Inquires of The Truth

Derek and the Pack arrived at precisely the same time that Stiles was called to Crawford's office. Cursing at the luck Stiles shot a quick text to The Pack before heading to the man that was formerly called the Gurr's office. Once there Crawford explained what was going on. 

A Day Later; Cabin in the Woods

Stiles knocked on the window of Will's car to get his attention as he said," We're here!"

Will got out and frowned as they walked into the cabin. Stiles shuddered at the strong darkness and wrongness that was purely human as he glanced around the rooms. The Druid followed the young Ravenstag up the stairs and he mumbled to Jack Crawford," Could make a permanent installation in your Evil Minds Museum." 

The FBI agent didn't appreciate the remark as he said," Well, what we learn about Garrett Jacob Hobbs will help us catch the next one like him..." he paused then said," There's still seven bodies unaccounted for."

Will hummed as he pointed out," Well, he was eating them." 

"Had to be some parts he wasn't eating," Crawford spat. Stiles shook his head as he pushed the emitting feelings of darkness that hunted the cabin and the very ground it was built on as he whispered," Not necessarily, some hunters( and in this case, he means only those that hunt animals) try to use every part of the animal they hunt. Pelts, antlers, hooves, organs, meat, and bones. It use to be that was how every hunter did it, instead of just hunting for sport." 

The disgust in his words was evident but Will couldn't tell if it was for the wildlife hunters, the Supernatural kind, or both( Both, it was both). Jack looked at him and asked," All right, even so, what if Hobbs wasn't eating alone? It's a lot of work, disappearing these girls, butchering them, and then not leaving a shred of anything other than what's in this room."

Stiles kept to himself as Will clarified," Someone he hunted with then?"

"Someone who is in a coma, who also happened to be someone he hunted with."

That made Stiles hiss as he tried to regain in his magic and muttered," Someone who, if you haven't looked close enough at her, looks like all his victims. Someone who might have helped lure them to save her own life, maby. Have you thought of that AGENT Crawford?"

  Will looked to the druid as he felt Stiles shadow( or his arora, magical core-presences/ other self) grow to a nearly suffocating level. His inner Ravenstag pranced in agitation and fear at how powerfull Stiles was. Slightly shakily Will asked," Is Abigail Hobbs a suspect?" 

"We've been conducting house to house interviews at the Hobbs residence and at this property as well. Hobbs spent a lot of time here, a lot time spent with his daughter here. She would make the ideal bait wouldn't she?"

  Wording his answered carefully, to both reassure Stiles that he didn't think she was guilty and that he thought she might have helped bait the girls, and to throw Crawford off Abigails back, he stated, as he knelt down to look at the antlers," Hobbs killed alone." 

Looking down at the floor he noticed a strand of auburn hair and carefully picked it up with gloved hands and almost growled out," Someone else was here."

Two Weeks later

Before entering Will's lecture hall and classroom, the older man pulled Stiles aside and asked," Are you alright?"

"Not really... that cabin was filled with an overwhelming dark presence. If I hadn't been to other sights of killings and murders, I would say it's just that..." Stiles trailed off before Will hummed," But there is more to it?"

"It was almost as if there was another Stag, smaller, more of a doe or a fawn," Stiles muttered as he shuddered," it was faded but there. Hell, don't think there actually was one there."

Will didn't say anything as he told Stiles," Take the day off. Spend it with Derek and your pack. Ground yourself. Come back when you feel clear, alright?"

Stiles nodded before he said," Take up your own advice sometimes, Graham."

Laughing Will walked into his classroom and was greeted with applause. 

When he was finished with his lecture Alana Bloom walked into his classroom. He felt an ambush coming as she asked," How are you, Will?"

"Better than some, Worst then others," He curiptcly but honestly said. She smiled as she told him," I didn't want you to be ambushed."

He quirked his eyebrows as he asked," This is an ambush?"

"Ambush is later, immediately later, soon to now," She sighed as Crawford walked up behind her and shed said," When Jack arrives, consider yourself ambushed."

