Chapter Text
Will knew he was going to die... with Hannibal. He was sure. "Can't live with him, can't live without him". Those words are tattooed on his mind.
The red dragon was there, ready to haunt them. Hannibal got shot and he watched him, like it was nothing, like he didn't care at all. But then, something happened, it was like a strange and powerful force, leading him to fight and to defend what's his. Will didn't even feel the stab on his cheek, and it only took one look into Hannibal's eyes. They both were thinking the same. The party began, they synchronized, danced, and mirrored each other. Will felt no pain, everything that ran through his veins was the urge to kill Francis Dolarhyde with Hannibal. It felt so right, like it was meant to be. He managed himself to watch Hannibal, and it was stunning. Never had seen Hannibal looking so good, the blood, the fire in his eyes, his movements, everything was perfect. Will had no doubt. He loves him.
And finally, the red dragon died by their hands. "It's beautiful," Will said, hugging Hannibal. Violence never felt this peaceful. Hannibal's arms around him made him feel precious, but Will knew they only had one possible way out, and somehow, he knew Hannibal knew it too. It's surprising how you can connect with someone so deeply that words are no longer needed. They are definitely blurred.
One deep breath and Will threw them off the cliff. They hugged all the time because if they die, they will die together, and if they live, they will live together.
Water took them aggressively, but they didn't split apart until everything turned black.
Call it destiny, call it a gift from God, call it whatever. Hannibal opened his eyes, "Will" somehow, he said. The pain was there vividly, reminding him that life is something to keep. Will wasn't that far from him, and he opened his eyes too. The older felt the relief immediately, because life is something to keep only with Will in it. "C'mon Will, our rebirth is now" Hannibal kept talking, and Will fought the raging waves to get closer to him. They've survived the worst part; he won't surrender now.
When he was close enough, they hugged again, letting the sea carry them as far as possible. "You are wounded" Will whispered "by a bullet" he complemented.
Hannibal tried to smile, even though his face felt rigid, "it was a clean shot, no major organs were compromised" answered calmly, "how's your arm?" he asked after a few seconds.
"Can barely feel it" Will said "you took the worst part, Hannibal".
"I'm sure I can deal with it. We'll be alright" he affirmed, trying to comfort him.
Will can't remember anything else besides the cold arms surrounding him, but his heart was warm. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the blue sky and panicked right away; he moved fast and regretted because of the pain but he got to stand up. Where was Hannibal? His heartbeat raised, thinking the worst. How long has it been? Why can't he remember what happened?
"Hannibal!" Will screamed, using all his strength. He can't be dead; he can't leave him. They belong together, in life or death. They can't survive separation. "Hannibal!" screamed again, feeling weaker, but it doesn't matter. He looked around and saw sand and trees but without a trace of anything else. "C'mon Hannibal, don't leave me" his voice cracked, and the agony grew.
Will tried to walk but his legs were shaking. This is it? He can't live without Hannibal and he doesn't want that either. The suicidal thoughts came and Will started thinking all the possible ways he could kill himself. Not sane at all, but it doesn’t matter anyways. Will sat down feeling defeated and he wanted to cry so badly, but he couldn't.
"Will”. That voice, that fucking voice was all Will needed to come back to life. "I'm sorry I had to leave you here alone, but I couldn't carry you, and I needed to move as fast as possible" Hannibal explained.
Will stand up and turn around. Hannibal was there, looking pale and his clothes were dirty. "You" Will coldly blurted out "I thought you were dead" Will walked towards him, about to collapse. Will wanted to punch him in the face, but he was happy to see him alive, "don't do it again, you fucking scared me" he asked to finally hug him.
"Never again, I promise" Hannibal said, hugging Will back. It was new for Hannibal seeing Will being so comfortable with physical contact, but he's totally pleased with that. Usually, Hannibal was the one seeking to touch the other one, he did minimum movements, and looked for ways to touch Will without freaking him out. And now, Will is touching him like he never did before.
"We need to go, Will" Hannibal whispered "I need to treat your injuries. I've found a place, it's not that far from here, do you think you can make it? I'll try to help you".
"A place? Will asked.
"Yes, a young woman lives there alone, she has been incredibly helpful and polite. She helped me with my injuries".
"You are so lucky, Hannibal, it's surprising" Will said and then they both started walking. Will feels like he's about to fall, but Hannibal's grip is strong and makes him steady.
