"Played him like a fiddle."

Barely hearing Zeller's words over the song of his own mind, Will shuddered from the space against the wall where he had propped himself up. Though all were back at the lab, Jack was mercifully absent and Hannibal had been waved off from his side so Will was left to his respite for now.

The team and Hannibal were currently standing around the body, looking down into it. Will knew he should be there along side them all as well, but couldn't muster up the energy to do so just yet. Not when he could still feel the residue of the rosin powder engrained into his palms or remember the way the strings indented his fingertips. Even worse, the song….that terrible music of dark longing and open invitation…that bizarre sound of corpse notes played that bespoke of a love and a death in equal parts….had been brought forth from the dead man's throat by his own hands for Hannibal.

Who had applauded from the front row. Standing ovation with what looked to be tears in his sanguine eyes.

Will felt like he was losing further touch with reality as he closed his eyes and tried desperately to break apart the melody in his head, the one playing itself on a loop. He was shattering to a soundtrack of his own making, one that was trying to herald him into new acts of madness. Will felt that his intermission of sanity had been far too fleeting. He hadn't even had time to visit the lobby and get himself a snack. Biting his tongue, Will tried to focus on what was being said in the here and now. He knew it wouldn't be good thing if he started giggling to himself for no reason in the presence of a body. Coworkers, and sane people in general, tended to frown on those sort of things.

"Along with the resin powder, we found sodium carbonate, sulfur dioxide, lye, and olive oil in the wounds." Beverly's voice cut through the din. Will found himself following her words well enough between the notes being played, his current state of mind comparing her voice to a clarinet, making it into one.

"What's the deal with the olive oil?" Zeller's brow furrowed with confused distaste. Will focused on the tall, dark haired Alpha for some diversion, Will using his gifts to glean that Zeller didn't want to deal with another cannibal. While very much in agreement, Will decided that Zeller would be an oboe.

"Sure wasn't making salad." Price pitched in, echoing the unspoken sentiment in the notes of a bassoon.

"Whatever could he was trying to produce, it was an authentic one." Hannibal's voice was like a revelation in the form of a violin, something refined and aged well by technique and experience. A Stradivarius to round out the trio of wood winds, the quartet around the meat cello making their own kind of music. "Olive oil hasn't been used in the production of catgut for over a century. It was said to increase the life of the strings and create a sweeter, more melodic sound."

Much like the one in his head, Will thought as he trembled under its continuing weight. There was a point when loveliness in any form became too much, when masterpieces were reduced to smudges of coloring on canvas, carved marble realized to be chunks of rock, and symphonies devolved into a clamor of discord.

"I bet you're fun to play Trivial Pursuit with." Beverly chuckled, her voice a ripple of playful sound that complimented the others well. Trying to follow the new opus being played around him, Will wondered to himself if Hannibal even knew what Trivial Pursuit was. The Alpha didn't strike him as the game board type. Chess perhaps though, maybe even Chinese checkers, but nothing that had funny little cards in the mix or any plastic pieces for that matter. The concepts of plastic tokens and Hannibal just didn't seem to sit well in Will's head, the empath struggling again not to start giggling.

"He removed anything non muscular or fatty around the vocal folds." Zeller's voice blended in once again. Will focused on what was being spoken to distract himself once more.

"The sulfur dioxide had the effect of hardening the vocal chords." Price harmoniously explained, making himself Will's second favorite person after Beverly. Will liked the Beta's self deprecating humor, and his conversational timing. Price seemed to know what to say and when to say it, and Will appreciated that ability. It was one that always seemed to allude him.

"Made them easier to play." Will supplied unsteadily, and nearly threw up upon hearing the sound of his own voice as it blended in with the other's music. Oh sweet Jesus, he was a cello. He dry swallowed back rising bile. Puking would be frowned down upon too.

Finding himself back where he had started, Will glared over at the corpse, his instrument of bone and rotting flesh, the killer in his head turned conductor taking control of this orchestra for a moment. "Had to open you up to get a decent sound out of you."

