Shattering Teacups

Chapter 12

No.

Hannibal had changed. He saw it in the way he cared for them now. There was no manipulation. No deceit. None that was detrimental, at least.

Will focused on the steady rhythm of her breathing. Her body was relaxed against his. She was finally asleep.

He knew at some point he would have to confront Hannibal about his actions. Not today. Not right now.

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The lack of warmth woke Persephone from her admittedly near-comatose sleep. She may have been overdoing the yard work, not that it was something she was willing to admit. Looking around, she realized the cold was coming from an empty bed. A sliver of sunlight streaming in from the crack in the curtains. Her limbs felt heavy, and it took more strength than usual to pull herself up from the bed. The dogs were gone. The room clean. She searched her thoughts, rubbing her face, trying to remember the events from that lead her to this unnerving feeling.

Hannibal was having dinner with Bedeila, Will had gone to bed. She had showered, her phone vibrating from the counter. She hadn't thought to check her messages.

Will was having a nightmare. She heard the dogs whining, but it was his thrashing that woke her. Once Will as awake, she left to go check on Hannibal. Hades came with her. He was upset. Near anger if we was reading his face properly. He mentioned her last fling as he closed in the distance. The closer he got to her, the more the fear made her feel as if her throat was closing. The kitchen faded away leaving only Hannibal in her line of sight.

He had tried to avoid her the best he could after that. He missed her most recent appointments, which Will was more than happy to accompany her to in his absence.

She felt bitter. He spent more time at their diner, or down with his "psychiatrist" than he did with her or Will. He rarely spoke to either of them. She heard Will arguing with him one evening, trying his best to understand why Hannibal was pulling away. Hannibal gave little, if any, in response.

Her limbs felt more weak than she had originally anticipated them being. She pulled back the blankets, dragging her legs over the edge of the bed, steadying herself with her hands to sit upright.

Will was upset, she heard the emotion in his voice. She fell asleep with her face buried against Wills chest.

Her vision began to fade again, sitting up was apparently too much right now. Her body weight flopped back onto the bed as her eyes fluttered shut.

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Will pushed through the front door. Hades pushed past him, quickly padding his way up the stairs. The other two dogs slipped past to take up their spots in the living room. He had spent most of the morning cleaning the livestock pens, making sure to place the manure where Persephone had told him. Once the pigs were happy and freshly watered, he'd spent the rest of the early afternoon pruning the massive garden, and pulling any offending weeds.

Now he simply wanted a shower and a nap.

Leaving his jacket on the back of one of the barstools in the kitchen, Will grabbed a glass from the dishes drying on the counter and made his way upstairs.

He couldn't explain the peace he felt living here. A surprising level of peace despite living under the same roof as Hannibal Lecter. The same man who made him believe himself to be insane, tried several times to kill him, then encouraged him to murder other human beings. Hannibal had wanted to consume him, body and soul.