Hannibal sat primly in his chair, half listening Franklyn's rambling. He should have felt more guilty about not giving one of his patients his full attention, but his mind was preoccupied with other things; namely Will. Hannibal was fully aware of the situation he put Will in, but he hadn't asked it because he expected his soulmate to fold to his whims. Hannibal was waiting for Will's becoming to finally settle in, for Will to accept his own dark desires.
And when Will had left, most likely to give Jack a lead, Hannibal probably shouldn't have invited Tobias over. The other man was fascinating in a way similar to gazing upon a buck during a hunt. He wasn't entirely unique, had the same haughty attitude that Hannibal himself carried, but still fascinating. He listened as the man described his kills and what he was trying to accomplish.
When Tobias admitted that he had intended to kill both Hannibal and Will before realizing who Hannibal was, Hannibal had to bite his cheek. Beneath the rage that was curling in his belly he wondered what instrument they would have made. A harpsichord would have been acceptable. Tobias didn't register Hannibal's increasing anger at the time and talked about wishing for a friend who shared his interests. Hannibal had no qualms against quickly saying that he did not share the other man's sentiments. When asked why Hannibal had invited him, Hannibal gave him a smile with all teeth and admitted he was going to kill him. Instead of that, the man had left and Hannibal wondered for once if perhaps Will had been in the right in this situation.
Tuning back into Franklyn's ramblings, the man is still sobbing about the news Hannibal had given him.
"Nine," Franklyn said, his voice like a whimper. "Nine times. I can count on two hands the number of psychiatrist that have dumped me."
Hannibal feels bad about it, more frustrated than anything. He had wanted to help Franklyn but it wasn't working at all. "I'm sorry, Franklyn, but I think you need to see another doctor." Hannibal said.
Franklyn just gave him a lost look. "You're giving me a referral? You were a referral."
"You are focusing on me too much," Hannibal takes a breath, "you aren't focusing on your therapy."
"Is this because I didn't report Tobias when I mentioned he was acting strange? You've lost your respect for me."
"I didn't respect you," Hannibal said calmly.
"Report Tobias for what?" a voice echoes through the room and Hannibal quickly looks to the door. Hannibal stares at the man, his shirt covered in blood, his ear missing, and a long coil of wire held in his hand.
Franklyn is the one who moves first. "Is that your blood?" Franklyn asked.
"I just killed two men," Tobias said calmly. Hannibal felt his heart clench in his chest. "The police came to question me about the murder." Hannibal feels like the world is quieter at that moment. He feels like ice is trying to settle in his veins while embers burn in his chest. He wished desperately that he was still sharing an eye with Will and that he could have Will's empathy to try and catch a glimpse of his soulmate.
Part of him instantly comes to his soulmates defense and disregards Tobias' statement. His dear Will is strong, he wouldn't be taken down so easily. But another part of him argues that Will died and he died because Hannibal insisted he wanted to play with his food.
"You have to give yourself up right now," Franklyn said, taking a step towards Tobias. He looks like he wants to say more but Hannibal cuts him off.
"Franklyn, I want you to leave," Hannibal said. He's leaving Franklyn no room to argue and he hopes that Franklyn senses the two lions in the room and will not argue with him.
Franklyn doesn't seem to hear him though and continues to reassure Tobias that he can be fixed and that there is rehabilitation to help him. It's almost touching to see that Franklyn has so much faith in Tobias. Until Tobias reaches out and snaps his neck.
Hannibal hears Franklyn's body hit the floor, but he can't pull his eyes away from Tobias' left eye slowly turning white. Either the situation was horribly ironic or, "you and Franklin were soulmates."
Tobias gives him a blank look. "He saw me as a friend and never looked me in the eye," he said, glancing down at Franklyn's corpse. "I had a feeling though. But I always found him annoying, the way he seemed to becoming obsessed with people so easily and his delusional fantasies. And even though he'd be obsessed with these people, he'd still come back. It was pathetic." Hannibal would be the first to admit that he was not a good man, but he didn't think he could ever kill Will. Maybe the two of them could joke about murdering each other, but never follow through. "Besides, I had been looking forward to that."
Tobias fought like the beast he claimed to be, but Hannibal had always prided himself in his ability to take down his opponents. Where Tobias had a favored weapon, Hannibal was adaptable. The whistling of the wire whipping through the air did nothing to deter Hannibal's actions. He was fighting for his life and his soulmate's life, should Will be alive. Will wouldn't have given up without a fight, but with each blow Hannibal landed on Tobias he imagined it as vengeance for whatever Tobias had done to Will.
He wasn't entirely without injury; blood dripped down his chin from his split lip and his leg throbbed from where the letter opener had been plunged into his flesh. The wire that had attempted to strangle him had been quickly shifted away from him, but it served to make Hannibal's mind drift.
Will was sturdy, but lithe. Given enough force the man could be easily taken down. And Will wasn't vicious yet, he didn't go for the throat when facing an opponent. Hannibal could imagine Will's struggles growing weaker as steel wire was drawn tighter across his throat. He imagined his soulmate scrambling desperately for his gun, feet away from him before the light slowly faded from his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that Hannibal wanted to stare into for the rest of his life. Lifeless. Cold. Dead.
