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Marcel Garbi
2020
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"The shape needs to be more vivid, Miss Mallory." The instructor advised. "It's too morbid."

Alice rolled her eyes at the comment, feeling the clay slip through her fingers as it spinned around at the display.

"What does she mean by 'more vivid'?" She muttered to herself in a complaint.

"Means wider." Someone suddenly said, able to hear to her previous low comment. A figure approached her right side. "Trust me, make it bigger and put on some color, she won't be able to complain about it."

Alice's eyes met the voice's ones, as a small gap was formed on her lips. "Taye!" She smiled in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find a hobby. Someone suggested to me that sculpting is a way to release our souls...whatever that is." The charming black man tilted his head to the side, taking a small bench to sit next to her. He was incredibly tall to look at. "And now, helping a damzel in distress." He pulled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing his long arms and big muscles. "May I?" He gestured to the sculpture.

"Oh, sure." Alice nodded, allowing Taye to come closer, his large hands started touching the art slowly but calmly.

"Your movements need to be slow. Visualize what you want to create, and then allow the shape to transform itself." He guided her. "Like this."  He delicately grabbed both her hands underneath his and positioned at the spinning brownish clay. She could feel the smooth sensation of his skin and how he directed her towards a certain path on the art while speaking in a paced tone. "Just like that...let it flow..."

Taye discretely glanced at her, she was immersed into the sculpture, the blue eyes scanning and the hands wandering.  Alice met eyes with him in a solid second, realizing something his expression was friendly, casual, comfortable to look at.

"He wanted to get to know you then." Hannibal's voice echoed in her consciousness.

Alice immediatly took her hands off the art, letting the clay splash through the walls and both of them in a catastrophe that led to multiple lectures by the teacher, but mostly guiltiness that Alice felt for being with that man.

Once the class was over, she rushed towards the door, trying to avoid Taye's stares and velvet speech. She needed to go home. She needed Hannibal.

"Hey, Alice!" A voice called her from behind and as much as she tried to avoid the 3 calls, he ran a bit and blocked her path by standing in front of her. "Hey, are you leaving already?"

"Class is over." She answered.

"Yeah, I know...Do you, uh, you know, wanna grab lunch? I know a place-"

"My boyfriend already prepared lunch for me back at home." She replied right away, silencing him.

He felt embarrassrd and the atmosphere immediatly became awkward, heavy, as Alice held her hands behind her back, in an anxious act.

"Sorry, please don't get it in the wrong way, I didn't mean-"

"No, no,  I...I didn't think about anything." She lied while shaking her head. "I just want to go home."

"Look, you seem like a nice person, just thought we'd get along, as friends." He made it clear for her to listen. "Don't wanna make you uncomfortable or anything, I really see you as a person to befriend, that's all."

Taye seemed genuily honest and his deep shiny eyes confirmed it. Alice felt like an idiot, she was overthinking things again, and this time let Hannibal's opinion get to her head. Taye was just a guy and nothing else, he wanted to be her friend, and honestely? That was great, all she had of a friend mow was Katia and she used to get busy all the time. It was good to have someone else around.

She sighed and shaked her head."It's alright I just...have a lot in my head right now" Alice gave a half smile at him. "Where's this place you talked about?" And Taye finally smirked satisfied.

▫️

"Where have you been?" His voice invaded her ears as soon as she stepped in. His footsteps approached in steady, paced ones, but his expression was cold as stone.

"I had lunch out... with a friend." Alice simply said, but realized his stance was slightly scary now.

"Which friend?" Hannibal interrogated as she took off her coat, entering the living room.

"One from pottery class." Alice didn't give in much details, the matter wasn't that important anyway.

"Does your friend has a name?" He watched silent, as she sat on the sofa and he standed still in front of her.

Alice squinted her eyes watching his, they freezed, searched for flaws inside her soul, any sign of insecurity or lie. But she wouldn't be dishonest to him, she loved Hannibal, there was no reason to lie.

"Taye." She answered. "His name is Taye."

Hannibal wasn't one to forget names that easily, specially from someone who annoyed him. "Sounds awfully familiar."

"We met him at the supermarket the other day."

"Oh, that Taye." He pronounced with sarcasm, Alice felt slightly bothered by his tone. "That man who attempted to charm you."

"That's not true. He was just being nice." Alice furrowed her eyebrows.

"His gaze towards you said otherwise." Hannibal said, a million violent thoughts ran through his head, his hands adjusted the shirt in a stressful act.

