Hannigram -- Cuts Unscene

S1 E3: Potage

"It's only water, it's only fire, it's only love / It's only slaughter, we're only liars, it's only blood..."

Season 1, Episode 3: Potage

This "cut unscene" occurs a few hours after Abigail Hobbs and her friend Marissa are confronted by Nicholas Boyle behind Abigail's former residence. Nicholas, spurred on by Freddie Lounds, calls Abigail a murderer and badgers her until Marissa hits him in the head with a small rock. Hannibal and Will hear the commotion and come outside, causing Boyle to flee. The incident prompts Will to suggest they call it a day and return to the hotel; Alana, Abigail, Hannibal, and Will plan to visit Garret Jacob Hobbs' cabin the next morning. The scene begins at 28:02.

The ride back to the Super 8 bristled with silence. Hannibal wove easily through traffic, retracing their path from the commute to Abigail's house that morning without hesitation. Will sat next to him in the passenger's seat, painfully aware of Alana's eyes on the back of his head, and of Abigail's sulky quiet. He glanced back at the girl for a moment and caught her eye, then looked away as if he'd been burned.

He settled for looking out the window, leaning on his hand with his elbow on the window frame. Every few feet, it seemed, there was some kind of sign or advertisement that mentioned the nearby Mall of America, as if Bloomington's existence hung on its economic gravitational pull, worshiping its tacky middle-America charm and unbridled consumerism.

Told you so, he thought. Very Mall of America. Wind-chafed skin. He sighed, nearly imperceptibly. Not sure who you'd say "I told you so" to, his inner monologue replied with a certain measure of sass.

In his periphery, Will saw Hannibal glance his way. They shared a look laden with meaning, seeming to Will as if Hannibal understood how hard returning to the Hobbs house had been. Will nodded in response, and they both turned their attention back to the road.

Pulling into the motel's cracked asphalt parking lot, Hannibal drove around back to drop them off closest to the room Alana was sharing with Abigail. "So, dinner in an hour?" Alana asked, leaning forward to speak to Will and Hannibal in the front seat.

"I'm not hungry," Abigail said flatly.

"You should eat," Will and Hannibal said in a chorus. Will found himself suppressing a smile that felt inappropriate.

"Where would we go?" Abigail asked, crossing her thin arms protectively over her body. "Everywhere I go someone's gonna recognize me. I don't feel like getting called a murderer in an Applebee's."

"Why don't we order out?" Alana suggested gently, putting her hand on Abigail's shoulder. "Some pizza or something?"

Abigail shrugged it off. "Whatever."

"I'll call it in." Alana was unfazed by Abigail's dismissive behavior, speaking to her with respectful understanding. She pulled out her phone. "You can tell me which place has the best pie around here. What do you two want on yours?"

"I'm afraid we must decline," Hannibal said. "I need Will to go over the copycat's case file with me again this evening." He glanced at Will. "If he agrees to my request, that is."

"Sure," Will said, feeling a small tremor go through his body as though he'd touched a low-voltage electric fence.

"All right. See you tomorrow then. Come on, Abigail." Alana got out and rounded the silver SUV from behind, opening Abigail's door to collect her. Hannibal waited until they were safely in the motel room before pulling out of the parking lot and heading back to the freeway.