"Please come in, Amelia," Dr. Du Maurier greeted her.
"I have so much to tell you," Amelia explained as she walked to the good doctor's living room and took a seat in a leather chair.
"Based on the last session I had with Hannibal, I assumed this would be a more tense conversation we have today. Why don't you start at the beginning?"
"Well, for starters, I killed someone. That was an interesting experience."
"At the risk of sounding like a cliché, how did that make you feel?"
"A range of emotions; guilty, sad, heroic… exhilarated."
Bedelia struggled to keep her calm at the last two words that fell from Amelia's mouth, but she kept her composure.
"Adrenaline can do that to someone in the situation you were in. It's very easy to get our emotions mixed up."
"That's what worries me about this in particular. There was no doubt or remorse, especially in the moment. Granted, once I got home I had a hard time, but then I remembered it was him or Hannibal and me. And that to me justified what happened."
"You did save lives, Amelia; make no mistake about that. The fact that you're not letting it consume you is actually a good thing. It may not seem like it now, but you're much better off for it."
"Thank you, Dr. Du Maurier. I appreciate your validation."
Bedelia smiled at her sadly.
He already has his hooks in her, no doubt. The woman who came to me the first time is slowly ebbing away.
"What did your friend Will have to say about all this?"
"He was there just after I killed Tobias. He ran to make sure I was okay."
"And how did that feel, knowing that you want to keep distance between you for now?"
"Honestly, I was relieved he came. It nearly tore my heart in two when he bent down to my level and looked me over for injuries."
"I can understand the split feelings. And how did you feel where Hannibal is concerned?"
"I'm not sure how to describe it. When his patient, Franklyn, barged in and told us about Tobias he instructed me to leave right away. I had this overwhelming feeling he was going to be in danger, though, so I went back just in time to see the conflict start. I didn't even hesitate to jump in when the time came. I felt like I needed to protect him, no matter what."
Oh, Amelia…
Bedelia looked like death warmed over as Amelia recounted the events that she had been through. When she came to the part about defending Hannibal, Bedelia felt bile rise into her esophagus.
"Do you feel so strongly toward Hannibal often?"
Amelia opened her mouth to reply, but clamped her lips shut. That told Bedelia everything.
"You can tell me, Amelia. Doctor-patient confidentiality," she reminded her.
Amelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Yes," she said softly.
"And does it interfere with your work relationship or how you feel about Will?"
"No and yes; my work isn't affected, but I highly value his opinion on Will and the insight he has about him. I'm sure he has my best interest in mind."
Bedelia gave her an unconvinced smile.
"I'm sure he does. On another note, how did your sister take it when you told her about this week's events?"
Amelia replayed the rather unpleasant conversation in her head…
~
"... huh… And how did it feel to kill?"
"Scary… exhilarating; there's a lot of feelings that run through you when something like that happens."
"And… Hannibal… is he okay?"
"Yes. He got more damage than me, but made it out relatively unscathed."
"Apparently killer instinct runs in the family; it practically gallops at this point," Abigail sighed. She was quiet for a moment before she changed the subject.
"I'm going back to Bloomington. Soon."
"But… why?"
"I'm going through some things that you wouldn't understand. Will and I both need closure on issues."
"What does Will have to do with it?"
"He believes that the Copycat Killer is framing him for a recent murder. He went to have an MRI and the doctor who was administering it turned up dead while he was there."
"Oh no," Amelia said in a dissociative tone, "why him?"
"He's under scrutiny by almost everyone, including Jack Crawford himself; who better to set up than someone who's mentally unstable and has a track record of erratic behavior?"
"I suppose… So Will is taking you to Minnesota off the books?"
"Yes. And I'm counting on you to not tell anyone."
~
"She… didn't seem fazed. There's an issue I could use a second opinion on though."
Bedelia motioned for her to continue.
"Apparently Will is planning to take Abigail back to Bloomington to confront some things that are causing issues for them, and he's taking her in secret. Should I tell someone?"
