Author's Note: Come on guys, did you REALLY think I could kill off Hannibal Lecter?! Well at least not in this fic!! This chapter is for Kaitlyn who wanted more smut although it may not be as much as you'd want, I'm trying to keep this fic from going NC-17! LOL! And again, thank you MC.

Chapter 24: Scars

Clarice Starling-Graham rolled over onto her stomach, on the soft over- sized beach towel and decided she'd have to enjoy sleeping on her stomach while she still could. She laid her head on her arms, felt the hot sand warming her front underneath the towel and began to doze again with the warm sun's rays caressing her bare back. She sighed contentedly in her sleep and smiled. The late afternoon sun was just beginning its descent below the rim of the ocean and it began to cast a deep orange glow over the beach. It was the third day of their honeymoon in the Bahamas and neither Clarice nor Will could remember ever feeling this relaxed and content.

Will Graham, freshly showered and clad only in a pair of jean shorts, strode out onto the beach where Clarice lay with just the slightest of limps. His physical abilities and strengths seemed to increase daily and he knew it wouldn't be long before he could walk with no limp at all. He carried a tall frosty glass of ice cold non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider. Clarice could not drink alcohol because of the baby and it was better for him if he didn't because of his prior addictions. He gazed down at Clarice's bare back, pink in the late afternoon sun, and smiled. He was so lucky to have her and he could not believe that she had chosen to love him. He owed her his life twice over. Will lowered himself down on his right side onto her towel and she stirred as he pressed up against her to keep out of the sand. He took a sip of the cider and set the glass in the sand above their heads. Clarice turned her head to look at him and smiled softly, her eyes blinking in the light. Will smoothed the hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

"I didn't know you were asleep, love. I'm sorry to have awakened you," he whispered as he ran his fingers tantalizingly up and down her back.

"I'm not sorry," she purred and planted small kisses down his neck to his shoulder.

Clarice rolled over almost fully onto her back to face him, sucking on his neck, marking him. As she rolled over, she exposed her bare breasts and Will cupped one gently, moaning at her sucking and rubbing his thumb over her nipple with care as her breasts were swollen and tender because of the pregnancy. He sighed softly as he leaned in to kiss her neck and tickle her ear with his tongue.

"Does that hurt?" Will asked softly, referring to the hand stroking her breast as he nuzzled her neck.

"Mmmm," she whispered. "No. Besides you know what they say, there's a fine line between pleasure and pain," she grinned mischievously and lifted her head to kiss his mouth deeply, their tongues engaged.

Will planted small suckling kisses down her neck, her chest, on each breast, and made his way down her stomach, over her navel, until he reached the black fabric of her bikini bottom. He gripped one side of it and began to tug it down as his tongue snaked out across her thigh. Clarice closed her eyes and moaned softly but a nagging issue in the back of her mind would not let her fully enjoy her new husband's attentions.

"Will, wait," Clarice said quietly. "Come back up here. I need to talk to you."

Will replaced the strap of her bikini and scooted up on the towel until they were face to face. He leaned on his side with one hand supporting his head and looked into her troubled eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Something happened the day we got married," she said evenly although she could not look at him and instead stared up at the clear twilight sky. "Something that I should have told you about right after it happened but I was too ashamed to."

"What is it?" Will asked, concerned. "Are you alright? Is the baby alright?"

Clarice looked at him and gently touched his face. He was such a sweet man. "We're fine. You know how much I love you right?"

"Yes," Will replied slowly, suddenly afraid of what she had to tell him. "What happened Clarice?"

She gazed back up at the sky and took a deep breath. "Hannibal Lecter is not really dead."

Will sat up straight. "What?"

"He came to see me before the wedding. He was dressed as Pastor Bob so I guess no one noticed him. And then he was gone." She shrugged.

Will stood up and paced the sand next to the towel, muttering obscenities to himself. "Goddamn fucking son of a bitch! Shit! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He paused and looked down at his wife. "But how? You said he was dead. You saw his body. How?"

Clarice sat up and crossed her legs Indian style. She shielded her eyes from the setting sun as she looked up at Will. "He said the surgeon was a former patient of his. Lecter wore a bullet proof vest stuffed with packets of stage blood so that it looked like I actually shot him. Once he was in the OR, the surgeon had a nurse summon me and while she did, he stopped Lecter's heart. Apparently after I'd verified that he was dead and left the room, the surgeon brought him back to life." She shrugged. "That's all he told me." Clarice's gaze held at the jagged scar on the left side of Will's stomach before moving to the small circular scars on his wrists, his feet, and then finally stopping at the gap on his left hand where he was missing the pinky finger. Guilt gnawed at her gut, she should have told Will sooner; he deserved to know.

