Part IV - Sensibility
Thick layers of sleep gradually peeled away leaving Sadie more and more aware of her surroundings. First, there was the sound of piano music she didn't recognize but found beautiful and soothing. Then she felt the warmth and softness of the blankets covering her and the pillow under her head. Sadie yawned widely and heard her stomach growl, she was very hungry and thirsty too!
The music abruptly stopped and she felt a warm breath stir the hair at her temples. She still didn't feel like opening her eyes. Sadie felt like she was floating on the sea with waves lapping, licking and sniffing... Licking and sniffing?
Sadie's eyes opened and she saw a furry face with dark brown eyes staring at her. The licking and sniffing were from a dog not her father! The dog was medium in size with white fur and big black spots - probably a mutt. A cute mutt but where did the dog come from?
"The dog followed me to my car after I fed him a few tidbits." Was that a pause Sadie heard before her father said "tidbits?"
Slowly, the fog lifted from her mind and her thoughts became clearer. For a moment there, she had wondered if her father was sniffing and licking her like she was a creamsicle. Then she remembered, "You put something in my drink!" Distress and fear were apparent in her voice.
"Yes I did," Lecter agreed in a calm voice.
"Why?" Sadie asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
"I needed to be out for a while and considering your state of mind these last few days, I thought it best that you sleep while I was away," answered her father looking at her very intently like he was gauging her every response, her every reaction. She never felt anyone's awareness so keenly before.
"I need to have the dog brought outside. I do not want any distractions with what must take place next." Hannibal told the dog to come and it obediently followed him to the sliding doors that he opened to let the dog outside. "We will not be keeping her but I'll make sure she has a good home before we leave."
"Then why did you bring her here?" Sadie felt that was a more comfortable question to ask and Lecter didn't respond to it immediately.
"I knew you would be more comfortable having the dog present when you woke up and since the animal helped me dispose of a couple of items, I decided to help it as well," Lecter didn't say the items were Chilton's tongue and some of his skin. He was aware of the fear and doubts his daughter already had which is why this talk was absolutely necessary.
"You drugged me!" Sadie cried and red-violet appeared in her agitated eyes.
"There was something else that was needed to be done and I didn't want you to be aware of it until I found out the results."
"Why?" Sadie asked clutching at the edges of the blanket.
"So you could have a choice if the results were not what I expected," Lecter looked at her very seriously, "But since the results were as I expected, that is not negotiable."
"Results to what?" Confusion was evident in her voice.
"While you were sleeping, I took a sample of your blood and one of my own. I personally compared our DNA and genetic makeup and it was a match. There is no doubt that you are my daughter," he answered.
"I thought you were already sure so why did you do it anyway?" Sadie wondered if he had second thoughts about her.
"There will be sacrifices needed if we are going to remain together. Miss Jenkins caused a bit of trouble linking us together and we have a distinctive characteristic that needs to be taken care of. Notice I said "we," Michelle."
"Our extra fingers!" Sadie curled her hand into a fist, unconsciously protecting her finger.
"Yes," Lecter said simply with no embellishments. "I didn't want you to have the slightest doubt that you are my daughter especially in light of what needs to be done."
"I did believe! Why do you think I wrote to you, learned all I could about you saving the smallest piece of information and did things to identify with you and have people think we were related? I even looked for you and came to you after your escape."
"You also thought there was another possibility other than myself that could have been your father. You had a dream, a desire and while you were thinking of me as your father, a part of it was a fun game, a fantasy that when faced with reality created doubts." Hannibal looked at his daughter with compassion and understanding but there was a resolute, firmness in his voice.
"It was only for a little while. Peter Daniels had the same kind of polydectomy as we did so I looked into it but it was quickly proven to be very unlikely. He was involved in a paternity suit with someone other than his wife and he travels to Chicago on business so there were some possibilities!" Sadie protested, "He was just caught that one time but there could have been others."
"Are you telling me that you entertained no doubts, no second thoughts, no need for proof that I was indeed your father? Consider carefully before giving your answer." Lecter asked almost sternly.
Sadie remembered how she had questioned their relationship and entertained doubts while she was imagining Lecter having "plans" for her. She even went as far in thinking that there was a possibility that since there had been no paternity test that she may not even really be his daughter and her eyes filled with tears.
"I thought so which is why I took the opportunity and liberty of putting to rest any questions or doubts on the matter. There is also the matter of your fears that I'll harm you in any way."
Sadie looked up at that. It almost seemed like he could read her mind and knew exactly what she had been going through the last few days! No wonder he made such a brilliant psychiatrist if this was a sample of his ability to probe and see things.
"I sensed things and didn't know what to think," Sadie looked away from those probing maroon eyes. "And you aren't just my father but a few other things as well."
"Yes. Cannibal, serial killer, psychopath, sociopath, monster... Would you like for me to continue?" Lecter asked politely.
"Why are you doing this?" cried Sadie, the tears flowing in earnest now down her cheeks.