"It would be wise to alert someone of the plan they have. The fact he's taking her on an excursion off record is a red flag."
"Who should I tell?"
"If you don't want to go directly to Jack Crawford, your only other choice is Hannibal. He has direct involvement and he's more than capable of handling this rationally."
"You're right. When I leave I'll give him a call."
"I know you don't want to get Will in trouble, but this is a potentially dangerous situation."
"I hate to admit it, but I agree. I may be fond of him, but Will could be capable of anything when his episodes take him."
Bedelia nodded to her and checked her watch.
"I'm afraid that concludes our time for today. I did want to ask you before you leave though if you would be open to the concept of hypnosis for our next session. I believe we could make great strides in your therapy by occasionally utilizing it."
Amelia rolled the idea around in her mind before answering.
"I'm inclined to agree with you, Dr. Du Maurier. May I ask what made you consider it?"
"The memory you say you have about your father, where it's not completely intact; I think if we could figure out how that ends it would give us more clear direction of which direction to go with your treatment."
"I leave it in your very experienced hands. Until then, doctor."
"Have a good day, Amelia; I'll see you soon."
Amelia plopped into the driver's seat of her car and took off down the road. She got her phone out to call Hannibal. He would be on his lunch break.
The phone rang no more than two seconds before he answered.
"Hello, Amelia. What can I do for you? How did your appointment with Dr. Du Maurier go?"
"Good afternoon, Hannibal. Our visit went fine. I would like your opinion on something rather urgent though."
"Go on."
"Abigail told me that she and Will are planning an off-record trip to Bloomington. Apparently they plan on leaving very soon, if they haven't already. Will believes that someone is trying to frame him for the death of some neurologist he went to and he thinks this is the only way to prove his innocence."
Hannibal was eerily quiet before he eventually spoke.
"Leave it to me. I'll see if I can reason with either of them and go from there. Don't worry about it for now. I'll keep you updated on what I find out."
"Thank you so much for your help, Hannibal. I really appreciate it."
"Anything for you, mia caro. I'll notify you on developments soon. Go home and get some rest."
"Thank you, Hannibal. Goodbye."
They both hung up, Amelia feeling much better that she gave him a call.
Hannibal sat in his office alone, thinking about how easy Will just made things for him.
He called the hospital to see if Abigail had left yet.
Sure enough, they confirmed an FBI agent had borrowed her for "official business". He booked the next flight for Minnesota.
It had been a full twenty-four hours since Amelia contacted Hannibal, but there was no update.
She sat quietly in her apartment absent-mindedly staring at the ceiling when her phone blared at a piercing volume. The caller ID confirmed it was Jack Crawford.
This can't be good…
"Hello."
"Hello, Ms. Hobbs; this is Jack Crawford. I followed your sister and Will Graham to Minnesota. Dr. Lecter followed them and he discovered Will passed out in your old family home, but no Abigail."
"Does… does he know where she is?"
"I'm sorry to say the only thing we can find of her is her ear. Mr. Graham regurgitated it."
"... What the HELL do you mean "he regurgitated it"? Do you mean he- he…"
"Yes, Ms. Hobbs, we believe he cannibalized her."
There was a long and tense silence on both ends.
"A-and Dr. Lecter?,"she asked with a shaky voice.
"He's safe. Graham threatened him with a gun, but he's unharmed."
Amelia let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding then broke into sobs.
"H-h-how could he do this?!?," she nearly screamed into the phone.
"We don't know, but rest assured; he will pay for this. You'll very likely be called upon to testify in court, so I would suggest you make your stance on this situation very clear; whether you believe Will killed your sister or not."
Amelia didn't even bother to tell him goodbye before she ran to the bathroom and emptied her stomach of all its contents. She slumped back against the tub, hyperventilating, a sheen of sweat beginning to cover her face and neck. She felt adrenaline and devastation wrack through her body, any attempts at grounding herself proving futile.
