It had been a few weeks since Clarice's old college friend Jo had recognized her at a cafe. While Clarice agonized over being found, albeit by accident, Hannibal had newly adopted a more casual view on the whole ordeal. He was growing a beard. Clarice was mildly repulsed by the idea. She had an aversion to facial hair and was not pleased that he was growing his out.

"It will be a disguise," Hannibal argued. "I look quite different with facial hair."

"I know," Clarice grumbled, "but I still hate it. I hate how it looks and I hate how it feels."

"This is just stubble," Hannibal countered, running a palm over his rough cheek, "once I shave it into a style, it will be much better."

"I doubt it," she muttered.

Clarice turned out to be right for her scepticism of the beard. Despite his clever disguise, Hannibal found himself confronted by Jo and her new husband Lou at a grocery store. He had simply stopped in to pick up milk on his way home from a pleasant walk and was met by the small blonde as he stepped into the dairy products aisle.

"Hans!" Jo's warm voice carried down the aisle. Hannibal cursed in his head then waved slightly. He smiled agreeably, calling up the faint accent he had used the first time they had met. "Good afternoon," he said.

"I thought it was you!" Jo exclaimed, "I nearly didn't recognize you with the beard! It looks good."

A torrent of sarcastic remarks about the facial hair from Clarice released themselves in Hannibal's head. He shook them away mentally and extended his hand to shake. "Ha, well you have a good eye. And this is your husband?" His polite tone did not give any indication to any anxious feelings.

Lou Bennet gave him a strong handshake. He was tall and well built, most likely a hockey player. "My name's Lou," he said.

"I'm Hans," Hannibal replied smoothly. "I am an old friend of Clarice Starling's."

"Clarice?" Lou beamed. "Man, I haven't seen her since college! How is she?"

"Doing quite well," Hannibal said amiably, noting to himself that Lou smelled of engine oil and favoured his left leg. A sports injury, perhaps? Lou was unshaved, a day's growth, and his hands were rough and dirty. Maybe a work injury instead. He filed the information away. Hannibal then glanced at Jo. Her pixie haircut was sharp and meticulous. She used an expensive salon hair styling paste which was scented similar to watermelon. She was neatly groomed and quite professional. She worked a desk job, no doubt. Lou must work in construction or as a mechanic. Something with his hands.

Hannibal switched his attention back to the Bennets. Jo was inviting him and Clarice over for dinner. "Thank you for the gracious offer," Hannibal fielded the invitation with diplomatic ease, "I will definitely pass it on to Clarice. We're both quite busy, trying to find employment and settling in and such. We only moved in a little while ago. But I'll tell her to give you a call when our hectic schedule has died down."

"That's totally understandable," Jo chirped. "Tell Clarice to give me a call anytime!"

Hannibal gave her a polite nod and shook their hands again. "Thank you. It was nice seeing you both, but I must get home now." Jo and Lou went on their way. Hannibal grabbed a jug of milk from the cooler and made his way to the express checkout. He pondered to himself the consequences of spending time with Jo and Lou. He didn't know them particularly well, only the little details he picked up on the first meeting. If they would, or even could, connect "Hans Lenter" to his true identity, he did not want to risk anymore meetings. If they were stupid, as most of the world's population is apt to be, then maybe they could chance a cautious friendship with the couple.

The doctor had a feeling that Clarice was lonely and bored. She was still unsuccessful in finding work and had no extracurricular activities to keep her occupied besides working out, which she still did religiously. She spent a lot of time cleaning their tiny apartment and rereading books over and over. It pained Hannibal to see his darling Clarice so dulled. Maybe if the Bennets were as ordinary as everyone else, they could provide a nice distraction to keep Clarice engaged.

Hannibal was perfectly comfortable spending extended periods of time alone. He was used to it, and he had assumed that Clarice would be alright with their solitary existence as well. She was not overly social, but everyone had need for human interaction. The Bennets could possibly be the variation Clarice needed in her life.

At home, Hannibal recounted the events at the store to Clarice. "I told you the beard was useless!" she exclaimed. "Shave it off! It's terrible, H."

"Let it grow out a little longer," he replied, "Besides, Jo liked it."