Companion Song: "Climbing Up the Walls" – Radiohead
"I am the key to the lock in your house
That keeps your toys in the basement
And if you get too far inside
You'll only see my reflection
It's always best when the light is off
I am the pick in the ice
Do not cry out or hit the alarm
You know we're friends till we die
And either way you turn
I'll be there
Open up your skull
I'll be there
Climbing up the walls"
This "cut unscene" occurs the evening after Hannibal visits Will in the cage room (cue the pissing contest banter). During that scene, Hannibal warns Will that anything he might remember or think he remembers is a distortion of reality. Will (lying) assures Hannibal he hasn't remembered anything, and maintains the facade that he's changed his mind about accusing Hannibal. Hannibal seems to be testing the waters, making sure Will is truly letting his accusations go. Later that day, Beverly Katz visits again and shows Will more crime scene photographs. He gives her a lead on where to look for the human muralist's victims. This scene happens in the evening after that meeting.
Max deposited the slobbery tennis ball at Will's feet and barked. Ellie lifted her head from her paws and yawned, and Zoe shot Max a dirty look from where she was curled up on Will's lap. "Sorry, girl," Will said as he bent in his chair to scoop up the ball, jostling her resting place. She hopped down with a huff of protest, but raced after the ball when he threw it, hot on Max's tail.
Buster raced by the front porch where Will sat, nipping at Jack's heels, his new favorite pastime. It was funny watching chubby little Buster picking on the much larger dog, but Will didn't put up with bad behavior. "Buster!" he scolded, and the dog veered away from bullying his brother. "Good boy."
Harley and Winston each gripped the end of a stick and tugged it back and forth. Ellie brought Will her rope toy and he held into the other end while she pulled and twisted, shaking her head back and forth vigorously. "Ellie, you're gonna tear my arm off," Will complained with a laugh.
The sunset washed the sky with oranges that ranged from vivid and tropical to humble rust. Will stood and stretched, stooping to pick up his whiskey bottle. He opened the front door to the house and whistled between his teeth, brief but piercing. It rang between the trees and down his gravel drive. The dogs responded immediately, racing to the porch where they trotted up the steps and filed inside.
Will kicked off his shoes and nudged them into their place on the rug next to the door, and set the whiskey bottle down to hang up his jacket. Picking his way through the minefield of dog beds, he leaned in and switched on the space heater. Will crossed the dark kitchen and stood at the door to the cellar steps. Unbuttoning his shirt, he stripped it off, leaving him in a gray tee, and unzipped his pants. Balling up the laundry, he opened the basement door and expertly tossed it down the steps and directly into a carefully positioned laundry hamper.
![[1]𝘾𝙃𝙄𝘼𝙍𝙊𝙎𝘾𝙐𝙍𝙊 | Hannibal Lecter✓ by _peachiigloss_](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/318417647-80-k781412.jpg)
He turned and found the dogs gathered in the kitchen, eyes bright and tails wagging. They knew the routine, and now it was time for treats. Will sat at the kitchen table and ran them through a few tricks, feeding them the expensive locally made biscuits he spent a hefty chunk of his paycheck on.
"All right, bedtime. C'mon."
The pack knew this routine as well, and immediately went to their beds, each dog returning to their usual spot. Max flopped down without ceremony, but Zoe was the queen of spinning around so many times just watching her made Will sick. At last, she settled in, and Will followed suit, sliding into bed with a satisfied sigh.
Winston left his cushion and jumped up next to Will. "Hey, no dogs on the bed," Will warned him. Winston whined and lay down in spite of Will's command, drooping his muzzle to his paws and looking up at Will with soft, pitiful eyes the color of darkened honey.
Will smiled with a sigh. "Just for tonight, and, ah... don't tell anyone."
He lay back and turned on his side. Winston curled up right against him so they were spine to spine.
A good night's sleep. Then maybe swing by the residential facility and pick up Abigail, load all the dogs in the back of the Volvo and try out that dog park he'd heard about—
"Mr. Graham."
Will's eyes shot open. He stared for a moment at the cell wall, trying to reorient himself for a moment before wishing he hadn't. Same cell. Same wall. Same Baltimore State Hospital. Same waking nightmare.
He sat up and swung his legs from his cot, turning to look at the pair of orderlies waiting outside his cell. They shouldn't be there. It was after lights out. Once his eyes adjusted, he was able to identify Sully and Ed. His heart wrung itself dry with a sickening twist.
"Shower time," Sully told him. "And good news, laundry has clean clothes ready for you."
It was Saturday. Laundry came on Mondays and Thursdays. Unasked questions lodged themselves in Will's throat, but he knew giving voice to them was meaningless. Hannibal had to be behind this. The thought simultaneously excited him and filled him with a sense of dread that hung itself around his neck. He stood and steadied himself with a few breaths, slowly stripping off his green jumpsuit. The cool air of the subterranean cell block was heaven on his rapidly flushing skin.
He'd told Hannibal he wanted his help, all but apologized for accusing him of framing Will for murder. As far as he knew, Hannibal bought the story, although Will had been hyper aware of the scrutinizing looks Hannibal was giving him during their conversation. Will had never been in a position where he'd had to lie to this degree. It had been significantly less abhorrent than he'd anticipated. Probably because he was repaying Hannibal in kind. Eye for an eye, lie for a lie.
After the meeting, after his tears and pleas for help, Will had gone back to his cell exhausted by his subterfuge, struggling under the weight of crafting his mask. Now he was going to have to put it back on again, not just over his face this time, but his whole body, a costume of forgiveness. Because if what happened last time happened again...
Not that he'd needed to fake his physical response. But Hannibal was observant enough that he would be able to tell if Will wasn't entirely engaged in the moment. This had to be method acting.
"Approach the door, please." Ed held up a pair of handcuffs. Will obeyed, then turned to put his hands through to be cuffed behind his back.
"No." Sully said curtly, with a yellow-toothed sneer. He spun his finger around as if casting a spell in a bad movie.
