Hannibal had only attended Frederick Chilton's funeral to fully confirm to himself he was indeed dead and avoid questions of why he'd not gone. More people had shown up to pay their respects than he'd expected, but Hannibal assumed the man had surely had some family who'd felt obligated to show themselves. Everybody else seemed to be there for the same reason as Hannibal, just colleagues and peers who'd shown up out of professional responsibility. Chilton was gone though and, while Hannibal approved of him bleeding out alone on the floor, Hannibal had urged to be the one who cut him down. He'd wanted to draw every scrap of information out of the man then cut him into pieces and allow Will to eat him, to let Will take back control and know he'd won in the end.

When Chilton had died, Hannibal's access to the House had along with him. If this went on then Hannibal wouldn't ever kill those who'd tortured and abused his darling mate. However, Will was adjusting to his new life nicely proving how strong a person he was. It might have been better to put his revenge on Will's behalf on hold for a short while, Hannibal could be eerily patient when he needed to and it seemed only fair for Will's sake and that of their unborn pup. The House could think they'd escaped consequences for the time being, Hannibal would wait for his moment.

As the weeks continued to roll on and on, Hannibal had done all he could to get Will out of the house and more comfortable with people. That was how Hannibal had ended up taking his beloved mate to a high-end children's boutique to select a crib and rocking chair. While Hannibal had still had to do the majority of the talking, Will had seemed more comfortable around other pregnant omegas – not that he'd shown any desire to approach them. In that boutique, Will saw how alphas should have treated their omegas, like the partners in life they were rather than a hole to use as pleased. Hannibal would have bought every last item in the place had it made his mate happy, but the rustic crib had apparently been enough to delight Will. It didn't take a genius to see Hannibal and Will had very different tastes when it came to décor and aesthetics. While Hannibal preferred a more refined look with detailed ornate accents, Will preferred things much simpler; a warm, homely vibe with a color palette which mostly consisted of blues, greens and gray. Yes, outwardly Hannibal and Will seemed much too different to have been a good match, but on the inside they shared a darkness and understanding no other mated pair ever would. Will's darkness might have been immature and underdeveloped, but, in time, Hannibal would see it bloom.

~X~

After the unfortunate death of one of their omegas – Beth had always been an odd one, quiet and disinclined to wash when given the opportunity – Mason Verger had been sent out to acquire a new one to fill the room. While Jack's network was both extensive and efficient for tracking down suitable victims, Mason seemed to have a natural talent for finding a diamond in the ruff. He'd shown up much faster than anybody had expected one Wednesday morning with a large suitcase that vibrated with desperation; whoever had been locked inside fought desperately to free themselves from the confines of such a small space while Mason just smirked. When muffled screams begging for help erupted, he swiftly kicked the suitcase onto its side.

"Shut up and be good."

Mason waited long enough for Gideon to show his face then hauled the suitcase upstairs and into Beth's old room. When Jack had finally gotten a report on the girl he discovered she was sixteen and named Piper, Mason had been keeping track of omegas in the local school districts and she'd just so happened to be the first easy target. Kidnapping one from a school hadn't surprised Jack, Mason had done it before and seemed to treat it like a sport. Other than Abigail, Will had been the only other teenager at the House until his escape, and most of their clientele liked the young ones. Understandably the girl had been terrified when Mason had unzipped the suitcase so Gideon could do a quick medical exam; healthy just as they'd expected. Jame Gumb had taken an instant liking to her which had led even some of the alphas working there to pity her; Gumb had very little self-control and a habit of breaking things.

Now if they could just find another teenage male omega the House would once again be able to cater to all their guests sick and twisted needs. Jack had even debated extending the building, but that was a little hard to do out in the woods inside a concrete building left over from the Cold War, especially when they couldn't be noticed. How his business partner had even discovered the abandoned research building was beyond Jack, but discover it he had and Jack intended to make full use of it.

~X~

Far more months than Hannibal would have liked had passed before he'd been able to convince Will to let a doctor that wasn't him check on their pup and get an ultrasound done. While he could have used his alpha voice to demand Will's consent, he wasn't the sort of man who ordered his beloved omega about and had no desire to remind Will of the House. Still, Hannibal had finally gotten through to Will and made him see that speaking with a doctor and letting an ultrasound take place was what was best for their pup – and Will would do anything for their pup. That was how they'd ended up at the hospital on Wednesday afternoon with Will nervously in an exam room with his shirt pulled up exposing his baby bump while he gripped Hannibal's hand.

"That's cold." He grumbled as gel was squeezed onto his belly.

Being the loving and thoughtful alpha that he was, Hannibal had requested a beta doctor to keep Will calm. His boy didn't trust any other alphas and didn't quite know how to interact with fellow omegas – not that there were many omegan doctors thanks to society.

"Sorry about that, Mister Graham." She apologized and set to work.

Meanwhile, Will gripped his mate's hand tight and worried his lip while Hannibal smiled down at him comfortingly before turning his attention back to the beta doctor.

