The transport van rocked with every bump in the road as if the shocks had never existed. Will sat on the bench across from a large wire cage where Hannibal sat, still bound and gagged. Maroon eyes were sharp as they poured into Will's, but the tense silence held between the two of them, the other two men in the van with them sitting boredly as if they weren't driving towards something dangerous for all of them.

A shot gun was held firmly in the hands of one of the guards, and Will noted as Hannibal eyed the gun momentarily before returning to Will's stare. He had no way out and so Will wasn't exactly sure what Hannibal could possibly be planning in his head, though if there was a plan forming, Will knew he would be at a loss to catch it until it was being acted upon. He couldn't see all of Hannibal's face and while a decent amount of thought processing could be read through Hannibal's eyes, Will found Hannibal's mouth to be the most helpful.

The tick of the corners of his lips in either a frown or a smile. The baring of those crooked teeth. The words they spoke, the meaning and the feeling so often betraying each other.

The sudden burst of sirens and a roaring engine pulled Will's attention from the cannibal and he looked towards the darkened windows behind him to watch as a police cruiser sped along the side of them and Will's jaw clenched in immediate understanding, though he didn't utter a word.

This had not been part of the plan and there hadn't been any chatter over the radio, so it wasn't an officer in that car. And whoever it was knew exactly who and what they were. Knew the price of the cargo they were carrying.

Will thought he had braced himself against what was coming until the van swerved so harshly that he was thrown from his seat and slammed face first into the cage before him, the metal letting out groans in objection to the onslaught. And before Will could steady himself, he was whipped back into his seat, the back of his head cracking against the window.

A bright pain burst through the back of his skull and the world swirled around him, going in and out of darkness as a warped siren blaring became the only thing he could hear. It was so loud that Will couldn't help but wonder if that would be the only thing he would be able to hear for the rest of his life.

Through the haze, Will could make out Hannibal's form, the only one still in a seat, straightening itself into an upright position. There was a muffle crack and cry that Will knew meant someone had been shot, but darkness took him once more.

When sight returned to him, the back doors of the van were being opened one by one, letting in blinding sunlight that made Will wince, or he thought he winced. He couldn't really tell if his face was responding to him. His body certainly wasn't.

Darkness and then another crack and groan and will was able to catch the image of one of the guards falling to the floor of the van beside him with a heavy thud. Darkness once more and there was a creaking as whoever had opened those van doors opened up the monster's cage. If only the Dragon understood the type of monster he had just unleashed. What horrible power that was going to come raining down upon his castle.

When the darkness finally and fully subsided and the ringing began to dim, Will found that the dragon was gone from sight. All that was left was Hannibal, struggling to free himself from the straightjacket and through the odd angle the van now sat at. Front heavy and very right leaning.

Will used the spent body to either side of himself to push himself up, doing his best to find hand holds on the benches to pull himself further out of the van. He reached the cage, his fingers sinking into the meshing to hold himself steady as he examined Hannibal.

The man didn't seem like he was in any sort of distress other than struggling with the fabric confinement encasing his body. Will reached into the cage and the beast still, maroon eyes watching carefully as if Will were the one prone to attack between the two of them.

Will rolled his eyes with a huff and grabbed Hannibal's shoulder, tugging on it to get Hannibal to shift around on the bench. When Hannibal obeyed, Will slipped into the small space beside the killer, fingers beginning work on the multitude of buckles designed to keep the wearer in place.

First the one around the shoulders. Then around the hips, Will purposefully skipping the one that held Hannibal's hands tied tight. As a precaution or a punishment was anyone's guess. Then the two that held the strap that went between Hannibal's legs and Will tried not to think of where along Hannibal's spine his hands were working.

There wasn't a complaint in the time that Will was taking, though he could feel the discomfort in the air as the final buckle was undone. A breath of air was released from Hannibal as his arms fell slack and Will knew intimately the burn that would be in Hannibal's shoulders. Hannibal's back straightened and he rolled his shoulders, stretching them out.

Will ignored the way the space shrunk with the way Hannibal began to take up the space and he set to work on the buckles on the back of Hannibal's mask, hesitating momentarily as if this small piece of plastic would protect him when the killer's arms and hands were set free. Did he want to be protected? He didn't think so.

