Been A Son

BEEN A SON
chapter nine

Will Graham stood at the feet of the corpse of the balding man dressed in a doctor's lab coat, a long shard of ceramic shoved into his left eye and a stethoscope tied so tight around his neck it had crushed his larynx. It was speculation at this point as to what the cause of death was, but if Will was in the betting pool he'd take strangulation over stabbing, even if the latter would have caused considerable brain damage. Zeller and Price were already working the scene, and Zeller inspected the piece of ceramic with a pair of tweezers, gently pushing it into better view. "Royal Dolton Canton dinner plate, pink peonies print." Zeller looked up from the shard to find surprised looks from the crew greeting him. Zeller was the kind of guy who ate his TV dinner straight from the box, preferably with a plastic spoon, so this sudden knowledge was ill placed. "What? My grandmother had these plates."

Will felt Jack slide up next to him, his large, meaty hand clasped tight on Will's shoulder and he fought the urge to angrily shove him off. Jack sipped at his coffee, staring wordlessly at the scene, a feeling of blank inevitability exuding from him, as though it was perfectly normal to be finding a second corpse on the Verger property.

"Hell of a thing," he finally said, without conviction. Jack checked his watch and winced at the early hour. For once, their leader was feeling the effects of a dark morning, which was only now beginning to lift its bruise into bright sunlight. They'd been here for just over half an hour and Will was already keen to leave. "Have you got a hold of Dr. Lecter yet?"

A psychic punch hit him hard at that question and Will took out his cell phone, hoping Jack couldn't guess that he'd called the man obsessively since last night, and there were easily dozens of frantic, pleading messages left by Will. He'd almost driven to Hannibal's house in the middle of the night, the endless swirl of his emotions taking over all sense of reason as his desire to be with him became a need. He longed to talk this weirdness that occurred between them through. Even here, at the crime scene, Will could still taste Hannibal on his tongue, all of his senses and thoughts keenly attuned to what had happened outside of the Opera House. He hadn't slept, he'd called Hannibal's home phone, his office, his cell. If they couldn't get a hold of Hannibal, it was because he'd turned off his phone, and with good reason.

With that unresolved issue laying thick in the forefront of his mind and refusing to let anything else in, Will knew his expertise was going to be useless this morning. He had no clue how he was going to explain it to Jack, who seemed completely oblivious to Will's agitated state, no doubt chalking up his pacing and nervous, angry darting inspection of the scene as a method he was using to start up his empathy magic trick. Will didn't want to empathize with anyone this morning, he wanted some of that elusive virtue turned on himself for a change. He was an Alpha in love with his Alpha psychiatrist. There was no way to rubber stamp that kind of crazy.

The best he could do would be to go over the scene with what information was already there, and hopefully extrapolate a scenario. The winds had picked up and thanks to the not so helpful local P.D. any scent that might have lingered at the scene was scrubbed out by the rush of an icy polar vortex sweeping through the barn and causing a great deal of discomfort for the hundreds of chilly pigs. Will pulled his toque down over his ears, grateful for the stinging warmth of the stretchy black cotton. He approached Price and Zeller who made moves to leave so Will 'could do his thing', only for Will to stop them with a raised hand encased in a grey wool mitten. "You don't need to go anywhere. I just need to get a good look at the scene. What have you guys got so far?"

Zeller and Price leaned back, allowing Will full access to the corpse. There were small splinters embedded in its cheeks and smears of swine excrement all along the front of the body. Frowning, Will kicked aside thick layers of straw and found a drag line that mysteriously disappeared beneath a sliver of wood along the pen's floor. "Who called this in?" Will asked Jack, who was now leaning on the corner post of the pen. Will kicked more of the straw aside, the drag marks more pronounced.

"Anonymous tip," Jack said. He yawned and gulped at his coffee, the bright sunlight that erupted through the ceiling windows of the barn doing nothing to bring wakefulness into him. "Some girl, probably a maid who doesn't want to get too involved. I got Beverly questioning the Verger house staff right now."

"Do we know who this guy is?" Will asked, and Jack nodded.

"Cordell Doemling. You know how they say birds of a feather, flock together? Meet Mason Verger's bestie. Guy's got a pedophile rap sheet the length of this barn. Don't let the lab coat fool you, he's not an actual doctor, he dropped out during his residency at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York and went for a general sciences bachelor specializing in genetics instead. Dropped out of that, too. He's been on the Verger payroll for the past four years, helping Mason Verger develop new higher meat production strains of pig. I tell you, Graham, thinking of someone like Mason Verger messing with my bacon makes we want to turn into a vegetarian."

Will kicked off the last remnants of straw, careful to keep the piles in the pen for forensics in case they held evidence, but what was more important at present was where the body had come from. "He wasn't killed here, obviously," Will said, frowning at the loose planks lining the bottom of the pen. He bent low to the ground and began prying at the wood, specifically the spot where the drag marks suddenly began. To his surprise, the wood began to give way, and the forensic team and Jack stood back as a trap door squeaked open, revealing a steep set of metal stairs leading into a dank basement.

