"Have you seen my file for Mrs. DesRochers?" Emily's voice floated from her downstairs office as she dug through a pile on her desk. The file in question was still not there, and she could not remember seeing it anywhere else in the office. Her first day back at work, and she was a disaster. A briefcase sits open in the middle of the mahogany desk, already filled with a dozen other patient files that she had been going over the previous night. A couple of interesting articles sat atop those and she glared at them as she riffled through them, wondering if she had already placed the file into the stack. Once again, it was not there. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, staring at the wall, trying to remember.

"Hannibal have you seen…" She began to call out and cut herself off when she saw him standing in the doorway, wincing at the volume of her tone. "Sorry." she muttered sheepishly, then continuing with her question. "Have you seen my file on Mrs. DesRochers?" Thankfully he handed her the manila folder and she flipped through it and then dropped it into the briefcase. She closed the case and hefted it off the desk, grabbing a paperback book off the desk in her free hand. She shooed her husband out of the doorway and into the hall where she set the briefcase down while she donned a coat.

"Where was it anyway?" she asked as she passed an overcoat to him.

"Upstairs, on the chair in the bedroom. You were reading it in bed last night, Emily." Hannibal informed her, watching as she reached for the case again.

"Oh, right." she paused as she grasped the handle of the briefcase, looking at him. "I think I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached today." she grinned and headed for the kitchen. Barney and Mischa were seated at the table, finishing their breakfast. The toddler hadn't told anyone what she had seen in the basement that evening, but her parents hadn't wanted to take any chances. Barney had been given the role of babysitter, something much more pleasant than watching over a grown woman who had been murdering people. Emily kissed Mischa's head as the child pushed her waffles through the pool of syrup on her plate. She grinned at Barney and headed back to the hallway where her husband was waiting for her.

Emily settled into the passenger seat of the Jag after throwing her briefcase into the back seat. The day was bright with a few clouds and a wind coming in off the ocean. She cracked the window a bit and closed her eyes, feeling the car back down the driveway. The volume on the stereo was low but she could still hear the voice of the news reporter on NPR. Too bad it wasn't the weekend, Emily would have preferred to listen to Car Talk or even A Prairie Home Companion instead of the news. The thought of A Prairie Home Companion brought a wistful smile to her lips, since she would never be allowed to listen to that with Hannibal in the car. He detested the show, and refused to let it on in his presence. There were times when she felt that he needed to get more fun out of life.

Traffic slowed as they neared the Golden Gate, and Emily opened her eyes and rolled the window down fully. She was glad for her coat as the morning was still a little cool but she relished the scent of eucalyptus and salt water that hung in the air. She reached for the radio dial and turned up the volume. Hannibal remained silent as they listened to the traffic reports for the Bay Area. There was an accident just past the tunnel on the Marin side of the bridge and Emily grimaced, glancing at the clock.

"We're going to be late." she murmured, looking at the slow snarl of vehicles that preceded them onto the bridge. Hannibal patted her leg in reassurance.

"We'll be fine, Emily. Relax."

*****

She was poring over patient files once again when the quiet knock came at her office door. She peered over the tops of her reading glasses and smiled, relieved fro the interruption. She reached for the stereo remote that lay on the desk and thumbed down the volume. She had given into the morning's temptation and was listening to her CDs of A Prairie Home Companion in between patients. She took note of the grimace on his face as he stepped fully into the office.

"Hey, it's my office and I can listen to whatever I want." she protested before he could say anything. It was three thirty in the afternoon, and she had one more patient at four fifteen. She continued making notes as he sat down before the desk.

"I never said you couldn't listen to what you want, Emily." he looked towards the speakers as the imitation of a fog horn range softly over them, followed by the audience's laughter. Emily grabbed the remote and thumbed the volume down another couple notches. "My point exactly." Hannibal continued.

Emily looked at him as she took off the glasses, holding them with her thump and forefinger and using them to point at him. "You, sir, need to get more fun out of life."

"I'll take that to heart, my dear."

"So…."

"So?"

"Why are you here? I'm fine Hannibal, have been all day." waving a hand over her desk she grinned. "See? No sharp objects."

He smiled easily, nodding at her display. "So I see. Actually, I'm going to stay late this evening, I have a few things to finish up here. And I have a late scheduled patient. Mr. Jacob Leeds, coming in after he leaves his office, I agreed to see him."

Not even a moment of silence had passed before Emily perked up. "I could take the ferry home, Han. Really, it'll be fine."

Hannibal considered it for a few moments, watching his wife's face. She looked like an eager child, asking for, and desperately wanting permission, to go and do what she wanted. It had been almost a month since she had committed the murder of their gardener. And she had been doing well in their quiet therapy sessions at home. Perhaps it was time to let her have a little of her freedom back.

"That would be fine, Emily."

"Thank you." She smiled broadly at him. "Ill catch a cab once I'm in the city." Nodding, he stood from the chair and returned her smile. Allowing her to take the ferry home, and then a cab. What harm could come of that? Only later would Hannibal realize how mistaken he would be in judging his wife's progress in fighting the shadows and her ambitions.

*****