The two buckles were loosened and Will moved out of the way to allow Hannibal out first. Hannibal didn't waste any time to set out of the van and into the cloudy afternoon light. The mask was pulled free, jaw being worked in an attempt to get feeling back into his cheeks and nose where the mask had cut into them. Next he tugged at the collar of the straightjacket, arms burning with use. He shed it like a blanket and faced the van, dropping the items into it as if it were rude to allow them to get dirty.

"He's not going to kill us here," Hannibal announced as Will pulled himself from the back of the van as well, the air cooler out in the open. "What he wants to do requires something a little more private."

Hannibal outstretched his hand to Will who looked at it as if it were going to bite, but eventually took it. Hannibal helped pull Will from the van, using the small moment of touch to check over Will, making sure that he hadn't been too badly hurt in the scuffle that was their car being forced off the road.

"I'm fine," Will objected, pushing at Hannibal's trailing hands. "Just hit my head."

"Head injuries-"

"Hannibal." Will's hands caught Hannibal's that had risen to probe and search the part that Will had indicated was hurt. "I'm alright."

Will's hands were cold in Hannibal's fingers and Hannibal couldn't help but note the way that the callouses had begun to fade, as if those years apart had been kind enough that Will hadn't needed to use his hands to work as often as he had in the year before. What other miniscule changes had occurred that Hannibal hadn't been privy to?

"So it seems," Hannibal whispered, a tugging feeling behind his ribs. "That's rather fortunate."

"You wouldn't want my head split open and my brains spilling out?" Will challenged, tugging his hands free of Hannibal and not missing the amused little smirk in those maroon eyes. "I thought that you wanted that back in-"

"All in the past, dear Will," Hannibal excused, a wave of his hand attempting to dismiss the jab.

"Yes, the past." Will nodded, his arms folding over his chest. "A much younger and more foolish Hannibal. My how you've evolved. You would impress Darwin himself, you massive dick."

"Now, now," Hannibal tutted in barely a whisper, raising his hand and letting it take Will's cheek. The man didn't pull away from the grip, though his eyes held distrust. "That doesn't sound like the Will I know. Maybe you did hit your head a bit harder than we thought. Let me check."

"How would you know what I'm like?" Will grumbled, though he submitted in defeat, allowing Hannibal's fingers to slide into his curls, then carefully touch his skull. "You've been locked up for three years. A lot-" There was a hiss from Will as Hannibal's fingers touched a ginger spot and his eyes closed.

"It doesn't feel like you cracked your head open and the bump is not concave, which is a good sign." Hannibal's words were clearly medical. "I think you'll be fine."

"I told you that!" Will snapped, his hand reaching up to seize Hannibal's wrist. Maroon met blue and there was a pause, a long breath held between them only to be broken apart by the wail of distant sirens. They hadn't made time, Crawford would have sent backup after them.

Hannibal didn't break his gaze as Will's eyes darted around behind him, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the sounds and when Will dropped Hannibal's wrist, something in Hannibal's ribs tugged again, demanding to hold onto this moment just a fraction longer.

His other hand took Will's cheek and he leaned in, pressing a kiss to Will's lips. Soft, gentle, barely a brush, but enough to satisfy the futile mess of emotions that had been boiling under his skin since Will had done a similar act mere hours before. Though there was no plastic there now. Nothing to keep them apart, save for themselves. Allowed to finally touch with nothing between them.

Hannibal pulled away to be met with shining eyes that were large and round.

"Now, like what I said earlier," Hannibal whispered, releasing his grip on Will. "He's not going to kill us here."

"What are you doing?" Will found himself asking as Hannibal turned away from him.

"You know Will," Hannibal tossed a look over his shoulder but continued his way to the police cruises with lights still flashing, "you worry too much." Tires screeched in the distance, the sirens growing closer with each passing second. Hannibal opened the door to the car and easily drug the dead officer's body from it, letting it flop to the ground unceremoniously. "You'd be much more comfortable if you relaxed with yourself."

Will could only watch as Hannibal climbed into the driver's side of the car. He tried not to think about the nights spent by Hannibal's side, driving, the warm interior of the Bentley being the only comfort he was able to find against the fevering storm.

Will glanced back down the road the opposite way, where he was certain Crawford's men would be coming from. Hannibal pulled the cruiser up beside him. The passenger door was opened from the inside and the former occupant pushed out to allow Will room in the car, though there was blood in the seat.

"Going my way?" Hannibal teased from across the center console.