All the lovely characters do not belong to me, of course, I am only borrowing them.
Sunday morning Will was jolted awake by angry barking from his dogs. He followed their noise out to the living room where all the dogs were crowding around the front door. Winston hadn't learned the no-scratching-doors-rule yet and was pawing frantically, scraping away layers of paint along the bottom of the door. Will called his dogs and kept a firm tone until he had them all shut in his room.
"Good dogs, yes, good doggies. Stay there now, I'll be right back." Will praised them once he had them away from the front door. He grabbed his coat and put on his boots before he headed outside. Will wasn't sure he could trust himself with a firearm and hoped he wouldn't need one to face whatever was on the other side of his door. He did take a large hiking stick with him; it could be used for self-defense if needed.
Snow coated the ground outside in patches of varying depths, and the wind cut across the landscape, rustling the few bits of tall grass that poked out above the snow. Will hunched his shoulders and snuggled his face into his scarf, but the cold still turned his cheeks and nose bright red. Will couldn't see anything strange as he surveyed his yard. He couldn't hear much over the wind either, until he walked far enough out into the fields that his house looked like a little dollhouse in the distance. Will thought he could hear a loud thump, and tried to follow the sound, worried that an animal had tripped in the snow.
Sure enough, about ten yards away in a snow pit was a stag. He was lying on his side and thrashing against some netting that was trapping his legs together as if he was hogtied. Will approached slowly, letting the stag see him and decide if he was a threat of not. The stag must have sensed Will's good intentions because he relaxed and let Will approach him.
Will put down his hiking stick and stepped closer until he was near the stag's legs, but not within reach should he start to kick. He studied the netting and saw how he could untie it. He reached forward, stroking the stag's leg a little above the netting so it could get used to his hands. When the stag stayed still, Will began to unwrap the netting. Once it was unwrapped, it fell open and the stag leapt to its feet. Will fell back in the snow, worried the stag would lash out at him.
When the stag only stood and flicked his tail, Will slowly hoisted himself out of the snow and picked up his hiking stick. The stag watched him, his large intelligent brown eyes observing Will as if he was the most curious thing he'd ever seen. Will leaned on his hiking stick and waited for the stag to walk; he didn't want to leave the stag in case it had been injured. Will was startled when the stag stretched his neck out and sniffed towards Will. Will held his breath and waited.
The stag took a hesitant step forward and sniffed again, then after a few seconds, he made up his mind and walked straight up to Will. Will stood stalk still, the stag's foggy breath ghosted over his face and hands as it sniffed him. Done investigating the human, the stag pulled his head back and watched Will, as if waiting for a cue. Will wasn't sure what he should do, so he turned around and started walking back to his house. After his first few steps he heard the crunch of snow from the stag's hooves as he followed.
All the way back to the house, Will wondered if he should shoo the stag away. It just didn't seem right to let a wild animal follow him home. What was he going to do with it? Did he really think it would just settle in with his dogs and live in the house? Will knew he was being irrational, but he just kept walking and let the stag follow him to the front porch. It was there that he turned around to get a better look at the stag.
The stag stood behind him, tall and elegant. His dark eyes shined and Will watched his own reflection stare back at him. The stag was dark, unusually dark, Will decided. His coat was more black than brown, and his coat was long and fluffy, like the downy fuzz of newborn chicks. His antlers were long and sharp; Will wondered momentarily how he'd fit the stag in his house with antlers like that. As if he'd read Will's mind, the stag walked up on to the porch and laid down on the rug by his rocking chair.
"Well, I guess if you want to live on the porch, that works too." Will rubbed a hand across his face and went inside his house. He let the dogs out of his room and they immediately rushed to the front door and started sniffing and whining. "I can't let you out there, you might attack the stag, or he might stab you guys." The dogs ignored him and Will sat down on the couch with his laptop to research deer.
After a couple hours of research Will gave up. He accepted that he wouldn't be able to find anything on black deer that want to live on your front porch. He'd just have to figure out how to deal with the stag as he went. It was about lunchtime when he finally shut down his laptop. Will usually had a quick lunch and then took the dogs for a walk around this time. He ate a sandwich, but when it came time to let the dogs out, he didn't know what to do. He peeked out the door and saw the stag shoving snow away with his nose as he grazed in the front of the house.