"How would you know that? It's just a gaze, it means nothing." When she said those words he immediatly bend over, leaning towards her, one of his arms standing at the sofa, as his face now was close to hers. One of the hands gripped on her chin, making her face him, it wasn't violent but quite intimidating.

"Does this gaze means nothing?" His eyes sunk into hers. They were bloody, terrifying but also seductively dangerous. It was like a whole new side of him was revealed in front of her eyes.

"You're jealous." Alice teased with an adorable laugh in contrast with his wildness. His stance was almost broken by her smile. My God she could turn him into a marshmallow. "We had lunch and talked about art, he is an actor if you want more detail. It's really no big deal."

But Hannibal insisted on the matter. "No, Alice, it is." He assured. "And I suggest you to don't see this man ever again."

Her smile dropped immediatly. "What?"

"I don't want you next to him." Hannibal ordered with a heavy tone. "He doesn't have good intentions."

"You don't even know him-"

"But I know you." His thumb stroked lightly her cheek, his eyes lingering through every trace of her face, she was delicate, fragile to his touch. "You wouldn't disappoint me, right?"

Alice lost her breath for a second by such a bold assumption. "Of course not, how can-"

"Then stop seeing him." He demanded fastly. Alice stared at him silent, helpless. "Promise you'll never see that man ever again."

She didn't like his order, she didn't understand that request, and felt frustrated to find herself into that situation.

But it was Hannibal. The man that brought her back to life, lightned up her days and that she loved endlessly. Who was Taye anyway? A stranger she just met. He was nothing compared to him. And if she had to make a choice, even as stupid as it was, she knew what to do.

She would choose Hannibal Lecter over anything else until there was no choice at all.

"I'd have to leave my pottery class..."

"Do it." He encouraged, already killing two birds with one stone. "You don't need those classes anyway, darling, you're talented enough for me." He manipulated her, watching Alice crumble down. "So?"

In a conflict of interests between choosing herself or him, she did what seemed most reasonable, yet most insane.

"Okay." Alice replied in a shy whisper. "Okay, I won't go anymore."

And, with that answer, a smooth, wide and haunting smile formed on his lips. Hannibal Lecter could obtain what he wanted once again, and slowly, subtly, wrapped Alice in his web as a spider. "Good girl." He kissed her forehead sweetly in a solid second act, looking into her eyes fully passionate and with an obssessive possessivness. "I prepared dessert for you, want some?"

She was still fragile, vulnerable to his control, and in her mind she affirmed that this was normal, when it clearly wasn't.

With a broken smile and silent nodding, Alice agreed and once again illuded herself with the sweetness of lies.

▫️

"Can you make it higher, tía (aunt) Alice?"

"This is the higher I can make it without squeezing your brain." She tied the brown hair strands tight with her skillfull hands. "Why do you want such a high ponytail?"

"Because I wanna look like Ariana Grande!" The girl whimpered, crossing her arms.

"Isabel stop being a brat, your hair will break like that! Ay, Alice leave her." Katia yelled across the room and Alice chuckled as the girl made faces to her through the mirror.

The two friends sat by the table and had some tea while Isabel still tried to tie up her hair. Antonio was talking in spanish with his wife, Celia, a beautiful yet humble blonde, they discussed something about money or finances, they weren't in a good situation.

Katia wouldn't tell much about it, she was stubborn, wanted to find a way out by herself and be the rock that supported that house, that made people stand up. Maybe it was one of the things that both the friends most had in common.

"Are you sure you don't need any...help?" Alice muttered, blowing the hot steam that flew from the cup.

Katia widened her eyes and slapped her shoulder abruptely, as if she was saying something absurd. "Of course not!" She exclaimed. "I am fine, the only one who needs help it's you! Still stuck with no money at that man's house!"

Alice rolled her eyes, after she told Katia about what happened with Taye she turned completely against her decision. She insisted that what Hannibal did was toxic and that she shouldn't just obey to what he says. "You should return to your classes. Get back to your apartment." Katia shaked her head, spinning the spoon inside her cup with velocity. "Colin would agree with me in this."

"Colin is too busy studying and having fun, and I do not wish to trouble him with that." Alice retorted. "And Hannibal did nothing wrong, he is just...protective. And I understand that, specially after all that happened between us."

"No, dear, that is not okay." Katia shaked her head. "Just like that basement thing you told me about too."

The basement thing. Yes, it was an uncommon episode that happened once, just once, that made Alice almost jump horrified.