Will sighed heavily, ran a hand through his still wet hair, and looked out at the crystal blue ocean and the setting reddish-orange sun beyond, his eyes squinting. He stood there for a moment before shaking his head. "Fucking Houdini," he muttered and then looked at Clarice. "He's got to be the luckiest bastard I've ever seen. And he's definitely the trickiest."

Clarice nodded and looked down at the towel, absently picking at it. Will sat down cross legged in front of her and took her hands in his.

"Look at me," he said softly.

Slowly Clarice lifted her head and gazed into Will's eyes.

"What else did you two talk about?" He asked.

"Not much," she paused. "My promotion, you and the baby mostly."

"You told him about the baby?" Will closed his eyes and shook his head. He re-opened them and looked at her. "And how did he handle that news?"

"He wasn't happy, let's leave it at that," Clarice replied.

"I bet."

"And we traded," Clarice said softly. "His freedom for your safety."

"His freedom?" Will asked incredulously. "You told him you'd let him go? You're going to hide this from the Bureau? You're just going to go on pretending that he's dead?"

"Yes," Clarice said defensively. "He gave me his word that he would leave you alone so I gave my word that I would leave him alone."

"You believe he'll keep that promise? Clarice, did he keep his promise from years ago that he wouldn't call on you?" Will asked angrily. "Besides, even if he does stay away from us, do you honestly think he'll never kill another person? Can you honestly tell me you could live with that on your conscious?"

Clarice sighed and put her head in her hands, her hair swinging down in her face. "I will cross that bridge when and if it comes," she said quietly. "I don't know what to say. It seemed like the right decision at the time, Will. Please don't judge me, you weren't there."

"I wish I would've been," Will said hotly. "I'd have killed the bastard with my own two hands. He'd be dead for sure this time. I'd fucking make sure of it."

Clarice sighed again. She was beginning to think that telling Will had been a bad idea. The problem was they kept no secrets from each other and it had been eating her up inside keeping this from him. Since her encounter with Dr. Lecter, every time she had looked at Will, every time they had kissed, every time he had touched her, every time they had made love, Clarice had been tortured by the secret she carried until the guilt had been too much for her and she knew she had to tell him.

Will looked at her and sighed as well. "Claire, I'm sorry. I'm sorry it's just that after what he did to us and Josh," he shook his head. "He nearly killed me and Josh and he took advantage of you while you were asleep. I swear to God, when I think about him with his hands and mouth on you I swear I could just kill him."

"Will," Clarice said instantly and took his hands. "He's gone. He's out of our lives for good. Just let it go okay? Please?"

Will looked at her, studying her face, and she lowered her eyes, unable to withstand the scrutiny. Will's heart dropped.

"He touched you again didn't he?" He asked softly.

Clarice looked at him and nodded slowly.

"Christ," he muttered and put his head in both his hands. He could not believe that they were going through this. He could not believe that his wife of three days had already been unfaithful to him. And she had been unfaithful with the very man that had tortured and nearly killed him and his son. He struggled to understand where her feelings for the monster came from. Then he forced himself to try and see Lecter from her point of view. He forced himself to remember how charming Dr. Lecter could be, how human he could be when he wanted to be and Will put his hand on her shoulder, trying to understand. "Clarice I love you but just please tell me that you didn't willingly let him touch you."

Clarice stared out at the ocean. Her silence told him everything and Will hung his head again.

"So what does this mean Clarice?" He asked dejectedly.

"It means nothing," she whispered.

"The hell it does," Will said angrily, his voice slowly rising. "You've told me over and over again that you don't have any romantic feelings for Lecter but now you tell me that on our wedding day you essentially made out with him. How do you think that makes me feel?" He sighed and rubbed his hand over his chin, trying to calm down. "Look, I'm just trying to understand Clarice. Please help me understand," he replied softly and leaned in to kiss her forehead. Will watched as tears slid slowly down her cheeks and he wiped them away with his hands, feeling like a shit for making her cry but also feeling hurt at the same time.

"I'm sorry Will," she sniffled. "My God I'm so sorry."

He took her in his arms and held her close. He kissed the top of her head. "Can you just tell me why?"

"I don't really know," she said into his neck. "He's been a shadow, a phantom, that loomed over my life for so many years like a bad habit or an addiction that I could not shake and then I ended up killing him. That hurt and I grieved. I thought I'd finally come to grips with having killed him and that I could finally bid him goodbye but when I saw him a few days ago, standing before me..." she trailed off and sat back, looking at Will. "I don't know. Part of me was relieved to see him again and part of me was horrified." She paused and sighed. "I was in shock and I wasn't thinking straight. Yes I let him kiss me and I kissed him back. Yes I let him touch me..."

