Hey guys, sorry for the wait. My life has been hectic!
It had only been two days since Willow lunched with Hannibal, and they had already arranged a dinner date for that evening. Willow sat, scrolling through the internet for videos and pictures, looking for hair and makeup tutorials. She gave herself at least six hours to practice. Alana had sent gifts home with Jack, which he had left on the kitchen counter for her. A few dresses, makeup, hair clips and a few other hair accessories. It was everything she needed, and didn't own.
She had originally hoped Alana could help her again, but the case was sucking up any free time she had. The same went for Jack, she hadn't seen him since breakfast the previous morning, and she didn't expect to see him anytime soon.
"Complaints are being filed against the FBI. Families of the missing say they're not doing enough. It came as a shock when fifteen year old Ben Hammond was found, brutally murdered…"
Willow sighed and turned the radio off, she didn't want to hear about that right now. It was bad enough at home, she had noticed Jack's' whisky was diminishing quickly. Stretching her back a bit she continued to follow a tutorial on how to do a braided headband, she was finding it surprisingly easy, though it still looked like a mess on her head, she needed to work on that. This was going to be a long day.
Willow puffed her cheeks and blew out heavily, she had finally finished getting ready. It had only taken her the whole day, she didn't know how women did this everyday. Looking at herself in the mirror, she had managed to neaten the hairstyle. The hair serum that Alana had left from last time, coming in handy for that. The makeup, she had struggled greatly with, at one point she had looked like a clown. She didn't feel like she had mastered it, but she had done the usual winged eye liner, it didn't look too bad. She had even used a little eyeshadow, a small amount of grey framing the eyeliner and a little white in the inner corners of her eyes, apparently it made your eyes 'pop.' She applied a little gloss to her lips and slipped on a pair of black, flat, pumps.
She had opted against the wedged shoes, after she picked a dress. It was a soft blue, pleated, maxi dress with a small black belt around the waist. To her relief it's neckline wasn't low, but her arms were fully exposed. Pulling the dress up and bunching it into one hand, she held it there and walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She didn't want to trip over it and break her neck. Once at the bottom she dropped it, letting it flow again. She was glad Alana had chosen the clothes for her, because she knew she wouldn't have picked this if she had been the one clothes shopping. Feminine clothes weren't something she picked up often, she almost always went straight to the jeans and t-shirts.
Going into the kitchen, she put things into a small black clutch, that had been included in the shopping haul from Alana. Phone, keys, back-up makeup and some money, though she didn't think Hannibal would let her pay for a thing. The bell rang, startling her.
"Speak of the devil, and he shall come," she muttered as she made her way to the front door.
She opened it with a smile, immediately stepping to the side "you're early, as usual." He smiled a little in return, and stepped inside. Hannibal was wearing a light grey plaid, three piece suit, with an off-white shirt and patterned blue tie. "And you are beautiful, as always." He said, not hiding the fact he was eyeing her from head to toe, taking in every detail.
She clasped her hands, feeling a little embarrassed. "You can come through to the kitchen if you like, I'm just going to write Jack a note, incase he comes home." She gave him a quick smile and lead the way down the short hall, and into the kitchen. Willow went over to the fridge and took the lid off the marker pen that hung there, before writing on the whiteboard. 'Out with a friend, leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry.' She added a couple of kisses to the end of the message. Replacing the lid and dropping the pen to let it dangle from its string, she turned, feeling a little hot as she noticed Hannibal's eyes still on her.
From his place in the doorway, he smirked a little at her reaction. "Judging by your note, you haven't told Jack that you're seeing someone?" He asked. Will made a face and picked up her clutch. "Not yet, I haven't really seen him lately. Plus I'm dreading his reaction." She walked over to him, turning the kitchen light off as she went. He answered as they walked back into the entrance hall. "Because of the age difference?" Hannibal asked, helping her into her coat.
"That is a reason, but he's also never liked any of my exes. But I don't blame him, I don't like any of them either." She smiled and set the house alarm, following Hannibal out of the house and locking up. "Well, I hope you do not come to hate me." He said, smiling and holding the door of his Bentley open for her. "As long as you don't do anything to hurt me, you should be fine... But I have something more important on my mind." She stood, looking at the open door with a frown on her face. "How many cars do you have?!"
