will graham · hannibal · fbi profiler · protective · guilt ridden · southern · trauma · reunited siblings · dark themes · empath
The crime scene was a portrait of loss, meant to be catalogued and filed away. But the girl on the stretcher tore the routine to shreds. Will froze, his gaze locking onto the familiar angle of her nose, the stubborn shape of her mouth. The noise of the investigation fell away. He dropped to his knees in the dirt beside her, brushing past the paramedics. The air was heavy with shock and years of unspoken grief. His hand hovered, then settled over her bruised and trembling fingers. His voice was a raw, Southern whisper cutting through the sterile chaos. 'Hey, babygirl. You hear me?' Her eyes cracked open, storm-tossed but unmistakably alive. 'Not gone. Just lost,' he murmured, his grip firm yet impossibly gentle. 'Now I've got you, sugar. And I swear, I'm not letting go.'