Ch. 11
Will adjusted to life in Hannibal's house surprisingly quickly. It helped that he already felt more at home there than he did at his father's house. He also learned to cook. He spent the whole summer trying out recipes he found until he got them as close as he could to how he remembered Hannibal's cooking.
Will invited Alana over often, to help him eat through his creations and for company. Her intelligence and poise reminded Will of Hannibal. She might have been a poor replacement, but her personality always comforted Will and he found himself enjoying her company simply for being herself and not as a substitute for Hannibal.
When Will went to Washington for orientation and to buy himself a small house near campus, Alana stayed in the house to care for Winston and Abigail. She stayed in the room next to Will's and found herself moving more personal items into the room than were strictly necessary for a short stay. A few days later, she caught herself putting Will's graduation photo up and hanging his salutatorian's medal on the wall next to it in the entrance hall.
When Will returned, he invited Alana to live in the house. She'd have to watch it while he was in school anyways. He promised to come back during breaks to stay with her. Alana agreed happily. She found herself growing more fond of Will, to the point that she considered going to his father and asking to adopt Will.
Then she realized Will was already an adult and there was no point. If he wanted them to become a little family, then they didn't need to make it legal. She figured Will's dad dropping out of his life and moving to New Orleans was confirmation enough that she could have Will anyway.
Alana was happy to be a mother to Will, and she was glad she never got the empty feeling she'd always get when babysitting for her many brothers. She wasn't inclined to date, she didn't care much for babies – though she liked children – and she knew she wouldn't be able to adopt as a single mother; William was the perfect son for her.
Alana ignored phone calls from her many brothers and their wives asking her to babysit for them and asking if she'd found a man yet. After a message left from her eldest brother telling her she'd never get a husband if she insisted on keeping her job as a calculus teacher, she finally snapped.
Alana sent them all letters explaining that she didn't want anymore to do with them if they weren't going to accept that she could live her life how she wanted. Then she included a photograph of Will from his high school graduation and said she had adopted him. After many more messages calling her "crazy" and telling her to "have her own kids", she changed her number.
Alana thought her heart might burst from joy when, two years into his studies, Will brought his boyfriend home to meet her and Will introduced her as his mother. The boyfriend didn't last long, Alana didn't even remember his name, but she recalled that he had cheekbones like Hannibal's.
Hannibal was a sore topic for them both. Alana knew there was some secret between him and Will, and she also suspected the attraction on both sides. Will was over his initial depression, but Alana would sometimes hear Will crying at night and she'd know Will had spent the day looking through the drawings Hannibal had made of Will.
They both counted down the days to Hannibal's freedom, but Alana worried for what they would find after the five years. They weren't allowed to visit Hannibal since they weren't family, and five years can change people a lot. She hoped for Will's sake not much had changed. If the similarities between Hannibal and Will's boyfriends weren't enough, she only had to listen to him crying to know he was irrevocably in love with Hannibal.
Four years after Hannibal's incarceration, Alana attended Will's graduation. She was so proud; he graduated with honors and was going on to graduate school. She sometimes worried about his interest in forensics, but she knew Will enjoyed his studies and did well, so she dismissed her doubts. Alana knew he was aiming for the FBI, and resolved to support him.
The next year, Will and Alana tried in vain to find out when Hannibal might be released. No one would tell them. Only family would be contacted when he was released. They guessed he would be released around May, considering that was when he was imprisoned.
They were startled when someone rang the doorbell late in the evening, two days before Christmas. Alana put down the calculus exams she had been grading and got up to grab Winston before he could rush the door and scare the person. He had grown into a good-sized dog, friendly, but sometimes a little over eager. Will got off the floor where he had been petting Winston and went to the door.
It was unusual for him to do, but Will opened the door without checking first to see who was there. He looked at the person standing on the doorstep and a strangled cry escaped his mouth. Alana jumped up and ran to see what was the matter, Winston bounded after her, barking. The sight that met her eyes caused her to cry with joy.
Hannibal stood on the doorstep, dressed in his old suit, and looking quite charming with a few grey hairs at his temple. He smiled and nodded at Alana.
