Rana was forced to recover for two weeks to heal properly, something she was not so glad of. Thankfully for her, Hannibal was present in her life the majority of the day and, of course, night.

He helped change the bandages on her ear, he cooked for the two of them and at nights she would find herself curled into his arms; a sense of protection and some peace washing over her each time.

She even agreed to do regular talks with him, focusing more on her latest lash-out at the hospital and the feelings that had been eating her from the inside. While hesitant, at first, Rana felt like facing a forced end, a thick fortified wall that she could not bring down. Thus, she ended up talking with Hannibal, who offered his ear and then, his wise advice.

In a matter of one week, she had managed to make some progress.

It was the 8th day since Rana had been released from the hospital and she sat on Hannibal's fancy couch in his lavish home. Dressed in simply one of his shirts, she had her bare legs tugged beneath her body and a mug of coffee in her hand.

The clock showed 9 in the morning and she had just finished breakfast with Hannibal, who had taken a seat next to her after cleaning the dishes. He was more casually dressed but still had this air of fancy and importance no matter what he wore, with his hair having not a single strand out of place.

Rana had gotten rid of the bandages in her ear the past two days, her hearing had returned almost fully. She did need to put ear drops a few times a day but she could hear as if she had never gotten hurt before. Due to the nature of her current and also former job, her ears had been used to the sound of gun firing and thus had built up a little more resilience when it came to the loud banging noises coming from them.

Perhaps it was that thing that had saved her hearing, perhaps it was her Wolfskin nature that had strengthened her body or perhaps it was just luck. No one could truly tell at that point in time. The only evidence of that adventure was the small missing piece of her outer upper earlobe that the bullet had cut off but she often hid it with her hair.

"I have been thinking of what you told me," she said as they casually sat on the couch, deciding to bring up their discussion from last night during one of their little less formal psychiatric sessions. "About trusting my pack members more" she continued, filling him in.

A pleased smile formed on Hannibal's lips as he listened to her. "That is good. Rethinking what we discussed helps one's mind to process things better, see them from a different angle and through a different mindset; based on the current mood, of course" he commented, turning his body a little bit sideways to have her better in his field of vision. "And what exactly have you thought about that trust?"

She took a sip of her sweetened milked coffee. For someone enjoying a tougher drink like a brandy or a whiskey, she did have a unique preference when it came to her coffee. She always wanted it to be sweet and with enough milk to change the shade of the dark brown liquid to a far lighter one.

"That I should trust them more with their decisions...we are a pack, a pack doesn't work on one member alone" she started, lowering the warm mug from her lips. "I just need to learn how to play as a team, as ironic as that sounds"

Hannibal watched and studied her but in his eyes, he never judged her. "You know how to play as a team; you simply don't know how to equally share the work. You take too much on yourself, not wanting to burden others with the tough tasks. But no matter how good you are, you can never truly do it all alone. In the end, there is always someone that has to help you carry the load"

His words, to a third person, would sound quite personal if not a little bit more targeted than they should be. In a way, Hannibal did speak with a little bit more of himself in his mind at that moment but his words still worked for Rana as well.

She carried most of the cases on her, keeping things away from the others; most specifically Will and even him. She was losing grip on everything, the weight slowly crushing her down. If only she chose someone else to help her carry that burden, help her realize which parts were unnecessary and discard them to ease the weight of the load.

Hannibal was trying hard to be that someone and in those 8 days, he had managed to become a little bit closer to what he wished to be. Yet, she still kept him a certain distance; she still chose to carry most of the load and ignore the protests of both her mind and her body from the stress she put them under.

In a similar situation, Hannibal carried his secrets and loads. The blood of humans and the sweet flavour of their flesh when properly cooked were feeding his beast side and giving him a proper purpose in life; along with exploring a person's psyche. But such life did get lonely eventually and blunt, sometimes even challenging based on the changing parameters all around him.

It was why he had tried to first approach Will and befriend him, hoping that someone with a mindset as rare as his own could relate. If only he could push Will the same way he had been pushed, for him to see the other side and fully embrace it...but he couldn't. His plans slowly seemed to backfire, mostly because Will did not manage to remain standing during the tough transformation; collapsing halfway.

