The next morning, Rana was awoken by the sound of chirping birds and the feeling of sun rays against her skin. Opening eyes and turning her back to the light coming from the windows, she took a moment to focus on her surroundings.

She was laying on a big bed with a comfortable mattress and pillows. A maroon bed sheet covered most of her naked body. She spread her hand, feeling that the other side of the bed had gotten cold; indicating that the person that she slept with has been up for quite some time.

She pushed her upper body to a sitting position, not bothered by the falling bed sheet. The air felt nice on her exposed skin as she looked properly at the fancy room she had awoken to, clear as day as to what happened the night prior.

She smiled faintly to herself, realising she had a good sleep after quite a long. Placing her feet on the carpet laid on the wooden floor, she looked at a nearby stool with their clothes gathered; not the original place they had left them last night.

Standing up, she walked towards them and eyed her dress carefully. She was not really in the mood to wear it so early in the morning. She took her underwear and wore it before Her eyes land on Hannibal's white shirt from yesterday and she took it, before passing it over her head.

It was quite big and stopped a little after her waist but felt comfortable. His smell was around her and she took a moment to bring the fabric closer to her nose, eyes glowing red at the strong scent of his. Then, her nose picked up the sound of something cooking and she could faintly hear noise from the kitchen.

She walked outside the bedroom and headed towards the source of the smell and sound.


Hannibal had awoken early, finding himself facing a sleeping Rana. She looked peaceful and he took his time to admire her in silence. Her hair fell all around her face like a halo, her tempting lips faintly parted from one another and her skin looked so perfect under the morning sun rays. Her body had been lying on the side, hands placed protectively in front of her chest as she slept.

Her body language indicated what he had suspected. She put a mask around others, one of a tough woman and FBI agent while deep down, handling her feelings and insecurities alone.

However, after last night he started to think that he was making progress, for her to see that she didn't have to carry them alone. He wanted her to open up to him, tell him his deepest secrets which he would keep and guard...use even, to achieve the final goal in his mind.

His eyes fell on the mark he had left at the base of her neck. His teeth had left a clear reminder of what happened the night before between them. He felt pride upon seeing it decorating her skin, although it truly meant nothing to their kind. It was a usual love Mark anyone would leave on their spouse, as long as no blood was drawn.

If blood was drawn...that was a different case.

Eventually, he realised it was time to start making breakfast for them and he pushed himself to get up from bed. His back bore red lines from her nails, having dug deep enough that he knew they would take some time to disappear. Not that he minded, for those marks showed how good he was the night before.

He had chosen a pair of simple pants and a T-shirt before he picked up their clothes from the floor and left them on the stool. Then he moved out of the room and towards the kitchen, to start preparing.


Rana stretched her body as she made her way to the kitchen, feeling bones popping back in place. She came to a halt by the kitchen door and took a moment to watch and enjoy a more casual Hannibal as he worked around the kitchen to cook. His back muscles were visible under what he wore, the fabric stretching across them and giving a very nice view.

Even early in the morning, he looked pristine, with not even a single hair out of place. He had lifted his sleeves, exposing his toned arms with faint veins that worked on their own as they cut and cooked the ingredients.

"Good morning," he said, easily having heard her coming down while also feeling her stare on his back.

She kept that small and relaxed smile as she made her way towards him. "Can I help you with something?" She asked.

Hannibal was about to argue but quickly reminded himself that she would not accept it. He smirked and turned to face her with his gracious smile before motioning for the vegetables on the chopping board. He passes her the knife and watched her as she took her place.

"For what I plan, the proper cutting technique is essential" he explained as he moved to stand behind her.

His hands held hers gently, guiding her on how to hold the knife properly and cut a few pieces of the carrot before letting her take control. He watched her from above her shoulder as she concentrated on the task and copied what she had just been taught with supernatural precision.

He felt satisfied, watching her cutting the ingredients for their meal. However, most of his satisfaction came when she walked in wearing his shirt. It all just felt right, his clothes on her form. From that distance they were currently in, he could take the scent that had been left on her.

Good, he thought.

He knew other men wouldn't realise the difference but he did and that was more than enough for him. She had gained his attention and he was not ready to let her go, not anytime soon. He would make sure last night would be one of the many to come as he took more and more of her, with each passing day.

