Sexual/disturbing content warning.

CH4: Take It All Away

Will awoke the next morning to the loud, crackly sound of his old record player. Abigail was standing in the corner of the room, holding onto an album cover as she switched her hips back and forth. It didn't take long for him to realize she was wearing his shirt. The grey cotton ended just below the curve of her rump, and Will's eyes opened more fully to take her in.

"Abigail," he wearily croaked, "what are you doing? It's...it's..." He checked his clock and grimaced. "...too early."

With a grin, Abigail spun around and held up one of his albums. "I wanted to find some good music, but it looks like you're still stuck in the Stone Age. I mean, seriously, Will? The Doors? No wonder you live in constant gloom and doom! You need something other than all this grandpa music!"

Will yawned. "Yeah, well it's from my generation... I don't plan on taking advice from a kid."

"I am not a kid – I'm seventeen!"

"I stand corrected," he grumbled. In truth, their conversation was beginning to deeply disturb him. He'd just spent a night of passion with an underage girl – and he'd repeatedly transgressed, at that – so he didn't want to be reminded of his discrepancies with her taste in music.

Suddenly leaping onto the bed, Abigail crawled up to him and poked his shoulder. "What are we going to do today? As much as I love harassing you, that can only be exciting for so long."

Will groaned and attempted to pull the covers over his head, but Abigail thwarted him with her nimble hands. "Oh, c'mon! Why are you being such a baby?"

"Back off." Squirming away from her prodding fingers, Will felt the heat rise in his cheeks when she laughed and attempted to get closer. The distance between his maturity and hers unnerved him. Though Abigail was almost an adult, her child-like behavior was making him sick with guilt. He never should've touched her.

"Wow, is that what I think it is?"

Snapping to attention, Will balked when he realized Abigail was pointing toward his tented arousal. He hadn't even been aware of his physical state. Embarrassed, he tried to turn back over, but Abigail laughed and stopped him with her hands.

"Man, I didn't even think men your age still had morning wood! This is adorable!"

"I am not that old," Will growled, shoving her away from him. "And stop touching me, goddammit! I'm trying to sleep!"

"With that stiffy between your legs? Yeah, right!"

"Cut it out!"

Laughing, Abigail sat up and rolled her eyes. "God, you're such a prude! Get a grip, would you?" She gave him a simpering smile. "Oh, wait...that's not a very good choice of words, is it?"

"Get out of here!"

Trying her best to hide her laughter, Abigail placed a condescending kiss on Will's forehead before turning to leave. In truth, she was feeling pretty damn good about herself, because she'd been thinking nobody would ever want her again. She was too damaged. And even though Will was acting like a big baby about it, she'd honestly been expecting as much; the morning after was always awkward. She knew he'd come around eventually.

As Abigail left the room, Will took a firm grip on himself and prepared to manually make his desires go away. There was no chance in hell that he'd turn to Abigail ever again – he couldn't.

When Will emerged from his room, freshly showered and dressed, he stared at Abigail standing amongst his dogs. One of them stuck its wet nose beneath her shirt and pressed it to her bare skin, causing her to shriek and pull the cloth back down over her rump.

Before Will could even stop himself, he was laughing at the spectacle.

Abigail spun around and scowled. "Oh, so that you'll laugh for? Thanks a lot, you jerk!"

Barely able to hide his smile, Will approached the motley crew and stroked the offending dog behind the ears. "He just likes you, that's all. With dogs, you have to remember that ass-sniffing is the best form of flattery."

"Shut up."

Grinning more openly now, a chuckle rumbled deep in his chest and Abigail observed him.

"It really suits you."

"What does?"

"A smile, of course – it's a great thing to see." Mirroring his mirth, Abigail moved forward and went to kiss him, but Will drew back as though she had the plague. She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just-"

"Oh, back to the whole 'nothing' bullshit, huh? If you just wanted to fuck around with no strings attached, all you had to do was say so." Her tone was biting and cold.

"Abby..."