She had decided to clean up the house when she found out this spot at the kitchen, some sort of entrance on the ground. A basement.

But when she was just about to open it, a ghost popped up behind her through the shadows. "What are you doing?" His voice startled her for a second as Hannibal walked fastly and took her hands out from the entrance at the floor.

"I was just trying to clean...is that a basement?" She questioned, trying not to appear intimidated by his heavily serious expression. "Can you help me lift this so I can-"

"No." He replied right away sharply, his tone was awfully scary. "That won't be necessary. Don't go down there."

Alice looked at him slightly confused. "Why? I mean, you need to clean it at some point, right?"

"I'll clean it myself. Don't go down there."  He repeated once again, stablishing his point.

Alice chortled. "What's so important there? Gold?" She joked but Hannibal didn't laugh.

"It isn't important. It's just dusty and dark. You'd probably get lost." He made up an excuse.

"Then, you could go with me." She touched his chest and smirked. "Like our own exploration!"

As adorable it seemed, his expression did not change or soften as usual. There was something dark, somber in his semblant that made her uneasy. "You can go anywhere in this house, Alice. But not there. Do you understand?" He questioned intensely, seriously.

Her lips parted in surprise, her eyes flickered for a second at the floor, then back to him. He was deadly serious and something in his voice seemed slightly harmful if she disagreed. "Yes..."

"He's just private with his things. Maybe the basement's really dark as he said." Alice shrugged her shoulders, justifying again his suspicious attitudes.

"There's something odd about this, and I can feel it in my bones, Ali." Katia swallowed dry. "Keep an eye out, just saying."

"Katia you've met him. He'd never hurt me or anything." Alice affirmed calmly. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I don't know...well..." Katia sighed shaking her head. "Maybe I'm just stressed, that's why."

Alice reached for her friend's hand at the table, curving her eyebrows and giving a smile to show simpathy. "You know I'm here for you whenever you need, right?"

"Of course I know, your idiota." Katia chuckled. "And I'm here for you."

And in that moment, Alice felt glad to know that in that cold and dark world, she had a friend.

"TÍA KATIAAAA!! MY HAIRR!!" A girl cried across the house.

"Mierda, Isabel!" Katia cursed out loud and got up from her seat. "I TOLD YOU'D BREAK IT, DIDN'T I?!"

Alice laughed and through the midst of that happy chaos, she smiled, feeling warm inside.

"Things are doing great." She affirmed it to herself. "Everything will be alright."

▫️

Tickles across his cheek, sticky noises that made him grin. His sight was blurry but slowly shaped into the beautiful vision of a brunette by his side, her eyes were a pure blue that opened up his heart to those strange yet miraculous feelings whenever she was around. Her body was warm next to his and intertwined into the sheets, as her rosed lips touched his cheeks softly.

"Good mornin' sleeping beauty." She whispered sweetly by his ear.

"Good morning, princess charming." Hannibal smirked, as Alice leaned foward with sugary lips to meet his tenderly.

That was the best part of his day: neing able to wake up and her being the first thing he saw whenever he opened his eyes. She was the air that filled his lungs and the energy to get out, or maybe stay in bed all day. Sometimes he'd only bs there, with Alice snuggling onto his chest, or with his hands caressing her cheeks and looking into her eyes. Time could stop at that second, at that moment where she'd be his and nothing else would matter. He realized his world became her and only her. And he liked it.

"Please tell me today is your day off." She poted, making him chuckle, closing tightly his eyes at how adorable she was.

"Unfortunetely I have work today." His voice was hoarse, hot and low. God, Alice loved it, she loved his messed up hair, the warmness of his body against her and that morning voice. He loved everything about him in general.

"Oh, nooo, come on Hanni..." she teased him. "It's such a pretty day, we could go to the lake, or maybe just stay home." Her lips burned his neck. "Or stay in bed..."

He hated how much she was his weakness, how just a touch of hers could make his heart melt as butter. "...The whole day...?" He chortled as Alice slided her hands slowly through his chest, feeling his body hair through her fingers, in a smooth movement to seduce him.

"We can do whatever you'd like to." She whispered just as the snake at Eve's ear.

"You're despicable, Lissy..." He mumbled against her lips, allowing the sensation of their tongues and lips united lead him to heaven for a moment. "Mhm..but..I must go..." he pulled her away gently. "I'll be back home soon."

"Promise" She lifted her pinky finger in the air with a radiant smile.

"Only if you promise to stay here and wait for me."  He did the same gesture.