He wasn't the only one, who Hannibal had his eyes upon. Above anyone else, he craved to share his secrets and his talents with the female sitting next to him. In his eyes, she was created into perfection and reserved just for him.

She had the intelligence and the mind to view the true face of the world if one guided her properly. She had that wild side, growing within her and unleashing devastating and destructive fury when released upon her enemies. If only he could tame her just enough to keep control of her if only he could groom her enough to be the perfect mate and then share his secrets.

But as long as she was still fighting him, even passively, he could not do that. Unless she fully gave up control to him over her, he would never be able to fulfil his dream and his deepest desire.

That, though, did not mean he would stop trying until he would succeed.

Rana smiled sadly and glanced at her coffee for a moment, clearly thinking through his words. "It's not always easy, you know. There is always the fear they will cave in and won't be able to handle their part" she admitted, glancing up at him once again.

"You cannot know that until you let them try. Nature is always unpredictable, and full of surprises. The only way to truly see its limits, it's to test them until the final point" he explained and placed his hand on her lap.

His hand made her skin react, Goosebumps forming but the feeling was welcomed by her mind. His warm presence had this effect on her and he knew it, evident by how her pupils would dilate ever so slightly and how her heartbeat could increase just a tad more.

Rana glanced at the hand with parted lips, watching it as it slowly started to move up towards the endings of the white shirt she wore before moving down at the same pace towards her in; then slowly up again.

She found herself closing her eyes, leaning just a tad forward at the soothing caressing coming from Hannibal; who watched her with pleasure and pride at the reactions his mere contact could draw from her body.

Every night he knew how to play her body like a musical instrument, causing different reactions that she could not contain; no matter how hard she tried. Every night he heard her whisper his name and savoured her taste as if he had been given the nectar of gods to feast upon. But each night he held himself back, always treading carefully about what he did.

For every night his instincts drove him insane to dig his teeth into her sweet flesh, more than before. Every night he fought himself to fully devour her and cross the line that could never be uncrossed if it were to happen.

But until she would give her consent, until she would beg him to do so; he wouldn't do it.

The small moment was interrupted by the ringing of Rana's phone, the sound breaking through the comforting silence and ruining that moment. She moved her body forward, grabbing her phone with some eagerness.

"Stones" she exclaimed as she picked it up, more than happy to hear Jack's voice. She listened to what Jack said through the phone, giving faint humming sounds in between his phrases. "I am good Jack, I will be right there," she said and hung up.

The moment the phone was lowered from her ear, she felt Hannibal's silent judging look and she looked at him. He clearly did not seem to approve of her returning to action so soon but she had the okay from her doctor and she had talked with Jack about it the night prior.

He did not withdraw his hand from her leg but he did increase his grip on it, as if passively wanting to cage her down and not let her go. More than once had Jack Crawford interrupted their moments but each time he had let it slide.

In those 8 days, he had made progress with Rana and he had managed to come so far closer to her than he had in the last month before the accident. Now, if she were to return to the field and once again bury herself into work; he knew he would have to pick up his game in order not to lose the ball.

Taking a deep breath, he held himself from acting on his most recent thoughts but he did not hide his disapproval. "I know that your physical doctor has cleared you clean to return to work but as a psychiatrist, I am afraid I disagree"

Rana, though, did not seem to budge so easily. She was smart, she was cunning and she was a woman; a very dangerous combination when used properly. She placed her hand on top of his, giving just the faintest squeeze both as a warning for his increased grip and also to draw his attention to her.

"I am well aware but we both know sooner or later I would have to return. In my defence, this case is about Georgia Madchen's death and is connected to Will. We did talk about how I need to learn how to trust others with the load. What better way for me to practise than in real-life situations" she said, her words having been used so carefully chosen and they were so successfully placed that Hannibal felt conflicted.

He wanted to argue, keep her confined in his house where he could slowly make his way through her defences. Yet, a part of him felt the need to let her go. Not only because she was right with her words and way of thinking, but also as a reward for phrasing and justifying her decisions so well.

