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Aurel Schmidt
2011
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"HELLO there" Alice smiled bringing him a cup of coffee. She messed up his curly hair, making him smile. "Studying hard?"

"So hard that I believe someday I might become insane" He chuckled as she sat by his side putting his pile of books aside at the desk.

"Don't joke about those things" she pushed him with her shoulder, they smiled briefly towards each other. Unspoken emotions in the air, pages being turned into the silence, and the sweet sensatiom of innoncence mixed with youth.

"If I became crazy, would we still be friends?" He suddenly asked. Something inside his mind was unquiet, as he waited for an answer. The library was alwfully silent and that just made him even more anxious.

"Even if you were the maddest guy in the world, I'd still be by your side, Will Graham." Alice smiled sweetly, he looked away for a moment feeling shy, his cherks suddenly heated up. "Now enough of this crazy talk, I've bought you a croissant"

"My hero!"

▫️

Will Graham was presenting a lecture about how he caught Garret Jacob Hobbs, the responsible for inumerous deaths of missing girls close to his daughter's age, Abigail Hobbs, who was now an orphan and in coma. Garret was killed by no one less than Will himself, who was about to catch the killer but surprisingly, the suspect knew they were coming before they arrived by an anonymous call.

Even if others considered his murder a way to save the young Abigail, Will's mind was conflicted, multiple feelings mixed inside, his thoughts were messy, and sometimes he could see the dead man in front of him, full of holes from the bullets he shot.

As soon as the class ended, Dr. Alana Bloom entered the room, she had a friendly expression, approaching the agent calmly.

"Hey" she said.

"Hi" he replied while packing his things.

"How are you feeling?"

Will stopped for a moment and looked at her "I have no idea".

Alana took a deep breath, like she was about to explain something "Now, I don't want you to be ambushed"

"Is this an ambush?"

"The ambush comes later" they could hear footsteps approaching them. "Immediatly, as soon as Jack arrives" it was too late.

Jack Crawford had just arrived, stopping by Dr.Bloom's side, pretending not to listen to her comments. "How was class?" He asked.

"They applauded, it was inappropriate" Will replied, back to packing his bag.

"Review board begs to differ. You're
up for a commendation and they
okayed active return to the field." Jack Crawford insisted.

"Question is..." Alana Bloom spoke with caution " do you want to go
back in the field?"

"I want you to go back in the field" Jack spoke instead "but I told the Board I'm
recommending a psych evaluation."

Will glanced at Alana, he felt offended, maybe attacked by the Agent's statement. "Are we starting now?" He questioned annoyed.

Alana looked down, her expression wasn't very pleased to say that to him "Session wouldn't be with me."

"Hannibal Lecter might be a better
fit. Your relationship's not as personal. But if you'd be more comfortable with Dr. Bloom--"

"I'm not going to be comfortable with anybody inside my head." Will retorted, interrupting the agent, his glasses blurred for a moment.

"You've never killed someone before,
Will. It's a deadly force encounter. It's lot to digest. " Alana tried to speak to him.

"I used to work homicide. I've got a good metabolism."

"Reason you currently used to work homicide is you couldn't stomach pulling the trigger. You just pulled the trigger ten times." Jack went merciless on him.

"So Psych Eval's not a formality?" Will questioned.

"It's so I can sleep. " Jack replied "I asked you to get close to Hobbs and I need to know you didn't get too close. How many times have you spent the night in Abigail Hobbs' hospital room?"

A pause in silence was made. The three of them knew that the case went beyond than it was supposed to. But Will didn't want to admit it. He didn't want anyone telling what he felt or what he thought, no one could properly understand it, and he felt truly frustrated for it. "Therapy doesn't work on me. " he simply said.

"'Cause you won't let it." Jack retorted.

"'Cause I know all the tricks."

"Un-learn some tricks."

"Why not have a conversation with Hannibal? He was there. He knows what you went through. " Alana tried to be reasonable.

