The world was a broken thing at night with all of the creepy crawlies coming out of the woodwork and the rot. Will's time awake was starting to blend in together with his nightmares to make his existence a waking dream. It was getting to the point that he couldn't tell the difference between imagining and reality anymore. Will felt like he was sleepwalking through life, not knowing when he was really awake anymore.

Tonight was no different. A girl had been left to bleed out on a bone tree made of antlers. She perfectly fit the profile of seven other missing girls, none of which had been found. Will had been called in by Jack to look at her, to see her killer and know what kind of monster it was.

"There was something wrong with the meat." Will muttered, running shaky hands down his face. He wanted to throw up, getting a glimpse at what had torn out this girl's liver only to stuff the organ back into her cooling body.

"What kind of monster does that?" Jack demanded, circling the girl like her corpse personally offended him. Will supposed that it did in a way.

"It's not. It's just some cannibal." Will muttered, wishing his words sounded more absurd and less causal. He pulled his cloak over his head to hide his face from the others. It did nothing to stop the vicious replay of events in his own mind. He was killing this poor girl over and over again, her death rattle echoing through him as he strangled the life out of her.

"It's just a guy." "A man, like a human man? We can't waste time on this. Give whatever you find to the local PD or another department." Jack said in disgust, the agent not a happy man. He hated having his time wasted on normal killers. He had called Will in because he had thought for a hot moment that this might have been the work of a supernatural killer known as the Chesapeake Ripper. There was always one that managed to get away, and work themselves under the skin. In this case, the Ripper was Jack's own personal white whale.

"No, it wasn't. Well, not entirely human anyway." Beverly crowed from over the corpse, triumphantly holding up a sliver of twisted metal. It glowed a sickly shade of green from whatever spell she was using.

"He's a necromancer, or at least he's working himself up to be." Brian informed them, narrowing his eyes at the evidence as he drew glowing sigils into the air around it to have them flare back at him.

"And that puts that ball back in our court." Jimmy said, setting a ring of fire ablaze around the dead girl to cast her body in strange twisting shadows and light. It died down instantly with a wave of his hand, the alchemist reading information from the ash.

"There is your proof." "You got a visual on this guy, Will?" Jack sighed, seeing a whole lot of paperwork in his future.

"No. His features and form are blotted out. I get an impression…an intent. I understand his thinking, but nothing more than that. The necromancy must be corrupting his soul, turning him into something different, something I am unfamiliar with. That kind of thing can distort. Death magic is unpredictable at the best of times." Will reasoned out aloud, tilting his head back in thought as he tried to recapture what had aligned itself to his senses. This killer was still not too far gone, more man than monster yet. Whoever this was, he was killing out of love, not instinct. The concept and twisted reasoning behind it was making Will's head hurt. The intense love for another, someone close to this cannibal and held in high regard, was strong with this one.

"So we still have nothing. No bodies, no parts of bodies. No clues expect for her." Jack said, glaring at the dead girl. His complaints made Will stiffen.

"Then go hire an oracle if you don't like my answers. Better yet, come up with your own for once. You're the head of the department." Will muttered, regretting his words as soon as they left his mouth. He knew it was bad when even Brian was rendered speechless. Beverly's mouth was agape while Jimmy looked like he was trying not to laugh. Will very carefully avoided looking over at Jack. He could already feel the anger coming off of the man, his empathic powers giving it sound and clarity inside his head.

"I didn't hear that!" Jack bellowed, giving the newest nightmare of Will's mind life.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm just tired." Will said as he turned away and started to walk off, gathering his cloak close about him.

"Where are you going?" Jack yelled after him, but stayed where he was as he watched the empath make his escape.

"Home."

OoOoO

His pack greeted Will enthusiastically, something he was very grateful for. He knew he was bordering on the boundaries of animal hoarding, but he needed this unconditional love, this lack of judgment. His pack couldn't take the place of a guide, but their minds were simple, easy things to surround himself with. Of course, he was compensating for the lack of others in his life. Will knew he was, but it was better than going crazy. Alone and lonely. That was how Hannibal had described him. It should have made him angry. Instead, it just made Will feel tired. There was too much truth in those words to be ignored or dismissed. Will kept telling himself that they were not the reason he was picking up the phone and dialing Hannibal's numbers.

OoOoO

"Ah Will, please come in. Dinner is almost ready." Hannibal greeted Will upon opening the door to his impressive home.

"You didn't have to cook for me." Will told him in defense, crouching in his cloak as he pulled the heavy material closer to him like a shield. Though they were practically about the same height, but something about Hannibal that made Will feel small. He couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"Nonsense. As much as I enjoy cooking, I love good company even more so this works out well for the both of us." Hannibal said, standing aside to give the empath room when he noticed the man's hesitation. He couldn't risk Will running away now, not after making such leaps and bounds so early in their relationship. "May I take your cloak and gloves?"