Alice involuntairly attended to his possessive wishes. "Deal."

"Deal." They united their fingers in an adorable act. "Now I need to get out of this bed." Alice moved and stood on top of him, sitting on his lap with a sassy smile. "No...don't..."

"You'll need to take me out of here first." She vocalized unable to contain her laugh.

"With pleasure." He smirked, as his large hands gripped on her waist and rolled her until her back reached the mattress and he was on top. Her stomach tickled with butterflies as he filled her face with kisses that made her giggle.

"I thought you were getting ready to work." She muttered to him.

"You're right, I shouldn't delay myself any longer." He had a naughty expression. "Would you care to join me in the shower?"

▫️

Staying alone at Hannibal's house could be quite boring at first. After a long time trying to clean already cleaned surfaces, Alice scanned the bookshelves filled with classics, tiped the tiles of the piano, clueless of how to play it, and smelled, hugged Hannibal's pillow just so she could feel him again.

It was sad, honestely, to watch Alice wait for him as an obedient dog with nowhere to go, after all everyone had something else to do except her. Katia was at work, Colin busy in college studying, Will was in prision and besides them she had no one else at all.

Should she get a dog? Alana Bloom did offer Alice to take care of one of Will's dogs, and as much as she loved the idea, Hannibal made it clear that he did not wish any fur scattered around his house.

Maybe she should get a fish.

The painting she worked on was still unpredictable, Alice seemed to let the brush do her own desires and draw lives of its' own, but there was something different, something mysterious in it, and she liked it. As a natural energy that surrounded her by each trace and each spot filled with an original color palette made up suddenly in her mind.

But her process was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Cleaning her hands at the apron, Alice hushed towards the door, to reveal an unexpected guest.

"Miss Katz?" Alice questioned blinking twice as she spot the dark haired woman by her door.

"I'm sorry to bother you Miss Mallory, but do you hace a second? There's something I'd like to discuss with you." The FBI woman said, as she watched the house over her shoulder.

"Um...sure. Come in." Alice let her enter.

As soon as she closed the door, Alice went to the kitchen and prepaded some tea, as Beverly Katz sat by the dining table waiting for her with an envelop in her hands.

"It's been quite some time." The agent muttered as Alice handled one of the white delicate chinese porcelain cups. "Thank you."

"Since Will's trial, I guess." Alice sat across the table in front of her, she had taken the apron and now looked more casual, with the hair tied into a messy bun and shiny curious eyes. "Hannibal is at work, if you are looking for him."

"I know." Beverly Katz nodded. "But I wanted to talk to you actually."

"Me?" Alice asked surprised. "Okay...But I don't think there's much I can help though."

"You do, in fact..."  She took some pictures from the envelope "You have a strong stomach, right?"

Alice blinked confused once again. "Um, yes, I guess...?"

"Take a look at these." She gave her the pictures, as Alice analyzed them, observing the death eye Hannibal showed her before, now an individual body's one. "What you said before...your insight about the mosaic was correct. It helped a lot."

"Oh, glad to know." She nodded. "But I still don't understand what you mean by showing me this..."

"Your vision on the killer is just as good as Will's, Miss Mallory." Beverly said confident in her theory.

"Have you been meeting Will?" Alice stopped. Her heart sunk.

"Yes. I am asking for his help in this case. We made a deal." She looked at Alice's anxious eyes. "I believe he hasn't contact you."

"Will has been very...distant, lately." She looked down, fidgeting her hands. "Whenever I try to visit him, he refuses."

"He must have his own reasons."

As kind as Katz was, Alice couldn't help but slightly envy her. Will talked with her, but since the trial he treated her with silence. It was frustrating.

"Alice." Katz called her suddenly. "May I call you Alice?" The listener nodded. "Alice, I need your help with this. With your vision on this killer."

"I'm not a forensic agent as you all-"

"No, you are an artist, which is why you're the only one who can see through the killer's eyes this time." The sentence caught Alice off guard. "This man." She showed the picture. "He is the muralist. Someone killed him and put him in the center of the eye."

"So he could be part of his own creation." Alice mumbled observing the pale man and the scar at the side of his body.

"Exactly, whoever killed him, understood him."

"Who does Will think the next killer is?"Alice glanced at Katz, hoping to obtain answers.

"He..." Katz sighed. "He doesn't know but he insists on...blaming Hannibal for it."

Alice ran her hands through her face stressed. "I'm sorry but...are you here because you suspect Hannibal? Is that it?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean." She shaked her head. "I said the truth, I need your artistic knowledge in this. Is there anything the killer could've left in evidence?"