Will closed his eyes and inhaled sharply.

"But I was absolutely repulsed by my behavior and I quickly put a stop to it." Clarice held his face in both her hands and he sadly met her gaze. "All I can say is I'm so sorry and I swear to you it won't ever happen again. I don't love him and I never will. I will work the rest of my life to make this up to you, I promise. I love you, I need you, I want you, and I'm so sorry for having betrayed your trust. Please, please forgive me."

Will watched as a tear slipped down her cheek once more.

"Please," she whispered. "I love you Will. I'm sorry."

Will looked at her pain-stricken face and could see in her eyes that she meant every word she said. Still, the thought of Lecter touching his Clarice, his wife, burned him up. When it came to Clarice, he tried not to be possessive but she was his and his alone. The fact that Lecter twice now had attempted to take what was his killed him and he felt threatened. The age-old human emotion of jealousy boiled up within him and he felt a need to stake claim to her again. He leaned in and kissed her mouth deeply before working his way to her ear. "It tears me up to think about you and him, kissing and touching," he whispered as he nibbled her ear.

"I don't want to be kissed and touched by him," Clarice replied throatily. "Just you. Only you. Touch me now Will," she whispered as she moved his hand up to her breast.

Will shut away his hurt and anger; he knew he would forgive her and they would move forward, not looking back, not speaking of Hannibal Lecter again for a very long time. As Will lay her down gently back onto the towel and tugged off her bikini, his mouth took possession of hers. Clarice pushed urgently at his shorts to take them off. His hand gently pinched her nipple and she moaned.

"God yes, touch me," she whispered.

"I love you, oh I love you," Will murmured as he closed his eyes, plunging his face into her hair and losing himself in its scent.

Clarice ran her thumb along the scar on his stomach as she so often did when their bodies were close. It was a part of him that she had grown quite fond of; it reminded her of the past and what they had both gone through before finding solace in one another. Will carried most of his scars from Dr. Lecter physically while Clarice carried them emotionally and she fervently hoped that despite the fact he was still alive, the pain that accompanied their scars would continue to heal.

Clarice's reverie was pleasantly interrupted when Will parted her legs as he climbed on top of her. He slipped quickly inside her and they both gasped in delight. As the sun slipped below the horizon, the soft cries of pleasure filled the air and mingled with the cries of the birds at flight.

To be continued. Please review.

Shelley: I'm glad you're enjoying the story despite the fact there is no Hannibal/Clarice coupling. As far as the GD being portrayed as 'mean and jealous', I have only one thing to say: never forget what he is. And no, even this chapter is not the end, there's just a little bit more. Thank you so very much for reading and reviewing.

Saavik: Thank you so much for your review. And yes, the girls and I had a wonderful and much deserved holiday, thanks for asking.

ducki: Thank you. I thought the resolution worked well myself. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

LoT: I'm glad I've evoked so many emotions in you during this fic. Yes, I know, the ending is not what many people want. Yes, the GD is alive and sort of well. He is heartbroken but time mends all wounds right? LOL! Thank you so much for your continued reading and reviewing even with your busy schedule.

Kurt: I still love that, "Extra Strength Super No Doze"!!! I always look forward to your reviews. Thanks for reading.

Guber: Thank you so much, that is so sweet of you to say that your heart ached during this chapter. Really, that is an immense compliment to me. As far as Clarice being happy because she's pregnant or because she loves Will, she's happy about both. But there's more to come, so stay tuned! And thanks again for reading and reviewing.

Morbid: You just make me laugh with your sweet and wonderful reviews! I particularly enjoyed the line where you said you need to build a shrine to me!! And I'm the best thing since sliced toast?! Yes, you're going to Georgetown and there's more fun in store next chapter! And yes, Clarice and Will like you a lot. And you're welcome for saving Josh but he's only alive because of you - the real you, not the character you! Remember I told you my original storyline called for Josh's death? But you saved him. And again, you're welcome! Thanks so very much for your great reviews.

Troesnaja: Thank you so much for your continued support. I enjoyed your review. Thanks.

Hanni: Thanks for your review. Yes, I know that a lot of people did not like his 'death.' But he's back and fine, at least physically fine. Thanks again.

magyarflower: Oh your review was so nice! Thank you so much for the comment that I should be rich and famous because of my writing. Although, I think I'll pass on the stalkers! And don't worry, I take no offense that you didn't like the end of the last chapter, everyone is entitled to their own opinions! Thanks so much again.