Colliding worlds (Hannibal x OC)

Scarlett Fever

And off we go for the explanation !

The young fiery observed him for a moment, stunned to find such determination in a man who usually shied away from conflict. Yes. He definitely was ready, and coming clean would give her more leeway regarding their future interactions. She was sick to death of lying. Frances nodded then, her jaw tightening slightly as she thought about how to break the news. She dearly hoped she wouldn't lose him that his friendship was strong enough to resist this. The words tumbled from her lips in disarray.

— "All right. So ... erm. The reason why I remember all those moments of your past life is because I was there."

— "So was I?" came his puzzled response.

— "No. I was there, not my past self."

— "Explain"

The intensity of this little world reminded her of Tristan so badly that she smiled. Who knew the 'pup' – aka Galahad – would become so forceful in his future life? So focused, so dedicated?

— "I am not, like you and Hannibal, a reincarnated soul. I met Tristan and Galahad, a year and a half ago roughly. I travelled through time, and met you in person"

Will's face invaded her personal space so suddenly that she nearly tumbled backwards. Rough hands kept her from falling – the grip strangely firm – encasing her shoulders as his clear blue eyes searched her soul. She knew he was using his gift, right now, to assess whether she was plain crazy of lying to him. A different approach from the clinical Dr Lecter – pure empathy at work – but just as efficient. And he found... Nothing but the truth.

— "You are telling me that time travel is real," he whispered, the words nearly covered by the stream's chanting.

— "It was, for me."

Will released her shoulders and Frances repositioned her legs in the water. His eyebrows, though, were still scrunched in thought.

— "Was?"

— "I was the Keeper of Time, Will. But I don't hold the title anymore."

The empath repeated the title under his breath several times. 'Keeper of time,' he muttered, and she wondered if he was going to laugh or yell. But his next question was borne of curiosity, and Frances marvelled that he hadn't called the psychiatric ward to have her committed yet. Will was made of sterner stuff than people believed. Or perhaps he was gathering the facts before he would form an opinion. An FBI approach.

— "Why not?"

— "I'm ... a copy of the Keeper of Time"

This time, Will huffed, his sight getting back to the fly bobbing up and down in the current.

— "This is going to be a long day."

— "If it is too much..."

He interrupted her with a hand up.

— "Tell me everything, I want all the facts."

And so she did, starting at the beginning, and explaining about how she became the Keeper of time, about the worlds she had visited – middle earth included – and how she came to be cloned by Loki, an alien of the Asgard race, then dumped into a world without magic nor a Stargate to get her home. Another fish caught their line, and in the time it took to take him off the hook, Will tried to regain his bearings.

The sheer amount of information was rattling his brain. But it took its toll on Frances as well as she started shaking in the stream. The cold, perhaps, or the emotional strain of reviving those memories that were not so distant. Friends, family, life discarded because a little grey butt – damn Loki! – wanted to study the Keeper of Time. But on the other hand, finding her friends anew, Tristan and Galahad, was priceless ... with a cruel twist indeed. From ruthless knight, Tristan had become a serial killer... But this she couldn't share. One last secret that would remain hers until death. The identity of the Chesapeake Ripper. One more lie. A big, heavy lie that gnawed at her conscience day by day, especially since Will was on the hunt. Hopefully, the absence of recent kills would him them off Hannibal's scent. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to be caught in those awkward discussions anymore, wouldn't be the ham in the sandwich of Tristan and Galahad's ill temper again.