Sitting down on the sofa after a long day at work, Rachel was glad for a moment to close her eyes. Will was sat on the floor beneath the sofa, his legs stretched out in front of him as his laptop balanced on his lap. Rachel was lounging on the seat, her head resting on a cushion at one end of the sofa as she curled into a ball, a blanket over her body as she watched Will work.

"I can sense you staring," Will said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose as Rachel smirked at hearing him, closing her eyes for a moment.

"It's soothing," she said and Will chuckled, a small smile forming on his face at hearing her. "And I'm probably going to end up asleep soon."

"It's seven p.m." Will said and she rolled her eyes at hearing him.

"Does it matter?" she wondered. "It's been a long few days, what with you attracting murderers and work today. I'm exhausted."

Will looked over his shoulder to her as he arched a brow. "And you have to be up early in the morning. There's a staff meeting in the morning."

"What?" Rachel asked, eyes opening wide as Will watched her, his face softening up as he let his eyes fall onto her. "How did I not know there was a staff meeting and you did? I read all of your emails."

It was then when she saw a teasing smirk on his face. She realised he had been joking with her. She moved her hand out, hitting it against Will's shoulder as the former field agent laughed into his fist while yawning. He shook his head as she pulled her hand back under the blanket she had over her body.

"That was a cruel thing to do, Will," she said.

"I couldn't resist," he responded to her. "You looked so angry at the thought of having to be up early."

"I was angry with the thought of having to be up early," she protested. "Besides, Hannibal said that he wanted to cook dinner for me tomorrow evening which would make the day even longer."

"And you don't want to go?" Will enquired.

"Of course I do," she informed him. "I just don't want to go tomorrow. I'd rather come back here, run with the dogs and then watch bad TV."

"Bad TV?"

"You know," Rachel drawled, rolling onto her back and looking to the ceiling for a moment, "reality TV. Those shows that clever FBI profilers like you wouldn't watch."

"I can imagine," Will agreed. "However-"

Will didn't have a chance to answer her as he heard a knock on the door. Rachel sat up straight, worry coursing through her as Will closed the lid to his laptop. Looking to the door, Rachel swung the blanket from her body as Will moved, his hand going to her shoulder for a moment and squeezing it in a reassuring manner.

"It won't be him," he promised her, remember the last time that Andrew had come to his house.

Will unlocked the front door and pulled it open, the sight of Alana stood there enough to make his eyes widen. He peeled it further open and allowed her inside. Rachel let out a deep breath as Will shot her a reassuring glance.

"Doctor Bloom," Rachel said, feeling surprisingly inappropriate considering she was on Will's sofa in her pyjamas with her wet hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Rachel," Alana greeted her. "And please, just call me Alana."

"Do you want a coffee?" Rachel asked, her voice polite as she motioned to the kitchen, but Alana shook her head at Rachel.

"No, thank you very much," she said. "However, I would like to speak with Will…just for a minute or two."

"Of course," Rachel said, getting the hint that she wasn't wanted. "I'll leave you to it."

Rachel stalked off upstairs, heading towards her bedroom and opening the door. She walked into the room and plopped onto the bed, wondering exactly what Alana was going to discuss with Will so late at night. Moving to take hold of her laptop, Rachel pulled the lid open and, despite her best efforts not to, looked on , wondering if Alana was here about another murder. Then again, if she was coming to Will instead of Jack then it might be something different.

Alana wasn't there for long and Rachel heard the door shut downstairs. She climbed off the bed and treaded along the wooden floor towards the staircase and back downstairs. Moving into the kitchen, Rachel heard Will placing a pot of water on the stove. She folded her arms over her stomach and looked to Will.

"Abigail has woken up," Will said to Rachel. "I…Alana thinks that I shouldn't go to see her yet. She thinks that I…I am too attached, that I collect strays."

"And she thinks that Abigail will be another stray?" Rachel enquired.

"She thinks exactly that," Will said.

"I don't think that is the best thing, but I can understand why you feel a sense of obligation towards her. I just think that you shouldn't get too close."

