Dear readers, I do regret delays in ever finishing this story as I was running out of ideas and got distracted. Tbh there is more going on now with buying my first home and planning a wedding but I feel that I've been gone long enough and should finish what I started 2 years ago lol. In two years my writing hasn't improved, I still can't spell and I struggle to stick to first or third person so I apologise and hope you can look past this.
Clarice lay in bed after saying good night to the good Doctor, she could still feel his warm lips on hers and it sent shivers down her spine. 'What the hell am I going to wear next week?' was all she could think to herself.
It had to be impressive and expensive and most of all it had to be tasteful. This week was going to be a long one and with this thought she drifted off to sleep.
Outside her apartment Hannibal waited to see the lights go out, until that moment he was tempted that she was waiting for him to return and if it took her any longer to sleep he would have lost his control.
Hannibal couldn't understand these feeling that he felt, it had been so long since he had felt the need to protect and to love. Oh how he miss Mischa and how much he wished he could have protected her better but then he would never have lived his life of crime and would never have met the beautiful Agent Starling.
He mused on these thought on his lonely walk home, but then he perked up at the thought of what Clarice would find to wear next week.
Clarice woke the next morning to birds singing and wondered if every morning had always felt this good or she had just been blind for so long. She decided that today she was going dress shopping and that she would find something that really showed off how full her figure was now.
Her happy mood didn't last as one day turned into one week looking for a dress. Walking through Paris looking for a dress was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Feeling a bit dejected she was making her way home when she seen the perfect dress in a shop window.
It was the dress she had always dreamed of, it was maroon and reminded her of the Doctors eyes. It was boned to accentuate her bust that she had developed and it was like nothing she had ever seen, it was both tasteful and seductive. One side was only mid thigh but the other had a long ruffle side that went from the waist to the floor.
She didn't know how long she was under the dresses trance with her nose against the glass but it must have been awhile because the shop owner came out.
'She's a real masterpiece isn't she?' the owner said with a look of pride on her face. 'My god it's like it was made in heaven, I can't get over the beauty of it' Clarice still couldn't tear her eyes from the figure. 'Well I'm closing up as I only open half days today but feel free to come back and stare some more tomorrow'. At this Clarice suddenly snapped out of her dream, 'You can't shut I need that dress and you don't understand what it means to me. I have been walking round Paris all week looking for a dress that will win me a man's heart and now I found it and I need to have it.'
'Look I'm sorry but you'll have to come back tomorrow madam, I don't have time to redress my window tonight.' The sympathy was clear in the woman's face, she was old and she knew a lot about love and she knew how hard it was to come by. 'If the man loves you then he won't care what you wear.'
'I CAN'T come back tomorrow, I have a date in less than 7hrs and I need that dress, please!' Clarice looked at the lady with desperation clear on her face, this dress was the one and only dress she would ever want to wear and she needed it.
'I know how hard it can be to find the right item in Paris, I've worked here as a seamstress for 50yrs and I also know that once a dress has called to someone that neither will be happy without one another'. She paused for a moment while she conceded how mad she sounded. 'Come into the shop, the dress is yours'.
Clarice didn't know whether to laugh or cry but she eagerly followed the lady in. 'I'm Rosangela by the way and that dress you are hypnotised by is my latest creation.'
'I can't thank you enough for creating this dress and for staying open for me' Clarice was beaming now, all she wanted was to try the dress on and watch as it hung to her figure.
'I see that you two will be very happy together in the future.' Clarice looked at Rosangela, 'I will take good care of it, I promise.' She wondered if she had shoes that would match. 'I wasn't taking about the dress.' She winked as she started to remove the dress from the window.
The dress was fabulous, it laced up the back like a wedding dress, it pulled in her waist and pushed out her cleavage. The short length one side was overshadowed and forgotten by the impressive ruffles cascading down the other side. Clarice loved it and she even had shoes that matched.
'Whereabouts are you living so I can deliver this dress to you?' Clarice looked you at the woman, 'There is no need to deliver as I only like a few streets from here, I was just on my way home when I seen this'. 'I will deliver it anyway as you will need someone to help lace you in it.' Clarice had totally forgot about this and agreed with Rosangela. She paid her the money, gave her the address and was told that she would be round about 6pm which still gave her plenty of time to bathe beforehand.
The time soon flew by once Clarice was home, she had her bath and had worked a simple wave into her hair and then held it all up in place with some hair sticks. She put minimum make up on, her corset and suspenders on and looked at herself in the mirror. Even without the dress she fell a whole lot more confident about her power but she knew the dress would be the end of Hannibals' Control.
As if by thinking of it the door bell rang and the dress had arrived. Rosangela helped her step into it and then processed to fasten her tighter than before. She felt a bit light headed but the look of her figure made her ignore the protests of her body.
'Thank you so much Rosangela, for all that you have done. I feel like I could take on the world in this dress' Rosangela smiled at Clarice. 'The world is a big place Madam, maybe you should just focus on the one man.' With this she gave Clarice a hug and a smile and was on her way.
Clarice looked at the clock and it was nearly 8pm, time for her to face her nerves head on and claim Hannibal for her own.
Well I realise that this padded out a lot about a dress :P but I wanted to keep the date in a separate chapter and if I'm honest, I'm a bit daunted to write from about Hannibals reaction lol. As you can tell the date may not go as planned :P