The head of the BSU stepped to her sided and Will muttered, almost like Jack Torrance in The Shining when he cut through the door of the bathroom," Here's Jack." 

Crawford just glanced at him as he asked," How was class, and where's Stilkisi?"

"Stiles came down with something, as for class. They applauded. It was inappropriate."

'Considering what they would do if they knew the truth about me,' he finished inside his mind as Jack Crawford insisted," Well, the review board would bed to differ. You're up for a commendation and they've okayed active return to the field."

That almost made Will freeze as he finished packing up his case. Almost, but not quite as Alena asked him," The question is, do you want to go back into the field?"

The safe answer would be no, but before Will had time to answer for himself, the hero Jack Crawford declared," I want him back in the field," then he added, without the former gusto," And I've told the board I'm recommending a psych eval."

Will clicked his case closed and picked it up as he asked," Are we starting now?"

Alana looked started as she stuttered and shook her head," Oh... uh... the session wouldn't be with me."

"Oh?" 

Will couldn't hide the surprise on his face when Jack explained," Hannibal Lecter's a better fit."

Well, Will couldn't hide the surprise but he could mask it as something else. And mask he did, to fear as Crawford continued," Your relationship's not personal. But if you are more comfortable with Dr Bloom..."

Will hopped on that faster then he was comfortable with as he hissed." No," then took a deep breath as he told them," I'm not going to be comfortable with anybody inside my head."

Alana looked at him as she stated," You've never killed anyone before, Will."

'That you know of,' Will thought to himself as he walked towards the doors and the burnt continued," It's a deadly force encounter. It's a lot to digest."

He hummed as he reminded them," I used to work Homicide."

"The reason you currently used to work Homicide is because you didn't have the stomach for pulling the trigger. You just pulled the trigger ten times!" Jack warned just as Will reached the door. The ravenstag frowned as he whipped around and asked," Wait, so a psych eval isn't a formality?"

Warning bells were ringing in his head. Jack wasn't sposto know the truth just yet. Not for another while and so he listened to the head of the BSU as Crawford explained," No, it's so I can get some sleep at night. I asked you to get close to the Hobbs thing, I need to know you didn't get too close."

 The Agent sighed as he asked," How many nights did you spend in Abigal Hobbs's hospital room, Will?"

The truth was, it had been almost every night since she had been moved to The Franklin Square Hospital from Minnesota a little more than a week ago. He wasn't the only one either but he wasn't going to tell Crawford that so he snarked back," Therapy doesn't work on me."

Crawford grumbled," Therapy doesn't work on you because you won't let it."

Will huffed as he added," And because I know all the tricks."

"Well, perhaps you need to un-learn some tricks." 

The teacher glared at Crawford as Alana asked," Why not have a conversation with Hannibal?"

He glanced at her as she continued," He was there, he knows what you went through."  

Will turned around and walked out of the classroom and walked down to the car park huffing. 

McCall-Hale Pack "Cabin", Jefferson National Forest, Virginia

Stiles pulled his jeep up to the side of the cabin's garage and grabbed his night bag from the passenger seat as he got out. Swinging the bag over his shoulder the 19-year-old druid walked around to the front porch and was about to open the door when it was opened for him by Derek. The 24-year-old Werewolf smiled at him as Stiles walked in and sighed," It's good to see you physically again, Der."

The Alpha werewolf wrapped an arm around the younger and hugged him close as he said," It's relieving."

"Derek, let the boy breath some..." Cata's voice said as she walked down the stairs holding her three-year-old daughter Isabella. The pup looked at Stiles and giggled," Sty-Sti! Sty-Sti!"

Stiles smiled as the three-year-old squirmed in her mother's arms making grabbing hands at Stiles, who handed Derek his bag and lifted his niece from Cata and laughed," Heya, Isabella." 

He spun her around and she laughed, calling Issac, Erica, Boyd, and Jackson from the living room. Issac smiled at him and asked," How are you doing Stiles?"

"Better now, where is everyone else?" 

"Theo, Liam, Scott and Malia are cooking dinner with help from Cora. Scott's got the others downstairs playing games, and Peter's in his room grumbling," Jackson replied. Stiles smiled at the pack and said," As usual then?"