Will's dogs were usually well behaved, and Will tried to hold the door closed, but with so many noses prodding him and trying to nudge open the door, Will couldn't keep the dogs from slipping outside. They rushed through the door, a wave of furry bodies, and surrounded the stag. Will ran behind them, yelling at the dogs; worried they'd attack the stag. But they only stared curiously once they'd surrounded the stag. He stood, completely unfazed, and sniffed noses with Winston. This apparently meant something to the dogs because they dispersed and went about their usual business when out of the house.
Will sighed with relief and approached the stag. When he was about a yard, away the stag stopped grazing and walked forward to meet Will. Will held out his hand and let the stag sniff him, the soft muzzle and fuzzy lips felt different from any dog, and Will had to hold back a laugh because it tickled his palm. He was pleasantly surprised when the stag lowered his head slightly, as if asking Will to scratch his forehead. Will was careful to avoid the prongs tilted towards him as he rubbed gently at the swirl of hair on the stag's forehead. When the stag was done being petted, he raised his head regally and looked down at Will from luminous eyes.
"Ok your highness, you're welcome from the petting." Will chuckled. "Do you want a name? I don't know how long you plan to stick around, but I will give you a name just in case you do plan to stay for a while." The stag just blinked back at Will, waiting to hear his name, Will thought with amusement. "How about Bambi?" The stag stomped his foot and snorted. Will couldn't help flinching back. "Sorry, I was just joking. Ok, not Bambi. How about King, since you're so high and mighty?" The stag let out what could only be interpreted as a sigh. Will scratched his beard and thought. "Ok, what do you think of…Harold?" Will almost burst out laughing when the stag didn't react. "What? Really, you like the name Harold?" The stag blinked and stretched his neck out, sniffing at Will's face. Will scrunched his nose and tried not to move as the stag sniffed his face. "Ok, Harold you are then." Will sighed and called the dogs back in the house once Harold was finished inspecting his face.
The dogs followed Will obediently into the house and pooled around him on the couch. When Will looked out the window, he could see Harold grazing in the snow. Will decided not to think too much about his new addition to the family, he didn't want to know what it might say about him. It was strange enough to take in so many strays and consider that family, adding wild animals was just another step towards crazy.
Suddenly, Will remembered that Hannibal was going to stop by in the afternoon and bring dinner. He could pretend that Harold was just passing through and that he hadn't named him, but Hannibal wasn't easy to fool. Will was just going to have to admit to taking in the deer and hope Hannibal understood. He wasn't going to tolerate being psychoanalyzed, especially not since they had become tentative friends. Well, if Will admitted it to himself, he hoped they might become more than friends. It had been a long time since he felt so at ease around someone, and actually wanted company.
Will spent the rest of the evening finishing up flies he'd started and day dreaming about going for ice cream with Hannibal and Abigail, until he heard a car pull into the driveway. Will jumped up and ran to the door, scattering dogs as he went. He threw open the door and rushed to Harold's side. The stag was spooked, but stood stalk still in the headlights of Hannibal's Bentley. Hannibal parked where he was and stepped out of his car holding some containers and a bag full of cooking supplies, no doubt they were for making dinner.
Hannibal gave Will a pointed look and walked forward. Harold nudged Will's shoulder but stayed where he was as Hannibal approached. Will patted the stag's neck soothingly and smiled sheepishly at Hannibal.
"I see you found another stray. Who is this?" Will was shocked, but pleased by Hannibal's calm handling of the strange situation.
"This is Harold, he joined my little family this morning. He lives on the porch." Will wasn't sure why he added the last tidbit. Hannibal stopped in front of Will and extended a hand to Harold once he'd balanced his supplies on one arm. Will held his breath and watched as Harold slowly reached forward and sniffed Hannibal's hand. Seemingly satisfied, Harold turned and went to curl up on the rug again.
