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Willem de Kooning
1949
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BREE Mallory was in the wrong time and the wrong place.

She wasn't predicted, neither expected, just carelessly taken care of, as weed getting rid from a flawless garden.

But perphaps it wasn't perfect. No, she might've stepped on it. Messed with the grass, pulled some strings apart, accidentaly. And that accident cost her life.

A girl aware of her beauty and the beauty of the city that surrounded her. Always had a camera in her hands. Capture it, remember it, keep it.

Captured something she didn't. The killer.

Could it have been Nicholas Boyle? Or an unknown copycat in the shadows? Someone similar to the mysterious Chesapeak Ripper, or maybe himself.

Whoever it was, didn't want to let her escape. Capture it. She was a risk he couldn't afford. Let his previous victim go and went after her, fearless, calm, precisive.

Reached her at the store, said something while she spoke on the phone with Alice, but unable to know what message could've been, causing Bree anxiety and an unlikely final sentence: "See you soon, little ladybug".

She left the store, probably threatned by a hidden weapon he contained under a large coat, invisible to any cashier's eyes.

Followed her until a certain area, she could've tried to run but he knew it better than her, thought faster than her, until cornering Bree Mallory into that dark alley that smelled like rotten cheese and tears.

The following details certainly doesn't matter much, not relevant to investigation, but she probably begged for her life, asked for mercy, gave him the phone in exchange to survive.

But he was cruel. He wouldn't forgive her.

He saw her as an obstacle, an animal, as mere nothing.

Texted Alice for despair, probably just to avoid suspecicions, didn't even know who she was. He didn't care about it, he didn't see who he killed as a person, couldn't tell the difference between her and a simple bug.

Took her organs as someone shopping at a grocery store, placed stabs through her chest in a way to imitate hobbs or simply to mock her.

In the end, left her body there, as a trash bag, so she would know her place.

"That's my design."

▫️

"What happened the day your sister died?"

"It was a normal day." She spoke casually. "I woke up, made breakfest for everybody, took Colin and Bree to school, since she worked there, and went to the restaurant."

Hannibal wrote down the schedule of her day on a small notebook, the idea that he could be thinking that any information she said seemed as a way to cause her a slight relief.

"And then?"

"And Colin came back after class was over, we had lunch, Bree went out with some friends instead." Alice described.

"Are those friends trustful?"

"She knew them for years." She explained, pulling one of her hair strands behind her ear. "All worked in the school with her. And also had alibis at the time of the crime."

"We are not speaking about the investigation part, Alice." He corrected.

She tilted her head to the side. "Right, baby steps." Alice Mallory took a deep breath, adjusting the button of her pineapple's printed blouse. "When it was close to night I asked her to pass by down a store to buy some stuff, Colin complained about the lack of cereal." She stopped at the sentence, taking reality in. "Seems like such a stupid thing to have asked now."

"You could've never imagined what would happen." He tried to comfort her.

"But still. It's the 'if' that gets me." She furrowed her eyebrows frustrated, shaking her leg in an anxious mannerism. "If she just came straight back home. If I decided to buy stuff the next day. If I were in her place."

"You feel guilty for letting her assume the risk." Hannibal concluded. Alice seemed to sink even more into the armchair she sat on. "You blame yourself for something you couldn't humanly control, Alice. It is normal, but useless."

"Sometimes I wonder if it happened to me instead." She stared at the ceiling immersed into the grief and regret. "If it was me instead who died at that alley. If Bree were here for Colin...if things would be better..."

"Life works in ways we can't understand. That doesn't mean the endings aren't what they're supposed to be. That doesn't mean you aren't a better or worse option for your family." He explained wisely as she tried to understand his message. "What do you remember fron the phone call?"

Alice took a deep breath, sinking into the depths of her mind searching for any sign, any clue of what could've meant.

"I asked her why she was taking so long, she said she was coming soon, and that's when I've heard a sound behind her." Alice mentioned, her gaze trembled along with her hands above her lap. "Someone muttering behind her back. I couldn't really understand."

"Why do you assume it was the killer?"

"She seemed too nervous after it. Will suggests that it was the murderer." She confirmed. "I'm not sure. Could've been anyone, the only thing that gets me is..." Alice sighed. "Nevermind, it's stupid."