Alice shaked her head, it spinned with thoughts and ached. She didn't know how to help, she didn't know why Will insisted on blaming Hannibal and didn't know how to change Katz's mind. She stared at the picture expecting it to give her answers, or any sign to prove she was wrong.

"Wait." She stopped suddenly, putting her finger above the picture. "What is this mark?"

Katz leaned foward surprised. "That's where he was sewed onto other body."

"No, no, there's something else in here." Alice shaked her head.

"Why? It's just remaining thread."

"No, it's not  You see, this mural, it was made with effort and time, right? The killer used this...substance to put his victims together, he spent a lot of time to make a good work." Alice spoke immersed into the pattern. "But when the killer was put into the mural, even with the same pattern, the sewing in this part was rushed. Meticulous, but rushed." Alice traced the line with her fingers at the picture. "The other parts weren't but this one was. An artist wouldn't leave a flaw like this evident."

"Unless it was on purpose." Katz formed a small gap between her lips realizing what she found out.

"There's something beyond appearence,  his crime goes beyond, deep beneath the skin"

An odd sensation of dèja vu consumed Beverly Katz in an itchy, haunting feeling that took over her breath.

"You'll have to get to the truth beneath the appearences, only by going deep beneath the skin you'll understand the nature of this killer's pathology." Hannibal Lecter told her back at the BAU when she questioned him about the killer's signature.

"Thank you, Alice" Katz abruptely got up from her seat and took the pictures putting then back to the envelope.

She escorted Katz until the door, the agent rushed, seemed anxious, like something hit her suddenly. "Is that all? Do you think you know who it is?"

Beverly glanced at her with a determined yet frightned stare, there was something odd, haunting at that moment. Alice had a bad feeling aching inside her stomach.

"I don't know...But I might have a clue." The dark haired pondered. "I need to look through this."

"Good luck."

"Thank you..." She turned to leave. "And Alice." She looked at the artist. "Will cares for you. I believe he is only trying to protect you."

"Protect me from what?" Alice asked her confused.

Beverly couldn't tell about her new suspicions, she curved her lips and only said "Something dangerous. And close to you." Alice was speechless. "Can you give me your number? If I'm right, I'll need to call you."

Alice wrote down fastly her number and gave to the agent, still unsure of what she meant with all of this. "Katz" Alice said when she was about to leave. "Whatever you and Will are doing...be careful."

The agent gave a soft smile and nodded in affirmative. "You too."

And with those words, this was the last time Alice ever saw Beverly Katz.

▫️

Beneath the skin, the secrets were revealed to Will Graham and Beverly Katz about Hannibal Lecter's forbidden diet and maniac behavior. Will Graham feared for Alice's safety, but knew it would be imprudent to just order her to leave the villain's home suddenly, he needed a strategy. But Katz wasn't so careful as him.

"You're back!" Alice hurried to the door with a wide smile, hugging him tight.

"Only for lunch, I shall head to the office soon. I have an important patient." Hannibal wrapped his arms around her, glad to have her there next to him.

"Who?"

But something interrupted the conversation, at least to him. It was a different smell in the air, something that resembled chemicals used in labs, a tipical smell in the scientic area of the BAU.

A visitor.

"Alice, darling." Hannibal looked at her. "Did you receive someone in here today?"

She blinked surprised by his guess, but didn't see anything bad about it. "Yeah, Beverly Katz came here, she asked about that muralist's case."

"To you?"

"She thought my artistic vision would help, I don't think it did though."

"What did she say?"

"I didn't understand much, all I know is that she hushed to leave, seemed very astonished, like she had an idea to help in the case. She even asked for my phone number." Alice shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, how your day? I prepared lunch for you!"

With a contained smile, Hannibal already was clear about the agent's conclusions, but he would keep the appearences to his lover. "Slightly tiring, yet couldn't help but think about you the whole morning"

Alive blushed in a genuine smile. "Careful, if you keep saying things like that I might wanna marry you." She joked, loosing the tie around his neck.

"I should say it more often, then." He replied softly. Alice's heart speeded inside her chest, feeling numb to his words as she looked up and locked eyes with him. He was being serious. Her whole face burned and she felt anxious.

"I...I...I'll set the table, you must be hungry!" And she escaped, tripping on her own feet.

"Are you okay??" He asked as she reached the floor in a false step.

"I'm fine!!" She reassured and got up, pratically running from him. A sound echoed through the house. A phone ringing. "I think it's my phone, can you pick it up for me?"

