Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Clarice, I suggest you wake up now." Hannibal muttered as he leaned against the opposite wall, staring at Clarice as she slept.
"Now, why now?" Clarice said as she tossed and dug deeper into the blankets.
"Clarice you've slept for twelve hours, you fell asleep almost immediately after we got here. There's no reason for you to still be tired."
"I'm not tired. It's just I haven't slept so well for a very...long...time." Clarice sighed as she started falling back to sleep.
"Have it your way then, I guess I'll just have to empty your bath."
"My bath?" Clarice opened one eye.
"You drew me a bath?" Clarice asked, now sitting up.
"Well, I did. But since you're not going to use it..."
"No, I'll use it!" Clarice jumped up from the bed and ran over to the bathroom, which she had yet to see.
"Oh this is beautiful!" Clarice shrieked as she quickly disrobed and stepped into the large bubble bath.
Clarice murmured as she settled into the warm water.
"Enjoying yourself?" Hannibal asked from the door way, one eyebrow arched.
Clarice opened her eyes, she had almost forgotten he was there.
"Yes, thank you."
"Lean your head back and close your eyes." He replied.
Clarice looked up at him as he approached and stood over her. He did not look like he wanted to be questioned so she complied and tilted her head back.
She heard him kneel down behind her. She inadvertently tensed.
"Relax."
She made her shoulders lower, although her muscles were still knotted.
Then Clarice felt his fingers in her hair and she smelled lavender. She realized he was only washing her hair. She heaved a sigh of relief and began to open her eyes.
"Keep your eyes closed, Clarice."
She quickly closed them again, afraid that he'd stop if she disobeyed. Each time his fingers brushed over her scalp delicious sparks ignited up and down her spine. After he was done lathering her hair, he started rinsing it, removing all of the soap suds. Clarice sighed contentedly.
"Clarice?" Hannibal asked leaning into her neck.
"mhmm?" Clarice wasn't capable of forming a real word at the moment.
"Be ready in ten minutes." Hannibal abruptly stood up and started walking back into the main room, a slight smile on his face.
Clarice's eyes popped open only to see Hannibal's retreating back.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Hannibal turned back around,
"I am leaving so you can have a little privacy in order to get ready. After all I did tell you we had a busy day today." he replied with a wink and turned around again.
"But-"
"All good things to those who wait." he admonished as he gently shut the bathroom door on Clarice's frustrated face.
"Damn." Clarice muttered as she shook her head, trying to get rid of the little voice in the back of her head that urged her to just run out of the bathroom and jump the good doctor. She started laughing.
"That doesn't sound like someone getting ready." Hannibal chastised from the other side of the door.
"Why are you listening anyway, I thought I needed some privacy?" Clarice answered back as she finished dressing and tying up her damp hair.
Hannibal only chuckled.
Clarice opened the bathroom door.
"O.k. ready."
"Okey dokey then, off we go." Hannibal walked towards the door and held it open as Clarice followed.
"So where are we going to again?"
Hannibal sighed as he closed the door and walked with Clarice towards the stairs.
"Well if you really have to know, we're going shopping."
"Shopping?"
"Yes, we need supplies for our hiking trip." They got into Crawford's car.
"We're going hiking?"
Hannibal pointedly stared at Clarice.
"You know Clarice, if you're going to question every step of my plan I might just have to resort back to the...oh how did you say it..."The all-knowing fetish thing." He started the car and pulled onto the main road.
"O.k., ok, sorry. It's just, ...we're going hiking? Just for the hell of it?"
"Yes, Clarice though I daresay I do anything "just for the hell of it". There is a reason. You see a former patient of mine owned a winter home. A cottage located in the mountains of the Blackwood forest. The property is now in my possession, under a different name of course. However, the area is very "exclusive" and the only road into and out of the area is monitored. Hence, the hiking. Once we arrive at the cottage we will no longer be dependent upon Crawford's car and money."
"ohhh. O.k., that makes sense."
"Well, I'm glad you approve. There is a reason why I have evaded capture for so long. However, there were a couple of times when you unbelievably close."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. I had to stop ordering my favorite wines because of you."
"Aww, poor thing."
Before Hannibal could offer a bitter remark, they had arrived at their destination.
"Wal-Mart?!" Clarice exclaimed with surprise. Hannibal laughed.
"Yes Wal-Mart. I'm as horrified as you are. But it is necessary, we need many different things, at a low price. Jack didn't have all that much to offer us, you know."
"So what are we buying?" Clarice asked as the entered the building.
"Well we both need hiking shoes and new set of warmer clothes. So we'll start with that."
As Clarice was looking through the winter coats she spotted Hannibal looking through the opposite rack for her size. She started to laugh.
"What?" Hannibal asked.
"It's just so weird to see You standing there doing something Normal."
"Normal, how do you mean?"
"I mean, do you realize, that this is the first time in all of our history that we are not being shot at, chased after, or running for our lives?"
"Well, yes that has crossed my mind a couple of times." Hannibal replied a thoughtful look on his face.
"And I would like to keep it that way, Clarice. So...how about this one?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So what are our other friends Ardelia and Jack up to? Answers will be coming up next chapter! Comments, Criticisms, or anything under the sun are always welcome, thanks for reading!