9

The doorbell rang to the Lecter household. Will stood outside waiting for Hannibal to answer and he found himself fixing his shirt collar wondering if he should've gotten a tie as well.

"Come in Will," Hannibal said opening the door. Will stepped over the threshold and his insides squirmed around when he really took in Hannibal's appearance.

Hannibal always dressed in three piece suits; however he hadn't fully finished getting ready. He had a beautiful dark red button-up shirt on, neatly tucked into his slim trousers. Style was always at the forefront for Hannibal and to see him in a slightly unfinished state was refreshing for Will. Will followed Hannibal through the den and into his bedroom for the first time. He stopped at the samurai armor as Hannibal continued to the master bath.

The armor looked authentic and well taken care, though very old. Will kept his hands in his coat pockets to keep from touching.

"Where did you get this?" Will asked. From the bathroom Hannibal replied.

"My aunt."

Will left the armor and came to stand in the bathroom doorway. He felt awkward in Hannibal's bedroom, his coat made him feel stiff and there was tension about the bed being behind him.

Hannibal sprayed cologne and Will suddenly understood the atrocity that was his Old Spice. It didn't change that he refused to spend fifty dollars on smelling nice though.

"Will you hand me the tie on my bed?" Hannibal asked adjusting his cuff links. Will grabbed the tie off the bed and extended it to Hannibal. Hannibal took the tie and brushed Will's hand. He flipped up his collar, strung it around and began to knot it.

"How are you planning to help Margot?" Hannibal asked.

"By occupying Mason," he replied. Hannibal folded his shirt collar down over his tie. His upper lip seemed to twitch.

"And you're not worried Mason will get mixed messages and try to pursue you further?" Hannibal asked passing Will and stepping into his walk-in closet. Will turned to Hannibal's back.

"I'm sure he'll try regardless. He seems to have a general disregard for social cues. I can't say I don't as well," Will said.

"What you told him over the phone doesn't hold true then?" Hannibal asked fingering through his suit jackets.

"Are you worried I'll do something unsavory with him doctor?" Will said smirking. He came up behind Hannibal who had pulled his jacket on. He stepped in front of him and placed his hands over Hannibal's. He gently pushed them away to button up the jacket for him.

"I would truly hope not," Hannibal said watching Will's fingers push the buttons through the fabric.

"He's a pig. How could I want to do anything with him?" Will said finishing the last button and trailing his fingers up to Hannibal's clavicle. He spread his palms over his shoulders. He felt confident when Hannibal let his feelings sneak out. Hannibal leaned to kiss Will and gripped his hips. Hannibal bit Will's lip and guided him backwards to the bed.

Will pulled Hannibal down on top of him, his mouth open and tongue licking. Hannibal straddled Will's leg and pressed down into him. Will wanted to forget his plans, he resented that he even made them when he had Hannibal this close. He thought Hannibal felt the same way with how his hand pressed and massaged the inside of Will's thigh.

"We don't have time," Will said nervously. He wanted to, but prior obligations loomed. Hannibal had spectacular patience though.

"Spend the night at my house," Hannibal whispered into Will's ear. Will drew in an anxious breath.

"Get drunk at Mason's, make yourself have a good time. I'll drive," Hannibal said dragging his hand flat against Will's chest.

"I don't know if I can manage a good time with him," Will said slowly pressing his hips up into Hannibal.

"You could cancel, lie and say you've come down with something," Hannibal said kissing Will.

"Lie? That would be rude. And I wasn't feeling well at the symphony either, remember?" Will said fixing his glasses that had fallen down his nose.

"Always a sickly boy. My fragile teacup," Hannibal said brushing hair away from Will's forehead.

"Is that my pet name?" Will asked.

"If you like," Hannibal said giving a devious but barely noticeable smile. He kissed Will again.

"Let's go," Will said biting the inside of his lip.

They straightened themselves out and drove to the Vergers estate. Once they entered through the wrought iron gates they parked along the expensive cars.

"I may be the least paid person here," Will said as they climbed out of Hannibal's Cadillac.

"You're right, but you know that doesn't matter," Hannibal said walking with Will up to the entrance. Hannibal rang the doorbell. A middle aged, Latino maid answered the door and silently ushered them into the grand entry way, through the hall and to the great room where everyone was gathered.