"No, I get it… If you bang teenage girls for fun, who am I to judge? It's not like I'm Little Miss Perfect."

Will winced. "Abby, I'm sorry... Really. I'm kind of screwed up right now, and I'm just not sure how to feel."

Abigail smiled again, her hand grasping his as she leaned against his chest. "Well for starters, you should totally let me live with you. That way I won't have to keep jumping the hospital's wall to come visit."

Will sucked in a breath, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "I...I don't think that would work."

"Well why not?"

"You know why."

Abigail's smile was guileful, yet the way she cupped his cheeks was completely tender. "I get it – really, I do, but nobody ever has to find out."

"You can't promise they won't."

"True," she agreed, "but do you promise you'll at least think about it?"

Will bowed his forehead against hers. "Yeah...I'll think about it."

And even as he uttered these fateful words, he felt as though he were leading himself to the proverbial gallows. Abigail Hobbs would surely be his undoing.

When Will heard Dr. Lecter sniffing the air, he bristled and turned around in disgust. "I promise you, I made sure to change my after shave this time."

"Indeed, you have," Lecter agreed, "though that is not the delightful scent that piques my interest. Its bouquet is far more...youthful in its splendor."

Will's mouth went dry. "What are you getting at?"

"Abigail Hobbs," Lecter said simply. "Could it be that you've finally listened to your heart's desires?"

"Listen, you twisted son of a bitch, if you think for one minute that I touched my own ward, I-"

Lecter raised a hand, indicating silence. "I merely wanted to verify my suspicions, and judging by your volatile response, I would say I at the very least guessed part of your torment correctly."

Will's tough facade crumbled. "You're right, I…I'm sorry." Miserably sinking down into a chair, he weakly confessed, "I let Abigail stay with me last night. She was lonely and scared, so I let her share my bed. We..."

"Succumbed?"

His eyes shot up to look at Lecter's, his hands gripping the arms of the chair as he searched their depths for repugnance. When he found none, Will bowed his head and choked out a raspy, "Yes."

"I see. And this troubles you?"

"Yes, Dr. Lecter...very much."

"And why do you think that is? For many years, age was but a number – your forefathers never worried about romancing the taboo, so why should we?"

Will's smile was grim. "Though I see your point, I hate to remind you that times have changed. I could get arrested for seeing Abigail."

"Then why do you?"

Will exhaled, shrugging as he wedged his hands between his knees. "I don't know, she just . . . changed something in me." Wetting his lips, he cupped his chin in his palm and shook his head. "I can't really explain it, but every time we're together, all of my nightmares just disappear. I don't see things when I'm with her."

Lecter pursed his lips. "It seems that you have developed quite a crutch, Mr. Graham. But in all fairness, I believe Abigail views you as a crutch, as well."

"You do?"

"But of course – all of the classic signs are present. If she did not view you as some sort of romantic hero, you never would have gotten her to take comfort in your arms. In the end, you are both seeking the same goal: complete and utter peace of mind."

Will stared back at Lecter, his expression an amalgam of horror and awe. "I...I think you might be right."

Though the doctor's smile was indulgent, it was clear that he wouldn't have expected anything less. Retrieving his pocket watch, he dryly announced, "I am afraid that this is it for us today. I have a guest that I need to prepare for, so I will return shortly."

"Abigail Hobbs?"

Lecter cleared his throat, thus indicating an obvious dismissal. "Will you please excuse me?"

When the agent nodded and rose from his perch, Lecter indicated that he'd be right back before disappearing into the hall. Not long after, Abigail Hobbs entered the room with a bright smile.

"Hey, Will! I didn't know you were unburdening your daily dose of crazy, too." Bounding over to him with an airiness to her step, she grabbed his arms and kissed his cheek. He blanched at the brazen display of affection.

Careful to keep his voice in check, Will sternly bit out, "You shouldn't do that here... Lecter said he'd be back soon."

