I do not own anything related to Hannibal, either thru television, or written books. Everything belongs to Thomas Harris and Bryan Fuller. I do own all the created characters. I do not own any songs, or literature mentioned. They are included to enhance the written words. Please read, review, and enjoy!
Hannibal is a gritty, provocative, seductive, murderous bloody show. My chapters contain scenes of violence, sex, drugs, language, triggers, traumas and sometimes hard to stomach scenes. I will give warnings at the beginning of chapters.
This story is rated M.
Chapter Twelve
Song(s): Troubled Waters (Cat Power), Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
1 North Clinton Street, Baltimore, Maryland…
3:26am
Twisting the key in the door lock with shaking fingers, Oliveah Adler threw open the front door to the townhouse and nearly stumbled over the warped bottom of the step in the darkness. Leaving the lights off, the young woman slowly turned around and stared at the closed door for nearly a full minute before marching forward and quickly throwing the deadlock. Grabbing the flimsy chain, it took her three failed attempts to get it to latch in the crooked groove before she took a step backwards.
This door wouldn't stop anyone from coming inside, she thought as she kept her peacoat on and headed for the staircase.
Hannibal Lecter…
You are the Chesapeake Ripper
Hearing the words repeating over and over in her head, Oliveah took the stairs two at a time and burst into her dark bedroom slamming her hand over the light switch. Pushing the door closed, she didn't know if Andrew and Tyler were down the hall in their room and frankly, she didn't care. Standing in the middle of the room, her eyes flew to her laptop, the few textbooks and reading books she owned and her open closet. Nothing here really held any value, not even the computer which had seen better days nearly six years since it had been purchased.
But she couldn't leave it.
She couldn't leave with nothing to her name or possession.
Her meager possessions.
Striding to her closet, she grabbed the handle of her beaten up suitcase and hauled it off the top shelf as her gym bag tumbled and knocked over an empty coffee mug that she had forgotten about that morning. Swinging the case onto her bed, she began to grab all the clothing out of her closet, wire hangers and all as she tossed it all onto the comforter. Letting the hangers fall to the floor, she paid no attention stepping on the wires as she quickly rolled the items up and shoved them into the suitcase. Emptying her entire closet in less than two minutes, she grabbed the few books on her shelf and tossed them haphazardly onto the pile of clothes.
What in the fuck are you doing Oliveah?
Letting out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, Oliveah stared down at the mess on her bed and around her feet as she felt a shiver run down her spine.
"I'd be leaving everything behind. Hopkins, my degree, my friends, everything I've worked so hard for" she whispered as a sudden feeling of calmness washed over her body. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside her suitcase, she folded her hands together and closed her eyes.
He let me go for a second time
He let me just walk out of his house knowing his secret
Does he trust me?
Why would he?
"I can't leave… she spoke to herself, her mind flashing back to Hannibal's dark eyes as she sat with him on the edge of his bed.
"So, what in the hell do I do?"
Looking around at the mess that was her bedroom, Oliveah rubbed her hands together before reaching into her coat pocket. Feeling the sharp jagged edges of the keys individual cuts, she pulled them out quickly and made a bee-line into the hallway and down the stairs in the dark.
She had made her decision.
"I'm coming to you Will Graham."
…
Adjusting her review mirror, Oliveah settled back into her seat as she prepared for the hour's drive south to Washington D.C. She hadn't bothered to change and gripping the steering wheel tight, she pushed up the sleeves of her black sweater and debated whether to crank up the air conditioning.
Leaving the radio off, she preferred to be alone with her thoughts for the time being as her mind flashed back to two hours previous…
(Flashback)
"Privileged."
She had been telling the truth as Hannibal Lecter stared deeply into her eyes.
"An excellent answer Oliveah," he whispered leaning in close before taking up her hand and brushing his lips along the back of her knuckles.
Feeling nauseous, Oliveah licked her lips and nodded towards the empty glass.
"Could I have another glass of water please?"
Cocking his head to the side, Hannibal reached for the napkin wrapped glass and rounded the four poster bed for the bathroom. He knew she wouldn't run and as he turned on the faucet, his ears picked up her footsteps on the hardwood floor in the other room. Re-entering the bedroom, he stood and watched as Oliveah stood at the opening of the bedroom before slowly bringing the door to close firmly, keeping the two of them sealed inside.
"Did you know Abel Gideon and Will Graham would come here tonight?"
Hearing her question, Hannibal sat the glass down on his bedside table and slowly walked towards the fireplace.