"And what might happen if I do?" Will wondered from Rachel and she shrugged.

"From my experience, you'll end up getting hurt," Rachel spoke and Will turned to look to her, shaking his head back and forth.

"No one is going to get hurt," Will said. "Besides, I'm going to let Alana go first and then I might be able to see her. In the meantime, I need to finish my presentation for tomorrow on Garrett Jacob Hobbs and The Copycat Killer."

"The what?" Rachel wondered from him.

"There was a body found in a field in Minnesota when we were working on Hobbs's case. It looked like the work of him. The woman, Cassie Boyle, was impaled on antlers in the middle of the field. At the time I thought that it was Hobbs, but now I'm not too sure."

"So you think that it is a copycat?" she wondered.

"That's exactly what I think," he spoke. "But I need to look into it further."

"Just be careful, alright?" Rachel demanded from him. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

Will managed a small smile for her, not entirely sure if he could promise her that.

Rachel was sat behind her desk when she heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up, the sight of Hannibal and Jack entering her vision. Moving to her feet, she straightened out the skirt she wore on her thighs, pushing it down before smiling between the two men.

"Will is currently teaching," Rachel informed them. "I assume that is why you are here?"

"Correct, Miss Roberts," Jack spoke. "I need to speak with Will about Abigail Hobbs. Do you know what his schedule is like for the rest of the week?"

"I can have a look," Rachel said, sinking back into her seat and moving to take hold of the large diary in front of her. She pulled it forwards and flicked through the pages. She hummed lightly and Hannibal let his eyes move over her, examining her with intrigue. She seemed chirpier than usual.

He wondered if she and Will had managed to patch up their differences? Perhaps that was why she was in a better mood.

Before she could speak, the phone began to ring and Rachel moved to grab hold of it, still looking into the pages as she spoke and Hannibal watched her with intrigue.

"Will Graham's office," Rachel answered. "This is she…yes…oh….hello."

Jack saw the PA shift suddenly, sitting up straight and turning on her chair, looking into the distance as she muttered down the phone, pleasantries slowly leaving her mind. She hung up after a minute and went back to the diary, coughing softly as she kept her eyes fixed on the page beneath her.

"Um…well…Will has a class tomorrow but I can see if someone would cover for him, or see if I can reschedule it for early next week," Rachel commented in a whisper. "Where is it that he needs to go?"

"Port Haven Psychiatric Facility in Baltimore," Jack answered. "I want him to speak with Abigail Hobbs."

"Yes," Rachel said with a nod of her head. "I can do that for him."

"Miss Roberts, that phone call-"

"-Nothing important," Rachel interrupted Jack, plastering a smile onto her face as she stood and began to walk. "I'll take you to the lecture hall. Can I get you a drink while you wait for Will to finish?"

"No, thank you," Jack said as he followed Rachel, offering Hannibal an inquisitive stare. He wondered exactly what was going on, but Hannibal knew exactly what was happening.

Following Rachel towards the lecture hall, Hannibal watched her make her polite goodbyes, but he followed her a moment after, leaving Jack stood in the entranceway and watching Will teach. Hannibal soon caught up with Rachel, finding her rushing into the small staff bathroom. He was respectful, of course, knocking on the door.

"Rachel?" he called out to her, pushing the door open slightly.

He could see her in the reflection of the mirrors above the basin. She was bent over the sink, her hands holding onto the sides of it as she bowed her head. She struggled to grab her breath back as Hannibal looked around to make sure there was no one else around. Letting the door close behind him as he entered the women's bathroom, Hannibal made his way closer to Rachel.

He placed his hands into the pocket of his light brown pea coat, his eyes set on the woman in front of him.

"The trial starts on Monday," Rachel said in a whisper. "I'm…they want me to take to the stand on Tuesday…that's less than a week."

Nodding, Hannibal seemed to understand what he was hearing from her as he moved towards where she stood. Leaning over her, he placed his hand on the tap of the sink and began to run the cold water. He let his hand move down to her back, his palm resting there as his fingers moved up and down to try and soothe her.

