Slightly shorter chapter, but I hope this shows more of the character I've given Hannibal. ~x

Stag shipments was Hannibal Lecters' greatest achievement. It had taken him years to build his book of contacts, employees and the size of his company. Though it was all a front, the company, he claimed shipped cars to foreign countries, actually shipped whatever his contacts requested. Of course he would only agree if he knew he could get his hands on whatever it was that they wanted. And once a month he held a private market in one of the warehouses he owned. It was surprising however, the influx of clients that had been asking for live human beings. He didn't ask why, and he didn't want to know. Business was business to him, he didn't care as long as he was paid. Human trafficking had been something he did once or twice in the past, but not to the extent he had been as of late. Abigail had been his last, she had been the next best thing after Willow, though of course he wasn't going to sell her off anytime soon, not now he had developed an interest in the young woman. He liked to keep something for himself once in a while, hence why he had sent Abigail instead of Willow.

He lit a cigarette, lounging back in the plush chair he was seated in, behind a broad and thick desk. "This will be the last job of this kind for a while. I'd rather FBI didn't catch on." He said, staring at the man opposite, across the desk from himself. "You struck me as the perfect man for the job, Tobias." Hannibal didn't trust the man at all, but he always enjoyed the outcome of his work. He lent forward to hand Tobias a list of requirements. "I'll leave everything to you, though you only have three days to complete the task, our client is picking it up personally." He smirked at the serious looking man and stubbed out his half smoked cigarette. "I look forward to another piece of spectacular art from you."

Her eyes opened slowly, light was streaming in through a tall window and the smell of bacon circulated the room. She rolled onto her side and sat up, wincing a little as her back cracked; she had forgotten how uncomfortable this sofa was. "Morning sleepyhead, breakfast is almost ready." Willow grimaced and rubbed her face. "Don't worry about me, I'm not hungry…" She got to her feet and walked toward the bathroom. "Don't you dare give me that, you're going to eat what I put in front of you, don't make me force feed you." Willow sighed and went into the bathroom. She knew Beverly meant well, and she had imposed on the woman, again; like so many times before.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her face looked terrible and her eyes were slightly puffed from crying half the night. She made a disgusted face at herself and leant over the sink to wash her face with cold water. After drying her face with a towel, she borrowed Beverly's hairbrush and tackled her knotted locks, tying it up into her usual messy bun when she was done. Coming out, she made a face at the plate of food that had been set on the table for her. "Why do you always make me eat so much…" Beverly gave her a look and set a plate down for herself. "Because you need to eat more. I told you before that eating was important to maintain your energy. Plus you're too skinny." The woman jabbed at Willows' side as she walked past her to sit down. She snorted and picked up the cup of coffee that had been placed next to her plate.

"Thank you for picking me up last night, Winston is still being repaired, I don't know how much it will cost this time." Bev scoffed at that comment. "I'm surprised that car is still in one piece, it's a rust bucket. And you know you're always welcome here, you used to come all the time back when you had a rough time getting used to your gift." Willow smiled, picking at the food in front of her. When she had first looked for information about what was happening to her, Beverly was the only person willing to help. She herself and witnesses her parents die, at a very young age and could do what Willow could, and more. "You were mumbling a lot in your sleep, dream of anything good?" Willow frowned. It had been an odd dream of an ocean that wasn't blue and a mermaid with golden hair. "Mermaids…" She said, biting a bit of toast and chewing on it. Beverly started to laugh.

Willow smiled a little and continued to eat her toast, casually pulling her phone from her jeans pocket and turning it back on. She knew Jack probably hadn't messaged her since she used to do this all the time, but it was worth checking. She placed her toast down, ignoring whatever it was that Bev was talking about; she had a text message from Hannibal. She couldn't help but feel herself smile even though she was grieved at the moment.

"I enjoyed last night very much, you truly are a bright and beautiful woman. I'm going to have some time spared up after this week, so would you give me the pleasure of taking you to dinner?"