"Anything related in your mind to the crime day can be useful, Alice." He reminded her kindly, she felt a bit better with his statement.

"She called me 'little ladybug'. " Alice explained.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. Bree never called me this way."

"Why would she say that then?"

"I have no idea." She furrowed her eyebrows trying to concentrate. "Maybe a sign? To tell me she was in danger?"

"That's a very risky and early assumption due to only a nickname." He attempted to twist her thoughts, and she fell for it.

"Yeah, you're probably right...maybe I'm overthinking it"

"It might've been an effect caused by the traumatic episode." He suggested, planting seeds of doubt inside her mind. "The nickname related to the fear you felt, the voice behind your sister..."

"Do you think the voice was an allucination of my head?" She widened her eyes at him.

Noticing her sudden reaction he approached the next sentence carefully, in a way not to schock or frighten her. "It is a theory." Hannibal told her. "Since you are so prompt to discover who the killer is, the voice could've been a way for your mind to give a slight comfort to believe he was there. That you've heard him, that you can find him."

In her mind his speech made perfect sense, but her inner instincts still questioned it. Maybe Dr.Lecter was right, maybe it was all a playful act of her mind, just like Bree's ghosts that appeared from time to time, or maybe she really heard a voice.

Either way it was still a mystery.

"Farewell, today I've prepared something different." He announced, getting up from his seat and walking until his desk. "Memories tend to flow once we become relaxed, so an activity or hobby might help us put our emotions into it." He explained while grabbing a medium canvas and poisitionining at the desk with some ink and supplies.

"Painting?"

"It is clear that painting is a special activity for you, also one that helps you deal with crescent emotions." He explained as he pulled the chair behind the desk for her to seat. "Think of it as something... fun, not a task."

"And what should I paint?" She asked confused, staring at the white canvas.

"Anything, nothing." He said in enigmas. "Paint whatever you want while I ask questions. Understood?"

"Okay..." She said still a bit unsure.

Alice grabbed one of the brushes, observing her 4 ink options from white to blue.

"Shall we begin?" He asked, taking a seat next to hers.

"Yeah, I guess."

"How do you feel currently?" He asked. Alice picked the blue painting, slowly brushing the canvas.

"I don't know..." She muttered "Normal, I guess."

"Did you speak with Colin today?"

"We didn't fight, that's already progress." She tilted her head, detailing the blue with circles.

"Does he seem angry?"

"Maybe upset, I think." She put some green into the mixture. "Since I didn't tell him the truth yet."

"Do you plan on doing it?"

"Yeah, maybe, since police's so sure that Boyle is the killer..." she muttered while blending the colors together "I think he has the right to know."

Hannibal observed her painting for a solid minute, Alice's expression didn't change and her art seemed quite normal for now. Nothing that deeply affected her yet.

"What about Will?" He questioned.

"What about him?" She asked indifferent, but her brush stopped suddenly. He noticed the movement.

"Did you speak with him?"

"He's busy." She replied, taking some yellow ink now and applying it on the canvas.

"But have you tried to reach him?" He questioned.

Alice sighed, at this point she had to take the concentration off the ink and direct it towards the conversation.

"No. No, I didn't." She said frustrated. "Because I know what he will do."

"What will he do?"

"Push me away, as always." She complained.

"He has always done this, then?"

"Not always, when we met he wasn't like this." She tried to create a figure with some red ink, the shape was completely wrong and distorted.

"In college."

"Yes."

"How was Will in college?"

Alice stopped for a moment, her memory seemed to drift away to a distant and nostalgic past she could live through her head over and over again.

"He was shy, but also...alive." she gave a small smile. "He would go with me to places, talk to people, well not much, but more than now, and laugh...smile... his smile was so sweet back then." She stopped for a moment, her eyes glued on the canvas, like she could stare into Will's eyes again. "It's been so long since I've seen him truly happy."

Her brush started to make repeated circles at the same spot, she didn't pay attention to the art, in fact, was too immersed into her feelings. Which was the point Hannibal wanted to reach.

"And what happened?" He asked in a serene voice, leading her calmly towards the point he asked for.