She was quick to evolve and learn to use her mind and her words more than her body when she was around Hannibal. She picked up what he was telling her, she processed them and even managed to use them in her favour during an argument or a serious discussion.

He was pleased to see that, pleased to see his influence growing on her and shaping her into what she could eventually be.

In the end, Hannibal released the tension from his fingers and freed her thigh. "You are right; this is the best way to practise. However, if anything does happen, I do advise you not to proceed head-first into the case. Remember, you are still recovering" he said, playing her game.

He had almost made the mistake of trying to use his dominance to persuade her, change her opinion and hold her down. But then he remembered with whom he was dealing with. Rana needed a different approach, at least for now. He needed to coat his intentions and use keywords to pass his message without directly forcing an opinion on her.

He had to treat every step carefully for one single mishap could ruin everything he had fought so hard to succeed. Thankfully for him, Rana was not as suspicious or protective as she used to be during the first days of their meeting.

She had started to warm up to him, to trust him more and give him far too many chances before she called him out. She forgave him far faster than she used to and she was fighting his influence less and less when they were together.

He just had to keep it that way.

And just like that, Rana offered him a smile and let go of his hand; allowing him to retreat it off her leg. She leaned towards him and gently pecked his lips, savouring the addictive taste of his lips against hers before she slowly pulled away.

"I promise I will and if anything happens, I will call you," she said, wishing to reassure him.

It was clear to her that he cared and he looked after her, more than any other man in her life. She was glad for that but she still needed her space, not used to having certain restrains or arguments with someone else; too many years spent alone and not letting anyone truly in.

However, she slowly started to accept Hannibal's presence in her life. She enjoyed it and a part of her found it easier each day to lower her guard just a bit more but she was not willing to cross that line yet; although in the eyes of many that might look hypocritical.

She slept with the man and she clearly harboured feelings for him and he did for her. If he was a mere human, she wouldn't have minded but he was not. Being a Wolfskin complicated things when two choose to be together and eventually 'tie it down' as one would say metaphorically.

For it was that single act that could happen so fast and yet could never be reversed or taken back. An act that meant far more to their kind than others would ever imagine and it was a decision that stuck for life.

It cumbered a Wolfskin to a certain degree and made them vulnerable at some parts to their chosen mate. Rana did not feel ready to bind herself with someone, yet. She did not dare to accept the conditions or the power to fight her pride and give up most of her control and independence.

And while it was a permanent mark in a wolfskin's story, it was not the end of the world. Things could still go wrong, things could still be changed and even different paths be taken in the end. But the mark was still there, a reminder of what had taken place that would never go away.

Not wishing to think about that commitment, she stood up and placed her mug on the coaster. Then, she headed for the bathroom to change into more professional clothing and eventually took her car to drive herself to the Hospital.

The case to the Hospital was an odd one but had given a chance for Rana to truly check upon Will. During her recovery in Hannibal's house, she only got small reports of Will's progress but didn't have the chance to see him.

He was mostly not allowed to have any visitors and she could not leave the house for most of the days until she had regained fully her balance and then taken the bandages off her ear. Now, she had the chance to see him and even talk to him a little bit.

He seemed far healthier than before, his fever having broken down enough to allow him to be saner. Constant medicine, forced sleep through morphine and group therapy sessions had helped him; but the doctors still were not sure what he suffered from.

They did intend to eventually find out through trial and error, something none of the two wolfskins were truly in favour of.

The case had to do with Georgia Madchen, a young girl from Will's group. She was wanted for many murders; most she committed and did not have any memories of it. They still could not find what was wrong with her but her immune system had collapsed eventually and she had to be in a sealed oxygenated tube for her safety for the majority of the days.

She did try to harm Will during his first days in the Hospital but eventually, the kind-hearted Will had befriended her. The main doctor of this project and the one responsible for them and other patients of similar status, Dr. Sutcliffe, had been killed a few days prior, the evidence pointing at her.

Will, on the other hand, did not truly believe that but eventually voiced out his opinion; when he checked himself out of the hospital and paid them all a visit at the Bureau.

Both Jack and Rana had argued with him, finding it irresponsible and also wrong; since Will might not have fully recovered yet. The Beta, though, was determined to help solve her murder; even though the evidence proved against it.

