Molly Graham

"It's hard sometimes, to see my own reflection and not think of what he did to me." Will didn't often speak about what had happened with Hannibal. Talking to Molly about the trial had been hard enough even though it had all come out in the media that Hannibal had framed him. Part of him still felt so much. . . Guilt. A guilt that should have never been his in the first place but it sat there, in the pit of his stomach, day in day out. Of course, there was no way he'd go and see a therapist, not after what Hannibal did. His trust in medical professionals was completely shattered. So, he had to muddle through his emotions by himself, trying to really process things for the first time. He had caught his reflection in Molly's wine glass and it had caused him to disassociate a little. Feeling worthy of Molly had been a journey, accepting that he was allowed to have a family and try to live a normal life, on that was free of death and murder. His mood was sombre tonight. Will had always been quite a sombre individual but now it was near constant. Except from when he managed to get some alone time with Molly. She made him feel. . . Happy again. Or really. . . Happy for the first time. She also made him feel safe and maybe that was why all this was falling from his mouth with no way to stop it. "I was thinking of moving back to Louisianna." He spoke carefully, wanting to test her reaction. "I can go back to the docks where my father worked, go for a managerial role. I think. . . I think I need to leave Baltimore. Would you. . . Would you and Wally come with me?"

꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏꘏ ꘏

That made her laugh, lightheartedly, loudly. If anything could dispel the ghost of Hannibal, then that was it - laughter, genuine, warm, and bright like a firework sparkler. She doubted the bastard had ever actually allowed more than a scoff, not to mention an actual giggle. Unlike Molly. She could be moody, she could be unbearable, demanding, critical, and overprotective, but in the end, her domain was joy.

In one smooth motion, she wrestled free from Will's arms and straddled him instead, asserting dominance.

"From one wilderness to another wilderness! Oh, aren't you a wild beast, Will Graham!" Smiling wily, she bent closer and pretended to bite him on the neck. It wasn't supposed to hurt, her teeth only briefly brushed against the skin. Her breath hot against its coolness. She inhaled deeply and lingered like that, she loved the way he smelled.

In Vino Veritas starters

That was... not quite the turn she'd expected this conversation to take. And it was clearly not a complaint about the boat motors.

She pulled her feet closer to her hips, knees bent, and leaned back on her hands. They were absently drawing sand angel wings around her. Just like those snow angels, but Florida had sand instead of snow. White and warm, sticking to your feet and bare skin, piling up in the house corners imminently in between the cleanings. She liked it and wondered if Will was feeling the same.

There was a half-finished bottle of Cabernet between them, screwed into the sand. The sun was still lingering over the horizon, but getting redder and bigger with every passing minute, moving into the west.

They were taking turns on the bottle of wine, and it tasted good with all the salt you felt in the air. Grains of sand were tickling their bare feet, and Will hated this whole day, the whole setting because it felt good. It should have. If didn't, it wouldn't be so terribly painful. Will was scared.

"Jack contacted me," there was no point in denying now. "It's not like a real job, mind you. He just wants…" to borrow my imagination "… my opinion on something," he picked up the bottle and took a sip. Will knew he should be careful about that stuff. If it wasn't for Molly, he would probably be drinking a lot. "There's that guy."

Night overtaking the day.

"Fucker," Molly scoffed under her breath. She couldn't say for sure if that was addressed to Jack Crawford or to That Guy. She hated both equally. She was leaving it to Will to guess or to designate. "They will never leave you alone, will they? A joy to be smarter than others these days..."

She placed the bottle aside and moved to sit side by side to him. "So what now?"

Difficult to say... Scenes don't usually get stuck in my head. But since I read it pretty recently... There was this piece in Red Dragon when I learned that I'll stand by Molly and Will till the end of the world.

When Will can't sleep, when he's already far from Molly and on the Red Dragon case, he can't sleep properly...