That was enough to make everyone pause long enough to stare over at Will for various reason. Answering emotions from his audience ranged from fear, discomfort, fascination, and oddly enough, amusement from Hannibal, though Will knew he was the only one who could see it gracing the Alpha's still features. It was enough to make the empath come back to himself in horrifically clear realization that he had just said something abnormal. Shamed and embarrassed, Will noticed that his coworkers were being kept from commenting on it by Hannibal who was giving them a hard look, his power making all their skin tingle in warning.

Hiding his face in his hands, Will focused on the 'not puking at work or in front of other people' thing to save himself further humiliation as his own stomach worked against him, knocking in over itself painfully. Something cool gently bumping against Will's white knuckled fingers made the Omega look up to find a glass of water being presented to him by Hannibal. When Will made no move to accept it, Hannibal pressed the glass to Will's lips, the Alpha's other hand cupping the Omega's jaw to hold him steady and work his mouth open. Will hadn't realized he was so thirsty until moisture hit his tongue, leaned into Hannibal's touch despite the intimacy of it in a work environment. Will knew if Jack saw this that they would never hear the end of it.

"You pick it up and can't play it, he'll put you down and play you." Beverly said warily. In another life if they had been other people, Will reflected that he could have really loved her. He knew it was in her nature as a Beta to want to support and even guard him, but it didn't make him like her any less for it.

Setting the now empty glass aside, Hannibal placed his hands on his mate, feeling the Omega shuddered beneath his touch. The burden of this fresh killer in Will's head was beginning to take its toll. Hannibal could still hear the music of cello maker playing in the background of Will's head. It didn't bother him, but apparently Will was being eroded down to his foundations note for note. Running his fingers underneath Will's leather collar to touch the still healing bond marks underneath, Hannibal exerted some increment of control over Will to disrupt the music that played itself out behind the Omega's eyelids. To his inner delight, Will let him, his mate practically going limp with relief against the Alpha.

"He took the time to whiten the vocal cords before playing them." Zeller said, sounding more like himself and less like an instrument now there was quiet in his mindscape. Will breathed a sigh of relief as he made himself stand up and step away from Hannibal to join his coworkers. To his relief, Will noted that his Alpha looked more amused than offended by this as Will shrugged off Hannibal's hands.

"It's not about whitening them. It was about increasing elasticity." Will sighed though he sounded stronger now, more mentally balanced.

"He treated the vocal cords the same way you treat catgut strings." Beverly said to be met with inquisitive looks that wanted to ask but deemed it too racist or inappropriate. Beverly rolled her eyes back at them, letting the men know she was not impressed with any of them. "Yes, I played the violin."

"You must perform for us some time soon then." Hannibal remarked with a slight smile at the Beta who grinned back. "One needs a passion and a certain zest for life to truly play the violin. Both of which you have in abundance."

"Sweet talker. Feed me and I'll consider risking your hearing." Beverly laughed. "I said I played it. I didn't say I played it well. Talent is just as important as passion, if not more so."

"Both were applied here. This takes a steady hand. A confidence." Will remarked, his eyes taking in the finer details of the splayed flesh, the crafting of it. "He's killed before."

"Like this?" Price warily asked, not liking the prospect of more dead bodies made to resemble an orchestra.

"No, not like this. This is a skilled musician trying out a new instrument." Will mumbled, sounded tired even to himself as he disengaged, stepping away from the rotting cello. The music was returning, seeping in at his edges like strange foxfire that haunted him with sound instead of ghost light. A hand placed to the small of his back guided Will out, the Omega realizing that Hannibal was taking the lead, and Will found that he was grateful for it. He wouldn't be expected to drive, to find his way home, or do anything a normal person would have to do, at least for a little while. He could just simply exist and that would be fine.

"I want that dinner, Doc!" was the last thing Will heard in parting before he slipped under a wave of music and sound that threatened to pull him under like a riptide. Will's last cognitive thought was spent hoping that he would not embarrass himself further by passing out.

oOo

When Will came back to himself, he realized several things. Prevalently, he was safe, back at home. Will could tell that much even before he opened his eyes. The mingled scents of Alpha and Omega that were purely theirs made Will relax immediately, certain instincts standing down with the realization as the Omega recognized the smell of their aftershaves and other bathroom brands.

Another detail was that Will could feel he was naked and that the bathroom was a little cool. The backs of his arms and legs kept goose bumping, but Will wasn't too concerned about that at the moment.