Seeming to ignore him, Abigail hoisted herself up onto Lecter's desk with a sultry smile. After she'd kicked off her shoes, she ran her bare foot along Will's thigh and arched her back, pronouncing her modest breasts beneath her sweater. He clenched his teeth when she stroked his groin.

"Abby, stop."

"Why?" she shot back. "You didn't seem to dislike my touch last night…" Taking him by the arms, she urged him forward and placed his hands on her hips. "C'mon, Will...touch me. Don't you want to?"

"No..."

"Please?" She reached between them and massaged his growing hardness.

Will pressed his forehead to hers and gasped for breath, her legs squeezing his waist as she tried to coax him in closer. "Go on," she breathlessly urged. "Nobody's looking..."

Brushing his lips along her chin, Will made a muffled sound of approval when Abigail unbuckled the belt to his pants. She kissed and nipped his neck as he moved between her thighs. MoreMoreInsideMore. He lifted her by the hips, then froze to the spot right when a shrill, feminine shriek kept him from completing his task.

Gracelessly staggering away from Abigail, Will tried to refasten his pants as Alana Bloom entered his line of vision. Oh, shit...

Silence engulfed the room then, but the rage simmering beneath the doctor's chilled demeanor was palpable.

Swallowing back bile, Will raised his hands in a supplicating gesture and pitifully entreated, "Lonnie, I can explain..."

Alana wasn't interested in his excuses. Turning to Abigail, she asked as calmly as she could muster, "Abby, could you please leave us alone for a minute?"

"Oh, but-"

"GO!"

Startled, Abigail sent Will a frantic look before reluctantly doing as she was told. Will Graham and Alana Bloom were now the only ones in the vicinity.

The moment Will opened his mouth to talk, the words were silenced when Alana smacked him soundly across the cheek.

"How dare you?" she hissed. "How dare you take advantage of that confused, vulnerable girl?! You know she's not in a sound frame of mind, but you let her use you anyway!" Tears filled her eyes as she struggled to regain control. Curling and uncurling her fists at her sides, Alana heaved a breath and spat, "This is beyond unethical – this violates every oath you ever took for the Academy!"

Will could no longer remain silent. "Don't you think I know that? Do you actually think I want to be this way?!"

"Christ, Will, she's just a child!"

A child... Will felt his insides curdle.

Seeing the hurt and confusion warring behind his eyes, Alana finally managed to put a temporary lid on her temper. Coaxing him into returning her gaze, she swallowed and choked out, "Will, what you've got inside you – this whole terrible, monstrous thing . . . it's not normal. Surely you must realize that."

Will's lips quirked up into a tremulous smile. "Seriously? I get into the minds of crooks for a living, yet you're suggesting I ever could be normal? It's way too late for that. I will never, ever be the same."

Alana's eyes were tragic. "Will, I just want to help...for both your sakes."

"Yeah? Well you can start by backing off and minding your own damn business."

"You know I can't do that."

"Well why the hell not, huh? You're not my doctor!"

Alana was livid. "Maybe so, but Dr. Lecter's obviously not giving you the help you need. Your predatory behavior is-"

"I am not a predator! Abigail's almost eighteen!"

Alana struck him across the face again, but this time the blow was far more painful than the last. His nerves were on fire from where she'd slapped him.

"Would you just listen to yourself?" she hissed. "Do you mean to tell me that if a perp were sexually abusing a seventeen-year-old, you wouldn't book and charge him with predatory-related crimes?"

Will swallowed. "It's...consensual."

"So what?" She moved to hit him again, but this time he caught her by the wrist. She started in surprise once she realized they were gazing eye-to-eye.

"'So what?'" Will coldly echoed. "Well I'll tell you 'so fucking what,' Lonnie: ever since I've connected with that girl, I've been able to breathe again. I haven't seen this clearly in a long, long time, and I don't want to lose that."

Alana cringed. "Oh, Will...what are we going to do?"

"I...I don't know," he whispered. For the first time he appeared lost, and Alana had to resist the urge to comfort him.

