In the following two months Hannibal had done as much research as he possibly could on Jack Crawford and Mason Verger but found himself running into dead ends everywhere. Jack had once been a celebrated FBI agent until he'd abruptly shifted sides having gotten tired of working within the confines of the law, he'd been in the wind for years now with no hint of a current location. There was a wife, Bella, but she'd passed from cancer and with her the last connection he had to any sense of morality. As far as Hannibal was concerned morality didn't really exist, just morale. As for Mason, he'd come from a rather wealthy family and been left a surprisingly hefty inheritance, but there was a list of accusations regarding violence and sexual assault on minors the length of Hannibal's arm. His name had popped up in various places for all manner of shady things, but he seemed to be as difficult to pin to a location as Jack. To be perfectly frank, Hannibal had begun wondering if the House had some twisted deity keeping watch over it. Tracking Will back there had failed, Chilton had been killed before he'd gotten his hands on him, Margot had known next to nothing and now both Jack and Mason were essentially ghosts.

The situation had started to grate on Hannibal to the point he'd spent a great many hours in his office brooding over the whole thing. Will hadn't been unaffected by all of this though, he'd chastised himself for not doing more to get the others help. To hear Will talk about it one would assume he'd been a heartless bastard who'd actively chosen to leave them to their fates. What could Will have done though? He'd not been in the outside world since childhood and his story sounded so fantastical that police surely never would have believed him – and if they had it would have been by the ones who frequented the House themselves. Will had just been a teenage omega who knew very little of the world. Hannibal had made a vow though, a vow to find the House, kill the jailers and free Will's friends.

That night Will had wanted to go to bed early because the twins had been fussing all day and finally settled down. Without objection Hannibal had changed into his night clothes and cuddled into his love as the pair had drifted off into slumber while Winston slept at the foot of the bed. After what had happened with Margot a few months earlier, after Winston had done his best to protect Will, Hannibal had given the dog certain privileges as a reward. Instead of sleeping on his big dog bed in the mud room, Winston was now allowed to sleep in it at the foot of the bed at night as long as the bed was put away again in the morning. He'd also been fed the mouthwatering meals Hannibal had made with Margot's body.

Shortly after two in the morning, when the streets were blissfully silent and the room dark, Hannibal had been abruptly woken by a yelp and Will slapping him in the cheek and neck to get his attention. Though blinking sleep from his eyes, Hannibal was alert in seconds and sat bolt upright.

"What is wrong, Will?"

"It's too soon."

He felt it then, so Hannibal pulled back the covers to find Will's waters had broken. Will was only thirty-four weeks, it was too early and outside Hannibal's area of expertise; Will hadn't even started nesting properly.

"Will, how long have you been having contractions?"

"I don't know. I've felt uncomfortable all day, I thought it was just stress or something. I thought – ah! - maybe Braxton-Hicks."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hannibal demanded more forcefully than he'd intended.

"You've been so busy and I didn't – oh God – didn't want to worry you."

Hannibal hadn't let alarm show on his face, instead he'd been the strong and supportive alpha who'd had his mate to the hospital as swiftly as he was able. Doctors had agreed with Hannibal that the twins were coming and going to be prompt about it, so it hadn't taken long for them to be moved to a delivery room. During the whole labor Will had kept a vice-like grip on Hannibal's hand to ground himself, to remind him everything would be all right. Alpha had whispered sweet nothings in his native Lithuanian while Will had sworn and hissed in his only tongue. Not even a full year ago Will had been a scared nineteen-year-old omega whose whole world consisted of a tiny room, now he had a vast home, dog and loving mate whose pups he was in the process of birthing. Both Hannibal and actual midwives had assured him that, while thirty-four weeks was premature, it wasn't alarmingly so. Of course he'd not shared his theories with the medical staff, but Hannibal had suspected all the stress of the last two months had played a part in the early delivery. He'd not let Will blame himself for it though, so the sweet nothings kept coming.

