Folie á Deux

By Anastacia Lynn

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal Lecter or any of the characters created by Thomas Harris which have been used by MGM and NBC, or any of the characters created by Bryan Fuller for the NBC TV series. I do own Lydia Andreyev.

Lydia was nervous, and she didn't understand why. She was getting ready for dinner with the intriguing Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It was just an evening with him cooking dinner; it wasn't a date or anything. According to other members of the upper crust of society Dr. Lecter invited people for dinner quite often, as he enjoyed showing his skills at preparing fine cuisine. Yet, the young musician still felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Perhaps it was the fact that Lydia felt drawn to the psychologist, and that was an unfamiliar occurrence. All through middle school, high school, and beyond Lydia never found herself attracted to any of her male or female peers. While they were hooking up with each other she simply kept perfecting her musical skills. Now to find someone who awoke her biological attraction was overwhelming.

Lydia chose to wear an A-line dress with a tea length hem and a bateau neckline. The dress had an ombre color style; starting white at the top before becoming a pale pink the color darkened even more as it went further down. The final four inches of the hem were blood red. She'd paired the gown with strappy heels in a metallic silver. She also chose a ruby pendent set in white gold with a chain of the same metal and a matching pair of earrings. She used minimal amount of makeup deciding on a more natural appearance.

Hearing a car honk alerted Lydia to the taxi's arrival. Grabbing her coat and her purse Lydia hurried out of her apartment and headed to Dr. Lecter's home. She arrived at the front of his house and payed the driver. Before walking to the door, however, Lydia took a moment to admire the outside of Dr. Lecter's home.

The house was a three-story brick building with a symmetrical front. The first-floor windows on either side of the door were large and the walls behind them protrude out slightly and with it the windows above. All the third-story windows in front had pointed arches above them. The door had a beautiful pointed awning, supported by rectangle beams and that were brown and beige. The front door was white, but had gorgeous brown moldings framing it.

Lydia walked up the stone path to Dr. Lecter's home and rang the doorbell, only waiting a few moments before Lecter opened the door and invited her in.

Hannibal looked up from his final meal preparations as the doorbell rang at exactly six o'clock. He smiled, appreciating the young woman's punctuality. He opened the door welcoming her in and taking her coat.

"How are you this evening, Miss Andreyev," Hannibal asked as he hung up her coat.

"I'm very well, Dr Lecter, and thank you for asking," Lydia replied. "How are you?"

"I'm well, but I believe I asked you to call me Hannibal, Lydia"

"That you did, Hannibal," Lydia said with a near imperceptible smirk.

Hannibal smiled at the young woman and guided her to the dining room. Once there he pulled out the chair for Lydia to take a seat.

Once seated, Lydia looked up at Hannibal and smiled, "It's good to know chivalry isn't completely dead."

"I am always one for manners," replied Hannibal. He went back to the kitchen to retrieve the appetizer. "Oeufs en Cocotte au Saumon Fumé," Hannibal announced upon his return.

"Eggs backed with smoked salmon," said Lydia.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "You speak French?"

"Oui. As well as Italian and Russian. My great-great grandparents on my father's side immigrated here from Russia, a few years before the Bolshevik Revolution. Pyotr, my great-great grandfather, was actually one of Nicholas II's younger brothers. He saw the writing on the wall however and, when he couldn't convince the Tsar, left Russia forever. My father broke family tradition and married a woman of non-Russian descent. My father does a lot of overseas business, mostly in Europe, so I learned a few languages when he'd let me travel with him."

"A well-travelled, musical prodigy," Hannibal stated. "You are quite fascinating, mademoiselle." This caused a blush to darken Lydia's cheeks.

They soon finished the appetizer, and, after a small garden salad, Hannibal brought out the entrée. "Honey glazed, roast pork with apples," he announced.

After taking a bite of the meat, Lydia smiled. "This is delicious! You are a marvelous chef, Hannibal."

Hannibal gave a small nod of his head at Lydia's words. it was more to hide the brief, reflexive smile that came from thinking of what they were really eating, rather than from Lydia's compliment. The women had no idea that the "pork" she was eating wasn't from a pig; at least not from sus scrofa domesticus. The meat, in fact, came from a rude individual who had been constantly using his cellphone during Lydia's performance. Such discourtesy could not be tolerated.

"When did you first discover your love for the culinary arts?" asked Lydia, who drew Hannibal's mind away from the memories of his most recent prey.

"As a teenager. I would sneak into the kitchen to watch our family chef work. Eventually he caught me, but instead of being mad, he started teaching me his craft," Hannibal reminisced.

"That sounds lovely. I'm quite adapt at baking, but not at cooking"

Hannibal simply smiled. Soon the conversation turned to music. He and Lydia compared their favorite music styles and composers, well into dessert. The dessert was an exquisite cherry gateau basque.

"Lydia," said Hannibal as the two sat opposite of each other in Hannibal's living room. "I noticed during the after party of your debut that you seemed to gloss over something in your past that lead to your love of music. May I ask what those details are?"

Lydia looked momentarily shocked before her face transformed into a pensive expression. She wondered if she should tell him. As a psychologist he was more than likely not a gossip. But, at the same time her past may scare him away and she was just starting to like him. She came to the decision that it would be better to tell him now, rather than wait. If he did become disgusted, it would be better for her to know now, before her feelings deepened. Hopefully, the pain would be less that way.