Instead, she settled on a stern, "I won't report you . . . for now. I'll try and find you some proper counseling, but in the meantime I expect you to stay as far away from Abigail Hobbs as possible. If I catch you even looking her way, I'll tell Jack and call the police."

Will exhaled. He wanted to tell her to go ahead and do it – that he was a monster who couldn't be stopped – but his selfishness and need for Abigail overruled his morals. "Alright," he feebly lied, "I'll do everything you ask. Believe me, I don't want to be this way any more than you do."

Alana gave a tearful smile and squeezed his arm. "Don't worry, Will, we'll get through this . . . together."

Before he could even think to speak, Lecter was back in the room with Abigail in tow. "Hello, Alana...Will," he greeted. His tone seemed smug as he placed a hand on Abigail's shoulder. "I hate to be rude, but you are both cutting into my time with Miss Hobbs. Would you mind excusing us, please?"

"Yeah, sure," Will softly agreed, his eyes never leaving Abigail's. "No problem."

Pushing ahead of Alana, he tore out of the room as though he had fire crackers in his pants. He didn't breathe normally again until he'd reached the safety of the parking lot.

Several hours later, Will had been dragged back to Quantico to review the latest stats on the Van Gogh murders. But, as always, his mind wasn't in the best of places.

He kept nodding in and out of Beverly's analyses, his hand passing over his mouth as he pretended to contemplate her commentary. Beverly didn't fall for this for very long. He jerked upright when she cleared her throat.

"Seriously, Graham? This is the fifth time I've tried getting your attention." Though Beverly was often sarcastic and light, there was something troubled about her tone. Did she know? Had Alana told her?

"I'm sorry," he feebly apologized, "I'm just...distracted."

"Yeah? You wanna talk about it?"

Beverly was easily the type of person Will could've let past his barrier, had he ever given her the chance. Of all the people he worked with, she was the only one who could make him smile on a regular basis. She was the only one who treated him like a person instead of a sideshow freak. Because of this, he knew he could never risk having her view him differently. It could very well kill him.

"Helloooo, anybody in there? Please tell me your brain's not running on autopilot again."

Will cracked a weak smile. "I think what I need is some time off for a bit...think Jack will ever go for that?"

"Um, that'd be a negative," Beverly said. "Though Crawford would let you leave, I'm beginning to think he's forgotten how to do this stuff without you."

"I'm going to tell him you said that."

"Like hell you are!"

Chuckling, Will gathered up his coat and agreed, "You're right, I won't – for now. Thanks for the pick-me-up, by the way."

Beverly's stern gaze relaxed. "Sure thing, Champ . . . and Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever's bothering you, don't let anyone tell you how to feel, ok? I know you've constantly got Crawford, Bloom, and Lecter telling you what to do, so for once why don't you do what you feel is right?"

The look in Will's eyes softened. "Thanks...that's some really good advice."

"Isn't it, though? I read it on a bumper sticker." She grinned and waved him off. "Go on, get out of here – you and your bed need some serious quality time together."

After Will said his goodbyes, he walked out of the building with an actual smile on his face. Beverly was right. It was time for him to do what he wanted without fearing the consequences.

"C'mon, Abby, we're leaving."

Abigail slowly raised herself off her bed, blinking as Will came barreling into her room. "Um...going where, exactly?"

"Don't worry about it – just get your things. I told the orderlies that Dr. Bloom wants to take you on a brief vacation."

Despite her confusion, Abigail couldn't help but grin. "Wow, breaking bad at last, are we? Dr. Bloom is going to be so pissed." She shrugged and said, "I mean, she totally caught us...I'm surprised she even let you leave the building."

"She almost didn't," Will agreed, "but I managed to buy us some time."

Now getting off her bed, Abigail began throwing her clothes into a duffel bag as Will moved to assist her. "You know," she blithely began, "this kind of feels like Bonnie and Clyde, minus all the bank-robbing and murder. Pretty cool, huh?"