Will took off his glasses, trying to clean them on his greasy shirt. The idea wasn't satisfying still, but maybe, just maybe he could gain something from it. "I'll have one conversation...if you give me the Mallory case files"

"Which Mallory case?" Jack asked confused.

"Bree Mallory, 26 years old, was found dead 3 months ago"

"Why do you want that?" Jack tried to get an answer from him, Will avoided his intense gaze "Is it related to the Hobbs case?"

"Why was this case archived?" Will questioned back. "It just has been 3 months"

"Our team is currently occupied with bigger threats, there are 6 girls still missing, Will" Jack replied serious. "What is your interest in this case?" Jack thought for a moment, he pratically read between the short lines of Will's rebellious expression "Is it the copycat? You believe he was involved? But that case is before Cassie Boyle was found"

"It doesn't mean he hasn't killed before." Will tried to explain "the way he kills...he doesn't have a pattern like Hobbs...he does it for his own interest, he is dilligent, he hides clues. I need to get into his head." He gesticulated like a lunatic.

"What you need is to go talk with Dr.Lecter."

"Jack-" Alana tried to interfere.

"If you give me the files I'll do as many sessions as you want, but you need to let me take care of this case." He adviced the agent.

Jack Crawford found himself in a dilemma. He promised himself not to let Will Graham too involved into those cases, but he was useful, wanting it or not, the way he solved those crimes was saving lives. Even if Dr.Bloom disagreed, he couldn't just loose an agent as special as Will. There was no one like him.

"Fine." Jack nodded."But focus on our present cases. Don't get too distracted by this."

With those words, Will didn't say anything else, he just grabbed his things and left as fast as the wind.

▫️

"Can you help me with this box?" Alice asked, Colin came fastly, helping her lift it up above the wardrobe "thanks..."

"Why are you looking through Bree's stuff? I thought you needed more time" Colin looked at the room, it was the same as Bree left it. Organized but also messy at some points, her makeup on another desk, her books from work, her shoes at the same spot next to door. It still smelled like her floral perfume. "We...needed more time"

Alice observed her brother's face, in those 3 months none of them dared to enter that room, neither thought about that possibility. Maybe that way they could still believe that she would come back, that she would jump on her bed and make a pillowfight with her brother, perphaps yell at Alice for entering without knocking, or throw her clothes around while getting ready for a party. If she closed her eyes for a second she could imagine her sister still there, watching them.

"Who told you that you can look into my stuff?" Bree retorted, sitting with her legs crossed on the bed. Still with her hair loosen, in her favorite dress.

Alice shaked her head, when she opened her eyes again, Bree wasn't there anymore. Her mind was playing gamed with her again.

"Are you okay?" Colin asked, noticing his sister spacing out. "Maybe we should get out of this room for a bit"

"No, no, I'm alright" Alice tried to look normal. "I just need to find something she...borrowed from me. It'll be fast, go"

Colin didn't feel like she was speaking the truth but didn't protest, he didn't like fights. Just got out of the room and left Alice there, alone with ghosts of the past.

Attempting to avoid any childhood memories that could hurt her even more, like the teddy bears Bree kept when she was a kid, the pictures of the three siblings displayed on the walls, or the medals from her Spelling Bee competitions and the blouses that Alice lent to her but were never returned, the grieving sister focused on what she was looking for: Bree's old agenda.

Bree Mallory had a busy schedule, that was true, she was always helping in volunteering to teach english classes besides the schools she worked at for poor children. But her sister generosity wasn't what Alice looked for. She looked for notes, anything that could be truly helpful.

What if Bree had secrets? What if someone really hated her to the point of...

Nothing, she barely could find anything. All Bree kept were passwords, she wasn't very good at remembering them without writting them down. Bank ones, others for apps...even her phone's one.

Something snapped inside her head.

Her phone.

▫️

Will Graham had came back from his small session with Dr.Lecter, unlike he expected, it wasb't as bad he thought it would be. Perphaps the fact that they spent a traumatic episode together at Garret Jacob Hobbs' death and empathized with the young Abigail Hobbs eased the conversation between them. That still didn't mean he wanted someone looking through his mind though.