Her first experience at a high class restaurant had been a little nerve wracking at first, but Hannibal had reserved a table in the corner, hidden from prying eyes. She was grateful he had considered how she might feel when he had called and reserved, she had been able to relax a lot more. Taking the hand that was offered to her when the passenger side door was opened, she got out of the car. Still holding the hand as he shut the door, she smiled at him. "Thank you for another wonderful night." Willow said and leant up, kissing the corner of his mouth softly. Hannibal raised an eyebrow, he hadn't expected her to make the first move. Lifting his free hand he placed it under her chin and tilted her head, kissing her on the lips.
The kiss slowly grew deeper, Willow moving both hands to grip the front of Hannibal's suit, while she felt his hands move across her hips, pulling her in against his body. After a short while, they pulled away for breath, mouths brushing together slightly. Willow looked up into the mans eyes, they looked dark in the evening gloom, piercing through her as they looked back. She smiled a little shyly and pulled back a bit more, keeping her hands on his chest; while his hands stayed on her hips. Hannibal looked pleased with what had just happened, she noticed; it embarrassed her even more. "Well…" She said, unsure as to what to say. Hannibal smiled, stroking a hand up her side softly "It's cold, you should get yourself inside. I will message you in the morning."
She nodded, grateful that he'd broken the silence, before being pulled in for one last kiss. Her legs felt like jelly as she walked to her front door, she could still feel his piercing stares burning into her body as he watched her. Once the door was open, she looked back, seeing him get into his car and sighed. "Willow." She turned her head quickly, Jack was stood, arms crossed, in the living room doorway. 'Shit' She thought to herself as she closed the door, and smiled at him. "I didn't expect you home tonight, have you eaten yet?" She removed her coat and placed the clutch onto a table in the hall. "When exactly were you planning to tell me that you are dating someone?" Jack asked, ignoring her question completely. Willow sighed and rolled her eyes a little, she couldn't be bothered with 'daddy Jack' right now.
"When you weren't so busy all the time, I hardly see you… When did you expect me to tell you?" She said, frowning a little. She kicked off her shoes and placed them on the stairs, ready to take up with her. "We've only been on a few dates so far, It's not like this had been going on for months, or even weeks." Jack nodded, though he still seemed a little mad about something.
"I'm not a child anymore, Jack." She snapped. Jack sighed and calmed himself a little "I'm sorry, Will. I don't want to see you hurt again. And what with these disappearances, it worries me more than usual." Willow felt a lurch of guilt in her stomach, she regretted snapping at the man now. "So…Like this guy?" Jack asked.
Willow smiled at him "yes, I do." Jack raised his eyebrows slightly, that was the first smile that had touched her eyes in a long time. "Well, if you're happy…" He answered and unfolded his arms. "I would like to talk to you about something, sit with me?" Jack motioned his head toward the living room and Willow followed.
"I want you to think seriously about the offer I'm about to give you." He said when they were seated beside each other on the sofa. "I would like your help in the case, I've spoken to the higher ups, and they've given me permission to bring a psychic on board." Willow frowned a little and looked down at her hands. She played with the bracelet around her wrist for a bit before speaking. "There are plenty of people that claim they can see ghosts, why not just pick one of them." She didn't want to do it, she didn't want to join hands with the FBI.
"But no one with your imagination, you see more than most. I've been with you every step of the way, I know that you're no ordinary psychic, medium… Whatever it is that you prefer." She felt a chill run down her spine, and rolled her shoulders. "I don't like either, I just want to live like an ordinary person. I didn't chose to have this, so called ability." Jack looked at her, a serious look on his face.
"Are you reluctant, because of what happened to you and your parents?" He asked slowly, waiting for any kind of sign that he was right. "That was a blunder on our part, we had no idea that Dolarhyde would go after your father." Willow felt the scar across her stomach, sting. A small pained expression crossed her face as she remembered the lorry that Dolarhyde had stolen, smashing into their car. "Nothing good will come out of me helping you." She said quietly, she sounded like she was going to cry. "But I'll think about it, so please give me time."