The moment he heard crying from the first twin, Hannibal kissed Will's sweaty temple with all the love in the world. "You hear that, mylimasis? That's our pup. Just a little more and we'll have the other. I'm so proud of you, Will."

The second twin followed not too far behind the first and Will was finally able to relax after the placenta. Hannibal had pushed Will's damp hair out of his eyes and kissed him lovingly while nurses checked over the twins and tended to Will.

"Congratulations, you have a healthy boy and a girl." Announced the blonde doctor as she removed her gloves and cleaned her hands. "They're a bit premature so we're going to place them in the NICU for a while just to check on their lungs and make sure everything is a-okay. They look healthy though, they're a good size. You can hold them first though."

Will promptly took their daughter from a nurse while another handed their son to Hannibal. Ten fingers, ten toes, their perfect pups. The boy had wisps of Will's dark hair while his little sister clearly had Hannibal's cheekbones.

"They're beautiful." Will cooed while smiling down at their daughter.

"They're ours." Maroon eyes turned back to Will. "I love you. You gave us two perfect pups, my darling omega."

Will blushed a little knowing the nurses were still there witnessing an alpha praise his omega, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from the twins. Names, beyond their son's middle name they'd not come to any conclusions. Will had shown a preference for older classic names while Hannibal's taste leaned towards the more elegant and less common. They'd thought there would be another month to finally make a decision, but it seemed the twins had developed their talent for surprise from their father. Ambushed, the twins had ambushed them.

Over the next few weeks while the twins were in the NICU, Hannibal had obeyed Will's wishes and kept a close eye on them, he'd cancelled all his appointments for the rest of the month so he could rightfully devote his attention to his mate and newborn pups.

With them having actually been born and knowing they had a girl and boy, names had actually been decided really rather quickly; names that Hannibal could see written on their ID bracelets. Those who little tags, one bearing: 'SNAME: Lecter FNAME: Claude Hansel' and the other 'SNAME: Lecter FNAME: Veronique Micsha', was the very first time their names had been written. Hannibal's family tree was ancient and prestigious, he'd never thought he'd get to add his own children to the Lecter family tree, but Claude and Veronique would have their rightful place.

~X~

Jack stood staring out the window of his office at the House thinking about the visit his business partner had shown up with a little over two months ago. A second location of sorts; Marcus Delamare was nothing if not ambitious. The Manor he wanted to call it, a ridiculous name in Jack's book but apparently the whole idea was 'the same as the House but grander'. He'd known Marcus a long time and most of the money to build the House had come from him, so when he'd shown up wanting Jack to use his network and that of Mason's to stock the Manor, he'd not really been able to say no; even if he had been trying to separate the House from Marcus for a decade now. With Mason as Marcus' procurer the place would be filled to capacity in no time – and it gave that insane paedophile something to do that wasn't loitering around the House in the hopes another omega would make an escape attempt. It was Marcus' request to borrow some of Jack's omegas until the Manor had been properly stocked that had left Jack reluctant. He needed all of his omegas, an empty room was a loss of money, but Marcus had made a good point; without him Jack wouldn't have had any omegas in the first place. There were twenty-seven rooms at the House, twenty-seven omegas appealing to numerous types of alpha, though some more popular than others. In the end Jack had agreed to hand over seven of his omegas until Mason got enough to fill the Manor. Six of the less interesting ones and Beverly as an extra punishment for her aiding Will's escape. It had taken Marcus six weeks to get the Manor fit for habitation and Mason to begin rounding up omegas here and there and, when things were ready, Jack would allow the seven loaned omegas to be transferred across state lines.

Word had reached Price and the other beta guards pretty quickly since they'd be the ones tasked with boxing the omegas for transport when the time came, and Price had gone straight to Brian so they knew. Omegas weren't ever transferred out of the House unless they'd died, if Beverly was shipped out of the state then they'd likely never see her again. A loan was what Jack had called it, but who knew if Marcus had any intention on returning the seven. Despite the way Mason made it sound, kidnapping healthy, desirable omegas wasn't an easy nor quick task. Sure, it was alarmingly simpler than it should have been, but these things still took time. How could they possibly hope to protect Beverly when they were just a handful of omegas and a beta who'd all be cut down before they reached the door? Security had cracked down since Will's escape, of course there were still minimal cameras because they needed to protect the identities of their clients, but there were security gates and other guards everywhere. They'd lose Beverly and it would just be another thing Price had failed at.

