Hannibal dumped the body of the rude waiter in the freezer, and then sensed that something was wrong.
His head hurt, and he would require stitches.
He managed to do some rudimentary work before dragging himself to bed.
He fell into restless dreams, unsure what he'd find while awake.
When he woke up the next morning he felt that something was wrong.
He had no recollection of the night before, or of the last few years.
Hannibal knew his own name, and that he used to be a doctor.
He had a gash in his head, and somehow he had done a suture.
Hannibal saw that his house was large and imposing, and there was a samurai armor by his bed.
He had a memory of someone who was a safe harbour in s stormy sea.
Will Graham.
He found Will's number in his notebook, beside a drawing of the man.
He was beautiful, and Hannibal felt drawn to him.
Will received an odd call from Hannibal, claiming that he was hurt and had lost his memory. If he was telling the truth it was a great opportunity.
Will told Hannibal he was coming over.
He knew Hannibal was the Ripper, had known for weeks. The knowledge had driven him to contemplate killing the man, just as he had killed poor little Abigail. But this was a great thing to explore.
If Hannibal could mess with Will's mind then Will could give him a taste of his own medicine.
"Will," Hannibal said, he had an injury to his head, and he was pale.
"What do you recall?" asked Will, sounding concerned.
"Nothing much. I was a doctor..and a psychiatrist. Mischa.."
"Your sister who died when you were young."
"Yes."
"You recalled my name," said Will, and took his hand.
"You felt safe."
"I should be. I am your husband," said Will.
"We are ..married?" Hannibal asked.
"Not legally. But we have a deep bond. We've kept it a secret due to prejudices and our professions."
"That makes sense."
"I'm going to take you home with me. You can recover there."
Hannibal nodded.
Will drove Hannibal home, knowing he was playing with fire.
He could make Hannibal pay for what he had done; he could even make him a good man. He could take the beast and make him human again.
The power Will now held made him dizzy with pleasure, was this how Hannibal had felt when he was twisting Will's mind into pretzels?
It was addictive.
Will would make this work, even if he had to make some sacrifices.
He made a place for Hannibal in his bed, and spoke softly to him.
He held him until he fell asleep, and allowed Winston to curl up over his legs.
Will felt oddly content, sensing that this was going to require much thought.
His hatred for the man beside him was endless, but so was his love.
Their relationship was a very tangled web.
He would be the Ripper's keeper, and make him accept his new reality.
"You are an omega," said Will. "Omegas are rare."
"I didn't know that."
"No. You can give birth to children if mated with an alpha."
"Are we mated?"
"Not yet. We have a bond anyway. I'd like to be your mate."
"Would you mate with me?" he asked.
"I would. When you are better."
"I think I would like that," said Hannibal pensively.
"I shall make you some soup," said Will.
Hannibal made a face.
"We are mostly vegetarian," said Will, wondering how far this could be pushed.
Hannibal was an omega, and he was an alpha, but Hannibal had never wanted children.
Will smiled to himself.
'
"What should I do with him?" asked Will. He'd taken a risk by coming to Bedelia and telling her the truth.
"He has no memory left?" she asked.
"He recalls being a doctor, but not his crimes."
"How very convenient. Now you can remake him."
"Yes. That's what I will do."
"You could kill him."
Will frowned. "No. That would be a waste. "
"You are as obsessed with him as he is with you."
"I know. I told him we were lovers."
"Are you?"
"Not yet."
"Do you ache for him?"
"I always do. I'm going to bond with him, and get him pregnant."
"Then you'll leave him and he'll be devastated," she suggested.
"I can't. "
"Your plan might backfire."
"Possibly. I'm already bound to him, and I can't let go."
"I will help you with your little deception. It amuses me."
"Thank you," said Will.
Bedelia rolled her eyes and drank some more wine.
'
Will went to Hannibal's house and cleaned it, though there was hardly any need. It was spotless. He found the body in the freezer and buried it.
Hannibal had done a good job with hiding the evidence.
Will thought of displaying the body, but he didn't have time.
He helped himself to some of Hannibal's wine and brought some to his home.
This he could get used to.
He also brought some rope.
'
Will had helped Hannibal cancel his appointments with patients, and told Jack about his friend's memory loss.
Alana was understanding, when he told her of their relationship.
He went on perfecting his design, teaching Hannibal new ways.
He smiled when Hannibal started cooking for him, vegetarian meals even. They were as exquisite was anything else he ever cooked.
Soon he would bond with Hannibal, and make them as tied to each other as they'd ever been. He enjoyed seeing Hannibal in flannels, moving around in his kitchen. He was such a good omega.
Will almost forgot to be afraid, yet he knew the wolf was sleeping, not dead.
Hannibal settled in with Will, and regained his strength.