Hannibal gained control of his thoughts and allowed her to work as he continued with his part, soon having an elaborate breakfast in front of them. They started to talk, a little bit about philosophy and her impressions of his gusts last night, all while she commented about the unique and very amazing taste of his food.

Halfway through their meal, her phone rang and she picked it up. The smile she had disappeared as Jack spoke from the other end of the line, filling her in on their latest body and where she should go. Once done, she hung up her phone and let out a sigh.

"I am sorry, but I will have to cut this breakfast sort," she said as she stood up, him doing the same.

"There is no need for apologies, Rana. Your job is of equal importance and cannot be held back" he said, making her show the faintest of smiles while her eyes did all the talking.

She was thankful he understood that. She had lost count of how many dates and even one-night stands had been cut short or interrupted because of a body being found.

"I have an extra set of clothes on my truck. Mind if I use your bathroom to change?" She asked.

She always carried a duffle back with the necessities in case she got called on a sudden trip or she got blood strained while not having the ability to go home and change clothes.

"Please. Upstairs, third door to the right" he instructed and she gave a nod.


The next crime had taken place in the Famous Concert Hall of Baltimore, a rather close place to the main offices of the FBI in Baltimore. It allowed our heroes to gather there soon, although none were happy to see the next victim.

They marched down the hallways, eventually reaching the grand doors of the auditorium. By the doors, Beverly, Jimmy and Brian are already waiting for them while the latest deceased was placed alone on the centre stage.

He is a young man, sitting in a kneeling ergonomic chair duct-taped to a back brace that held him in an upright position.

"Victim is Douglas Wilson, member of the Baltimore Metropolitan Orchestra. Brass section. Trombone player" Jack informed Will as the three of them stood between the velvet red seats of the audience, being the only ones truly present in the room so far.

"Low brass. Was he any good?" Will asked.

Rana glanced from the dead man at Will. "He was killed sometime after his last performance. Blunt force trauma to the back of the head"

Will nodded as his mind quickly processed all the information. "His killer brought him back here to put on a show."

Jack was next. "Got some idea about who'd do this?" he asked.

Will took out two aspirins from the bottle and quickly shallowed them without any water. He could feel the stare of Rana, clearly not liking seeing him taking so much medication but none commented anything.

"Let me know when you are ready to be wired, Will," she said softly and turned to go fetch the equipment.

It was not that far away and she could hear clearly how Will and Jack talked, with the primer explaining how it's not easy to look but he was forced to continue. She could hear his honesty and how tired he sounded, clearly having a lot on his mind that he was not exactly telling her.

Jack, while trying to be supportive, came very dismissive since his focus was on solving the cases and catching the bad guys. She made a mental note to talk to him, hoping to somehow help Will get a break or make Jack go easier on him and not push him that much.

She grabbed all the wires and microphone when she heard Will call her name. It wasn't loud since both knew she would hear him loud and clear, considering their unique abilities and nature that no one else knew.


She walked with Will on the stage, seeing their latest victim. From a close angle, one could see his slit throat and how his vocal cords had been exposed and specially treated, while connected to the arm of a cello.

His vocal cords had become the basic strings to form this human-music instrument, offering quite a unique and peculiar impression on anyone who laid their eyes on them. One would be curious if a good sound would be produced and others would be intrigued by the unique approach and method of killing that had taken place.

Of course, the majority of the crowd would be simply horrified by the rough treatment and the gruesome image.

Rana, was a mix of all, although after all she had seen; being horrified by things was something she was not capable of. Or at least, that was what she had started to suspect since every murder failed to draw some intense reaction from her.

She did have the questions of any curious individual about the dead man and the way he died but never voiced them since they would only make her sound like a crazy and perhaps deranged woman.

Instead, she focused on taping the microphone and wires around Will's body, since he let no one else touch him. Only around her was he calm enough and she made sure to be careful and respectful.

And yet, as she took a quick look at his body; she could not help but notice that he had lost some weight. Adding that with the dark circles existing beneath his beautiful eyes, it was clear to anyone that his health was not at its best at that moment.

"You're all wired. I'll come back in when you tell me" she explained as she let him button up his shirt.

"Thank you" was all Will said, hesitantly looking at the body since he was in no mood to go that deep again.

However, he had to.

Rana walked away and motioned for a police officer to pull the doors closed behind her, effectively sealing the room and allowing Will to be alone with his thoughts.