The smell was overpowering, and both Will and Jack staggered back from it. Omega heat. Male. And, to Will, strangely familiar.

"That's quite all right, gentlemen! That will be all! Can't go sticking sticky fingers into people's pies without permission, can we? Might find ourselves in a bit of a political pickle!" Mason Verger, dressed in a red brocade bathrobe and a pair of striped flannel pyjamas came marching towards the crime scene, a couple of stone faced men in dark suits in tow. "I have my lawyers with me, and while I'm still suffering the sorrow of the death of my dear, wonderful friend and colleague, Dr. Doemling, I'm also forced to ensure the sanctity of the Verger corporation's trade secrets. You can't go down there, gentlemen. Not without a big, fat warrant."

Will near growled at this and he pulled Jack aside, the forensic team paused in their work as they waited for the go ahead to continue. "The warrant is going to take too long, Mason is going to scrub clean whatever is down there. We need to process as much above ground as possible and quick."

Jack's determined face was hooded in shadow. "Agreed. Mason has deep connections to the McBain political arena, as you know he's got a lot of public backing. With the elections coming up four months from now McBain has got lots of time to secure his spot and he's already the one that's the biggest name in the polls. A buddy like Mason Verger is inconvenient, but he's got the money to keep the momentum of his campaign going. He's not going to let that cash cow go to jail."

They were interrupted by a small exclamation of happy surprise by Jimmy Price, who had peeled back a large bandage on the forearm of Cordell's corpse. "Jackpot! A nasty bite, and from the shape of it, definitely human in origin. Not sure if it's from our perp but we can put whoever got a taste of this guy on our suspect list. We'll be sure to get DNA samples from the saliva and the lab can process those, we won't have to wait on Minnesota. Can you believe they still haven't processed those Omega allele markers we gave them a few weeks ago? It just goes to show, you need a job done right, you have to watch it carefully, from inception to completion."

Jack stood close to Will, his mood darkening further. "Plate in the eye. Strangled with a stethoscope. Chunk taken out of his arm like some kind of human shark. What are we looking at here, Graham? Is this the work of the Ripper?"

Will hesitated due to the fact he hadn't been able to give the scene a proper, in depth analysis with his empathy, but there was enough surface forensics to point heavily in that direction. He gave Jack's intense waiting a slow nod. "This wasn't a planned murder," Will added, frowning. "There's a lot that doesn't fit his pattern, and there's no accomplice this time. There's no organs missing, for one, and the method of death is missing a certain overblown creativity that I've come to expect from the Ripper. But I still get the impression that it's a part of his repertoire." Will frowned, and shook his head, the idea taking root and refusing to leave him. "He did this under duress. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was an act of self defence."

"That's a pretty strange leap, Graham," Jack warned him. "The Ripper doesn't strike me as the kind of killer who allows himself to get into the grips of people like this. In the ranks of his usual victims, Doemling is a low level slug, not to mention a Beta. From all the evidence I've seen the Ripper only kills Alphas." Jack eyed the trap door, which Will had closed, if only to preserve the scent that still lingered in the dark space beneath it. "The male Omega we scented out of there...Do you think it's the last remnants of the one killed yesterday morning? Would make sense, given Doemling and Mason's rap sheets, they're perverts enough to do something like that. Would tie into why the Ripper would choose to kill a Beta for a change, though why he left Mason alive is an omission I'm not ready to forgive him for."

"I don't know," Will said, shaking his head. Unbidden, an image of Hannibal came into his mind, the angles of his face blurred into soft contours, his mouth partially open, eyes closing in sultry want as he leaned in to kiss..."We'll be able to get more information back at the lab," he gruffly replied, coughing nervously into his fist.

"Are you boys just about done here? I do have a business that needs tending to, and I'm getting a tad tired of becoming body dump central." Mason Verger kept his distance, his lawyers ushering him away lest he blurt out incriminating sentences he couldn't claw back. "How about you let your little pet the Chesapeake Ripper know I'm not very happy about this sort of vandalism. I mean, that's who did this, am I right?" Mason nervously laughed at this, and Will caught a genuine note of fear within the slimy man's countenance. He frowned over it, taking every nuance of Mason's posture and expressions into a cohesive whole. Mason was rattled and not just by the death of his colleague. He was involved in some way, and the retribution terrified him. As well he should be scared, Will thought, the last thing any Alpha with legally dubious perversions wanted was the Chesapeake Ripper on their scent. Mason had a bulls-eye tacked onto his forehead, and he was now well aware of it.

"I tell you, man, this is really putting me off the Sunday ham." Will turned to see Zeller had wandered away from the crime scene and had his hand held at his mouth as he looked on a select pen of boars. He waved Will over and pointed at a small group of the intact Alpha pigs, their tusks curled up tight beside snuffling, squealing snouts. They were covered in cuts, and one had a good portion of his flank ripped open, revealing the white gleam of ribs. The pig shuddered as it walked and another boar tore into the injured section of flesh, sending it screaming. The wooden boards of the pens separating them from each other was broken and Will had to wonder what had put them into such a frenzy that they had attacked each other with that kind of aggressive venom. The gory wound was fresh, it had happened that morning.