"No. And I never intended for you to find out about me this way," he added as Oliveah shivered.
So, he did intend for me to find out at some point that he is a serial killer. That he is a…
"You're a cannibal," Oliveah whispered as Hannibal straightened up to his full six feet in height pulling back his shoulders.
"Cannibalism implies the eating of one's equals and no one that I have killed can be considered my equal in any part," he spoke assuredly as Oliveah simply stared at him with an open mouth.
"Have you feed me human flesh?"
Hearing the question falling from her own lips, she already knew the answer as Hannibal took a step towards her.
"Yes, I have."
Oh God…
Blinking her dry eyes, Oliveah checked the time on the dashboard and stifled a yawn as she passed another brightly lit gas station filled with parked transport trucks. There was no guarantee that she would even be allowed to see Will Graham once she arrived at the hospital. Visiting hours or police presence might prevent her from getting anywhere near, but she knew she owed it to him to try.
Would you remember anything Will? Would you remember that I was there in the dining room with you?
"Please be okay Will."
Turning on the radio, she hit seek and settled on the Howard University student radio station 96.3 WHUR as Cat Power's Troubled Waters began to play over the interior of the Honda Civic…
I must be
One of the Devil's daughters
They look at me with scorn
I'll never hear their horn
Sometimes it's like chains
Sometimes I hang my head in shame
When people see me
They scandalize my name I'm going down
To the Devil's water
I'm gonna drown…
"Fuck sakes…"
Slamming her hand down on the button, she tucked her chin into her chest as she gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
"I must be getting close to Washington," she muttered as she checked her mirrors. Feeling the rumble in her stomach, she winced as she tried to remember the last meal she had. She hadn't sat down to a meal all day and the only thing she could remember eating was cheese and drinking a full glass of white wine at Dr. Lecter's home. Feeling a shiver travel down her back, she thought of the expert way he had sliced up the sausage link as the knife blade easily cut through the casing.
The Chesapeake Ripper
"He is the Chesapeake Ripper, he is the Chesapeake Ripper" she repeated…
(Flashback)
"I think I'm going to throw up," she muttered as Hannibal rose to his feet. Holding out his hand, she simply stared at his outstretched fingers as he flexed.
"I will not be impressed if you throw up all over my bed," he growled as Oliveah ignored his fingers and shifted to the edge of the bed. Standing on shaky feet, she felt the close proximity of his body as he shadowed her to the bathroom. Walking towards a large suited samurai figure that divided the hallway between bathroom and walk in closet, her eyes stared at the armored mask that covered the face.
"A Japanese Samurai."
Flinching as she felt his warm breath against her ear, Oliveah turned left and found herself standing in a dark room. Squinting as the light came on, she heard the door closing softly behind her before she moved to stand in front of the vanity mirror. Her eyes looked exhausted and as she bunched her hair around her shoulder, she leaned in close and touched the soft bruise that was already beginning to form against her neck. She felt nothing as she pushed at it with her finger and breathed deeply as she remembered Hannibal lunging towards her with a glass syringe in his hand. Tightly gripping the edges of the sink basin, she felt the heave of her stomach and as she whirled around and dropped to her knees, she threw up in the toilet and was about to reach for the hand towel on the rack when the door opened.
"I would expect no more of a violent reaction than this," Hannibal spoke as Oliveah felt her hair being gathered up and pulled away from her face with a few strains falling loose. Feeling the urge to hurl for the second time, she didn't care if Hannibal Lecter was in there with her.
For he was the cause...
Bringing her hand up, Oliveah wiped her dry mouth before licking her lips.
"I hope the cafeteria is open for coffee."
Turning onto 23rd Northwest, her eyes took in the looming hospital as she spied a sign for underground parking. Taking a single ticket, she found a spot that had just been vacated and as she tucked the ticket into her coat pocket, she slipped her hand all the way in and scowled.
"Fuck, no phone" she swore, picturing it buried under all the clothing that she had thrown all over her bed. Slamming the door, she made her way towards the elevator and staring down at the buttons, she hit M and hoped that it meant Main and not Morgue. Hearing a ding, she slowly stepped out and took in her surroundings.
She was surprised that it was quiet at this hour in the early morning and as she rounded the corner, her nose picked up the scent of freshly ground coffee beans.
"God, how tacky" she muttered as she walked past the brightly lit Starbucks towards a board that advertised Visitor Information.
"Can I help you Miss?"