Elegant sparkling dresses, fur coats and well-tailored suits filled the room. The décor consisted of gaudy crystal over bearing windows and stark white walls with matching modern furniture. Hannibal noted the out of place gold filigree accents and internally patted himself on the back for his good taste.

Mason worked his way out of the middle of the room, sliding like a snake through the crowd to welcome Will and Hannibal.

"Oh, you made it, wonderful," Mason said cheerfully. He was holding a pink, baby pig wrapped up in a soft white blanket. He kissed Will on the cheek and looked at Hannibal.

"Arms are full. This is Pavlov," Mason explained gesturing with his head to the pig. Will felt the urge to kidnap the pig and free it. Hannibal kept his glowering internal and looked at the pig.

Mason had on the same fur coat he wore the night of the symphony.

"Where's Margot?" Will asked while forcing himself to not physically wipe his face where Mason's big lips had planted themselves.

"Probably crying in the bathroom with her girlfriend," Mason said rolling his eyes.

"Why would she be crying?" Hannibal asked.

"Because, 'Big mean Mason hurt my feelings. Boohoo,'" Mason mocked. Hannibal's distaste for Mason was growing exponentially. "But who cares? She'll get over it like she always does," Mason went on. "How are you two? Looks like someone got a new coat and your shirt is beautiful Will."

Mason set down the pig and let Pavlov wander off. He tugged at Will's coat to peek at the lining. Hannibal gritted his teeth and gently pulled Mason's hand away.

"Mason…" Hannibal said with a strong look of disapproval.

"Hannibal bought it for me," Will said. He had almost forgotten he was supposed to keep engaging with Mason. "Where did you get yours?"

Mason played with the fur collar rubbing his cheek against it.

"Oh this was custom made. Fox fur is so luscious. Rare too, white fox," Mason bragged. Will felt his face grow hot with rage. Though he assumed it was real fur, he had not anticipated a relative of the canine variety. Hannibal immediately sensed Will's change and he took his hand.

"What are we drinking tonight?" Hannibal asked squeezing Will's hand to comfort him, Will gripped Hannibal's hand with laced fingers.

"Oh I have an open bar. Follow me," Mason said walking them towards the bar, complete with a bartender.

"Javier, make Hannibal and his boyfriend something to drink," Mason ordered. "I need to find Pavlov," Mason waked away and started chanting, "here piggy, piggy," towards the ground.

Javier mixed up vodka martinis, he knew those with his eyes closed. He handed them to Will and Hannibal and winked. Hannibal accepted the drink and Will held the glass reluctantly.

"These are disgusting," Will muttered under his breath.

"Javier, could we get a whiskey on the rocks instead?" Hannibal said giving Will's drink back. Javier mumbled something under his breath and Hannibal imagined serving him up at his own dinner party.

"Thanks," Will said taking the new drink from Hannibal. He wondered about Margot and Judy. He had a sick feeling Mason didn't like Judy playing with what Mason considered his possession. Awful scenarios crawled through Will's mind and he cursed himself for getting involved.

They moved towards a corner in the great room, Will was feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

"This is sick bullshit," he growled.

"Are we going to leave soon?" Hannibal asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know if I can stomach this. Look at these fucking people. Not a damn care about what they do for a living or how. They have to know who they're working for and are completely ignoring it," Will said staring into the crowd of liars, arrogant bastards and inhumane pigs. He unbuttoned his coat with one hand and handed Hannibal his drink so he could get out of the wool heat trap. He downed the whiskey and put it next to a statue of an eel on a glass table. A waiter walked by to pick up the drink and scoffed at Will but was instantly shut up when Will thrust his coat at him to hang up somewhere.

"What would you do to them Will?" Hannibal asked stoking the fire.

"Treat them like they treat the animals," Will said watching everyone get knocked out and strung up by their feet, one by one. In his mind he came up to each person and slit their throats to wake them up. Blood sprayed over him and pooled at his feet.

"Do you tell them why or do they know?" Hannibal asked, his eyes glinted picturing Will's imagination at work.

"A few might put the pieces together. But I don't tell them, they die naked and afraid. We could even go so far as to make them dinner," Will said imaging fear spread far and wide across the upside down bodies. They screamed and pleaded but were silently killed with no mercy to their cries.

