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Title: Put Away the Past
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.

***

"Have you ever been to London before?" Everett asked Will, glancing at his boyfriend as the two of them left the customs area and headed for the taxi stand.

Will shook his head, almost ashamed to admit that he'd never been to this city before. "I've been overseas, but never to London. This is all new to me."

Everett smiled at him reassuringly, taking his hand.

"Well, it won't be new for long," he said, his tone confident. "You'll soon get used to London, Will. I'm sure you will. I think you'll come to love this city."

Will nodded, hoping that what Everett said was true. He was never comfortable in large cities; he had never liked being in DC, or in Baltimore.

He was much more comfortable in a place like Wolf Trap, where he was isolated and he didn't feel that he was surrounded by people, blocked in by glass and concrete and the press of humanity. A place where he felt that he could breathe freely, and be himself.

Wolf Trap, and being in the country, suited him much better than being in London, in a place where he was a complete stranger. He doubted that he would feel at home here.

But he was going to give it his best shot, Will told himself firmly. Everett was right; he had needed to leave Wolf Trap behind, to start a new life.

And his best bet had been to get out of the country.

Giving up his job with the FBI had been hard. He hadn't wanted to do it; he had wanted to stick around and find some way to bring Hannibal to justice.

But that wasn't something he could do alone, and Will knew that it would be nearly impossible for him to prove how Hannibal had framed him for the Chesapeake Ripper murders. Of course, he'd been exonerated, but there would always be people who viewed him with suspicion.

He could still have a career with the FBI. He didn't doubt that. He could have stayed in Wolf Trap and put his life back together. But he hadn't wanted to.

He had wanted to be with Everett, and he'd made his choice. And now, he had another burning desire, one that he was determined to accomplish.

He was going to help Everett prove that Hannibal was a killer.

Hearing Everett's story about what Hannibal had done to the man he'd been in love with had horrified Will, but it hadn't surprised him. Not at all. He knew what Hannibal was, and it didn't shock him to find out that Hannibal had been killing long before Will had met him.

He had probably been killing for his entire life, Will thought. He didn't know what had started it, but he did know that Hannibal's string of murders had to be stopped.

Too many innocent people had already lost their lives at Hannibal's hands. He and Everett couldn't let this go on. They had to find a way to prove him guilty.

Maybe being here in London, living in a new place, away from everything that he was used to, would give him a fresh perspective. Maybe he had grown complacent, gotten too used to his life as it was. Maybe he needed this, needed something to shake him up a bit.

He'd had to get away from Hannibal. He knew that.

Of course, it was very possible that Hannibal would follow him here, too, Will told himself. In fact, he probably would. Hannibal wasn't one to simply give up.

Will knew that he and Everett hadn't seen the last of their nemesis, but at least coming here had probably bought them a bit of time before they had to confront him again.

Right now, he felt like the proverbial stranger in a strange land, but he'd felt the same way when he had first moved north from New Orleans to head to Quantico. It wasn't until he'd found the house in Wolf Trap that he had felt grounded, as though he belonged somewhere.

He would feel that way again, he assured himself. It would just take some time. Anyone would feel a little adrift when they first arrived in a completely new place.

And this time, he wasn't alone. Everett was by his side.

He needed this. He needed to be here in London, in a new place, to have new experiences. He needed to turn his back on the life he'd lived before.

Parts of that life had been good, yes. But if he was honest with himself, it had also been a very isolated life, and a very lonely one. He didn't have to be lonely any longer.

He had Everett now. Lonely wasn't a word that ever had to enter into his assessment of his personal life again. He was sure that their relationship was going to go the distance, that they were going to be together for all of their lives, and beyond into eternity.

The way he felt about Everett was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, and even if the felt some trepidation about moving to a new place, at least he had a guide.

He didn't have to feel his way along in the darkness until he found what felt right. This already felt right; he was right where he needed to be.

And more, he was where he wanted to be.

Somehow, Will had the feeling that London would come to be more of a home to him than Wolf Trap had ever been. He could be more at ease here. He could be free.

Free from the worries that had plagued him when he worked for the FBI. Free from the feeling that Hannibal was always there, in the background, silently watching him and waiting for the best time to pounce. Free from feeling that he had to constantly look over his shoulder.

Yes, this was a new place for him, and he was a stranger to this city. But at the same time, it felt almost like a sort of homecoming. A new beginning.

That was what he had needed for a long time now.

"Ready to go home, love?" Everett asked him, smiling and holding out a hand. Will took that hand, twining their fingers together and returning the smile.

"Yes, I am," he answered, his voice very soft. "I've been ready for a long time." Right now, that was all he wanted; to go home with his love, to settle in, and to begin feeling as though this city was a place that he could fit into. A place that he could truly call home.

If he was brutally honest with himself, Wolf Trap hadn't felt that way in a while. Not since Hannibal had come into his life. He didn't feel safe there any more.

Here, he would feel safe. He was sure of it.

Not only safe, but loved as well, he thought as Everett's fingers squeezed his gently. That was something that he never would have felt if he'd stayed in Wolf Trap.

It was time for him to put away the past, and look to the future. And with Everett in his life, Will knew that would be easy for him to do. He wouldn't be alone.

He could walk into the future with a light heart.

He pushed all thoughts of the past out of his mind as they moved out into the sunshine.

***