Hearing a voice coming from her far right, Oliveah turned and took in a small desk with an elderly woman packing up a book and a tall thermos.
"I'm actually looking for someone, a friend of mine was brought in here this evening as a patient," she began as the woman shook her head.
"Visiting hours are over except in special circumstances. You won't get anywhere near anyone tonight once the security guards start their rounds" she spoke, not making eye contact as she took out a set of car keys.
"If I wanted to come back later in the day, where would I go for a patient who would have had surgery?" Oliveah questioned, watching the elderly woman's shaky hands as she grabbed her full tote bag.
"Medical Surgical Units and the Intensive Care Units start opening up for visitors at ten o'clock in the morning Hun." It was all she spoke as she pushed in her folding chair and stuffed her worn out chair cushion under her arm.
Nodding her head in silent thanks, Oliveah watched the woman walk towards a set of unmarked doors and as she disappeared through them, she turned around and headed back towards the elevator with the ICU as her destination. Pressing her thumb firmly against the number four button, she hummed softly as the elevator climbed. Stepping out onto the fourth floor, she saw no one as she began to slowly walk down the hallway. Spying a young woman dressed in light blue scrubs, she held her breath as she waited to be told visiting hours were over and to leave.
But it never came.
Striding along the hallway, Oliveah had no idea where she would find Will Graham if indeed he was in the ICU and as she rounded another corner, she found herself standing in front of a nurse's station with two middle aged women seated and looking down.
"All visitors are required to leave the hospital by ten Miss, you are going to have to come back later."
"I know, I was wondering if I could ask after a friend that was admitted here this evening?"
Shaking her head, the pink clad nurse rose to her feet and grabbed a clipboard that had been resting on the desk ledge.
"Are you family?"
"No."
"Sorry, I can't release patient information to just anyone."
"It's alright Nancy, she's with me."
Hearing a familiar voice behind her, Oliveah turned around and took in the tired, smeared mascara eyes of Alana Bloom.
"Dr. Bloom?"
"Hannibal called me about an hour ago and told me you were coming" she spoke as Oliveah felt her stomach sink.
He knew that I wouldn't go home
Jesus…
"I left a message on your voicemail, but I see you've made the hour's journey and I'm sorry for that" Bloom spoke as she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand.
"I forgot my phone at home, um, how is Will?"
God, please say he is going to be okay…
Pulling the ends of her cardigan over her chest, Dr. Bloom took a deep breath and sighed.
"He had severed swelling around his brain. He went for emergency surgery and was put under sedation and won't be woken up until tomorrow" she spoke suddenly taking out a ten-dollar bill.
"I was going to go downstairs for some coffee, my treat?" Bloom announced as Oliveah looked over the woman's shoulder.
If she came from that direction, I may have walked right past Will Graham's room she thought as Alana made no attempt to suggest a stop in Will's room.
Why wouldn't she want me to see him?
Following Bloom down the opposite hallway towards a second elevator, they rode in silence as the doors opened to the main floor where she had been twenty minutes before. Walking around the vacant visitor's desk, Oliveah felt her stomach growl once more as freshly ground coffee hit her nose.
"Does Starbucks really think they do enough business to justify being open in a hospital twenty-four/seven?" she spoke as Bloom nodded her head.
"I'm just thankful someone has coffee right now after the night I've had."
Jesus, the night you had Alana Bloom?
Taking a seat at a table near the glass window, Oliveah wrapped her fingers around the hot paper cup and relished the feeling it brought through her palms.
"Will saved my life."
Bringing her eyes up onto Bloom's face, Oliveah took a small sip of her coffee as Alana ran a thumbnail along the plastic edge of her lid.
And Hannibal saved mine, in trade for having Abel Gideon attempt to take yours Oliveah realized as she averted her eyes away from her professor with a sick feeling.
Hannibal wouldn't let Gideon touch me
Instead, he told him to go after you
"Can… I ask what happened?"
Pushing her cup away a few inches, Bloom touched her fingers together before bringing them to rest under her chin.
"From what I know, Abel Gideon found out my address and came to my home to kill me. I heard a gunshot from my study and when I looked out the window, Will was slumped over in the snow with Gideon. What I don't understand is how Will knew Gideon would be at my house. I mean, he could have been anywhere. He had already targeted Frederick" she added as Oliveah looked down at her cup.
It wasn't a coincidence that Gideon was at your home tonight
Hannibal sent him there
"You're lucky Oliveah. Nothing happened to you" Bloom spoke as Oliveah gave a weak smile.