Jack nodded, and watched as she left the room. It pained him to see that look on her face, when she had been so happy just moments before.
The steady thrum of cars stirred her from her sleep. Frowning she slowly opened her eyes, flinching slightly as the sunlight blinded her. 'Oh no..' She thought to herself as she looked around her surroundings, once her eyes had grown used to the light.
Willow was sitting on a bench, along a busy high street, facing out toward a congested road full of morning traffic. The same high street and road the accident that killed her parents had happened on. Breath hitching in her throat, she made to get up, slightly panicked. She needed to get away from here quick. Wincing and swearing under her breath, she sat back down quickly; putting pressure on her feet was a no go. Wiggling her toes, she scrunched up her nose as she surveyed the cuts and dirt covering her feet. Her unconscious self had obviously thought that shoes were not needed.
Searching the pockets of the hooded sweatshirt she was wearing, she found her phone and house keys. "Well done Willow, you managed to pick up your phone but not your shoes?" Tutting at herself she noticed a woman giving her an odd stare as she walked past. She needed to move before the police were called out on her, for being the crazy person that walks around barefoot and talks to herself.
Sighing she started to scroll through her phonebook, wondering who the best person would be to call. She stopped, a small laugh taking her attention. Frowning she turned her head to the side, a retort ready on the tip of her tongue.
Making a slight sound of surprise, Willow stared at the boy next to her. It was Ben Hammond, the fifteen year old boy that had been found brutally murdered. He returned her look, a small smile on his paled face and blood covering his clothes. They sat like that for a while, her breath slowly evening out. "Was it you...That brought me here?" She asked. The boy neither confirmed nor denied what had been asked, he just continued to smile at Willow.
"You're going to follow me until I say yes, aren't you?" She looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, Ben." She said and returned his gaze again. She would have hugged him, but touching any spirits was a no go, it gave them permission to use her body.
Stuffing her hands into her pockets, Willow looked out at the road in front of her. Her breath misted into the air in front of her face. She replayed the car crash, over and over again in her head. "Give me just today, and I'll accept Jack's offer." She looked to the side again, Ben had gone. Sighing she started to scroll through her phone book again, she only had two potential numbers, two people that she could run to.
She scrolled over Beverly and straight to Hannibal. Maybe just maybe, he could be the breath of fresh air that she needed. Pressing call she stared out at the road, waiting for him to pick up.
"Hey… Could you pick me up, please?"
Willow leant against Hannibal's chest, letting him hold and rub her back in an attempt to warm her. "Silly girl, you should have worn a coat...This isn't the weather to be running around in hooded sweatshirts." Willow just hummed in reply. They hadn't left Hannibal's entry hallway, but she could already tell that his house was large, a lot larger than hers. "Come, let us clean up your feet." He supported and lead her into the kitchen. She looked around and sat in a leather armchair, with the help of Hannibal, that was occupying a corner. The cabinets were a dark wood, topped with marble surfaces, and in the middle sat a stainless steel island. It was much like the ones they had back in Vergers restaurant. The empty wall over the other side, had a large double fridge freezer built into it, double ovens and a microwave.
"You must really be serious, when it comes to cooking. This kitchen is beyond anything I expected." Willow commented, still looking around while Hannibal filled a large ceramic bowl with warm water. "I've dabbled in fine cuisine since I was a boy, my uncles cook taught me a thing or two and then I perfected my talents over the years." The corner of his mouth quirked a little in a smile as he set the bowl at her feet, with a first aid kit. Lowering to his knees, Willow made a slight sound of protest. "It's fine, I can do it myself. I don't want you to ruin your suit!"
Hannibal raised his eyebrow and looked up at her, his mouth still quirked slightly. "I have others. Your well-being is what is important to me right now." He picked up one of her feet, his hands gentle and handling her with care. Checking it over for any imbedded glass or stones, he spoke again, the tone of his voice a little softer as he asked. "Do you sleepwalk often?"
Willow bit at her bottom lip, she didn't know how to answer without sounding strange. "I...No, not often. It's happened a few times before, but that was after my parents passed." She watched him use a sponge to dab at, and clean her foot. "It's something that only happens when you're troubled then. Is something on your mind, Willow?" Hannibal asked, looking up at her and connecting their eyes. She winced a bit, blinking a few times but unable to pull her gaze away. "There's always things on my mind, it's loud and busy inside here." She tapped her head with a finger and smiled softly.