For the night before the phone call Rana received, Georgia was burnt alive in her little chamber; the result of a single spark coming from a plastic comb given to her. Many considered it a suicide, for she had taken off her special bracelet that would prevent such static but Will was certain that she had been murdered to hide the fact that she saw the face of the person who murdered Sutcliffe.

The main problem was that Jack did not truly believe him but had started to get theories of his own. He started to think back at Abigail and Nicholas Boyle since Will did bring up the damn Reaper Copycat that they may or may not have caught.

The problem was, that Will was becoming too defensive of Abigail and Hannibal was becoming too defensive of Will. His guts were telling him that something more was going on and he feared Rana might also hide something from him.

He had acted on his own, sort of interrogating Hannibal and even going as far as finding his psychologist Dr. Bedelia in hopes of finding out more. When he had gotten some inconclusive answers, he chose to try a different approach.

This is how, by the 3rd day of the girl's murder; he had stayed late at night in the Morgue along with Jimmy, Brian and Rana. Despite what he might think, his former protégé was one of his best agents and he trusted her with his life.

He trusted her to be present in this, hoping she might find something out of Will or Hannibal or even use her own unique set of skills. If not, then at least he wanted her to know of his plan and his theories; for he started to question whom he could truly trust to have his back into this dangerous game.

After he had informed her of how cryptic both Hannibal and Dr. Bedelia had been, along with Will; he had brought her with him to the morgue to fill her in on his new plan. His former protégé had remained quiet and while clearly did not approve of Jack's snooping around by going to speak with Hannibal's psychologist; she did not comment anything on it.

Sometimes, when Jack was on something, he went in rather blindly and even aggressively; often coming too close to trespassing boundaries and even breaking the law. Yet somehow, he always knew how to tiptoe on that thin line while getting the best he could each time from his plans.

It was what made him an effective FBI agent but also a dangerous man to have as an opponent. Like a hound, he picked up scents and did not let them go; not until his prey lay limp in his arms with handcuffs around their wrists.

"Will Graham theorize the Copy Cat killer had some connection to Garret Jacob Hobbs, some personal insight into his life. They may have even met, known each other...killed together" Jack said, talking to the three of them as they stood around the bodies of Georgia and Dr. Sutcliff.

"Less of a theory, more of a hypothesis." Brian corrected him.

Jimmy nodded with his partner. "Theories require evidence."

Jack chose not to comment on that and instead decided to phrase things differently. "Let's play Jeopardy. The answer is: that these people were killed by the Copy Cat, who has some connection to Garret Jacob Hobbs. Now you ask the right questions."

"You mean beyond the application of supposition and unexplained leaps?" Brian asked.

As per usual, Jimmy continued right after; commenting on his thoughts. "I've been yearning for a return to the fundamentals of investigation."

Yet, as Rana rolled her eyes at his drama; she could not help but wonder. "Where's Katz?" she asked, wondering how Jack hadn't summoned her as well.

"She's still deposed in court."

"Get her out of court," Jack ordered, clearly wanting her skills to be used in the current investigation. He looked at all three of them. "Look at train station, airport, toll road and hotel details. Track Garret Jacob Hobbs through license plate captures on security footage, and every phone call he made and where he made it from."

"I'll see if R&I can loan a couple of clerks to help cross-match," Rana suggested, realizing that this could take too long on their own.

One would think that she would want the investigation to take a long to find out more but the problem was; that she was not sure she could. There were certain things that Abigail still hid from them, or at least her and perhaps Will.

She knew the girl would not confess them to her, not by a long shot. On the contrary, she would try to deny them, even if her involvement was a forced one.

What she could do, however, was help with the investigation and be the first one to learn of what Jack had found. She prayed that there would be no evidence that could make Abigail a suspect but even if they were; she would be able to do something about it.

She was not sure what but when that time would come, she would think of something. Perhaps her involvement alone could keep Jack at Bay or perhaps she could help justify any evidence that might unfairly criminalize the teenage girl she had taken into her pack.

One way or another, she would find a way to protect her and their kind.