The others chuckled at his remark.

Baltimore, Maryland; Hannibal Lecter's Office.

Will stood on the terce and looked through the bookshelves, purposely facing his back towards Hannibal as the later wrote up the psych evaluation. It was late at night, nearly ten-thirty but the late hour had no true effects on the two "men" who stood in the office. Sensing that the quite need to be ended, the younger and leaner Ravenstage spoke as he turned to face the older more experienced, and dominant creature," What's that?"

Hannibal showed him the file and replied," Your psychological evaluation." 

The older let the words sink in and his presence grew slightly larger before continuing," You are totally functional and more or less sane. Well done."

He watched Will preen slightly as he stamped the file. Will glanced at him as he asked, almost scoffing," Did you just rubber Stamp me?"

Hannibal could sense the unease in that question and it made him want to tear asunder anyone who had given his Will any sense of doubt. Reigning in his beast he answered," Yes. Jack Crawford may lay his weary head to rest knowing he didn't break you and our conversation can proceed unobstructed by paperwork."

He didn't hold back the distaste at Crawford's use of Will's gift or his distaste of the man himself by much, an honesty that Will appreciated as he inquired from the other," Jack thinks that I need therapy." 

Hannibal tilted his head as Will paced along the barrier, and thought a moment before he told him," What you need is a way out of dark places when Jack sends you there."

Will chuckled to himself as he stated," Last time he sent me into a dark place, I brought something back." 

Hannibal looked up to Will and asked him," A surrogate daughter?"

'In more ways than the normal ones,' Will thought to himself before sighing as Hannibal continued," You did save Abigail Hobbs's life, but you also orphaned her. That kind of circumstance comes with certain emotional obligations, regardless of empathy disorders."

Will hummed thoughtfully before he thought to himself,' do you feel her darkness as well Dr Lecter? Do you feel the fawn growing inside her?' 

He didn't voice these thoughts directly, instead, he asked," You were there, you saved her life as well. Do you feel obligated?"

Hannibal answered honestly and with hidden meaning," Yes, I feel a staggering amount of obligation. I feel responsibility."

'I warned him, told him what to do, after all,' Hannibal thought as he said," I've fantasized scenarios where my actions may have allowed a different fate for Abigail Hobbs."

He woke every night since worried about who he was starting to see as his own fawn. His inner ravenstag peeked at those thoughts. Of creating his own heard, of not being alone. 

Will huffed out as he told Hannibal," Jack thinks Abigail Hobbs helped her dad kill those girls." 

"How does that make you feel?"

Will echoed back to him," How does it make you feel?" 

Hannibal saw what Will was asking for, what would alow for proper courting, and accepted it with honestly," I find it vulgar and entirely possible."

"In a way, I do too," Will began as he leaned over the barrier and sighed. His eyes danced in the lightly lit room as he explained," I don't think she killed any of them, at least not yet. She might've if it continued. Might not have had a choice, but she didn't kill those girls. However, I don't think she's entirely guilt-free either. Every single one of those girls looked like Abgial to some extent. Every single one was going off to college, was young, wind-chaffed, and had auburn hair. They were virtually identical to her in every way that mattered to Hobbs."

Hannibal listened to Will go deeper into his explanation with slight awe and recognition of the danger he could have posed as he continued," She might have lured the girls, but I think she realized that if she didn't, she would be the one who was killed and eaten. She was trying to survive. Jack doesn't see that, he doesn't want to see it." 

Hannibal nodded as he warned Will," He will ask her when she wakes up, or he'll have one of us ask her." 

Will laughed," Is this therapy or a support group?"

"It's whatever you need it to be," Hannibal told him before looking up at Will and reventingly reminding him," And, Will, the mirrors in your mind can reflect the best of yourself, not the worst of someone else." 

Will nodded as he climbed down and they ended the session. 

McCall-Hale Pack "Cabin", Jefferson National Forest, Virginia; The next day

Stiles yawned from the bed and fumbled for his phone to check the time. The screen read," 10:43."

