Will glanced over the two boys they had left huddled under a tree with their pack, in clothes not nearly warm enough for the summer nights. Not that it would drop horribly. Germany stayed decently warm during the summer, but shorts and a t-shirt were not warm enough for what would most likely be fifty degrees or lower.
The sun was mostly down now and darkness was shadowing the boys' faces. Will pushed Morgan's hair out of his face and felt Hannibal's hand clasp his shoulder.
"Come along, Will. They'll be waking up in a few minutes," he stated, giving Will's shoulder a squeeze.
Will rose back to his feet and let Hannibal lead him numbly away and back to the car. Will climbed in and went through the motions of putting on his seat belt with a frown before lowering his head into his hands as Hannibal started the car.
"Will, do I need to get you something to calm you down when we get home? You can't stay sick like this," Hannibal muttered. , voice gentle, knowing better than to push Will at the moment.
"Go back," Will whispered, guilt swarming him. It had been eating him up all day. He had been throwing up, desperately trying to rationalize a way out of it, but couldn't. He knew better. He knew so much better, but it hurt. Hurting his children hurt him in turn. He didn't like the idea of them suffering. It made him want to hold onto them and never let them out of his sight so that he could always protect them. "Please go back."
"Will," Hannibal said sternly. "We've already discussed this. You know-"
"I know it's important. I know it needs to happen. I know that we have tracking systems in the bag, but that doesn't stop how worried I am." Will sat up fully, looking over his husband whose face was painfully blank.
"You're empathizing too much, mylimasis," Hannibal warned, a hand reaching out and trying to take Will's. Will pulled his hand away and Hannibal glanced over to see a tear roll down one of Will's cheeks. "They are going to be just fine."
Will shook his head. "Do you know what they are going to think about us? Especially Walter?"
"We left them a note. They will understand. They're smart boys," Hannibal insisted. "And this will tell us where they are. They have never had a chance to put what they've learned into action."
"You're not worried?"
"I didn't say that," Hannibal corrected, turning on the headlights to make sure he didn't run into any of the trees that were becoming thick dark pillars in the darkening sky. "We've put precautions up to protect them. We have tracking devices, we gave them all the necessary supplies, they are on our own private property that we have scouted out ourselves to make sure that everything is safe for them. Everything we do, we do for them, for their benefit. This is no different."
"Do you know what I thought the first time that my father didn't come home because he was black out drunk?" Will asked, glancing over to Hannibal who was silent in waiting for Will to continue. "It broke me. Tore me in half because I was forgotten. What I feared was true, that my father never really ever had cared for me and I was just baggage and maybe this time he had decided not to take me with him when he left. My brain felt electrocuted, so violently defocused. The emotional pain was so all encompassing I simply existed as a matter of will power. I had to. I didn't want to. I don't want them feeling that. I don't want them to feel betrayed and forgotten or pushed aside or-or abandoned."
Will wiped at his cheeks as more angry and hot tears fell. Hannibal once more tried to reach for Will's hand, but Will shifted further against the car door.
"Don't touch me," he whispered. "Not right now."
"Žinoma, mylimas." (Of course, beloved.)
The rest of the drive back was painfully quiet and once back at the house, Will didn't wait for Hannibal to open his car door like he normally did. He let himself out and went for the front door, trying to open it and stopping when it was locked. With a deep sigh he waited for Hannibal to unlock the door and push it open for him before stepping inside the large entry way.
Will immediately went for the music room and sat down at the piano, opening the lid and playing the first thing that came to his mind. Something soft and gentle, something he hoped would calm him. Hannibal slowly followed and went for the bar, pouring out two fingers of whiskey for Will and took it to the piano, setting it beside Will.
"That's pretty," he announced before going over to where he kept several different bottles of medication in the bar. Medication that he didn't want the children getting into. They never went near the bar, so it was a safe bet to hide anything in there. It was where they would hide the Christmas and birthday presents as well. "I haven't heard that one before."
"Been working on it during the day," Will muttered, pausing and taking a sniff of his whiskey before tentatively sipping at it. Finding nothing amiss in smell or flavor, he downed the glass. "You still haven't taught me the rest of Claire de Lune." Will placed the glass aside and went back to the hauntingly sad tune.
"You can read sheet music now, mylimas," Hannibal pointed out, returning to the piano with the medicine and the bottle of whiskey. He filled Will's glass once more and placed the small white pill beside the glass. "I didn't think I would have to teach you anymore."
"I want you to teach me." Will's paused once more and he looked over the white pill, not touching it. "What is it Hannibal?"
"Just alprazolam," Hannibal replied, returning to the bar to pour himself a glass of wine. "But I would be careful taking it with alcohol. That could strengthen the effect."
"And if I don't know what alprazolam is?" Will muttered, finally reaching out and picking up the pill to inspect it. It looked innocent enough, but he knew Hannibal too well. Had been drugged enough times to know not to trust anything Hannibal put in front of him. Of course, the drugging wasn't bad. It was usually rather pleasant and he enjoyed what happened while he was drugged, what he could remember of it anyways. But at this moment Will wasn't going to leave it up to chance.
"Xanax." Hannibal stepped over to the piano and took a seat beside Will on the bench, taking a sip of his wine. Will looked over the pill suspiciously and, finally deciding to trust it, Will downed it with a swig of whiskey, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Would you like me to teach you now?"
Will shook his head. "I don't think I could store it in memory if you tried to teach me now. And once this kicks in, who knows what I'll remember." Will sighed, shaking out his curls before playing once more. "It's been a long time since you've played for me."
"Would you like me to?"
Will frowned. "The only thing I want right now are my sons back and safe in their beds and you know it."
"Tylus, mylima. Jie netrukus grįš," (Be quiet, my love. They will be back soon.) Hannibal hushed, placing a kiss to Will's temple, grateful when he didn't pull away. "I promise they were return safe and sound. Have faith in them."
"I-I do," Will stuttered out, hands up in frustration. "I have absolute faith in them, it's us that I have my doubts."
"Us?" Hannibal asked curiously.
