Palatial Intimacy

XXX - The Emergency

May 4, 2030

"Thoughts?" Will asked as he slipped back into the van, coming face to face with Jack once more. He brushed off his shirt, then lifted it up to remove the wire tape. He ripped it off in one go, wincing at the sting on his skin.

"You got his permission; that's what's important." Jack was frowning as he looked down at the case file. He didn't say anything else, and Will impatiently leaned forward for more.

"And?"

"Will, you were way too lenient towards him. He's going to believe that we're buying into his bullshit."

"I made a manipulative move, Jack. Maybe you're getting along just fine with your hostility, but it's not working on him. You haven't made a dent!"

"You're not his friend, Will. If he thinks you are, he's going to use it against you. Manipulate you."

"Only if I let him. And I'm not gonna let him." Will took a deep breath. "You haven't trusted a word I've said over the past month, and if you're going to keep doing that, I'd prefer you just stop asking my opinion at all. I know what I'm doing. I've solved all kinds of cases. You've gotta trust me."

Jack glared at him, but Will could sense he knew he was right. Probably resented him for it, too.

"Since we have his permission, we're going to call him into the lab," Jack said, "and if we don't get the answers we need, we're going to take a much harsher approach."

"Got it. Do whatever you want, Jack. I'm not the one in charge." Will held up his hands. "I'm just trying to offer the advice that I think is the best. If you want to try and chip away at something indestructible, go ahead."

The only reason Will had the confidence to offer this up was because after they entered the lab, there would be no more chances to try. They were going to destroy everything. There would be no more Hannibal Lecter to arrest, no more Will Graham to indict for abetting a murderer. They would be gone for good, reborn into something new.

Will wasn't sure what that was yet, but he was excited to see.

———

When it came to Molly, Will was a coward.

He'd been struggling with what to do for hours. He wanted to be a man and sit down with her, tell her that things weren't going to work out anymore, but then she'd want to know why. It would come out of nowhere, and she'd start to suspect that something else was going on. She might say something to Jack before he and Hannibal could make their move.

He didn't want to hide from her, but he wondered if that was the best course of action. She didn't deserve to face what he and Hannibal has become. She didn't deserve their wrath. To turn and run from the problem would be the move of a lesser man, but it seemed like the only option. If he left in the night, told her he was going to work early and never came back, he wouldn't have to face the truth of what he was leaving behind. He wouldn't have to see in her face the way he'd failed her.

He lay in bed beside her that night wide awake, unable to even think about closing his eyes. He knew that sleep was integral on a night like this, but he wouldn't be able to as long as he had the source of his anxiety sleeping soundly beside him. He wanted Hannibal. He wanted to go home.

Even entering the palace wasn't helpful. Being apart seemed to make it harder to conjure now. It was still there, but small details were blurred, and the wonderful feeling that came with being inside their shared space wasn't as strong. They were forgetting important parts of each other, parts that they needed to come back together to remember. They were one shared mind, and the links were getting weaker with every moment they were physically separated. It made Will even more anxious.