~X~

With the twins at a healthy weight and a set of strong lungs on the pair of them, they'd been released from the NICU after only a short time and allowed to go home. Not a moment too soon in Will's mind, he'd had more than enough of being poked and prodded, of being apart from his pups. He wanted them at home where they could sleep in the nursery Will had ensured was perfect for them and meet Winston. So, when doctors had finally given them permission to go home, Will had wasted no time dressing and packing up his things. He'd donned a plaid shirt and jeans which probably looked comical beside Hannibal's bespoke suits, but at least Will had felt more human again.

Getting the twins home had been far simpler than Will had imagined thanks to the pair being fast asleep for the whole drive, but Will couldn't help being amused by the Bentley – it had to be the least expected car possible for ferrying around newborn twins. Still, Hannibal adored his Bentley even if he'd not come out and say it and Will assumed his mate would much prefer the twins in his car than Winston. The car seats looked so out of place and Will hadn't gotten a clue when Hannibal had actually bought them, but the twins were soon settled in them safely so they could finally go home.

"Let me take that for you, brangusis." Hannibal insisted once they'd parked and Will didn't object to Hannibal taking his bag with a sweet kiss to his lips. "Can you bring Veronique? I will take Claude."

That was exactly what Hannibal did, Will's bag in one hand with a set of keys and Claude cradled gently in his car seat in the other. Watching him walk up to the house like that did something to Will, to see his dominant alpha with their children made the omega inside him purr.

"You know, Hannibal, I can do stuff." He started as he followed Hannibal into the house with Veronique.

"Of course I know that, Will, yet you are not fully healed and, as your alpha, it is my duty to take care of you. I like caring for you."

That was true, Hannibal took pride providing and tending to the needs and wants of his beloved omega to the point that, in another world, Hannibal could have been Will's doting sugar daddy. They weren't in another world though and Will knew Hannibal's actions came from a place of love.

Being home soothed Will, he'd not been able to nest due to the premature birth and the hospital hadn't had any of the comforting smells of home regardless of how many times Hannibal had coated Will with his scent. The nursery though, that smelt of home and safety. Will set Veronique's car seat down on a table and worked on getting her free of it while Hannibal did the same for Claude; he cooed something Will took to be Lithuanian.

While Will had chosen where all the furniture went and the Persian green for the walls, Hannibal had ensured the room fit in with the aesthetics of the rest of the house. Animal paintings hanging were delicate watercolors Hannibal had commissioned rather than prints and the changing table somehow looked antique even though Will knew for a fact it wasn't. Although, as Will set Veronique down in his crib, he noticed something which hadn't been there when he'd gone into labor.

"Hannibal, what's this?"

With a kiss to their son's forehead, Hannibal set him down in his own crib then went to Will. There, carved into what had once been a plain oval of wood with some carved flowers around it, was Veronique's name in a delicate calligraphy.

"Ah, yes. I remember you expressed interest in having their names in large letters on either the nursery door or above each of their cribs." Yes, it was something Hannibal had vetoed at lightning speed in order to protect his precious aesthetic. "I thought having their names carved on their cribs would be a suitable compromise. Do you like it?"

Will had to admit that Hannibal's insistence that the nursery was in keeping with the rest of the house had worked out for the better, had Will just slapped paint onto the walls it would have felt like the twins didn't really belong. He looked to Claude's crib to see the carving there and smiled. His alpha hadn't just disregarded his wishes, Hannibal had found a way to incorporate it which was both meaningful and aesthetically pleasing.

Will nodded and cuddled into his alpha's strong chest. "It's perfect. I love you, Hannibal."

"And I will always love you, my darling omega."

