Its been a while but a disclaimer, these characters are not mine. They belong to Thomas Harris.

Though enjoy the chapter.


Hannibal booked all of their tickets later that day under the names of Dr. and Mrs. Closter. They had decided that they would not travel to Japan first, but instead travel to Australia and then make their way up Asia.

Clarice had left the room as he went through the arduous task of booking the tickets online. When he finished, Hannibal listened to any movements within the house, trying to determine where Clarice was.

Hearing a slight creak of the floorboards and a rustle of material, he determined her to be in the room with the piano, where they spent most of their time together.

Hannibal went to the kitchen before making his way to the music room to make coffee. As he waited for the coffee beans to grind, he thought about going to Japan and seeing his aunt for the first time in many years.

They had not parted on the best of terms, as he had killed Grutas right in front of her. She had offered her body to make him stop, so that he would kill no more, but he did not take her.

While he thought he loved had loved her all those years ago, he knew that it was never real. He could not compare it to the love that he now had for Clarice.

As he poured the coffee into the cups from the plunger, he smelt the sweet smell of Clarice coming down the hallway.

He smiled as her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Are we all set then, Han?"

"It is all taken care of my love. We leave for Australia in less than a week. It seems that they'll be there when they are going into autumn*, so we shall miss the summer heat."

"Ok then, that sounds good."

Hannibal turned around and held out one of the cups of coffee to Clarice, which she took with a noise of appreciation.

Holding his cup in one hand, his other kneaded the flesh from the small of Clarice's back through her shirt. Clarice went up on her tiptoes to kiss him quickly on the lips before she took a sip of her coffee.

Turning her back to him, Clarice walked out of the kitchen and made her way to the music room, expecting Hannibal to follow.

"Have you had anything to eat yet my love?" Hannibal called out from behind her.

"No I haven't thought about it. Have you?"

"No. I will prepare us some lunch then. I can bring it to you in the music room."

As he heard her footsteps fading away from the kitchen, Hannibal began to assemble some sandwiches for the two of them.

Taking a knife out to cut the bread, Hannibal returned to his previous train of thought about his aunt. He had no idea about how she would react to him, let alone his marriage.

As he put two eggs into boiling water, he wondered where she was now. He had assumed that she would still be in Hiroshima, she didn't really have anywhere else to go.

He spent the four and a half minutes that the eggs need to boil by spreading mayonnaise on to the bread and then placing some lettuce on top of that. He had noticed that while Clarice enjoyed his elaborate cooking, she still enjoyed simple food much more.

He wondered how she would find the palate of Japanese cuisine, as it was very different to that of the south.

Once the eggs were out and peeled, he mashed them with some seasoning before putting it into the sandwiches. He grabbed the two plates and made his way to the music room.

Clarice turned from looking out of the window to the door as Hannibal walked in with their lunch.

She accepted the offered sandwich with a smile. "Thank you, Han. Looks good."

Hannibal snorted at her as he sat down in the chair opposite with his own lunch.

The two of them sat in silence as they ate, both staring out of the window.

"What are you thinking about, Han?" Clarice asked once she had finished.

"I am wondering if my aunt is still living in her home city of Hiroshima. What is to say that she has moved since she left France, or even that she has died. What happens if we arrive to find that there is no one there for us to see?"

Clarice was quiet for a few moments, thinking about the problem that they faced.

"Did you search for her? She may be on the internet or that she is registered. And if she is dead, we would at least be able to find a death certificate. "

Hannibal nodded at this, thinking through the process.

Finding his silence far too long, Clarice rose from her own chair, setting her plate on the coffee table, and went to sit on Hannibal's lap.

He welcomed her into his arms, rubbing his face into the side of her neck. And there they sat in silence, content with one another's contact.

As the sun began to fall lower and lower over the horizon, Hannibal rubbed his hands up Clarice's back.

"I think it is time that we moved my love. It shall be getting dark in here soon. Do you wish for dinner?"

Clarice rose to her feet before turning back to face Hannibal.

"I think I will be fine for food my love. Though there is something else which I do wish for…"

Hannibal stood from his chair, so that he was standing right in front of Clarice.

"Oh really, my love? And what would that be exactly?" His hands traced the curve of her hips.

"Have a guess." She smiled as her arms wrapped themselves around the back of his neck.

Hannibal leant down and kissed Clarice, one of his hands gently stroking the side of her face.

"Hannibal?"

Hannibal pulled back slightly so that he could look into Clarice's eyes.

"Yes my love. Is something wrong?"

Her hand this time stroked his face, a tender look on her face.

"I love you Hannibal Lecter."

A small smile broke across his face.

"And I love you, Clarice Starling."

And with that Hannibal swept Clarice into his arms and made his way to their bedroom.


Hope you've enjoyed it so far. Please do tell me what you think. Thank you.

B.L