Hannibal smiles back at Will, his lover. He's not exactly relieved, since he wasn't truly worried, yet he's still pleased that Will seems to have surfaced with his intellect intact. Will's answer to his call is precisely what he was looking for, and the fact that Will seems happy at the memory is interesting. Will had been in the midst of the most intense of Hannibal's manipulations when Hannibal had him say those words to bring himself fully in the present. And yet it is also a part of their history, a part of their friendship, of Hannibal's growing fondness and growing vulnerability. Someone else might think Will crazy for thinking fondly of that time, but they didn't understand Will, Hannibal, or their relationship. Their history even includes mutual murder attempts, and yet even that has drawn them closer.

Hannibal finds himself most pleased by the idea that Will's place is in bed with him, at his side. There are places where Hannibal feels he belongs, but more often than not he is in an exile with no true home. Even his birthplace is tainted so much that he can never return. But now he has a place. A home. He belongs at Will's side, as Will belongs at his. He has never considered himself as belonging to anyone, and in truth would have resisted the idea, finding utility in being completely independent. But, as in so many ways, Will is different.

"Are you feeling well?" he asks, his hand coming to rest on Will's cheek.