Hannibal acted completely natural, and walked up to the front door, nodding politely to the stag resting nearby before smiling at Will and entering the house. Will rushed to catch up and entered his home in time to see Hannibal handing out little slivers of meat to all the dogs. He turned and smiled at Will as the dogs sat around him hoping for seconds. Will flushed as the unbidden thought arose that, even in his fancy suits, Hannibal fitting perfectly into his family.
"Sorry, I'll just feed the dogs now. Um, you can go ahead and do whatever you need in the kitchen, it's a bit of a mess so I don't care if you rearrange anything to make yourself more at home." Will flushed again and scrambled to put all the dogs' bowls out with their proper food. He also freshened their water bowls so he could avoid making a fool of himself in front of Hannibal just a little longer. Finally he had to return to Hannibal, or risk being rude.
Hannibal was slicing up some sort of meat and had some chopped vegetables on a cutting board Will was sure he didn't own. Will fidgeted in the doorway of his own kitchen and cleared his throat, not knowing what to say. Hannibal smiled at Will over his shoulder as he wiped his hands on his apron.
"If you want to be useful you can set the table, after that just relax and wait for the food to be ready. Ok, Will?" Hannibal kept his pleasant smile in place and went back to making the food, not waiting for a reply from Will. Will nodded his head, even though Hannibal's back was turned, and went about setting the table as best as his meager living allowed. Once that was done, Will went back to the living room to sit with the dogs; he felt like watching Hannibal work in the kitchen was something intimate and it made him uncomfortable to intrude.
A little while later, a smug looking Hannibal peered into the living room and called Will to come eat. Will knew Hannibal was describing the meal, telling him all the ingredients and fancy names for things, but Will was overwhelmed by how handsome Hannibal looked in his fine suits with his self-satisfied smile. Hannibal helped Will into his seat and then sat across from him at Will's little table. Will became vaguely aware of Hannibal watching him, possibly waiting for the reply to a question Will had not paid attention to.
Will blushed and ducked his head as Hannibal simply raised an eyebrow.
"Will have you heard a thing I have been saying?" Hannibal knew the answer, he'd even admitted he meat was from a bratty teen who'd broken his eggs at the market earlier that week and Will had just kept smiling.
"Sorry, I was distracted. I'm so sorry. I really appreciate this, it all looks delicious." Will took in the sight of the intricate meal Hannibal had been kind enough to prepare for him. Desperate to please Hannibal, Will dug into the meal, hoping it would prove his appreciation.
Hannibal paused his eating to watch Will gulp down food, he would have found it rude that he didn't savor his meal, but Hannibal understood Will's good intentions. In fact, Hannibal found it quite endearing how Will tore into the meat, oblivious and eager to please.
"Will, it is ok. Please enjoy your meal, you mustn't rush on my behalf." Will blushed and chewed more slowly, watching Hannibal under his lashes and trying to copy his pace. The food really was quite extraordinary, Will wasn't sure he'd ever had a meal so delicious. They passed the rest of the meal in companionable silence as they ate. Once they'd eaten, Hannibal cleared the table and brought out desert.
Will grinned when he saw the blackberry cobbler. He grinned more at the thought of Hannibal baking with the help of animals, like a Disney princess, rather than at the cobbler, but Hannibal didn't need to know that. Will hummed his appreciation as he ate the cobbler; it was like nothing Will had eaten before.
"So, Abigail has been asking me about you recently. I think she is eager to put her old life behind her and hopes to create a new one. Dr. Bloom believes she shouldn't become attached to us so soon, but I think we can help her cope. And I admit I am having some difficulty not allowing these new paternal feelings to guide my opinions on the matter. What would you say to having Abigail join us for lunch here in a couple of days? I know she'd like to meet your dogs, but I worry Harold might bring up bad memories." Will finished his cobbler before he spoke, giving himself time to think.