After Will mumbled what he saw and was all recorded, the body was back into the HQ and most specifically to the morgue. There, the scientific trio had their chance to study it and make their conclusions, with the help of Will.

As per usual, Rana was present but was standing to the side. She would keep an eye on Will but also take all the information they find and pass them to Jack before the official report is even made. This would earn them more time to work faster and catch the killer before he would kill again and if, he chose to kill again.

For there was always the possibility that the person would not kill again or anytime soon.

They simply couldn't let someone like him or she roam around free, praying no more murders will take place.

Beverly used magnifying goggles as she examined the open-throat wounds with a small plastic instrument. Close by, Brian was leaning over the exposed vocal cords while Jimmy was busy craning his neck to get a better look over both their shoulders.

Will maintained a short distance from the body, hovering nearby but choosing not to interfere yet. Rana was close behind him, being the furthest away but having a clear view of the body and of what they were doing.

"Played him like a fiddle" Brian commented.

As per usual, Jimmy chose to disagree. "Doesn't seem like he was playing"

Beverly seemed to be the only one finding proper clues. "Along with rosin powder, we found sodium carbonate, sulfur dioxide, lye and olive oil in the wounds."

That last part made Brian frown on his eyebrows. "What's up with the olive oil?"

"He wasn't making a salad" Jimmy joked.

Rana rolled her eyes at the drama. "Olive oil usually is used to treat musical cords when they are being created by hand, usually. It allows them to maintain a clearer sound and helps preserve them against corrosion from long-time use" she explained, one hand on her waist.

There was a sudden silence in the room, all eyes on her as she casually dropped a fact that no one else knew.

"And the trivia winner is..." Jimmy said amused, doing some air drums mid-air, earning a look from everyone else.

Sometimes, Rana knew things; random ones. Despite being a field Agent and having a more targeted knowledge of guns and a little bit of psychology, she did possess knowledge of topics one wouldn't have her capable of.

While shocking at first, the trio had started to simply accept it since most of the time the info she possessed was a vital piece during a research or autopsy. Jimmy has been the only one to try and make a joke out of it, often referring to the million-dollar trivia game that was currently a big hit amongst American Television Audiences.

Now, however, it was not the time for it and he understood. So, he focused back on the corpse to avoid the 'am not amused' look Rana was giving him. She did tend to remember pieces of information that clicked in her mind but that was an exception.

Unknown to them, her knowledge of classical music and instruments was decent enough; due to her late father having a big love for it and even playing a few instruments himself. He had tried to teach her but Rana could only go as far as to appreciate the music, never be patient enough to play it.

She felt a sad smile about to form on her lips due to those locked memories and she quickly controlled herself. Instead, she chose to focus on what was found about the body to distract herself and also obtain important information to later relay to Jack.

"Removed anything non-muscular or fatty around the vocal folds. Chords themselves have been treated with a sulfur dioxide solution" Brian informed.

Beverly then grabbed a pair of tweezers and plucked a very fine hair from the tissue. "Applied with a squirrel hair brush. Of squirrel, not for squirrel."

Jimmy then realized something. "Sulfur dioxide had the effect of hardening the vocal cords".

Will quickly processed all the information, starting to understand more and more about the killer, his head killing him as his mind kept repeating that haunting melody. The melody that had started after he looked too deep into the mind of this particular killer was still haunting him, similarly to how Jacob Hobbs with his identical yellow eyes often appeared in his mind.

"You pick it up and can't play it, he'll put you down and play you" Rana muttered as her eyes were locked on the body, hands folded in front of her chest. "At least this helps narrow down the suspects"

"He took the time to whiten the vocal cords before he played them. That's not very contemptuous" Brian pointed out.

Will immediately corrected him. "It wasn't about whitening them. It was about increasing elasticity"

"He's treating the vocal cords the same way you'd treat catgut string," Beverly said, making everyone look at her impressed. "Yes, I played the violin"

Rana placed a hand under her chin, biting her inner cheek for a moment. "We should be looking at musicians, people who make instruments, and generally narrow it down from anyone who had a ticket to his last show." She said and quickly wrote it down, glad to have a not-so-big list of suspects this time"

"This takes a steady hand...Confidence. He's killed before." She heard Will mumble as she finished writing on her little notepad.

"Like this?" Jimmy asked, voicing the mental question everyone had.

"Not like this. This is a skilled musician trying a new instrument."