"What if we weren't enough for them? What if we failed them and they are going to suffer because of it and..." Will trailed off a hand going to his head.
"I warned you not to take it with the alcohol," Hannibal muttered, setting aside his wine. He reached out and took Will's face in his hands, looking over a much calmer Will. The stress lines across his face were smoothed, tears gone, fight diminished. "Are you feeling better?"
"Xanax?" Will asked softly, eyes flickering around Hannibal's face.
Hannibal gave a single nod. "Alcohol can compound the effects. Would you like to go to bed? You will probably start to feel tired soon."
Will gave a small shake of his head. "I didn't think it would kick in this fast. I'm fine. It's an odd feeling when I know I shouldn't be calm and yet I can't feel anything else."
"I'm going to make sure this stays in your system until the boys get back."
"Or we go get them," Will reminded.
"They'll come back," Hannibal assured, brushing beautifully brown curls from Will's face. "But I know you." Hannibal leaned over and placed a kiss to Will's lips, not at all surprised when Will didn't react much to the gesture. "You will go and try to help them. Especially since I have several appointments to keep tomorrow. That is not the goal of this. Are you understanding why I'm going to keep you medicated?"
"Yes, Hannibal."
"Are you ok with that?" Hannibal asked softly, with a small half smile. He always asked permission before giving anything to Will. He waited for a yes, even if it was an unconscious yes, before doing anything. He didn't want this to be against the boy's will. Will had every right to tell him to stop and Hannibal would.
Will pulled from Hannibal's grip and rose from the piano bench, hand taking the piano for balance on weak legs. He moved over to one of the couches in the room, something of a lovely floral pattern that was more for decoration than use, not at all comfortable, but Will found himself not caring. Not caring about anything. Just numbly there in a chemical serenity.
Hannibal followed after him and sat down beside the empath, taking his face. "Pažvelk į mane, mano meile," he instructed softly. "Man reikia, kad pažiūrėtum į mane ir pasakytum, ar viskas gerai." (Look at me my love. I need you to look at me and tell me if everything is okay.)
"It's fine, Hannibal," Will replied with a small nod. "You promise just this weekend. I don't like this feeling."
"I promise, silly boy."
"Will you play for me Hannibal?" Will's eyes were distant with a pleasant drowsiness in their blue.
"Of course, beautiful boy."
Morgan's eyes opened to find darkness around him. He shivered and pulled his legs in against his body, trying to find some form of warmth. The world around him was oddly quiet and far too still for his liking, but he couldn't push through the fog in his mind quite enough to fully process why that was. All he knew was that he was freezing and not in his home.
He inhaled deeply, doing his best to will himself through the fog, trying to recall the last thing he remembered. It was blurred. He remembered dinner clearly. Then being carried. The sounds and movements of being in a car and then maybe a sunset. Blinding oranges and pinks.
He sat up and did his best to look around in the darkness, only finding the moon for light. The chill was unreal, making his teeth chatter. Trees surrounded him in every direction, dark and tall, nearly blocking out what little moon light there was. In the silence of the night, Morgan could just make out the chirp of crickets, though faint due to the cold. Wind blew through the trees making the branches creak. Morgan glanced around once more and spotted a body beside his.
"Wally," Morgan said softly as if it would disturb the stillness of the night, shaking the older boy. "Walter, wake up."
When the boy didn't move, a slight panic began to set in. Something was wrong. Waking up in the middle of a forest was wrong, but Walter not waking was worse. Morgan was well aware that Walter was a light sleeper. He would wake up the moment Morgan touched the door handle to Walter's room.
"Walter," Morgan tried again, shaking Walter once more.
Walter sat, leaned against the tree, still and pale in the moonlight like he were a porcelain doll. Morgan's hand went to Walter's mouth and nose and he sighed when he could feel Walter breathing. He was alive. That was a good place to start.
Maybe they had been drugged. The jagged memories were enough to give Morgan the idea. Maybe Walter's just hadn't worn off yet. Morgan just had to wait for Walter to wake up. Maybe Walter would have a better idea of what had happened to them. Maybe Walter would know what to do, because at the moment Morgan was at a loss. The only thing that Morgan could think clearly about was how cold he was and how grateful he was that Walter was there to help him because he wasn't sure what else to do. So Morgan sat there, knees pulled into his chest, hugging himself and shivering. The silence set in, time passing by slowly.
"M-Morgan?" Walter whispered into the darkness, causing Morgan to jump and turn to look at Walter, whose eyes were barely open. "Are you alright?" His voice was scratchy from disuse and he looked like he wanted to go back to sleep.
"I'm fine," Morgan replied through chattering teeth. "You?"
"Cold."
Walter gave a small nod and forced himself to sit up, looking around with a small groan, a hand going to his head. "It's not an ideal situation, but let's get a fire going and we'll wait out the night. See where we are in the morning."
"Start a fire with what?" Morgan asked softly.
Walter glanced around and eyes fell onto a backpack that was near them. He pulled it to him and ripped it open to dig through it. A single bottle of water, a map and compass, a handful of matches and a single solar blanket. At the bottom of the bag Walter also found a handwritten note that he could just barely see in the moonlight.
It was in his father's scroll, letters written in a form that no one used anymore, explaining everything. With a deep breath, Walter crumpled the note and passed it to Morgan, knowing exactly what he had to do.
"We'll use that to get the fire going. Clear a space. I'll gather up something to use. It'll be difficult. Everything is still pretty green, but I'll keep you warm." Walter got to his feet, stumbling into a nearby tree as his legs tried to carry him. "It's a test Morgan. Just a camping trip with the two of us. Nothing to be worried about," Walter assured, pushing himself upright. "I'll get you back home Morgan. Back into our bed soon."
Morgan did as Walter asked and bushed at the brush until there was a patch of dirt and then tried to find dried sticks around himself. He could hear tree branches snapping in the distance and then footsteps as Walter came back with an armful of tree bows with their green pine needles still on them. Walter dropped them on the ground and then knelt down next to Morgan and placed the note in the middle of the patch of dirt, helping Morgan set up the small pile of sticks that he had gathered.
