Chapter Text
Again, Frederick Chilton was awake.
The first thing he noticed was that his mind was filled with fog.
He couldn’t remember at all what had happened or how he was knocked out.
The second thing Frederick noticed was that he was tied up.
Immediately, memories came to Frederick - horrible nightmares which he would never be able to forget.
It reminded him of when he was held captive by the Tooth Fairy.
Perhaps he was in the middle of yet another nightmare?
No, this was too different compared to when he was captured by the Tooth Fairy.
Back then, the place he was detained in reeked of danger and torment.
Now, it reeked of manipulation and fear.
Fear of betrayal.
Frederick had a bad feeling about this.
The optimist in him always said that Frederick could’ve been hurt far worse than what he suffered during his encounter with the Tooth Fairy.
The pessimist in him believed this was true.
Observing his surroundings, Frederick spotted a set of stairs leading up to a - presumably locked - door. The walls were decorated with regal patterns of black and white swirls and the floor was a soft, fluffy carpet - almost like a cloud. It’s relaxing and comforting softness was completely unfitting to the situation Frederick was in.
Why did Frederick feel like he had been in here before?
And what was that awful smell?
A horrific realisation came to Frederick as he realised what it was that he was smelling. He had smelt it many times so at this point, he was an expert at identifying it.
Blood.
And the smell of rotting flesh.
Shockingly, that wasn't even the part that horrified Frederick.
The horrifying part was the sweet, strong fragrance mixed with the scent of blood and death.
It was perfume.
Lana’s perfume!
And speak of the devil, who should enter the room at that moment to relish in Frederick's horror than Lana herself, accompanied by two people behind whose faces Frederick could not see.
“I see you're awake, Frederick. How are you feeling?” Lana asked casually, as though nothing was wrong.
“Lana, tell me what's going on.” Frederick demanded.
As they came closer, Frederick realised who was behind Lana. Panic and fear rose within him as he yelled out, “L-Lana! Behind you!”
“I know.” Lana responded, not needing to turn around to know what Frederick was warning her about.
“No, you don't understand. They're Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham-”
“She knows.” Will said, cutting Frederick off with an amused grin.
Frederick looked at Lana questioningly but before he could say anything, Will said, “Doctor Chilton. I see you’ve healed quite well from your little encounter with the Tooth Fairy.”
Frederick growled, saying, “Yes, the encounter you set me up for.”
“It's good to see that you're not too ugly after your ordeal.” Hannibal said.
“And you two don't appear too damaged after your supposed deaths.” Frederick shot back.
Again, there was that strong smell.
The smell of blood.
“And why does this place smell like blood? Who else have you killed?” Frederick asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the former FBI agent and psychiatrist.
“It's not who we’ve killed.” Will said.
Frederick stared at them confused, wondering at first what they meant before a horrific possibility came to him. “Lana?” Frederick asked, his heart stopping for a moment as he looked at her questioningly.
Lana laughed happily.
If anyone outside of those in the room was able to hear her laugh, they wouldn't know it was in response to being accused of murder.
“Oh come on, my dear Frederick. Give me more credit than that! Although, I guess I can't blame you for suspecting me. I am a serial killer, after all.” Lana responded, her grin wide and menacing, completely different to her usual warm, sweet, innocent smile.
Frederick felt his heart being crushed at those words.
Lana - sweet, gorgeous, kind, generous, considerate, angelic Lana…
Lana - his only real friend and source of support after the horror Frederick had been forced to endure…
Lana - whom he had grown to care for…
Lana - who he thought cared for him…
Lana - whom he had spilled his entire insecurities and secrets to…
Lana - his psychiatrist...
Lana - who he trusted…
Lana - whom he had grown to…
...To love…
...Was a serial killer?
Will wasn't sure whether the other two killers noticed - Hannibal most likely did being, well, Hannibal - but the flashes of different emotions, thoughts and feelings flashes variously at rapid speed in Frederick's eyes were as clear as day to Will, who could pinpoint the meaning of each one.
It was the same as Will’s reaction when he discovered Hannibal was a serial killer.
Hannibal - kind, gentle, caring, handsome, gentlemanly, elegant, supportive, considerate Hannibal…
Hannibal - his only real friend and source of support…
Hannibal - who he cared for…
Hannibal - who cared for him…
Hannibal - whom he had spilled his entire insecurities and secrets to…
Hannibal - his psychiatrist...
Hannibal - who he trusted…
Hannibal - who he is in love with…
...Is a serial killer.
Will felt a pang and after initial confusion, an odd idea came to Will, one that could explain the pang.
Will felt sympathy for Frederick Chilton!
It really was a crazy day…
“I...Is this a joke?” Frederick asked, unsure whether or not he wanted it to be.
Lana laughed at the hurt and confused expression on Frederick’s face, saying, “Silly, of course not. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of the Artist?”
Frederick’s eyebrows creased, a frown pulling firmly across his face as he asked, “The Artist?”
“A serial killer who used the body parts of their victims in their artwork.” Will explained, shifting between his feet as he stared down at the floor.