"We have discussed this before," Hannibal said to her.

"I know," Rachel said. "And I'm going to do it. I want to go in front of a jury and testify. I want them to know what he did. I just worry that they won't believe me."

"The chances of that are very slim, Rachel," Hannibal promised her as she bent down and splashed the cold water on her face, resting just above the faucet as Hannibal noticed her calf muscles flex while she bent. "I know that it might seem like you are struggling now, but there is enough evidence to prosecute him. There is my testimony…Will's…Jack Crawford…all of us are respectable in our professions. And you are no liar."

"They don't know that," Rachel mumbled.

"No," Hannibal said, "but they will when they see you."

"I'm sorry," Rachel blurted out. "I need to deal with this. I know what is happening and I need to face it. I can't keep crying…or worrying…none of it will make it any better."

Straightening up, Rachel looked to Hannibal as he moved to take hold of a paper towel. Moving one hand to hold her chin softly, he moved the towel to dab her eye clear of the tears. She offered him a small smile as he spoke in a small and low tone.

"You have nothing to worry over," he promised her. "However, you do need to worry about your makeup as I fear I may have smudged it."

Rachel laughed then as she took the tissue from Hannibal and turned to look in the mirror, sniffing as the doctor continued to observe her. He watched her fix her face, his mind on something else entirely, however.

Will walked by Rachel's side that evening, both of them with their hands in their pockets. The dogs raced ahead through the field as they ambled slowly behind. Rachel had a woollen hat on her head, her purple coat covering her body. She had changed into a pair of skinny jeans and walking shoes before joining Will for his nightly stroll.

"You should have told me about the trial," Will said.

"You were teaching and Jack wanted to talk to you," Rachel informed him. "I had a moment of weakness, but Hannibal spoke sense into me. I'm fine now. I just need to testify and tell the truth. Andrew can't get away with it this time."

"He won't," Will promised her. "I'm due to talk after you. The prosecution called me after I had visited Abigail."

"And how is she?" Rachel wondered from him.

"I'd be lying if I said fine," Will declared. "She's…it's going to take her time, but she wants to go back home. I think she needs to go back in a way to help her heal. I'm going with her to Minnesota tomorrow morning, but I'll be home before the weekend. Hannibal is coming with me too."

"Right," she spoke, sensing that Will was staring at her with intrigue. "I'll be fine, Will. You don't need to be worried over me."

"Easier said than done," Will said. "Anyway, I trust you heard the latest news?"

"Oh, that you're mentally unstable and are looking to kill Freddie Lounds?" Rachel enquired and Will felt his lips quirk. "I might have heard something about it on Tattle Crime of all places."

Looking over to Will, she was relieved to see that he was still smiling as she moved her hand over to take hold of his arm, holding it loosely in her grip as Will moved to look back to her and she smiled.

"Forget about her," she urged of him. "We both know that she's talking rubbish."

"But I did say those things to her…about not pissing off someone who thinks about killing," Will said.

"But you didn't mean it in a way that…well…you're not going to kill Freddie Lounds, are you?" she asked of him. "I know that she is a pain, but I don't think that killing her is necessarily the answer."

Will nodded his agreement with her, "I don't intend to do anything. I just wanted her to go away."

"She will," Rachel promised him.

"We've gone completely off topic," Will said. "We were talking about you, not me. You always manage to do this. You're very good at deflection."

"Are you profiling me?" she wondered from him and he chuckled as the dogs began to bark and Rachel moved to take hold of the ball that Winston had dropped.

Picking it up, she tossed it into the distance and they all ran off again before she turned her head over her shoulder and walked backwards, still looking at Will as his intense stare remained on her.

"Never," Will said. "I just observe things."

"Well, you don't need to," she said. "Besides, I'm fine now. I promise. I'll be fine while you're in Minnesota and I'll be fine at the trial."

"And I'll be there," Will told her and she smiled at hearing him.

