Sweet Ophelia (Hannibal Fanfiction)

Molly

The woman standing on Molly's doorstep was, at first glance, not unlike the other strangers who had paid her a visit after the disappearance of her husband. The woman's beauty was certainly not a reassurance; Freddie Lounds was beautiful, with her sharp cheekbones, porcelain skin, and fiery curls, and she was cutthroat and unafraid of consequences. But after a second glance, Molly felt that Reba was a different kind of stranger.

She claimed that she wasn't a reporter. That was already a step in the right direction. When Molly opened the door, she noticed that her eyes didn't follow her. The collapsible white cane confirmed that she must be blind. Then there was the revelation that she was the girlfriend of the serial killer who had tried to kill Molly and her son...the same serial killer who was found murdered at the hands of Will and Dr. Lecter...

Molly should've closed the door in her face upon this revelation, but something about her body language made her take her hand. She was immediately rewarded by the contact. Molly hadn't realized that Reba's face mirrored her own apprehension until it melted away and was replaced with the slight parting of her lips, the smoothing of a crease between her eyebrows, and the nearly imperceptible widening of her eyes. Her eyes were captivating, two black gemstones that glowed in the sunlight. Molly smiled even though her guest wouldn't be able to see it.

She invited her in, and she accepted.

"Would you like something to drink?" Molly asked, moving clothes from furniture and rearranging piles before it occurred to her that Reba couldn't see the mess. "Tea? Coffee? Water?"

"Do you have anything stronger?" Reba's tone was humorous, and Molly almost laughed again.

"Kind of early for that, don't you think?" Molly turned suddenly in the kitchen doorway, feeling a jolt of embarrassment that she hadn't offered to help Reba sit down, but Reba had already settled herself primly on the end of the couch. "I have wine and..." Molly trailed off, thinking of Will's alcohol in the fridge, untouched. "...beer and whiskey."

If Reba noticed her hesitation, she politely ignored it. "Whiskey would be nice."

Molly poured Reba a finger of whiskey and herself a small glass of red wine and brought them out into the living room. She felt another jolt of embarrassment when she realized that she hadn't ushered the dogs out of the room, but her embarrassment ebbed when she saw that Reba seemed content with them. The dogs crowded around her, snuffling at her and licking her hands.

"Here's your whiskey," Molly said, sitting on the other end of the couch.

Reba took it from her. Their fingers brushed gently as the drink exchanged hands.

As Reba breathed in the scent of the whiskey, Molly allowed herself a moment to study her. She was petite and pretty, with thick black curls and rich brown skin as smooth as polished amber. Molly tried to ignore the odd warmth that traveled through her body as she watched Reba's lips part and her eyelashes flutter with a sip of the whiskey. She looked strangely comfortable on Molly's couch. While some of the dogs had already wandered away, Winston and Buster stayed close by, looking like they wanted to leap into Reba's lap. Reba didn't seem to mind, a hand resting on Winston's head. Winston wagged his tail.

Molly took a sip of wine and cleared her throat.

"So, your therapist suggested you find other people with similar traumas, huh?" she said lightly. "I can only imagine how that conversation unfolded."

Reba chuckled, but it was followed by the small crease reappearing between her eyebrows. Her fingers twitched against her whiskey glass. "How much do you know about what happened?"

Molly leaned back into the couch, letting out a slow breath. "Not much more than what was on the news," she admitted. "I know that the Red Dragon killed families, and that Wally and I barely escaped him with our lives. Wally is my son," she added, and Reba's mouth parted in a silent acknowledgement, along with a tiny jerk of her head. "I know that Will was investigating him. But I didn't know any more than that until...until after the fact." A wave of anger crashed over her. "Damn that Jack Crawford! If he hadn't come to ask for Will's help...we could still be..." Molly swallowed down her anger and sighed. Reba's face was open, sympathetic, even though she was only partially turned towards her. "Ah, sorry, I got mad there for a second."

"It's okay to be mad," Reba said, absentmindedly petting the top of Winston's head. "Lord knows I have plenty of anger, myself."

Molly smiled before she remembered that Reba couldn't see her. Still, it didn't erase the sudden, warm gratitude she felt for the woman sitting across from her. "Jack Crawford came into my hospital room and said that the Red Dragon was dead, but that my husband was nowhere to be found. Assumed dead in the line of duty, but that Dr. Lecter had escaped, so it was possible they were together." Her stomach churned, and she took a gulp of wine in an attempt to ignore it. "He vaguely mentioned another murder attempt, a girlfriend of some sort, but I was understandably preoccupied." Her eyes were wet. When had her eyes become wet? Molly blinked furiously and took another gulp of wine. "That's all I know."

Reba let out a little sigh, both hands wrapped around her whiskey glass. Winston nudged her leg with his nose and then sat down at her feet, resting his head on his paws.

"D kidnapped me and trapped me in his burning house before faking his own death," Reba said with a feigned lightness that settled heavy in Molly's chest. "He blew the head off a dead body with a shotgun, and I thought it was him. I put my hand in it." She stared off into nothingness, face blank. "I put my hand in it," she repeated distantly, then took a slow sip of whiskey. "I knew he was odd, reserved, but I admired that he didn't treat me like a burden or a cripple. He didn't treat me like a blind woman. He just treated me like a woman. A human being. He was mysterious and romantic." Reba's lips twisted into a wry smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. "And apparently crazy."

After a beat, Molly stood up from the couch and said, as lightly as she could, "I think I'm going to need more alcohol for this. You?"

Reba's smile returned, this time genuine, and she held out her mostly empty glass.