Hannibal smiled to himself for Will's use of the word 'we' and his idea of dinner. Too many bodies to pull off such a fantastical scenario with no one catching them, but it was romantic.

"Or we just take away the ring leader," Hannibal said. Will looked away from the murdered crowd and to the checkered suit next to him.

"I think Jack would notice," Will said sourly.

"We'll bide our time," Hannibal said.

"We'd have to leave the country," Will sighed.

"One can dream," Hannibal said wrapping his free arm around Will's waist. Will curled into Hannibal's half hug and with murderous thoughts they kissed. The hot rage Will felt towards the Verger dynasty vaporized off his lips and Hannibal's warm, vodka saliva mixed with his whiskey breath. Will pulled away realizing people could be watching. His heart switched places with his stomach momentarily and caught the glance of a few dolled-up women.

People seemed to glide and shimmer around the room, a few late comers entered and at last Mason announced dinner. The guests filed in, all buzzed from pre-dinner cocktails and gossiping amongst themselves. Will held on to Hannibal's elbow, subconsciously he hoped this would deter anyone from talking to him. Hannibal relished the co-dependence.

They found seats comfortably away from Mason at the head of the table. Will saw Margot who looked as if she hadn't been crying, but numb. The woman beside her was a curly headed brunette who looked furious. They sat adjacent from Mason at the head of the table.

Mason stood and looked like the pompous asshole he was. His hair was out of control and his outfit was overwrought with sparkling, precious gemstones. Staff circled the table bringing out a giant suckling pig complete with an apple in its mouth. Side dishes lined the table and the wine started flowing. Hannibal sat smugly next to Will and knew his dinner parties were near spiritual compared to this tripe.

"How many people could a body the size of you or me feed?" Will asked whispering. Hannibal smiled at this and put his hand on Will's thigh.

"At once, or over time?" Hannibal probed. Mason cleared his throat to commence the eating of the pig. Judy kissed Margot's cheek, Will imagined she was also caressing her thigh as Hannibal did to him. Once their plates were full, Will concentrated on eating and not being noticed. It worked well for him but not Hannibal. A woman with a large gold chain necklace began flirting with Hannibal.

"I haven't seen you around before. Do you work in a different office?" she asked trying to mask her deep voice with a forced airy tone.

"No, I was invited the other night when we met at the symphony," Hannibal said.

"Oh, that was lovely wasn't it? So what do you do?" she asked.

"I'm a psychiatrist," Hannibal said.

"Oh! I've always admired that profession. What's your name, do you have a card?" she asked.

"Hannibal Lecter," he said reaching to the inside of his jacket pocket. She took the card admiring it and placed it in her purse.

"Well Dr. Lecter, I'm Amber Reed. I do the PR management for the Verger company. Are you treating Mason? He's a handful," Amber giggled.

"No, he's not my patient," Hannibal hated gossip.

"Apologies. So, are you taken doctor?" Amber asked touching his shoulder.

"Yes," Will grunted in between a bite.

"I, I'm sorry," she stammered taking her hand back to herself. "You are so much younger and-"

"Maybe ten years," Will said taking confidence in the awkwardness he was making this woman feel.

"Age doesn't matter, I'm sorry I assumed," she tried to save face.

"You're quite alright Ms. Reed," Hannibal said smiling minutely. He then squeezed Will's thigh to get him to remember his manners.

"Am I misbehaving dad?" Will asked sarcastically. Hannibal narrowed his eyes on Will. Will realized that sounded entirely more inappropriate than he intended. He averted his eyes and picked at his pork. Hannibal moved his hand off Will and drank his wine.

As the desert cart wheeled around the guests Will decided he wasn't needed by Margot and this had been an ill-planned idea. He watched Margot smile, even quietly laugh as Judy whispered things into her ear.

'You're an idiot Will. A fucking idiot. Why do you feel like you can save everyone, or that they need saving? Idiot,' Will's internal dialogue berated him. But then he watched Mason grab Margot's arm with such force Will was sure it would leave a bruise. Her joy fled right out of her. Margot's girlfriend peeled Mason's fingers off her arm and hugged Margot protectively. Hannibal watched Will staring daggers.

"What are you going to do?" Hannibal asked.

"Nothing yet," Will said.

"If you're done being Margot's knight, we could salvage the evening," Hannibal suggested.

