Rachel knew that something was wrong. She could sense it. She knew that Will was not well, but he was hiding it from her. He had been taking pills all day during his teaching hours and she had seen him begin to sweat, wiping it away with the back of his hand. He had told Rachel that he would see her when she returned from Alana's that evening. Gideon was still on the loose and Will was fine with Rachel being around her considering she had an armed guard.

Knocking on Alana's door, Rachel waited patiently for her to answer. Answering the door, Rachel was momentarily taken back at the sight of the man there. No doubt it would be one of her armed guards. Alana appeared behind him after a second, offering a smile in Rachel's direction.

"It's alright, Danny, it's Rachel."

"With all due respect, Doctor Bloom, we should still be precautionary."

"Oh, go ahead," Rachel said, slipping her satchel from her shoulder and passing it to the man. "Sorry it's so messy."

The man looked in her bag and then patted her down, letting her into the house as Alana led her through into the living room. Rachel had to be honest, but after living at Will's house, it was weird being in a house that was intricately decorated and felt quite feminine. There was no fishing gear laid around, nor was there a strong smell of dog. It smelt like vanilla and Rachel soon realised that was because there was a candle flickering on the coffee table.

"Take a seat," Alana said, motioning towards her sofa which had a throw over the arm of it. "I have wine."

"Always a good start," Rachel said, folding one leg over the other while Alana poured her a glass of white wine, handing it over to her before taking hold of her own beer. "Anyway, I should really thank you for coming over here. I know it is a pretty tense time after everything that has happened."

Rachel shook her head. "It must be more difficult for you than me," Rachel said and Alana sat down on the other side of the sofa, her dress fanning around her. "Will told me that they haven't managed to find Gideon yet."

"Gideon is an anomaly," Alana admitted, sipping on her beer. "He's been on the loose for too long and he's confused. Chilton seems to have convinced him that he is the Chesapeake Ripper."

"Will said the same," Rachel replied. "I just do not know how he can be convinced that he is something he isn't."

"Easy," Alana said with a shrug of her shoulders. "He has been under Chilton's influence for too long and I believe that Chilton may have used…let's just say…some unorthodox methods of therapy."

"I do not even know what that means," Rachel said and Alana let out a soft chuckle.

"Believe me, you don't want to know," she informed her. "I think that is why you get on with Will so well. You're not like him and you don't have any reason to want to be like him. He spends his days around death and psychiatrists…and then he has you…"

"The uneducated and naïve girlfriend?" she asked and Alana looked at her with a tilted head.

"You are anything but," she said with haste. "Is that the way you feel?"

"Sometimes," she admitted to her. "When you're in the BAU and working around people like you and Will then it can be quite intimidating. I like working there, but I do want something more. I want to go out and do what I might be good at."

"And have you thought about it?"

"Not too much," Rachel said. "To be honest, I haven't thought of that much but getting Will better. I just want to take him to the doctor at the end of the week and make sure he…well…that we can get him better."

"And it isn't neurological?" Alana asked as Rachel sipped on her wine.

"Not as far as the doctor Hannibal referred him to could tell," she responded to her. "But he wants other opinions and that is fine with me. I want him to be happy."

"Just as he wants you to be happy, I'm sure," Alana said to her. "I know that he can be quite intense and not just with his current state. Even before all of this, I thought that he could be quite…well…you know…just the way he stares at you sometimes when he dares to make eye contact."

"I know," Rachel said. "Do you know, he couldn't even look at me when I first started working for him."

"And now he doesn't take his eyes off of you," Alana said and Rachel rolled her eyes as Alana laughed.

"He's not soppy," Rachel said.

"No, but he is in love with you," Alana said and Rachel shrugged. "Has he not told you?"

"I mean…not in so many words," Rachel responded. "I think I told him though…it was before we were going to sleep and it slipped out. He didn't say anything and I don't really remember thinking much of it because it's the truth. I do love him and he doesn't need to say it back to me. I know, Will."

"Well that is very mature."

Rachel shrugged. "He will say it in his own time maybe. Besides, I don't need him to say those three words to know how he feels."

"Doctor Bloom, can you come here for a moment?"

The agent protecting Alana called into the living room and Alana moved to her feet and followed him into the study, urging Rachel to sit and help herself to more wine. Rachel smiled and moved to her feet, picking up the bottle of wine and pouring herself another glass. She wandered around the living room, one arm folded over her waist as she wandered to the window and peered outside, looking at the snow covered ground. It was only when she squinted did she make out two figures in the distance.