When they finally arrived, Will could understand how easy it was for Hannibal to find this place. The woman's house is in the middle of nowhere: “Does she know I’m coming?
“Indeed” Hannibal smiled at him, a gesture that he didn’t do often. “Does your cheek hurt?” he asked and Will thought about it for a second: “Not really… It feels numb”
“I hope I can fix that. Let’s meet Dean, I think she’s gonna like you”.
“Dean? Isn’t it a male name?” Will asked.
“Well, apparently is also female”.
Turns out that Dean was the calmest person Will have ever met. She received Will and tried to help as much as possible. Hannibal was totally delighted with her. It was one of the few times that Will was really interested in meeting someone.
“Do you live alone?” Will asked her.
“Yes” she replied while wiping the dried blood from his face.
“Why in the middle of nowhere?” Will really wanted to know and Hannibal couldn’t help but smile. It’s nice to see Will trying to socialize.
“It’s easier” Dean said “I don’t particularly enjoy interacting with people”. Oh, Hannibal knew that Will already loves that girl. Then, Dean let out a sigh, “I know who you are, by the way”. Her expression didn’t change at all. Even Hannibal was surprised.
“You- what?” Will was genuinely confused.
She stepped aside, but not too far, “you guys are all over the news, I may be kinda hermit, but I'm not misinformed”.
Hannibal tore his eyes away from Will's cheek, satisfied with the suture he performed, “so…” he began to say: “are you helping us because you are scared?”.
“No” she replied with no hesitation “should I be?”.
Will was intrigued. “No” Will said “you’ve been helpful”,
“Okay. I think you both need to rest, maybe I have some clothes that could fit you, I’m not sure” she started talking to herself, but they could hear her anyways.
“Why are you helping us then? I’m a cannibal serial killer and we just killed a man a couple hours ago” Hannibal was testing her.
“Can I be honest, sir?”.
“Yes”.
“I just don’t care”.
The older one nodded: “is that your defense mechanism? pretend that nothing matters to you?”.
“Oh, no” says Dean, “I care about other things, but not this”.
“We could kill you right now, we have what we needed” Will tried to look into her brown eyes, searching for some trace of fear, but there was nothing. He tried to empathize with her, but he’s too tired. She looks very pale, and the dark circles under her eyes pop out more.
“Alright, if you’re going to do that, I would appreciate it if you take care of my cat, he’s outside, probably will be here soon”.
“Are you suicidal, Dean?” Hannibal asked.
“Pretty much, yeah” she said liked it was nothing and laid her eyes on the floor.
“How convenient” Hannibal was pleased, Will could tell.
“It’s kinda funny, though” she smiled a bit, “how’s your stomach, doctor?”
The older one looked at her, she wasn’t intimidated, “it will heal, but I must take some antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, so does Will”.
“I only have anti-inflammatories” she said, “do you want them?”.
“Yes” Will replied and she walked into one room.
“Well, she’s a case” Hannibal looked at Will again, feeling concerned about his well-being, but he tried not to show it so that Will could be as calm as possible.
“Can we trust her?”.
“Honestly, I don’t know”.
“That’s a problem, she could call the FBI”.
“I don’t think she would, maybe we should wait and see what happens” Hannibal never left Will’s side, he was lying on a couch, and Hannibal was sitting next to him.
Dean came back with two glasses of water and gave them the meds. They both looked terrible, and smelled like sand, sweat, salt water and blood. Dean knew she should be scared, but she wasn’t. She’s never been attached to her life like normal people do.
“Are you going to call the FBI?” Hannibal asked.
“No”.
“How can we be sure of that?”.
“They would already be here if I had called them. But you don’t have to believe me, I understand your position”.
The men kept silent, not sure what to say or do next.
“You guys can stay in my bedroom if you want, but take a shower first”.
“How are you so relaxed, Dean?” Will needed to understand.
“I’m not, sir. But you asked for help, and that’s what I’m doing”.
Will let his guard down a little bit for some reason.
A couple hours later, Hannibal opened his eyes. They fell asleep. Will is still asleep next to him. The girl gave them big enough t-shirts and helped them to take a bath. If she didn’t call the police while they were unconscious, then they can trust her.
Will moved a little until he woke up, he had never been this close to Hannibal, Will is nervous for that, he knows that they were just sleeping, but still.
“How do you feel?” Hannibal moved so he could see Will better, but everything was blurry.