"No!" Will said a little too loud and a little too quickly, securing his hood lower over his head to fully hide his face. "I'm sorry but no. It is better if I just leave them on. You don't want to me touching you or vice versa."

"You can if you want to." Hannibal offered more amused than offended, though he had killed before for less. Will's time would come soon enough. Until then, Hannibal simply wanted to see what the empath looked like. He was becoming bored with the few glances of unshaven chin and the mere suggestion of a mouth he got every once in a while.

"Excuse me?" The hooded man asked him in disbelief.

"You forget that it will have no effect on me being what I am, but if it makes you feel more comfortable, please feel free to leave them on. You are my guest, not my patient." Hannibal told him in soothing tones, though it would be pity. He wanted to see Will in his entirety by his own free will. There were spells and incantations woven in the scarlet material, little incantations that muddled his sight and control, and it annoyed him. Compliance made the meat sweeter in Hannibal's opinion.

Of all the powers that walked this earth, empaths were the most delicious, so full of feeling, like the foie gras of all the powers. With Will's pedigree, he would be like a golden goose. Being that he wasn't officially a patient with a paper trail or anyone knew where he was half the time mentally or physically, Will was the feast that presented itself. Anyone who knew him expected an unpleasant end to his story. Will was practically gift wrapped for the taking. Confident that his offer would be taken up by the lonely man, Hannibal had been waiting for Will to call him. He had gleaned from conversations with Alana that the empath lived alone out in the middle of nowhere. Will's late, out of the blue call meant no one knew that he was here either. Out of good manners, Hannibal refrained from telling Will he was what was for dinner.

"Would you like anything to drink before we eat? A glass of wine perhaps? I have a bottle opened already." and already drugged and enchanted, of course. Hannibal led Will further into the house, the empath still hiding in his cloak.

"Sure, if it's not too much trouble." Will mumbled. He found he was at a loss, not knowing how to act like a proper guest. His manners were rusty at best, all learned from childhood and not really used since then either. He realized belated that it might be considered rude to keep his cloak and gloves on inside a house that wasn't a crime scene, especially around a host who wouldn't be affected by his power.

While Hannibal was busy with the wine, Will slipped all the red off, feeling almost naked without it to fold the cloak and gloves over the back of a leather chair. Probably not the right place for them, but well within Will's reach if he suddenly needed the layers. He felt on edge for some reason, all the little hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. While Will tried to reason with himself, Hannibal returned soon enough with wine glasses in hand to find Will dressed plainly in faded clothing, jeans and a flannel shirt.

"Sorry. I'm severely underdressed. I usually wear the cloak everywhere. No point in having nice clothing if no one can see them. People usually just see the red anyway…focus on it…" Will cringed, tangling his hands together to keep them from nervously flying about. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so stripped down in front of another person.

"Don't apologize. I'm honored and thrilled that you feel comfortable enough to do so around me." Hannibal practically purred, handing off a glass of tainted wine to Will. He was so pleased with this new development. While pale and obviously not cared for by himself or other people, the empath was beautiful. With dark messy curls, delicate features, and clear blue grey eyes, Will had the visage Renaissance artists searched for all their lives in their muses. It was shame to hide such splendor, and Hannibal so loved his pretty things.

The spell in the wine worked well enough. No more than a few sips were needed before the nature of it kicked in. The induced sleep would feel natural though so that the victim would suspect nothing or try to fight its effect. As luck would have it, Will didn't know how to drink wine either. The man gulped the drink down, his nervous nature seeking out the escape and ease alcohol brought with it.

"Wow, this is good." Will licked his lips. All the wine he'd had in the past didn't really compare. Even better, Hannibal was already topping off his glass for him without being asked to. Will was grateful for that, slugging down his second helping.

"I'm glad you like it. Take care though. It is strong." Hannibal smiled into his own glass, taking a sip. The spell would have no effect on him, but Will had been accurate in his assessment. It was very good wine.

"I can feel that." Will blinked, his head already feeling too light for its own good. He realized that slamming down a glass of wine or two on an empty stomach might not have been a good idea.

"Would you like to lie down? Dinner won't be ready for a little while. Finishing touching and all that." Hannibal offered, already setting his wine glass aside to take Will's hand. The empath jerked back to avoid his touch, more out of habit than offense. Hannibal was not to be detoured though, catching Will's hand in his own to hold it to him. The empath wasn't in any position to argue or fight back, letting himself be lead to a couch in front of a fire. It was like heaven to be placed upon, Will going from vertical to horizontal without even knowing how he managed to accomplish such a feat all on his own. Letting himself sink into the plush cushion, the last thing Will saw before he closed his eyes was Hannibal looming over him, his skin black as soot and his head horned. With a sigh, Will fell fast asleep.

