The drive back to the Psychiatric Hospital was quiet as Rana drove and Abigail was sitting in the backseat. The young girl was looking out of the window, barely having said a word so far.
Rana looked at her from her mirror, checking on her as the car kept going down the road. Eventually, she chose to speak up.
"You did well today, not losing control and all," she said, hoping somehow to draw some sort of conversation from her.
Abigail did not reply immediately and kept staring outside. However, after another moment of silence, she chose to speak up. "I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" she questioned, not once sparing her a glance.
The older female let out a heavy sigh and decided to focus back on the road, not having much to say or comment about that. Abigail was right and she didn't have much of a choice, the risk was far too great.
Based on her tone, it was also clear that she was not really in the mood to talk and Rana did not blame her. Respecting her need for space, she spoke nothing else for the rest of the trip.
When they eventually arrived at the Hospital, Rana walked with Abigail back to her room. The younger girl was momentarily confused when she picked up a scent coming from her room. She glanced up at Rana, who motioned for her to go inside.
With slight hesitation, the girl obeyed.
Upon opening the door and walking inside, she noticed Hannibal standing by the window, his back turned to them. He still wore his coat, evident that he had arrived not long before them and Abigail chose to take off hers.
Rana closed the door behind them and did not remove her coat either, suspecting this visit would not be a long one.
She knew that Hannibal would be present, having agreed to meet in Abigail's room and talk with her, to try and find out more of what happened.
"It can be a comfort to see the broken, bloated corpse of a monster and know it can never come back," Hannibal said, his hands behind his back as he kept staring outside.
"Nick Boyle wasn't a monster." Abigail corrected him, causing Hannibal to finally turn and look at her.
His eyes landed momentarily on Rana, who was close to the door while Abigail was in the middle of the room; trapped by the two of them. "Were you?" he asked the young wolfskin, his voice calm; too calm after what had taken place.
"I sometimes feel like one" she confessed, glancing down for a moment.
Rana's gaze softened, hearing her confession but despite all that, one thing remained that needed to be discussed. "Abigail, is that why you uncovered his body?" she asked, her voice not as strict as Hannibal's.
She was more than willing to listen to her explanation and didn't truly blame her for digging up the body. To be honest, she was certain if she knew its burial place; she might have done the same when the guilt of lying would be too much.
Abigail looked anywhere but them, her face still and it was clear to both of them; that she had indeed uncovered the body. They had it more as a theory and Rana did not truly wish to believe that but now, the evidence was clear.
"Would this be a chapter in your book, Abigail?" Hannibal asked her.
Abigail finally moved to sit on her bed and hugged her pillow; eyes momentarily looking at them. "No, neither would about killing Nick or you two helping me hide his body and cover up his death" She explained, hoping to stop them from rushing to the wrong conclusion.
"There's always an addendum"
"FBI already asked their questions. I answered them. I passed."
Hannibal glanced at Rana since she was the one present during the questioning. She gave a nod and walked a little deeper into the room but kept a certain distance from Hannibal. "She did but I am afraid Jack might not be fully persuaded"
Abigail squeezed the pillow in her arms. "You're right, I opened the door. I can't control what comes through, but this time I could control when. I'm not afraid of them finding Nick Boyle anymore. He's been found" she explained, finally getting the courage to look at them in the eyes.
Hannibal did not seem to be as accepting or forgiving, however. He took a few strides to be closer to Rana and closer to the bed, his gaze cold and his eyes flashing red. "You betrayed my trust..our trust. You jeopardized our lives as well as your own. We deserve more than that"
Filled with sudden guilt, Abigail lowered her gaze and her yellow eyes stared at the space in front of her.
Rana glanced and while knowing that he had a fair point, she was not fully approving of his action. She placed her hand on his shoulder, earning his sharp eyes on her form; hers already red and waiting.
"Enough, Hannibal. I believe she understood the point well enough" she said.
There was a sudden silence and a rising tension as the two Alpha glared at one another, challenging who would be the one to back down. It was evident that none were willing and Hannibal was not so keen in her interrupting.
