Spiders Web - A Hannibal Fanfiction

Spiders web

Blue and red emergency lights dipped the holiday home of Hannibal Lecter into a surreal canvas of events.
Crime scene capturing camera flashes lit up everything behind the yellow black labelled plastic band that streamed in the chilling Atlantic Ocean breeze; two in black FBI forensic overall dressed strangers were wrapping up and carrying away the body of Francis Dollarhyde, a serial killer who had named himself the red dragon. The thought that Francis may had flown to better lands now crossed her mind.
People were talking, guessing and suggesting what must have had happened here earlier this night before they invaded the space that once was a home to her, not a crime scene with a laid out puzzle to solve.
She saw all the pieces and knew how they'd fit together, but unlike what was normally a beautiful image her finished piece was a horrific and scary one.
The outcome, one that certainly could've been avoided, like at any crime scene, painted a picture in her mind that she's always been expecting one day, but still was so overwhelming that it's brush almost swept her off her feet.
Her forest green eyes with a few ochre splashes in them pinned down the spot they'd fallen down past pitch black cliffs to their death in deep blue almost dark grey sea.
Her sight was blocked by strong shoulders underneath a trench coat that belonged to the man in charge. He turned his hatted head towards her who didn't look away from the spot her friend, if it even was the right word for their relationship, was swallowed by Mother Nature.
Her eyes were so fixed towards it that she didn't noticed how the black man had reduced the distance between them.
Him clearing his throat took her back to the still dreamlike reality. She blinked a few times to hunt away some silent tears and to adjust her vision towards the from teenage years scared face that tried to read hers.
"I assume you're the one who called us! Do you what happened, Miss...?"
"Kingston, Anna Kingston!"
"Jack Crawford!"
They briefly shook hands. His big and warm around her small and shaking one.
"Miss Kingston, can you tell me what happened here?"
"Why? Can't you?" She fired back.
"Excuse me?!"
"A controlled escape from prison was the plan! Well, a part of a plan that went so horribly wrong! No wonder! You can't keep an eye on your people!"
She sounded angrier than she'd intended to be, but grief slowly started to invade her mind. Before startled Jack could even start to say anything she went on.
"Yes, I know what happened! I'm seeing it! And it was your job to prevent it! So instead of asking me stupid questions you already know the answers to, why don't you just leave me alone, do your fucking job and figure it out yourself!"
"What do you mean you're seeing it? And how do you know about the plan?! No one outside the FBI..." Jack was quick, he was smarter than she'd expected, still she interrupted him.
"I look at a crime scene and I know exactly what happened, it's like... a puzzle! And it never was just a prison escape different serial killer catching plan, was it? You wanted Dr. Lecter dead! Congratulations! And my condolences! Will Grahan got tangled up in events once again! He had no choice but to jump too! For the greater good, if you believe in that sort of thing! The result to your original plan is the same! It's just the 'in between' that you'd imagined quite differently! No one thought of Hannibal actually using every given opportunity and turning your plan into his! They came here knowing that Francis was dogging them! Hannibal was shot inside and Will did nothing but playing along and enjoying the show until he was attacked too! Then it was just a matter of survival instinct and releasing the killer one! They murdered Dollarhyde together and ended up standing at the edge where Graham saw his chance and took it! They both fell to death!" She breathed deeply. It was like she'd forgotten it during her little speech. Breathing. So banal.
She felt exhaustion rush over her body and looked tiredly at Jack, only her anger and sadness about what had happened held her on her feet.
"Ever considered puzzle solver as a job?" Jack just managed to say. She'd just confirmed what he'd thought of too, briefly. And in such a speed and brightness. A very smart young woman, so much potential, he understood why Hannibal had been interested in her.
"Oh I did! I worked as a consulting detective for various organisations some years ago before... Before I resigned!" She smiled weakly, hiding away half truths and painful scars.
"That's how you met Dr. Lecter?" The way she'd spoken of him, he was certain the two had an encounter, or two, and not just in the past.
"Yes and no!"
He rose one eyebrow in question.
"I was still working as a detective when I met him, but I didn't meet him through work!"
"Was he involved in your dismissal?"
"Being a defender of the law is quite tricky when you run daily into someone who's constantly breaking it!"
"So you knew about his...actions! Why didn't you stop him?"
"Think of yourself! Did you want to believe him to be the one Will claimed him to be? You were blind yourself! And I know... I knew Hannibal pretty well privately, but I think he never let people, even the ones close to him, saw him fully uncovered of his mask! Except.."
"Except?"
"Except for Will Graham, I guess!"
She saw sadness appear around Jacks eyes, a mirror to her own. "Yeah, I guess!"
"Tragic coincidence, isn't it?!"
"Coincidence?"
"Actually nothing is a coincidence when we're talking about Hannibal Lecter, is it? He somehow always knows what's going on, sees every string you have the possibilty to pull, some you're not even aware off! But he is and he pulls them for you!"
"Will got tangled up!"
"Like a fly in a spiders web!"
"And what are you? A fly? Or another spider?"
She couldn't help but smile. She liked Jack. He was a good man, even tho he'd wanted Hannibal dead. She couldn't blame him. She'd once wished for that too, but that was another life ago.
"I'm the fly that got away!"
"A survivor?!"
"Yes!"
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I live next doors! My house is 5 miles west!"
"Keeping an eye on the neighbours serial killer?"
"You could say so! Hannibal doesn't know! But I walk past here every day!"
"Or night!" He stated, causing her to smile. "Why?"
"Survival training!" Her voice containing a certain amount of sadness.
Jack breathed a laugh. "And you're sure he didn't know? You're sure the spider didn't know when the fly he'd lost was nearby?"
"Well the fly was smart enough not to fly into the web again!"
They exchanged looks knowing under different circumstances this could be the beginning of a friendship, but they knew better. Already.
"Can I leave? It's getting cold!" she asked, desperate enough to remind him of the bad feeling in his guts. Something about her and Hannibal didn't seem right.
"Don't fly too far!" still he granted her release, handing her his card.
"Good Night, Mr. Crawford!" she greeted and walked into the night.