"Tired and sore, but I know you feel worse than me". That is true, Hannibal is trying not to pass out. His back burns, and every time he breathes, it feels like knives are going through him.
“I don’t think Jack will find us here, we can rest, Hannibal”.
Dean walked into the room with medical stuff and a ginger cat next to her: “great, you’re awake. I bought these” she left a bag on the bed “they are antibiotics, and other stuff that you could use”.
“Where did you get these?” Will slowly sat down, letting his back rest on the headboard.
“I went to a nearby town” she answered, “I’m not a doctor, sir. I think we should put an IV on your partner. He doesn’t look very good”.
Will looks at him, Hannibal has his eyes closed and his face is haggard.
“You’re right. I’ve never had put an IV before”.
“Me neither, but I’ve watched people doing it”.
Hannibal wasn’t responding, he probably fainted. That’s not a good thing. Will knows how strong Hannibal is, and if his body couldn’t take it, it means that he’s really affected.
“We have to do something now, Dean”.
She quickly arranged everything, trying not to lose control: “Should I do the IV?”.
“You have to, I’m too weak” Will was worried and saw her hands shaking.
“Fuck” she whispered, and took Hannibal’s hand trying to remember the times when she was hospitalized and copy what the doctors did. Somehow it worked and Will wanted to smile at her. She injected the antibiotics into the serum and some painkillers as well. “Hopefully he will get better” she said.
“He will, he has to” Will really wanted to believe that, “Can you inject me with antibiotics?”
“Yeah, wait” Dean never did something like this before, but she tried not to think about that. Will stayed still and silent, and watched her do it.
“Thank you, Dean. You have good hands”
She smiled “thanks, I guess”.
“What’s their name?” Will pointed to the cat.
“Tiger” she said and the cat meowed and climbed onto the girl’s shoulders, “he likes to do that, since he was a kitten”.
“I had six dogs, I rescued them”. Winston’s face popped into Will’s head immediately. Will will miss him, especially.
“So, you don’t like cats, I guess”.
“It’s not that I don’t like them, but for some reason I haven’t interacted with them as much”.
“I get it” she says while petting his cat, “you should sleep a little more, sir”.
“Please, don’t call me sir, Will is fine”.
“Okay, Will. Sleep and meanwhile I’ll cook something for you to eat. Let me know if you need something” Dean didn’t wait for Will to say something else and left the room.
Will looked through the windows and the sky was getting dark, so Will assumed that it’s just been a day since they escaped. Hopefully the FBI will assume they’re dead, but he’s sure that Jack Crawford won’t give up easily. He laid down and surprisingly he fell asleep again.
When he woke up, Hannibal had his eyes open looking at the ceiling. Will knows that they both need to have a conversation, they almost -he wants to think- kissed on the cliff. Everything was so surreal. Will knows that Hannibal is in love with him because Bedelia told him, but what does it mean? He doesn’t want to overthink it.
“I can hear you thinking, Will” Hannibal said in a low voice.
Will feared that Hannibal could read his mind. But there’s no way, right?
“How do you feel?”
“Better”.
“Dean is cooking something for us, I think” Will said.
“She’s a good hostess. I’m surprised by her; she didn’t think twice before helping us” Hannibal’s voice sounded raspy.
“Maybe she’s scared, she just knows how to hide it”.
“Or she was being honest when she said she doesn’t care”.
There was a clear tension in the air. Fortunately, Dean arrived on time. She brought a tray with food and the cat was still next to her.
Will was able to sit with no help, and Dean helped Hannibal to do it. Will knew that it was not being easy for Hannibal to receive help, maybe it made him feel weak and obviously, he doesn’t like that.
“I’m not that good at cooking, but I tried my best” she said. She made chicken soup.
“Smells good” Hannibal said, and coming from him, it was a compliment.
“Would it be alright if I gave you the soup, doctor?”.
Will couldn’t understand how she can be so gentle with a cannibal. He was attentive to Hannibal’s expression.
“I would appreciate it” Hannibal won’t admit out loud, but she is surprising him. Now he’s intrigued by her.
Dean nodded and started to feed him calmly.
“How did you end up living alone? You look too young” Will asked, trying to eat without his cheek burning.
“How old are you?” Hannibal looked her straight in the eye.
“I’m 21 and I’ve been living here for almost two years, I think” she looked down, “an old woman used to live here, I met her one day, and she asked me to help her here, she was too old to live on her own”.
“So, you just moved in with her?” Will didn’t believe her.