"William, I have missed you. May I come in?" He waited for the nod from a dumbstruck Will before he walked into the house. He took in the decorations Alana had put up commemorating Will's achievements as Winston came over to inspect him. Abigail came running into the room, her little collar jingling. Hannibal strode forward and scooped her up. She fuzzed his cheek and purred. Finally Hannibal put her down and went to hug Alana. He thanked her for her help at his trial, and then he turned to Will, who stood in the middle of the living room looking lost.
Hannibal admired the new Will who stood awkwardly before him. Will was just an inch or so shorter than Hannibal, and incredibly handsome, just as Hannibal had expected. He was more toned, more of a man than a boy now, especially with his day-old beard. His clothes and glasses were similar in style to what he'd always worn, and Hannibal found that comforting. His awkward little mongoose hadn't changed so much after all.
Alana slipped out of the room to go clean dishes in the kitchen, even though they had a washing machine. Hannibal waited until she left, and strode over to stand in front of Will. Will's eyes met Hannibal's and Hannibal felt his heart stop. Will's icy blue eyes looked adoringly at him, before Will turned his eyes down to stare at Hannibal's tie. After what felt like an eternity, Will raised his eyes back to Hannibal's.
This time their eyes met, Hannibal put his hands on either side of Will's face, keeping his attention, and then he leaned in and kissed Will. Will kissed him back, and Hannibal felt a moments jealousy knowing Will must have kissed other people while he was locked away, but then he dismissed the feelings and focused on savoring his first kiss with New Will.
Will broke away with a sob, and clung to Hannibal as he wept. He had spent so much time missing Hannibal that he didn't know what to do now. Hannibal pulled Will's head up again and placed kisses all over his face like he used to do. He marveled at the way Will's stubble felt against his lips as he trailed kisses down Will's face and neck. Will whimpered when Hannibal pulled away to lean his forehead against Will's.
"I missed you so much Will, but I am exhausted now. Tomorrow you must tell me all about how you and Alana have passed these last five years. And then I'd like to kiss you some more." Hannibal chuckled at Will's blush. "But, for now I am going to bathe and then sleep." Will nodded and pulled away from Hannibal reluctantly.
Hannibal was pleased to find his room was just as he had left it. It was obvious Will or Alana cleaned the room regularly, but had been adamant about keeping things in their rightful place. He enjoyed a relaxing warm bath, soaking for hours, and then dressed in his silk pajamas and went to sleep.
Alana entered the living room and hugged Will. He was crying and smiling, and Alana knew how he felt. She made him a cup of hot chocolate and sat with him until he finished it. She put away the exams she'd been grading, and Will let Winston out in the yard to go to the bathroom one last time before the morning. Alana hugged Will one more time and went up to bed.
Will went and sat in the library for a while, remembering his visits with Hannibal and how they'd cuddle on the couch. Only once he felt himself nodding off, did he finally go to bed.
Hannibal woke up, startled, forgetting for a moment that he was home. It took him a second to notice the smell of breakfast. He wondered if Will was cooking or if it was Alana. Curious, he padded out to the kitchen. He was greeted by the sight of a boxer clad Will making breakfast. Hannibal had to stop himself from drooling. Finally, he walked over and cleared his throat.
Will turned around with a start, but smiled shyly when he saw Hannibal.
"Hey, uh, it's nothing like you make, but I've learned to cook. Would you like breakfast? I was going to take mom breakfast in bed. She hates getting up early when she's on break." Will flipped another crepe and added it to the plate he was organizing for Alana.
"Please, I'd love to try something you have made." Hannibal took a moment to realize "mom" was Alana, but then the photos set up in the hall made more sense. He smiled, pleased that Alana had been there for Will and found a reason to stick around. He sat down at the table and waited until Will returned from taking Alana her tray.