Before she could shout over to Alana, a bang echoed through the air and Rachel dropped her wine glass from shock, the liquid falling to the floor as she placed her hands over her mouth at the sight in front of her. Moving from the living room towards the door to the study, Rachel saw Alana and the agent looking over to the window.

"It's Will," Rachel said as Alana took hold of her arm. "He's out there."

"Please wait here," Danny demanded from them as he moved outside.

But Rachel didn't listen. She pulled herself free from Alana and moved with haste behind Danny. Stumbling in the snow, she forgot the fact she had no coat as she fell into the snow by Will's side, seeing him covered in sweat as his body shook. Grabbing hold of his cheeks, she urged him to look at her, but his eyes were hooded.

"He…he was going to hurt her," Will whispered. "And you were in there…I couldn't let him near you…"

"It's okay, Will," Rachel said as she heard Danny call an ambulance as the body next to Will's bled out and Alana came behind them. "Will, just stay with me, okay."

Will nodded before moving a hand up to Rachel's cheek, stroking it slowly as she shivered from his cold touch. His lips quirked for a moment and Will nodded his head.

"I love you," he said to her and she smiled softly, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles.

"And I love you too."

…

Will had a fever and an infection. His white blood cell count was double and he was sleeping soundly in the bed in the hospital. Rachel hadn't moved from the chair besides his bed. Instead she had curled into a ball in the chair, one of her hands holding onto Will's hand as machines beeped around him. Alana had come to see her. She had hugged her tightly before giving her some clean clothes she had picked up from the house in Wolf Trap. Rachel had changed into her jeans and a jumper.

It was lunchtime the following day when Will woke up. He opened his eyes slowly and his lips parted. He turned his head to the side to see Rachel there, his hand inside of hers as he moved his fingers loosely. She uncurled herself from the ball and moved to sit on the edge of her seat, her joints stiff as she made the movement.

"Hey," Rachel smiled at him and Will instantly felt slightly better as he let his eyes settle on her.

"I take it I am still in hospital?"

"Correct," she responded to him. "I think you might be here for a few days."

"Have they run tests?"

"You have a fever," Rachel said. "You have an infection too. Plus your white blood cell count is up. They told me…well…I said that you had been suffering with sleepwalking and headaches. I asked if the fever might have caused them."

"And what did they say?"

"It might have done," Rachel said. "We need to focus on getting you better and then we will find out. How are you feeling anyway?"

"Just tired," Will said to her. "Which is weird considering I've been sleeping for…what…over twelve hours?"

"Give or take," she agreed with him.

Will gulped as Rachel went to pour him a cup of water and he frowned for a moment.

"Which means you haven't slept for over twelve hours."

"I have been napping," she said to him and handed him the cup of water before taking her seat again. "Anyway, I'm fine. I wasn't going anywhere so long as you were here. You know that you saved Alana, right? Abel Gideon had come for her."

"I know," Will said, but there was no hint of cockiness in his tone. "But…my mind wasn't on Alana, Rachel. It was on you. I knew that you were with Alana."

Moving slowly, Rachel kissed him on the cheek tenderly. He took a sip of water before seeing her perch on the side of the bed. She took his cup from him when he had finished drinking. She placed the cup on the side and Will took hold of her by the hand, kissing the back of it as she stroked his hair back from his head.

"Maybe it was the fever," Will whispered to her. "Maybe that was why I was so ill."

"Let's hope so," Rachel whispered to him. "But if it wasn't…we'll find out what it is."

"What did I do to deserve you?" Will whispered as he squeezed her fingers.

"Nothing," Rachel said to him. "You didn't do anything except be yourself."

"Never had you down as a hopeless romantic," Will informed her as she tucked her fingers into his hair and let them stay there.

"I'm not," Rachel said to him. "After everything that has happened, I'm not a romantic because romance is for normal people, but for once it would be nice to be normal, wouldn't it?"

Will chuckled. "You might be with the wrong guy if you want normal."

"I didn't say I wanted it all the time," she responded and kissed him chastely once more.

…

Hannibal Lecter stood outside of Will's room, looking inside and at the sight before him. Will was sleeping on the bed and had his arm wrapped around Rachel's shoulders. She was tentatively laid on her side on top of the duvet, the top of her head tucked under Will's head. She had a hand holding his waist as her other hand rested under the pillow Will's arm rested across.

He watched the couple for a few moments, lips pursed as he held breakfast in his hands. He couldn't take his eyes from them as he thought of what might be ahead for the both of them. He could see a range of possibilities of what might happen. None of them included a happy ending.

…

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