Will shivered and gave Zeller a friendly pat on the back before leaving. "Let me know if you find anything new. Tell Price to call me when he gets those DNA results from the bite wound." He shoved his freezing hands deep in the pockets of his parka and shrugged his shoulders up, a vain effort to keep out the near arctic cold that was still winding its way into the large, heated space. Mason Verger and his lawyers left through the main doors, and Will watched as his stocky figure marched back to the main estate, his lawyers near jogging to keep up with him. Mason, vainly searching for an escape.

Will left Jack and the rest of the team behind, and took his keys out of his pocket, the draw of Wolf Trap a balm of calm he desperately needed and he couldn't wait to hop in his car and get back to the warmth of his solitude. He took off his grey, wool mittens, the ice cold air biting into his knuckles as he opened the door and got into the driver's seat, instantly putting the key in the ignition and...Pausing...

The engine turned and hummed into life and Will slammed the driver's door closed, his body tense and waiting.

Omega. Male. In full heat. And in his car.

Hannibal clamoured from the back where he'd been hiding and into the front passenger seat, buckling himself in with trembling, frozen fingers. His body shook as he sat beside Will, out of heat induced submission or trauma, Will couldn't properly tell. In shock, he wordlessly pulled out of the driveway leading to the barn and began what was now going to be a highly uncomfortable ride off of the Verger property and back to his home. With a quick assessment, Will took in the thin lab coat Hannibal was wearing, noting he was nude beneath it, his wrists bruised and various superficial cuts lining his arm and along the circumference of his knees. His extremities were blue from exposure to the cold.

Will pulled onto the main road, the connections snapping into place in an uncharacteristically slow pace. "It was you. You killed Cordell Doemling, you..." Will's breath was heaving in panicked gasps as Hannibal's heat became suffocating within the confines of the car, his focus on the road difficult when all of his concentration was suddenly pooled into his hardened cock. "You're a fucking Omega. You're a goddamned, fucking Omega..."

A spasm wracked Hannibal's body, and he turned away from Will to curl into the pain, a low whine leaving him that made Will nearly pass out at the wheel. He slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a screeching halt at the side of the road, the rough growl he let out through clenched teeth matching the roar of burned rubber. With the car parked at an angle, Will stormed out of the car, heedless of the sudden cold enveloping him in fierce gusts, his coat open as the wind and snow tore at him. He paced in front of his headlights, hands on his hips as he took deep breaths, forcing himself out of a heat induced rage. It took a few minutes for him to properly cool off, and by the time he looked back through the windshield at the shivering, frightened form of Hannibal he was able to handle the situation with a far more reasonable perspective. Will closed his eyes and ran frozen hands over his face, warming him enough to get him moving.

He unlocked the trunk of his car and dug through the fishing and hunting gear until he found what he was looking for, pushing his fishing knives aside to get to it. He shook it when he took it out, inspecting it to make sure it would be effective for what was needed, and then slammed the trunk closed. He didn't miss the involuntary jump of Hannibal in the passenger seat.

He opened the passenger door and, taking in Hannibal's pathetic state, he draped the blanket over him, tucking it tightly around his shivering, hypothermic body. "It's faux fur and hardly as warm as the wool one I've got back there, but I know how sensitive Omega skin is, especially when in heat." He grabbed his wool mittens, and snatched up Hannibal's hands, heating the near frozen fingers with his breath first before encasing them in the warm fabric. Hannibal was in convulsions, his panic so severe Will could feel his pulse jump through the thick, padded mittens and against his grip.

Crouching lower, Will pressed his forehead against Hannibal's, the resulting whimpers putting an ache low in Will's belly, making him involuntarily growl. He embraced him closer, warming him and calming him with soft strokes along the back of Hannibal's neck.

"You made me think I was going crazy, you goddamned son of a bitch." Will embraced him tighter, Hannibal sighing in relief into the touch. When his breathing stopped heaving in tortured hitched gasps and took on a more natural rhythm, Will gently pulled away and closed the passenger door. He waited a few moments to cool off some more before getting back into the driver's seat.

He kept one hand on the wheel and one on the back of Hannibal's neck, the steady rhythm of his touch keeping him calm. When a particularly bad spasm wracked through him, Will tightened his grip, the firm pinch instantly loosening Hannibal's tense muscles, the relief sending out an automatic gush of slick that the Alpha in Will instantly responded to, his cock straining against the confines of his jeans. The car was filled with Hannibal's erotic scent, its hypnotizing aroma sickly sweet and burning into him. Thankfully, Wolf Trap was only half an hour away, and if he hit the gas a little too heavy he'd make it there even faster.