"Because I do not want you to fear me or think I will harm you in any way!" Hannibal responded as he moved closer sitting on the couch where Sadie was laying. "And I feel these things should be brought out in the open not festering or planting themselves in your very fertile imagination."
"Something was going on! You were anticipating something that was not pleasant!" Sadie began to breathe harder under the emotional strain she was feeling.
"And you immediately assumed it was directed at you." It came out as a statement.
"I didn't know what to think!" Sadie said miserably. She felt her left hand being taken gently by her father's and stared down at their hands. His was much larger but they both had a duplicate middle finger.
"Look at me, Michelle," the doctor's voice was soft but insistent. Sadie lifted her head and tear-drenched eyes that looked like bruises stared into Lecter's calm maroon orbs. A faint glow of red shined in their depths. "Even if you were not related to me by blood, I would not harm you! Do you think I randomly pick my victims?"
"I don't know," Sadie said in a small voice, the hand held in Lecter's moved slightly in agitation.
"There is purpose, thought, reason, intent and motive to what I do and those will only exist in the future if either of us are threatened in any way. Our freedom, remaining together and safety are of utmost importance and I will insure that we have them by whatever means necessary. You, however, will never be a target!"
"What about the bath things you gave me?" Sadie accused.
Hannibal was momentarily speechless, a rare occurrence for him. Sadie could see and feel the confusion and surprise in her father and some of the tension left her body.
"Those were gifts that I believed would suit you."
"For what? They make me smell like a creamsicle!" Sadie blurted out then tried to hide under the covers. Hannibal very easily pulled her out from under the comforter and pulled her against him. He anchored her to him with his arm and a hand went under her chin so she was forced to look into his eyes which now had red in them sparkling with amusement.
"Vanilla and orange... creamsicles," he said thoughtfully. "This is what had you draw such erroneous conclusions?" Then he threw his head back and laughed.
"Everything smelled like food!" Red-violet sparkled in Sadie's purple eyes as she began to see the humor in the situation.
Still chuckling, Hannibal leaned down and kissed her cheek tenderly, "And I suppose the bath oils and lotions were tenderizers?"
Sadie nodded, blushing, as new gales of laughter came from Lecter. "Is there anything else you would like to share with me? Do tell!"
"You sniffed me!"
"I do have a keen sense of smell and like to savor and take things in through my senses," he began.
"Savor?"
Lecter laughed, "So your imagination started to take over coming up with scenarios with you as the main course in them."
"Actually the dessert."
Amusement gleamed in Hannibal's eyes, "Ah, yes... the creamsicles." Then he grew serious as he looked at Sadie. "You are very sensitive and are able to pick up on underlying emotions, moods and thoughts. In a way, you are like a barometer but you weren't reading or interpreting those impressions accurately. Fear, insecurity and doubt clouded your perception. I want you to be open and honest with me not fearing reprisal because I do love and care for you very deeply. I would rather harm myself than you so I hope this clears things up for you."
"You admitted that I was picking up on something. What was going on?"
"Retribution to the one who abused his power and caused many problems because of his own petty self-interests." Lecter answered.
"Dr. Chilton." Sadie remembered the few things mentioned about him. The first time Dr. Chilton was brought up was when they had first met at the hotel room her father was staying in after his escape from Memphis. He had told her that Dr. Chilton was the reason why she didn't get an answer to the letters she had sent when she was five. "Is he dead?"
"No, but I'm sure he would like to be."
Sadie could tell by the resolute tone in her father's voice that it would be a waste of time to ask anything more about the subject. Not that she wanted to know the details. She didn't even want to think about it - too much trouble was caused by that activity already!
"So you were Nemesis to his nemesis?"
"Very good. Now would you care for something to eat, my little Creamsicle?" teased Hannibal.
"I'm game... ah, cancel that! Yes, I'm really hungry!" Sadie's stomach rumbled in agreement.
Lecter chuckled, "I can see that we are going to have a lot of fun together, you and I."
The End
Author's note:
"The third (and final?) story of this series is called Poetic Justice and it is already complete so you won't have a long wait this time. I actually completed it before this story because I wrote it down while it was fresh," said FantaC to the readers.
"Fresh... how nice. I know there is something else you want to tell the readers," a man spoke in a metallic voice. Red shown in the maroon eyes now fixed on the person who read this story. "So you want more... hmmm? I do like to have my pound of flesh, for feed..."
"Back! For you to give some feedback!" FantaC said hastily then whispered urgently, "Please! I don't want you to scare them off!" She looked at the man who smiled, showing neat, white teeth. He did look a bit hungry.
"You do want reviews, my dear," the man said, then (looking at the reader again) added, "You really want to do so, don't you." It came out more like a statement.
The reader immediately clicked on "submit a review" and began typing...
(One could only hope! LOL!! My imagination got the better of me there but it would be nice to hear from you about this and the other things I write. Ta, FantaC)