"I'd love to have Abigail over, and I admit I would like her to become attached to us, since I know we both are quite invested in her. I want so badly to take care of her, but I am afraid to go against Alana's judgment. I am not exactly stable, I don't want to be a danger to her, but then again, I think Abigail knows how to take care of herself. More coddling might do more harm than good. Harold might be a problem, but then he might help her cope. If a friendly pet can replace her nightmares of antlers, then I think it's worth the risk. We should let Abigail decide if she will join us or not." Will handed his plate to Hannibal as he cleared the table again.
Hannibal nodded his agreement and went to place the dirty dishes in the sink. When he returned, Will was pacing along the wall. Hannibal stopped him and made Will look him in the eye.
"Will, this is a big deal for Abigail. If we do this we will be promising to take up roles in her new life and be there for her like parents. I am willing to do this, but I have no legal right to. You are her legal guardian, but I would like to be as well. Dual guardianship isn't an option, so I would like your permission to be a part of her life, and fund her education, should she decide to go to university after all." Will was shocked, and stared at Hannibal. Will studied the seriousness of Hannibal's expression, and knew Hannibal cared as much for Abigail as he did.
"Hannibal, of course. I know you feel as responsible for Abigail as I do. You're also more sane than me." Will let out a harsh laugh. "In case I ever…lose myself, I hope you can step in and be there for Abigail. I don't want to hurt her or have her lose her father twice." Will stared pointedly at the floor and rubbed his neck when Hannibal smiled at him. He was caught off guard when Hannibal wrapped his arms around him and hugged him. It was only a brief hug, but Will turned bright red and struggled to repress the need to hug the man back.
Hannibal was too polite to focus on Will's embarrassment or point out his awkwardness, and instead he asked if he might sit with Will and talk for a bit. Will nodded and led the way to the porch, the dogs followed. Will was glad he'd bought the pair of rocking chairs he had out on his porch, though he had never had someone sit with him before. Hannibal didn't comment on the dust that had gathered on the chair next to Will's, but was secretly pleased to be one of the few, possibly the only, person to sit with Will on his porch.
Harold watched the two talk and rock back and forth in sync in their chairs surrounded by dogs. Finally, feeling left out, he got up and walked over to them, only to lie down again at their feet, cuddling up with the dogs.
Will was startled, and touched, when Harold moved over to be near them. Hannibal was curious about the strange stag, and amused by its personality. It watched them with glittering eyes as the sun began to set. Will was so happy in that moment, watching the sun set, next to Hannibal, and surrounded by his furry family. The only thing that could make it better would be if Abigail were with them.
Will realized too late that he was starting to include Hannibal in his strange family, and that he really didn't want Hannibal to leave. Will turned his head just a little, to watch Hannibal more closely. Hannibal was leaning back against the chair as he rocked, and his eyes were closed. He looked relaxed and peaceful, not his usual purposefully neutral expression that sometimes made Will uncomfortable. He really is quite handsome, Will thought as he admired Hannibal's carefully slicked hair and fancy suit. As if sensing Will was thinking about him, Hannibal opened his eyes and sat up.
"I'm sorry Will, it appears a good meal and good company make me drowsy. I had better get home, we both have work tomorrow. Why don't we plan to have Abigail join us for lunch on Saturday?" Hannibal stood slowly and brushed his clothes off.
"Right, of course. Thank you for coming. I look forward to Saturday. If you like you can leave all the stuff you brought here, that way you don't have to bring so many supplies for Saturday." Will rung his hands to avoid reaching out to Hannibal. He really wanted to hug Hannibal and ask him to stay forever on his porch with him and his pets.
"Thank you, I think I will do that. I have plenty of supplies at home so I won't need these any time soon and that will make my next trip here less difficult. I'm glad I could cook for you Will, I can't wait to see you again." Hannibal leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Will's cheek. By the time Will was out of shock, Hannibal was already driving away.
Will had trouble falling asleep that night, he tossed and turned so much that eventually he admitted defeat and went out to sit with Harold on the porch. It wasn't as nice as before when Hannibal was with him, but if he didn't focus on the empty seat beside him, he could almost believe Hannibal was still there. At some point Will dozed off, because when he woke up the dogs were whining in the house and Harold was nudging him awake.