"It wasn't something sudden, more like gradual..."She tried to explain. "I got kicked out, he continued studying, then he entered FBI...."

"Is the reason you left college connected to Will Graham?" He asked curious, this time personally curious in fact. Alice always managed to avoid the subject, he could never reach that point, and that just made him even more anxious to discover more of her mysterious past.

"It was my fault. Not his." She defended him suddenly, a protection system Hannibal believed to be already integrated to her memory of the past.

"And what have you done, Alice?" He asked at her ear, as a snake offering Eve the forbidden fruit.

Her brush stopped above the canvas, the ink was a mix between dark brown and dots in red, disaster, chaos, memory, all tangled in a web of secrets.

"What I always do." She spoke fiercely, as he watched her closely. "I protected him."

"And how did you protect Will Graham?"

Her brush was pressed against the canvas in such a tight way that could rip it, and the more she resisted more strentgh she applied towards it. He was pushing her limits, was aware of it, but the curiosity was impertinent, resistent, and the fact that Alice Mallory still couldn't tell him the story bothered him, bothered immensely.

Hannibal wanted to be the one she confessed all her sins and blessings, the first that would come to her mind, to guide, to punish, to listen.

But she wouldn't do it.

The brush was dropped suddenly, with a thick noise when hitting back the desk. The patient got up, while he still attempted to make her stay.

"Sorry, I don't feel really well." She lied to him, and he knew that she did. If there was one thing that annoyed him abiut Alice were her lies, her ways to deceive him and avoid the subject. "I should go home." She grabbed her purse.

"Would you like me to drive-"

"I'm fine." She interrupted him before he could properly ask. It could've been said that he was slightly offended by her gesture. "Have a good day, Dr.Lecter." She said coldly.

"You too." He replied when she had already closed the door.

What happened at college? Specially at that year when Alice Mallory got kicked out of the forensic science course? What happened between her and Will Graham? Why did she protect him? How did she protect him?

Hannibal grabbed his phone and dialed the numbers calmly, with no rush. She wouldn't speak, so he would have to reach for other meanings in order to obtain the information he wanted.

The thing is, wanting it or not, he would discover it.

"Hello? Is this from George Washington University?" He asked in a casual and polite tone. "I'd like some information about one of your previous students." He made a pause as the other speaker answered him. "Her name is Alice Mallory."

▫️

"Thank you for accepting my invitation." He smiled softly. "Please come in, dinner will be served soon."

Will Graham was already used to Hannibal Lecter's house. He was always reaching for his advice, or some instruction in cases, or even talk about Abigail Hobbs sometimes.

The doctor used to cook for most of the police department and acquaitances in general, so it was usual for him to invite Will to dine at his house at a night like that. Specially now with the new accusations of Dr.Gideon, a delirious inmate, who called himself the Chesapeak Ripper, a terrific and never caught cold blooded assassin who took his victims' organs as trophies.

The FBI agent was more tired than usual, and observing his appearence, besides paralalel cases like that one, Hannibal knew Will still tried to find the responsible for the Mallory case. Even if all the evidences pointed to Nicholas Boyle, the agent refused to believe so.

"So, any progress with Dr.Gideon?" Hannibal asked while pouring some wine to his guest, who standed by the kitchen counter watching him cook.

"He keeps allegedly saying he is the ripper." Will complained after taking a sip of the dark drink. "But we all know he isn't."

"Isn't it possible for him to be the ripper?"

"No, it's just..." he shaked his head. "Gideon was brainwashed, Chilton planted these...ideas in him, which makes him believe, take credit for the ripper's work." Will explained his theory.

"And what do you think the Ripper will do about it?"

The agent's eyes turned into a somber dark filled with danger and a sinister certainty. "Make sure others know who is the real one."

Hannibal liked the way Will thought, he appreciated his senses, his empathy specially about how correct he was about his targets. It was cerfainly amusing and fantastic to him, a gift. And once again, Will Graham was correct about his assumptions.

"But Jack is obssessed with-"

The doorbell rang suddenly. Both the men exchanged glances, one of them clueless of what was happening, the other about to put a plan into action.

"Expecting someone?" Will asked.

