Will is content with his life in Mansfield Park. And then the Lecter siblings move into the parsonage...
I’ve been waiting weeks to share my fic inspired by the 1999 adaptation of Mansfield Park and now it’s finally time for my entry for this year’s @reel-hannibal to see the light of day!
I participated at this year’s Hannibal Reel (with the username fangrrlsing, like my Ao3-account) and based my contribution on the baking show Nailed it.
It’s called The baking after and you can find it on Ao3 or read it under the cut. I’m excited that I finally get to share it with you all!
@reel-hannibal
“I’m not making new coffee.”
Brian leans back and crosses his arms. “I won Baker’s Choice.”
“Barely,” Jimmy shoots back, mirroring Brian’s pose. They watch each other carefully across the table in the small break room for the Behavioral Science Unit.
“Well, the judges clearly found my cookie better than yours. You know, the judges Jack was a part of?”
“But they found my reasoning better and that’s what matters in our jobs.”
Brian snorts. “They definitely didn’t say that. And I had the more creative case, so it was harder. If you want the boring ones, please, be my guest. I’ll tell Jack that you have no interest in any of the more interesting cases.”
Jimmy points at him. “You won’t do any such thing. You need me. Also, I didn’t overmix the flour.”
“You used powdered sugar instead of...”
“Boys!”
Jimmy and Brian turn to the doorway. Beverly leans against the doorframe, hands in her pants pockets.
“Aren’t you done? It’s been a month.”
“If Jimmy would just admit that I’m better than him, we would be, yes. So take it up with him.”
Jimmy scoffs. “Please, as if you would pass up any chance to hold this ‘accomplishment’ over my head.”
“You would be insufferable, had you won any of the challenges. But you were bested by your peers. How does it feel to always lose?”
“I guess it would hurt more if one of those peers hadn’t failed their murder cake so bad that every judge spat out their bite of it.”
Brian shakes his head before Jimmy even finishes his sentence. “At least I didn’t cheat.”
“I didn’t cheat! They gave me the button, of course was I going to use it!”
“You timed the use of it suspiciously well,” Beverly chimes in. “I have to be on Brian’s side here.”
“Oh, come on! You have no reason to complain. You won that challenge!”
“But you really tried to sabotage me with that. Both of you, actually, with your constant bickering over my head.”
“I played by the rules! It was every man for themselves, of course would I use every tool at my disposal to beat both of you. And the bickering is on Brian. He couldn’t stop gloating about the stupid golden hat.” Jimmy points at Brian.
Brian points back. “Hey! You were just jealous because you couldn’t wear the baker’s cap.”
Bev grins. “Well, my siblings watched the episode yesterday and said that you were conspiring against me.”
“That’s just because you trained them to always speak in your favor,” protests Brian. “My family was really impressed how I connected Hannibal Lecter to the ‘man as heart’ murder.”
Bev enters the room and sits down at the table. “It was kinda fun to imagine why someone like Will would strangle a man and display him in a museum and to try and find some clues in the cookie we had to recreate.”
“Easy for you to say. I was definitely at a disadvantage with Jack. At least the murder wasn’t as extravagant as yours or it would have been nearly impossible for me. Can you imagine Jack as the main suspect for your murders?”
“Katz. Price. Zeller.” Jack looks into the break room. “Break is over. We got a case.”
-----
The eyes seem to follow whoever’s walking past the skeleton of the sabre-toothed cat, prehistoric fangs protruding below the human face stretched across the skull. Human arms and legs are combined with the skeleton.
In the middle of the foyer of the museum of natural history is another body. It is arranged as an anatomical heart, propped up on three swords. The skeleton of the sabre-toothed cat seems to be prowling around the heart. Waiting for the right moment to attack? Protecting it?
Brian stares at the tableau and sighs. “Well shit.”