Will brought him a generous helping of strawberry and cream filled crepes and some bacon. Hannibal was amused that the bacon was actually pork, but he hoped to remedy that some time soon. As Will went about filling his own plate, before sitting down, Hannibal admired Will from under his lashes. Not that Hannibal minded, but he had to wonder if Will's boxers were the same he wore in high school because they were so short and worn. He considered taking Will shopping at some point in the near future. He was also pleased to note that there were no visible scars left from Tobias's attack.
Will sat and waited for Hannibal to try his food. Hannibal smiled and took a bite. He was pleased to find that Will was really quite a good cook. Will was flattered by Hannibal's obvious pleasure and began to eat his own breakfast.
Alana soon hobbled out wrapped in a blanket, and put her tray and empty plate next to the sink. She came and sat down next to Will, absentmindedly rubbing his shoulder. Then she reached across the table to squeeze Hannibal's hand. She seemed to wake up some more, and went to put the kettle on. Alana stayed standing while it heated, and then brought them each a mug of chamomile tea before sitting down again.
The trio sat at the table until they had all finished eating. Hannibal took everyone's dishes and filled the washing machine. Then he followed Will and Alana out into the living room.
Alana took the armchair and curled up under her blanket. He wondered how Will could go around in just boxers in the winter, even with the heater on. He got his answer when he sat next to Will on the couch. Winston hopped up and acted as a living blanket. Hannibal couldn't hide a little frown at all the dog hair on the couch.
"Sorry, I hope you don't mind Winston on the furniture. He does shed a bit more than Abigail." Will looked sheepish and scratched behind Winston's ears. Abigail trotted into the room as if she had been summoned. She headed for Will, but seeing Hannibal, she quickly changed her mind and hopped into his lap. He stroked her soft glossy coat as she purred. He had missed Abigail.
"No matter, I'm sure I can get used to it." Will grinned at Hannibal and opened a book he'd left on the coffee table. Hannibal relaxed back into the comfort of his couch and stroked Abigail. He had missed his creature comforts when he was in prison.
As Hannibal admired how cozy his large home had become with the addition of Will and Alana, he realized there were no Christmas decorations. Christmas was the next day. Hannibal hadn't ever celebrated the holiday, but he assumed they would.
"I never celebrated Christmas, but if the two of you want to, you should go ahead and do so. I don't have any decorations in the house, but feel free to buy some and decorate."
Alana shifted under her blanket and smiled sleepily at Hannibal. Will looked up from his book.
"I haven't celebrated since I moved out of my parents' home. I asked Will if he wanted to celebrate, but he didn't want to." Alana forced herself from the chair and shuffled over to them. She sat on the other side of Will. Alana freed a hand from her warm blanket cocoon so she could run her hand through Will's curls.
"I never cared for the holidays, I didn't see any reason to bother celebrating these past few years." Will leaned back against Alana as she stroked his hair.
"Not celebrating is fine with me. But would you two like to do something this evening just for us to celebrate our reunion?" Alana beamed at Hannibal and Will looked eager. "Perhaps we could all go ice-skating?"
Alana grinned and looked to Will.
"Yeah! That would be fun. I've never ice-skated before." Will smiled at Hannibal and began to read again as he leaned on Alana.
Hannibal smiled, pleased with their plans. He couldn't wait to teach Will to ice skate. He hoped it would be a good chance to show Alana that he cared about her precious boy, and show Will he accepted that Alana was now a part of their lives.
After a nice lunch, courtesy of Will, they got ready to go ice-skating. Alana came out to the living room wearing a pair of black tights and a long sleeve white blouse with a red gored skirt and a matching red pea coat and a black scarf. Will wore a pair of dark jeans and a light blue shirt. Alana helped him into his gray pea coat and wrapped the scarf Hannibal had given Will around his neck.
Both Will and Alana were startled to see Hannibal wearing a pair of jeans. It was strange for them to see him in something so casual, even paired with his usual fine clothing: a white shirt with a red V-neck sweater and a dark brown overcoat and a plaid scarf incorporating red, white, and brown. Hannibal smiled at their expressions, and chuckled good-naturedly.
"Do you mind if I drive? It's been a while." Hannibal smiled when they both gave soft smiles and nodded. He was amused to see that Will and Alana had started behaving similarly since they spent so much time together. Like a real son, Will had taken up some of Alana's mannerisms.