"You don't have to discuss it if it is that troubling," stated Hannibal, though he truly wished to know. His curiosity had been piqued and he longed to delve into this woman's head and find out her secrets.

"No, it would probably be better to get this out in the open," replied Lydia. "All I ask is that I have your word that this conversation will remain exclusively between us. Very few people, outside of my immediate family, know of these events."

"Of course," assured Hannibal. "I'm honored you would trust me"

Lydia took a deep breath and began to speak of the events that lead her to where, and who, she was now.

"When I was in utero, I had a twin sister There was complication while my mother was in labor and my sister ended up strangled by her own umbilical cord. My mother Loretta Helmsley-Andreyev, had a psychotic break due to this and claimed I murdered my sister by deliberately wrapping the cord around her neck."

"While you were still womb," asked Hannibal for clarification.

"Yes."

"That's impossible. At that stage of physical development, you would not have the strength and/or manual dexterity to do such a thing. Nor the mental development to make the conscious decision to harm another."

"I'm aware of these facts. It was these paranoid accusations that led to my mother being put on heavy medications. I remember they made her act half dead. She could physically function, such as get up and get dressed, and so on; but she wouldn't really respond if talked to. She was physically there, but not mentally; do you know what I mean?"

Hannibal nodded and asked Lydia to continue.

"It was a month before my seventh birthday when she stopped takin her medication. No one, especially my father, Nicolai, and his parents Alexai and Olga, were aware she was flushing her pills down the toilet.

"It was the early morning of my seventh birthday when I awoke to a sharp pain going from my right shoulder to my left hip. I had been asleep on left side, facing the door, when she came in with a knife from the kitchen and tried to stab me. Her aim was off and she only non-fatally sliced open my chest. There was only skin and muscle damage; she didn't cut deep enough to damage my heart or lungs.

I managed to roll to the floor on the other side of the bed and let out an ear-piercing scream.

"My mother started to come around to the other side of the bed when my father came rushing in and tackled her. He was lucky enough to get the weapon away from his wife unharmed. My grandfather, who had come running, as well, began shouting to the housekeeper to dial 911.

"My mother was taken into custody and I was rushed to the hospital. I lost a lot of blood and it took over thirty stitches to close the gash she left on my torso; I still have the scar.

"The event was an intense trauma, as you can well imagine, and I slipped into a catatonic state."

"It was during this time you heard the concerto."

"Yes. I had been in the children's psych ward for six months when, according to the nurse, the radio had been tuned to a classical music station. I suddenly stood up and walked over to the nurses' station and asked them to turn the volume up."

"Do you remember the name of the song that was playing?"

"Yes. It was Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.

"Well, needless to say, the nurse phoned the psychologist and my father. They arrived about forty-five minutes later. I remember being upset when they turned off the radio."

"Why?"

"It was right in the middle of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. I'd wished they'd allowed me to me to finish listening to the rest of the song."

"Understandable," said Hannibal with a smile.

"I expressed my love of music to the doctor and my dad, which led to my dad donating a piano to the hospital. He, with the hospital's permission, had a music instructor come in and give me piano lessons. I was in the hospital another seven months before I could return home. I've been focusing on my musical skills ever since."

With the conclusion of the story Hannibal took a brief moment to wonder how he could use this information in the future. He decided to wait and see how things panned out.

Lydia squirmed on the settee in which she was seated waiting to hear Hannibal's response to her story. She hoped that he wouldn't be too disgusted to want to see her again.

Hannibal gave Lydia a friendly smile, quickly clearing away her worries. "It takes an amazing strength of character to over come such a traumatic event in one's childhood," stated Hannibal. "It's clear you thought I'd be so repulsed by your story that I wouldn't want to see you again. That isn't the case, in truth I am astounded that you could grow to be such a well-adapted adult despite your past. This is badge of honor, not of shame."

Lydia smiled at Dr. Lecter's words.

Checking the time on the mantle clock Lydia stated, "It's growing late, and I should be getting home."

"Please, allow me to give you a ride," said Hannibal. "So that I know you got home safe."

"Alright."

They quickly went outside and got into Hannibal's Bentley. On the way to Lydia's home Hannibal asked, "Is your mother still alive?"

"Yes, she's still receiving inpatient treatment at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center. She will most likely be there till the day she dies."

Hannibal simply nodded and soon they arrived at Lydia's apartment.

Hannibal bid Lydia good night before beginning his drive home. All during the way back, Hannibal wondered how many strings he'd have to pull to talk to Mrs. Helmsley-Andreyev.

A.N. I am sorry for the long delay in updates. My brain is a stubborn that only comes up with inspiration on its own terms. This usually occurs when I'm on the verge of sleep. Please read and leave reviews. I love to read feedback.

I will be updating Irish Hemlock next. Then I plan to post the first chapters of my new fanfiction stories.

These stories are:

Remembering Roses A Sailor Moon/Yu Yu Hakusho crossover story that feature Endymion/Momaru's sister (my OC) having a relationship with Kurama, both during the Moon Kingdom Era and Modern Day.

Storm Shaker A Flash fanfiction about the abused sister of the Mardon brothers becoming a hero and working with the flash, as well as falling for Captain Cold.

Bridget of the Moors A Maleficent/Witcher crossover story in which Maleficent's biological daughter, Bridget (conceived and born after Maleficent: Mistress of Evil), would travel to the continent and meets and falls in love with Geralt of Rivia.