On the contrary Dr. Bloom, everything happened to me tonight
But I will never tell you
Letting out a sigh as she took the plastic lid off her steaming cup of black coffee, Alana sat it aside and took up a Splenda packet.
"I'm going to be here for the rest of the night, I owe that to Will, but I will be leaving in the morning. It's officially the start of the Christmas break for both the University and the Academy and I believe the best thing for me is to take that break and get out of the city" she announced as Oliveah nodded her head.
"The same for me. My housemates are heading to Hoboken and I'm looking forward to home cooking and sleep" she smiled as Alana held up a single finger.
"Promise me you will take a break from your thesis. You've worked hard and in the New Year we can hopefully look forward to helping Abigail transition to independent living."
Feeling a twinge of happiness, Oliveah nodded her head in agreement.
"I hope so…"
…
Keeping the radio off as she turned back onto the highway towards Baltimore, Oliveah spied a rest stop with numerous fast-food chains clustered around.
"I gotta eat something."
Parking, she grabbed her coat and pulled the collars up around her ears as she stepped out into the early morning hours. She had no desire to sit down inside and eat with the lonely truckers and as she asked for her bagel to go in a paper bag, she found herself making a mental to do list to read all of the articles on Tattle Crime that had to do with the Chesapeake Ripper.
You always had a suspicion that Abel Gideon was not the Ripper
But never did I think that the man responsible was Dr. Hannibal Lecter She thought, carrying her bag. Getting re-settled in the car, Oliveah took a long sip of her coffee as she picked the tomato off her bagel.
Hannibal would not approve of the food you are putting into your body
Processed cheese, second rate dairy, frozen re-heated egg
It might distaste the flavor of the skin
Closing her mouth, she abruptly stopped chewing and felt her stomach lurch just as she threw open her door and threw up onto the snow-covered parking lot.
"Because he eats human flesh…I've eaten human flesh" she sounded out slowly, feeling lightheaded as if she was about to pass out.
"He's a cannibalistic serial killer…and no one knows but me."
Hearing her words, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she tossed the rest of her breakfast onto the ground. Turning over the engine of the car, she pulled back out onto the highway and watched the kilometers winding down as she returned to the city playground that belonged to the Chesapeake Ripper.
…
1 North Clinton Street, Baltimore, Maryland
December 19th
12:34pm
Rolling over onto her side, Oliveah pushed her hand beneath her pillow and moved it around as she frowned.
"Where…"
Hearing a thump on the wooden floor, she screwed her eyes shut before tossing the white comforter aside. Feeling the coolness of the wood beneath her feet, she grabbed her white throw blanket and swung it around her shoulders as she moved towards her closed door adjusting the straps of her cream silk nightgown. Padding down the staircase, Oliveah caught the tail end of a sloppy kiss between her best friends before folding herself into the kitchen nook.
"Well now…what time did you get home last night? Or this morning?" Andrew teased as Tyler tapped his fist lightly against the wall.
"Is he upstairs? What does he take in his coffee?"
"God…no Tyler, Hannibal Lecter is not upstairs. And I got home about five hours ago."
"Jesus, so you stayed the night at his place!"
"I didn't sleep…"
"OH HONEY!"
"SERIOUSLY TYLER? ABEL GIDEON TRIED TO KILL ALANA BLOOM AT HER HOME, AND WILL STOPPED HIM. I DROVE TO FUCKING WASHINGTON WHERE I WAS REFUSED TO SEE HIM!"
"Christ…Olive…."
Feeling Andrew's hand on her shoulder, she shrugged away and dragged herself to the coffee maker where she poured an hour-old cup before putting it in the microwave.
Oh, and I found out that Hannibal Lecter is the real Chesapeake Ripper
Before he stabbed me with a sedative and laid me on his dining room table like a course meal to hear everything…we were sitting in his study in front of a fire eating cheese and drinking wine in a perfect setting…
Then, I heard Will's scream from the dining room…
"Gideon went after your boss, but Doctor Lecter kept you safe. I guess he is a man of his word," Tyler spoke as Oliveah abandoned her coffee in favor of a banana from the wooden bowl on the counter.
Taking a seat at the breakfast table, Oliveah slowly chewed her banana into mush as her cup of coffee was placed within reach of her fingers. Clearing her throat, she glanced at the back of her hand and held her breath as she remembered Hannibal's lips on her skin.