He yawned again and turned to the left and sighed as he felt around for Derek. Only to find his side cold. Groaning Stiles pulled the blankets offed and grabbed his bag from the coach nearby and glanced around the room. The wooded panel walls, floor and ceiling gave the room a warm colour to it. Covering the wood floor was two brown and tan Oriental Persian Rug. On each side of the bed was two dark wooden bed tables with a peach covered table lamp. The coach was a mud brown with oriental pillows on the left side. 

Humming he walked over to the in-suit bath that followed the wooden theme of the master bedroom with a bricked-in tub and marble floors. Changing out of his sleep clothes, Stiles threw on a black and yellow t-shirt and a red flannel with a pair of worn-out jeans before he shrugged on his red hoodie and his pair of converses before brushing his teeth and checking to see if he had gotten any messages from his professors or Will. Finding nothing new he headed down to the living room where he was meet with Cora and Danny playing with Isabella and Rays. The nearly one-year-old gaggled at him as he threw his toy keys at him. Stiles tossed them back to the baby who laughed from his father's arms. 

Danny smiled at him and greeted him," Moring Stiles."

"Morring, Danny, Cora, and my two favourite pups," Stiles said as Isabella laughed," Sty-Sti! Play Sty-Sti!" 

Cora huffed," You missy, need to eat lunch then take a nap." 

"No Nappy!" The toddler huffed as she tried to squirm from her mother's arms. Stiles chuckled to himself as he scooped her up and said," yes Nappy. Big girls take naps, and you're a big girl aren't ya?"

"Is a big girl!" She shouted and folded her arms. Stiles smiled and handed her back to Cora before he slipped into the kitchen and out the back door where Derek was sparing with some of the pack. The Alpha stopped and walked over to him as he smiled," You awake, are you going in today?"

"Not quite yet, Sourwolf," Stiles muttered as he kissed the alpha's cheek. 

Quantico, Virginia. 

Will finished off his rounds and pulled the headset off his ear to hear Beverly jokingly say," I'm pretty sure firearm accuracy isn't a prerequisite for teaching." 

Will laughed as he told her," Well, I've been in the field before." 

"Now you're back in the saddle... ish," She told him as he put a new target sheet on the clip and moved it back. He agreed," Ish indeed. Took me 10 shots to drop Hobbs."

She hummed as she informed him," Zeller wanted to give you the bullets he pulled out of Hobbs in an acrylic case, but I told him you wouldn't think it was funny."

"Probably not."

Beverly smiled as she said," So I suggested one of the clackin' swingin' ball things." 

He laughed and told her honestly," Now, that would've been funny." 

They put their headset back on and Will took a couple shots, barely hitting the target. He frowned as Bev spoke up," You're a weaver, I took you for a isosceles guy." 

"I have a rotator cuff issue, so I have to use the Weaver stance," he explained to her. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he winced slightly as she pointed out," You're tight."

"Got stabbed when I was a cop."

"Yeah? I got stabbed in the third grade with a number two pencil. Thought I was gonna get lead poisoning." 

She helped position Will to a different position as Will told her," Uh, no lead in pencils. It's graphite."

She chuckled as she finished positioning him and said," See if that helps with the recoil."

He fired a few more shots, hitting the target each time and smiled as pulled off the headgear and stated," That was better," He turned to her and asked," You come all the way down here to teach me how to shoot?" 

"No, Jack sent me down here to find out what you know about gardening."

Elk Neck State Forest, Maryland

A crow cawed as Crawford addressed," So, Lecter gave you the all-clear. Therapy might work on you after all."

Struggling not to voice what he really thought about Crawford's opinion Will muttered," Therapy is an acquired taste, one I have yet to acquire. But, uh, it served your purpose. I'm back in the field."

Jack Crawford nodded as he explained why he called Will here," Local police found tire tracks on a hidden service road and some small animal traps in the surrounding area."

Will mumbled to himself," He wanted to keep is crop undisturbed."

"Only thing missing is the scarecrow," Crawford added. Will turned to Jimmy, Bev and Brian as Jimmy stated," Ok, we've got nine bodies, various stages of decay, and as you can see, all very well fertilized." 

