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Title: A Clean Getaway
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Everett Hobbs (Original Character)
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Everett's face is Benedict Cumberbatch.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Will Graham or Lee Fallon, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

It felt as though they'd made a clean getaway.

Everett leaned back in his seat on the plane, looking over at Will as the other man slept, a small smile curving his lips as he watched his boyfriend.

Will looked so young and defenseless in sleep, so vulnerable. But Everett knew that there was a core of strength in the other man that people didn't generally see.

There had to be a thread of steel running through Will for him to survive all that he'd gone through. Most people would have given up when they'd been framed for murders they hadn't committed and been thrown in jail, with hardly any hope of ever seeing freedom again.

But Will had never done that. He had fought for his rights, proclaiming his innocence, and he hadn't let himself sink into despair.

And now, the two of them were starting a new life, far away from the place where Will had endured so much, and had undoubtedly been in a great deal of danger.

Far away from Hannibal Lecter.

Though Everett didn't doubt that Hannibal would try to follow them, and that he wasn't going to leave Will alone to live his live happily, Everett thought, his smile turning to a frown.

He already knew that Hannibal wasn't a man who would back down when he considered that something -- or someone -- belonged to him. He would keep pursuing Will, even if it meant putting his practice on hold and coming to England to stalk the two of them.

He and Will had to be prepared for that. Everett knew that he would be. He wasn't going to let himself be taken by surprise again. Once had been more than enough.

And they would have some protection in the dogs.

Though he wondered how little Buster could be regarded as a dog who could protect anyone, he thought with a smile and a soft chuckle.

At the last minute, the people who had said that they would happily take Buster and make a home for him hadn't been able to do so, and Will had insisted on bringing the little dog with them. He wasn't going to just abandon any of his pets, or take them to a shelter.

They had also decided to keep Sam, the spaniel mix, with them, and the couple who had adopted him had agreed to take Max the Husky instead.

They'd been happy with Max, and Everett privately thought that a bigger dog suited them. Though he had also thought that Max would have been a good guard dog for himself and Will.

Ah well, he had to admit that he liked the dogs they had.

He'd actually liked all of them, he thought to himself, smiling again. The dogs had formed a bond with him that he hadn't expected; they had probably realized just how much he cared about Will, and they had known that he had the same objective in mind that they did.

That objective was to keep Will safe, whatever it took. The dogs seemed determined to do that, and now, he was as well. Nothing would happen to Will on their watch.

Winston in particular seemed to be something of a guardian angel for Will, in canine form. Everett liked the way that the dog almost seemed to look after Will, making sure that the other man was always under guard, seeming to watch him with knowing, protective eyes.

He loved Winston for that, for watching over Will so carefully.

From a person who hadn't owned a dog since he was a child, now he was going to have three of them around, Everett thought, the smile still on his lips. But he didn't mind.

He liked dogs, and he particularly liked Will's dogs. They had all seemed to like him, too; by the time they had left Wolf Trap, he'd known that he would miss them.

Still, they were bringing his particular favorite along with them. Winston seemed to feel that he was someone who needed protecting, too; the dog had taken to watching him and following him around almost as much as he did Will.

It was a good feeling, knowing that you were loved by a dog. They gave such unconditional affection that a person couldn't help but return the feeling.

And it was an even better feeling to be loved by a wonderful man.

Everett took Will's hand in his own, feeling a peace that he hadn't known while he was in Wolf Trap descending over him, wrapping around his heart.

He and Will would make a good life for themselves in London. It remained to be seen if they would go back to Wolf Trap, but he didn't think that would happen. If they did, it wouldn't be for a very long time to come. He was fairly certain of that, if of nothing else.

He was also certain that he and Will would be happy together. It didn't matter where they lived, as long as they had each other. That was the only thing that really mattered.

Will would get used to living in the city. He really had no other choice.

If they'd stayed in Wolf Trap, Everett knew that Hannibal would have come after them. His hubris would make him feel that he had to do so.

They would have been in increasing danger the longer they'd stayed there. And eventually, it would have come down to a physical battle between Hannibal and the two of them.

Everett knew that even though it would have been two against one, it would have been dubious whether or not he and Will could have survived. After all, he wasn't the kind of man who was used to fighting physically, and he seriously doubted that Will was, either.

Though he was sure that his boyfriend could take care of himself, he felt much better now that they were getting out of the line of fire.

Still, making a clean getaway from Wolf Trap didn't mean that there wasn't still some danger around them, he thought with a soft sigh. This wasn't the end, by any means.

Hannibal wasn't going to simply let them live their lives in peace.

Yes, they'd made a getaway -- but Everett knew that their enemy would come after them. They couldn't live in peace until Hannibal was behind bars.

Or better yet, until he was gone from this world, Everett thought grimly. That was more than likely what it would take for Hannibal to be eradicated from their lives -- because even in jail, he could find ways to bedevil them. He was a resourceful man; Everett already knew that too well.

At least they had taken the first step to freeing themselves from him by coming to London. And Will would be marginally safer in a city that Everett knew like the back of his hand.

They would make a new life here. A good life.

He closed his eyes, twining his fingers through Will's. There was still quite a while to go before the plane would land at Heathrow, and he needed to sleep, too.

At least there was nothing that Hannibal could do to them while they were on the plane. They had escaped from Wolf Trap safely, and he could relax for the moment.

Everett smiled at that thought, feeling hopeful for the future.

They'd made a clean getaway, and that gave him hope. They could defeat Hannibal Lecter, and they would. They just had to link him irrefutably to all of his crimes.

Once they did that, they would be able to put him in jail, where he belonged. And then he and Will could go on with their lives, with nothing from the past clouding their future.

After a while, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep as they left Will's old life further behind.

***