Walter took a match and struck it, a brightness coming from the tip as a single flame burst forth. He covered it from the wind with his hand and stuck it into the paper, lighting a corner of the note and then moved it to another part of the note, that lighting as well. The brightness grew and Walter did his best to grab brown pine needles from the forest floor and keep the small flame alight.
"Morgan, we need more to keep the fire going. Can you please find more wood?" Walter asked, satisfied with the small start of a fire they had.
Morgan gave a nod and got to his feet, looking for what Walter had asked. Walter went back to the tree branches he had grabbed and brought them closer to the fire, setting them down on the ground in a line. He added more small sticks to the fire and then went to another nearby tree, pulling at the branches until they snapped free from the tree.
"How's it going Morgan?" Walter called, a new armful of bows now being laid over the other ones. Morgan came back with an armful of what looked dry enough sticks. "You up for getting some more?" Walter asked as he put some of those on the now fairly alive fire.
"Ok," Morgan whispered dully.
Walter gave him a smile, but Morgan didn't seem to notice it or he didn't acknowledge it, just went back out into the trees in search of more firewood. Walter sighed, his smile falling. He reached out for the space blanket and ripped opening the packaging, throwing it onto the fire as well. He unfolded the silvery blanket and laid it over the tree branches he had gathered.
When Morgan wandered back with another armload, Walter took his hand and led the younger boy to the makeshift bed. He had Morgan lay on the blanket and then folded half of it over the top of Morgan.
"It's not the best, but is it soft enough?" Walter asked, brushing Morgan's hair from his face. Morgan gave a small nod and Walter went back to work. He pulled more branched from the trees, sap covering his hands and twigs pricking at his palms, but he didn't care. He placed the new branches over Morgan's body and then went in search of more. Once the second batch was over Morgan, Walter was about to go out and look for more firewood when a hand took his ankle. "Morgan?" Walter dropped to his knees and gave Morgan a concerned look as Morgan pulled his hand back into the makeshift bed. "What is it?"
"Did dad and father do this to us?"
Walter frowned with a small sigh. Morgan was smart, very smart and he could hide his emotions well, but Walter knew that when it came down to it Morgan felt more than Walter ever could. He locked them all away until he couldn't contain them anymore and then they all came spilling out like a fountain.
"It's not like that Morgan," Walter explained softly, leaning over to add a bit more wood to the fire. "Are you warm?" Morgan gave a nod and Walter smiled, ignoring the chill on his skin. "Get some sleep."
"What is it like then?" Morgan asked when Walter tried to go back to work.
"It's just another lesson. They want to know how we do without them," Walter explained gently. "They'll come find us if we can't find our way back. You don't have to worry. I'm here to protect you."
"Like a big brother?"
A bitter taste filled Walter's mouth at the question. "We're not brothers Morgan." Nothing would ever make Morgan his brother. He wasn't even sure what made Hannibal his father, but he wasn't about to get attached to someone else and have them torn away the way his mother was and the way his new parents very well could be at any given second. "But we can be best friends." It was a simple offer. Something more than he had thought to give Morgan, but that's what they were. Friends. And that was as close as Walter was going to let him get. "Is that alright Morgan?"
"Friends," he agreed with a small nod. "We can be friends."
"Good. Go to sleep Morgan. I'll keep the fire going."
Walter went off and found a few more large armfuls of sticks and then sat beside Morgan who had fallen asleep. Walter pulled the map to him and opened it up, setting the compass on it and trying to figure out exactly where they were. His eyes squinted in the firelight and he added more wood to the fire in order to see a bit better and to help keep the cold from his body.
He located the street that they lived on, the German name odd and long, but recognizable enough. Then their house. They were on their property. Will wouldn't let Hannibal take them anywhere else. They still had to be in a controlled environment. It honestly wouldn't surprise Walter if they had cameras up and were watching their every move.
He glanced up at the moon and sighed, a tiredness in his body. He looked over the compass and turned it around until north lined up correctly, then looked back at the map. Their house was to the west. They would have the sun on their backs most of the day. It would be warm, but not horribly hot. Not like back in Wolftrap.
They would also need to find water. He would make Morgan drink what was in the bottle. Morgan needed to stay hydrated. Walter knew that there was a creek somewhere on their property, if he listened closely enough he could hear it just barely babbling. He had never found the creek before though and it wasn't listed on the map. But the lake that they fished at had to be fed somehow.
And maybe that was how he needed to find where they were. Instead of just walking through random trees and getting lost, maybe they needed to follow the creek to the lake. Walter knew how to get home from there. And he could get water. Running water was better than stagnant water and if he could start another fire he could try to use the plastic bottle as a container to boil the water, though he wasn't sure if the plastic would hold up. He had to try though. They needed water. Food was another matter. They didn't need food, but it would make it difficult to find the strength to keep going. The sun would take all of that away from them if they weren't careful.
Maybe the lake wasn't such a great idea after all. It could add far more time onto their trek back. Maybe he could find tire tracks somewhere near here and they could follow those. If they were far enough away that this was going to be a day or two trip like the note had said, then they would have been brought here in a car.
And this was private property. There wouldn't be any other cars here. The front of their property had a giant iron fence all the way around it and the back of their property was a sheer cliff face as far as Walter had been told. He had never found the edge of their property, it being acres large, but maybe he needed to familiarize himself with every inch of their property. That was the first lesson he needed to take from this. Know your surroundings intimately.
"You do not have to take this," Hannibal said as he placed another small white pill beside Will's plate at breakfast. "But I would prefer if you did."
"What meetings do you have today?" Will asked, trying to speak about anything to get his mind off the incredibly empty dining room table.
"I'm meeting with that Schneider girl later this afternoon," Hannibal said as he sat in his own chair, cutting into the sausage link on his plate with polite precision.