Will noticed the sun was already up and rushed in the house to feed the dogs. Once he fed them, Will made himself a quick batch of scrambled eggs and some microwave bacon. With breakfast done and a quick shower, Will dashed out the door to his car and on to teach his class. Will tried not to be distracted, but the simple fact that he was being distracted by something pleasant, like Hannibal, made Will glad to be distracted. He almost felt normal.
Most of Will's week passed in a similar manner. He'd wake up, go to classes, think about Hannibal, then go home and think about Hannibal, and have trouble falling asleep thinking about Hannibal. Will honestly didn't mind, it was so refreshing to be temporarily free of serial killers' mentalities that he wasn't even bothered by his lack of sleep. Sure there was Wednesday when Will had to consult on another Ripper case, but Will hadn't seen Hobbs in a while and no amount of missing organs was going to completely get him down. Ok, well that wasn't quite true, but Will held that the sentiment was true.
Will had a brief session with Hannibal on Thursday, about the Ripper case he'd consulted on the day before, but Will was so happy to see Hannibal again that he was mostly just flustered the entire time. Will didn't want to talk about the Ripper, but Hannibal made some valid points about the Ripper selling organs, and Will made sure to suggest it to Beverly later. Other than that, Hannibal deferred to Will and they discussed what Will wanted, which was Harold. Neither man could decide what subspecies of deer Harold might be, but they resolved to mention him to no one lest Harold be taken from Will and studied in a lab.
Will was extra awkward at the end of their session when he couldn't decide if kissing Hannibal on the cheek at his office was unethical or if it was to be their normal farewell from then on, but Hannibal saved him the trouble of deciding. As Will pulled on his jacket before exiting the room, Hannibal stood in front of Will and placed his hand on Will's elbow. Will froze and blushed, then stared at Hannibal's tie, too embarrassed to make eye contact. Will had a funny feeling Hannibal could read his mind when they made eye contact. Hannibal chuckled and pulled Will's chin up before placing a feather light kiss on Will's lips. Will would have thought he imagined it, except Hannibal's cheeks were a rosy pink as he opened the door for Will to leave.
Will wasn't sure what to do about this new development, so naturally he allowed all manner of possibilities to pass through his mind for the rest of the week. Will was happy, and felt like he was walking on clouds. The thought of Hannibal could chase away his darkest nightmares. That wasn't to say that Will was all sane and healthy, he did sleepwalk into his kitchen Friday night and try to set the table, and he dropped a glass which shattered and cut up his foot. But Will chalked it up to being eager for Saturday when he would have Hannibal and Abigail over for lunch.
On Saturday Will was a bundle of excitement and nervousness. He felt hot and cold all at once and a couple of times he worried he'd be sick to his stomach with how anxious he was to have Abigail be happy in his house. To settle himself down, Will took the dogs for a walk around the yard and Harold trailed along behind. Once he was back at the house, Will had only a few hours before Hannibal would arrive with Abigail, so he set to grooming all the dogs and even brushed Harold for as long as the stag would tolerate.
Will heard the telltale crunch of Hannibal's tires on his gravel drive and rushed to put away the dog brushes. He suddenly regretted not cleaning the house more or ironing his clothes, but then Abigail had seen him before and knew he'd only be pretending to be someone he wasn't. Will took a deep breath and opened the door.
Hannibal helped Abigail out of the car and led her slowly towards Will and Harold. She was staring, fixated on Harold, but Hannibal whispered something in her ear and she relaxed. Once close enough to touch him, she reached out a slender palm. Harold didn't disappoint Will, he sniffed her tapered fingers and lowered his head to be scratched. Abigail jumped when Harold's prongs faced towards her, but Hannibal's hand on her shoulder steadied her and Will encouraged her to pet him. She smiled as the stag leaned into her touch.
"Alright, we better get inside or these ingredients will grow old." Hannibal smiled at Will and followed him into the house. Abigail pouted, retracting her hands from the stag, but followed behind Hannibal obediently. As they entered the house, the dogs swarmed around Abigail. She was shocked by the number of dogs Will had, and the obvious toll they took on his home, but she was amused by them, and found she was quite fond of all of the furry bodies crowding her. Will listed off names, but she only remembered Winston; she decided he was the sweetest dog.