Surprisingly, he realized that he could not push the limits; not right now. He finally turned his attention back to Abigail, seeing that she was still avoiding his gaze.
"Rana and I need to trust you, Abigail. What if we can't?" he finally asked, his tone less strict but the ultimatum was there.
It suddenly dawned upon Abigail that there was a bigger threat in the room than she had ever realized. Taking a deep breath, she slowly looked up at him with wide yellow eyes, meeting the gaze of a pair of red ones.
The next day, the FBI finally got a clue after much searching. It was a plot twist no one had seen coming. For they finally found the murderer, who was waiting for them in his house; Larry Wells.
He was the one that had killed all those victims and eventually chose to act one last time by killing the finishing piece of his artwork. Little did he know, that the young man he killed was his son he never got to find out.
After that revelation, Larry Wells surrendered and would be judged and imprisoned based on the 17 murders connected to him.
With that case officially closed, Rana could go home and get some much-needed rest; too many things had taken place in the past 5 days and she did not have enough sleep or energy for that matter.
Unlike her, however, Will has chosen to visit Hannibal. He stared into Nick Boyle's body and he used his ability to find the killer, only to be taken off guard by the revelation; once realizing who the real killer was.
Looking for answers and unsure how to act next, he went to the only person he could feel he could trust, for now...Hannibal.
At first, he did wish to tell Rana but he was afraid that she might not be able to truly help him. It was clear that she cared about Abigail and such revelation might destroy her or make her choose the girl over her job.
He refused to put her into that tough place, especially after everything she was going through with him, Abigail and the murders. In his mind, he suspected that Hannibal would be able to give a neutral response as to what to do next, without having his personal feelings involved.
After all, Hannibal was giving the image of a man in full control of his emotions; capable of separating himself from his cases and having a good border between his personal and work life; something that both Rana and Will lacked.
Will sat on the couch, staring into the middle distance. One could easily pick up the overwhelming that hang over him. Finally, after another two minutes of silence and intense staring, he lifted his head to look at Hannibal.
"Abigail Hobbs killed Nick Boyle." He confessed.
Hannibal kept his gaze and did not seem to be affected by the news. "Yes, I know" was his simple response.
Will frowned his eyebrows, not expecting such an answer. Had Hannibal connected the dots before him? Did Abigail confess it to him in secret?
Deciding to get the answers to his mental questions, he chose to ask. "Tell me why you know"
"Rana and I were present when it happened. We both witnessed and I helped her dispose of the body." He explained, making sure to say Rana's name first, knowing very well it would cause a bigger inner conflict in Will.
After another moment of silence, Will spoke up again, the news shocking him. "Evidently not well enough," he said, not sure what more he could add.
He could not truly believe that both Hannibal and Rana were involved in this, partially or fully; he did not care. Rana, especially...he could simply not picture her hiding such a dark secret and lying in Jack's face for two months now.
Hannibal, seeing the internal struggle, decided to ask something else. "Have you told Jack Crawford?" he asked, although he knew the answer for if he had told Jack; Will wouldn't have come to see him.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I was hoping it wasn't true"
Hannibal leaned back slightly on his armchair, fully calm about everything and not once worried about what Will might do. Cop instincts or not, Will was part of a pack now and he had formed bonds, something that he could not truly go against them; not so easily.
At the same time, it was known to him by now that Will was a man who often questioned all of his decisions and thoughts; especially lately with the time skips and his hallucinations.
"Now you know the truth. Everything you know about that night is true, except the end. Nicholas Boyle attacked us. Abigail's only crime was to defend herself under the control of her instincts and Rana and I lied about it."
"Why?" Will asked without truly thinking. "I mean...Rana, I sort of can expect...I think...but you..."
Hannibal did not take any offence in his words. "You know why. Jack Crawford would hang her for what her father's done and the pressure he would put her under would expose her for who she truly is. The world would burn Abigail in his place and for what she was born to be. That would be the story. That would be what Freddie Lounds writes before chasing after any other leads that might eventually expose all of us" he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His words put Will into deep thought and Hannibal chose to continue. "Abigail is no more a killer than you are for shooting her father or Rana and me for the death of Tobias Budge."