“I ran away from the place where I used to live. Didn’t wanna live there anymore”.
“Too many coincidences, don’t you think?” Hannibal said and Dean looked up.
“When I met her, I was going to kill myself, sir” she explained, “she convinced me not to do it”.
“You can call me Hannibal, it’s okay”.
“Well, that’s the reason, Hannibal”. She is still giving him the soup.
“Where are you from? Your accent is not from here”.
“I’m from South America” she answered.
“What are your diagnoses, Dean? Will finished eating, apparently, he was hungry.
“What can you assume, Will?” she questioned.
“Clinical depression… and anxiety, maybe”.
“You’re right. I’m also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and ADHD”.
“Were you manic when you ran away?” Hannibal is trying to get a better view on her.
“No”.
“Why did you run away then?”.
“Is it important for you to know?”
Hannibal could tell that was a sensitive topic, so he shook his head and let her finish feeding him.
“Can I use your phone, Dean? I have some calls to make” Hannibal said after a while.
“Sure” she took it out of her pocket and gave it to him.
Will knows that Hannibal needs to be alone, so he thought of something to get out the room.
“Dean, can you help me to go outside? I need some air”.
Turns out Dean is way more introverted than him. She hasn’t spoken a word since they were out, and Will is not very good at starting conversations.
It’s hard to assimilate everything that’s happening. But he made a choice. He chose Hannibal. The real thing is that he didn’t care about Molly or her son, he didn’t care about Jack or the FBI. He chose Hannibal the second he decided to see him again after three years. It would be ridiculous if he tried to deny it.
“Are you running away with him, right?” she asked, looking at the sky.
“Yes”.
“I like that” she closed her eyes, “you guys wear your real clothes. I like that”.
“Don’t you wear them?”
“No” she opened her eyes and looked at Will out of the corner of her eye, “I’m not that lucky”.
“So, that’s why you are helping us”.
“Yes. I admire when people are capable of showing themselves as they truly are”.
“Hannibal lied about who he was for a long time”.
“But he helped you to see yourself as you genuinely are”.
“Is that what the news is saying?” he asked.
“No. But I can see it” she smiled, and her eyes kept moving all over the place. She is restless, “I’m glad you’ll get to live a life where you don’t have to hide or pretend”.
“But we will have to hide from the police, and pretend in front of people” Will was a little confused.
“Oh, I meant between you guys. You will not have to hide or pretend while you are together. Most people don’t get to have that, so it’s something very precious”.
Will likes her. She sounds very wise for her age.
“You’re cool, Dean” he says, “what’s your real name?”.
She looked at him.
“Obviously Dean is a male name”.
“Names shouldn’t be gendered” she replied, “I like Dean, that’s why I want to be called like that”.
“What’s your real name?” he asked again.
“Dean is my real name, it been for the past few years”.
“Okay, it’s fine. I think we should go back inside”.
“Chiyoh will be here tomorrow with a ship and everything we could possibly need. We can sail as far as possible, if we left the states, Jack won’t be able to do much” Hannibal said after a while, “everything is arranged”.
“That’s great” Will knows Hannibal always has a backup plan.
“Will you come with me, Will?” there was a certain undertone of vulnerability in the way Hannibal asked him.
Of course, you fucking idiot, I’ve left everything for you . Will wanted to scream at him, but instead he took a deep breath.
“Yes, Hannibal”.
“Thank you, Will” he sounded melancholic.
Clearly there are so many things that haven’t been said yet, and Will doesn't know when will be the right time for them to talk properly.
“You don’t need to thank me; I’m doing this because it’s what I want”.
Hannibal nodded, not being sure what to say next. Lately so many things are taking him off guard. Will always amazes him. He tried to smile, but failed.
“Where’s Dean?” He questioned, trying to change the subject, it’s weird for him feeling this insecure.
“Probably with her cat” Will said.
“Do you like her?”.
“Yes” he was surprised about how fast and honest the answer arrived, “I do, actually. Why?”.
“I’m curious” Hannibal says, “do you feel attached?”.
“I just met her”.
“That’s not an answer”.
“I’m not attached, I just like her, I think she’s interesting” he said.
“Coming from you, that’s definitely a thing”.
“Are you going to kill her?”.
“Do you think I will?”
Will looked into Hannibal’s eyes. He will never understand why he feels so comfortable doing that, knowing that he tries to avoid eye contact with everyone.