"So how did you do it?" Will asked, and Hannibal turned on his side to face him, his eyes closed in bliss as he buried his cheek in Will's hot palm. "Alpha pheromone injections, obviously, but they might not have been enough to keep the scent hovering. That was quite the scene back there, Hannibal, and I'm guessing killing is something that's become quite natural to you over the years. That little wren's heart and that little pearl earring you gave me at the McDermott scene, that was a nice touch. I love how you made sure I knew what kind of bird it was. Yeah, that was real cute." Will's grip on the back of Hannibal's neck involuntarily tightened and he forced his fingers to relax when Hannibal whined against it. "A pearl among swine. Is that you how think of me? You were crushing on me even then, weren't you, planning on seeing how far you could make this Alpha fall. You think you're real clever." Hannibal's knees rose to his chest as he shuddered, and Will pulled him closer, as much as the seat would allow, driving one handed as he draped his arm around Hannibal's shoulders. He swallowed, and tried to focus on the road ahead. Wolf Trap was only ten minutes away, now. The goal was keeping him sane.

"How did you hide it this long?" Will said through clenched teeth as the final turn onto his property finally came into view. "Did you kill them because they found out, is that how you determined who lived or died? It wasn't enough just to kill them, you had to make them your artful, revolutionary thesis statement, you took trophies, you took livers...Hearts...." Despite the agony of his arousal, Will felt bile rise in his throat, his mouth twisted in a furious grimace. "You ate them. Those organs are chock full of Alpha hormones, you could make it seem more natural that way. Oh my God, you fucking son of a bitch. You had me over for dinner, you fed me the heart of one of your victims...." Will's face twisted into disgusted misery. "You bastard. Like it was some kind of metaphor, the two of us sharing the heart of your enemy. You were going to let me go crazy by falling in love with you, you were going to discredit me when I got too close to figuring out who you really were...You manipulative bitch, how many lies was our friendship made of? Is there any moment of sincerity? Any at all?"

He pulled the car into his driveway at Wolf Trap and it was still rolling to a stop when Hannibal jerked the passenger door open and practically leapt from the car, well head of Will as he opened the front door and escaped inside. Will cursed and turned off the engine, tearing out of the car with equal fury, his steps bounding over his front porch and through his door and into his living room. Seven dogs stared blearily up at him, tails thumping in vague question at this strange intrusion of their master into their slumber. There was no sign of Hannibal in his kitchen or living room, and he was about to see if he'd made his escape through the back door when the sound of water running made him pause. He circled his living room, his gaze turned upward towards the ceiling of his house, an ancient long, brown stain outlining a support beam.

Hannibal was upstairs, taking a shower.

He wanted to hate him, he really did. But Will's memory kept assailing him with the connective tissue of empathic facts, that Hannibal had chosen *his* car to dive into and to wait for him instead of simply stealing it. He had been shivering and alone in that miserable cold for who knew how long, risking death by hypothermia as he waited for Will to finish processing his crime. He had cuts all over his body, and cruel bruises on his wrists.

He'd lied and manipulated to keep himself hidden, and Will really wanted to hate him for it, he really did, but instead frustrated tears left him, his fists curled tight in a rage that was not at all directed at Hannibal but at everything that created him. Hate fought with understanding, for hadn't Will himself harboured murderous thoughts, at times so eager to act on them he often felt like a psychic accomplice. That death of the Omega male had left him reeling with violence, and a renewed sense of rage overtook him as he thought of Hannibal, likewise bound and possibly tortured, the state of Doemling's corpse not enough to sate his vengeful fury.

He was also the Chesapeake Ripper, and if Will really wanted to turn on some uncomfortable introspection he'd know just exactly how in tune he was with the killer's cause. He didn't hate the Ripper, he admired him, and now knowing it was a rare male Omega who committed the crime, that awe multiplied tenfold. Death had become a revolutionary work of art in his hands and Will would be lying to himself if he hadn't resonated with it.

Will closed his eyes, and forced deep breaths into himself before turning and making his way up the small flight of stairs to the second floor. There were certain practicalities that had to be taken care of first, and he wasn't like these ignorant coastline people who he had to interact with on a daily basis, who didn't truly understand the give and take of need. He walked past the bathing room, steam escaping through the gaps of the closed door, and headed for his bedroom.

He quickly took his rumpled, sweaty sheets off of his bed, and tossed them in the laundry bin in the corner. Bracing himself, he opened the closet and pulled out a large box, its corners yellowed with age. 'Hudson's Bay Fine Omegan Furs, 1932' in embossed, gold script decorated the lid, and Will paused over it, listening to the sounds of Hannibal in the shower. He hoped Hannibal appreciated the gesture and understood Will was simply trying to do the right thing. He braced himself, closing his eyes first before diving into decision as he took off the lid and pulled out the thick collection of vintage fur blankets.

He was still putting the bed together when he heard the shower turn off, and he hastily added the last finishing touches with a couple of fluffed up matching fur pillows and closed the curtains to keep the overly bright sunlight out of the room. The blankets were a patchwork of dark browns and patches of white and they held a slight, clean perfume smell, indicative of special dry cleaning techniques used for Omega customers. They were his great-grandmother's passed down to his grandmother on her wedding day and he hoped her spirit didn't mind their current use.