Returning the smile, Hannibal lowered his eyes again and resumed his work on treating her feet. "Would you like to talk about it?" He asked. She thought about it for a moment, it had been the main reason in calling him, right? She had wanted someone different to talk to, she had hoped he would be the supporting column that she needed. "I don't know, maybe…" Scrunching her nose up at her lame reply, she spoke again. "It was partly why I called you...I suppose I've found trust in you…" She mumbled, looking to a random spot in the kitchen, she was slightly embarrassed.
"I'm flattered." He smiled a little and started to clean her other foot. "I will try my best to be of help to you." She bit at her lip a little, feeling something being pulled from her foot. "I don't want to trouble you." She finally said. Looking back down at him. He only frowned a little in reply, concentrating more at his task.
After a short, awkward silence. Hannibal finished cleaning her foot and placed it softly back down. Rising to his feet, he brushed his trousers down and picked up the bowl, tipping its contents down the sink hole. "If you go down the hall, the second door to your left is my study. I have the fire lit, go and warm yourself and I'll bring some tea, disinfectant and bandages for your feet."
"Dangerous to leave a fire burning while you go out, isn't it?" She mumbled, and gingerly got to her feet. "I wouldn't have usually left in such a rush… But a certain person had me worried." He remarked, with a small smirk. "Sit, warm up and I shall be through in a moment." She nodded and walked out of the kitchen, walking a little awkwardly and looked for the right door. Opening it slowly, she stepped in. The room was furnished with dark wood, plush chairs and tall book shelves. A large desk sat at one end, against one of the blue walls.
Willow stayed stood still for a while, unsure where to sit. Looking around, she opted for the floor in front of the fire, instead of sitting on one of the armchairs in front of it. She scooped all of her hair over one shoulder, the heat made her chilled skin feel odd, as it came back to life. "when I said sit, I didn't mean the floor." An amused voice came from behind her. She tilted her head back to look at Hannibal, watching him place two cups of tea on the small table, between the arm chairs and take a seat. Taking the small first aid box from under his arm, he placed it on the other arm chair.
"Sorry, I figured roasting myself would warm me up quicker." She smiled a little and slid herself back, stopping next to his legs, her back against his chair. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of the crackling fire. She liked that Hannibal let her go at her own pace.
"The place you picked me up from… It's where my parents lost their lives, and my new life began." She started to speak, breaking their comfortable silence. "The position that Jack holds, the head of his department...My dad used to do that. He made a lot of enemies in the criminal world, and a particular man they had been hunting for months, got away." She felt Hannibal's hand stroke her hair, it told her she was doing fine and that he was listening. "Finally, after a week of hiding. He exposed himself with a bang. He stole a lorry, killed the driver and ploughed into our car. My mother died instantly, my father and I were severely wounded." She laid her head against his leg, before continuing. "I remember seeing him, standing there and smiling as we struggled to hang on to life. He was caught, but my father died on the way to the hospital."
Silence fell between them. Hannibal continued to stroke her hair, soothing her. "But you survived, and I am glad. For I would not have been able to meet you. Though I know it must be a painful memory for you." She smiled a little. "You know, I actually did die. It was only for a moment, they managed to resuscitate me. How many people do you know, that could say they've actually defied death?" Willow tilted her head back and looked up at him, a small smile on her lips. Hannibal tilted his head to the side a little and returned the smile. "None." It was the truth, when people died around him, they stayed dead. The thought of this girl being killed by someone, however, pissed him off.
"Jack has asked me to help with the case." Hannibal blinked a couple of times, letting the words sink in before raising an eyebrow. "Pray tell, how does he intend to have you help? You have no FBI training as far as I know…?" Willow bit at her thumb nail nervously, as if deciding what to do. Turning round, and moving to sit on her knees, she looked up at him. "It's probably too soon to tell you, and you might not even believe me…You might even kick me out of your house…" Hannibal kept his brow raised, listening to Willow as she rambled.