"It's Christmas leave for school. How about we spend this afternoon decorating and just relaxing. We can leave Friday for Jersey. Shut all our phones off, watch that shitty Charlie Brown and just be…kids," Tyler continued as Oliveah nodded her head, keeping her tears at bay.
"Good. Now go get dressed, you look like you are fucking freezing!"
…
Later that evening…
"I refuse to spend my hard-earned Teaching Assistant money on a legitimate copy of this twenty-five-minute film when I can get it for free courtesy of internet bootleg."
Setting down the last cardboard box from the basement, Oliveah flexed her wrist and watched as Andrew crawled on his hands and knees behind the television for the HDMI cord for his laptop.
"Who's making the hot chocolate?"
"Should I whip up a batch of cookies too Andrew?" Oliveah smirked as her roommate sat back on his knees and brushed dust off his hands.
"You shall not. We all know you can't bake and so I saved you the once a year disappointment and there is a box of Pillsbury Christmas Tree sugar cookies in the freezer. You don't even have to extract it out of the tube" he smiled as Oliveah shook her head and moved towards the kitchen.
Flicking on the light, she moved to the freezer and took out the box.
"God, these taste awful" she muttered, flipping over the box for instructions. Grabbing the baking sheet, she dumped them onto the tray and stared at the crooked green tree with oversized red polka dots for ornaments. Moving them about the tray, she opened the oven door and shoved them in before tossing the box on the table.
I think there must be something wrong with me Linus; Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel
"I still can't believe we got a real tree," Oliveah spoke as Tyler stood back to survey the straightness of the pine as Charlie Brown began to speak the opening lines of his Christmas special.
"Well, finding pine air fresheners tucked into the branches after I came home from my last exam last year was the final straw. Never again, will there be fake ass pine in this house" Andrew sneered as Tyler laughed and tapped a finger on a cardboard box that sat on the sofa.
"There were three boxes downstairs and one in the linen closet upstairs. Which box are we starting with first?"
Hearing the timer go off on Tyler's phone, Oliveah trudged back into the kitchen and grabbed a worn oven mitt to bring out the cookies. Carefully picking one up she dropped it back on the sheet and reached over for the cooling rack.
"Well I'll be, they didn't burn!" she shouted as Andrew stuck his head in the doorway and threw up his arms.
"It's a Christmas miracle!"
An hour and a half later Oliveah wandered up the stairs to her bedroom in mock protest that watching three old school 1960's Christmas cartoons was her limit and that it was time for a break. Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, she held her mobile phone in her hands and shuffled it from palm to palm as she debated whether or not to turn it on.
"If anyone really needed to get a hold of me, they could have emailed, or…shown up in person at the door…" she breathed.
He knows where I live. If he wanted to see me, he could have easily come to me
Or…
I could go to him
Feeling the coldness of the bedroom settling over her shoulders, she looked to the closet and at the mess of clothing that littered the floor in a ball.
Since you've decided to stay, you have no excuse to not put your things back on the shelves and on the hangers
Looking down at her phone, Oliveah moved her thumb over the power button and pressed down hard as the screen lit up.
"My mother can't remember if you have any allergies she's trying a new variation of her turkey, pheasant and pork stuffing this year."
Lifting her head, Oliveah watched as Tyler came to lean against her writing desk before holding out a sugar cookie towards her.
"No allergies and no thanks to the cookie; Why he buys those I'll never understand" she smiled, as Tyler sat it down on her desk.
"Childhood addiction I'll go with. You've never seen the way his folks decorate their house for Christmas. Think of a deep sick fascination of the Grizwolds" he smiled as Oliveah suddenly felt antsy for her phone to load up.
"You didn't have to tuck yourself away in your room to check your phone; I've been secretly checking mine for the past hour in the kitchen," Tyler smirked as Oliveah turned the screen over.
"Again…addiction?"
Taking a seat on the bed, Tyler reached out and grabbed her hand before giving it a squeeze.
"Are you hoping your knight has left you a voicemail?"
Turning the phone over in her hand, she tilted the screen and said nothing as no notifications appeared.
No calls
No voicemails
No texts
"I have nothing against age gaps and am all for casual hookups, but he scares the hell out of me Oliveah. When he stood at the door yesterday and looked at me…"
"You know what? No work talk. No school talk…we are leaving in three days and we are gonna eat good food and get fat," she smiled, powering down her phone and tossing it into the pile in the closet.
"Now let's go see Frosty come alive with that black top hat."
