Rachel could scarcely believe what she was hearing as Alana told her what had happened. They had been walking the dogs, but it turned out that it would be for the last time. Hannibal had been brought in for questioning by the FBI after Miriam Lass had been found alive and well, despite having an arm amputated from her. But it was then when Alana had told Rachel what had truly happened. The Federal Prosecutor had dropped all charges against Will. He was being released from the institution.

"What?" Rachel demanded from Alana as she stood still in the large field and the dogs continued to run around in the snow-covered field. Alana looked to her, almost as though she was concerned she was about to faint. Rachel couldn't promise that she wasn't going to faint. She felt light headed as Alana moved to take hold of her gloved hand.

"Rachel, it is alright."

"No…I know," Rachel said, inhaling a sharp breath and gulping loudly. "This is what I wanted. I wanted Will to be free. I never questioned his innocence."

"But?"

"But things can't be the way they were, can they?" Rachel said. "Will might be free, but I know that he is going to continue with his vendetta against Hannibal."

"I don't know," Alana admitted. "Hannibal isn't the Ripper, Rachel. We put Miriam in a room with him and she couldn't identify him."

Rachel shrugged. "We already knew that," she said in a nonchalant voice. "But does that mean he is safe from Will?"

Alana took her turn to look anxious then. "Will won't risk his freedom," she said in a low voice. "I am taking the dogs back to him tomorrow. You can come with me."

"No," Rachel answered with haste as Alana gave her hand a slight squeeze. "I can't see him just yet. He's…well…I doubt that he would want to see me either. There is nothing for us now. There is nothing between us. I'm going to start looking for somewhere else to live. I can't stay at yours forever."

Alana shrugged her shoulders. "You pay rent," she said. "I'm happy for you to stay. Besides, it might be nice to have some company once these dogs have gone."

"Alana, I don't want to inconvenience you."

"You're not an inconvenience." Alana promised her. "Honestly."

…

Rachel returned to work on the Monday morning, sitting down at her desk and going about her own business. She raked a hand through her hair every so often when she looked at the amount of paperwork that had been sent through for her to process for the new intake of students. She sent the hundreds of pages to the printers and moved to her feet. Tugging on her grey dress, she grabbed her printing card from her desk and went to the other corner of the room, swiping it and listening to the printer come to life.

She waited with patience, her foot tapping on the floor as she folded her arms, holding onto her card in her tight grip. She almost didn't hear his voice over the noise of the printer, but his tone was too familiar to her now.

"Rachel."

She turned her head over her shoulder to see him stood there. He was dressed in casual jeans with a dark blue polo shirt. His jacket was over his body and his glasses were covering his eyes. He kept his gaze on her, noticing how her hair was much longer, hanging down her back in soft waves. He couldn't deny that the tight grey dress she wore was enough to capture his attention for a moment before his gaze met hers. He saw her lips part slightly and her breathing quickened as she finally turned to face him.

"Will," she responded.

"I…I don't know why I came," Will stammered slightly as he took a step closer to her. "Well, I do, but I know that I have no chance of you listening to me. You never do listen to me."

"I'm glad to see that you're free," Rachel said to him in a gentle tone.

"Are you?" Will asked her, his tone slightly bitter.

"Of course," she said, sounding slightly offended. "Despite everything that happened, Will, I always believed you were innocent. You know that."

And Will did know that. She had been by his side until he had crossed the line. He had watched her stand by him and refuse to abandon him. But then Will had seen her get too close to Hannibal and he had lost her. He had pushed her away and he didn't know if he could bring her back.

"I know," Will nodded to her.

"What are you doing here, Will?" Rachel asked as the printer continued to make a noise behind her.

"I need you to listen to me this time, Rachel," Will said and he saw her roll her eyes and turn her head to the side, looking away from him. Will moved with haste then, standing inches from her as he took hold of her by the cheek, forcing her gaze back to his. "Don't ignore me."

"Just stop this," Rachel urged from him. "Will, just stop it."

"I can't," Will told her. "I remember too much, Rachel. I remember Hannibal inducing seizures by light therapy. I remember being there when he sent Abel Gideon to kill Alana Bloom. I remember him forcing me to ingest Abigail's ear down my throat."

"Stop it!" Rachel yelled at him, slapping his hand away from her as she took a step backwards. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because they are my memories, Rachel," Will snapped. "I am not making this up."

"There is no evidence pointing to him. There is nothing except for your memories and you said it yourself multiple times, Will, your mind wasn't your own for a long time."

"So you believe him over me?"

"I believe that you think you are right and I don't know how to persuade you otherwise," Rachel shrugged violently as she flapped her arms by her side. "I think that Hannibal has been nothing but a friend to both of us when we needed a friend and now, for some reason, you are determined to bring him down."

"Because he is guilty," Will snapped at her. "He is guilty and you refuse to listen to me."

"Just as you refuse to listen to me," Rachel said. "We are not doing this again, Will. I am not arguing with you over him. Just leave him alone, Will. Leave him alone and just focus on finding the Ripper."

"I…I need you to stay away from him," Will urged her.

"I'm fine," Rachel said as the printer stopped and she picked up the stack of paper and glanced back to Will. "I need you to stay away from him. Do not try to hurt him again."