"Well, err… I see dead people?" She said, and then made a face. "Wait, that sounds like I'm quoting a movie. What I mean to say is, I can speak to the dead…" She started to chew on her nail more. "I should have practiced what to say, none of this is sounding right to me…" Hannibal looked her up and down, an unreadable look on his face. He understood what she was saying, but he had never believed in such things. His grandmother had been a superstitious and spiritual person, always talking about spirits, fortunes and other stuff. But he had never experienced such a phenomenon himself.
"Sorry...You must think I'm off my head now." She mumbled, looking down at the floor. "Don't be so flighty. I'm thinking nothing of the sort." Sitting forward in the chair, he lightly pulled her toward him. "If anything, it makes you extremely interesting, more than I already thought. You truly are a special girl." He smiled, tilting her face up to look at him, and slowly closed in, kissing her. Willow leaned herself up into his kiss, placing her hands on his legs to support herself. The kiss deepened, became more heated as their tongues danced with each other. Letting the urge overcome her, she climbed into his lap and straddled it; barely breaking contact with him. Hannibal clenched her jaw, with his hand, though not enough to hurt her. He pulled her face away for a moment, licking his lips and looking into her eyes. "Someone's enthusiastic."
Willow blushed a little, she felt embarrassed. So embarrassed that she didn't dare move, her body had frozen; It had been so long since she had had this kind of contact. "I'm sorry…" She said. Sucking in a breath, she plucked up the courage to move and made to stand. "No need to apologise, I was not complaining." Hannibal said and moved his hands to her hips, pulling her onto his lap more. He allowed his hands to move up and down her body. Her waist was small, but it enhanced the curves of her hips, thighs and of course her bottom. He smirked a little as he groped these areas. Of course her breasts were another of those all important curves, he guessed she was around a C cup; not too big and not too small.
Biting at her bottom lip, Willow allowed his hands to roam her body. She wouldn't admit it, but she found his hands so god damn sexy. When they had been out on their dates, she had found herself watching his hands, lifting his glass, cutting his food. It always made her feel a little excited. "You resemble a goddess in my mind. A natural air of beauty surrounds you." Willow shook from her thoughts as he spoke to her, panic suddenly taking over as his hand slid up her stomach, pushing her shirt with it.
Grabbing his hand to stop him, she shook her head. "Don't… Please." She said. His movement halted, tilting his head he looked at her. "Am I going too fast?" Hannibal asked, his spare hand softly stroked a thigh, through her jeans. "No." She shook her head again. "Just, not everything is as beautiful and flawless as you think it is. I don't want you to be disgusted when you see the mark I was left with." Hannibal frowned, but didn't remove his hand. "Beauty comes in many shapes and forms, I am not shallow, Willow." Hannibal spoke softly. "I, myself have many 'marks', inside and out. We should not hide our flaws, but accept them." He started to move his hand again, noticing her grip loosen on his hand.
The scar across her stomach was jagged, misshaped and stretched right across her flesh. It was certainly eye catching against her pale skin. Lifting a hand, Hannibal ran his fingertips along the scar. "The mark that death left, when he failed to take you." He mumbled and looked up at her. He didn't find it disgusting at all, his thoughts however, went back to the previous discussion. He would need to do something to appease his anger, maybe it could double up as a gift for this girl that had taken all of his interest.
"I call it a curse." Willow said, breaking him from his thoughts. "I'm left with this mark, and the ability to see the dead. Nightmares haunt me in the night, I see people being killed, I saw that boy…" She pales at the thought, and places a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, it just gets too much for me sometimes. It doesn't help that Jack is trying to drag me into this, he knows I don't want to do this… But he still insists." Hannibal said nothing at first, he was too busy going over what she had said in his head. 'I saw that boy,' what did this mean? He guessed she meant the one his men had killed. "I don't think it's a curse, you were touched by death and you received his gift. My Grandmother used to tell me stories about such things. Though they were of course, over exaggerated and made into fairy tales."
He smiled at her, trying to reassure and calm her. "If you would like, you could stay here for a few days…Think things over and give yourself a break from Jack and his work." Hannibal needed to know more about her, what better way than to keep her close for as long as he could? "I…" She bit her bottom lip and ran her hands over his shoulders. "I'll think about it. Though the offer is greatly tempting." She managed a small, meek smile. Her fingers lightly playing with the back of his hair.