"That's not the word I'd use to describe it, but I'm glad you're coming with me." Will found he couldn't look her in the eye when he said this. Sentimentality always embarrassed him.

Fortunately for Will, Abigail was far too busy packing to pay him much attention. After a moment she zipped up the bag and said, "There! That should be good enough. These jerks didn't let me bring all that much to begin with, anyway."

Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Abigail followed Will out into the sterile-smelling hallway. Her voice was small as she asked, "Are you in trouble? Is anyone coming after us?"

Will exhaled. "No, not yet – we've got a good head-start on them. Bloom said she'd give me a week to end this...this thing between us, but we'll be long gone by then."

Abigail's brow furrowed. "Why are you doing this, anyway? I mean, why risk everything for something that probably won't even last?"

Will's smile was distant. "I've already lost everything, Abby. At the very least, I just want a little peace of mind before everything turns to shit."

Abigail paused, her head bowing as she shyly hooked her fingers through his. "Then I won't leave you," she promised. "We can both be fucked up together."

If Will hadn't been so troubled, he would have smiled.

Will and Abigail had been driving for about an hour, and neither of them had any clue where they were going. Lecter had been left a note to take care of Will's dogs, but that was the only indication of how long he planned on staying away from Wolf Trap. Both passengers were now brooding.

Trying to distract himself, Will opened and closed his hands around the steering wheel. He knew what he wanted to say – or in this case apologize – but he was finding it very difficult to do so. He cleared his throat. His voice was hoarse when he finally choked out, "Abby, I want you to know that...that I'm really sorry for stealing your first time. You should've been with some other kid, but...well...you weren't, and that was completely selfish of me."

Abigail startled him with a loud and grating laugh. "Are you joking? Will, you are so not my first."

"B-but you were so..."

"Tight? Yeah. That's 'cause mom finally got suspicious, so dad stopped touching me for a while. It didn't last very long, though."

Will felt sick to his stomach. Though he'd experienced all sorts of horrors over the years, this particular confession struck him like a low blow.

"You're lying," he whispered. His tone was pleading with her – begging for it all to be untrue.

"Why the fuck would I lie about something like that?" Abigail's tone was livid, but her gaze softened when she saw the turmoil on Will's face. Taking a deep breath, she looked away and shook her head. "He said nobody would ever love me but him, and . . . I believed him. Until now." She reached over and touched Will's hand, but he fiercely jerked away from her, both appalled and ashamed at what he was hearing.

Abigail sniffed. "Please, Will...now that you know, please don't turn me away. Don't prove that my dad was right about me."

Will felt nauseous. It was difficult to breathe. With the ugly truth in sight, it now made sense why Abigail was so eager to find refuge in his arms. This wasn't new to her – she was used to men taking advantage of her body. It had never occurred to him that she was behaving this way out of habit. As an investigative consultant, he of all people should've been able to read the signs.

Feeling Abigail's hand brush against his arm, Will jerked upright and trembled as his mind's eye pictured Hobbs with his daughter. He could see Garrett kissing Abigail's forehead and soothing her with words, promising how this would be the last time he'd ever ask her to lie with him.

"Hobbs spent a lot of time here . . . he spent a lot of time with his daughter here," Crawford's words echoed tauntingly.

Will nearly dry-heaved. With his foot pressing down on the accelerator, he quivered as the trees began to whiz by them at an alarming rate. He could hear Abigail screaming, her hands patting his face and shoulders as she begged him to come back to her.

"Will," she sobbed, "Will! Please slow down...you're scaring me!"

Scaring her...

Will jolted, clenching his teeth as he pictured Abigail sobbing beneath her father. "No, daddy, please slow down...you're scaring me!"

Sharply crying out, Will jerked the steering wheel and the car fish-tailed. Abigail shrieked as the tires squealed, the vehicle sending them lurching headlong into a ditch. Silence overcame them when the car stalled.

As Abigail sat there crying, Will wordlessly got out of the car and staggered up the grassy bank. He could hear her pleading with him to come back, but he ignored her. He couldn't face her right now.