Hannibal squeezed Will's shoulder and nodded in Abigail's direction before retreating to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Will approached Abigail cautiously and asked her to sit with him on the couch. She nodded and sat obligingly. Will noted she didn't sit very close to him, but she wasn't too far and her body language didn't indicate that she wanted to block him out. He gave her a smile and asked how she was doing and if Alana had given her an estimate for how long before she could be released.
"Alana Bloom says I can be out in a week or so, depending on weather I start escaping to Hannibal again or not. I won't now, I know it won't help me get away in the long run." She twisted the ends of her sweater in her hands and watched Will closely. "I'm really glad you asked me here Will, I wasn't sure if your paternal feelings were just temporary. I don't want you to become my dad, he was crazy and thinking like him has messed you up a lot. But I wouldn't mind a new dad, you can be completely different. A new family, that way I don't have to remember my old dad any more." Will blushed and ducked his head to hide the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.
"Abigail", he finally managed, "I am so glad you said that. I want to be here for you, however you need. I know you have your own plans for your future, but I was thinking that maybe you could come live with me for a bit once your free to go. I have a spare room you can set up however you want, I mean, you don't have to stay with me if you don't want to. I just thought maybe, if you don't run off to university right away or something, you could be sure you'd have a place to stay, where you wouldn't be alone." Will took Abigail's hands in his and waited for her reply.
What felt like a century later to Will, Abigail squeezed his hand back and smiled.
"Ok Will, thank you. I won't call you dad though, ok. And I want Hannibal to visit whenever I want." Abigail stared at Will, daring him to contradict her. Will sighed, she would be a handful. Fortunately, Will was happy to agree to the last term.
"I'd like Hannibal to visit as well, so don't worry. And you don't have to call me anything you don't want to. Just Will is fine." Abigail smile was bright and sincere as she gave his hands an extra squeeze before letting go.
"If it makes any difference, I am happy to join you two as often as you like." Hannibal stood in the doorway and smiled at Abigail's wide eyes and Will's red face. Will was suddenly struck by how perfect Hannibal looked with his shirtsleeves rolled up and the white apron tied around his waist. He was standing before he knew it and walking determinedly toward Hannibal. Will almost lost his nerve once he was directly in front of Hannibal, but he'd already come so far he decided to take a chance. Will pulled Hannibal to him and kissed him tenderly, hoping that Hannibal could interpret all his affection as he intended. Will thought he would melt when Hannibal kissed him back.
A loud cough from Abigail broke them apart, and even Hannibal had the decency to look embarrassed. Will hid his face in Hannibal's shirt and Hannibal traced lazy circles on Will's lower back.
"You know, I thought I'd be free of the awkward moments between my parents, but then you two just have to go and fall in love. Seriously you guys, when were you going to tell me y'all were a couple. I'd have been so much more at ease about reentering the world if I'd known you both were going to be with me." Abigail tried to look angry but she was too pleased to see them together that she had trouble hiding her smile.
"Oh, well we only, I mean we just…" Will flushed and didn't know what to say.
"We only just found that we both had feelings for each other." Hannibal supplied as he wrapped his arms around Will.
"So does that make you guys like, boyfriends?" Abigail snickered and tried not to sound insulting, but the word "boyfriend" and her two new dads just didn't seem to go together. Hannibal looked momentarily affronted.
"Abigail, don't use such a trivial word to refer to your new fathers. We are…well we are partners for now." Will looked up at Hannibal, surprised; he knew that Hannibal chose his words very carefully. Will flushed and tried not to get his hopes up. Maybe Hannibal would propose, or maybe they should go out on actual dates first, Will thought as he relished the feeling of Hannibal's arms around him.
"Alright, alright, you two. I'm guessing you came out here to tell us the food is ready, so lets eat." Abigail pretended to be annoyed and stormed over to the table Hannibal had already set. Will gave Hannibal a quick kiss and then sat down, followed by a very smug looking Hannibal.