Willow chewed on her thumbnail, she had no idea how to reply. A small noise of protest escaped her lips when Beverly suddenly snatched the phone from her hand. "And you never told me about this, WHY?" The older woman battered Willows' hands away when she made for the phone. "Wow, this guy could charm the spots off a leopard." Willow couldn't help but laugh at that comment, gratefully taking her phone back when it was passed to her. "Last night was the first time we had been out together, I suppose you could call it our first date. And yes, he's too charismatic for his own good, It made me a little uncomfortable at first." Willow placed her phone onto the table, she made a note in her head to reply after breakfast. "Thinking of seeing him again?" Bev asked, taking a sip of coffee. Willow smiled a little and nodded "I actually quite like him, he's different to other people I've dated. And I can genuinely see this becoming something more." Beverly hummed a little "well, It's nice to see he makes you happy. Just don't go telling him you can see dead people until at least the fourth date 'kay?" Beverly looked at her, an amused look on her face as she stuffed a bit of bacon in her mouth.

"I also enjoyed our time together, dinner and seeing you again would be a lovely distraction."

Hannibal raised a brow and read over the text a few times more, before answering. "Is something bothering you, Willow?" He set his phone onto his desk, and sat back in his chair; lighting up a cigarette. It was at least thirty minutes before Willow messaged him back. "Jack told me that, Abigail, my waitress friend from Vergers', had gone missing when I got home...He thinks it's linked to the other disappearances. I ended up staying with a friend last night, I just couldn't be around him and his work." Hannibal frowned a little, Willow had never mentioned what her guardian did for a living, but he could only guess now. "Would you like to join me for lunch? I can come and pick you up."

Willow had gone home to shower and change clothes before she went out again, her eyes still felt a little swollen, but there wasn't much she could do about that now. Walking into the small Café she was meeting Hannibal in, she looked around, clocking him in the far corner. She had turned down his offer of a lift. Seeing him in the smart three piece and most probably, very expensive suit, she felt like she should have made more of an effort. She had only pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, a red checked shirt, an oversized cardigan and to top it off, she had superman converse on. God she felt stupid, but at least she smelt better. She relaxed a little however, as he smiled at her and stood "this is the first time I've seen you wearing glasses." He commented, pulling out a chair for her to sit. "I usually only wear them at home… But my eyes are kind of sore today…" She mumbled the last bit, nervously rubbing the palms of her hands against her thighs.

"They suit you, though it is harder to see your beautiful, Larimar eyes behind them." Willow could feel herself blushing and looked down. "You really could charm the spots of a leopard" she said quietly, squirming a little in her seat as she felt his gaze burn holes into her. "Hello, are you ready to order?" A waitress came over, smiling at them both. Willow hadn't even looked at the menu, though she didn't want anything heavy after the breakfast she had been forced to eat. Hannibal could read her face as she scrunched her nose up at the menu "could you tell us what soups you have today?" He asked, giving the waitress a small smile. "Carrot and coriander, tomato and basil and sweet potato and butternut squash." She listed of the top her head.

"Could I have a darjeeling tea and the butternut soup please…" Willow said, she could feel her cheeks hot from embarrassment, she felt easy to read. "Make that twice." Hannibal said, looking away from the waitress and back to Willow. She wiggled again, looking down at the table. It was harder to speak when she didn't have wine in her system. "How are you feeling? I was concerned when you texted me earlier." Hannibal said, breaking their silence. The brunette looked up at him, she had completely forgotten about her troubles. "I'm fine, it was just shock. It wasn't something I was expecting to be told after such a wonderful night…" She shrugged and frowned a little. "And your guardian told you? He's in the police?" Hannibal asked in a calm, casual sort of way.

"Oh, did I never tell you?" She said, trying to think back to whether she had or not. "He's the agent in charge of the unit investigating the case." She made a face and leant her head into her hand. "Hence why I needed to get out of the house last night, it's the topic ruling the household at the moment." Hannibal placed a hand onto the hand on her thigh. "I understand, it must be hard being in that kind of environment." She smiled at him a little, his hand was warm against hers and his thumb made the hairs on her arm stand on end, as he stroked circles against her skin. "Well, my father was also FBI… I guess you could say, I'm used to it." They stared at each other for a moment as their eyes met. The waitress arrived with their tea, disturbing the moment. Willow blushed and looked down again, feeling the others hand slide from hers.