"The one who was sexually assaulted?" Will asked, eyes not leaving the white pill that looked back at him threateningly. Hannibal normally took the confidentiality between him and his patients seriously, and Will respected that. He wouldn't want one of his sessions with Hannibal being known by others, but this patient had upset Hannibal so badly that Hannibal had been in a bad mood for several days and Will couldn't take it anymore. Will had been able to guess most of the details without Hannibal's help, so Hannibal didn't feel quite so bad at sharing. Hannibal gave a small nod in answer. "That one bothers you. I can tell. You let it get to you"
"In the same way that Margot's brother bothered me," Hannibal agreed before taking a bite.
Will gave a deep sigh, picked up the pill and placed it in his mouth. His mind seemed to be fighting his body. His body was trying to obey swallowing while his mind was screaming that it didn't want to be calm anymore and Will choked on the pill, snatching as his glass of water to try to keep it down.
"Are you alright?" Hannibal asked worriedly, getting from his chair. Will coughed, a hand up to stop Hannibal who reluctantly sat back down. Will gulped down the rest of his water while Hannibal watched, eyes not leaving Will for a moment. "Will?"
"Fine," he answered, voice raw. He coughed again, a hand over his mouth. "When you say bothered..." Will trailed off with another fit of coughing, eyes watering.
Hannibal got to his feet and grabbed the pitcher of juice, pouring Will a glass. Will grabbed at the glass and took a drink. Hannibal sat back down and went back to his meal. "He was taken care of."
"Like Mason Verger?"
"Like Mason Verger," Hannibal admitted with a nod.
"And who did it?"
"Her father."
"How old is the girl?"
"Thirteen."
Will's stomach twisted into knots. He didn't feel quite so horrible about her father having been killed by Hannibal. If he was honest, Hannibal's murders hardly ever bothered Will anymore. He knew that the murders came with the man that he had chosen to love and Will's moral compass had been shattered long ago. Sometimes it did find true north, but more often than naught that north was Hannibal.
What hurt him was the idea of someone the same age as Walter having something that horrible happen to them. They were still babies. Children that didn't know any better. It was cruel to show them that side of the world. Hannibal had done the right thing in removing that monster from the girl's life and Will would defend Hannibal against God himself if God so much as thought to judge Hannibal in the justice he had served.
"I am going to be late," Hannibal announced, rising from the table. "I want you back in bed before that pill kicks in, beautiful boy." Hannibal moved over to Will and hugged Will's head to his chest, feeling Will's arms wrap around his waist and hold him tightly. "I will clear all of this up when I get home."
"When will that be? I don't want to be alone," Will whispered, nuzzling his face further into Hannibal's chest. "Can't you cancel your appointments today? Please?"
Hannibal sighed. He would if he had time to give more notice to his patients, but some of them drove a long way to reach him and it wasn't fair for them. "That would be rude, Will." Will gave a small nod in understanding and Hannibal caressed his soft curls. "I will be home before you know it," he assured. "No later than five."
"You promise?"
"I promise, silly boy." Hannibal placed a kiss into Will's curls and gave a sigh. "Let me get you into bed so I know you're safe."
Hannibal helped Will to his feet and guided Will, with a hand to the small of Will's back, up the stairs and to their room. Will went around to the other side of the bed and Hannibal gave a small smile as Will hugged at Hannibal's pillow, sinking into Hannibal's side of the bed. Hannibal leaned over and kissed Will delicately, hands on either side of Will and in the mattress to hold himself upright. There was a sharp tug on Hannibal's neck tie and he fell onto the bed, Will quickly pinning him down, knees on either side of Hannibal's hips.
"I still hate your ties," Will muttered, kissing Hannibal again, hand knotting into the tie, pulling it taut. "Stay with me. Take off this stupid tie and hold me like you did on our wedding night."
Hannibal shivered at the words, thinking back to that night that felt so very long ago. A night fueled by adrenaline and blood. A night where they were hidden away from police sirens and blue and red lights that painted the rest of the city. A night where they were each other's protection and warmth the whole night, not afraid of anything. For a few hours they were invincible. Nothing could stop them. And nothing did. Not that night.
"I need my address book from my study," Hannibal said softly. "You spoiled boy."
"Shh..." Wil hushed, dragging up on Hannibal's tie until Hannibal met his lips. "You spoiled me. You never tell me no."
"How could I tell you no?"
Will kissed Hannibal again, hand still wrapped in ugly paisley. "You'll stay with me then?"
"Until my afternoon appointment," Hannibal agreed. "The Schneider girl is rather important."
"Don't be gone too long Hannibal," Will warned as he rolled off of Hannibal, snatching back up Hannibal's pillow and hiding his face in it to breathe in Hannibal's scent. Still ever a damp forest and old books. Wine and life. "I don't want to be alone."
"Never again, darling boy."
The morning was cold and wet. Walter had kept the fire going, but that didn't stop his body from shivering as the morning dew collected on his skin. Morgan had slept the whole night much to Walter's surprise. He was certain he would be helping Morgan deal with new nightmares, but nothing of the sort had occurred.
Walter put some more wood on the fire, having gone off to collect more during the night, and then got to his feet. He checked over Morgan carefully, making sure the kid was alright before heading off with the backpack in hand in the direction of what he thought might have been berry bushes, but it was far too dark to see.
Eventually he found the berry bush again. There were plenty of blackberries for him to gather. He knew Morgan didn't care much for blackberries, but it was better than an empty stomach. Morgan would just have to eat them.
Walter picked a fairly large amount that was in reach, stopping when he tried to reach further into the bush and ended up getting a thorn in his thumb. He used his teeth to pull it out, a brilliant pain now pulsing through his finger as he wandered his way back over to Morgan, who was still sound asleep. Walter set the backpack down and grabbed a small handful, popping one into his mouth and adding a few more sticks to the barely surviving fire, helping the flames start back up again.
His eyes returned to the map that was no easier to see in the morning sunlight, a partly burned stick being used as a pencil to mark the direction that Walter was nearly certain they needed to follow.
There was a rustling of branches and thin plastic and Walter looked over to where Morgan was finally starting to sit up. Walter put another berry in his mouth and motioned to the backpack. "Eat," he instructed. "And don't complain. It's what I could find." Walter swallowed and pointed over to the still unopened water bottle. "Drink some water, but make sure you save it. I don't know if we're going to be able to find any more water."