"Must be our other guest." Hannibal spoke calmly with a cinical smile on his lips as he walked towards the door to open it.

"Hi." Alice muttered to him a bit shy as he received her with a smile. "I hope I'm not late."

"You're just in time." He said kindly "Please, come in."

Alice entered the house in short quick steps, as he followed her behind.

"How is Colin?" He asked politely.

"Curious about where I was going until the football game started on the TV." She said humored, but before they could reach the kitchen, Alice stopped, turning to him. "Yesterday, at the office, I left suddenly, I know, and I'm very sorry..."

"You weren't feeling well. I understand." He spoke to her.

"It's just very...delicate for me to apeak about that." She made a face. "And you know, it's not only my story, so..."

"Wich is exactly why we need to hear from both points of view." He said satisfied for finally reaching the point he wanted to. He indicated her to keep walking, without touching her not to appear impolite.

Once Alice Mallory landed her eyes at the figure at the kitchen couter, she patalyzed. Well, both of them did.

"What is going on?" She asked Hannibal.

"You didn't tell me she was coming." Will told the doctor in a more offensive tone. "If this is some sort of-"

"Can you let him talk first, Will? For God's sake." Alice retorted sharply. Hannibal contained a smile to see her response, it was rare to see her acting bitterly.

Hannibal let the silence sink within the three to finally speak his truth. "As you both know, you are my patients." He told them. "And as your therapist I am concerned about your health-"

"And since when does she has something to do with it?" Will protested.

"Since it affects both of your emotions and ways to deal with life." Hannibal replied not affected by his wild behavior. "It is my responsability to understand and help you overcome these difficulties. But I can't do that if you both refuse to say what exactly happened between you two. Or what affects you both."

Will got up from his chair, ready to leave, rebelling himself against the proposition.

"Well that's very noble of you to do, but I'm off." He insisted.

Hannibal didn't move, his posture remained standing perfectly at the same spot with his arms behind his back. He didn't fear, was calm, patient. "I am trying to help you, Will."

But the agent didn't stop. Alice hlanced at the doctor, and noticing he wouldn't do anything to stop the situation, she followed her old friend.

She could reach him by the time he was at the door, stepping in front of it, blocking it with her body.

"Will, wait." She told him, touching slightly his arm, the touch made him shiver. He sighed frustrated. "I had no idea about this either. Okay? I know you don't want to listen to me, or Hannibal or anyone else, I know." She assured him with her eyebrows raised. "I don't like talking about this stuff either but if it can help you-"

"I've told you to stop worrying about me." He insisted, speaking through his teeth. "Alice, I need to catch Bree's murderer and deal with the Chesapeak Ripper now. I don't have time for this "

"You already found Boyle!" She groaned. "You saw him, you have proof he did it, stop overworking yourself, please!"

Her eyes almost made him give up, the way she looked at him, almost begging for him to rest. Alice cared about him, cared so deeply that Will Graham questioned himself if he was worth of all that attention.

"You never wanted to speak about what happened." He commented suddenly. "Why tell it to him now?"

"I think that's the only way we can move on from it." She admitted feeling a huge weight behind her back. "I've found you again and I don't want to lose you like in the past."

"You didn't lose, I..." His words stopped. He closed his fist feeling helpless. "I am trying to protect you, at least for once."

"I don't need your protection. I need my friend." She stepped closer, looking into his deep troubled eyes filled with storms and drama. "Now let's get into that dining room and solve this once and for all."

▫️

Hannibal Lecter wasn't sure about how Alice convinced Will to stay. He was impressed, of course, didn't give her enough credit to have done it. Will could be hard to deal with sometimes, and perphaps he underestimated their bonding. He listened to her. He cared for her. One of the few people that did that actually. Which is why he followed, obeyed to her words.

The beginning of the dinner was silent, each one of them eating without mentioning anything. Will only stared at his plate, Hannibal observed the two with interest, waiting for a reaction, and caught himself proud to see Alice nailing it with the use of the correct silverware.

"How is the food?" Hannibal asked, attempting to ressurect the table.

"Great." They both replied at the same time awkwardly.

