Hannibal sat behind his desk, looking at some patient folders while he had just finished his lunch. Left from the night prior, it was still as delicious as he made it; although he was far more interested in freshly made food.

At the same time, though, he did not like good food to go to waste and since both Rana and Tobias had left without finishing it; he decided to do it himself. Now that he was all done, he had chosen to look at Franklyn's folder one last time.

His latest patient not only had grown too attached to Hannibal but at the same time had started to suspect Tobias' true nature. He ended up being an unnecessary risk in his life and he was not going to keep him.

A simple referee to someone else would solve all his problems. Now, if Tobias did become successful and take down Will; he would have less competition for Rana. If Will managed to take down Tobias, then another major threat would have been taken care of without him truly having to do anything.

A knock on his door came as a surprise before he got the scent of the only person he wouldn't mind seeing any time of the day. With a small smirk, he stood up and headed for the door in a few elegant steps.

Once he opened it, he was greeted by the pleasant sight of Rana. Since it was early winter and even the faintest of snow had arrived, she had ditched the jackets and was now in favour of old brown long coats and black long-sleeved blouses. Her dirty blond hair was let loose and her FBI badge as per usual was around her neck.

"Hey, I hope I am not bothering," she said with a charming smile and lifted the wine bottle. "I thought of making up for last night after leaving so suddenly"

Hannibal was impressed by her boldness, choosing to come to his territory all willingly. It was a good sign that she had started to lower her guard around him, trusting him more and even thinking of him more.

That was what he wanted and he looked to have started acquiring it step by step. As one ancient Greek Philosopher said: Patience is the Golden Virtue.

"There was no need but I always appreciate the thought. Please, come in" he said with his charming smile and stepped to the side, allowing her to walk into his office.

Her scent reached his nose once again and he took a moment to savour it like he would do with a well-aged wine. Although, he did prefer when it was his scent on her instead that would eventually come.

Once inside, he closed the door and went to his little kitchen to grab two glasses while she placed the wine on his desk. "I presume you are free for now?" he heard her ask as he made his way towards her.

"For an hour, yes. I have just finished my lunch. Have I known you would visit, I would have packed more" he explained and placed the glasses on the desk before taking the bottle. He checked the label and he did not hide the fact that he was impressed by her choice. "A very Fine Choice and one I would also prefer for midday drinking"

Rana smiled and leaned on his desk with her back, watching him pour the red liquid into the two glasses before handing her one. "One thing you should know about me, Dr Lecter; I am very good at picking up things from People," she said, having chosen to address him more formally just for the sake of pure amusement.

He brought his glass forward and let the two of them touch with a faint but enjoyable 'cling' before he brought the glass to his lips. "Then, I better be aware of that next time Agent Stones," he said and took an enjoyable sip of the fresh and good wine. She took a few sips of his wine, a smile hidden behind the rim of her glass. "So, what brings you here, Rana? Forgive me but I do fear this is not a plain visit"

The FBI agent lowered her glass faintly, hating the fact that she was so easily read by him. She did not truly like it but at the same time, it did make things easier for her instead of having to find an excuse to bring the topic up.

"Sort of, it is not. I was thinking of making it up for last night and it simply fell on with the case. I think I got a new view of our killer, although I might not be that accurate in his profile"

Hannibal took another sip, amused but also pleased to see that he had started to read through her defences. At the same time, she was not fighting him that much and she was not truly trying to hide things from him, which was a good sign that his plan was working effortlessly.

"Then, please do share with me the details. I already help the FBI whenever they need my assistance" he said, rather casually.

He was interested to find out what Rana had come up with, especially since now he knew who the killer was. It would be a nice challenge to test how well she was at connecting the dots and what Hannibal should be aware of the more he let her into his life.

Feelings and instincts aside, he was not an innocent man and she was a trained hound to take down people like him; in a way. She could be his demise if he was not careful, an evident thing from history.

For it was often a single woman that could bring down whole kingdoms and powerful warriors, all without even trying. It was no mistake that in the Bible, Christians had chosen to depict Eve as the one bringing the downfall of Adam, a clear representation of a woman's influence in a man's life.

Rana summarized what she had gotten from the girlfriend about their latest victim and then brought up her theories. She did not bring the suspects by name but she was certain once they had the interviews, they would be able to pinpoint who was the killer or at least manage to single him out.

As she talked, she occasionally would glance at the clock on the wall as the time passed slowly. It was a very small and quick move that Hannibal did not ignore but chose not to bring up until she was done.

Once she was, he felt impressed by her deduction skills and was now clear to him that he needed to be extra careful around her. While not a trained scientist or psychologist or even a profiler, it was clear that she was more insightful than Jack.

She could narrow down suspects and connects clues that few could think of. This made her even more prized as a possession in his eyes but also an even more formidable partner to have by his side, careful never to let to close.

"Are you in a hurry, Rana?" he finally chose to ask, deciding not to comment yet on her theories that could work out and single out Tobias in the end.

By now, they each had finished around two glasses and chose to take the third one a little slower. Leaning against his desk, they were close to one another but no movement or actions had yet to be taken.

Defeated, Rana glanced to the side for a moment. "In a way...I am mostly worried about Will. He went alone to interview two suspects and I have yet to receive a call from him or Jack that he is back." She shook her head. "Just one of those bad hunches we have, you know how that feels"

Indeed he knew, for at the end of the day, they were not just mere humans. They were the same, in more ways than one could imagine. What she was passing through, what she was feeling; he had to in his way.