He now analyzed the files of the Mallory case. Bree's body was stabbed four times and then cut open so the killer could steal her ogans. Whatever happened, she managed to irritate the assassin.

She was found a block away from the store that comproved that she bought some snacks and a bottle of milk at 9 p.m. Also three blocks away from her apartment that she shared with her two siblings.

The missing organs were her liver, her kidney and part of the intenstine. Besides it, her phone was also taken. He would have considered the possibility of a thief but her earrings still remained there, pearl ones that shined through the tragic photographies. No, the killer only wanted her phone, and in the opportunity, stole her organs as well.

Could he be like Garret Jacob Hobbs, who ate his victims? But he didn't honor them like the previous one mentioned...If that was indeed the copycat, his intentions were for pure cruelty. There was a mere chance to be the Chesapeak Ripper, but that didn't matvh his style...no, the ripper would've put on a show, something to be astonished at, not just some rushed dead corpse in an alley. The most astonishing thing the killer did was to put the bottle of milk back on her hand after the death, as Bree laid on the ground. And according to Alice, the murderer texted her. Her statement was proven true since the time of the message was stated as 9:30 p.m, but Bree must've died at least in a time period between 9:10 - 9:25 p.m. At the time the message was sent she was already dead.

What was his motivation? If it was the copy cat, he tried to copy the stabbments wuth Hobbs' ones, 4 holes across the body, but he lacked horns at the moment, so used his knife instead to imitate it. The crime scene was clean except for Bree's body and blood. There was no DNA from the killer, he probably wore gloves when stabbing her. No witnesses, no cameras registered the moment. It was the perfect crime, and something teold him that this was an unplanned but well executed one.

That was what he thought until Alice Mallory knocked on his door at that afternoon.

His dogs surrounded him excited to receive a visit, while he walked slowly until the door to open it, revealing a shy Alice that had her hair tied into piggy tails."Hi" she said shy "I've received your message"

"Right..." he said still a bit amused to receive her there "Didn't think you'd really come..."

"Shouldn't have I?" She lifted her eyebrows.

"Yes, I mean, I just thought that you'd be busy..."

She lifted a small paper package on her hands. "I've brought you a croissant" his dog almost jumped on her, but she laughed instead of getting mad. "He's so cute!" She pet the golden Wiston, who found some affection on her. "So, can I come in?"

He just then realized she was still standing at the door, in the cold. The weather was specially windy that afternoon. "Of course..." he said making way through the dogs so she could enter. "Hope you don't mind the mess"

"Nah, it's better than Colin's room, trust me" she said with humor, petting each one of the dogs, like asking for permission to enter their sanctum.

He indicated an armchair for her to sit while his pets lied at the center of the living room. It was a modest cabin, secluded, surrounded by trees, but also warm, welcoming. Will sat on a sofa in front of her, eating the croissant with an incredible hunger, one of his dogs by his side attempted to steal the snack.

"Your house is so pretty" she smiled observing the little rustic touches of the decoration.

"You're just too kind." Will spoke cinical. "Would you like something? Coffee? You've always liked it." He suggested.

"You still remember it" she felf qite glad about the gesture.

"With three spoons of sugar" he smiled, they exchanged nostalgic glances.

It was incredible how much time has passed but somehow things seemed the same, yet they weren't. But the magical moment vanished fastly as Alice assumed a serious expression.

"So...they sent you the files..." she muttered.

"Yeah.." Will nodded slowly "I am very sorry, Alice...Bree...she didn't deserve any of that." Alice agreed with him with just a glance. "You were right about tue message...it was probably sent by the killer. Maybe he was...annoyed by her...as if he wanted to get rid of her"

"There's something else I've brought" Alice took off a piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to Will. Their fingerd brushed for a second, tickling, she took off her hand fast, he blinked multiple times recovering from the touch. "It's... um...Bree used to write down her passwords..."she explained "this was her phone's, which as you know-"

"It was stolen by the killer." He looked at her connecting thoughts, forming a gap between his lips. "If we manage to locate her phone..."

