Title: Making A Home
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Sherlock Holmes
Fandoms: Hannibal/Sherlock
Rating: PG-13
Table: Big Bang Inspirations, tv_universe
Prompt: Home
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 Sherlock Holmes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

When had he begun to think of London as being home?

Will smiled as he looked around him, keeping an eye on Winston as his dog gamboled in the park. He had taken the others for their first daily walk already, then decided to come here.

Sherlock was meeting him here in less than half an hour, and then they would take Winston back home and go out to lunch together at the nearby café.

It was a wonderful life that he was leading, one that he hadn't expected to have. He had thought that when he'd gotten out of jail, he would simply go back to his house in Wolf Trap, be reinstated into the FBI, and do more field work, as well as go back to teaching.

But things hadn't worked out that way. He'd surprised everyone, even himself, when he had accepted Sherlock's offer of a new life, a fresh start, and come here to live.

He loved what he was doing here. Teaching at Scotland Yard Academy, and working with the man he loved to solve cases. It was the life he had always wanted.

But he had thought that he'd always call Wolf Trap his home.

Even that had changed. He still thought of Wolf Trap, and the little house he'd owned there, with fondness, but he no longer felt that he was far from home, in a foreign place.

He'd slipped into London life more comfortably than he'd ever thought he could have. London felt like a warm security blanket that wrapped around him; even though it was a big city, and he had never really liked living in cities, he felt as though he belonged here.

He felt safe here, and he was getting to know the city -- or at least the area that he and Sherlock lived in -- better than he'd ever known Baltimore, or DC, or even New Orleans.

London was more of a home to him than any other place he had ever lived.

He and Sherlock were making a home here, a home that he loved, one that he knew he could be happy in for the rest of his days, one that felt like a place he never wanted to leave.

Will had to admit that he didn't even miss Wolf Trap as much as he'd thought he would. There were some aspects of it that hs missed, but he was happy here in London.

Of course, he missed being able to go fishing in the lake near his house whenever he had the free time, and he did miss the peace and quiet of the country. But it was peaceful on Baker Street, too -- the city wasn't nearly as noisy as he'd feared that it would be.

Baker Street somehow felt like a little haven right in the middle of the city. He never felt as though there were prying eyes, never felt closed in and suffocated.

He had felt that way any time he was in Baltimore, any time he spent the night in a hotel in a large city when he had to work on a case and stay overnight. London didn't fence him in.

This place had become home to him so quickly; even his dogs seemed to feel at home here. They enjoyed their twice-daily walks around the block, and romping in the nearby dog park. They were even lucky enough to have a small back yard, enclosed by a fence, where they could spend time.

Yes, London had become a home -- and a haven -- for all of them. But did he really feel completely safe here, knowing that Hannibal was stalking him?

The thought made a soft gasp come from Will's throat; he hadn't thought about that when he had decided to come to the park with Winston today. His safety might be at risk.

Could Hannibal be watching him, even now? Was he here, somewhere nearby?

Will took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He wasn't going to let himself think like that. If Hannibal was here, then he'd have to make a move in view of the public.

He knew that Hannibal wouldn't do that. He would keep himself hidden, make sure that any move he made would be under cover of darkness, hidden by the night. Hannibal wasn't going to do anything that could get him caught; he would err on the side of caution, at least for now.

His enemy had a good sense of self-preservation, and he had to know that he would be captured and carted off to jail if he made any sort of an impulsive move.

No, Will was safe enough here in the daylight, surrounded by people.

Hannibal wouldn't do anything to risk exposing himself, even though he could very well be hiding himself somewhere in this park, watching and waiting.

Will swallowed hard at the thought, forcing himself not to look around. He didn't want Hannibal to think that he was in any way worried about what his adversary's next move might be.

He wasn't going to give that bastard the satisfaction of making him feel hunted; he wasn't going to let Hannibal take away one bit of the joy that he'd found since he'd come here. That was what his enemy wanted; Hannibal would do anything to make Will unhappy in his new life.

Hannibal might be hunting him, but together, he and Sherlock would face that menace and defeat it, turn it aside and bring it to its knees. Together, they would triumph over evil.

He wasn't going to let Hannibal take away the peace that he'd found here in London with Sherlock. He wouldn't give that up easily. He'd fight for it, no matter what he had to do.

Hannibal had already taken enough from him. No more.

His nemesis had managed to take away his peace of mind once, and then his freedom. He'd almost killed Will, giving him a disease that could have proved fatal.

There was no forgiveness for that. There was no going back, no pretending that Hannibal could ever be his friend -- if he ever had been. And there was no way that he was going to let that bastard take away the home he'd made for himself, the happiness that now belonged to him.

He wasn't going to let himself be Hannibal's victim again. This time, he saw the situation clearly. There was no wool pulled down over his eyes any more.

This time, he also had Sherlock on his side.

Turning to glance at the entrance to the park, he saw Sherlock coming in at the gates, raising a hand to wave at him. Will couldn't keep a smile from spreading over his face.

Yes, this was definitely his home. He had not only found a home here, he'd found love -- and he wasn't going to let his worst enemy from his past take that away from him.

***