Chapter Three

**Will Graham's POV**

Will Graham never let it be said that he was a social creature.

He preferred his dogs and his quiet little house out in Wolf Trap, Virginia. It would be further away from civilization but he reasoned that the long drive to Quantico was enough of an issue in good weather; let alone the terrible winters and storms the state was prone to.

He was also partial to being able to have access to certain things such as telephone lines, gas and electricity. Even if they were spotty at best during the winter months of the year. It also helped that there was a good animal shelter/veterinary clinic within the town outskirts as well, makes looking after his pack and any strays easier.

Speaking of strays, Will looked down at his current acquisition. A mixed border-collie he named Winston. He was hard to convince to come along with him when Will had found him abandoned on the road heading north to Baltimore but after some left-over sausage - he knows he will need to restock on actually - the dog adjusted well to his new home. All Will needed to do was head into town and stock up on supplies and get the vet to have a look over Winston to make sure Will hadn't missed anything concerning the dogs health.

"Come, Winston."

After making sure that the other dogs had done their business outside and wiping them down as they made their way back indoors, Will made sure that only Winston followed him to the car. I suppose now is a good of time as any to get things sorted.

After a slow drive into town, Will pulled up outside the clinic. It seemed to be a little busy, with a few cars parked in the 'customer parking' and a delivery truck parked off to the side of the building. They were quick to make sure they had the supplies needed on hand at all times, which was why Will liked the clinic so much. It seemed they had a wealthy benefactor who made sure everything was kept up to standard and everything in order. Something that wasn't as common in the smaller clinics in the rural towns.

Upon entering, Will was distracted from his thoughts by a mild-mannered, "Good morning" from the attendant behind the counter who had a surprisingly British accent. Looking over the attendant Will couldn't help but admire the visage before him. Petite was one of the few words that he could use to describe the man, 'delicate' was another but Will could sense that the man probably wouldn't appreciate such anecdotes attached to him.

Will continues to appreciate the man as he walked up to the counter to see if he could get Winston in to be seen before noon. It was rare that Will felt the need or the curiosity to meet someone's eyes, but Will found himself slowly tilting his head until he could meet the man with full eye-contact.

Large, almost almond shaped eyes with the most shockingly shade of green Will had ever seen on a person met his squarely. Will found himself drawn into the gaze, not even feeling the need to look away like he normally did when he accidently made eye contact with people. Even his colleagues or 'friends'. He stared into those eyes as if entranced and the longer he stared the more he realized that they weren't just one shade of green. They were almost faceted, hundreds of brilliant shades layered over and around the pupil, like shades of stained glass layered together like some complicated artwork Will could only imagine in an art studio.

But as Will stared longer, the expected feeling of being overcome by another person's mind didn't follow. Which made him frown a bit and stare even more. Will had never met a person that was blocked off from him, people always bled through; especially through their eyes, which was one of the reasons why he refused to make eye contact with people. But not with this man, the only sensation Will felt was almost smoke-like calm, or the calm of the stream behind his house when he went fishing.

Will felt the tension he always carried dissipate, flowing away just like the stream he always visited and tried to emulate late at night when sleep wouldn't come. But not only that, feeling deeper he could almost feel a sense of deep-rooted sadness. Not too much as though to cripple, but more of an accepted sadness. Something Will had never really been exposed to before. But that was all. He couldn't get any more, and he found himself relieved. And intrigued.

"Good morning, I'm Will Graham and was wondering if I could please get my dog Winston in for an appointment before noon?" he was surprisingly cordial and it had been a while since he had managed to talk so smoothly with another person, and with a complete stranger at that.

The attendant looked down at his computer and after typing away, looked up again, strands of his soft-looking black hair brushing over his high cheekbones as he also peered over the counter. Will's eyes hungrily took in the smile that spread over the mystery man's face as he glanced down at Winston sitting by his legs. "Of course, Mr. Graham. Winston can be seen in about 15 minutes or so, if that's convenient?"

He could only reply with a nod and still stood there watching as the mystery m- no, Will noticed a neat little badge clipped onto a lanyard 'Hadrian Black' - typed in Winston for the appointment.

"Please feel free to take a seat and I will call you when the vet is ready." Will made his way to the seats, but not before taking in how Hadrian ducked around the counter to let Winston sniff his hand before giving him a rub around the ears.

Yes, Will knew he would like to get to know this Hadrian Black better.

A/N: This chapter is shorter than the other two, but I found this chapter surprisingly hard to write. Perhaps it was due to my not knowing how exactly I wanted their first meeting to go, to not having much experience (or any) with writing characters from the Hannibal fandom.

Thank you to those who took the time to write me a review on the previous chapters 😊 I do appreciate it, and never feel like it's rude to want to request a story or share a prompt/idea/brainstorm etc. with me. I enjoy it, so feel free.

Because if it was rude, well as this is Hannibal. I on good authority would just eat you 😉