Hannibal noticed - of course he noticed, it was Hannibal for fuck’s sake - from Will’s posture, the way his eyes darted around, how he bit the inside of his cheek and how his hands were fiddling around from within Will’s pockets that his boyfriend was thinking about something. However, Hannibal decided it would be better to address it when they were alone, rather than in front of Lana and Frederick.
Scoffing, Frederick said, “Now I know that this is a joke. The Artist was arrested and he was a male by the name of Leonardo. There’s no way Lana is the real killer.”
Lana smirked as she noted, “I’m surprised that you still insist on calling me by my first name despite knowing my true personality.”
Biting his lip, Frederick looked away, avoiding Lana’s gaze. Kneeling down, Lana roughly grabbed Frederick’s chin and forced her patient and love interest to meet her gaze. “Frederick, dear, I’m shocked. I thought that big brain of yours would’ve easily realised how easy it is to get away with a crime if you frame someone else.”
Her nail scraping against Frederick’s jaw as her fingers scrape against the rough and scarred skin, Lana smirked as she noticed the glassy, teary and watery look in Frederick’s eyes. He was doing well to hide it but Lana could tell how much the horror of the situation was eating away at him. It was like a cloud of darkness was looming over Frederick’s entire being, consuming him entirely. It was obvious that Frederick desperately wanted to cry but was doing everything in his power to stop himself from doing so and to put up a guarded front.
Through gritted teeth, a noise came from Frederick. It sounded like an attempt to speak but came out as a jumbled mess of mumbled words. Rolling her eyes at the pathetic attempt to speak, Lana said, “Darling, you should know that I hate mumbling. Do speak clearly.”
Anger, sadness, hurt and betrayal in his eyes, Frederick spoke once more, anger and bitterness in his tone, “If what you’re telling me is true and you really are this so-called ‘Artist’ then you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
A tear rolled down Frederick’s cheek, splashing against the tip of Lana’s blood red nail.
“I hate you.”
A deadly, threatening silence loomed in the air for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was the sudden heavy heaving of Lana’s breathing before with an angry shriek, she reached out and wrapped her hands tightly around Frederick’s neck, strangling him.
“YOU UNGRATEFUL, HYPOCRITICAL PIECE OF SHIT!” Lana yelled angrily, “IF ONLY YOU KNEW HALF THE SHIT YOU DID, YOU WOULDN’T BE SITTING THERE ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY, TALKING BACK TO THE WOMAN WHO MADE YOU SOMETHING WHEN YOU WERE NOTHING!”
Flinching, Will suddenly gripped Hannibal’s sleeve tightly without even realising it. Hannibal raised an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into his lover. “Are you alright, dearest?” Hannibal asked.
“I’m fine, I just feel…” Will trailed off, unsure of how to word what he was feeling, “Woozy.”
“Would you like to go upstairs for some fresh air?” Hannibal offered.
Nodding, Will allowed himself to be dragged back upstairs by Hannibal, gripping his arm tightly and leaning slightly into it for support. Looking back over his shoulder, Will snuck a quick glance at Frederick’s face and once again felt a pang of sympathy and remorse.
Despite that, Will didn’t stop Hannibal from leading him away.
Frederick winced as he heard the door slam shut behind Hannibal and Will. Now alone with the person he used to crave to be with as much as possible, Frederick felt fear and panic. His face was turning blue from a lack of air, his vision starting to blur. Frederick hoped Lana might accidently go too far and kill him. However, just when his conscious started to fade, Frederick felt the grip on his throat loosen and suddenly air filled his lungs once more.
Lana scoffed, lacking any sympathy or remorse whatsoever as she watched Frederick desperately try to catch his breath. Turning away, Lana finally spoke, saying, “You don’t have any right to judge me for killing, you know. Though I guess you probably don’t remember.”
Frederick raised an eyebrow at Lana, confusion on his face as he glared at her, gripping his throat and saying, “What do you mean? What don’t I remember?”
“Oh come on, dear, don’t you find it weird that you never remember any of our sessions together?” Lana asked.
It was true, Frederick did notice that and he had initially thought it was weird. However, his trust in Lana had made Frederick assume it was just a side effect from the therapy and nothing to worry about. Only now did Frederick actually think to question it.
“Does this place look familiar to you?” Lana asked.
Frederick’s eyes widened in surprise as he asked, “How did you-”
“You’ve been in a room similar to this before - the basement of my residence back where you live.” Lana responded.
“That’s not true, I’ve never been to your house.” Frederick pointed out, hoping he had found evidence that everything Lana was saying may be lies.
“Your conscious memory doesn’t remember, of course. I erased it from your memory.” Lana answered.
This made Frederick even more confused, his heart racing faster than he would’ve thought humanly possible. “W-What? How? W-Why?” Frederick asked, millions of questions floating in his head but few being able to find their way out.
“With hypnosis, silly. Every session, I placed you under hypnosis. I made sure I made your trance deeper and deeper each time and used the power of suggestion to mold you into a tool I could use to do whatever I desired.” Lana explained before turning back to face Frederick.