When he was a decent distance from the car, Will finally stopped walking and closed his eyes. He trembled and shuddered, his head shaking as a tortured sob caught in his throat.

The car door slammed and he could hear footsteps coming toward him.

"Will? Will, please come back!"

Dropping down to his knees, Will doubled over and pressed his forehead against the cool earth. He could feel Abigail's small arms around him then, her damp cheek pressing against his back as he trembled.

"I'm sorry," he choked.

"It's ok," she whispered back. Stroking his wavy curls, she closed her eyes and said, "It started when I was really young...it was just touching at first, but I didn't think anything was wrong with it." She numbly blinked back tears. "In fact...I still kind of don't, if I'm being perfectly honest."

Will finally raised his head, now regarding her with pained blue eyes. Abigail reached out and cupped his face, wiping the moisture from his cheeks before pressing her forehead to his. He hadn't even realized he'd been crying.

"Abby, I won't do this to you," he whispered. "I won't be your father..."

"Shh – you'll never be like him," she insisted. Her tone was gentle and reassuring.

"I won't," he said again, "I won't."

"I know...please just stop talking. You're going to make yourself sick."

Will nodded and tried his best to quit shaking. He knew Abigail was right – what they had together was nothing like what she'd had with Hobbs. It couldn't be.

Moistening her lips, Abigail framed Will's face and stroked along his scruffy cheeks, marveling at the amount of sadness she saw gazing back at her. Nobody had ever seemed to care about her this much before.

Trying her best not to cry, Abigail buried her face against his throat and tightly wound her arms around him. "I'm so glad you picked me," she whispered over and over again. "I'm so glad..."

It was true. She was glad, and she hadn't realized how much she'd needed him until this very moment.

Shuddering, Will gripped her small frame and pressed his cheek against her hair. She smelled like vanilla and cotton. Sliding his hands from her back to her shoulders, he grazed his lips against her forehead as she clung to him, feeling her squeeze his waist with a needy desperation.

"Abby..."

"Shh."

Pulling away to look into her eyes, Will wrinkled his brow when she stroked his cheeks. Then her lips were suddenly on his, soft and gentle and warm.

Clutching at her waist, he made a small noise when her mouth slipped off his. His head was spinning.

Emboldened by this response, she urged herself against him again, but this time he didn't stop her. With his mouth slightly agape, Will felt her lips glide against his with an almost modest hesitation. He gripped her elbows.

"Abby, stop."

She looked up at him in confusion. "Why?"

"You know why – I can't do this to you."

With her face contorting in frustration, Abigail gave a high-pitched shriek and shoved him. "You asshole!" she cried. "You...you bastard! You know I need this – you know I need you!"

"Get in the car, Abby."

"No!"

"Get in the goddamn car!"

Catching her pummeling fists, Will managed to sling the girl over his shoulder as she kicked and screamed. Though he was still shaking from their exchange, he somehow managed to get Abigail inside the car and hook her into her seat.

"You ok?"

She fiercely spat in his face in reply, punching his shoulder as she wailed, "I need you, Will – you know I need you to feel safe! I don't think about bad things when we screw around..."

"I know," Will whispered. "It's the same for me."

"Then take off your pants, you prick!" She reached for his buckle, but he stopped her.

"Abby, don't..."

Dropping her head against his chest, she began to sob uncontrollably. He cradled her against him, closing his eyes as he stroked her hair. "Things are changing now, ok? Our lives are going to be very different."

Abigail shuddered, now curling weakly against him. "You promise?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

They embraced more tightly. Now that they finally knew what they desired, nothing else seemed to matter.

A/N: Just to be clear, I don't actually think Garrett Jacob Hobbs raped his daughter. When Will said he wasn't "loving" his victims in that way, I definitely think the same applies to Abigail. It's just a fan theory that I wanted to explore, so that's really the only backing behind it.

Also, "Lonnie" is a nickname for Alana, so I hope that didn't throw anyone off.