Hannibal grabbed the cold device in his hands, "Agent Katz" was titled in the ID. Refused the call, deleted the register and turned off the phone, putting inside his pocket and hiding it from the owner. Went back to the kitchen with no regrets on his consciouness.

"Who was it?" Alice asked setting a dish in front of him.

"Just someone from telemarketing. Nothing important." He looked down, smiling at the meal she prepared with meat for him. He loved that Alice tried to cook whenever he couldn't, and even being a vegetarian she didn't mind cooking for him the meat he had on the fridge. Even if she was numb to the origins of that food. "Looks delicious."

"I tried one of your recipes, it's not as good as yours but..." She smiled grateful, as he told her about his day and then procceded to listen her rant about hers, both of them enjoyed each tiny part of sharing a conversation and the details, great listerners and confidents.

"Who is the patient you're seeing today?" She asked. "Someone important you said. A politician? A celebrity?" Alice knew Hannibal only had rich clients, so she wouldn't doubt he'd have one of those.

"No, Agent Crawford's wife." He replied.

Alice almost gasped. "He is married?!"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Who could stand Jack Crawford?" Hannibal almost choked into a laugh. "Is she nice?"

"A very polite woman."

"Wow..." Alice stopped to think for a moment.

"You sound too surprused at such a tiny thing." He noticed.

"The tiny things are the most important ones that we leave unoticed." She pointed out.

Hannibal nodded, agreeing with her incredible intelligence, yet, she couldn't follow her advice in noticing that strange man's details. "You're right."

▫️

The night became a dark shade of blue into the sky, followed by unpredictable somber events that would change fates forever into a haunting design.

Bella, Jack Crawford's wife, attempted to end her life but was ressurected by her cruel therapist, now stuck to a hospital's bed, with her husband by her side.

Alice Mallory, fell into a deep sleep at the main room while waiting for her lover.

And Beverly Katz comitted a mistake that would cost her life.

After multiple failures to reach Alice, Beverly decided to take a risk herself and enter the Lecter's residence, breaking in the door with dilligent skills and entering without making a sound.

The house was immersed into darkness, so she assumed nobody was home, unaware that Alice was upstairs, only asleep. Entering the kitchen, she started to analyze the content inside the fridge, then inside the storage, where she found many packages wrapped in plastic.

Into an impulse to take evidence, she bumped into a glass, almost making noise, as the liquid fell on the floor and ran down some spaces between the wood floor underneath, revealing another area: a basement.

With her flashlight into the shadows, Beverly Katz went down the stairs into her last destination before her upcoming death. Her eyes widened and she gasped at the revelation in front of her eyes.

That was until a slashing figure popped behind and put an end into the chapters of her life.

Cracks beneath the floor, shots missed to the dark and endless noises that broke into the silent night. Fast steps running through staircases, barefeet into the cold storage trying to watch without a single light.

"Hannibal?" Her voice spoke through the midst of remaining violence, as a last breath was suddenly let out underneath her feet. Blinded by the tenebrosity of the ambience, she only hard the heavy steps behind her, until a glistening pair of eyes appeared under the pale moonlight. "Oh  my God Hannibal... you scared me." Alice sighed as she calmed her heartbeat and hugged him tight. "You're finally home, what happened?"

His breath was still heavy, the same arms that ended someone's life now embraced her body gently, pushing it towards his. "Jack's wife was at the hospital. She tried to kill herself in one of our sessions." He replied still serious.

"What? No..." Alice gasped horrified. "And did she-"

"She is fine for now. Her husband's with her, so I went back home." His voice was awfully calm due to what he had just done and the cold body that lied beneath their feet in the basement.

"That's a relief..." Alice sighed. "You must be so sad over what happened, oh dear..." She carressed his cheek. "Let's go to bed, take some rest."

He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently, closing his eyes for a solid minute, absorving her sweetness and recharging his energy, bringing up the remaining human part in him. "I will, soon. Just need to organize some matters from work."

"Do you have to do that now?" She questioned.

"I want to take a day off with you tomorrow, so I'll fullfill all my tasks today." He made up an excuse, Alice smiled grateful.

"If that's the case..." She kissed his cheek. "But don't stay up until late."

"I won't. Now go sleep, my princess." He gave her one last hug, he needed her contact badly, almost as a craving to fill up the evil side inside of him with her loveliness. "Good-night."

"Good-night."

And good-bye to Beverly Katz.