"That means a lot," she said.

"Well, you mean a lot," Will clarified and he felt himself warm up, wondering why he had said that. He looked down, hands still in his pocket before he shook his head. "Sorry. I know that we said we wouldn't talk about feelings."

"It's fine," Rachel assured him and she moved to fall into step besides him, tucking her arm inside of Will's arm. "I don't mind you talking, Will. It's just that I don't know how far I can act on my feelings."

Will nodded. "And that I understand," he assured her. "Listen, Rachel, I'm going to be here for as long as you need me and I will wait."

"That's not fair, Will," Rachel protested. "You shouldn't have to wait for me. You should be able to go and find someone…"

"I don't want that," Will told her.

"You don't know for sure," Rachel told him and he stood still, jerking her backwards as she tried to keep moving. She looked into his eyes as he watched her back, his hands moving to take hold of her cheeks.

"I know for sure," he contradicted her. "Trust me, Rachel, I know what I am thinking and right now I am thinking about only you and how I can make sure you are kept safe and happy."

Stepping forwards, Rachel found herself moving until her arms were around Will's midriff. Holding onto him gently, she let her cheek move to rest just on his shoulder while his arms went around her.

"You're too kind to me," Rachel said and Will scoffed, his hand finding her hair and tangling into it gently.

"That's because…well…because of many reasons," Will said. "Just know that you have nothing to worry about, not as long as I can help it."

Rachel was grateful for Will transforming the spare bedroom upstairs into her own space. She had a bed and some basic furniture. She had enough to keep her comfortable. Most nights she would only fall asleep against her will and usually wake up with nightmares. But this night it was different. This night she heard Will.

Moving from her bed, Rachel treaded gently down the steps and towards the living room where Will slept. She walked in cautiously, the dogs all asleep before she let her eyes fall onto Will. There was only a small bit of light from where the curtains hadn't been drawn.

Seeing him in bed, Rachel let her eyes widen at the sight of him. Will was tossing and turning, the covers thrown off of him, leaving him in only his boxers and his blue top. He was sweating, his body drenched in it and his shirt clinging to him as he tossed and turned. Moving to sit on the edge of the bed, Rachel moved a hand towards him, her fingers curling on his shoulder.

"Will," she spoke his name. "Will, wake up. Will."

She shook him another couple of times before he opened his eyes, his breathing erratic as he struggled to control it. Sitting up slowly, Will looked around, wondering where he was for a moment. It only took him another second before he let his eyes go to linger on Rachel.

"It's okay," Rachel said, sensing his distress. "Will, it's okay, I'm here."

Will bit down on his tongue as he felt Rachel move to wrap her arms around him. "It's okay," she kept repeating. "Everything's okay."

Will nodded his head as he let his arms dangle by his side and he felt her hands in his hair, parting it with her fingertips.

"I've got you," she said in a whisper.

"I keep seeing him," Will muttered. "I keep seeing his face."

Rachel suspected she knew who he was talking about. Hobbs. He must be talking of him.

"You had no choice, Will," Rachel promised him. "He's gone now. He's gone."

"He's always there," Will said. "And I'm too late to stop him from hurting Abigail. He kills her and I could have stopped him."

"You did stop him," Rachel assured him. "Listen to me, Will, you stopped him and saved that young girl's life. You did that. You know that you did."

"Doesn't stop the dreams," Will complained to her and she let out a small breath at hearing him before she pulled back for a moment and Will gulped. "Sorry."

"No," Rachel said, "there is nothing to be sorry about, Will. Do you want me to stay down here tonight?"

Will shook his head. "I'll be fine," he assured her.

"No…I'll stay here," Rachel said and she stood up. "I'll take the sofa. You should get some sleep. You have a flight in the morning."

Will watched her settle on the sofa before he spoke, still propped on his elbows. "You can't keep the nightmares away, Rachel."

She grabbed hold of the blanket, looking at Will over the back of the sofa as she managed a drowsy smile. "But I can wake you from them."

A/N: Do let me know what you think!