His feelings were complex and tangled.
They had dinner with his former psychiatrist Bedelia, and she confirmed Will's account of their relationship. Her calm attitude served to make him believe in it.
Hannibal didn't recall anything about Will, other than him being safe and home.
Sometimes he saw people behaving rudely and wanted to kill them.
He supposed all people had such thoughts.
At times when they went shopping and someone was rude, Will had to restrain him from hurting them.
'
Will didn't push him for sex, but he felt that Will wanted it from him.
He lay next to Will each night, and it felt natural.
Will's presence felt comforting, and he was so very lovely.
Hannibal didn't recall their love making, but he longed to make new memories.
He stroked himself off with Will's scent in his system, and it tied him to the man.
He came with a snarl, and Will didn't wake.
'
One night he responded to Will's careful hints.
"You want me to bond with you?" asked Will.
"I suppose so," said Hannibal, trying it on for size.
"We can wait," said Will, voice even and calm.
"We've waited for years haven't we?" he asked.
"Yes. I want it to feel right."
"It does, Will. It's like a symphony of light and colour in the dark."
"Then I will."
"I love you."
Will kissed him softly; letting his tender feelings take over.
He still cared for this man, still wanted to possess him. The love he felt was always twin to his hate.
He pushed his former foe to his back, and pushed his cock inside the tight heat.
Hannibal opened up for him, and Will gave him the claiming bite.
The blood flowed, and Will showed his teeth in a wide grin, smiling as he took his mate.
Hannibal's deadly mouth was open with pleasure, and his body flushed with desire.
Will fucked hard into the deadliest killer he'd ever lost himself to. Now Hannibal was all his, every vein and bone and curve. The design was all his now. Will moaned, and felt his knot start to take form.
His knot swelled, and Hannibal came for him with a loud scream. Will's own climax roared through him, and he nearly blacked out. He lay close to his mate while his knot slowly deflated.
His seed was taking root inside his very own monster. The thought made him happy.
Will didn't feel guilt, only a satisfied longing, perfected by this act.
'
"You have tied yourself to him for life," said Bedelia, a vision in a white sundress.
"I know," said Will, but knew he was doomed to this from his first meeting with Hannibal.
"Killing him would still be easier," she said, her lips red as blood.
"No. The he'd live on in my mind."
"You are becoming as he was," she said without much concern.
"He changed me. That can't be undone," said Will bitterly.
"What if you walked away now?"
"I can't. I'm his keeper."
"You are truly his creature."
"Yes, " said Will. He wasn't the killer Hannibal had been, but he had the same darkness within.
"Better you than me."
"Quite."
Bedelia stifled a laugh.
'
He thought of telling Beverly, but she would not approve of what he was doing.
She knew the Ripper too well, she still told him of how glad she was that the Ripper had been quiet lately.
Will didn't want Hannibal in prison.
He wanted to be Hannibal's prison, his haven even. He was linked to his mate and had been since they first met.
Will carefully guided Hannibal to his new life, delighting in the control he had.
He fucked him each night, convincing him of the necessity of this act. Hannibal seemed to enjoy it now, his body opening easily to accommodate Will.
Hannibal felt uneasy in his new life, even though he felt a strong bond with Will.
He felt like home, and Hannibal had come to enjoy staying with him.
Will was his all, and all other people felt strange, like they were a different species, lesser beings than him and his beloved.
Hannibal fell pregnant and Will was overjoyed.
His beloved had let him take on the odd patient, and now he could feel the new life stir within.
He felt like a stranger to himself, but the bond with Will made him accept it.
Even as he cared for Will's dogs and fed them he felt odd, as if something was missing.
They named the baby Joanna.
She was beautiful, and he loved her instantly, and vowed to protect her as he tried to do for Mischa.
Her innocence was so like poor Mischa's.
He felt content, though there was unease in his dreams.
He sold his old house, and came to live in Wolf Trap.
'
Will was perfectly happy.
He had tamed his cannibal and taught him to behave.
He had a perfect family, and it was great.
He wasn't afraid of Hannibal, and that made him question what he was doing.
Then he remembered Abigail and the other victims, and stopped that train of thought.
Hannibal woke one night, and felt out of place, like he was drowning in a vast sea of roses.
Next to him in bed was Will, and their baby slept in her bed next door.
He felt a vision flash by of a life where he was alone, and killing people.
"Will," he said. "This is all wrong."
"What's wrong?" asked Will sleepily.
"This life..it's a lie."
"How could that be? You've lived here for years. We have a good life."
"I know..it was a dream.."
"Go back to sleep, my love."
He did, feeling his alpha's strength surround him.
"I love you," said Will, a truth amid all the lies.
It was enough to last a lifetime.