When Hannibal took too long a time to come out of the bathing room, Will wondered if he'd had a seizure and, worried, went to check on him. There was a sudden, awkward meeting in the hallway as they near collided, Hannibal trying to escape and Will slightly dancing in his path, preventing it. Hannibal had borrowed Will's cotton bathrobe, which fit him better than Will would have expected. He didn't miss the unspoken longing still present in Hannibal's eyes, and he avoided them, gesturing instead to the open door of the bedroom. Cautiously, Hannibal entered the room, his head constantly turning to see if Will was following him, fear and desire making a deadly combination that tugged at Will's empathy. Hannibal stopped when he entered the room, confusion evident, and Will placed himself in front of him to give him a proper explanation.

"They were my grandmother's," he said, kicking the empty box back into the closet. "A bit more traditional than usual, I know, and as far as I know no one gets fur wedding sheets any more. The set is a mixture of rabbit and mink, in case you were wondering. Look, I know it's weird, but you're an Omega, and you're in heat, and I want you to be comfortable. My cotton sheets are too scratchy, especially right now." He opened the top drawer of his antique dresser and rummaged around the back of it, taking out a small padlock and key into his fist. He turned back to Hannibal and took his hand, still warm and damp from the shower, and placed the padlock and key into his trembling palm. "You can lock yourself in, if you want. If that makes you feel better."

Hannibal's eyes glinted black in the grey light of the room, and despite his heat his expression was stone cold. "You hate me this much," he said.

Will's head darted in a confused tic at this, and he frowned at Hannibal's reaction. "That's not it...I..." He closed the small space between them, the key and lock a barrier that Will wasn't sure how to jump. "I know you aren't sure of what you want. I'm giving it to you because I need you to know that I would never hurt you." He couldn't stop himself from caressing Hannibal's cheek, his other hand smoothing down the back of his head in soft affection. Despite his cunning escape, Hannibal was currently fragile, Will knew, and he'd been treated roughly while he was highly vulnerable. If the murder of Cordell Doemling was especially vicious, for Will it was a sign of just how much he'd deserved it. The shivering person standing before him now was completely devoid of fight and knew all he had left to survive was Will's mercy, a gift Hannibal seemed confident he was not going to receive.

"Will," Hannibal said, his voice a tremulous whisper. "I value our friendship more than you can know. Please, believe me when I tell you that I have always been sincere in my interactions with you." Hannibal moved closer, the padlock and key held in a loose grip. "Circumstances have exposed my greatest fears to you and you now see me for who and what I am. Yet, you do not run from me, your anger against my subterfuge is not so much as to destroy me, though perhaps you are merely waiting for your chance. You have not yet struck me, nor have you put me shackles, for the FBI to cage me. Shall I dare to believe it, my dear Will--Are we still friends?"

Will stroked Hannibal's hair, his feelings rushing through him with a fervour that had little to do with heat and far more to do with the presence of this man, who he'd kissed and desired well before the advent of a biological need. White antlers sprouted like flowers through the floor around them as Will pulled Hannibal tight inside of their spiralling, spiky circle, the room filling with their bleached bones. He wanted to be inside of that hidden space, caged within Hannibal's experience and allowing it to overtake him. Will pressed his face against Hannibal's, holding him in a tight, warming embrace against his chest and easing the tremors that still continued to course through his anxious, traumatized body.

"I love you, Hannibal," Will kissed into his ear.

Hannibal's bones slid from him as Will kissed him, his flesh easily yielding to Will's touch. The key and lock fell to the floor and Hannibal was the one stepping back, guiding Will towards the bed behind him. They fell together onto the softness of fur, Hannibal practically purring into the feel of it, a reaction that made Will chuckle as he nuzzled into Hannibal's neck. He captured his gaze, pulling those unreadable maroon depths into his own and kissed him lightly on the lips before teasing at the knot of his bathrobe, undoing it. He slid Hannibal out of it like he was a precious package, the terrycloth wrapper tossed to the floor and Hannibal's nakedness lay fully revealed beneath him. With the furs silky and soft beneath his skin, the relief of comfort made Hannibal shudder, and he let out a low whimper into Will's mouth, tongue reverberating that need deep into Will's throat.

The taste of him was so good, like sweet wine with only a hint of sour notes, his body yielding to Will's hands as they explored over his skin. There was a slight hitch in Hannibal's breath when his hand brushed the tip of his cock, a stiffening of his spine beneath him as he seemed to brace himself. Saddened by the fear Hannibal had suddenly expressed, Will brought his hand back up to the back of the Omega's neck and gently stroked it until he was fully relaxed once again.

"I won't do anything you don't want," Will assured him.

Hannibal shuddered anew at this, a tiny whine caught in his throat as his eyes went glassy with moisture. Trembling fingers eased Will's sweater up and over his head, then worked the button and zipper of his jeans. Will slid out of them, tossing them both onto the floor before taking off his underwear and socks. Naked, and in obvious arousal, he pressed against Hannibal's own erection, the friction between their sexes as he slowly moved over him making a cry escape Hannibal's surprised mouth, one that Will quickly devoured. He could feel Hannibal's slick against his thighs, viscous and thick. He palmed near that other, more elusive sex, taking up some of the natural lubricant. He slid his slick covered grip over their cocks, pressing them together, his thumb grazing the tips of both their penises. Hannibal's was slender and long, while Will's was thicker, its girth an Alpha hint as to what was to come later.