He moved a hand up, running fingers along her neck before gripping the back of it, softly. Still smiling he pulled her in to kiss again, his tongue diving into her wanting mouth, his hand keeping her where he wanted her. Willow's hands gripped at his hair, tugging it softly, moaning into Hannibals' mouth. However, the chime of the old Grandfather clock in a corner of the study caught the older mans attention. Pulling Willow back, he glanced at the time.
"Do you have plans today?" He asked. Looking back to her face, he ran a thumb over her slick lips. "I didn't." She answered, breathing her hot breath against his thumb. Hannibal hummed and dropped his hand, the other still holding the back of her neck. "Would you care to spend the day with me?" He tilted his head slightly, in question. "I'm afraid it won't the most exciting day, but I would like to treat you to lunch. And later, if you will, I'd like to cook you dinner."
She smiled sweetly at him. Rather than exciting, the day sounded perfect. "I would very much like to. It sounds wonderful." Hannibal returned the smile again, his eyes beaming and pleased. "I must warn you though…" He caressed her neck a little, as if already trying to soothe her. "Our destination is Vergers." He watched as the smile dropped from her face like a dead weight and her brows knitted into a frown.
"Vergers?" She asked, a hint of displeasure in her voice. "Hannibal, do you really think it wise taking me to Vergers? I want nothing more than to beat the horrible man with whatever I can get my claws on." Hannibal smiled at this, he had to agree with her, the man was despicable. But he was an indispensable puppet. "He will not say a word against me taking you. I own half of his restaurant after all." Hannibal moved his hand from her neck, to caress her cheek softly before dropping it and resting both hands on her hips. "I thought you may want to see your friends… I'm sure you are all upset about Abigail. It may lift a slight weight off of your shoulders, sharing your sadness with colleagues who, I'm sure, have mutual feelings."
Willow made a small expression of pain, her heart hurt at the mention of Abigail. A lot had happened at once and she felt guilty for not thinking of her friend more. Sighing, she met Hannibals' eyes with her own. "Can I at least get changed and put some shoes on first?" She asked, at an attempt of humor. Hannibal smiled. "Of course."
The look on Mason Vergers face was almost comical when Willow had arrived with Hannibal. She had purposely dressed a little smarter, donning a plaid dress, the black pumps she had worn on her date with Hannibal, and had tamed her hair. Though the bandages that were wrapped around her feet looked a little off. "I hope you don't mind, Mason." Hannibal was speaking to the shocked man, whose eyes were flitting to each of them and the arm that was wrapped around Willows waist. "I'm afraid there's been a change of plan. I would like to have lunch with Willow here, after our meeting of course."
Willow presumed that every meeting they lunched together, she felt rather smug knowing that she had knocked Mason off of his high horse. "Would you like to go and see everyone, while Mason and I retreat to his office for a short while?" He now ignored the man in front of him, and turned to look down at Willow. "Only if you don't mind." She answered, ignoring Mason. Instead, seeking Hannibals' permission. He did own half of the place after all.
"I have no issue with that, right Mason?" Hannibal looked to the man again, who had been quiet. It was a rare thing indeed. "No… No problem." He answered, shaking his head slightly. Willow smiled, leaning up to kiss Hannibal on the lips before walking toward the kitchen. "Oh! Before I forget." She turned back, stuffing a bag into Masons' arms. "I finally brought that back. Don't worry Mason, I washed it." She made sure she put an emphasize on his name, glad that she didn't have to call him "Sir" anymore.