"Th-this i-is all a dream; a horrible, h-horrible dream, she's not dead and W-Will didn't kill her. I'll wake up on the couch at any moment," she told herself desperately, sprinkling her sentence with the occasional maniacal chuckle.
After a moment of letting this new information sink in, she began to accept that this was reality. Her sister was gone, and soon Will would be too.
She felt her blood boil at the thought of Will. Thank God Hannibal had steered her away from him. As far as she was concerned, Hannibal was the only person she could trust now.
After several hours of pacing laps around her apartment, the morning rays began to peek over the city skyline. Amelia stared out the window, eyes still puffy and leaking tears.
She was taken out of her daze by soft knocking on her door. She lazily made her way to look through the peephole to see Hannibal waiting outside. She hurriedly wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and slowly opened the door, the bright lights in the hallway nearly blinding her.
As her eyes focused, she could see Hannibal had fresh tear tracks on his cheeks. Upon seeing him distraught as well, she flung herself into his arms and they both cried together. After a long time they broke apart.
"Let's go inside," he gently cooed.
Amelia only nodded as she let him past her.
She closed the door behind them with a soft click. She turned to him, clearing her throat as best she could.
"W-would you like some tea," she offered, a couple sniffles escaping.
"I'll make YOU some tea. Where do you keep it?"
""The-uh- cabinet to the right of the sink."
Hannibal nodded and went about making them drinks. He spied a nearly full container of valerian root tea, opting to make Amelia's with it, and himself chicory root.
He brought the cups in and sat them on the table. He looked at her to see she was overwrought with emotion to the point she was almost catatonic.
He reached for her hand and grasped it firmly. She turned her attention to him, still in a daze.
"You will make it through this. You've been so brave, and you have to keep on being brave. Abigail would want you to be happy and thrive. And I will be here to help you every step of the way."
Amelia wrapped her arms around Hannibal's chest and snuggled into him as he draped his arms over her shoulders. She tuned the world out as she listened to the steady thumping of his heart.
Something sparked inside her, and she turned to rest her chin on his sternum. He turned his gaze down to her, to look straight into her big blue orbs. He saw such vulnerability in her that he was caught off guard; then she said the sentence that would inevitably bind them together for as long as he lived.
"Oh, Hannibal… I… I need you."
His eyes twinkled in merriment and mirth as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"We need each other," he rumbled back in a low voice, resting his forehead against hers.
She gently rubbed his nose with hers as she leaned her face into his, her eyes becoming heavily lidded as she slightly parted her lips. Hannibal closed the barely-there gap between them and captured her lips with his in a chaste and gentle kiss.
Her hand made its way to his jaw while the other rested on the back of his neck. His hand cupped her cheek gently while the other became buried in her soft golden locks, gently massaging the nape of her neck.
They broke apart for air, looking deep into each other's eyes.
"Stay… please…," she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Of course, darling."
They both rose, walking hand in hand to her bedroom. She turned down the covers and climbed into bed. He removed his tie, suit jacket, and shoes, sliding in next to her.
He turned on his side to face and she snuggled her face into his chest, breathing in his scent deeply.
Hannibal enveloped her in an embrace. Moments later, she was out like a light.
Hannibal didn't get a wink of sleep as he watched the sun creep through the window. He had to be at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane soon, and he reluctantly wiggled free from Amelia's grasp.
As he got ready to leave, he left her a note inviting her over that evening for dinner. He looked at her one last time before leaving; the sun's early morning rays hitting her, bathing her in a halo of glowing light. He made a note to sketch her as she was in that moment.
Never again will I witness such beauty.
He gave her a light kiss on the forehead and turned to leave. He locked the door behind him and went to his car, a smug grin on his face the entire ride to the hospital where he would come face to face with Will.
He parked and went into the building, his anticipation growing as he cleared security and was able to finally approach Will in his cell.
Will was waiting expectantly.
"Hello, Dr. Lecter," Will greeted coldly.
Hannibal merely smirked in triumph.