A loving kiss was pressed to his temple as Hannibal tightened his hold on Will, then the pair stood for a short time just to watch their pups sleep in their cribs for the first time. The children of a serial killer and a former sex slave, a bizarre combination maybe, but it certainly wasn't boring.

~X~

Three months had passed almost in a flash for Will since the twins had come home, the pups seemed bigger every day and, while he'd read child-rearing books, he'd not expected them to grow so quickly. Hannibal hadn't taken paternity leave but instead had organized his patients in such a way that his afternoons were almost always free to be at home with Will and their children. Will hadn't ever seen his alpha so happy, fatherhood suited him in a way most wouldn't expect from a serial killer. Hannibal's family wasn't a disguise to help hide his true nature, they were beloved parts of his life he would do anything for.

At first Will had been slightly annoyed when Hannibal would swap into Lithuanian with the twins, he'd felt left out, but Will had soon come to realize it was both an unconscious act when he cooed over the pups, and a desire for them to know something of his homeland. After that realization Will hadn't had the heart to be annoyed, instead he'd started to wonder if he should put some effort into learning Lithuanian.

Hardly a year after he'd presented as an omega his father had sold him to the Vergers and Will had been tossed in a tiny room condemned to a dark fate. For years he'd been alone and isolated until Price had come along and secretly let him interact with some of the other omegas. He hated Jack, he'd always hate Jack, the man had stolen so much of his life, but Beverly had given it back. If the House had found out she'd been the one to help him escape – Will didn't want to think of the consequences. Beverly was the reason he had Hannibal and the pups, her bravery had not only given him his life back, but a family for Hannibal. A voice at the back of his mind still chastised him for not doing more to help her, Abigail and the others, but he had faith Hannibal wouldn't rest until the House had been wiped from the face of the earth. His friends were strong, they could endure.

That morning Hannibal had made breakfast as he always did, a protein scramble made with a little extra bacon since it was Will's favorite, then entertained the three-month-old twins so Will could actually finish eating. Their pups were inquisitive and already had a good amount of control over their head and neck movement so often found themselves slowly looking around. The two of them cradled against his strong chest was a sight Will wouldn't ever tire of.

"You should go to work, Hannibal, it would be rude to be late to an appointment." Hannibal glanced up to his mate as Will set down his cutlery and stood to lift Veronique into his arms. "Time to let Papa get some doctoriness done."

Hannibal didn't even bother approaching the so-called word 'doctoriness' and instead followed Will to the play mate coated in little safari animals where they sat the twins down. It didn't fit with anything else in the house – except for maybe Winston's dog bed – but, as long as it was cleared away when not in use, Hannibal had no issue with it.

"I should be home by four o'clock, call me if you need anything." He said before kissing each of the twin's foreheads in turn. "Papa loves you."

Will snuggled into his chest then, the rich scent of alpha an ever comforting one that Will hadn't though was real until he'd met Hannibal. They shared a kiss of love and devotion, then Hannibal slipped off to work leaving Will alone with the pups and a napping Winston. He sat beside the twins on their little mat smiling down at them, he'd been terrified when they'd first found out they'd be twins, but Will couldn't ever be without them now. Didn't matter how old they got, how tall or even when they had children of their own, Will had given birth to them so they'd forever be his babies.

"Daddy loves you just as much as Papa does."

It had been Will who'd chosen the daddy and papa bit, he'd thought the simple distinction between their two fathers would be simpler for the twins as they grew and papa suited Hannibal rather nicely.

~X~

Three patients were scheduled for that morning, two he'd been seeing for several months and a first-timer. The first two had been together while the newcomer was later in the day. That was how Hannibal had ended up busying himself with a drawing of the twins while he waited for his last patient of the day. It wasn't anywhere near finished, needed shading properly and real depth put into Claude's eyes, but it had been quite some time since Hannibal had truly devoted himself to an artistic endeavor and one he'd missed. Perhaps when finished he'd frame it and gift the drawing to Will.

