Hannibal's POV
I opened my eyes, they were hazy and couldn't focus right. I slowly got myself up and felt my muscles stiff. I had to grab something to pull myself up to my feet.
"Grace?" I shouted. There was no response except for the ring in my ear get louder. I stretched my back out then I got the scent, it smelt of beer and Mason. That shameful aftershave he had on, I then realised Grace was kidnapped. I squinted my eyes then went to go find a phone to call Jack. Once I found a phone, I dialled Jack. I listened to the ring then a voice pick up.
"Jack?" I said, down the phone.
"Hannibal? What's wrong?"
"Grace is missing. I do not know where she is"
"What? When?"
"I was attacked then I was knocked out. I've just woken up and I realised she was missing"
"Okay. Okay, where are you now?"
"At my office"
"I'm bringing Clarice and Will. We'll be over soon."
The call ended and I slowly placed it back down on the counter where I found it. I walked, in my own pace, back to my seat in my office. I slowly sat myself down and let myself rest. I laid my head back and closed my eyes, I was still rather dizzy and the room felt like it was spinning violently. I slowly drifted into a sleep.
I woke up, opening one eye to see Clarice standing above me.
"Hello agent Sterling" I said in my gravel like tone.
"You seem relaxed" she said, glaring me up and down.
"I must remind you I was just tased and my head is currently crashing" I replied. She didn't seem impressed by me and I leaned forward on my chair to see Jack sat on my patients chair and Will behind him with his hands in his pockets. Clarice walked over and stood behind Jack. They all had a serious look on their face and looked at me. I gave them a slightly confused look.
"What happened, Dr. Lecter?" Asked Jack, with that serious tone he had only used once around me.
"I can't remember much, I was tased and blacked out. In this room. I heard Grace kick and scream and footsteps, a few of them" I exclaimed.
"Shit..." Clarice mumbled, she walked over to the window and put her head in her hands. Will looked down at the ground, swallowing his worry for Grace and Jack scribbled in his notepad.
"What happened before that?" Asked Jack. I clicked my tongue before talking about the start of my day.
"I woke up at 10 and Grace was still asleep. I decided to make her brunch after I had done my routine and she woke up half an hour later, I gave her the food I made and I left to go change. She later changed and we discussed Mason. A patient of mine. She said she was uncomfortable about him"
Will stopped me before I could talk about the incident.
"What made her feel uncomfortable about Mason?"
"She heard our first session, he had a photo that Grace didn't like and he showed me it, she must've seen it before he turned the mobile to me. He also talked about finding a surrogate and went on about how he wants Grace his surrogate" I crossed my legs since I felt like we were going to be here for while.
"Mason?" Repeated Clarice, looking back at me. I nodded my head at her and she walked towards me.
I continued my story about my morning with Grace.
"As I was saying, Grace was doing something in the kitchen and I talked with Mason, since it was our morning session. He had leaned off Grace and said Margot was not agreeing with the Verger baby idea and someone hit me down to the floor, I fought back but I was out numbered" I exclaimed. They all exchanged looks at each other.
——————— time skip ——————
We were spying outside Mason's gates. It was just me and Jack.
"Many guards... I wonder what their trying to keep out" mumbled Jack, who was viewing this through his binoculars. We were both in the car so it was a small squeeze.
"Or out..." I mumbled. Jack offered me the binoculars and I put them up against my eyes and saw the many guards they had on watch, seemed to be twenty just at the front of the gate and some were even given rifles or pistols. After I got a look at what we were dealing with, I gave Jack back the binoculars.
"How do we do this, Jack?" I asked him.
"We wait till we have an opening. I will post some agents out here to tell me who leaves and who enters and if we have an opening" Jack informed me. I nodded my head in agreement. I seated myself properly and he repeated his plan in his walkie-talkie. At that moment, I was thinking what Grace was doing, or What Mason was doing and did Margot have anything to do with this?
While driving home, I thought back at the time I killed Maria. I had dressed as a doctor to get in. She knew she was going to die but still talked to me as if I was her friend. She told me about Grace's father, Mark. He sounded like someone I had known before and I was curious about Mark. Before I killed her, she requested me to inform Grace something, her words were....
"Tell Grace I'm sorry and I love her"
I promised her I would. However, I've never gotten to tell Grace this yet. Her organs were preserved and I had served them with Grace, I'm curious what Grace would think about that.