"...we can possibly find whoever did this." Alice completed his sentence.

"That's...that's actually a great clue, Alice." He complimented, she gave a weak smile. "The only bad thing would be if he already discarted the device..."

"How will we know that?"

"We'll have to track it. Luckily I know someone who may help us."

"That's..that's great. Thanks, Will." She said grateful, almost unable to speak "really, I...I don't even know what to say..."

"There's nothing to say, I'm glad to help. Bree deserves justice."

She looked down for a moment, pet the dog lied in front of her feet, it shaked its' tail happy. He observed her for a short second, her smile, the same joyful eyes. You don't realize how much you miss someone until you find them again. That's what Will Graham felt at that moment.

"I'll make you a cup of coffee." He said waking up from his thoughts and getting up from the chair.

"Oh, thanks." Alice replied.

Once he disappeared she continued there, on the chair, trying to be positive about the future. Maybe she could catch the killer, there was still some hope after all.

"You met Will again just to bring me justice, aww, that's cute." Bree's voice echoed through her mind. Alice quickly looked at the sofa where Will was sitting before. She was there again, sitting on her perfect dress with a smile on her red painted lips. "Looks like those romantic movies where the soulmates meet after years"

"You aren't here." Alice shaked her head. "It's all in my mind, again"

"He's living a pretty comfortable life, I like the dogs." She spoke with that funny tone of hers, playing with a strand of her hair. "Does Colin know you met him again? He would love to see him. He always liked Will." Bree commented.

Alice gave a half smile. Colin was very young back then but he really did. They used to play whenever Will came around, Colin used to say that he was his older brother. "He really would."

"Bad thing that when he entered FBI he started going nuts" Bree commented.

"He isn't nuts, Bree" Alice retorted annoyed.

"Right, right, but that's what he said when you stopped seeing each other" she rolled her eyes "anyway, do you still like him or..."

"Don't say those things!" Alice groaned." Get out of my head!"

When she said those words Will was standing at the entrance of the living room, the cup still on his hands. The look that they gave towards each other could say more than a million words. He knew Alice wasn't alright, just like him.

"I think...." she felt embarrassed, got up and grabbed her purse, the eyes wandered every part of the house, trying not to make any contact with him. "I should see how Colin is...sorry for the coffee..um..." she barely could speak "let's meet soon to...see the phone thing, 'kay? Take care, Will."

She walked towards the door, about to open it, when he spoke "Alice." She tuened around, able to sense all those feelings from a decade ago when they separated ways again. "I might not be the best person to say these things but....if you need anything, I'm here."

Alice didn't know what to say. She just nodded and left, hopping on the scooter as the cold breeze embraced her and her thoughts.

▫️

"The phone can't be found" Beverly Katz explained at a separate room.

"What do you mean?" Will asked worried.

"It wad turned off, we can only try to track it if it was on, if it had some signal, but there's no signal, no data to track." She said carefully. "The only thing that shows is the last time it was used, which was-"

"3 Months go at that alley." Will said stressed, running his hands through his hair.

"I know, I don't have good news...and there's another one." She said, Will looked at her waiting for the worse. "It's Jack, he wants to speak with you, about the Mallory case."

Will sighed, but, with no other choice, he went to see agent Crawford. When he arrived, he didn't knock on the door, just entered irritated.

"Come in" Jack mocked while he sat at his chair analyzing some files.

"I'm going to the sessions, I am helping with the case of the garden bodies, what do you want?" Will said frustrated.

"You weren't honest with me." Jack said serious "you never said that you knew the victim of the Mallory case."

Will put his hands on his waist, looked around the small office, bothered by Jack's constant interruptions.

"What about it?" Will asked.

"Watch your tone." Jack retorted "Are you friends with Alice Mallory? Is that why you're helping her?"

"We went to the same college institution." He admitted. "Nothing else."

