggested. "Likes playing mind games with you, isn't that right? He's basically throwing it in your face that once again you can't catch him."
"Why Will then?"
"Misdirection. Hates Will. Teaching Will a lesson. A test maybe. He likes the attention towards the way he kills others. There are so many reasons why he did what he did. I mean I bet he was probably in Will's trial, watching him."
"What do you mean watching him?" Jack insisted.
He shrugged. "There's no way of knowing anyhow so I wouldn't think of it, Jack. I need more time to look things over and free Will of course is before all of that."
"There was evidence-"
"He's innocent, Jack," Klaus defended firmly.
Hannibal thought that Will didn't get along with Klaus and his mother so well…yet here is Elizabeth's father trying to prove Will's innocence. Hannibal felt naked with Klaus's blunt words towards the murders and he somehow knew that Klaus was definitely going to be a problem since he already connected the two cases just by looking at them.
"I'm hungry," Klaus announced suddenly. "Brian, Jimmy, Hannibal, Jack, let's go get something eat. It's lunch time and we could all use a break from the smell of death."
"Must you always be so cynical?" Elizabeth vexed. "I swear everything with you is a joke."
"God, you're so serious," Klaus playfully scolded. "I was simply asking a question. Why must everything with you be like you're interrogating them or something?"
"You're doing this now? Here?"
"Aren't you supposed to be resting? You know…brain surgery and all." Klaus reminded and looked towards Jack who seemed to have remembered.
"He's right, Elizabeth. Go and rest," Jacked ordered.
"But-"
"That's an order from your superior," Jack interrupted her saying meanwhile Klaus smirked as he sipped his tea. Jack turned around and walked away. Elizabeth glared at Klaus who seemed unaffected by it.
"You heard the man," Klaus told her. "Take your Doom Glare and the angry vein on your neck outta here."
Elizabeth shook her head and stepped closer to him while he leaned back a little as if he were afraid of her. "When I get my hands on you…you're lucky, Klaus that I don't have my gun with me."
"Again with you calling me by my first name," Klaus muttered then turned to Hannibal. "Did you know that she's calls Joan and I by our first names?"
"Ah, her mother," Hannibal put together. "She's trying to detach herself from you both. No feelings. I think that you would need to worry if she called you Mr. Adams."
Klaus chuckled. "That's funny." He turned to Elizabeth who was still angrily glaring at him. "He's funny. I like him."
"I'm going," Elizabeth said before turning around and walking away.
"I'll walk you," Hannibal replied and walked beside her as Klaus sipped his tea.
Once they turned the corner and were out of hearing, Brian asked, "You planned that, didn't you?"
Klaus twirled the tea in his cup, shrugging. "I may or may not have just repaired that relationship."
"Sneaky bastard," Brain muttered breathlessly which made Klaus's smile widened.
As Elizabeth and Hannibal were walking to her car, Hannibal asked, "So that is the man who abandoned you?"
"Yup."
"Your mother did the same according to Will."
"She has the tendency to do that. Who knows if she did it again with some other poor guy? She was abandoned by her mother too. She met Will's father first, fell in love, got married, birthed Will, stayed around for a year or two then leaves. Joan did the same to me, but only when I was six then she left. Klaus left a year later," Elizabeth explained to him. "Can we sit?"
Hannibal nodded and they both sat on a bench. "Do you know why your mother stayed?"
Elizabeth gave a mirthless chuckle. "I don't know actually, but I think it was because she thought that she could do it."
"Do what?"
"Be a decent human being. Klaus still loves her, you can tell. Will's father-my father doesn't though." Elizabeth confessed.
"I'm sorry for what I've said to you and the way that I've been acting towards you," Hannibal apologized. "I shouldn't have said those things to you."
"Me too. I'm sorry. I was angry because Will told me that Klaus contacted me. Will seemed to be on his side. He tried to get me to contact him," Elizabeth replied before scoffing. "I felt betrayed by him."
"Why do you hate him so much? Aside from the abandonment."