We had arrived back at the FBI head quarters and we went to go inform Will about what me and Jack discussed in the car, he was teaching his class about the Minnesota Shrike.
"He was shot ten times in his kitchen after slitting his daughters throat, Abigail Hobbs" Will exclaimed, wondering around the room.
"He killed eight girls and one of them eight girls had cancer, he couldn't eat her, therefore she was useless and he brought her back home. Where me and..." Will looked down at the ground, thinking about Grace. Jack sighed and put his hands in his pockets, I only sighed.
"Where me and... another agent found her, laying in bed. Class dismissed" Will walked around his desk to pack up his laptop. Me and Jack waited for the class to leave and we went to talk to Will.
"Any luck, you two?" Asked Will, he adjusted his glasses while looking at us both.
"You're sweating" I realised. He touched his forehead and saw some sweat on his fingers.
"You're scared and panicked" I added. Jack put his hand on my shoulder to tell me to stop. I cleared my throat and looked back at Will.
"I'm fine.. was there any luck?" Asked Will, starting to pack up again.
"Uh, we have a lead. Mason Verger has quadrupled his guards and armed them with guns. I've posted agents at the gates to tell me who leaves, enters and if we have an opening" exclaimed Jack.
"I know how we can get in!"
I heard from behind me. Me and Jack looked behind ourselves to see Clarice and Alana. Clarice had some papers in her hands and Alana looked pretty serious.
"Please do tell" I said, smiling.
"Mason has guards with guns but with no walkie-talkies. They have cell phones. We could knock down the service and sneak our way in. Before you interrupt, Jack. We will use silencers and some may shoot but it won't be too loud, loud enough to warn the others. We could also mask some gun shots with a truck horn, as if there's traffic passing by. We can then get in and find Grace. We could shoot our way in for all I care and I want to be the one to find Mason" exclaimed Clarice. I nodded my head in agreement to her.
"Mason is fond of large masquerade balls, he could be hosting one anytime soon" I added.
"Didn't you say he was your patient?" Asked Jack.
"He was, until stopped turning up after Grace's disappearance" I answered.
"She didn't disappear, she was taken. Why don't we get the SWAT team to just burst in?" said Will.
"He could kill Grace if we bring loud and strong forces, if we go in quietly, it'll be easier" responded Jack. I sighed at all these back and forth answers.
"When can we do it?" Asked Clarice.
"When I say so?" Said Jack
"When Will that be, Jack! Until he can do whatever he has planned to her?!"
"Agent Sterling, we have this under control"
"No. No you don't. You're saying we should basically WAIT meanwhile he could be KILLING her? MANIPULATING, maybe even torturing!"
"Sterling! We have to be careful!"
"Careful? You said be careful with Grace to me. She's 'fragile' you said, but you're just pathetic and I see that now. You're just scared. Of what is that exactly?"
"I am scared FOR Grace. I also care for her deeply, Clarice! I don't want Mason to accomplish whatever he has planned but we're the FBI not just some folk who can go around shooting people for that one person! Do you understand me?!"
"I will go get Grace, with or without you. Take my badge for all I care, but Grace will be safe"
"Or you'll be dead"
"Died trying"
"Think about this-"
"I've thought plenty. You've just been assuming, taking the short cut. Getting Chilton involved didn't help her, or going to see Freddie. She isn't a toy, Jack!"
I had to stop this quarrel and choose my side.
"You're both being childish. I think we must do this quick but smart. Maybe Margot could help and she could get Mason to host something. We could then get past security and save Grace without hurting anyone." I added. I had merged both ideas and my own idea in hope it would be better, which it was.
"Hannibal is right... smart but quick, getting Margot to help will be a handful but maybe Grace did her charm..." murmured Will. I glanced behind myself to look at him.
"Charm? What charm, Will?" I asked, out of curiosity.
"That charm she has. Worked on me, Clarice and you" he said, standing up with his bags and coat.
"Call me" he said and walked out. It was silent for a moment but Clarice broke it.
"I'm forming the team we're going to use to get into Mason's mansion. Hannibal, get Margot with us and Jack, just sit there all pretty" she crossed her arms while saying that and turned around to walk out.
"Well... we're really doing this." Said Alana, watching Clarice leave.
"Seems so" added Jack and he jogged to catch up to Clarice. I was left alone with Alana. I leaned on the desk and watched her walk up to me.
"You think she'll be okay when we get her back?" Asked Alana, leaning on the desk with me.