"If it was only that you wouldn't be bothering yourself to help her." Jack pointed to him. "I promised Dr.Bloon that you wouldn't get too involved in cases that would affect your mental health"

"It won't affect me and I can take care of it, don't worry about my mind" he groaned.

"I don't think it is a good idea. I can't risk-"

"No, you listen" Will put his hands above his desk, leaning to look into Jack's eyes. "Whoever did this to Bree Mallory is the copycat. I..." he failed to explain "I just know, it is...We need to catch him, he's dangerous."

"What about Alice Mallory?" Jack said serious. "Does she want to just 'catch' him as you?"

A pause in silence was made. It was clear that Alice's intentions weren't just putting that criminal in prison, Will was aware of that, and appearently Jack did as well.

"I searched about her past. Specially about how she got kicked out of college." Agent Crawford held his hands together, relying his back at the chair. "She's unstable, Will."

"So am I, and yet you still trust me."

"But I don't trust her." He rejected his ideas. "Alice Mallory has never killed, but this might be her first opportunity. Is that what you want?"

"Alice wouldn't do that. She's against violence, Jack, I-"

"She started to be against violence after her incident, who knows what will happen now if she finds the killer?" Jack made a point "How is she now?"

Will recalled Alice speaking alone with herself. How she would space out without blinking in another dimension. She wasn't okay, but he needed to help her.

"She is fine." Will lied to him. "I need to solve this case, Jack. Or do you want a killer out there? We both know you don't"

At some points Jack couldn't disagree with Will Graham, he knew that man was special, knew he would be able to catch anyone if he put effort in it. But he couldn't trust his limits. How much Will could take?

But in his mind, Jack was doing the right thing. He was saving lives. Having an assassin out there wasn't something he wanted. And Will knew that very well.

He gave him a file full of photos taken by someone in secret. It revealed some sort of graveyard, a person was kneeling on the ground, their hands covered in dirt next to a messed, open grave.

Will looked closer to other picture and could see it clearly the mourn and sadness reflected on that person's face, completely out of their mind.

"Alice Mallory was found yesterday trying to dig her sister's grave. She didn't speak full sentences, mutteted nonsense, saying that Bree Mallory was alive." Jack explained, Will's hands trembled by the information. "Is she really 'fine', Will?"

The agent put the photos back on the desk, cleaned his glasses with his shirt  while trying to think. "She misses her sister" he confessed.

"I've noticed it." Jack mocked. Will tried to stay calm.

"You're right, she is not okay...and this will only get worse if we don't find the responsible for Bree's death." He made a point. "Alice needs the FBI's help"

"She needs to see a doctor."

"Alice talked with Bree at the night she was murdered, if only she could remember something, maybe, just maybe we could have a clue about who might be."

"What do you mean they talked?"

Will recalled what Alice told him about the case. "She was at the market, someone muttered behind her, she seemed scared."

"What did the person say?" Will asked.

"I don't remember, it's like...blocked, or something. But I do remember Bree talking to me. She didn't seem normal, and even called me by a wrong nickname, Little ladybug." Alice explained the full details.

"You think the person behind her kn the phone was..."

"Her killer."

"They spoke through the phone, with messages, but they also had a call minutes before" Will explained to Jack.

"So, you think..."

"Alice heard a man speaking to her sister, something that made Bree nervous."

"The killer" Jack concluded. "So she needs to find the voice's owner."

"But she can't remember it."

"Damnit." Jack groaned. "So you do need her." Will nodded. "Let me seen then, our only clue is an unstable girl who heard a voice through the phone 4 months ago, and can't remember it. Great."

Will took a deep breath, looked at the floor, an idea occured to him, an idea that would change their lives forever.

"She needs help." Will said. "As you said, just like me, she's unstable, she needs help to remember what she heard. To clear her mind..."

"So you're saying..."

"She needs a doctor. Someone whk can help her recover these memories...a therapist." He glanced at jack woth determination "And we know where to find one"