The car ride back to Hannibal's place was...interesting.
"I warned you." Will said, testing the waters.
"You did." Hannibal nodded, placid in his response.
"Franklin has an interesting friend." Will tried again.
"I noticed." Was all he got.
Are you mad?" Will asked because he might as well go for the throat on this one.
"You would know if I were." Hannibal said with a razor smile, "I'm thinking."
"Since all my organs remain within me, I would say you're an odd mixture of stuff right now." Will squinted as he studied his odd companion.
"Stuff? Is that your professional assessment, Special Agent Graham?" Drew a slight smile out of Hannibal.
"I don't think you're up for some dissection right now."
"Au contraire, I am always up for some dissection." Hannibal corrected to receive a withering look from Will.
"Do you think Tobias is as well?" Will asked, finally addressing the elephant in the room.
"You already know the answer to that." Hannibal chided.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Will sighed into his palms as he rubbed his face with his hands. This wasn't an instance of "only time will tell". It was more of a "when", "where", and "again" scenario. Tobias was too confidant. That was never a good sign. It meant he was either really good at what he did, or he thought he was better at it than he actually was. Neither were optimal on their own or in combination. "I suppose you're going to be busy the next couple of weeks."
"It would appear so. Planning dinner parties can become labor intensive." Hannibal went back to being his version of thoughtful again. Will decided that this phase must be part of his creative process. He wondered how many trains of thought Hannibal had going simultaneously in his head.
"I'm going home then. You don't get to use me as an alibi, or drug me into being one this time." Will decided.
"You could always come with me. Dinner parties take extensive planning." Hannibal offered, looking pleased with himself about something.
"I'm sure yours do. Have fun with that." Will barked out laughter, surprised into it and at himself.
"I always do." Hannibal said, "Stay the night though. It's late and you've been drinking.
They went to bed , content in their own unique ways, having no classes or patients to deal with the next day. So, of course, Jack woke them up before the ass crack of dawn could moon the last of the night into leaving. It was cold, early, and dark, all those descriptors being some of Will's least favorite things.
On the plus side, Will did get to watch Hannibal successfully counter Jack anytime the agent tried to rush them out the door, which in the end wasn't all that hard considering Jack was weak for Hannibal's cooking and coffee. To Will though, it was still somewhat astonishing to witness firsthand.
"The victim was found in a hotel bathroom. There was abdominal mutilation and organ removal." Jack said in Hannibal's kitchen as he slugged down truly exquisite coffee like it was water. Will was taking at a far more sedate pace, and Hannibal couldn't be bothered at all if the size of breakfast was anything to go by. It looked like some fancy egg and spinach thing with cheese stuffed into thin pancakes.
Acting on a knee jerk reaction, Will shot a look over Jack's shoulder at Hannibal who gave him his version of "As if" expression back.
"Sounds more like an urban legend than the Ripper, no?" Will asked Jack and his coffee.
"I more prefer the 'call is coming from inside the house' theme myself." Hannibal said as he did marvelous things to eggs, meat, cheese, and produce.
"I've had the room sealed. I need you on this one. I need you to tell me if it's the Ripper or not." Jack told Will, "Then you can go back to class."
"More like a day off for both of us." Hannibal as he plated up crepes stuffed with buttery eggs, wilted spinach, and some sausage made from rude clerk named Dave, Jack getting a little extra of the man who had provided his organs for this meal.
"Murder trumps free time." Jack said easily, and he wasn't wrong, but Will could sense Hannibal's intent. He still got to spend the day with Will, but now with a dead body. Will could tell Hannibal was over the he moon about it. The commentary was just emotional leverage on Hannibal's part to gaslight Jack.
"You don't want me back to class." Will pointed out, and if that came out a little sour sounding, Jack could just deal with it. "Never did."
"Your bad luck that your the best, pal." Jack said as food was placed before them, "As always, this looks amazing."
"It's a blending of cultures, a frittata with sausage inside a crepes served with fresh currants." Hannibal explained.
"I've never had fresh currants before." Jack said, already digging in.
"They look like tiny grapes." Will poked at them. They looked like a pain in the ass to eat.
"You'll find them pleasantly tart. They make for an excellent palette cleanser." Hannibal said, eating at a far more sedate pace.
"Are you expecting another couple of bodies after this one?" Will asked because they were those kind of people. One didn't stay in their line of work if they couldn't talk shop over a meal.
"If it's the Ripper, yes, I am." Jack said gravely.
"Don't let the Ripper stir you up." Will said, emphasizing this by pointing his fork at Jack.
"He left you Miriam Lass's arm for a reason." Hannibal also warned in his own way.
"And why is that?" Jack asked.
"So he could poke you with it." Will said much to Hannibal's amusement.
"Yeah, but why not the rest of her?" Jack was frustrated, obviously so. It put a twinkle in Hannibal's eyes as he collected their now empty plates. Jack could wait while they being domestic, Hannibal washing the dishes while Will dried them.
"I was curious about that myself. What are your thoughts on it, Will?" Said the bastard of Baltimore, digging for compliments. Will sighed in answer as Hannibal filled a thermos full of coffee. Of course, this was all about him even when it was not.
"His other victims...he wanted to humiliate in death, like...like a public dissection." Will explained, though he doubted that they had seen the last of Miriam. "She was different. Miriam was different. She was special."
"He was probably impressed that she was able to find him." Jack looked close to swearing up a storm. "He may be starting a new cycle, Will."
Well, Jack wasn't wrong, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. Will bit his tongue hard to keep from dissolving into laughter. The next couple of weeks were going to stressful, interesting yet so incredibly stressful.
"The Ripper contacted you directly. If he was killing again, he wouldn't be subtle about it." Will said as they geared up and headed out the door. "He would just pick up the phone."
"Have you had anymore phone calls, Jack?" Hannibal asked, his glee barely continued behind the mask.
"No. No, I have not."