"I…" Will spoke, grabbing hold of her by the arm to stop her from moving. "I don't want this, Rachel. You know that I am going to do everything that I can to keep you safe, despite you claiming to be fine. That's because…because I love you…I still love you despite everything. I know you might not feel the same anymore-"

"-I do," she interrupted him as she looked to the floor and struggled to comprehend what she was doing. It was another second before she gathered the courage to look Will in the eye. "Do you think that I can stop it?"

"Then why are you sleeping with Hannibal?"

Rachel arched a brow. "Have you been speaking with Jack?"

"He said that the two of you had spent the night together," Will said to her.

"We…we haven't slept together, Will," Rachel said to him. "The last man I slept with was the same man who had spent months abusing me. Do you think that I am ready to be intimate with someone I…someone I don't love?"

Will gulped at hearing her. "Then what are you doing, Rachel?"

"Trying to forget," she said and Will couldn't help but think about how simple that sounded. "I was with him because he helps me to forget."

"I see," Will said.

"I've got to get back to work," Rachel informed him in a whisper, her voice strained as she felt his grip on her slacken. "I'm happy that you're free, Will, but please, stay away from Hannibal."

Will let her slip through his fingers then, watching her as she went back to her desk and bent over, sorting through the printing she had just done. He kept his gaze on her for a few minutes before leaving, knowing that he had to talk with Miriam Lass sooner or later.

…

Hannibal had been working late and he had told Rachel that he would be back soon. She had agreed to spend the night at his house again, but his final appointment had overrun longer than he had wanted it to. He had walked back into his house, swinging his keys in his hands as his briefcase dangled by his side. Moving into the kitchen, he placed the briefcase down along with his keys, picking up two glasses from the side and moving to open the fridge for a bottle of wine, hoping that he could wake Rachel for a glass.

But then he smelt him. He smelt the intruder in his kitchen.

"You still wear that cheap aftershave," he observed, leaving the fridge door open as he turned to face Will Graham.

Will stepped out of the shadows, a look of anger on his face. It was then when he let his hand lift up, a gun in his fingertips as he aimed it at Hannibal. Hannibal froze then, admitting himself impressed with Will's guts.

"Our last kitchen conversation was interrupted by Jack so I would like to pick that back up," Will said, keeping his voice even and low. "As my memory serves, you were asking me if I had urges to kill…particularly an urge to kill you."

"You have given that some thought," Hannibal said, placing the glasses down on the island.

"You wanted me to embrace my nature, Doctor Lecter," Will declared. "I am just listening to those urges that I have held down for so long."

"But how would killing me make you feel?" Hannibal asked from Will.

"Righteous," Will admitted.

"You know that she is upstairs, don't you?" Hannibal asked from Will. "You know that I am not the Ripper. I am an innocent man, but if I was the Ripper then if you kill me then you could not ask me any questions. Do you not wish to know how this story ends?"

Will saw red then, moving closer to Hannibal and training the gun on him. He pressed the gun to his forehead, his teeth grinding together as he struggled for breath for a few moments, rage coursing through his body as he saw Hannibal turn away from him.

"If you hurt her then I swear to God I will pull this trigger the next time we meet."

"Why would I hurt her?" Hannibal wondered from Will.

"To get to me," Will said and Hannibal felt the gun move from his forehead as Will looked him in the eye.

"It bothers you," Hannibal said and Will gripped the gun in his fingertips tightly. "It bothers you that she chose me over you."

"No," Will said with haste. "It bothers me that you have manipulated her so much. Do you really think that she would choose you over me?"

Hannibal remained silent as Will looked to him, a smirk on his face as he doubted if Hannibal knew Rachel as well as Will did.

"She still loves me," Will said to him. "She loves me more than you can even imagine and that will never change, just as I love her and I will do anything to keep her safe. When she discovers the truth…when she finds out what you are…she'll be disgusted."

Hannibal let his lips move slightly as he clucked his tongue.

"She is lonely," Will kept on speaking. "She wanted comfort."

"It is still my comfort she longs for," Hannibal said with a harsh voice.

"Only because you have got your claws into her."

"It is your word against mine, Will," Hannibal said firmly. "She has chosen my word…"

"I am going to do everything to bring her back home," Will said. "I promise you that."

"I do not doubt it."

Hannibal watched Will skulk off then, leaving him alone in his house. It took a few moments before Hannibal gathered himself. Shrugging out of his coat, he moved up the steps towards his bedroom. He didn't bother to change, simply choosing to shrug out of his suit jacket as he laid down on the bed. He moved to drape an arm over Rachel's waist, feeling her stir in his grip as he moved to kiss her neck.

"Hmm," she grunted as she awoke. "You're home."

"I am," Hannibal responded to her.

He felt her turn her head over her shoulder and throw him a soft smile. Hannibal moved in to kiss her. He pressed his lips against hers, trying to deepen the kiss. But she pulled back and she gave him a final peck on the cheek and then rolled away, her back facing him as Hannibal looked to her soft hair on his pillow.

"I'm tired," was all she muttered and Hannibal nodded, his tongue hitting the roof of his mouth as he felt slighted by her rejecting him. He said nothing on the matter however. He simply kissed the back of her shoulder once and closed his eyes.

Rachel kept her eyes open, the weight of Hannibal's arm feeling heavier over her as she let her mind wander back to Will and their conversation from earlier. Closing her eyes, she tried to blink back the tears she felt as she wondered what might have been if Will hadn't have come after Hannibal.

….

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