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[abrightboy]

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[abrightboy]

"People also get weird about me, so... six of one, half a dozen of the other," Malcolm says, watching him. "I left the door open, in case she changes her mind." About that or... anything. "Was he the only therapist you'd been to before now?"

[empathicfault]

Will's eyes immediately look up to find Malcolm's, and his pupils dilate very slightly as they fix on the man in front of him.

"Who, Hannibal?" Will asks. He shakes his head. "Hardly. Been going to them since I was ten. Gave up around twenty-five or so? And then tried a couple times after that. It never worked out. Hannibal was sort of...sprung on me, by the FBI."

His fingers lace, then unlace. "He was definitely the only one I got close to, I'll say that. The only one I really trusted."

[abrightboy]

“I’m sorry that person had to end up being abusive. I probably would have quit if not for Gabrielle. I mean, sometimes I take… extended breaks and sometimes she tries to get me to look into a more age appropriate therapist but… I wouldn’t see anyone if she made me, so…” He shrugs.

[empathicfault]

"I'm glad she hasn't succeeded in making you," replies Will, with a wistful smile on his face. It was important to hold onto those people that were there for you.

Although what would Will know about that, really? When he tries to think of who that might be- he can only think of Hannibal. And he knows- he knows that some of that is the fact that Hannibal drove everyone else away. He knows Molly's still out there somewhere, broken down but she'd probably try for him, if he survived. But he can't see a future there.

He frowns briefly, then takes a bit of a breath and asks, "Malcolm, do you know anything about 'psychic driving'?"

[abrightboy]

“It’s a discredited psychotherapy procedure from the 50’s that’s basically considered torture now, which involved using various questionable methods including ECT and psychedelic drugs to break down a person’s mental state so that their personality could be altered or even rebuilt… it basically only did the first thing. None of its victims were ever known to have successfully rehabilitated in the manner it was supposed to have been designed for,” Malcolm says. He pauses, then carefully asks “…Is that what he was doing to you?”

[empathicfault]

Will opens his mouth, then shuts it without replying. He nods his head and sighs. "It was during the encephalitis. Maybe cooking my brain made it easier to reshape."

He's clearly hesitating to say anything else, but eventually he sets his jaw and says, "We had known he was using it to convince me that I was responsible for his murders. But...I would like to know. If my feelings for him are related." His throat works at 'feelings', as if he's practically choking out the word.

[abrightboy]

“…Like a sort of trauma bonding or Stockholm syndrome? Very possible. We can explore that if you feel up to a bit of a deep dive into your interactions,” Malcolm offers.

[empathicfault]

"Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea. I just-" He chuckles at himself, a breathy sound. "I realized that I still trust him, and how very messed up that is."

Will knows why he trusts him- he trusts Hannibal to be Hannibal. But he would like to know just how much tampering went on before they really got to know each other. Maybe Malcolm can help him pick that apart.

"Trauma bonding- I know that's got to be a technical term. But just going off the words, it sounds accurate to what I've experienced." Lots of trauma, crazy-glue-like bonding.

[abrightboy]

“That you developed a bond to each other by enduring trauma together? He was a trained psychiatrist. If he was also the predatory psychopath and narcissist you’ve described, he probably engineered the trauma specifically to bond you to him. When a predatory psychopath goes into a medical field, they know exactly what they’re doing. Holding life and death in their hands? Holding power over everyone that comes into their office? It feeds them. And when that’s not enough anymore, then it escalates to hunting for prey and ritual murder. Something about you made him want to own you. That’s an impulse that narcissists mistake for love. How did you start seeing him clinically?” Malcolm asks.

[empathicfault]

Will nods through the explanation, and actually laughs quietly as Malcolm gets to the 'he probably engineered the trauma' part. That isn't even a question. Will does regain his composure as Malcolm continues, nodding further.

The question has him thinking. It happened before so many other things and it was hard to clarify the blur that was the two of them meeting. "He was a friend of a friend, referred to the FBI for the same reason I was, supposedly. As a consultant."

Will rolls his eyes, thinking about it. "I wouldn't be surprised if my boss wanted him there to secretly evaluate me. He noticed how I avoided eye contact, I think. Found my condition interesting. A few days later, he came to my motel room, gave me some 'sausage' as breakfast leftovers, and later that day he set me up to kill Garret Jacob Hobbs while we worked the case. It was just after that he was tapped to 'evaluate' me for fitness in the field. That's when I started my appointments."

He puts his hands behind his head and leans back, stretching out. "He slipped under my radar while I was panicking about Hobbs and settled himself as both friend and doctor in one fell swoop. I didn't have a chance."

[abrightboy]

“How calculating of him. Genius level intellect?” Malcolm guesses.

[empathicfault]

"Oh, yes," Will replies. "He was very experienced with his pet projects, too. Did a good job of obfuscating just how many of his patients got worse instead of better. He also disproved his insanity defense and got published in at least three psychiatric journals- all after sentencing was concluded, of course."

[abrightboy]

"Of course," Malcolm says. "That's actually very different from my father," he admits. "He was very diligent to... well, as he put it, 'never mix business with pleasure'." He considers Will for a moment. "Did he know about you before you met him on that case?"

[empathicfault]

"Not that I know of. He knew my friend Alana Bloom- well, we were acquaintances. She didn't want to get too close because she had a 'professional curiosity.'" He's over how that went down, honest. "She might've mentioned my condition to him. Other than that? Nah. I hadn't been in the papers yet, and mostly tried to stay out of the way."