Shaking his head at the unconscious empath, Hannibal knelt down beside him to run his hand through dark curls, soft fine things that felt like warm satin to the touch. It was time for the fun part, a bit of show before dinner.

OoOoO

Frozen in place upon entering Will's mind, Hannibal stared wide eyed all around him. Having entered many a mind before, the wendigo generally found that humans were dull things, unimaginative and easy to navigate for the most part. And yet, he stood in a silver forest made entirely out of mirror shards and fishing hooks. As he looked around, Hannibal realized he had to reevaluate everything he knew about Will. Transforming to protect himself from the hostile environment, Hannibal took on his ravenstag form as he stalked through a razor wood, the gleaming leaves casting sharp light about in all directions. A blue moon high overhead was the only source of light in this place, casting eerie shafts of icy light about like sickles.

Even as a ravenstag, Hannibal found that he couldn't go far, the wood shifting and moving itself all around him in subtle movements. The trees boxed him in with branches that tried to hook his flesh, and decided his path for him when he resisted. When Hannibal tried to forge his own way with lowered antlers, he discovered that the leaves were just as keen as they looked, easily sinking into his pelt to make him bleed black blood over steel and silver. Even his magic didn't seem to have much effect, only blackening the glass and corroding the metal in places. It all kept pressing forward upon him despite his best attempts. The triune part of Will's mind was a beautiful and terrible place, and it knew that Hannibal was dangerous. It was fighting back the best it could by forming its own trap for the wendigo all around the creature.

When Hannibal was forced into a clearing of sorts, he wondered why he hadn't been struck down. The forest seemed quite capable of doing it all its own. Stamping his hoof, Hannibal toyed with the idea of leaving this place, and trying again later. He would have to build a foundation of trust within Will to keep this sort of thing from happening again. If he could appease the empath's instincts, the man's death would be an assured thing. He could always just kill Will while he was defenseless and sleeping, but that lacked allure. Hannibal wanted to consume everything that was Will, and that included his mind. By killing him flat out before getting to the good part, it would be like having a truffle without its rich center. Hannibal was not in the habit of denying himself any sort of pleasure.

Just as Hannibal prepared himself to leave, it was Will who found him, and not the other way around. It was a disconcerting turn of events. Hannibal was used to hunting down his prey in their own minds, and eating them there before he consumed their flesh in the real world. He was supposed to the hunter, not the hunted. The reversal in roles did not sit well with him, the ravenstag huffing out mist and annoyance. In the clearing that glittered madly like shattered diamonds, Hannibal stood still at its center. He let Will come to him, curious to see how Will would react to his intrusion. It might be worth be observing before he came to a final decision of exiting. Attacking Will would be unwise, what with the aware forest of keen blades all around them. Upon noticing him, most people screamed and fled, but Will just kept right on coming until the human stood before the ravenstag.

Curious, Hannibal peered down to find Will staring up at him with a look that was something akin to wonder and awe. In regard to one of his true forms, Hannibal had never seen such an expression before on another's face. Inexplicably, there was no fear there. Against all rational thought or reason, Hannibal watched as Will reached for him in almost a childish manner, touching his neck to gently stroke his feathered fur. Hannibal didn't know what was going on, his hooves locked in place with shock. If that wasn't enough cause for concern, Will was crying. Tears were a natural part of fear, but those tears were accompanied by a stunning smile, one filled with such relief and so much love it almost physically hurt Hannibal to look at it. Love being directed toward him, all for him, the sides of his deer face being cupped by strong hands, and his dark crimson eyes peered into by stormy grey blue that glistened with unshed tears. He didn't even attempt to resist as his head was drawn downward so that Will could press his face to his own.

"Where have you been?" Will asked, his voice so kind and welcoming. He rubbed his moist cheeks against soft fur and feather, and wept a lifetime of questions into it. "What took you so long?"

Beneath Hannibal's hooves, the grass turned green and soft, losing its brittle sharp nature. The forest that surrounded them burst into vibrant color as mirrors shattered in on themselves to unfurl into the golden green shades of a emerald summer day.

"I've waited so long for you."

OoOoO

Back in the real world, Hannibal stared down at the empath. Instead of claiming his prize, Hannibal left Will peacefully sleeping on his couch, locked away comfortably in his own mind. Free of the empath's headspace at last, Hannibal studied the flesh he had planned to have for dinner. Alone and lonely. That was how Hannibal had described Will, and had inadvertently described himself. Perhaps he could change that. Eating Will was no longer an option. Hannibal was coming to a very important decision, one that would change everything for them both. He had still had time to make something before Will woke up, enough meat left over from his last kill to actually make something presentable.

When Will woke up, he would have his first taste of human flesh, but even more importantly, a taste of things yet to come.

OoOoO

TBC