Hannibal drove to an ice rink in town, only a twenty-five minute drive away. They had a large sign advertising that they remained open on Christmas Eve. A few other cars could be seen parked outside, but all in all, Will estimated that there could only be a few other people skating. That was fine with him; he'd rather not have many witnesses to his poor skating.
The trio entered the building, Hannibal holding the door for both Alana and Will before following. Will blushed lightly when he felt Hannibal's hand gently guiding him at the small of his back. Alana tried to hide a smile when she saw the two, but Hannibal noticed and was glad she approved.
They walked up to the counter and asked for their skates. The boy behind the counter handed the skates to each of them and told them to have fun. They found a bench to sit at and Alana put her purse down and they left their shoes next to one another in a row.
Alana was quite adept at skating, and made her way to the rink and waited for Will and Hannibal to catch up. Hannibal helped Will lace up the skates and led him along next to him. Will balked when it came time to cross onto the ice though. Alana held her hands out encouragingly, and Hannibal still held Will's arm, but Will wouldn't budge.
Hannibal kept one arm holding Will's and he moved his other arm to support Will's back. Will still just stared wide-eyed at the ice. Alana tried to sooth him and went to support his other side. Finally, Hannibal pushed firmly with his palm on Will's lower back and forced him to step onto the ice or fall on his face.
Alana and Hannibal rushed to keep a hold of each side of Will as they eased out onto the ice. Will's legs were like jelly, and it was all Hannibal and Alana could do to keep him up. Alana was marginally shorter than Will, and began to weary of holding him up after the first loop around the rink. Will felt bad for his beautiful mama, stuck holding her scared adult son when she could be enjoying herself on the ice.
Hannibal felt his heart warm when Will shifted all his weight to cling to him. Alana looked surprised, but relieved.
"Go skate mama, I want you to have fun. Hannibal can teach me to skate." Alana felt a bit guilty, but she trusted Hannibal to take care of Will. She eased more to the center of the rink and began to practice what she could remember from skating lessons as a young woman.
Hannibal admired Alana as she skated. She was very beautiful, always had been. Now she had a few more creases on her face than he remembered, but her hair was still as dark as ever. She was only two years younger than Hannibal, but he had aged quicker while locked away. Hannibal moved his observations to Will, and noted with a smile that Will was even more beautiful than his mama, though Will was unaware of it.
Will was embarrassed to clutch Hannibal's arm so tight, but he was more afraid to fall. Some of the couples they passed as they skated looked at them strangely, but luckily no one said anything. Will knew it must have looked strange for three adults to come skating together, especially with Hannibal looking older than him and Alana. But Will tried not to worry about it; people would only think them more strange if they knew the pretty woman was mother to a man who looked nearly her age.
As Will gained more confidence, Hannibal slowly eased him off of his side. Finally, he got Will to skate beside him as they held hands. Will flushed, and could hardly take his eyes off of their hands. Hannibal was glad Will was distracted, because now they were getting dirty looks from one of the couples skating nearby. Hannibal kept an eye on the blonde woman and her bald husband as they skated. He made sure to keep Will on the far side of him so he couldn't notice the dark looks the couple sent their way.
Alana had picked up on the dirty looks as she zipped around. She slipped up next to Will and held his other hand. Sure, she would have liked to leave Will and Hannibal to have some time together, but she'd rather not have some close-minded couple angering Hannibal right out of prison. She couldn't be sure how he'd react, and she wasn't sure Will, or even she could go another few years with Hannibal locked away.
Hannibal would have liked to kill the couple, but he could tell that was exactly what Alana Bloom feared. She was right to worry, and so he didn't hold it against her. He noted that the rude couple now looked confused. They probably couldn't decide if the trio were friends or family. At least he wouldn't have to worry about a confrontation and Will being insulted by anyone.
They skated like that a little while more, until the rude couple left. Then Alana squeezed Will's hand and darted off again. Will leaned closer to Hannibal so their arms were touching all the way from their entwined fingers up to their shoulders.