"He turned on the bathroom light and went back to bed. He pretended that Molly was in the bathroom brushing her hair."

Man... I don't know. It means a lot. I've never done that, although I did hug a pillow when I was away from my wife on business trips, but this is a whole different level of attachment and dependence. That's immense.

"I take it I don't need to bother with introductions?"

She has no weapon. And her mind is frantically making inventory of everything around her, vases, books, knives in the kitchen counter. Nothing sounds like a stand against Hannibal, nothing sounds like a win situation for her.

Woman against man. The only thing left is words...

"What makes you think you are worth my time?"

It's been a long time since his wife and kids were taken from him, a long time since his brutal revenge on the man who murdered them in cold blood. Being so close to Hannibal had almost brought that flicker of violence out in him again, but with the help of Alana Bloom he learned to reign in that terrible violence. He was advised to stay away from Hannibal Lecter, and from Will Graham, he never intended to meet anyone even associated with them. For a while, he was successful in avoiding that inner circle- isolating yourself to a cabin in the middle of nowhere will do that for you- but it was only a matter of time before those paths crossed again.

It is a small world, after all.

Meeting Molly, directly after her separation with Will Graham, is something Silas never would've predicted being the moment that would change his life forever. It's a blessing, finding someone so incredibly different from him yet so incredibly similar. She lost her husband to a killer, albeit by his own choice and not because he was forcefully taken from her. She's a mother, someone nurturing, she's strong. In many ways, she reminds Silas of himself. She was right there the whole time, her cabin just a twenty minute walk from his, he's passed it on his way to town so many times.

This is practically a cosmic gift from whatever higher power chose to take pity on him for once.

"Of course, of course," she dons the coat all the same and quickly shoves her feet in the boots. "I know you don't need my help to park it, but it doesn't sound too hospitable to just wave go at you and wait till you come back victorious after a short fight with the mess in my shed."

Not entirely true. Molly is trying to look after the things well. When you are out there in the wild almost alone, the minute you let the elements and your own laziness prevail, you trigger the deterioration mechanism. It'll never be the same, unless you care.

They are almost through the worst of the snowstorm. The snow is still falling in huge flakes, very sticky and wet, clinging to her hair immediately, but the wind has subsided. "All the more pleasant to be back home after a short stroll, huh?"

It's been a long time since his wife and kids were taken from him, a long time since his brutal revenge on the man who murdered them in cold blood. Being so close to Hannibal had almost brought that flicker of violence out in him again, but with the help of Alana Bloom he learned to reign in that terrible violence. He was advised to stay away from Hannibal Lecter, and from Will Graham, he never intended to meet anyone even associated with them. For a while, he was successful in avoiding that inner circle- isolating yourself to a cabin in the middle of nowhere will do that for you- but it was only a matter of time before those paths crossed again.

It is a small world, after all.

Meeting Molly, directly after her separation with Will Graham, is something Silas never would've predicted being the moment that would change his life forever. It's a blessing, finding someone so incredibly different from him yet so incredibly similar. She lost her husband to a killer, albeit by his own choice and not because he was forcefully taken from her. She's a mother, someone nurturing, she's strong. In many ways, she reminds Silas of himself. She was right there the whole time, her cabin just a twenty minute walk from his, he's passed it on his way to town so many times.

This is practically a cosmic gift from whatever higher power chose to take pity on him for once.

"Silas! Gosh, I know, what a nightmare this snowstorm! Come in quick!" a halo of warm light behind her like a promise of warmth and comfort. Molly's a Southern girl, even amidst the snow she is trying to keep the house cheerful and warm. Strings of fairy lights are there on the walls throughout the year, Christmas or not. Sometimes it looks like a desperate search for a valid source of happiness. Filling the big black void...

"Or wait, we should do something with your stallion - would tarpaulin do or should we park it properly in the shed? I can help," in the blink of an eye, Molly grabs the coat from the hook and is ready to act.