…
Port Haven Psychiatric Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland…
December 21st
Stomping the snow off her boots, Oliveah removed her knit hat and shoved it into her peacoat pocket as the warm, stale air of the hospital welcomed her inside the check-in foyer.
"Oliveah Adler here to see Abigail Hobbs."
"That girl has certainly been popular this week" the nurse replied as she sat the sign in book on the ledge, resting it against Oliveah's arm as she took the young woman's driver's license.
Raising her eyebrow in question, Oliveah watched as the woman wrote down her name before sliding her identification back on the ledge.
"How many people have been here this week to see Abigail?' she asked as the nurse shook her head and closed the cover of the sign in book.
"Nope, can't tell you dear, patient confidentiality."
"I didn't ask who the people were, I asked how many people. I don't want names" Oliveah repeated as the nurse sat back in her chair.
Chances are I can take a really good guess as to who those people were
"I can count on one hand, but no more than three" the nurse spoke as she tapped her pen against her hand.
"Right, thanks."
Walking up the wooden stairs towards the second floor, Oliveah caught sight of the male nurse that had barged into Abigail's room the last time she had been here.
"Um, excuse me, Barney?"
Hearing his name, the man turned around and laid his hand on the banister as Oliveah came to stand in front of him.
"Hi Barney, my name is Oliveah Adler and I'm…"
"Dr. Bloom's assistant, yes I remember you." Barney spoke as Oliveah nodded her head with a smile.
"Can I ask you, how is Abigail today?"
Moving aside as a woman in a white hospital gown was being led by another caretaker from a restroom, Oliveah waited until they were out of earshot before repeating her question.
"She's been quiet, didn't really eat any of her breakfast, and I found her pacing her bedroom after her visit from the FBI agent this morning."
Jack Crawford came to see Abigail?
Giving a smile, Oliveah gave her thanks and as she turned around to head towards Abigail's private room, she heard Barney's voice for the final time.
"Ms. Adler, that young girl in there needs to be a young girl. She needs a break from all the police, the journalists, and the doctors. Please, help her do that" he spoke as he turned and walked away.
Watching his back disappear around the hallway corner, Oliveah cleared her throat and spun around on her heel towards Abigail's room. She had decided to come to Abigail days before Christmas because truth be told, she felt terrible for her. No family, no friends, nowhere that would take her in for the tides of Christmas cheer. Just a psychiatric hospital with non-sharp eating utensils that would probably serve lumpy mashed potatoes and cold stripes of turkey while she was in another state with friends.
Knocking on Abigail's door, she heard a loud thump and a blunt curse before rushed footsteps to the door.
Interesting.
Was she was trying to climb out her bedroom window Oliveah noted as the paint chipped door slowly opened.
"Oliveah?"
She could see the surprise in the young girl's eyes as Abigail pulled the door open wide.
"What are you doing here?"
Focusing her eyes over Abigail's shoulder, she could see the quickly discarded corduroy jacket and knit scarf hanging off the edge of her bed as Abigail stepped aside.
"Actually, can we go outside to the solarium? I haven't been outside for almost two days" Abigail added as Oliveah nodded her head and stepped back into the hallway.
"What's in the bag?"
Holding the plastic bag out, Oliveah watched as Abigail began to peak through.
"I brought you some magazines" she began as Abigail shook her head.
"Would you believe that one of the patients here handed me the Sears Catalogue and told me the toy section was in the back?"
Trying not to smile, Oliveah watched as Abigail folded her arms over her chest and scuffed her foot on the floor.
"If she was a patient Abigail she probably didn't know any better" Oliveah spoke as Abigail grabbed her scarf and quickly tied it neatly around her neck.
She's got it down to a tee
Following the teenaged girl down the hallway, Oliveah felt the drafts in the walls and the doors as they moved closer to the glass enclosure. Built just after the opening of the hospital, the panes of glass on the right-hand side had already been replaced twice in recent years. Once for a Canadian goose that had been trying to avoid a fox and wound up with a twisted broken neck on the pavement walkway…
And the other for the suicide of a seventeen-year-old girl who had acted on the hospital psychiatrist's advice to "not let her rapist uncle see her in pain." Later that evening after dinner, the young girl had smashed the glass and impaled herself on the remaining standing jagged edges with a note scrawled in pencil that she was no longer in pain.
Taking seats at a weathered picnic table, Oliveah handed the plastic bag over to Abigail's outstretched fingers and watched as she began to slowly flip through the glossy pages.
"Nobody ever brings me anything, further proof that I am being treated like a prisoner" she muttered as Oliveah reached into her bag and took out two chocolate bars.
