[ Will is quiet for a long moment. Not unheard of, between them. He stares down at the floor where he'd watched Abigail take her last, gurgling breaths. Eventually, he moves around the counter to the other side. The side he usually occupied when he'd been in this kitchen during happier times. ]
I find that path of 'what if' to be a dead end. [ His voice is soft, as it often is around Hannibal. Perching himself up on one of the bar chairs, Will watches the oddly soothing routine of the older man preparing a culinary treat. ]
Had our actions not overlapped as they had, then either I would have gone with you and Abigail, or you would have left, with Jack none the wiser. [ Jack, none the wiser in regards to just how broken Will had become during their elaborate attempt to entrap Hannibal.
He can't genuinely read minds, despite how it might seem. But his memories are traveling a similar track to Hannibal's own. Hard not to, when this is the first time the pair of them have been back in this kitchen since that night. ]
I was still wrestling with the guilt of Beverly's murder. [ He admits quietly. ] Still believed that if you were caught, then perhaps I might still have a chance at redemption.
Jack knew of the guilt. He leveraged it, made everything we did seem so very ... just. My guilt kept me blind to what was happening up until that moment I called you.
I kept believing I could straddle the doorway. Inhabit your world, your dreams, and still step back to who I was before we met. It was hubris. My staying in the field was hubris. I look back and recognize that my fall from grace was inevitable. It had nothing to do with you, or even with Jack.
cw: Hannibal and Will discussing canon topics, which can be horrible and triggering
I find that path of 'what if' to be a dead end. [ His voice is soft, as it often is around Hannibal. Perching himself up on one of the bar chairs, Will watches the oddly soothing routine of the older man preparing a culinary treat. ]
Had our actions not overlapped as they had, then either I would have gone with you and Abigail, or you would have left, with Jack none the wiser. [ Jack, none the wiser in regards to just how broken Will had become during their elaborate attempt to entrap Hannibal.
He can't genuinely read minds, despite how it might seem. But his memories are traveling a similar track to Hannibal's own. Hard not to, when this is the first time the pair of them have been back in this kitchen since that night. ]
I was still wrestling with the guilt of Beverly's murder. [ He admits quietly. ] Still believed that if you were caught, then perhaps I might still have a chance at redemption.
Jack knew of the guilt. He leveraged it, made everything we did seem so very ... just. My guilt kept me blind to what was happening up until that moment I called you.
I kept believing I could straddle the doorway. Inhabit your world, your dreams, and still step back to who I was before we met. It was hubris. My staying in the field was hubris. I look back and recognize that my fall from grace was inevitable. It had nothing to do with you, or even with Jack.