"Are we that far away from the house?" Morgan asked with a yawn as he came to sit beside Walter and the fire. He pulled out a small handful of blackberries and said nothing as he ate them, though Walter could make out the dislike on the younger boy's face.
"We might be able to reach it by nightfall if we get moving. But I don't want to push you too hard. Again, I don't know if we'll find more water and that's far more important than berries. Though, it would be smart to pick some more before we leave." Walter closed his eyes with a yawn, a tiredness deep set in his bones that he pushed away. "We need something to eat later and we can drink the juice from them if we run out of water."
Morgan was quiet and glanced around them at the now not as terrifying trees. Sunlight was pouring through the trees, not nearly warm enough yet, but he knew it would get warmer as the day went on.
"Is there anything I can do to help? I'm sorry I wasn't much help last night," Morgan muttered, glancing down at his stained fingers.
"Eat more, Morgan. You need your strength up. We have a lot of walking we need to do." Walter rustled at Morgan's hair before grabbing another handful of berries. He pulled the map to him and leaned closer to Morgan so the boy could see. "I'm thinking we're somewhere around here." He pointed to a grouping of trees. "You can hear the stream, so we're not that far off."
"So we have to go that way," Morgan muttered, pointing to the right of them.
"Yep," Walter said with a nod. "As soon as you're ready." There was a small silence as the two continued on in their breakfast, letting the fire slowly die down. "Were you warm enough last night?"
"Very. Thank you." Morgan gave a small nod. "How did you remember how to do that?"
Walter gave a shrug. "The same way you seem to be able to remember German. It just sticks naturally I guess. Nothing to worry about. You ready?" Morgan gave a small nod in answer and Walter got to his feet. "Let's use the blanket to hold more berries. We don't really have anything else. We'll put everything away and get going." Walter stomped out the rest of the fire and kicked some dirt into it. "Drink some of that water Morgan."
"What about you?"
"I'm fine," Walter assured Morgan with a smile. "Let's get going. I think sleeping in a bed tonight sounds better than the ground, doesn't it?"
"Do you have to go?" Will asked softly into the dark room, his side suddenly very cold at the loss of Hannibal.
"I cannot miss this appointment, Will," Hannibal replied as he pulled on a new suit that wasn't wrinkled and in need of dry cleaning. "She needs the support."
"And you'll be home after?" Will asked, staring blankly up at the ceiling, the calmness pulling him back down into sleep.
"As soon as her session is over I will be home. I promise," Hannibal assured, checking himself over in the mirror before grabbing his tie. "I'll be gone three hours tops."
Will forced his eyes to stay open so he could enjoy the pleasant burn in his limbs a little longer. "Don't fuck me while I'm on Xanax again," Will mumbled, with a small smile.
"You didn't enjoy yourself?" Hannibal asked with his own smile, turning to look over his empath who looked happily content, washed, dressed and back in blue silk sheets.
"I always enjoy myself when I'm with you," Will clarified. "I just like to feel my senses heightened, not dulled. There's always a rush when I'm with you that I like to fully enjoy."
"A rush?" Hannibal asked curiously, stepping closer to the bed and taking a seat on the edge. He reached out and took Will's hand, thumb caressing Will's skin softly.
"Even after all these times, the idea of you being so close to me is terrifying," Will explained, head tipping over tiredly to better see Hannibal who was listening with a look of interest on his face. "Those hands," Will continued on, pulling Hannibal's hand to his mouth and kissing it. "They're so strong and have done so many things to so many people." Will bit at Hannibal's hand and received a chuckle from the older man. "I just imagine what they could do to me."
"I could never kill you Will. Not now," Hannibal said gently. "You're all I've ever wanted. I'm not going to lose that."
"And you've already eaten me," Will reminded him. Hannibal gave a small laugh.
"Yes. I have," Hannibal agreed, letting Will continue to kiss at his hand.
"Is it hauntingly erotic to dine on your own liver with your husband on your anniversary."
"I'm still quite impressed you stayed awake during the operation," Hannibal said, standing from the bed, knowing time wasn't on his side any longer.
"Just because I love you doesn't mean I trust you Hannibal." Will gave a small laugh, letting Hannibal pull his hand free. "Not when I'm cut open on a table and you're digging around my insides."
Hannibal gave a nod. "I do not expect anything less." Hannibal leaned over the bed and gave Will a kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too, Hannibal," Will said softly, eyes fluttering closed.
"Sleep, mylimas. I will be back when you wake."
Hannibal placed one more kiss to Will's still swollen lips and left the room. He went through the empty house, one that was far too quiet for a Saturday. When Hannibal was home on Saturdays, the day usually consisted of breaking up petty fights between the two boys whose interests were so polar opposite that there was no way they wouldn't fight.
He could see Walter stealing one of Morgan's books and holding it far above Morgan's head until the boy agreed to play football with Walter. Or maybe video games, though those were usually few and far between, both boys knowing Hannibal didn't much approve of them. Or of TV in general.
But they would be home soon, back to fighting soon, house once more busy with children again soon.
Hannibal left the house and went to his car. His office wasn't far away. Just the next town over. Enough of a distance to keep home and work separate.
When he arrived at the brick building, he could see the young girl's car outside, both her grandmother, who had taken the girl in, and the girl waiting patiently. He got from his car and unlocked the door to his office, holding it open and waiting for the girl.
She was a plain and pretty little thing. Dark hair, brilliant blue eyes, freckles across her cheeks and nose. All in all, she reminded Hannibal of Abigail Hobbs and that was why she was so important to Hannibal.
Abigail had been his and Will's for a time. For a fraction of a broken tea cup, they were a family and it still cut Hannibal deeply to think he had left himself full heartedly believing that they could have been a family.
And he supposed that he had one now. A very mismatched, thrown together family that he really did care deeply for. A family he would do anything to protect, not just for promises' sake.