He checked his watch, the appointment officially started in four minutes so his patient would surely be out in the waiting area by now unless they were the rude sort – he hoped not. James Cash was a beta who'd contacted him a few days earlier hoping to organize an appointment. Apparently he'd found Hannibal by reputation and needed to get some things off his chest, the man had sounded nervous and laughed a lot as a coping strategy to the point curiosity had gotten the better of Hannibal.

The drawing was left on his desk as Hannibal crossed the room to open the door leading to the waiting area. Sure enough a silver-haired beta was there absent-mindedly fidgeting with his hands.

"Hello, Mister Cash. Please, come in."

With a nod of thanks the beta entered and hung up his coat. Hannibal wasn't cheep, his services couldn't be afforded by everybody and, judging by the beta's clothing, he probably should have fallen into that category. 'What would make him spend what is, to him, a small fortune to speak to me instead of a cheaper psychiatrist?' Hannibal wondered to himself as he closed the door and the pair took their seats.

"Thanks for seeing me. I – I know my call was out of the blue."

"Not at all, Mister Cash, my job is to help you. You needed help so you called, there is nothing in that which requires thanks." He crossed his legs and looked over this nervous beta. "Might I ask why you selected me to be your therapist?"

"You're far away from where I live and work, your office is private and I thought … maybe my problems wouldn't see me here."

That was a very strange way to phrase something but Hannibal didn't comment on it, not yet at least. Traditionally Hannibal used a few probing questions on new patients, but this one seemed different from those he normally saw and Hannibal chose to take the direct approach while still sounding causal.

"Tell me why you are here, Mister Cash."

"It's silly, but I think stress is getting to a point where it's actually killing me."

Yes, one could see that just by looking at him, the beta had dark circles around his eyes and, while clean and freshly shaved, he still looked somewhat scruffy; he also smelt oddly of the woods.

"Have you experienced any weight loss or a lack an appetite?"

The silver-haired beta nodded as he shuffled in his chair. "Both."

Something was eating at this man but he didn't seem inclined to share even though that was why he'd made the appointment in the first place. Most patients knew they needed to talk about their problems but were reluctant due to how vulnerable it would leave them, but Mister Cash acted more like he didn't want to drag Hannibal into something.

"Where does this stress come from? If you chose me because I am some distance from where you usually frequent, perhaps it is your occupation. What is it you do for a living, Mister Cash?"

That had the beta swallow and look down as he wiped a hand down his face. Hannibal was right on the money. The second his occupation had been mentioned Mister Cash had begun displaying self-soothing motions and avoided eye-contact as a way to shield himself from the question.

"Nothing good or noble." He practically whispered. "Not like psychiatry."

So Mister Cash was ashamed of himself and what he did for a living. Suddenly his problems seeing him made much more sense, if he was part of something illegal he'd not want his employers to know he'd come to see a therapist and he'd feel a need to protect Hannibal from suffering consequences if they did.

"Anything you say to me will remain strictly between the two of us, Mister Cash. I am not here to judge you or too lecture you, I am merely here to listen and offer advice."

Oh he'd judge, Hannibal couldn't help himself, but at least he'd do it quietly inside his own mind. Mister Cash mulled Hannibal's words over for a few moments before he finally responded just as Hannibal had known he would.

"The man I work for – he's a monster. I didn't really have a choice about working for him either. My dad had debts, you see, big ones that became mine when he died."

"So you work for this man as a way to pay off your father's debts?"

Mister Cash nodded. "I can't run, I can't tell anyone and I hate what they do to the omegas."

That had Hannibal lift an eyebrow. "Omegas?"

The beta shot to his feet then and made to grab his coat and leave. "I'm sorry, Doctor Lecter, I shouldn't have come here. I'm so sorry for wasting your time."

James Cash: A silver-haired beta who worked for shady people some distance from Hannibal's office, who was being eaten alive by guilt, smelt of the woods and knew something about abused omegas. James Cash. James Cash – No, it couldn't be that obvious.

"Are you Jimmy Price?" The beta's hand stilled on the door handle as he slowly looked over his shoulder to Hannibal who'd not moved an inch. "You work at the House."