"Yes, that sounds a lot better," Will said gratefully. After desert, guests filed back into the great room. Mason wasn't one for classical music, instead something that sounded like a speaker going out and a record scratching boomed off the walls. Mason screamed something slightly obscene to announce the dancing and then the lights flashed. Not once, but multiple times a strobe light effect covered the room.

Will felt his mouth go dry and he felt nauseated. His head began to pound and his breathing became shallow.

"Hannibal..." Will said, his eyes squinting. He held out a hand to clutch onto Hannibal, it gripped onto his vest and then fell away like concrete. Hannibal caught Will as the gravity on his body pulled him towards the floor. Hannibal's hand cradled Will's head as he bent his knees to settle him on the floor. Within thirty seconds Margot and her girlfriend came over to the pair.

"What do you need?" she asked, a calm urgency in her tone.

"Space, a pillow, washcloth and turn the lights on," Hannibal said.

"Everybody move! Party's over Mason! Turn on the lights!" Margot bellowed. Her voice carried over the music but Mason didn't turn the lights on. Instead he came down to Margot to see why there was a big circle in the floor and no dancing.

"Kill the fucking music!" Margot shouted. The music stopped by one of the staff. "Judy please get a pillow and washcloth for Will." Margot's girlfriend dashed away to retrieve the items.

Hannibal held Will's head gently off the floor and sat cross legged next to him. He checked his pulse on his neck.

"Party is not over! Calm down," Mason said as he made his way to Will. When he saw them he looked rather amused.

"Is Will having a seizure?" Mason asked.

"Yes," Hannibal said holding Will as he shook. Will couldn't speak but he was imaging the raven stag pacing around the room. It scratched it's hooves against the floor and snorted forcefully, worried.

Judy returned with a throw pillow and wet washcloth. Hannibal placed the pillow delicately under Will's head and folded up the washcloth to lay on his forehead.

"Mason, turn the fucking light on," Margot hissed.

"Turn the lights on!" Mason called out. Someone complied. People shuffled around and gawked at the spectacle.

"Party is over Mason," Margot said giving Mason a stern look.

"Okay. Okay! Goodbye everyone! Margot is being a kill-joy. One seizure and the whole night is ruined," Mason began loudly then trailed off.

"Will he be okay? Should we call 911?" Judy asked.

"He'll be alright, it just has to pass," Hannibal said removing the washcloth and wiping sweat off Will's head.

"Did Mason do something?" she mouthed.

"Not on purpose," Hannibal said.

"Why's he like that?" Mason asked folding his arms pouting.

"The flashing lights," Hannibal said. Mason's brain began working behind closed doors. He also leaned down to the three.

"Wake up Will. Silly-Willy, get up," Mason said to Will's shaking head.

"He needs space Mason," Hannibal said.

"Why is Margot down here then?" Mason asked. Margot stood up and hugged Judy.

"Will, you're ruining my party," Mason grumbled.

"Mason, he is having a seizure. He can't hear you," Hannibal said. He felt like he was talking to a rude, nosey child.

Will gasped as if he was emerging from underwater. He coughed and blinked rapidly. Hannibal cradled him as he sat up in delirium. People were staring, nobody attempted to help or leave Will with any dignity.

Hannibal brushed Will's hair off his forehead and checked his temperature.

"He could hear me! He woke up," Mason said gleefully.

"You can all leave now," Margot growled to the audience. People shuffled around to get their coats and gloves. Whispers fluctuated through the room and Hannibal helped Will to his feet.

"Where are my pills?" Will asked.

"In your coat pocket you gave to the waiter," Hannibal said.

"Michael, get Will's coat," Margot said locking eyes with the nearest staff member. Will found himself holding on to Hannibal for support.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"You had a seizure. Are you taking your medicine?" Hannibal asked knowing full well that the pills wouldn't stop the light induced episodes. Those were his design.

"Yes, well maybe I missed a dose or two," Will could hardly remember. His head was pounding.

Michael brought Will his coat and Hannibal unscrewed the cap and put a pill in his hand. Judy snatched a nearby drink and gave it to Will to wash down the pill. Will swallowed and put his coat on.

"I need to go," Will said, his stomach churned and he felt sweat running down his neck and face.

"Of course," Hannibal said. He held Will up by his waist and Will winced.