He kissed him long and languidly, Hannibal's hands stroking Will's back in uncertain circles, his body moving in time with Will's friction, panting mouth open and keen to take when Will offered his tongue. Will couldn't get enough of the taste of him, and he paused in his movements, kissing Hannibal's chin and moving down, slowly, past his throat and down the centre of his chest, his mouth working the softness of Hannibal's belly before licking that slender length in its entirety, pausing only to kiss and push aside his small scrotum before diving just that little bit further. There, that little flower opened up and pulsed for him, the little round fruit inside ripened enough for Will to dive his tongue in and pleasure it with the circling of its tip.

Hannibal moaned and spread his legs wider, his breath coming in quicker, shocked gasps. "Will...Will..."

Hannibal's body undulated, fingers digging into the fur sheets and clenching the wrinkles tight. His thighs quivered as Will continued to explore this hidden piece of him, getting drunk on slick and pleasure. When Hannibal's moan became more pained than joyful, Will knew it was enough, and he slid upwards, his stomach stained with the evidence of Hannibal's spent cock and buried his face in Hannibal's chest before he leaned up and braced himself over him. Hannibal, silent and aware, stared back up at him, at the open question that lay between their bodies, and it was then that he gave his answer, turning his head and arching his blushed neck in unbearable, erotic submission.

Will wanted nothing more than to sink into him right then, roughly taking him and pounding his cock into the opened petals of that dew kissed space. But he held back, opting first to tenderly take the offering before him, and delicately, softly, kissed Hannibal's neck, his mouth suckling on the pulse points of his jugular but never enough to bruise. He didn't want Hannibal to feel pain, the only marks he wanted to leave on his body were ones of sensual remembrance.

"Will..." A plea, tragically uttered inside of desire. Will stopped his smooth ravishing of Hannibal's neck, his thumb pressed lightly on the pulse point. Hannibal braced Will's face in his palms, long, elegant fingers diving into Will's unruly, dark locks. "The last time I did this..."

Will hushed him and pulled Hannibal's hand away. Will brought his bruised wrist to his lips, kissing the ugly marks with a tenderness that made Hannibal gasp. "I told you, I won't do anything you don't want. I can still give you the padlock and key, if that's what you need."

Hannibal stared up at him in an expression of extreme confusion, which morphed delicately into a feeling that Will's empathy snatched up inside of himself, the rich warmth of it encompassing them both within that boned cage. He could feel all of it, all the hurt and suffering, the unbearable loneliness, the desperate need to be more than what was permitted, the constant weary battle of it. The ache for Will's heart was unbearable, and as he kissed Hannibal again he made sure he knew that he had it, for Hannibal was the victor here, and this Alpha king was the one on his knees in worship of him, begging Hannibal to spare him his life.

Hannibal shifted his hips beneath him, spreading himself wider. "Will..."

He could feel his knot beginning its first ripple, and as Will slid inside of that tight, pulsing heat he embraced Hannibal tight into his arms, the need to protect him so paramount he damn near wept into his neck. His knot pulled him in tighter, the feel of that soft wall around his cock yielding to him, the intense, feverish emotions it brought with it nearly blacking him out. Hannibal arched his back and moaned, and Will held him tighter still, rocking into the shudders that collapsed and rose within him.

Oh God, he loved him. To have so many years alone and then to be given this gift--How was it possible that this could be so easily discarded? How was it that some thought enforcing it as law was the same as this fiery ignition of his heart?

"Nothing is going to happen to you," Will promised, his kisses fervent and deep, heedless of Hannibal's inability to hear him, so lost inside of their physical union there was nothing left of him but sensation.

~*~

Afterglow held no less pleasure in their exhaustion, and Will sighed in happiness as Hannibal ironically placed a chaste kiss on his lips. He was especially delicate now, long limbs and sated heat putting him into a fairly typical Omega phenotype, his androgyny suddenly more pronounced. Graceful and majestic, a rogue deer in the forest plotting its own path. "You are beautiful," Will reminded him for the hundredth time and Hannibal smiled at this, and Will's heart just about split at the truth of it.

"We don't have much time."

Will kissed him, easing such foolish notions aside. "Right now we have forever, Hannibal."

"I will be discovered," Hannibal said, tracing his fingertips along Will's face, scratching lightly at his dishevelled beard. Will rested his palm on Hannibal's neck, his thumb grazing the pink scar at his throat. Hannibal sighed, and closed his eyes. "There will be DNA in the bite mark. There will be enough markers in it to identify me. The Genetics Sentry will be here, enforcing the law."