Price's mouth fluttered before words tumbled out. "How do you know that? I spent so long making sure you weren't a client."

Hannibal's nose wrinkled distastefully. "I am assuredly not a client of that deplorable place. Being afraid of the House and Jack makes your nervousness much more logical. Drink?" In a nonchalant manner Hannibal walked to a decanter behind his desk and poured glasses of 75-year-old whiskey for them both. "A little early in the day perhaps, but I suspect the situation calls for some liquid courage."

Price lingered on the edge of staying and running away, but Hannibal didn't seem like the alphas he normally met and that drink called to him. Decision made, Price hung up his coat again and accepted the whiskey from Hannibal.

"You needn't fear anything from me, Mister Price, I have no intention of informing on you to Jack Crawford. He is an enemy we have in common. Sit."

Price obeyed and retook his seat much as Hannibal did. How Hannibal knew Jack's name or that the House even existed was a mystery since Hannibal didn't look like the sort to be caught dead in an illegal brothel as seedy and unrefined as the House.

"If you're not a client, how do you know my name?"

Hannibal sipped his whiskey. "We have a mutual friend who has mentioned you before. Also, when you smell so strongly of the woods and mentioned omegas, I thought it would be worth testing my hypothesis. James Cash might have been a little too akin to a sore thumb, don't you think?"

"Guess I gave myself away. Who's our mutual friend?"

Normally Hannibal liked to hold his cards as close to his chest as possible and only play them when the moment was right, but Will had trusted Price so Hannibal chose to as well.

"Will Graham."

"What?!" Price practically spat out his drink. Rude, but Hannibal would forgive him this once. "Will's alive?"

"That is correct, Will is very much alive and well. He is thriving. I have taken him as my mate." The sudden dubious expression on the beta's face wasn't lost on Hannibal. "I discovered him the night he escaped running through Wolf Trap, I took him home and protected him. Over time he became my mate quite freely. I would never pressure the man I love into anything he did not want."

Price sat unmoving for a moment and then took a deep breath. "He deserves to be happy."

Yes, Will most certainly deserved to live the rest of his life happy and wanting for nothing, something Hannibal was perfectly content to ensure happened.

"He is happy, I assure you."

"Can I see him? Please?"

"How about we make a deal, Mister Price?"

"Jimmy is fine, nobody calls me Mister Price."

"Jimmy then." Hannibal acquiesced. "I shall allow you to be reunited with my dear William if you assist me in tearing down the House and Jack Crawford. I would very much like to eliminate the place and people who caused Will to suffer so dreadfully, and I suspect you would like the same. Will's dearest wish is for his fellow omegas there to regain their lives as he has."

Price looked hesitant, his brow furrowed as he gripped his glass tight. "You're just one alpha."

"I am just nothing, Jimmy. While I find boasting to be distasteful, I shall admit I am a thoroughbred alpha and therefore stronger than the vast majority of alphas. I can handle everything else, I simply need someone on the inside to open the door."

"You can really get the omegas out? You can get Brian out?"

"Who is Brian?"

Price knocked back what was left of his drink the quickly started to fidget with the glass. "He's one of the omegas but … I love him. We're in love. I know I'm just a beta but he loves me anyway."

"You have my word, Jimmy. I will put an end to the House and Brian will be free to be with you."

Price's mind floated off to thoughts of Brian and Alana, how he'd been the cause of Alana's kidnapping. Maybe it wasn't wise to trust an alpha he'd only just met, but Price didn't really have a better option nor could things be allowed to continue the way they were.

"Okay," said the silver-haired beta eventually. "You have yourself a deal, Doctor Lecter." Pleased, Hannibal extended his hand to shake Price's firmly. "It needs to be done soon though. Jack is transferring seven of the omegas out of state and Beverly is one of them."

Beverly was another name Will had mentioned more than once. She'd been the brave one who'd stolen the key so Will could escape in the first place. He couldn't allow Beverly to be dammed, something like that would have broken Will's soul, so they'd move quickly to watch the House burn.