Eliana opened her eyes slowly, instantly regretting doing so as a headache pulsed through her head. She was in a very bright place which made the headache even worse. The first thing she noticed was an I.V. in her arm, drops of liquid falling rhythmically, which made her think she only dreamt of being rescued by Will. Then, she noticed a pleasant weight on her hand. She turned around to see Hannibal, holding her hand as he slept beside the bed. His touch felt nice and safe, like it physically made her better.
"So I guess... It wasn't a dream." - She said to herself, waking up Hannibal in the process.
He lifted his head and straightened his body: "Good Morning, Miss Holt." - He said with a small smile.
"Morning, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It was me who was supposed to be awake. Yet, here we are. I fell asleep and you woke up first. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I just have a headache."
"They said you were fine physically. Just needed to get the drugs out of your system. When you're ready, I will drive you home." - Hannibal said warmly, "But first, have something to eat."
He got up and opened a bag, revealing a plate with a delicious-looking soup with small pieces of red meat in it.
"That smells great." - Eliana smiled.
"You need to recover your strength." - He took out a spoon, handing it to her.
"Thank you, Dr. Lecter. But before I can eat... I need to know that Abigail is okay." - Eliana looked at him with fearful eyes.
"Abigail is perfect. You saved her."
"Oh, thank God." - She signed in relief, focusing on the appetizing dish in front of her, "And where is Professor Graham?"
"Will had a class to teach. He said you're excused today. Your only duty is to sleep." - He smiled, "And as a psychiatrist I must observe that you're quite good at avoiding the obvious issue of you being buried alive just 8 hours ago."
"Thank you for worrying, Dr. Lecter, but I do not require any psychological help in this moment." - Eliana assured, not looking up from her plate.
"If you change your mind, you know where my office is. For you, I will always have a free appointment."
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Eliana lived in the academy dorm. It could get lonely at times, but she enjoyed the freedom. She closed the curtains and covered herself with a blanket, trying to fall asleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, vivid images started torturing her, making her give up on the idea. She got up instead, deciding to blow off some steam. The shooting range was the perfect place to do so, so she emptied 5 rounds at almost a perfect score.
She took of the headphones preparing to leave, only to be met with Will's disappointed gaze.
"I thought I was clear with my instructions not to come to class."
"I didn't come to class, did I?" - Eliana felt bad.
"So you thought shooting was a better idea?"
"I need practice." - She lied.
"Based on your results, you really don't. So tell me, what are you practicing really... Shooting, or... Killing?" - He established eye contact, looking at her more intensely than ever.
"Is that your finished profile of me? That I'm a killer?"
"No, it's that you're not. But you desperately want to be."
"I... need to be prepared to kill. Just like I should've killed Hobbs." - She averted the gaze.
Will knew that there was more to it, he didn't have to be a profiler to tell. She was just a bad liar.
"We will talk about this later, now please, go home. You look like... Hell." - He assesed her pale complexion joined with dark circles.
"You don't look better yourself, Mr. Graham." - She returned the analysis, "So, why don't we go grab an energy drink?"
"No one has ever asked me for an energy drink. Usually it's coffee." - The proposal made him smile.
"Those things tend to work miracles. I think we both need it."
They walked towards a vending machine, grabbing the strongest thing available. Eliana drank greedily, searching for a cure to her headache. I really have an unhealthy way of coping, she thought.
"So, do you think therapy helps?" - She asked.
Will thought for a second, realizing he doesn't know the anwser himself: "Therapy, with Dr. Lecter at least, makes you... Aware. Makes you understand yourself better."
"Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to try."
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After another unrestful night, Eliana found herself in front of Dr. Lecter's office. She felt embarrased to come here after refusing him so surely just yesterday, but it obviously needed to be done.
"Well, look at who decided to take my advice. I just happened to have a patient cancel the appointment. Come in, Miss Holt." - He greeted politely.
Hannibal's office was very spacious, decorated with care, with tiny details that made it feel expensive. It was clean, without a spot of dust in it. The walls were accessoried with pretty paintings and the shelves were filled with a vast variety of books. It was clear that Hannibal was extremely tenacious and neat, and he enjoyed all kinds of arts. What Eliana was most interested in was the piano that stood by the window.
"You can play?" - She asked, not being able to hide her passion.
"I can. But not very good. When it comes to music, I'm more enthusiastic about listening. I assume you also play?"
"Not the piano, I used to play the violin. It was a long time ago, though." - She looked down as nostalgia came over her.
"Well, you can always start again if you want to. Now, what brings you to a psychiatrist's office?" - He sat down and crossed his legs.
"I... Umm, haven't been sleeping that well." - She paced around the room.
"I think it's quite normal to have some nightmares after a traumatic event."
"Yes, but... I keep dreaming that I'm the one burying people. Is that normal?"
"You dream that you are in Stammens's place. Is it because you got very close to him?"
"Stammens was... So easy to understand. I didn't even have to try. It's like I've known him for years." - Eliana confessed, her steps getting more nervous.
"So, you aren't afraid of Stammens. You see him more as a friend. Do you think that's because you see yourself in him?" - Hannibal talked without emotion.
"He was so... Lonely. He wanted to make a real connection. I guess... In that way we are very similar."
"So Stammens was able to understand you?"
"Much more than my mother or father ever did." - Eliana said at the verge of tears, "And just maybe... I wanted to connect with him too."
"Did you wish to die?"
"No."
"Then, you wished to test out his theory?"
"Yes... I mean, I don't know. I just wished to be at peace." - She finally sat down and looked at Hannibal, "Do you think it's so wrong of me not to hate him?"
"You have sympathy for killers. You wish to give them understanding because no one else ever did. While others pity the victims, you pity the killers. If sympathy is wrong, then you are a sinner. Why did you make it your job to catch them, then? - Hannibal enjoyed every second of this conversation as all of the pieces were slowly coming together.
Eliana debated if she should anwser, knowing the possible consequences: "I... Don't think it's smart to tell you. You're closely tied to the FBI."
"You are protected by doctor patient confidentiality. Whatever you say won't leave this room." - He reassured.
"I have to find someone. The person who killed my best friend." - Eliana's face darkened with anger.
"You wish to catch your friend's murderer?" - Hannibal could barely contain the excitement rush as he almost let a smirk show.
"No, not catch. I will kill him."