"I can't say for sure. I hope she will, but I won't be surprised if she isn't, she's lost everyone and more" I said, sympathetically. She looked down at the ground for a moment.
"Alana?" I put all my focus On her, I lifted her chin and I had to slightly lean down to have the same height as her.
"Alana? What's on your mind?" I asked, looking into her ocean blue eyes. She just sighed and tried to look down again but I held her chin.
"Hannibal..." she whimpered. I raised an eyebrow at her and Suddenly, she kissed me. Her lips were soft and her hair was fluffy. It took me by shock for a moment but I held onto her waist. She slightly moaned in my mouth and it made me pull her body close to mine. She ran her fingers through my hair and tugged at my coat. I pulled away, realising this was wrong.
"Please forgive me, Alana." I said, letting go of her chin and adjusting my coat.
"But we must focus on saving Grace..." I began to walk out the room to find Jack. Alana just leaned back onto the desk, crossing her arms.
"What's so special about her?" She asked me. I stopped walking and looked behind me.
"Who? Grace?" I asked.
"Yes. What does she have that I don't" she shrugged her shoulders at me.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about" I tried to walk away but she kept asking me more and more questions and it would be rude to leave.
"You do. Tell me!" She demanded. I glanced at her for a moment, shaking her head at her and then left the room to find Jack.
I searched for Jack in his office. I opened the door and peered my head through. I saw only Jack was here and he had papers and files all over his desk.
"Come in" he mumbled. He seemed annoyed and stressed. I walked in and shut the door behind myself, I then walked over to the desk and picked up a paper that was facing down on the desk. It was a photo of Mason and Margot in the area, photos were taken of them without their knowledge.
"Have you tried to talk to Margot.." he murmured. He was still looking down at the desk.
"No. Would you like me to now?" I offered. Jack nodded his head while focusing on the papers. I left the room and thought of a way to get to Margot.
————— time skip —————
"Thank you for deciding to meet me, Margot" I smiled while sipping my cappuccino. We were in a small cafe that serves delicious cakes and sweet coffees in the centre of Baltimore, I could hear the traffic from outside but the small cafe music in the background masked it out.
"It's okay, must be quick though... thanks for the drink. I said to Mason that I had to excuse myself from this boring meal he had planned"she explained. She slurped on the coffee I bought her.
"I see. How is Grace?" I asked.
"Not too good, Dr. Lecter. He is trying to bribe her or make her think she has everything she needs at the mansion, making her like him really"
"Is she falling for it?"
"Course not, she's been stubborn ever since she arrived. She's created a wall, brick wall, I've only climbed a third of the wall"
"What do you hope to do once you've climbed this wall?"
"I don't know... she seems nice, I want to help"
"Why don't you kill Mason" I whispered. She looked at me for a moment before placing her cup back onto her small plate to put her entire focus on me.
"Why are you suggesting for me to kill Mason?"
"You don't even like Mason and he's told me what he's done to you, I can only imagine you want to kill him"
"I do. If he dies though, I will have nothing. I'm not in his Will and our father left everything to him so I couldn't do anything to Mason"
"I see. Do you think Jack's plan will work?"
"No. I don't know what we can do. However you save Grace, you-cannot-kill-Mason. Whatever happens, he has to live. Promise me that"
"I cannot promise"
"Why? Do you want to kill him?"
"I would only be digging myself a hole"
"You've already suggested killing my brother, I'm sure it wasn't out of the blue-"
"Can you get Mason to host a massive masquerade ball?"
"So you can blend in?"
"Yes"
"Maybe. He is smart though"
"You said you wanted to help"
"I do but-"
"Then try. Make him host it somewhere large."
"Okay... but he will have security on him and Grace"
"We will have a team ourselves"
"... I can't believe we're doing this" she slurped on her coffee.
"Why did he kidnap Grace?"
"Don't act like you don't know"
"I want to be sure"
"He wants this verger baby plan to be perfect... he thinks Grace is perfect and always gets what he wants"
"Will he ever let her go?"
"He can get attached easily"
"You said, you skipped a meal with Mason to be here. Would Grace be there?"
"Yes"
"I see... how long do you think we have to rescue her?"
"I think you're too late"
"You think?"
"I know"
"Get him to host the ball... do it now" I grabbed my coat and Stood up, Tucking my chair in the table.
"Thank you for meeting me" I said to Margot. She gave me a forced smile and I then left.