First and foremost, Will could discern that he was currently being leaned over a bathroom counter and fucked into the cold marble with Hannibal's teeth latched into his neck. Crying out, Will pushed back against the onslaught of thrusts as the Omega used his hands to brace himself and push back in tandem.

"There you are." Will heard Hannibal murmur into his throat, releasing the flesh long enough to do so before sinking his teeth back into Will's meat.

"Here I am." Will gasped like one resurfacing to gulp at sweetly missed air. "Did I faint?"

"No. You appeared to act perfectly normal. You even responded to inquires and held conversation convincingly well. That which is you was not present though." Hannibal said, finally leaving off of Will's bloody neck with his teeth to replace it with a broad tongue.

"And that doesn't worry you?" Will wondered as his shoulders were pinned down, the Alpha lapping up the blood that threatened to spill over from clean cut indentations. There was pain from it, but it was so muddled up with everything else going on all Will could do was press himself into the cool stone of the counter.

"What you do is not good for you. Your mind was protecting itself from a traumatic experience." Hannibal all but growled above him, making Will shiver in response.

"I've never lost time before." Will rasped. He was being roughly handled and it was doing wonderfully bad things to him. Hannibal was owning him, leaving bruises, completing the collar of scars around his neck, and Will couldn't bring himself to care. A part of him sat in the back of his mind, frightened and screaming at the thought of being bound even further to an Alpha, but it was being drowned out more and more. After a lifetime of struggle against his own nature, the relief of just letting go was bliss.

"You've never been in a bond before. I believe you were trying to protect me as well." Hannibal told him, speaking mostly in truths for once. During Will's autonomous state, their bond had remained intact, though Will's lands and ocean had been covered in a thick blanket of fog. The ravenstag was still there as well, guiding Hannibal to wherever he wanted to go.

"So I stopped the thinking?" Will reasoned out for himself, risking a look sideways over his shoulder at Hannibal. His Alpha looked magnificent, covering in a sheen of sweat, his muscles moving smooth and strong as his hips pistoned against Will's ass.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Hannibal smiled, his teeth and lips stained crimson. It should have looked frightening, a scene straight out of Will's nightmares, but the expression was proud and pleased. Will knew he was being allowed to see at least that much from the mask even if he didn't know why.

Will would have asked Hannibal to expand further on the subject, but his bodily responses to the almost brutal stimuli were proving to be too much of a distraction for any further reasoning. His erection kept smacking his lower abdomen almost painfully, making sticky sounds with every brief contact that was never enough. Feeling too full and too swollen, Will wondered how long they had been at this or how Hannibal came by the idea to fuck him back to sanity. Hannibal's hand on his cock reduced those thoughts to ash, Will reeling from his Alpha's touch as he was stroked in time to the thrusts that were trying to work his body into the dark marble. Will's hands danced across the countertops, attempting to find grip as he came hard and fast into Hannibal's hand. Panting, Will watched in the mirror as Hannibal licked his hand clean, all while staring back at the Omega in the reflection. The Alpha openly smirked as he seemed to savor Will's essence.

Splayed out across the cool surface and drained of all energy, Will was barely cognizant of the Alpha still moving over and in him, using his body. Watching their reflection in the mirror through half lidded eyes, Will let him, even found some sort of comfort in it. He liked being wanted, the encompassing feel of Hannibal leaning over him fully once again to mark the back of his neck with sharp teeth and the scent of iron.

Hannibal's release was a pool of welcomed warmth deep within, his growl muffled by Will's abused flesh. Feeling the Alpha withdrawn himself, Will whimpered in response even as he hated himself for it. He thought it made him sound weak, needy even. Hannibal's seed was still cooling in his body and all Will wanted was to be filled more with it until it ran down his thighs in rivulets, filling his sex with his Alpha's scent so that no other would even dare look his way. Whether he saw it as a personal failing or not, Will wanted his mate close, skin to skin with him, in him.

To his relief and further self disgust, Hannibal was back soon enough, Will realizing the Alpha had only left him long enough to turn on the shower. Roused from his daze, Will found himself braced up against Hannibal under the stream, of being cleaned out by gentle fingers, and his skin rubbed down with body wash that smelled like cinnamon infused sandalwood and a stiff loofah. During the process, Will stared up at Hannibal feeling comfortably blank and devoid of any real feeling. There was still music playing in the background of his mind, but it was something classical with a flute accompanied by other woodwind instruments. The sonata was soft and ignorable.