Hannibal chuckled lightly as he watched her walk off, enjoying the way Masons face turned red from embarrassment. "Isn't she wonderful?" Hannibal mused and walked past the other man, toward the office. Letting himself in, he went for and sat straight in Vergers desk chair. "I thought you had better taste in women." Mason spat, his anger showing through in his voice. Throwing the bag into the corner of the room he paced back and forth, in an attempt to calm himself. "And I thought you had better manners." Hannibal said, his eyes piercing through the younger male. Pulling out a cigarette packet, he placed one in his mouth and lit up. "My manners? She's the one with no manners." Verger said through gritted teeth. "Aren't you afraid that she'll find out what you really do? Like shipping her friend off to a foreign country to be some greasy middle aged mans fuck toy?" He snorted loudly at the last comment, his pacing becoming more frantic as his crazed behaviour got the best of him. "Is that why you kept her? So that you could be the middle aged man, with a fuck toy?" Mason laughed and turned toward Hannibal. His laugh turned into a gasp however, his back thudding against the wall winding him. "Mason, Mason, Mason, calm yourself." Hannibal spoke softly, his hand gripping the mans face. "Stick out your tongue."
The younger man hesitated a moment, before doing as he was told. Hannibal moved his hand to grip the tongue offered to him, and pulled on it. "If I ever hear you disrespecting me again, to my face or otherwise…" He took a drag from his cigarette, moving it in his fingers to hold it dangerously close to Masons tongue. "I will cut out your tongue, and feed it to you. Am I clear?" The cigarette was almost skimming the mans tongue now, a slight movement would cause him pain. "Am I clear, Mason?" He moved the cigarette back to his lips when a noise of understanding was made. "Good lad." Hannibal said, releasing his tongue and drying his hand on the sleeve of Masons jacket.
"Now…" Hannibal turned away from the shocked and slightly frightened male, to sit back in the desk chair. "Back to business, if you please. I have a 'mission' of sorts for you."
"We've missed you, though I haven't missed the lip you always give me." Willow laughed at Brian, watching as he and the others cooked and pottered around the kitchen. "How is everyone…" She asked, her smile faltering at the thought of Abigail. "We're all getting through it, work keeps us distracted. But I think I speak for everyone when I say, we're worried… And we're thinking the worst." A few of the kitchen staff nodded in agreement. "She was a little ray of sunshine around here… And what with both you and her gone, it's not a working environment that we enjoy. I'm even thinking about looking for another job."
Willow sighed and started to bite at her thumbnail, his comment had made her feel guilty for giving up so quickly and leaving. "I'm sorry for being no good, I just can't seem to stick to anything; especially jobs." Brian turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised. "Don't start that, Will. I didn't mean that at all, I just meant that we miss you around here." He placed a hand on her shoulder and gripped it slightly. "You did the right thing, you did not deserve to be treated like that. And you could probably find something better… You're a smart girl."
Giving her shoulder a pat he turned to check on the stock he was making. "Thank you…" Willow replied softly, a small smile on her lips. "What do you recommend for lunch, Chef?" She asked him, tilting his head a little. "I don't think I've ever eaten your food." Brian looked at her again. "No, you haven't…You're staying for lunch?" Willow nodded and raised an eyebrow at him as he stepped a little closer, looking around before he spoke to her in hushed tones. "Do you know what you're doing… With that man I mean." A worried expression twisted its way onto his face. "I don't think he's a good man, Willow. I've never spoken to him, but I've worked here long enough to overhear business conversations and if I'm honest, I think Mason is scared of him. When have you ever seen or heard of Mason Verger being scared?"
Willow thought about it and shook her head, she hadn't, he was a nasty and ruthless man. "Exactly. Only something or someone pure evil would-" Brian gasped softly, and cleared his throat. Turning her head, she found Hannibal leaning against the kitchen door frame. "Are you ready, Willow? There has been a change of plans." She smiled at him softly, and turned back to Brian. Reaching up she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. "I think you're over exaggerating Brian" she whispered into his ear softly. "I'm the safest I've felt in years and he makes me happy." Pulling away, she smiled up at him "I'll text you sometime, so lets make sure we keep in contact."
Brian nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth. His friend hadn't seen the look of death that had been directed toward him. "We can stop for lunch, next time." Hannibal spoke up, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "And then you'll finally be able to taste some of your friends cooking." Willow rolled her eyes and nodded, walking toward him. It was obvious that Hannibal had heard the conversation, she would just need to calm him down. Slipping her arm into his, she looked up to him. Blue meeting maroon. "Shall we go?" Hannibal stared back for a moment before nodding and leading her from the kitchen. He never looked back at Brian and never saw the man almost fall to his knees from being so scared.