The Blood-stained Deer

Chapter 18: Dinner Table Accusations

After a couple hours of hanging out alone in my room, Jack knocked on the door softly. "Hey, I am going out for dinner, would you like to come with me?" He asked. "Just a thought, you don't have to." He said, as I came out. "I wouldn't mind at all." I said as I grabbed my coat. Jack smiled, seeming to be happy about my company as I sat in his car. We pulled up to a very familiar house. I smiled, realizing we were having dinner at Hannibal's house.

When he opened the door, I could see the surprise in his eyes and realized that Jack must not have told him I was coming. But knowing Hannibal, I knew it was just fine. Supper was already finished when we sat down at the table, and Hannibal was just bringing it out.

"you promised to deliver your wife to my dinner table." Hannibal said, with mock disappointment. Jack laughed. "Well, we'll have to polish up our act, we can't have you diagnosing our marital problems all in one fell swoop. Besides, I brought the next best thing." Jack said, nudging my arm. I blushed slightly and nudged him back.

Jack gave me a small smile, before his face turned serious. "Our friend Will seems haunted today." Jack said, taking another bite. "We don't know what nightmares lie coiled beneath Will's pillow." I ate silently, listening closely but not interfering on the subject I knew nothing much about. "Children killing other children is not that unfamiliar a notion to Will." Jack said, taking a gander up. "You still suspect Abigail Hobbs in her father's crimes?" Hannibal asked, and I looked up immediately at the mention of Abigail. "Perhaps the nightmare under Will's pillow is that he was wrong about her."

I stood up, having finished my food rather fast. "Can we stop pointing at my sister?!" I exclaimed, raising my voice for the first time. "She had nothing to do with it! Can we stop trying to institute doubt amongst us? I already lost my parents!" I said, leaving back down a hallway and going into the first room I found, which was a spare bedroom. I was glad no one was here, as I sat on the neatly made bed and rubbed my face. Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, while Hannibal got up and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder before following my track. He opened the door abruptly, making me jump. "Sorry, I should have knocked first." He said, as he slowly approached, stopping a few feet away out of politeness.

"No, no. It is your house, and I did just run down a hall into a room that wasn't mine." I said. "Sorry..." He smiled. "No need to apologize, for anything." He said, knowing I was also trying to apologize for my outburst. "If I was to try and have you hold back your emotions, whatever they might be, what good would I be as a psychologist and a friend." He asked. "With all the impulses they include." I slowly calmed down, and he sat on the bed next to me, motioning to me that it was okay if I leaned down on him. Which I did.

"If you want, this could be your room. whenever you need a safe place away from others, you can always come to me." He said. I thought about that for a moment, "Could I do that tonight? I don't... really want to see Jack right now." Hannibal chuckled and nodded. "I'll let him know." He said, as he got up and walked out of the room. I laid down and very quickly fell asleep.