"I know what I like, but I'll let you choose first" she spoke as Abigail slowly reached for the Mars bar.
Eating in silence, Oliveah closed her eyes and wished she had picked up a couple more for the road home.
"Am I going to be stuck here for Christmas?"
Hearing Abigail's question, Oliveah swallowed the gummy texture in her mouth and crunched up her wrapper.
"As far as I know, yes."
Screwing her eyes shut, Abigail sat back at the table and ignored the magazines.
"This is pathetic. Why in the hell is Dr. Bloom keeping me here? I am nineteen, why can't I just check myself out? What's to stop me from walking out of the god damn front door past the nurses and all the other sociopath's that loiter around here screaming and cutting themselves" she shouted as Oliveah stared at her.
"I know you think all this is pointless, but you were admitted here for your own good and wellbeing. Dr. Bloom believes that you have sustained a great emotional trauma of which you may be in a sense of deep denial…" she began as Abigail rose to her feet.
"I…am not in denial. I know exactly what happened to me and her pathetic, lightweight approach to handling me like a teddy bear makes me sick. I WANT OUT OF HERE!" she exclaimed, throwing her eyes out of the window and onto a group of patients being instructed on the art of building a snowman.
"Before I knocked on your door, you were opening your window to climb down to the aging fence along the back wall of the hospital weren't you Abigail."
Feeling the blood draining from her face, Abigail Hobbs lowered her eyes and started to pick at her nails.
"Are you going to tell on me?" she challenged as Oliveah pushed the magazines aside.
"You seem to forget that I have driven away from here on two occasions with you hiding in my car. If I was going to turn you in, I would have done it already."
Silence settled between them as shouts of laughter sounded from the group and their looming snowman.
"Where were you going Abigail?"
Shaking her head, Abigail walked towards a broken planter pot and nudged the dead frozen roots with the toe of her boot.
"Somewhere for a walk. Somewhere to get away from everyone's questions" she lied as Oliveah folded her hands together.
"You've had people asking you questions?"
Holding two fingers up, the dark brown-haired girl folded one down as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Freddie Lounds has been here twice to go over my book"
My book, Jesus
"And Will Graham was here early this morning."
Wait, what?
"Will Graham was here?" she questioned with surprise, catching Abigail's lower lip quiver.
"He told me he had been in the hospital with swelling in his brain. Sounds to me like he's lucky to still be alive" she added as Oliveah took a deep breath.
Will Graham had been released from the hospital in Washington D.C, and he had gone to Abigail Hobbs.
He had made no effort to contact her.
But he was no longer sick; what reason would he have to contact her?
Feeling a pit in the bottom of her stomach, she tried to ignore it as Abigail sat back down.
"Does…does Dr. Bloom or Agent Crawford still think I helped my Dad kill those girls?"
Straightening her shoulders, Oliveah kept her hands folded as she thought of her answer.
"Both, believe that there is a strong possibility you were steered by your father. I wouldn't doubt it if Agent Crawford looked more deeply into that theory" she spoke as Abigail immediately stared her eyes down to the table top.
"I helped him."
Hearing her whisper, Oliveah didn't blink as the girl across from her wiped her eyes.
"You helped your father?"
"I…I knew what he did. I knew what he wanted to do and I knew…that it was either me or someone else, so…I offered to him help. I offered to help him so he wouldn't kill me" Abigail spoke as she brought her eyes up onto Oliveah's.
"How could I do such a thing? I didn't know those girls. I didn't know if they had dreams to be Doctors, Lawyers, or Teachers I just knew it was either them or me."
"You did what you had to do for survival Abigail, anyone will be able to see that" Oliveah blurted out as Abigail shook her head.
"I talked to them. I asked them questions about their life, if they had any pets, what they wanted to study at college" she whispered as Oliveah reached her hand out across the table.
"What I've done I can never undue. Those girls are dead and I am alive. I'll forever be a monster in everyone's eyes and if Agent Crawford and the FBI ever find out what I did…
…
North Clinton Street, Baltimore, Maryland…
December 22nd
Pulling out her chair, Oliveah sat her mug of hot chocolate down next to her laptop as she opened the lid and brought up her email.
Sending a text message to Dr. Bloom citing concern over the deteriorating mental and emotional state of Abigail Hobbs was just sloppy. She wouldn't reveal anything Abigail had told her about her being used as bait for her father's killings for she was sure Jack Crawford and the BSU were already heading down that path.