"Good morning," Hannibal said kindly in German, closing the door behind them. He motioned her from the waiting room and into his office where the girl went and took a seat in her normal chair, pulling her hair over one shoulder and braiding it nervously before unbraiding it. Hannibal looked over the girl for a moment before taking his own seat, unbuttoning his suit coat as he sat. His legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap with a sigh. "You look uncomfortable. What's wrong, Heidi?"
"I'm pregnant."
Hannibal was silent, blinking several times at the abrupt admission. Normally the girl was quiet. Utterly silent until Hannibal promoted an answer from her and then it was like pulling teeth to get anything solid to work with, but she was young, traumatized and Hannibal couldn't be too harsh. He had to carefully pick apart this girl, and it was enjoyable most days.
"I'm assuming that you haven't informed your family," Hannibal said softly, index finger tapping on his knuckles, a slight anger filling his blood. Even if he had removed the predator from her life, he still had his grasp on her and Hannibal wasn't sure exactly what to do to help.
Heidi shook her head, hands still nervously fussing with her hair, braiding it and unbraiding it over and over, eyes on the ground.
"How can I tell them?" she asked back in a broken voice that Hannibal had trouble hearing. "They didn't even want to listen to me when I told them what my father did. They just set me up with therapy because of how hysterical I was. You're the only one who listens, Dr. Eisner. The only one who believes me."
"And how are you dealing with the death of your father?" Hannibal asked, eyes intently on the girl, feeling oddly protective of her the more she told him about her family.
"Fine," she answered, blue eyes finally meeting Hannibal's. "I'm glad he's gone. He's been doing this to me for years. It's nice to know that I don't have to be afraid of my room anymore."
Hannibal gave a nod. "Have you decided what you're going to do with the child?"
Her eyes dropped back to the floor and her hands went back to braiding. "I want to get rid of it."
"Alright," Hannibal said with a nod. "Without your family knowing?"
"They would sacrifice me if they found out," Heidi whispered, falling back into her chair defeated, hands clutching the arm rests. "But I can't take care of a child, I'm going to be hurting my body if I do keep the child and my family... You've met my grandmother. You know how-how-how-"
"Unreasonable?" Hannibal offered gently.
"Yes!" Heidi agreed with a nod. "And I don't know where to go to get this taken care of. I don't know who to see or anything."
"You're not old enough to do anything medical without a guardian's permission," Hannibal pointed out and the girl only nodded in dismay. Hannibal sighed, thinking over the options in his head, Will's words from long ago coming to his head.
"Saving people brings color to your cheeks."
Hannibal rose to his feet and went to his desk, digging through some business cards he kept. Finding the one he wanted, he placed it on his desk and rewrote the English out in German for the girl and then returned to her, kneeling down beside her chair.
"This is for you," he said, holding out the small piece of paper. "You wait until you are alone and you call this number. Tell them that Hannibal Lecter gave you this number, do you understand?"
Heidi's face turned to one of confusion and she cautiously took the piece of paper. "Hannibal Lecter?" she repeated, testing the name in her mouth.
Hannibal gave a nod. "They will help you, no questions asked. No one will know, it will be discreet and safe. My private number is beneath it if you need anything."
"They will take care of the child?" she asked softly, blue eyes meeting maroon.
"If that is what you want, they will help you."
"Will you be there too? I don't want to be alone."
"If that is what you want," Hannibal repeated with a small nod.
It was risky to do this. Giving out phone numbers to unorthodox doctors was one thing. He had done it many times before. But giving out his name, especially to this child, was another. But he had to help her in any way that he could. He knew the type of family that she came from. He knew what they would do to her if they knew that she was pregnant, not to mention with her own father's child. It would put their family to ruins and that was something that the high class couldn't have. Heidi was bound to end up in a ditch way before the child could cause harm to their reputation.
Hannibal didn't necessarily approve of the situation. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have offered such assistance, but this was a child being shoved into real adult problems that she wasn't mentally or physically capable of handling. And her safety was at risk. It was, over all, the best option.
"I will set up the appointment and tell you at our next session," Heidi said determinedly with a nod.
Hannibal gave her hand a small pat and rose back to his feet before sitting back down in his chair.
"Well, this isn't on the map," Walter announced when they hit a large body of running water. It gleamed in the afternoon sun, bright and blinding. Walter lowered the map in his hands and gave a confused look down at his compass, up at the angle of the sun, then back to his compass. "We're going the right direction."
"Maybe the map is old?" Morgan said, kneeling down at the side of the fast moving water and dipping his hand into it. He rubbed at the back of his neck to cool down his skin before standing and going back over to Walter to look at the map.
"This river is older than the map," Walter said with a small laugh. "But at least we found water. Fill up the water bottle. Let me see if I can figure out where we are."
Walter took a seat on a rock and poured back over the map in his hand. It took a moment or two more of looking before he gave a sigh and closed his eyes.
"They altered the map."
"What do you mean they altered it?" Morgan asked, looking up from where he was refilling the water bottle.
"Father drew this map. It's not printed." Walter shifted the map around, looking closely over the carefully made details. "They purposefully left things off this map."
"But we're going the right way?" Morgan came over and passed the water bottle to Walter who looked at the decently clear water and took a sip of it, the coldness pleasant in his hot, dry mouth.
Walter nodded and passed the water bottle to Morgan. "We're going the right way." Walter sighed, wiping the sweat from his face. "How are you feeling? Are you holding up alright?"
"My feet hurt," Morgan said with a hint of complaint in his tone, though it had been the first that Walter had heard about it. "But I'm alright."
"Are you hungry?"
Morgan shook his head. "I'm ok for right now."
"Do you need to rest?"
"I'm fine, Wally," Morgan assured with a small smile. "Thank you."
"If you're alright, we need to keep moving." Walter dropped the backpack from his back and shoved the map into it before lacing the compass around his neck. "Take off your socks and shoes Morgan," Walter instructed, doing the same to his own feet. "Put them in the bag."
Once both were barefoot, and shoes were in the bag, Walter slowly lowered himself down into the river. The water was icy cold, most likely snow runoff from the mountains, but it felt nice against Walter's flushed skin.