“… No”.
“That’s the answer. I like her too”.
“She basically saved our lives, don’t you think?”.
“Yes. She did, and I will always be grateful for that”.
Without asking permission, Dean walked into the room and gave them sandwiches and orange juice.
“I know this is not a proper dinner, but I don’t have anything else. Sorry”.
“It’s okay. Thank you” Hannibal said, being honestly gentle with her.
“Are you going to tell us your story?” Will asked.
“My story?”.
“Yes, about how you ended up here”.
“It’s not a big thing”.
“Please” says Hannibal “we have time”.
Dean looked at them, wondering if that was a good idea. For some reason she’s not scared, but she’s not stupid. She’s curious about them, and it can be fun, at least for a couple hours, it’s sure they’ll leave soon.
“Okay” she sat down in one of the chairs on one side of the bed, “I used to live with my family, but I ran away. Can’t tell you the reason, I just did it because I wanted to and I was planning to die anyways… I left a letter to my family and I made contact with some people who helped me enter the states… illegally, of course. I didn’t have much money”.
Hannibal smiled, it’s fun to hear her.
“When I arrived, I just had some clothes, a couple of dollars and that was it” she kept saying, “I knew English because I learnt it by myself, so that was good” she smiled and let her cat climb on her legs.
“So, you left your family. Did you love them? Will asked, watching for a little while Hannibal’s reaction.
“I didn’t choose my family…” she thought about it for a second, "are you supposed to love someone just because they are your family?" she asked them.
“No” Will says, and Hannibal nodded, agreeing with him.
“I loved my brother”.
“Why did you leave him then?”.
“He’s dead” she replied.
“Oh” Hannibal looked at her, “is that the source of your trauma?”.
She laughed, loving how direct he was, "one of many".
Will liked her humor, she didn’t seem affected, but he knew she was.
“How did he die?” Will questioned, hoping it wasn’t too much.
“He committed suicide” she lowered her voice, and her view got lost in some blank point, “anyways” she says after a while, lighting up her expression, “I lived in the streets for two weeks. It’s crazy how much you can learn in that situation. I ended up in one of the tough neighborhoods…” she kept silent, trying to remember.
Hannibal and Will finished what they were eating, but they didn’t say anything focusing on what Dean was saying.
“One night I was sleeping, it was around 3:00 AM… and suddenly I felt someone grabbing me. I thought I was getting robbed, but I didn’t have anything, so” she shrugged, “it was a man. A gross white man” her face showed disgust, “he smelled like alcohol and was high. He said he wanted to fuck me. I knew I was going to get raped. But I didn’t panic” she stopped talking and petted her cat for minutes.
Will thought she forgot she was talking, but Hannibal, like he knew what Will was thinking, let him know it was the ADHD.
“It’s common for people with ADHD to simply zone out. She gets easily distracted” he says, “and she was talking about something that traumatized her somehow, so that increases the symptom".
“Is she listening right now?”.
“Yes, but not really… probably she hears some background noise”.
“Sorry” she said after a while, “I knew that I had to act like he wanted me to” she kept saying like nothing, “so I made him think I was a hoe or whatever… I asked him if we could go somewhere more private, and of course he took me to his car. I was on top of him, giving him a hand job, and then I understood it… the power. I had power over him and he didn’t notice”.
Hannibal knew exactly what she was talking about.
“When he was on ecstasy, I stabbed his dick with a razor that I had. He screamed, and it was hilarious. He tried to fight but I stabbed his face as well and made him leave the car” she took a deep breath, “I’m not attached to my life. But I can’t stand rapists. I won’t let anyone touch me, unless I want it” she says, “that’s how I got a car, and I slept there for one more week, until I got bored”.
“What did you do then?” Will asked. This was interesting, even knowing that Dean is definitely not sane. Just like them.
“I sold the car, bought a bike, and drove to the woods. To this forest… to kill myself”.
“But you met the old lady” Hannibal said.
“Yes, I met Diana. Long story short, I didn’t kill myself and I lived with her until she died. I buried her, and it was sad. She had no one, just me and Tiger”.
“Are you sure you want to die?” Will asked, “you had many opportunities, but somehow you are still alive”.
“To be honest I thought I would be dead by now- I mean, dying always makes me curious. But some events keep happening, or I tell myself I can’t leave my cat alone, or whatever”.
“So, you don’t wanna die” says Hannibal, “you’re attracted by the idea of doing it”.
