author's notes: So, this rather a mash up of canons (ALL OF THEM). I've decided to place it in this section for a test run. Somewhat faithful to movie/book canon save for years. Canon up to 1x08.

warnings: Some dub-coness, suggestions of polyamory, Jack Crawford ruining lives.

Will Graham was driven by fear. Clarice Starling was driven by sorrow.

That was the major consideration Jack Crawford had in picking Agent Starling for the interview. Oh, there were other considerable factors. Her youth and gender were meant to appeal to Lecter to be reminiscent of Abigail Hobbs - a daughter figure. No matter what snide comments the missing Frederick Chilton made, the young woman's attractiveness was never meant to attract Lecter. Lecter had a stronger preference towards men. Or rather, a certain man.

Will Graham, living in the Keys at the time, could attest to that if Graham had been speaking to Crawford. If Will wasn't drowning sorrows after the aftermath of the Dolarhyde case and Jack's second betrayal of trust. Crawford didn't even attempt to contact the former profiler for advice on this, he didn't even talk to Dr. Alana Bloom about it. Both had been far too close for a reliable opinion; both had been entwined with Lecter.

Besides, Starling had a poise and precociousness despite her lack of experience and a fierceness that reminded Crawford of his Bella. Perhaps that had been secondary in his selection. Bella had seen Dr. Lecter, died before he was unmasked, but Bella in her way knew and one of the few people not afraid to call Lecter out. Odd that

Graham had known what Lecter was early enough, but so desperate to find a kindred soul - as much as Dr. Lecter was, or he wouldn't have paid Graham attention at all - Graham ignored it until he couldn't. After that, despite all that he gained with Dr. Lecter, Will brought him in. He was scarred twice for his trouble because of Lecter, both times blindsided by the monster he had loved.

(Oh, who the fuck was he kidding, Will Graham was still in love with the man and Crawford was goddamned sure Lecter had loved Will in the bastard's fucked up way. That was the third reason he picked Starling. An attractive young man would have brought up alarms. An attractive young woman would bring back memories, an attractive young woman would make Lecter reach out to Jack Crawford, if only to mock.)

Starling walked into that hospital knowing she would face a monster, blue eyes intense and bright, simply because Crawford asked her. Despite tales and whispers of the fate of Jack's former proteges, of agents and would be agents. She was never meant to be an offering, Crawford never intended her to be that. He intended to craft another legend in the FBI, he intended to give everything to this woman that he couldn't with Will, that he couldn't with Miriam; he had hoped Starling would become a lioness. But this time he remained completely distant beyond observing what she brought back to him with the soon to be discovered Jame Gumb, including bringing back that pupa she discovered when Katz and Price brought Starling along to helper the floater in West Virginia.

He didn't want Lecter to use him on Starling like Lecter did with Graham. He didn't want Starling to be manipulated. It had been her protection.

Listening to the recordings, later, Jack would realize what drew the young woman to Lecter. Courage. Courage to open up to the beast to save Catherine Martin's life. The courage to lie to the Devil who would devour the soul on whim. It always came down to courage because she wasn't quite like Graham and Lecter. She couldn't use empathy on their level though she was frighteningly close in temperament with Lecter.

She watched, she waited, she acted.

But Crawford also realized, far too late, how desperate Starling was for approval. For all her strength and for all her courage, she sought approval to replace a man long dead and buried. Someone to whisper praises, if only once, for being herself and nothing else. Not for saving lambs or lost little girls, saving was all Clarice Starling's naive hopes and dreams. And Lecter had in his own way. Lecter praised her mind.

Now Crawford knows he should have kept the woman that reminded him so much of Bella under his wing, despite the fear of betraying his dead wife.

The world lost their lioness because he hadn't thought. Like the world lost their bloodhound because he hadn't thought. To save the world he lost their guardians because they were exactly what the monster sought for his companions.

It was always far too late, everything about Will Graham, Clarice Starling, and Hannibal Lecter was far too late for Jack Crawford.

He made a third betrayal towards Graham after Lecter escaped. The phone call wasn't answered, the voice mail wasn't returned, but a call to a local bar in Marathon two days later assured Jack that Will Graham was alive. He tried to forward a message. Tried everything but getting down there personally and telling the man in his face to be careful.

Will Graham disappeared while boating one day, three months to the day of Lecter's escape, and the locals ruled it was suicide despite Crawford knowing that Lecter had motives. But those same locals weren't fond of the FBI after the Dolarhyde situation. Jack couldn't blame them. Molly was well liked from what he gathered, her depature and Will's downward spiral were rued by neighbors and friends.

Starling was watched like a hawk for over a year despite assurance that Lecter would not call on her – "the world was far too interesting with her in it". And nearly two years after that, this seemed ot be the truth. However Crawford refused to allow Starling into the manhunt for Lecter and allowed her to slide into the Criminal Investigative Division- the more traditional crime unit. And all was well.

Until she went MIA during a case connected to Mason Verger's death. That was far more ambiguous, for Verger was another monster the Bureau forgave in favor of capturing another monster. That hurts even more than Graham's disappearance, but Crawford assures himself it wasn't his fault - not with Clarice. It's only after her disappearance that Crawford can call her Clarice in his mind. Beause then it's safe to see her as a woman.

Six months after Clarice's disappearance, he received an envelope and tucked inside was a water-colored postcard of the Bavarian countryside. And for all of Katz, Prices, and Zeller's skills, they hadn't been able track it down. No prints. No postage. Nothing besides sweet smelling elegant paper and fine handwriting.

Jack,

I ought to ask where you find such creatures for me; your track record is impeccable. However, they're quite a bit to handle without breaking them in and I've just not the inclination to spare my time from what you've sent. We were almost friends once, Jack, as much as we could be. Sleep, my darlings are alive and content and I've no desire to destroy them. Perhaps I'll keep them forever, as far as humans tend to see it.

-H

It's not long after that postcard, Jack retired. Wounds raw.