"I apologize if the situation appeared to be inconvenient for you both, but we need to solve this matter." He told them politely, any misunderstanding could lead to an argument.

"It was just...surprising." Alice tried to understand him, giving a half smile. "I could've used a warning."

He appreciated the fact that she atill tried to think about his offer. She was a willing person, and he admired that.

"So, as far as I know, you two both each other since college. Almost a decade ago, it seems." He started the unusual session. "Did you bond immediatly?"

"This is so weird." Will complained.

"Um, took some time." Alice tried to cooperate. "But we got there, I guess."

"So you were very close to each other." Hannibal assumed.

"Yeah"

"Even after you got expelled?"

The silence fell between the table. Will found his voice "Of course." He replied.

"And you separated ways when Will started working for the FBI..."

"I still want to understand what is the point." Will interjected across the table.

"Alice why did you study forensic science?" Hannibal suddenly changed the question.

"Oh..." She surprised herself with the question. "I wanted to help people, in some way..." she thought "and well, I had some personal reasons."

"Which are?"

Will exchanged glances with her through the dinner that faced them.

"I wanted to arrest my father, or frame him for anythung that would put him in jail." She confessed finally, holding the fork tight in her hands.

"A vendetta." Hannibal declared. Alice nodded. "But you didn't complete the course, neither reached any possible join in the police." He continued. "What happened?"

"She got kicked out." Will replied instead. "I believe you know that already, don't you?" At this moment he could read the host's mind. "Why do you still ask?"

"It is considered progress for my patients to admit his mistakes and learn from them." Hannibal was always ready to answer.

"Wait, you know what happened?" Alice looked at Hannibal confused. Her gaze seemed full of betrayl, like she had read her diary or talked behind her back.

"I'd prefer to hear your version."

"If you've already heard something then hat's the only version." She concluded sharply.

"I don't believe in that. Each individual has their own perspectives and opinions, just as sides of a coin."

"It is not the only version." Will Graham interrupted both. Alice immediatly lioked at him disapproving his gesture. "You wanted me to speak, to trust him, so be it." He simply said.

Hannibal relaxed himself a bit more on the chair. Finally.

"You were accused of agression against a person on the campus." Hannibal told Alice. "Is it true?"

"Yes." She replied shortly.

"The person in question was so injured that almost died from bleeding, is it also true?"

"...yes." She took some longer time to answer now. Her eyes couldn't face the doctor's.

"Who was the person, Alice?"

Alice Mallory caught herself hipnotized by the dishes displayed, even almost empty, or the candlelights above the table. The question bothered her, but she needed to say it. She needed to move on.

"My father."

Will clenched his jaw in response, adjusting himself at his seat, the subject of the conversation was indeed a burden to them.

"What happened?"

"He appeared, after years, at my university." She started to tell the story. "Demanding money, blackmailing me, saying that he would go to court and accuse me of kidnapping Colin when he was a child just so I could pay an indenization for him." She tried to contain the frustration and anger in her voice.

"And you simply attacked him?" He didn't believe in that hypothesis.

"He would pass by everyday, talk to my colleagues, to my teachers, asking for me." SHe held her hands to each other. "Then he came after Bree, and..." she made a pause "threatned Colin."

Hannibal didn't push her limis this time. The subject seemed to tire Alice in such a way that all her color, her brightness disappeared. She has passed a lot, she carried a lot. And still managed to keep surviving. It wasn't just impressive, it was striking, marvelous.

"You wanted him dead." He suggested.

"I did." She nodded. "I wanted him to disappear."

"But you couldn't." Hannibal concluded. "Because it is against your morals, against your conduct to do something as this. Even despising your father you could never eliminate him." He spoke as Alice amused herself by his concrete thoughts on the matter. "Which is why Will did it for you."

Will didn't change his posture. Alice instead becane unquiet, attempting to change Lecter's mind. But it was useless. He saw through them.

"That's correct." Will agreed. "I was the one who attacked him."

"But Alice took the blame instead." He spoke directely to the agent. "Guilty for involving you into trouble, she confessed to the University that she was the one who attacked him, the case wasn't reported, since her father was too scared to do it, but it cost her graduation." Hannibal reflected on the words for a moment. "You entered the FBI. Alice Mallory didn't."