"He chose catching the killer over me and Joan decided that a clothing sale was more important. I was lonely every day…barely saw them. When they left, I was happy and sad at the same time. Then my father found out about what Joan had did to me and took me, raised me as his daughter, and gave me an older brother named Will. My father told me that ever since I came to them, Will was always so protective of me. He was the only one willing to play tea parties with me and dolls too. He was always there for me, Hannibal and I want to be here for him."
"I know that now. I once had a sister."
"What was her name?"
"Mischa," he answered. "I loved her more than anything in this world and when she died…it felt like a part of me died with her."
"I'm sorry," Elizabeth immediately replied sympathetically. "I couldn't imagine a life without Will inside of it."
"When I am with you, I don't know how to act."
"What do you mean, Hannibal?"
"I…I've never felt this way about any other and it confuses me greatly because I don't like the thought of another man touching you."
Elizabeth couldn't help, but chuckle at him. "I have to go, Hannibal. I'll see you later."
Elizabeth leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek before standing up and saying, "I'm sorry about your sister, Hannibal. Goodbye."
He watched her as she left. He thought that letting her go was the best option for him since he couldn't form any attachments to anyone for his sake. He knew that he would hurt her and a large part of him didn't want to. He heard her cry-heard her sob when Jack told her the news of Beverly Katz's death. He already made her cry, he hurt her, and would keep on hurting because that is who he was.
He was a killer.
He was a predator who preyed on the rude. If she got too close…well, Hannibal didn't know what he would do. He knew that deep down and out of instinct he would slit her throat in a minute.
He didn't know what had possessed him to tell her about his beloved sister. He lost control. He always lost control with Elizabeth. He couldn't lose control. He wouldn't. Never.
He would become The Ripper once she found out about him.
"You came," Will said as he sat on his bed.
"You're in jail," Klaus reminded him. "I had to come to the rescue of course. Couldn't very well leave you hanging. Sorry about your friend."
"So am I," Will replied, wanting to change the subject. "I'm surprised that Elizabeth hasn't killed you yet."
"She tried, but couldn't because Jack hired me in her place and it seems he did the same with Hannibal in yours," Klaus said then sat down in the chair.
"You believe me?"
Klaus shrugged. "I don't know what to believe. But I can say that he does strike my interest. There's something that he's hiding, but then again we all have secrets. He's odd. He's definitely older than her which makes me wonder many things. Oh and he couldn't stop looking at her."
"Because he's suspicious."
"He loves her, Will. Whenever anyone is in love, they can't stop themselves from taking a little peek at them every chance they get."
"He's incapable of feelings like love. He's an intelligent psychopath. If anything, he's probably baiting you."
"No, you're right. He suspected me and is watching me very closely that I can tell, but is it for this reason or perhaps that he knows that I left Elizabeth and is trying to protect her from me. You never know."
"I'm trying to protect her from him. It's good that they're not together because now she can actually live her life or at least try to without him inside of it."
Klaus laughed suddenly, shaking his head. "Oh, I wouldn't say that too quickly."
"Why is that?" Will questioned.
"The doctor told me something very interesting that I've decided not to share with her for numerous reasons," Klaus cryptically answered.
"Klaus," Will warned. "What is it?"
"She's pregnant." Klaus impassively told him. "Guess who the father is?"
TBC…
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! I didn't want to give away that she was pregnant all too soon, but I just felt like this was the right time. Anything can happen with the pregnancy, you guys so don't hate me if it's OOC or something. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger and the long chapter, but Klaus took up a lot of space actually.
So he's working with Will and kind of believes him about Hannibal so he's gonna be like Will's eyes on Hannibal because Will can't protect her while he's behind bars and Klaus is very sneaky to not be detected. Elizabeth doesn't know that she's pregnant and Klaus didn't tell her. Klaus is very smart and observant much like Elizabeth. His story is explained more in the next couple of chapters. He wants to make amends with her, but she doesn't want to. I hoped you liked this chapter.
REVIEW. FOLLOW. FAVORITE. Until next time…