"I wondered if this meeting was a little too soon after the first. Do you think it is?" She asked, breaking the short silence that had fallen between them. She had felt like it was moving a little too fast, but at the same time, it made her happy. "No, we are simply meeting over lunch. It gives us a chance to know more about each other. I would still like to take you to dinner, or if you would let me, I'd like to cook for you myself." He smiled at her and took a sip from his cup. "I think you've just planned our next two dates." She laughed a little.

Hannibal hummed to himself and smiled as he drove to one of his businesses from Willows' home, he had dropped her off. It had been a wonderful surprise finding out the girl lived with an FBI agent, and not just any agent, the one in charge of the case. He found it all too funny. It felt like a gift wrapped in a pretty bow, that was being laid out and presented to him. She was a very pretty and smart young woman, and stuffed full of information. He didn't think this could get much better, she was the first woman he'd found this interesting, in a long time. Parking in a small car park behind a large building, he got out and locked his car; making sure to straighten out his suit. Walking to the back door he opened it and walked in, he looked around for a moment, observing some of the staff that were preparing the large club for the evening before heading up the steps to his destination. He didn't knock before entering the small office, causing a short, plump man to jump.

"Oh! Mr. Lecter, I didn't know you were coming today!" He hurriedly said, jumping to his feet and attempting to scoop his mess of papers into one pile. Hannibal tightened his lips into a line of disgust at the sight of the pig eyed little man. "I sent you an email, Franklin." He said. His voice had a hint of coldness to it. He hated this man, he'd been tempted to kill him several times, but he was an easy man to manipulate. Just another puppet added to his collection. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me! Would you like some coffee? Maybe tea? Please, sit in my seat, it's comfier than that one." Franklin was skittish, he was always skittish when Hannibal was around. "I only came by to collect the usual paperwork and money." He really didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary. "Are you sure you don't want something to drink? I can even open one of the expensive bottles for you, if that's more to your liking!" Hannibal sighed a little and took a few steps forward. Grabbing a fistful of the other mans jacket, he pushed him back roughly, down into the desk chair. "Now, Franklin. I am a very busy man, so I would like what I came for. Waste my time, and I'll waste you."

He released the man when he started nodding frantically, composing himself and straightening his suit again. "Good boy." He mocked the man, he hated being rude, but sometimes it was needed. He had no room for uselessness in his business.

Willow awoke with a start, gasping for breath as she tried to recover from the nightmare she had just experienced. The ocean she dreamt of the previous night had dragged her under, while smiling faces had watched her drown and bang against the invisible wall that separated them. "You look like shit." A voice from the dark made her flinch, turning on her lamp she squinted at the man that sat in her desk chair. "Frederick, why the hell are you in my room?" She mumbled out, running her hands over her damp face; she had sweated profusely. "You're quite entertaining to watch when you dream. And I'd rather watch you sleep, than that snoring ogre next door." Willow made a disgusted face at him and shook her head. "Great, I have a perverted ghost stalking me. I'm glad I don't sleep naked." She threw the covers off and got out of bed, it was only four in the morning, but she needed to shower. She felt like she had rolled in honey, but didn't smell as sweet.

After standing under the shower spray for what felt like hours, she dried herself and threw on some fresh clothes, roughly towel drying her hair and pinning it up. She couldn't be bothered to blow dry it. Jack still hadn't stirred by the time she was out, she figured the case was draining the energy from him. Going downstairs she trayed some bacon, putting it under the grill and cracked some eggs into a bowl, whisking them with a fork. "You make too much mess, you could never be a housewife." Frederick said, appearing suddenly at the breakfast counter. "Who said I want to be a housewife? And only the best cooks make a mess, you know." She took a pan from a cupboard, adding a little butter to it and whisked some milk into the eggs before she poured them into the pan. She used a spatula to move the liquid around while it cooked. "I highly doubt that. I am an exceptional cook myself." He looked smug as he said this, Willow just raised an eyebrow "you mean you were…" She commented. Wiping the smug look off of his face. "Well, you don't have to be so cheeky. I'm well aware I can never cook again."