"Stay here," he instructed when Morgan tried to follow. "I'll come back for you."
Walter made his way across the river, slipping in several places where the current became strong, but stayed standing. Once the backpack was safely on the other side, Walter turned and made his way back across the river.
Once over by Morgan, Walter turned around. "Get on my back. The current will be too strong for you and you'll be miserable the rest of the day if you're wet."
"But you're wet."
"It's ok, Morgan," Walter assured with a kind smile over his shoulder. "Let me take care of you. You can carry the backpack for a bit if you feel like you need to help."
Morgan did his best to shift on the shoreline and got onto Walter's back, his feet the only thing in the water.
"You good?" Walter questioned.
"Yes," Morgan replied, wrapping his arms around Walter's neck securely.
Walter made his way carefully across the river, feeling the way the water would push and pull him in directions now that he wasn't quite as stable, but he made it across without incident. Morgan was placed on the shoreline and Walter hoisted himself up and out of the river, breathing hard. He lied back in the dirt and grass, feet still in the water.
"Fill up the water bottle again, Morgan. Give me a moment or two to rest and we'll keep going."
Will could hear the front door open and he stopped with a curious look halfway down the stairs.
He hadn't looked at the time, but he couldn't have been asleep very long. And the boys wouldn't be back yet. Will had made the trek himself to make sure it was doable and it had taken him nearly the whole day and part of the night to reach back home. If they left early enough it was possible that they could be back late tonight, but Will had no way of knowing how the boys were.
"Hannibal?" Will called cautiously into the house. It was possible that Hannibal had come home, but Will was certain that he hadn't been asleep for that long. There wasn't an answer and Will carefully made his way back to his room, trying to stay quiet.
He went to his bed and pulled his gun from under his pillow, checking that it was loaded and turned back to the door.
With a deep breath, body still unusually calm and drowsy from the medicine Hannibal had given him, he left the room. He took the first step and listened. He could just barely make out someone shuffling around downstairs.
Will kicked his slippers from his feet and stepped silently down the rest of the stairs, gun up and ready.
He glanced around the side of the stairs, looking up both sides of the hallway before stepping into it.
His heart was steady in his chest and his breathing was calm and silent and Will wasn't sure if that was due to the drugs or if the dangerous situations were just natural to him now.
In a blink, someone rounded the corner, body large and not one Will was familiar with. Will pulled the trigger, the gun jumping in his hand with a deafening crack in the small space, hitting his target. The man stumbled back and slid down the wall, bullet lodged in his skull.
There was another man and another crack, the second hitting the floor. Will checked quickly behind him and seeing no one else, moved further down the hall.
This house was huge with an infinite amount of room and an infinite amount of hiding places. Will couldn't very well clear the whole house alone, though he was certain that the others would get lost in the maze of halls that Will had taken careful time to memorize.
Will stepped over the bleeding bodies with no thought towards them and passed the kitchen, leaning inside of the door way before continuing on up the hall and further into the house.
For once Will was relieved that Morgan and Walter were away. Will didn't need them in the middle of this. Especially since Hannibal was still gone. That much was still apparent.
There would have been a mass of carnage for Will to find if Hannibal had been home. Hannibal would have used a knife or his hands and it would have been bloody, messy, lovely. He would have been protecting his family fully and perfectly just as he always had. The dutiful father who had stepped up even though he didn't have to.
Will made the round of the bottom floor before finding himself in the music room. He went to the window and pulled back the curtain just enough to look out to where a dark car sat across the street. One Will didn't recognize.
There had to be more of them. There wouldn't just be two. What had they wanted? Did they watch Hannibal leave and figure no one else was home and they could rob the place?
No. They weren't dressed for a robbery. Faces uncovered, broad daylight. This was something else, but Will wasn't sure what.
There was a sharp tug around his throat and Will gagged as a curtain cord wrapped around him. One hand struggled to slip under the fabric of the cord, but he couldn't quite find the strength, all bodily functions slowed from the drugs.
With a quick thought, Will placed the gun to the side of his head and tried to shoot at whoever was there, but something hit his wrist, knocking his gun to the floor.
Will gasped for air, both hands now tugging at the cord as his knees sagged and dropped him to the floor.
Thank God his children weren't home.
Hannibal pulled into the driveway and slowed to a stop, eyes on the black vehicle across the road. He recognized it, but wasn't exactly sure where to place it. It didn't belong in this neighborhood though. He was certain of that.
He got from his car and stepped up to the house, keys in hand, but he stopped at the door. He reached out and pushed on the door and it swung open, having been partly ajar.
Hannibal glanced over his shoulder once more at the car and stepped into his home, closing the door behind him and locking it. He wasn't about to make the intruders' escape easy on them.
"Allan?" Hannibal called into the house, taking off his coat and hanging it up in the closet. He pulled his suit coat off and then his vest. There was no answer, the house off putting in its quiet. "Allen?" he asked again, pulling his tie from around his neck. "I'm home."
He rolled up his sleeves as he made his way further into the house. He stepped into the hallway and went for the stairs. Maybe he had just forgotten to close the door, though he doubted it. Will could just still be in bed, sleeping.
Hannibal stopped when he found Will's slippers on the stairs. Hannibal made his way back down the stairs and to the kitchen, pulling a knife from the knife block, noting the missing bar chair, before heading back into the hallway and to where two bodies were laying against the wall, shot in the head.
Hannibal gave a small smile at the idea of Will shooting the men, because that was obviously what had happened, the scent of gunpowder still hanging in the air.
The question was, where were they now? This house had been picked for the rooms. Many rooms to hold many secrets, but they were secrets that Hannibal didn't think that he had to find.
Hannibal made the round of the first floor until he found himself in the music room towards the front of the house. Near the piano, tied to a chair was a man slumped over with curly dark hair.
Hannibal looked around the room once more and finding no one, stepped over to Will, kneeling in front of him.
He took Will's face and Will jumped, eyes shooting open wide and searching. Hannibal frowned at the worry that was in them and the dark purple that was a round his throat.