He could have mentioned Rana only as responsible for Tobias' murder but the two Alpha knew that had taken place. Both had a crucial role in killing him, all in self-defence of course. But Hannibal had a reason why he included himself in the same sentence as Rana and Will.
He was no saint and he had to subconsciously remind Will that. The image of a perfect being that makes no mistakes, doesn't exist and eventually rises suspicions. A being that regrets their actions and has blood staining their hands is far more realistic and humane; a perfect and proper human skin to hide what creature truly hides beneath.
Will was moved by his instincts as a cop and he wanted nothing more than to listen to them. However, he fought hard against them. His mind was tired of the constant fighting and the sadness of this confession was weighing heavy on his consciousness.
"It's not our place to decide."
"If not ours, then whose? Who knows Abigail better than you and I? Or the burden she bears?" Hannibal asked him, making him glance down in shame. "We are her fathers now and Rana is her mother. We have to serve her better than Garret Jacob Hobbs," he explained and stood up, leaving his notes on his drawing table and glancing at his scalpel that was within reach; just to be safe. "If you go to Jack, then not only will you forever ruin Rana's career but you also murder Abigail's future. If she is ever to have the life she deserves, then we have to tell no one." Will gave a few nods to his head, not even fully understanding it.
Everything was becoming simply too much and he wished he could drink some magical water and forget everything. The situation dawned on him that with Abigail in the picture, so many things were at stake.
He had already ruined her life and taken her father's life in front of her eyes. Could he go as far as to also take away her chance to have a normal future? A chance to have a family again?
If that was not all, Hannibal kept making valid points. Rana was also in the picture, clearly involved deep enough that she would never be able to escape. If he dared to make a move, he would sign not only the loss of her career but her imprisonment as well.
After everything they had been through and all the things she did for him, how much she truly supported him; could he stab her in the back like that? Could he betray his whole pack? His family?
The silence was broken by Hannibal, who had been watching him with inner satisfaction. His words had been chosen and placed carefully, being fully effective against him. He needed to feel Will with more guilt, making him hesitate to make any move against him or Abigail or Rana.
Will was a gullible person and it did not take long for someone to pressure him into doing something else. Hannibal had just now secured what he needed, Will's loyalty. He had already taken Abigail's the night before and Rana was close to entirely giving hers.
Just a little bit more and he would indeed, be as powerful as God.
However, because he had a game to play; he continued with his acting plan. "Do I need to call my lawyer?" he asked rather simply. Will looked up at him and after a minute of just staring, he shook his head in denial. "What we're doing here is the right thing, Will...for Abigail. In time, this will be the only story any of us cares to tell"
The next morning, Rana had woken up early as she usually did. Her sleep was a little better compared to some other nights but it was not the one she used to have. Ever since the incident with Abigail and her father, her dreams had been odd.
She kept seeing forests or fields, wolves and people. She never truly had such strange and strong dreams that felt so realistic and true. She sat at the edge of her bed and glanced at the book by her side, laying open on top of the bed.
It was one talking about dreams, symbolisms and their meanings. It was one of her mother's collections, specialised books of their kind. Wolfskin sometimes did see dreams that could directly be connected to their side.
A message of their subconscious, trying to warn them of something that might come or be in front of their very own eyes.
Unfortunately, hers didn't fully belong to a single category and thus most of the searches she did were inconclusive. The most ironic part, in her mind, was the fact that she had nights without such dreams. It was nights she spent sleeping with Hannibal or falling asleep in his presence.
A part of her had started to suspect truly why this was happening but she refused to fully acknowledge it. She was not ready to take the next step or take the risk. Rana was always one that hated changes and hates being dependent on someone.
It was how her character had been shaped over the years, finding that if she relied mostly on herself; she could do a better job and reduce the risk of getting emotionally hurt again. She tried her hardest to keep that plan but lately, it was becoming harder and harder.
Her phone ringing snapped her from her thoughts and wondered, who would be awake at 6.45 in the morning. The answer came once she picked it up and the familiar voice of the devil was heard from the other side of the call.