Will groaned at this. To him, the very idea of a branch of the law cracking down on gender subterfuge and gender based social mores seemed alien and strange. They had no such cause for that kind of enforcement in the mainland, and he'd grown up thinking of them as half formed bogeymen who couldn't possibly exist in reality. He'd been corrected of this when he was child, when they'd come to his home and threatened his father with jail time for not keeping his Omega mate hidden from public view. They were cold and judgemental against his father's protests, and they treated him like he was sub human hillbilly for not paying more careful attention to what was, to mainlanders, a fabricated law.

"Some of their offices are backlogged and lazy, it was easy to get rid of the allele markers from the Minnesota genetics office, all it took was a phone call to a distracted clerk and she was convinced the samples were contaminated and destroyed them. Unfortunately, immigration DNA sampling is controlled Federally. I tried to erase the original data years ago, but the United Main has more safeguards in its gender identification systems than it does military strongholds. Of course, not everyone makes use of it, it's another level of red tape that many prefer to avoid. Obtaining my scholarship and getting into John Hopkins had been easy. I just ticked the box marked 'Alpha' and they never bothered to check. After this, I imagine that oversight will be rectified."

Will frowned slightly and propped himself up on his elbow. He stroked Hannibal's hair, liking the way the gesture made him sigh in pleasure, his maroon eyes half lidded in contentment. Will had never seen him so relaxed, his body boneless and easy beneath the fur blankets, every touch bringing out what seemed to Will were soft purrs of satisfaction. "No one is taking you from me," Will assured him, and Hannibal lightly laughed at this.

"Of course they will. Much as you want it to be true, your Alpha tinged reasoning is hardly the reality we live in. You must know, dear Will, before they knock on your door to come and imprison me, I have never allowed another so deeply into who I am than you. You've stared at my soul in unflinching intensity. You must understand, Will, that scrutiny is one I have given you, too. I stand at the precipice of your heart and I am likewise in awe of what I've found there."

Will pulled him in, a comfortable embrace that their tangle of limbs easily locked into. "Why are you talking to me as though you are getting ready to say good-bye? If I have to say it a million times, I will. I won't hurt you. Nothing is taking you from me."

"You say that with such conviction."

"Because it's true." Will kissed him. "I love you."

"Love is an inadequate word for how I feel about you. I am lost in you, Will. Such a realization gives me something I have only felt during heat and all the dungeons of my mind palace are flung open, releasing ugly demons from their cages."

Will continued to stroke his hair, liking the way the silky fronds slipped between his fingers. Hannibal closed his eyes as though he were about to fall asleep. "What do you feel?" Will whispered to him.

Hannibal smiled and shifted his head on the fur pillow until his lips met Will's warmed palm. If they could lie here for the rest of eternity there couldn't be a better outcome. He was going to remember this moment for the entirety of his life, Will realized. The culmination of hearts and blood that was forever entwined within him, antler bones scraping along his veins, pulling Will deep into the abyss.

"Fear."

Will kissed his forehead with a lingering tenderness that Hannibal sweetly sighed into. "Get some rest," Will suggested, and though he was loathe to do it and would have much preferred to spend another entire day and night within Hannibal's grasp, there were certain other needs that had to be met. "I'll make you breakfast."

"Flapjacks and hot dogs," Hannibal groggily replied.

"And what's wrong with that?" Will grinned. He slid out of the bed, his body still sticky and crusty with slick and sweat, the evidence of their lovemaking a topical he wasn't willing to wash off just yet. He tossed on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts before heading downstairs, his dogs leering at him as he passed them and made his way to the kitchen. The dog flap in the back door swung open and closed as several of his pack scrambled through it, seeking out their own breakfast, which Will gave, with strict orders not to eat until he was finished pouring their portions into bowls. When he gave the nod, they practically inhaled the food, and one particularly feisty jack russell tried to snatch more out of his older, docile companion's bowl. Will gave him a shove with his foot and ordered the little dog away. The sulking canine slid back out through the dog flap and into the snow, and there was no doubt he was looking to supplement his appetite with a rabbit.

Will thought about Hannibal sleeping in his upstairs bed and the smile that erupted over him spread to every sinew and bone within him, his dirty little house in Wolf Trap suddenly seeming more home than hiding spot from the oppressive coastline. He rummaged through his cupboards trying to find something worthy to give him, only to discover sad instant coffee and wrinkled sugar packets. The refrigerator didn't offer much either as it was bare save for a couple of fish he'd caught through the ice a few days ago that were still waiting to be gutted and scaled. He considered a Cajun fry-up, but he wasn't sure if Hannibal's Omega palate could stand the heat of the spices. In the end, he opted for oatmeal and Coffee Mate. Vaguely nutritious and hopefully not too gross.

His cell phone was face down on the kitchen counter and he picked it up only for the screen to instantly alight, signalling he'd had several calls and messages. Curious, he unlocked the screen and found six calls from Jack and several texts blinking in panicked, blue fury.

He opened his messaging program and felt a sick stone drop through the centre of his gut.