Typing out her concern, Oliveah felt eyes on her from the bedroom doorway as Andrew gave a small wave.
"Just to remind you, we are leaving for New Jersey early in two days. I want to be on the road by seven so make sure you have your bags in the car the night before."
"Yes Sir" Oliveah smiled as Andrew crossed his arms over his chest.
"Oh, and I have a huge playlist of every damn Christmas song you can think of on my ipod. 98 degrees, Faith Hill, Bob Dylan you name it" he smiled as he tapped her door frame and left.
Hearing her mobile ring, she scooped it up and with a smile lingering on her face, she answered cheerfully.
"Hello?"
"Oliveah, this is Alana Bloom."
Hearing the concern in her professor's voice, Oliveah sat her back up straight against her chair as she looked at the email she was still writing.
"Dr. Bloom, I was just getting ready to send you an email about Abigail Hobbs" she began as Bloom cut her off.
"Do you know where she is?"
Know where she is?
"Um, shouldn't she be at Port Haven?" she asked, confused as she lowered the lid of her laptop an inch.
"I placed a phone call about thirty minutes ago and the nurse on duty said that she was signed out by one of her Guardians after breakfast this morning. That Guardian was Will Graham" she spoke as Oliveah rose to her feet.
"Why would Will take Abigail out of the hospital?" she questioned as she remembered interrupting Abigail's escape from her bedroom window.
"Dr. Bloom, I visited Abigail yesterday and I may have interrupted her attempt to leave the hospital when I knocked on her door. She had her jacket and scarf on the bed and I heard the heavy wooden frame slam shut" Oliveah confirmed as Bloom shifted the phone to her other ear.
"Did she mention anything about Will Graham or hinting that they were planning to leave Port Haven?" she questioned as Oliveah moved to her bedroom window.
"All she mentioned was that Will Graham had visited her right after he was discharged from the hospital in Washington."
"Right. I'm going to call Hannibal and if Abigail or Will Graham contact you Oliveah, you will notify me. I was willing to overlook the last instruction I gave you to contact me if Will spoke to you, but if you fail to notify me Oliveah, you will be fired."
…
North Clinton Street, Baltimore, MD…
11:47pm
Hours had passed since her phone call from Dr. Bloom, and as hard as she tried, she had neither sat down or stopped pacing throughout the whole house. Ducking out of dinner with Andrew and Tyler, she had debated whether to call Dr. Lecter herself and immediately thought better.
The last thing he would want would be both Alana Bloom and herself barging in on him demanding that he work some kind of magic to find Will and Abigail.
Looking at her alarm clock, Oliveah felt tightening in her stomach as she counted sixteen minutes until midnight.
"I can't just stay here alone; I'm going to go insane" she whispered to herself as she debated her next move.
I know exactly what I want to do
God help me if puts me in my place and throws me out into the street but I need fucking answers
Slipping her mobile into her jeans pocket, Oliveah stood in front of her vanity mirror and poked at the bags growing under her eyes. Shutting the light off, she walked down the stairs on wobbly legs and grabbed her car keys and peacoat. Walking into the alleyway towards her car, she ignored the cold stinging at her exposed skin as she pulled out onto the street and threw the car into gear.
…
Dr. Hannibal Lecter's Residence, 51 Springlake Way, Baltimore, MD…
Shivering in the cold as she stepped outside her car, she left her coat in the back seat before slamming the door shut. Striding up the snow-covered walkway towards the looming house's archway, Oliveah threw her eyes up and caught soft light from behind closed curtains on the second floor.
He's home
Feeling her hands shaking, she balled up her fist and slammed it down hard against the intricate red wooden door before reaching out and pressing her thumb against the doorbell twice.
What are you doing Oliveah? The man is a serial killer and you want to be in his company? her conscience screamed just as the front door opened.
All negative thoughts she had running through her mind instantly disappeared as the foyer light fell upon Hannibal's face as his eyes screwed slightly at her appearance on his doorstep.
You are going to answer every single one of my questions Hannibal Lecter
You let me walk out of here knowing who you really are
Glancing at his wristwatch, he turned his eyes back onto her and scowled at her ill dress.
"Is it your intention to get hypothermia this evening Ms. Adler?" Hannibal questioned as Oliveah stood perfectly still, staring at his white dress shirted chest before raising her eyes onto his.
"Oliveah?"
Hearing his accented voice repeating her name for a second time, she took a quick step forward over the threshold of the doorway and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips hard against his.
…
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