He reached up and carefully pulled the duct tape from Will's mouth, who winced. "Where are they?" Hannibal asked softly, knife going to cut at the ropes that bound Will to the missing bar chair from the kitchen.
Will shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know how many there are or where they are." His voice was ragged and rough from being strangled. "I woke up and no one was here."
Hannibal gave a small nod, finally getting through one of the thick ropes, eyes scanning the room before returning to his work.
"And you're alright?" Hannibal asked again. Will gave a small nod. "Those shooting lessons with the boys look to have been paying off." It was a tease, something said in hopes of lightening the mood and maybe it did a bit.
"I wasn't a bad shot before," Will defended with a small smile. "I think they took my gun though." The ropes fell to the floor one by one and then Hannibal moved behind Will to cut at the ropes around his wrists that had cut deep into his skin, pulled tight.
"You have another," Hannibal reminded. "We have the safe."
"That's in the basement. We don't know where they are, Hannibal. Even if they're still here."
"They're here. The car is still out front." Will pulled his wrists in front of himself, rubbing at the ach in them now that they were free. Hannibal came back around and pulled Will from the chair, giving him a quick kiss. "You still look a little out of it. Are you going to be alright?"
"Fine," Will replied with a nod. "Been a while since we've done something like this."
Hannibal gave a nod and a smile. "Indecent."
"Erotic."
"Later, love." Hannibal placed another kiss to Will's lips and gave a deep breath. "We have other things to worry about at the moment."
"Do you know who they are?" Will asked, following Hannibal through the house and to a door in the hall that could have been thought of as a closet from its position. Hannibal started down the stairs and Will followed after him, keeping their steps quiet as they made their way down to the basement.
"I have an idea," Hannibal replied with a nod, dress shoes looking out of place across the blue gymnastic mats that were on the floor. "I believe it has something to do with the Schneider girl."
"What about her?" Will stopped as Hannibal opened up the door to where they kept the gun safe. He let Will step inside and Will punched in their code, pulling open the door to the large black metal box. He reached for another one of his many handguns and then a few loaded clips, shoving one into the gun and cocking it before shoving another clip or two into the pockets of his lounge pants.
Will glanced up when there wasn't an answer and found a fond smile on Hannibal's lips. Will gave a grin and a snort. "Me loading a gun isn't sexy, Hannibal," Will scolded sarcastically.
"I beg to differ," Hannibal argued, voice light as he watched Will work. "It's as sexy as the dead bodies in the hallway, Will."
"What happened with the girl, Hannibal?" Will closed the safe and stepped from the room, letting Hannibal close the door behind him.
"She has high connections with powerful people who, according to our session today, do not like me or the way that I have stepped into the girl's life," Hannibal explained.
"Powerful how?" Will started for the stairs, voice now lowered.
"Money, dirty money."
"Drug money?"
"It's a possibility, though I wouldn't put it past them to obtain money in other ways," Hannibal replied softly, stopping behind Will as Will checked the top of the stairs.
"Do they know what you did?" Will asked, glancing back at Hannibal for a moment, hoping to read his husband's face.
"I can't fully say, though her father was a prominent person in their family."
Will frowned with a huff of air. "Hannibal, we've talked about this. You can't just kill off people in positions of-"
"The girl is pregnant, Will," Hannibal grumbled, twisting the knife in his hand to a more comfortable position. "She is the same age as Walter and looks just like Abigail. I could not sit there and do nothing."
"Sentimental bastard," Will muttered, checking the top of the stairs once more before leaving them and stepping back into the hallway. Will couldn't be mad though. Not in the slightest. If anything happened to Walter or Morgan he would hunt down whoever hurt them and do away with them slowly. Even if it was Hannibal. Nothing and no one would come between him and his children and Hannibal knew that well enough. Hannibal knew he wasn't an exception to the rule. Not this rule. Not that Hannibal ever would hurt them. "Where would you hide in this house, Hannibal? Where would you go?"
"Empathize Will," Hannibal instructed beside him. "The leader of your underground ring fucked his own daughter and got her pregnant. She starts therapy to stop her hysterical outbursts because the family doesn't believe her and soon after the leader goes missing and is later found murdered with incriminating parts of him cut off and stuffed down his throat."
Will blinked and glanced over Hannibal who was still as calm and collected as ever though there was that fire in his eyes, his voice harsh. "You-You..." Will trailed off, nearly snorting with laughter at the picture of the man in a position he very much deserved, dick shoved down his throat. "Wish I could have seen that one."
"Focus Will."
Will inhaled deeply, letting his eyes close, knowing Hannibal would be more than able to protect him while he was trapped in his own head.
Hannibal was silent, letting Will work, watching his face. It was always interesting to see Will do what the FBI had hounded him for years over. It wasn't special if one were to walk in on it happening. Will's face would sometimes twist into odd expressions, sometimes his hands would move and he would talk to himself. Other times he was completely silent and still, features carved from stone.
"They will be searching for any information on her," Will said, eyes still closed. "They know that you take notes. They want to know what she has said during your sessions. They don't care about confidentiality. They care about silencing you. You're the link."
"They'll be in my study."
"Odd they wouldn't go to your office." Will's eyes opened, and he looked a little dazed and tired, having had to work through the drugs still in his system to find his answers.
"It's the family," Hannibal offered, his own opinion coming through now that he had Will's to work with. "Family is important. They want to take someone from mine because I took someone from theirs."
"They know you did it then?"
"I'm the only possible suspect they could come back to," Hannibal answered. "The women in the family are told to be quiet and look the other way. They wouldn't believe the girl, they aren't about to step into the man's domain and do their work for them. The only one outside of the girl's family who knows and would do anything about it would be me."
"And they didn't kill me." Will inhaled deeply as the parts began to fall into place even further. "They don't want me dead and they don't want you dead. They would have killed you when you came in and untied me."
"They want Morgan and Walter," Hannibal hissed.
"Walter specifically. He's the same age as the girl, right?" Will frowned at Hannibal's nod. "They want him in place of her."