"How is the pup, Doctor Lutz?"

Will had heard Hannibal use several different tones since he met him, all calculated to suggest or re-enforce certain things. With Will he used the soothing one full of love and care, but with Doctor Lutz it was a tone of authority Will had termed as Hannibal's 'surgeon voice'. It was well annunciated and left those he used it on with no doubt he was a medical professional of quality who didn't need things dumbing down for him, nor did he accept any words that were even remotely denigrating.

"Well, Doctor Lecter, it looks like everything is a-okay in there." She spoke without looking away from the screen. "There is one thing though."

Will paled. "What?!"

Doctor Lutz spun the screen around so the mates could see for themselves. Hannibal knew exactly what he was looking at which caused his eyes to widen, but Will didn't know.

"You're gonna want to start using the plural."

"Twins." Hannibal stated calmly.

"Twins." Doctor Lutz repeated only for Will's mouth to fall open as he stared at the screen.

Will's mind split into two very distinct halves in that moment. The first half went into what was essentially panic mode and began screaming at him that, even with Hannibal's help, he couldn't raise twins, that he was too young and all other manner of negative things. However, the other half beamed, it sang with delight that he was an omega who could give his mate twins, a good omega worthy of a thoroughbred alpha.

Hannibal, intelligent man that he was, saw all of this cross Will's mind and squeezed his hand to steady his thoughts before he bent down to kiss Will's forehead.

"Would you like to know genders?" She asked, totally unaware the silent conversation that passed between the mates.

"It's up to you, mylimasis." Hannibal told Will who sat a moment as his thoughts accepted his new reality. Not even a year ago he'd been locked in a tiny room for alpha's to use as they pleased, now he was caring the pups of a serial killer and cannibal. His new reality would be a lot of hard work and lack sleep for a while, but it was much preferred to his past. "You're allowed to say no."

"Maybe it could be a surprise?"

They'd already chosen green for the nursery and, beyond buying a second crib, nothing would need altering regardless of what their twins turned out to be.

After a nod Hannibal turned from his mate to the doctor.

"No, Doctor Lutz. Thank you, but if Will wants it to be a surprise then a surprise it shall be."

"Not a problem. I'll print you out some images and then you should be good to go." The last bit was directed to Will.

Will was handed a scratchy paper towel to clean the gel off of his belly while Doctor Lutz got them those ultrasound photos, then they departed the hospital quietly. Will halted when he reached the main entrance, he'd been so busy clutching the photographs of their pups that he'd totally forgotten his scarf. While the harshness of winter had begun to pass, Baltimore remained cold and Hannibal had given him that lovely blue scarf.

"Em, Hannibal?" Maroon eyes glanced down to the omega. "I'm sorry, I forgot my scarf. It's on the table in the exam room."

"That's all right. I'll fetch it for you. Do you want to sit here and wait or come back with me?"

Will gestured to a few plastic, uncomfortable looking chairs to their left. "I'll sit over there. I don't want to walk back up."

That was understandable, he'd put on quite a bit of weight recently – though that made a bit more sense now he knew he had two of Hannibal's pups inside him. As soon as he was sat, Hannibal departed to retrieve Will's scarf while Will avoided making eye-contact with anybody in his general vicinity; eye-contact would mean talking and he didn't want to talk to them. Since he was so focused on not seeing, Will never spotted her. Instinctively a hand found its way to his rounded belly while people went this way and that around him.

"You two are going to be strong and brave like your papa, aren't you? Yeah, you be brave like him. Papa and Daddy love you both."

For several more moments he sat there thanking deities he didn't believe in quietly for letting it be Hannibal who'd hit Will with his car that night in Wolf Trap.

She watched as Hannibal returned and wrapped the scarf around the pregnant Omega's neck, neither knowing she was there let alone what she was thinking. A strange thing to be thankful for in the eyes of normal people – who'd be pleased to be struck by a car? - but Will truly was grateful for Hannibal. The man was a murderer so calling him a godsend didn't quite seem appropriate, but he had loomed out of the darkness like some kind of powerful entity. Demonsend? Maybe that fit Hannibal's arrival in Will's life better.

~X~

Through the lavishly decorated living room walked Hannibal to find it vacant of his sweet omegan boy. Instead he found Winston alone by the dying fire fast asleep and snoring. The alpha worried not though because he knew that, if Will wasn't with Winston, then there was only one other place he'd be at that time of the day. Sure enough, once he'd ascended the stairs, Hannibal found Will in the nursery pushing the rocking chair toward the west wall to make room for a second crib.

"I said no heavy lifting." Will spun round clearly startled; Hannibal had mastered the art of stealth.

"Sorry." Hannibal walked over and wrapped his arms around the shorter omega from behind, pressing his chest to Will's back. "It was just the chair."

"I suppose I can't be displeased over just the rocking chair." He kissed Will's temple. "I assume you're making room for our other pup's crib." Will nodded. "Don't worry, I'll purchase a second one and the nursery will be perfect for you again."