*will hannibal is an omega the united main dna database has him on file price put the sample through and the whole fucking thing lit up like a christmas tree if you know where he is for fuck's sake warn him*

*goddammit will they sent out the sentries for him youd think he was a serial killer they way they are acting if you know where he is keep him hidden*

*will they are heading for wolf trap*

He could hear the scream of the sirens before he could even react to the text, his dogs worked up into snarling frenzy well before the first slam of fists hit his door. The wail of an ambulance howled its way onto his property and Will grabbed his gun, making sure it was good and loaded and pointing at the head of whoever finally slammed his door enough to cave it in.

"Get the damn dogs!" he heard someone shouting and it was near enough to make him start shooting.

"Will Graham! Genetic Sentry Forces, we want to know if Hannibal Lecter is in your home." Pounding fists met his door again, splintering the wood. "Mr. Graham! Open this door! We need to speak to you about Omega Hannibal Lecter!"

The back door caved in, surprising Will, and he whirled around, his gun facing the centre of the forehead of the GSF officer who barrelled his way in. He held up his hands only to nod at the front of the house, where the door had been taken off its hinges, a half dozen GSF with semi-automatic assault rifles pointed at his chest and head, the tiny red dots itching to make their mark.

"He's not here!" Will shouted, though he knew the falsehood was easily seen through, especially with the scent of Omegan heat and mating all over him. He stared above the shoulders of the GSF officers, gaining a good view beyond his porch of the grey car careening onto his property. Jack. The car skidded to a halt, nearly hitting one of the armoured GSF vans, and the engine was still running when Jack stormed out of it, his large bulk running clumsily towards the front door, his FBI badge held high.

"That's an officer of the law you are harassing!" Jack shouted, heedless of the needlepoints of red light that were now turned on him. "He works with me! You can't just barge into his home!"

"Tell your officer to stand down or we shoot!" The GSF officer closest to Will shouted back. He couldn't tell what any of them looked like, they wore black armour and black tinted helmets. The GSF attracted the worst kind of power hungry assholes, and since they didn't often get an opportunity to scent their territory they couldn't wait to piss all over Wolf Trap and Will's freedoms. "Hannibal Lecter, we are aware you are in here! If you do not wish for your mate to be incarcerated, show yourself. We have an ambulance waiting, you will not be harmed."

"Bullshit!" Will shouted.

"Stand down, sir, and put down the gun."

"Get out of my house!"

"That is MY officer! Will, you don't have to listen to them! He has the right to defend his property, he is an officer of the law and you are not going by proper procedural channels..."

The GSF officer lunged for Will and he let a warning shot go wild, his bad shoulder aching from the ricochet. He aimed again, only to be tasered from behind, the jolt of electricity forcing him to drop his gun and collapse to the ground, his muscles violently seizing. He lay helpless on the floor of his house as half a dozen GSF officers held him down, pinning his legs and arms, his dogs barking and growling in fury outside as they were corralled into cages by GSF. He felt a puddle at his back, nausea hitting him as he realized the jolts from the tasers had released his bladder.

He growled and grit his teeth as he saw Hannibal wearing nothing but a clean pair of Will's flannel pyjama bottoms being escorted out of the house by medical personnel. He slammed the back of his head against the wooden floor, screaming and gnashing his teeth, every muscle in his body poised to fight and rip apart the bastards holding him down. He saw Hannibal's hand outstretched, fingers wide and searching for his comfort and he couldn't give it and the very idea made Will's heart tear into shreds. All he needed was one arm free and he'd grab one of those machine guns, he'd kill them all, he absolutely needed to. Some asshole was telling him to stop slamming his head against the floor, shouting at someone else to make him stop before he really hurt himself.

"Will!" Jack pushed his way past the BSF and crouched down to him, gloved hands holding his head in place. "They're sending him to BHCI, Dr. Chilton insisted on it. I tried to warn you, you son of a bitch!"

If Will could have punched Jack in the face he would have. Tears flowed from frustration, and he fought to bring his tensed, angry body back into his own power and buck off these pricks, despite the fact it was already too damned late.

"...Chesapeake...Ripper..." Will managed to choke out.

"What about him?"

Will grimaced, holding in his rage. He told him he'd protect him, he promised him he'd be safe.

"He's...Not..."

"Of course not. That's not why they're taking him there, no one believes that, not even Chilton. I don't know why he insisted, that's something we'll take up with Chilton later. As for the last murder...We couldn't get the warrant for Mason's basement, nothing but a big stalled wall. We've gone through the evidence we already have, and it's like you said it yourself, it was self defence, made to look like the Ripper. If I was Dr. Lecter, I'd have done the same thing. Being an Omega doesn't stop a person from self preservation, and I'm sure Doemling had the same designs on him as that last crime scene. Sick fuck."

Jack sighed and rolled back on his heels as he remained crouched beside Will's immobilized body, his Alpha rage rendered impotent as the GSF officers released him and quickly exited his house, kicking at his broken door for good measure. "I guess you helped him through his heat, huh? The two of you are fucking idiots, I'm sure you know that now. Dr. Lecter, one of the best on my team, a goddamned Omega. Hell of a thing."