Snared by the Ravenstag

3

After a short tour and longer debrief, Anna felt fairly confident.

She would spend the next few hours reviewing the case files under the guise of preparing some guest lectures, though she would be conducting lectures during her time at the academy.

She felt confident, that was, until Crawford brought her down to see an autopsy. Anna had never been particularly squeamish, but then again, she'd never had to see many corpses before, and definitely not ones who had been shaped as part of the killer's 'design'.

"As art," Will Graham had said with distant eyes, "he sees it as an art form."

And in a way, Anna could appreciate that the man who had used antlers a centre point of his 'design' had an artistic eye, but the missing organs confused her.

Why would he take them?

Trophies, perhaps?

The man performing the autopsy seemed cheerful enough and his jokes managed to distract Anna from the sudden lightheaded feeling that came with her anxiety.

His name was Jimmy, his partner was Zeller. There was another woman, Beverly, but she had dismissed Anna entirely.

She managed to escape the room before the urge to vomit took over, but the reality of it hit home.  Her legs crumpled underneath her as she used the wall to support her crouch.

Would she end up in that room, cold on the metal table?

Hands settled on her shoulders firmly as someone knelt in front of her.

Someone smelling of expensive cologne and...something else, musky?

"Breathe with me, Anna," Dr Lecter commanded, "in and out, with me."

She watched his chest and copied until the panic subsided. It wasn't the worst thing to happen, having to look at Hannibal.

So sue her.

She was human, and he was good looking.

His cheekbones could cut you, sharp as they were.

"Good," he let go, "I was worried. You seemed ready to faint."

He offered her his hand and pulled her up, perhaps a bit too hard so that her hands landed on his chest.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "excuse me, Hannibal."

Of course, Frederick Chilton would take this exact moment to appear.

"Anna Petrova, I've been looking every-"

Pause. Those eyes moved from her to Hannibal and back again.

"Dr Lecter was concerned I was having a fainting spell."

"I can check you over," Chilton suggested eagerly, "for any signs of-"

"I've already assessed the situation, Frederick, and found that it was probably a shock to Anna, seeing an autopsy on her tour of the building."

Hannibal smiled at her from the corner of his mouth.

"Why are you here?" Chilton asked rudely, "I heard Jack Crawford wanted someone to draw out the Chesapeake Ripper."