“It’s very tempting. I’ve tried to kill myself many times, but I didn’t die. I know I’ll die by my hands. There’s no other way”.
“Do you want to follow your brother’s steps?”.
“He overdosed. He didn’t kill himself on purpose. But he did, though” Dean explained, “when I do it, I’ll do it sober, fully aware”.
Silence entered the room. And Dean walked to the window and stayed there, totally inside her head.
Will looked at Hannibal, hating how the silence between them is now awkward. It never used to be like that. Silences with Hannibal were comforting. It even felt as if being silent with him somehow strengthened the bond between them.
But he knows there are too many gaps between them, too many broken pieces. Too much pain and suffering.
“ … But do you ache for him ?”.
Yes.
And he’s tired of pretending he’s not.
He aches every second for Hannibal.
“Shall we bring her with us?” Hannibal suddenly says.
“For what?”.
“She can help us… probably she’s the only person that will”.
“And we just take advantage of her?” Will frowned.
“She’s like us, Will”.
“You don’t know her”.
“Of course not. But tell me, Will. What do you see? When you look at her, what do you see?”.
“Potential” replied, “she’s damaged and clearly dangerous. But she’s also kind and protective”.
“She’s not like Abigail. In case you’re wondering if I’m trying to give you back the family you wanted” that sounded rough and cold. Will let it pass.
“Do you think Abigail was like us?”.
“No”.
“Why? She killed as well, and she did whatever you wanted her to”.
"That's exactly the reason why", he says, "I've been analyzing Dean, working on her profile in my head. And I said she's like us because —different from Abigail, we can't control her” Hannibal thought it for a second, “she won't do what I want her to, and she won't let you manipulate her. And the reason is that she doesn't care. She's a free spirit. She left everything and kinda started again. You and I know how difficult that is" those last words hit hard on Will; he knows why Hannibal said that. They can't just start again.
“You don’t want a family then” Will said.
“I don’t know, Will. I’m not feeling paternal, but are you?”.
“No, not really”.
“That’s because she doesn’t need a parent. You saw that Abigail was vulnerable, she needed a paternal figure and you didn’t think twice. But did you really know Abigail that much to be her parent?”.
This is a serious conversation. They’ve never talked about this before. Will didn’t know what to say, so Hannibal kept talking.
“You were desperate because you killed her father. You felt in debt with Abigail for taking away Garret’s love for her. You understood him. And you felt guilty not for killing him, but for killing his paternal love”, they looked into each other's eyes, “you didn’t care about knowing her, not really, Will. And when I killed her, you grieved the idealization you had of her. The idea you had in your head. The perfect family”.
Will should be offended. But he wasn't because he knows Hannibal is right. He hates that, he hates that Hannibal can read him so well. But also, he loves it. Hannibal sees him .
“Is that why you killed her?” Will asks, finally.
“No”.
“Why then?”.
“Not gonna talk about it, not now, Will”.
He won’t insist. Will can be patient.
“You want to take Dean with us just because she can help us?”.
“I like her, Will. Surprisingly or not, I’m also human, she moved me somehow and I enjoy that”.
I know you’re human, Hannibal. I can see you . Will wanted to say, but he didn’t.
“Talk to her, I’ll leave you alone” Will slowly got up from the bed and walked away.
Hannibal looked at Dean. She was watching the night leave the sky.
“Dean” he called her. She turned around and walked towards him.
“Mhh?” she mouthed, and sat on the chair next to Hannibal’s side of the bed.
“How did you survive here? With what money?”.
“Oh, Diana had money. More than I expected her to have. I buy food with that and pay for everything else”.
“I get it” Hannibal says, “do you want to come with us?”
“You want me to help you and Will, right?”.
“Yes. But we’ll give you what you want in return. Once we are fully recovered”.
She laughed. Hannibal was confused.
“What?" he questioned.
"Can't blame you for thinking I need something in return. We are so used to it; people always want something in order to give something” she sounded light and calm, “it’s okay, you don’t have to do or give me anything. I’ll go with you guys if that’s what you want. But I’ll bring Tiger with me”.
Hannibal didn't quite understand what it was, or rather he didn't want to take it in too much. When was the last time someone spoke to him like this? So decently kind.
“Why are you this nice with us, Dean?” Hannibal would totally distrust her if it weren't for the purity she conveys, that can't be faked.
“I don’t know” she smiled, “you guys are interesting”.