As Lana began her approach, Frederick gulped and tried to lean as far away as he could given his restraints. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, Lana forced his head back and whispered into his ear, “I made you clean my house, cook for me, tell me about your clients and their cases, dance, strip…”
Her voice becoming low and seductive, Lana purred.
“I fucked you multiple times, in multiple places and got to see each and every one of the scars Mr. Dolarhyde gave you.”
Frederick felt a piece of himself break. He never would’ve thought that the woman he had managed to fall in love with would ever take advantage of him like that, especially after he opened up to her about his past sexual abuse.
It was soul-crushing.
“I even made you kill.” Lana said, which made Frederick flinch.
Releasing himself from her old, Frederick turned his head away from Lana, saying, “That can’t be true! You can’t force anyone to do something they don’t want to do, even under hypnosis.”
Lana chuckled, replying, “It’s true you can’t make anyone do something they don’t want to. However, the power of suggestion can help persuade them to want to.”
“I don’t believe you!” Frederick exclaimed, his fists clenched tightly.
“Let me describe to you the scene, perhaps that will jog your memory. I commanded you to come to my house under the guise of an urgent session. Once you arrived, I put you into a trance and led you down into the basement where I had previously set up a camera to film us whilst I fucked you.” Lana explained.
As she spoke, Frederick felt vomit come up in his mouth at Lana’s words. Not caring, Lana continued, “However, I had forgotten my best friend who had a spare key to my house was also supposed to come over at the same time I invited you so I could watch her kids. She came in with her key and found us while I was guiding you into a deeper trance whilst fucking you. Of course, I could not let her escape with that knowledge so-”
“-so you made me… kill her?” Frederick whispered, looking down.
“Exactly.” Lana responded with a smirk.
“Why not just hypnotise her to forget and leave or something? Why did she have to die?” Frederick asked, tears now rolling freely down his cheeks.
“Dearest, you misunderstand. She didn’t have to die - I wanted her to die. It was an act of loyalty to prove how obedient you were to me.” Lana explained casually - as though the life of her friend didn’t even matter.
Forcing himself to swallow the chunks of vomit coming up in his mouth, Frederick asked, “What happened to the kids?”
“I have no need for kids so with no one to take care of them, I had no choice but to order you to kill them too.” Lana responded, “If it makes you feel better, you put up more of a fight for the kids than the mother.”
How on Earth was that supposed to make Frederick feel better?
It made him feel worse! It made him feel even guiltier!
It made him hate himself more than he already did.
A sob finally escaped Frederick’s throat and Lana knew at that moment that she had succeeded in breaking him. “How could you?” Frederick whispered, his voice soft before eventually getting louder as he repeated himself, “How could you!? I trusted you! That poor lady and her kids trusted you! How could you do this? I thought I had finally met someone I could confide in, someone who cared about me, someone who respected me, someone who loved me for God’s sake, Lana!”
“I do love you.” Lana casually replied, “That’s why I’m doing all of this - for you! Don’t you love me too?”
“I…” Frederick muttered, his gaze falling back to the floor, “I don’t know how I feel about you anymore.”
There was a pause and temporary silence filled the air. It was clear that those words were hard for both of them to hear and say respectively. It cut them both deeply. Still, Frederick raised his head to meet Lana’s gaze as he said, “What I know definitely is that I do not love what you’ve become and what you’ve forced me to become. I cannot accept murder, no matter the circumstances.”
Lana raised an eyebrow as she replied, “When you say that, are you talking about me or you?”
Her only response was a small shrug of Frederick’s shoulders, the confidence he had moments ago disappearing and being replaced by depression and heartbreak. Her expression becoming cold once again, Lana folded her arms and turned away, snapping, “Fine! Be like that. You’ll be saying the opposite soon enough.”
As she began to pace around him, Frederick’s breath caught in his throat as he listened to Lana speak, “You know, Frederick, telling you about my real self has really lifted a weight of my chest. I can finally demonstrate before you all those wonderful trigger phrases I’ve implanted into your subconscious during our sessions together that I never got to let you remember before.”
Frederick gulped, his body tensing as he tried to reason with the psychotic woman before him, “Lana, please, listen to me. It’s not too late to make things right. You can turn yourself in. If we say that you helped me catch Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, you might even get a reduced sentence-”
“Faire taire!”
Suddenly, like magic, it was as though someone had glued Frederick’s tongue to the bottom of his mouth before sewing his lips shut. No matter how much Frederick tried to open his mouth or force any kind of sound whatsoever out of it, nothing would come out. Lana smirked in amusement as she watched her love interest struggle helplessly.
“Se figer!”
Suddenly, all the muscles, joints and bones in Frederick’s body felt like they were glued in place. His entire body went as stiff as a statue and no matter how much he tried to, Frederick’s body wouldn’t move an inch. Fear forced it’s way into Frederick’s eyes as Lana approached him and leaned forward, her breasts pressing against his chest as she leaned over to his ear and whispered.
“Esclave!”
Suddenly, everything went black.