Will frowned as Bev explained," He buried them in a high-nutrient compost. He was enthusiastically encouraging decomposition." 

"They were buried alive with the intention of keeping them that way, I mean for a little while..." Brian added whiled Jimmy counited the thought," Long enough for the fungus to eat away any distinguishing characteristics." 

"Line and rebar were used to administer intravenous fluids after they were buried. He was feeding them something," Brian commented. Will hummed before he asked," No restraints?"

"Just dirt," Jimmy answered before Bev noted," The other end of the air-supply system comes ou over there," she pointed the system out and counited," It isn't a very considerate clean air solution, which clearly wasn't a priority, cause he isn't lazy."

Will sighed out in agreement," No, he's not."

The three forsicest walked away with Bev asking Brian," You find any Shitakes?"

"No."

Crawford patted Will on the back and told him," Welcome back."

The group walked away as Will took a deep breath and watched the pendulum swing. 

He watched time reverse as stepped back. When he was in the right spot he spoke to himself," I do not bind his arms or legs as I bury him in a shallow grave."

The ventilator pumped air into the man as Will continued to burry him and said," He's alive, but he will never be conscious again."

Another shovel of dirt and Will muttered," He won't know that he's dying. I don't need him to. This is my design." 

The pendulum swung back and Will felt an arm grab his leg. He looked down and saw that one of the viteums as still alive. He blinked and shouted," Get an ambulance. This one is still alive." 

He stood up and leaned against a tree as he watched a flash of red hair disappear into the woods. He hissed under his breath," Freddy Lounds." 

  Will walked into Hannibal's office with a lie on his tongue as he slid the evaluation over to the other ravenstag saying," This may have been premature."

Hannibal picked it up and looked into his Will's chocolate dark eyes and asked," What did you see out in the field, Will?"

Playing simply Will answered, falsely," Hobbs." 

"An association?" 

Will shook his head as he walked around the office," A hallucination. I saw him lying there in someone else's grave." 

"Did you tell Jack what you saw?" Hannibal asked real concern hitted in his voice. Will frowned as shook his head," No."

"It's stress, not worth reporting," Hannibal explained before he changed his tactic and said," You displaced the victim of another killer's crime with what could arguably be considered your victim."

Will wrinkled his nose in disgust as he hissed," I don't consider Hobbs my victim."

'If he was, his heart would have been eaten while his lungs turned to sausage for my dogs,' Will thought as Hannibal asked," What do you consider him?"

"Dead..." Will huffed out. Hannibal nodded as he as asked," The arms, why did he leave them exposed? To hold their hands? To feel leaving their bodies?"

"No, that's too esoteric for someone who took the time to bury his victims in a straight line. He's more practical," Will sighed out then looked at the other ravenstag as he explained," They weren't crops, they were his fertilizer. The bodies were covered in fungus."

Hannibal hummed as he stood near Will and leaned across his chair," The structure of a fungus mirrors that of the human brain. An intricate web of connections."

"So maybe he admires their ability to connect in the way human minds can't," Will guessed. Hannibal pointed out," yours can."

'But I am not human, not any more then you are, Hannibal,' Will thought as he laughed," yep, um but not physically." 

"Is that what your farmer is looking for? Some sort of connection?" 

Will shrugged as he said," Maby he is. I know I would in his place." 

When it came for the end of the session Hannibal smiled as he led Will out the office and waved him goodbye," Have a good evening, Will." 

"You too, Dr Lecter," Will hummed as he waved back. He headed home.

When he got home he sent a text to Stiles then sighed as he stomach grumbled. He frowned and instead of going inside his house he headed into the barn to check the icebox. He flipped it open and saw he only had a sweetbread( a pancreas) left. Will frowned as he pulled it from the icebox and headed into his house and started to craft a pot of Yaka Mein, saving a little bit of the sweetbread for a muffaletta for lunch the next day. When he was done he sent sighed as he ate his dinner and called a friend.

"Hello?"

"Dean... how are you?" Will asked as he ate. Dean hummed on the other end," Alright. Haven't had a world-ending disaster yet this year, So there is that."