"That's it." Will said. "What you wanted to know. I screwed up. Okay? I messed up." Beneath that attitude, Will Graham seemed like he would breakdown.

"It wasn't your fault." Alice tried to tell him.

"Of course it was!" He reacted. "Of course it was, Alice, but you insisted to take the blame, you risked everything, just for what? To protect me?"

Hannibal Lecter could notice a single teat dropping fastly from Alice Mallory's eyes, instantly wishing that he could've wiped it away for her, but it was too late and the damage has been done.

"You are my friend, I considered you as my family, I still do." She spoke between her teeth. "I care for those I love, and you know that."

"It was my decision."

"And you've done it because of me." She growled. "I should be the one to handle the consequences of it, shouldn't I? Well, I dealt with them. You continued your career, I took care of my family, it is done." She spoke in a fierce tone as never before. It was powerful, convicted. "I don't regret it." She shaked her head. "What I do regret is letting you fill yourself with these FBI things and overwhelm yourself. I should've stopped you once I could at the time."

"You know I wouldn't let you do it."

"Which is why you left." The truth appeared. "So compromised with your honor and code to help people..."

"I almost killed him, Alice." He took off his glasses nervous. "My mind isn't safe."

"But you don't need to be alone with it." She insisted.

"She is right." Hannibal who was silent this whole time finally spoke. "You may have discontrolled yourself with Mr.Mallory, may have wanted him dead for the disgrace he caused in your friend's life. But that is called sense of justice, Will." He attempted to approach another side of the agent. "He was a bad person, you wanted him to pay for what he did, save your friend." Will was finally taking in their opinion. "Doesn't it remind you of a similar situation?"

"Hobbs." He let it escape from his mouth as a whisper.

Once he faced Alice, he could only feel her the care she had for him, she wasn't angry, sad or pitiful this time. She was concerned. And he believed that Hannibal genuily seemed to appear to be the same way. Will didn't like people in his head, he didn't want anyone telling him what to do. But those two people rarely made an exception because they truly understood him.

"Would anyone like dessert?" Hannibal suggested. "Along with the amends between you both, declaring peace as unified nations."

"Dramatic." Alice smiled, he appreciated that she enjoyed the joke. "Will?" She looked at her friend, standing her hand.

The agent stared at the two waiting for his answer. Will rolled his eyes, sighing, realizing that it wasn't worth to fight anymore. He had to admit, those two were a good team together.

"It looks like I'm joining a cult." The agent joked bitterly.

"You don't need to deal with this alone, Will." Hannibal spoke by Alice's side. "Just let us help you."

Will sighed, but Alice's compassionate expression bend him over, he couldn't say no this time.

"Fine. Can we stop talking about my head and have dessert now?"

Alice squeezed his hand and he smiled softly, giving up towards her presence ans her touch.

"Give me one minute." Hannibal said satisified while leaving to grab the dessert.

"I'll help you." Alice voluntaried herself and followed him.

Hannibal took from the fridge some small but well made treats made with a light creme that smelled like vanilla. Alice helped him carry the recipients while he held the bigger one that contained the food.

"Hey" Alice said before they walked back to the dining room. "I just wanted to say...thank you, for what you did. Really." Her blue eyes mixed with his dark ones into their contact. "You didn't need to."

"I did-"

"No, you really didn't." She smiled, and for a moment lifted her hand in the air, hesiting to touch him. He observed her hand, waiting for her to do something, wanting for her to do something. "You're a good person, that's why you did it."

"Is that what you think about me?" He questioned, allowing his eyes to linger slightly at her lips.

"I'm certain about it." She smiled sweetly finally tapping his shoulder. Her touch trembled him for a moment, her hands were warm, comfortable and delicate, he could grab them in his and admire them for hours. But her touch didn'r last lomg, and she already stepped back afterwards. "We shouldn't leave him waiting, he gets more grumpy than usual when hungry." Alice chuckled walking ahead.

He followed a bit behind, observing as she teased Will making jokes and the agent tried to hold smiles. And when that woman turned to look at Hannibal, so alive, and so joyful because of something he did, he was certain:

He would do anything to keep her that way.