She smiled a little, turning on the radio to tune out the grumpy ghost. She heard him make a sound of disapproval behind her. She sang along to the radio, dancing a little as she moved around the kitchen, leaving the eggs to cook a little on a low heat. "Tone deaf." She ignored the comment, and continued to sing as she stuck some toast into the toaster and took two plates from a cupboard, adding scrambled eggs to each one and dumping the pan into the sink. "Someone seems happy this morning." She turned her head as Jack walked into the kitchen, he still looked half asleep and was dressed in a black dressing gown. She didn't say anything to that, just smiled a little and removed the bacon from the oven, adding two slices to each plate. Turning to place the plates onto the breakfast counter, she laughed. "Jack… You're inside Frederick." Seeing the unhappy look on the ghosts face with his arms crossed, and then Jack jumping back in disgust, made her laugh to the point of tears.

She had to admit, she felt too happy, considering her friend had gone missing and her nightmares were worse than ever. She blamed Hannibal Lecter, though they'd only seen each other three times, he had made her the happiest she'd been in a while. "Will you be home late again, tonight?" Willow asked Jack, buttering some toast and putting it onto a plate in front of him. "Most definitely." He sighed and ate the food in front of him. Willow pulled herself up and sat on the kitchen counter, she didn't feel like turfing Frederick off of the other stool, she didn't want to put up with his whining for the rest of the day. "Are you going to talk to Verger? About Abigail I mean." She asked, her chest felt a little tight. They hadn't spoken about it since she had come back from Beverlys', and she was glad for it.

Jack eyed her for a moment, before speaking. "Two of my agents have already done so. He claims to have no responsibility for his employees once they leave his shop. I'm glad you left that place when you did, the sonovabitch doesn't care about anyone but himself." Willow frowned, it pissed her off to think that he didn't care, she could imagine him being more worried about hiring a new waitress."So am I…" She said. She had felt so much better since leaving, and she wouldn't have met Hannibal if it wasn't for that. He truly was a blessing in her chaotic life.

"I never expected you to get this done so quickly." Hannibal sounded impressed, his lips curved into a smile and his eyes wide as he looked up at the piece of art in front of him. "It is beautiful, beyond doubt. I feel as if I'm looking at Tethys herself." He reached out a hand, placing it against the glass tank, eyes stared back at him. The young woman was stunning, her long blonde hair ghosted around her like seaweed, Tobias had added glass eyes of the colour blue, to make them look alive. Dressed in a flowing white gown that had turned see-through, you could see the curve of her body as it clung to her frame, one of her breasts subtly on view. She looked almost like a mermaid, a sea goddess in a tank of chemicals. The more he stared into those eyes, the more vivid his picture of Willow in place of this woman became. "I'm glad I'm not the one to organise the transportation, it would be troublesome." He looked at Tobias, still smiling, earning a small smirk in return.

Pulling his phone from his pocket he dialed a number. "Please inform the client his order is ready. Double the original price, and if he complains, kill him." Hannibal listened to the reply from his employee before hanging up. "Tobias, increase security around the warehouse until this has been removed. I'm going to be taking a few days off. If the client in question doesn't take this, we shall need to discuss what will become of her." Tobias nodded in understanding. Hannibal turned and left, frowning at the gloom of the sky as he stepped outside. It looked like rain. Getting into his Bentley he sat for a moment. He couldn't shake the image of Willow being in that tank, instead of the blonde, out of his head. It excited him more than it should have. Taking the phone back from his pocket, he texted her. He would spend the next few days alluring her, he wanted her to be captivated, and have her depend on him and only him.

He enjoyed beautiful things, he liked to collect them. Willow Graham was no exception. He laughed a little, running a hand over his face. 'What are you thinking Hannibal? You've never wanted this with any other woman.' He thought to himself, and it was true. Women had always been toys to pass the time for him, but he felt like this girl was different. 'I'll decide whether she's worth keeping after I've gotten her into bed.' He said to himself, in his head. Deciding that would be his goal by the end of the week. After all, he was a man, and men became animals when something exceptionally delicious was placed in front of them. He licked at his lips a little and started the car, he was looking forward to some time off, to wine and dine. It was one of his favourite past times.