His attention lapsed long enough for Will to miss how he got from the shower to the bathtub, the Omega becoming aware again to note that he was submerged up to his shoulders in cucumber and sage scented water. It was hot enough to sting, but enough so to make his muscles unclench as stress and other kinks were bled out into the herbaceous bathwater. Will could admit to himself that he was growing quite fond of Hannibal's ridiculously big bathtub as the two men lounged comfortably in its wide depths. Will sat up cradled in Hannibal's arms and against his chest, his long tapered legs on either side of Will's own. Will's hands were being massaged by the Alpha, and in some strange way that felt more intimate than if Hannibal were touching him down below. Watching Hannibal knead his fingers between his own, Will liked the contrast between them, Hannibal's skin tanned and veiny compared to his own paler version, his large hands graceful strong things that worked him over effortlessly.

After a while, the comforting touch was left off so that a wine glass could be pressed to Will's lips, splayed fingers working over his throat to feel the sweet spicy wine be swallowed down in larger sips than were probably good for him. Cheese, real cheddar that was sharp enough to almost make Will wince in pleasure, was placed on his tongue, mingling elegantly with sugary taste left behind in his mouth by the Gewürztraminer. As he chewed, Will watched as Hannibal drank from the same wine glass, the intimacy of it making Will shiver. Knowing what he knew about Hannibal, this was not a gesture to be dismissed lightly or ignored.

This kind of care was decadent, Will chiding himself not to get used to it. All good things came to an end. His life was proof enough of that. It was hard though, especially when Hannibal was pressing kisses to his temple while murmuring foreign words into his dark sodden curls. Sweet nothings that Will couldn't understand, but could easily read the meaning of because of what he was and the bond they shared. The connection between them hummed with contentment, filled with a golden lightness that Will found almost disconcerting in its peaceful nature. Turning his head, Will returned the favor of affection, his lips grazing the curve of the Alpha's throat and the underside of his jaw.

"Among the first musical instruments were flutes carved from human bone." Hannibal spoke softly though his accent still managed to echo in the tiled room, the vibration of his voice sending thrills down Will's spine.

"This murder was a performance." Will hummed back, licking off the droplets of water that clung to Hannibal skin before placing a bruise there with his tongue and teeth. It was a dangerous thing to place any kind of mark on an Alpha's throat or even linger there, but something in this moment told Will that Hannibal would allow it without protest or repercussion. If anything, the Alpha felt pleased by the concept to Will through their bond.

"Every life is a piece of music." Hannibal rumbled against Will's lips as the Omega gave him a collar of his own, one made of garnets that would darken to onyx if he let Will keep up his devotions of tongue and teeth. "Like most music we are finite events, unique arrangements. Sometimes harmonious, sometimes dissonant.

Settling back in thought, Will left off the Alpha's throat to let Hannibal feed him more wine and cheese before adding more to the observation. "Sometimes not worth hearing again." Will sighed, leaning into the hands that stroked his face and throat.

"He's a poet and a psychopath." Hannibal mused, admiring his mate, the way the water made his skin shimmer and his hair curl into elegant loops and twists. His Omega's Heat was coming soon and with it revelations, endings, and hopefully, new beginnings.

"And a craftsman." Will added. He returned those touches, mild tentative explorations of his mate. The pads of his fingers lingered over sharply defined cheekbones, a wide mouth, and an elegant brow that hid its eyebrows. "He shrunk and tanned the vocal chords. That takes considerable patience and skill."

"Like turning iron wire into musical steel." Hannibal agreed, keeping mostly still to encourage Will to keep touching him. Despite their growing familiarity with each other, the Omega still so rarely the initiative to reciprocate affection. Hannibal could feel that it was mostly due to fear of some sort or another. Fear of violence, and fear of abuse were the most prevalent out of the lot. Fear of abandonment was new though, and perhaps, the most sweet of all to acknowledge.