He let his glass on the desk and placed his free hand on her cheek, cupping it in a gentle manner but with some firmness behind it. He slowly guided her face to look at him, his eyes already a bright red and almost looking down upon her form.

Her own quickly glowed a matching shade, their natures affecting one another as the sexual tension between the two of them thickened. She could feel his slightly rough palm against her cheek, cupping it all in a way that she could not escape from him if he chose to increase his grip.

Only a small distance was between them once again, their bodies so close before touching and their lips not that far away. It had been days since the night they slept together and a deep part of their minds simply wished to bring it back, repeat what had taken place in a night that it was hard for both of them to forget.

His thumb went to her bottom lip, wiping just the faintest traces of red wine while his gaze intensified, his muscles flexed ever so slightly. Temptations were quick to overwhelm his brilliant and cunning mind, making it hard for him to control himself and not unleash his other side right there.

The way she looked up with a small defiance but equal challenging lust, not once pulling away from his touch. Yet, she did not fully let herself react to it; passively challenging him to try something more if he wished to draw a strong reaction from her.

Before anything more could happen, there was a sharp continuous knock on Hannibal's door. For a moment, he tried to ignore it but the knocking continued to a degree that his lust was replaced by annoyance.

"Go open it," Rana said, pulling her head and her body a foot away.

Their eyes turned back to normal and he moved towards the door, already knowing who was outside since there was only one person with such a distinguished smell of sweat and fear, from all his patients.

He opened the door with little more force than he intended and he tried his best to look at the unwelcomed visitor, being none other than Franklin himself.

"Can I help you, Franklyn? We do not have a planned session" he said, trying to passively dismiss him.

"I know Dr. Lecter, but this is urgent. I need to talk to you immediately" he said and entered the office, much to Hannibal's dismay.

It was such rude behaviour that made him want to attack at that moment but knew he couldn't because Rana was present.

Franklyn entered the office, surprised to see Rana by the desk. At first, he thought she was another patient of his but then his eyes landed on the badge by her neck. She was an FBI agent and that was perfect, for if his suspicions about Tobias were true; he could use her help.

"I will let you two talk for a moment," Rana said, excusing herself as she took her glass and headed for the small kitchen.

She entered the small room and let her glass in the sink, before passing a hand through her hair. Her body was still on edge after that small moment, sometimes making her hate how easily he affected her body like a puppet.

His influence was like a dangerous drug that she knew she had to avoid but it was hard to truly stay away from for long. For the moment she was too close, it was so easy to be tempted and no other man or woman had ever managed to do that to her.

In order to distract herself from her thoughts, she decided to eavesdrop on the two men; curious as to why this man had chosen to visit without an appointment. She remembered him from the first day Jack and her had arrived to visit Hannibal, back then with the Hobbs case.

"...Nine times. I can count on two hands the number of times I've been dumped by a psychiatrist." Franklyn said, his hands moving faintly to indicate his frustration and building up worry.

Hannibal tried to remain professional for the sake of everyone. "I'm sorry, Franklyn, I think it's best if you see another doctor."

"You're giving me a referral"

"Yes."

"You were a referral"

"I'm also part of the problem. You focus too much on your therapist and not enough on your therapy."

"You lost respect for me because I wouldn't report Tobias, didn't you?" Franklyn accused, suddenly drawing Rana's interest.

If she was not mistaken, Tobias was one of the main suspects they had and actually one that Will had chosen to interrogate.

Could his so-called Hunch have come from Hannibal during one of their session?

Suddenly, a third person chose to enter the discussion and her muscles immediately tensed in response.

"Report Tobias for what?" the voice of Tobias was heard.

Turning their heads, the two men spotted the killer standing by the entrance. He was dressed in a jacket and a hat to obscure his bloodied hands and clothes. Franklin was surprised to see the man but Hannibal sort of expected it.

"Tobias...?" Franklyn exclaimed.

"I came to say goodbye" the man informed as he took a few steps into the room.

"What do you mean goodbye? " Franklin asked but then noticed the blood, making him pale. Oh my god. Is that your blood?!"

Rana, who had been hearing everything, cursed herself for not taking her voice recorder from her coat. She could record everything, having a clear confession on tape and while not fully Valid in court, it would be enough proof to make the FBI move against him.

"I just killed two men. The FBI came to question me about the murder."

The confession made Hannibal blink, wondering if he had managed indeed to kill Will. He did not give away any of his thoughts but his mind did go to Rana, who was still hiding.

The female had heard it all loud and clear and her hand quickly went to her gun but did not pull it out of her holster. A part of her wished to just grab it and point it at Tobias but there were two people he could take as hostage if she made a fast and reckless move.

Hearing about the people he killed, her jaw tensed to a point she felt her teeth aching from the force. She did not wish to even think that one of those two men was Will and instead were the cops she had assigned him.

Taking a few silent breaths, she tried to control her instincts and remember her training. Her blood started to run through her body, adrenaline being pumped and for a moment; Rana did not feel as if she was in Hannibal's office but somewhere else...somewhere more terrifying and dangerous, where the sound of men screaming and explosions took place all around her.