[abrightboy]

“Was your condition of particular interest to him?” Malcolm asks. “Was his goal always to turn you into a killer by manipulating it?”

[empathicfault]

"I mean, that was practically the first thing he did, so- yeah. And then he wanted to see how far he could push my morals. If I empathized with everyone, how do I react to needing to kill? Turns out- not well." Will smirks.

"But I think he was surprised when I started to piece together parts of the murders he didn't intend. I was seeing him, and he wasn't used to being seen. I'm sure my original fate was rotting in prison for his crimes or cooked to perfection on his plate, but that didn't last." He's about to say that Hannibal got lonely, but that doesn't feel right, here. "I think he got bored, without me around."

[abrightboy]

“You were entertaining, the prey that could keep up,” Malcolm notes. “How could any other prey meet those kinds of expectations? So then you became something else to him. Something he made. Something he wanted to own. Are you aware of when you started to feel something… else towards him? Something new?” Malcolm asks.

[empathicfault]

"I'm not sure exactly," Will says, running a hand over his face as he thinks. "But I know about when. When I was in the State Hospital, after I'd been treated for encephalitis, I knew what had happened, with clarity. I tried to get people to believe me." He shakes his head, frowning. "I was finally able to cajole one of the team to look into it- she did so on her own and didn't come back. Hannibal would come by every few days and gloat. Alana was upset that I kept accusing her then-boyfriend of murder. It was...nightmare-ish." And that's not something Will says lightly.

He rubs at his face again. "I had a...a 'fan' working at the hospital. He wanted to help me. I was at my wit's end, so. I gave him Hannibal as a target." Will is starting to slump in his chair a bit, his mind clearly going elsewhere as he recalls all this. "He didn't succeed. But if I had to guess, Hannibal was impressed. He left evidence to clear my name. I was released, and- I set up a plan with my former boss. A trap to catch Hannibal. I asked Lecter to resume my therapy."

He shakes his head, smiling but looking like doing so is somehow painful or uncomfortable. "It was after that, when I was pretending to be on board with his real kills or my fake ones. We didn't actually have therapy sessions. We instead spent time trying to impress each other. I had his full attention. And yes, he sent someone to kill me at one point. But it was- I was having 'fun.' I think my feelings changed then."

[abrightboy]

“Because he was the prey that could keep up. Do you think there’s any significance to the fact that your feelings mirrored his in that respect? Maybe to do with your empathy?” Malcolm asks.

[empathicfault]

"It makes sense, doesn't it? I was spending more time with him than with anyone else, at that point. And who would a narcissist love more than someone who feels like himself?" He's misreading the question on purpose here. He doesn't want to talk about pulling a predator's cloak over himself, having it be something of Hannibal's he's borrowed.

He's playing with his hair now, brushing it back out of his eyes. It was starting to get too long again. "We planned to run away together, and Jack and I set the trap. And this is where I have to back up because I haven't told you about Abigail Hobbs. She was the girl I 'saved'. Hannibal and I kept track of her, after I killed her father. I thought, I was responsible for her life now. It was her ear that Hannibal used to frame me.

"I had already been wavering. I wanted to leave with Hannibal, even as I knew I couldn't. And Hannibal caught on to the trap a day before. He gave me an out, and I- I didn't take it. But I found I couldn't leave him to it, either. I called and warned him. I wanted him to leave, but--"

But Hannibal didn't. And it was practically a massacre.

[abrightboy]

“Have you ever spent enough time with someone to know if you would commonly take on someone’s… traits, because of your empathy disorder?” Malcolm asks. Something he needs to know before he asks his next question.

[empathicfault]

Well, it's good to know just how much Malcolm catches onto, anyway.

Will stops for a moment, lets out a breath, and nods. "I do. It's mostly noticeable as affectation- in my speech patterns, my demeanor. Although I really do feel that way usually, at least a little. So maybe 'affectation' isn't the right word for it. If I spend time in a crowd, it all falls away to just...noise."

[abrightboy]

“So spending a lot of time alone with a predatory psychopath was always a danger to you,” he concludes. He pauses. “What happened to the girl after he cut off her ear?”

[empathicfault]

Will huffs instead of confirming Malcolm's conclusion, but that should be plenty to support it. Same with the fact that he continues on.

"Abigail," he says, emphasizing her name. "He had kept her alive, and hidden. She was a surprise for me. For our new life together, he said. When I made it back to his house, expecting to find it vacated, Alana was crumpled on the front step. Jack was in a heap in the pantry. Hannibal brought Abigail out and explained to me just how much I'd hurt his feelings." The way he puts it is purposeful, to try and stave off the tumbling panic he's starting to feel. That's much easier when making light of it. "He came close, stabbed me in the kidney and asked for forgiveness. And then he sliced Abigail's throat open."

He is about two steps from crying and places his fingers over his eyes, turning his face up towards the ceiling again. "I couldn't save her that time."

[abrightboy]

“I’m sorry,” Malcolm tells him sincerely. “I… had a case one time… we were looking for a nascent sadist. It turned out to be a young boy. …I know it’s not the same thing, but… I hadn’t suspected him initially because… he reminded me of me. I felt responsible for him. That didn’t change when I realized he was the killer.” He takes a breath. “Is that when you decided to kill him? When he killed Abigail?”