"He'll have a base of operation. This kind of thing needs an established workspace. It's not something he can do on a whim or on the fly." Will worked out, stringing together observations that were floating around in his head like dust mote in shafts of sunlight. "He'll be older, but not old. Late thirties at best. This isn't the skill of a novice. This is work done by someone who's had an apprenticeship, someone who has handled, catalogued, and shaped instruments for the better part of his lifetime…."

Hannibal looked down as Will trailed off in the middle of his assessment, the construction already beginning to form and build up a new exhibit in the gallery of the empath's mind, the part where all the killers resided in him. Hannibal knew it as well as the rooms in his own mind palace. Part of himself resided there permanently in Will's mind though the empath did not or refused to recognize it for who it really was.

Slipping in between thoughts, Hannibal went there often to admire the displays made out of all the vivid colors, sounds, and other detailed information that Will's wonderful mind collected. The empath never seemed to notice the intrusion upon this mental space of his, Will's own fear and self loathing keeping a barrier up so high and opaque that it hid all of Hannibal's comings and goings into it. Though his offer to help Will understand their bond better was genuine, Will's reluctance to accept gave Hannibal the advantage to gain further ground and omit certain things about it while manipulating the headspace.

Their connection was something rare and unique, the levels of which were unprecedented and undocumented. Hours committed to research and scouring text had determined that their bond was truly exceptional. Their levels of connections neared some form of telepathy, and should have been an impossibility.

Accepting the situation at hand for what it was with a clear mind and iron will, Hannibal was determined to be the one in their relationship with the upper hand, but he knew he had to be careful about it, all while working under an indeterminate deadline of sorts. Will's fear was the only real thing keeping himself as bay and blind in his own head, though the empath was beginning to stray further in.

Since their bond had been established in blood and soul deep, Hannibal had already found Will wandering the halls of his mind palace several times, the empath not knowing where he was or how he got there. Terror and/or respect of other people's things had kept Will from opening door or looking into places he shouldn't, something that Hannibal was quite grateful for. Stored away in a tower whose sole purpose of existence was only for her, the odds of Will finding his sister were slim at best, but Hannibal found he was not ready to share Mischa with Will just yet. The Omega would need to understand more about Hannibal and what he was and why he did what he did to appreciate who had been so cruelly taken from him and what revenge truly looked like, what it cost.

"What troubles you, beloved?" Hannibal asked, keeping himself at bay from entering too far in Will's mind, keeping to his side of the places in-between them. He needed Will to think that he was slipping over to his side of their bond by accident or being led there by the stag.

"I still hear what he was playing behind my eyes when I close them." Will murmured, the Omega looking miserable about it. "What he made me play for you."

"I know. I can hear it too." Hannibal said, hiding his smile into the nape of Will's neck.

"I'm sorry." Will whispered, his body growing tense. Hannibal smoothed this new stress away, running his hands along the Omega's sides and arms until Will was relaxing against him again.

"Don't apologize. It's beautiful." Hannibal told Will letting some authority seep into his voice. They had been doing this dance for almost too long. Even his own enduring patience was beginning to fray slightly along to edges. Hannibal longed for Will to recognize the truth, and see him fully, for all the shards and half glimpses to come together in harmony.

"It's maddening." Will muttered in disappointing response, too lost in his own fear to see the big picture just yet.

"You said before in the theater that the killer was performing. Who do you think he was performing for?" Hannibal asked instead of dwelling. His time would come. Now was not it.

"I don't know. Patron of the arts, a fellow musician, or another killer?" Will shook his head, not willing to slip under its tumultuous depths again. He had lost time and that scared him. If he wasn't in control of himself, then who was?

"It's a serenade then." Hannibal mused as he took a moment to refill their wineglass. Watching Will enjoy the finer things in life pleased Hannibal, the sensation of it worth exploring and expanding upon. In the past, Hannibal could be generous with others because he wanted to impress them or belittle them. With Will, the urge to give the Omega everything he needed seemed to come naturally from a new place within him.

"No. This is not how he kills. Normally, he doesn't kill for an audience." Will shook his head, taking the golden wine offered to him. Though it went well with the cheddar, Will found it too sweet to sip at. Blaming the heat of the bath and the heady courage borne from gulped down wine, Will turned his head to press his lips to Hannibal's. The wine seeped into the Alpha's mouth, making the kiss between them all the more sweeter, lasting longer as the Alpha drank the offering. Hannibal licked out the lingering taste of it from Will's mouth, running a broad tongue over the Omega's parted lips in finish.