His thoughts kindled the rage in his chest as he managed to shove Tobias against the ladder in his office. He listened with a vindictive smile as the bone in Tobias' arm snapped under the force Hannibal applied to it. Before Tobias could think of retaliating, Hannibal delivered a sharp blow to the man's trachea. From the painful gasping he knew he'd broken the man's trachea. As much as he wanted to relish in the man's dying gasps, he knew that he had to take care of the man efficiently. Pulling his handkerchief out of his pocket, he picked up the stag statue, he slammed it over Tobias' head. The man made no more sounds.
He slowly put his handkerchief back in its rightful place before slowly making his way over to the harpsichord that sat in the corner. As the elegant notes of the J.S. Bach's Komm Susser Tod echoed through the office, Hannibal prayed to that Will was alive and well. That he'd see those eyes again.
~.~.~.~.~.~
Hannibal wasn't completely aware of when the agents began to process his office, only that he was sitting at his desk leg throbbing, with tears reddening his eyes. He watched as tape was spread out and sheets were cast over both Tobias and Franklyn's bodies. He hadn't expected to feel so despondent about the situation and wondered if he would have felt differently if Will wasn't his soulmate. Most likely not.
A figure stepped through the door, Jack looking suspiciously around the office. But Hannibal didn't pay him much attention once another figure entered the office.
William, his dear Will still clad in his abominable plaid shirt, looking almost the same as he did the night before. He could see the deep red line across his throat, but the skin wasn't broken. Will was staring at him with unconcealed relief and the smile he gave Hannibal could have lit his way across the sea. Will walked towards him, expertly avoiding the agents milling around. Will sat on the edge of his desk and just took a moment to take him in.
Hannibal felt drawn in, as if he would drown in the other man's eyes. He couldn't have asked for a better death if that was the case. Hannibal leaned his face against the hand that Will had slowly stretched out. He placed a kiss against the palm and let the two of them bask in the moment.
"You survived," Will said softly, brushing his thumb against Hannibal's split lip.
"Was there ever a doubt in your mind that I wouldn't?" Hannibal asked. Will nodded his head, but didn't say anything instead just brushing the hair that had fallen into Hannibal's face. Hannibal felt his heart clench. "I feared for you too. When I wished to see what would happen, I never expected for you to get hurt. I should have realized that you wouldn't lie down and go along with it."
Will shook his head. "We're alive, but we both have to consider each other in the future."
Before the two could say anymore, Jack stepped up to them.
"Tobias Budge killed two Baltimore police officers, nearly killed an FBI Special Agent, and his first stop after that was here," Jack said.
"He came to kill my patient," Hannibal said truthfully. "They were soulmates."
Jack looked as if he had been struck for a moment. Will quickly butted in to ask his question. "Your patient, is that who Budge was serenading?" Will asked.
"I don't know," and Hannibal really didn't know. Hannibal had assumed that Tobias was trying to serenade him, but perhaps there was a part of him that was trying to serenade Franklyn. "Franklyn knew more than he was telling me. He told Mr. Budge that he didn't have to kill anymore. Then he broke Franklyn's neck, and attacked me." Hannibal said.
"And you killed him?" Jack asked, seeming to have gotten over the news that Hannibal had given him.
"Yes," Hannibal said quietly. He was playing Jack like a fiddle.
Jack looks like he wants to say more, but walks over to one of the agents processing the stag statue. Hannibal sees Will suppress a smile at the sight of it and makes a questioning hum.
"I used to see that stag in my dreams and it would guide me," Will said.
Hannibal took Will's hand gently in his own, letting his thumb caress the skin. "The stag represents rebirth and renewal, the heralds of a new life," Hannibal said. Will stared at Hannibal searchingly. "Perhaps it is time to herald in a new life."
"If you are talking about children, we already have one and seven furry ones."
Hannibal chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, not children dear Will. What would you say to moving?"
Will tilted his head. "Moving where?"
"I've wanted to show you Florence."
Will's eyebrows crept up towards his hairline. "You want to move to Florence? What about Abigail?"
"I think it'd be a lovely idea, the schools are excellent and she will flourish there. Nobody there will link her to her father. You can do what you want to do, teach or fix boats, whatever you wish. And the food is amazing of course, you can easily walk to get fresh ingredients every day."
"This isn't going to fly with Jack, you know that right?"
Hannibal gave Will a wicked grin. "But he cannot stop you, not after both of us have been attacked on a case, especially when you aren't a real special agent. You were never cleared for duty, I have everything in order for us to easily make our way to Florence. I've already found a house that would be perfect, plenty of land and refined enough for both of our tastes."
Will shook his head. "How long have you been planning this?"
"You'll soon find out that there is very little I don't plan, Will."
Will rolled his eyes and gave the man a smile. "I suppose if we happened to go hunting in Florence, you'll teach me? I feel like I'm ready to learn now."
The smile Hannibal gave Will in return was nothing short of ecstatic.