"Try not to have another if you can, I like living now," Will teased him as he finished his meal. Dean laughed then asked," Saw your work in Minnesota. You're not calling about that are you?" 

"No... at least not directly. I have a small favour to ask of you and Loki if he's still around you all." 

"Under survalence or something?" Dean asked. Will hummed," Let's just say that with the recent event here, it would be better if I didn't go hunting for myself for a while." 

There was some mumbling then a sigh as Dean said," Right, So I would do this, but Tenebris just explained to me that it would be a terrible idea to get involved personally. So I am going to give you Loki's number. He'll pop by with meat every few weeks, do you have enough for this week?"

"no... I think I might have to do some digging or something. I'll be fine," Will lied to the hunter. If all else failed he could always try and convince Bev for a few pieces from the lab. Sighing to himself he got the number from Dean then hung up. 

BSU Forensic and Autopsies Lab: Later that night 

Will walked around Jimmy and Brian as they surveyed the fungi covered cadavers and asked," What was it they were soaked in?"

The elder of the two stated," A highly concentrated mixture of hardwoods, shredded newspaper and pig poop. Perfect for growing mushrooms and other fungi."

"But it wasn't the mushrooms that killed them, they all died of kidney failure," Brian explained. Bev cam back in from the forensic side of the lab and explained," Dextrose in all the catheters. He probably used some kind of dialysis or peristaltic to pump fluids after their circulatory systems broke down." 

Will frowned as he asked," Forced-feeding them surger water?" 

"You know who loves surger water? Mushrooms," Jimmy Price stated then hummed," They crave it." 

Brain added," Recovering alcoholics, they crave sugar... uh, don't take that personally, buddy."

Jimmy informed his partner," Oh, I'm not recovering." 

Brian nodded," Right... anyway, feed surger to the fungus in your body, the fungus creates alcohol, so it's like friends helping friends, really." 

Will glanced at the bodies as he explained," It's not just alcoholics who have compromised endocrine systems. They all died of kidney failure?" 

The two nodded and Will told them," Death by diabetic ketoacidosis." 

Bev looked at the Ravenstag then asked Brain, trusting Will when he said they were diabetic," Did you know they were diabetics?"

He frowned," We don't know they were diabetics."

"No, they're all diabetics. He induces a coma and puts them in the ground. That's why the victam that did survive died on the way to the hostable. The emergency crew wasn't prepared for diabetic ketoacidosis," Will stated. Bev looked at him and frowned," How is he inducing diabetic comas?"

"Changes their medication. So he's a doctor, pharmacist, or he works somewhere in medical services," Will said. Bev nodded as she layed the seniro out for her two underlings," He buries them, feeds them surger to keep them alive long enough for the circulatory systems to soak it up."

"So he can feed the mushrooms!" Jimmy concluded. Brian frowned," That means we dug up his mushroom garden." 

"Yeah, he's gonna want to grow a new one." 

 Near Midnight; after the attempt to catch the Mushroom farmer.

Will glared at the screen in front of him as Bev read it out loud to Crawford," The FBI isn't just hunting psychopaths, they're headhunting them too, offering competitive pay and benefits in the hopes of using one demented mind." 

She stopped eyed Will who nodded," Keep reading, Bev."

She sighed," One demented mind to catch another..." she trailed off then said," She goes into a lot of detail." 

Will growled under his breath but said nothing as he stomped off. He was going to kill Lounds, but only when the heat was off of him.

Will sat across from the growing Fawn. He knew that this was going to be the new killer's next stop. He could feel it so he stayed. And if his hunger would be stated for a few weeks at the same time. Well, no one needed to know that besides himself. 

He let her be taken so no one would see the murder. His antlers grew as he pawed at the tiled floor and pinned the man to the wall with them. Stammets squirmed out," The journalist said you understood me."

Will smiled," Far from it..." 

His claws tore through the man's tendons before he swiftly and with supernatural speed and strength tossed the man into the back of his Volvo before shifting back to a human form and wheeling Abigal back to her room.