"You believe he would risk getting caught for a serenade?" Hannibal said as the slick silk of their lips brushed against each other, light kisses chasing after the words.

"I believe he wants to show someone how well he plays." Will murmured, losing himself in the damp heat and the taste of Hannibal's mouth.

"Whoever that poor bastard may be."
oOo

Regrettably, Hannibal could not sleep the rest of the day away after putting the empath to bed. He had to leave his mate behind, sated and marked against cobalt blue silk sheets looking very much like some strange siren or nymph, another round of mating initiated by Will as soon his back hit the mattress. Hannibal had only been too happy to comply, leaving a sticky mess between Will's thighs.

Will's willing submission and increasing sexual need almost made it worth the time spent sitting across from Franklin who was proving difficult to find a referral for. Apparently the man's reputation of clinging to his therapist proceeded Franklin to an extent that Hannibal had not been unaware of, enough so that Hannibal was almost willing to start calling in favors and consider delving into blackmail if need be. If all less failed, Hannibal reasoned out that he could always kill Franklin, making it look like an accident. Suicide would call too much attention to him. That and Hannibal wanted to leave his field on a high note.

The next few words out of Franklin's mouth made Hannibal grateful for all the delays. "Do you remember when I said that Tobias was saying very dark things." Franklin jumped right into it, agitated enough to not even wait until Hannibal had sat down across from him to officially begin their session.

"I made note of it." Hannibal said, overlooking the mild slight in courtesy as he took his seat. Franklin wasn't worth the energy of dispatch or the effort of artistic creation in any form. The thought of eating Franklin actually made Hannibal slightly ill.

"Well he said he wanted to cut someone's throat and play it like a violin." Franklin babbled, practically wringing his hands in dramatics. "They found someone whose throat was cut and played like a violin."

Hannibal grew still with realization as disgust rolled through him, his mask only conveying back mild concern and disbelief to Franklin. As stylish as Tobias's presentation had been, showing real skill and motivation, the method of his message was a disgusting clutter, the work of an amateur. For someone who had nailed the routine, the dismount was sloppy enough for near complete dismissal.

"So you think that Tobias killed that man at the Symphony?" Hannibal asked, keeping his voice as neutral as possible while still tinting it around the edges of tone with some incredulity. Despite its inept messenger, Tobias's communication had been delivered. It was now up to Hannibal on how to pay Franklin for his efforts. Luckily for everyone involved, the Beta wasn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen. It wouldn't take a lot to make Franklin doubt himself.

"I don't know." Franklin yelled, flinging his hands up before crumpling in on himself. "If I do, do I have to report it?" the Beta muttered, looking depressed and already doing most of the mental legwork for Hannibal.

"Do you have a reason not to?" Hannibal ventured, making it sound like such a concept would actually be a very foolish notion to consider.

"What if I'm wrong?" Franklin groaned, looking defeated and miserable about it. Hannibal bit back a grin.

"What if you're right?" Hannibal threw out just to cover him own agendas. He could say that at the very least he tried to appeal to Franklin's morality if this venture went south.

"I'm always wrong." Franklin caved in on himself. "I don't know. Why would he say something like that to me?"

"Why do you think?" Hannibal pressed, wanting to see where Franklin would take this under his own power.

"Cause he knows that I would tell you." Franklin realized, his eyes going painfully wide with the knowledge. "Oh my god! I've put you in danger!"

"Hardly," Hannibal told him calmly, resisting the urge to laugh. "But if you'd like, I can ask my mate Will to act on our behalf and look into the matter. I would need your permission to do so since it would be toeing the line of doctor/patient confidentiality. He could have the FBI discreetly question Tobias and he would be none the wiser of your involvement. That way if nothing is amiss, you can remain friends."

Not that Hannibal cared about such things, but appearances were important. It gave the false impression of control to Franklin, like this was actually his decision.

"But what if something is….amiss?" Franklin swallowed hard, looking pale and nervous.

"Then it will be dealt with." Hannibal told him, serenely so as he planned out tonight's dinner with Will. This topic of conversation later on should prove to be most stimulating.

"One way or another."

oOo

TBC