Will managed to turn around in Hannibal's embrace then, a little awkward with the growing bump between them, but Will wasn't a quitter.

"I didn't do this for me," he gestured to the room around them. "I did it for our pups. So-" He cut himself off abruptly with a grin and pulled one of Hannibal's large hands to his stomach. "They're kicking again."

That was Hannibal's pups inside there, the pups he'd never thought he'd have. He'd been a father to Micsha long ago – his sweet sister who it hurt to think of. Will might have thought Hannibal sent by some powerful entity just for him, but Hannibal felt much the same. No other omega could have understood or accepted him in the ways Will had. If souls actually existed, Hannibal would happily lay his at Will's feet.

They shared a passionate kiss of love, protection and hormones that only broke apart when one of the pups gave a painful kick to Will's side causing him to wince.

Hannibal smiled softly. "They want dinner, which just so happens to be ready."

With Will's hand in his, Hannibal led them down to the dining room which smelt wonderfully of rosemary and chives from the wall boxes. How a room could be introverted while demanding attention was beyond Will, but Hannibal's décor had managed it with startling levels of success. To be perfectly honest, the nursery was probably the only room in the house one didn't automatically feel like they should be brooding in.

"Who are we eating today?" Asked Will as his mate helped him into his chair before going to serve.

"A salesman who had failed to grasp the meaning of no. Travis Clarke was his name if you meant specifically."

The day after they'd taken in Winston, Hannibal had sat down with Will in that very dining room and told him everything. Will now knew his mate wasn't any serial killer, he was the Chesapeake Ripper and had an extensive kill count. Will had sat quietly listening to each new truth with a surprisingly logical mind. Murder, cannibalism, mutilation, Will had heard it all and, at the end, calmly asked what was for dinner. They'd not needed some big display of affection or tears, those three words: 'what's for dinner?' had told Hannibal everything he needed to know; his omega accepted him and was truly the most perfect omega to walk the earth. Only a man with a dark side of his own could have so easily slotted into Hannibal's life, and Hannibal wanted to see it flourish.

"Pot-au-Feu," announced the alpha as he placed the first course's broth down before his mate. "I hope you enjoy."

"I'm sure I will. Everything you prepare tastes delicious even if I can't pronounce half of it." Hannibal breathed out a laugh as he seated himself. "Can you dumb down whatever you just said for those of us not who aren't genius doctors with a skill for cooking?"

"Oh, my sweet Will, I doubt you ever need anything dumbing down. The dish is reminiscent of English and Irish boiled broths but with a much deeper flavor. I'm afraid my bouquet garni is a secret, but you'll find a lovely aromatic perfume to the broth. I'll serve the meat and vegetables in the second course with a nice horseradish sauce."

Will simply nodded. He'd never really had the option to be picky when it came to food but he could see how much joy the act of cooking brought to Hannibal. Many so-called normal people would likely think Hannibal an irredeemable monster, but Will could see that, at heart, Hannibal would always be more of a creator than a destroyer. He created music, art and even helped to create the lives inside Will. He turned bloody deaths into a journey for the palette and posed the bodies as a stunning reminder that death was beautiful.

They enjoyed their meal while discussing the discovery of Doctor Lutz's news of twins. It had been quite the revelation and a startling one for Will. One baby so soon after their mating had been daunting for Will, especially while only nineteen, but twins was something else entirely. As long as Will had Hannibal though everything would be fine.

Winston wandered in towards the end of dinner hoping for a few table scraps of salesman and, though he tried to dissuade Will from feeding the dog from the table, to point out it was rude to feed something he'd worked so hard on to the dog right in front of him, Hannibal hadn't had the heart to push the subject; especially when he'd seen the bright smile on the younger man's face. No, Will didn't intend to be rude and toss away the meal Hannibal prepared for him, it was more as though he'd wanted to share Hannibal's creation and make Winston happy. If this was the level of care and attention Will showed to a stray dog, Hannibal knew his mate would be a perfect parent to their pups.

After dinner had finished with a nice chocolate torte, Will had been yawning and decided to retire early. The day had been long and Hannibal couldn't argue with a few extra hours of holding his pregnant omega close. So, with a loving kiss, Hannibal had sent Will off to bed while he'd remained to tidy up, ensure all was pristine and in its rightful place then to scoot Winston into the large mud room for the night. Despite having grown rather fond of Winston himself and Will preferring he let the dog have full run of the place, Hannibal hadn't been convinced to let Winston wander freely at night – maybe if they'd trained him as a guard dog. Once Winston was curled up on his large dog bed – a big black thing with little white bones that stood out boldly against the rest of the décor – Hannibal had closed the door and headed up to bed.

Will had changed quickly into boxers and a gray t-shirt and already climbed into bed when Hannibal entered the room to begin his own ablutions. The moment Hannibal had slipped into bed, omega had cuddled into alpha for warmth and comfort that Hannibal had only been too happy to provide. They shared I love you's before slipping off to sleep with one of Hannibal's large hands rested atop Will's belly.