The next morning, Francesca worked for hours in her room and finally, when all her work was done she came out, still in her small nightgown. She made herself an impressive bowl of cereal and retreated back to her room.

It wasn't until ten that night that anyone saw her again. She descended the stairs silently.

All of the boys had gathered around the television in the living room after an exhausting day of work. Hannibal looked up at her, pursing his lips. Francesca didn't meet his gaze, instead focusing on the kitchen. She met Polly in the kitchen. Polly looked up, "Oh, Francesca where have you been all day?"

"Working," she stated.

"Come on, Francesca, sit with us," Murdock called to Francesca.

She glared back and then spoke to Polly, "I was just cancelling flights and stuff for guests. Booking our own etcetera." Francesca then looked to the boys, "We leave tomorrow on a 6:30 flight. Tomorrow night."

"Okay," Face smiled at her.

She watched the television for a moment, "What are you guys watching?"

Turning to her, Hannibal cleared his throat, "Golden Girls."

Francesca was quiet and then laughed loudly, "You're kidding!"

"Nope, B.A.'s idea," Face looked to B.A. who had fallen asleep in one of the easy chairs.

Francesca walked into the living room, "Well, I guess I'll see you all in the morning."

"Just sit," Murdock gestured to the space between Face and Hannibal on the couch.

Closing her eyes, Francesca shook her head, "I'm fine. Now, have a good night, gentlemen." She climbed the stairs quickly and retreated to her room.

Murdock smirked, "Alright."

"Well she seems better than she was last night," Face smiled.

"When did you see her last night?" Hannibal frowned.

Face froze, "I just suspect."

"He's right, though. She is better," Murdock pursed his lips.

"When were you with her last night?" Face scoffed.

He shrugged, "I mean…"

"The point is she's having issues. I think her being by herself is helping her," Hannibal closed his eyes.

Face laughed, "Next someone's going to tell me that you were all in her bedroom last night."

"Well, we were…kinda," Murdock pulled his baseball cap over his eyes.

"What?" Face gasped.

"Why is it such a big deal?" Murdock laughed.

He rolled his eyes, "I don't know."

"What were you even doing in there?" Hannibal picked up his empty beer bottle off the coffee table and got up off the couch.

"Nothin'," Face shrugged.

Hannibal walked to the kitchen and stood at the counter.

"C'mon it must've been something," Murdock prodded Face.

"I mean, I don't want to say anything with Polly around," Face smirked.

Polly heard him and laughed, "It's not like Francesca won't tell me at some point."

Hannibal was confused. It was something he didn't want to say in front of Polly. What did that mean?

"Alright, then," Face smiled and began to speak in a boastful manner. "Last night, Francesca and I…well…we were just hanging out in her bed. And then we started kissing and we almost had sex. It was pretty awesome."

Murdock stared at Face, gaping.

"You almost had sex?" Polly frowned, looking up from the book in front of her.

There was a crashing sound.

Everyone turned to see Hannibal stooped over the counter, the neck of the bottle in his hand and the rest strewn across the ground.

"Hannibal…" Murdock got up and started to go toward him.

"Almost," Hannibal growled.

Face got up as well, "Hannibal, what-"

"You think you own every woman that swoons over your blue eyes and blonde hair and your stupid smile, don't you?" he looked up. His eyes went wild. "You son of a bitch, you want everything."

Murdock looked between them both, "Face, you may want to run."

"Hannibal, now listen buddy," Face didn't listen to Murdock. "She's just a girl."

Polly stood up as well, "Nobody is going to get stabbed in my house. Not tonight. I just washed the carpet."

"She's not just a girl. She's…she's so much more than that and you would know that if you took anytime to understand anyone," Hannibal started to walk forward.

Face stepped back, "Hannibal, calm down."

Hannibal snapped. He dropped the bottle and came at Face, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"She's a pretty girl."

"Right," Hannibal tried to grab the collar of Face's shirt, but Face slipped away. "Just another pretty girl that you want to have sex with, right?"

Murdock ran to Hannibal and grabbed his shoulders, "Easy boss!"

Shrugging off his hands, Hannibal rumbled toward him and took Face by the scruff of the neck, "What are you running from, huh?" Using little force, he pulled Face back and threw him on the ground.

"Hannibal, don't-" Face tried to speak.

Hannibal dropped down on top of Face, punching him in the jaw from the left, "You don't know how to treat anyone! You're just selfish."

Face didn't speak, couldn't speak, actually. He used his knee to force Hannibal off of him. Once they were parted, Murdock pulled Face away and Polly stood between Hannibal and the others.

"You're not going to hit a girl, are you?" Polly pursed her lips.

Face looked at Hannibal innocently, "What the hell?"

Murdock closed his eyes, "You don't understand, Face."

"No shit, I don't," Face screeched and then grit his teeth. He got up off the ground and pushed Murdock out of the way. His hands were balled into fists, "What's a few little kisses worth? It's like she was your girlfriend or something. So you wanna give up my friendship because of my vice?"

"Not at all my point," Hannibal stepped toward Face.

"You just want power over me. And I'm not gonna give that to you," Face licked his lips and breathed out. "Not yet."

Flashback

"I don't want to say goodbye," Francesca whispered to Hannibal, burying her head in the pillow.

"It'll just be for a little bit," Hannibal brushed some hair from her face. "We keep having these chance encounters. It's okay."

Francesca touched his hand, "How will I know that this isn't goodbye forever?"

"Because I wouldn't let that happen," Hannibal smiled.

Francesca returned the smile and touched his shirtless chest. They had stayed up into the wee hours of the morning. The sun was already peaking through the shades and Francesca felt like crying. Hannibal had to leave and, as always, save the world. She leaned forward, putting her head on his pillow, "I'll write to you."

"But I never have time to write back," Hannibal frowned.

She bit her lip, "I mean you wouldn't have to. I just… I want to write to you."

Hannibal paused and then nodded, "Alright… if you want to."

"Have you ever heard 'letter for Colonel Smith'? Would that be new for you?" Francesca sat up and leaned over him. "Would the boys be jealous? Or would thy ask lots of questions?" she started giggling.

Hannibal suddenly stopped, "Questions?"

"Well, if you never got letters-"

"Maybe it's best if you don't write to me," Hannibal frowned.

"Don't be silly. I want to," Francesca leaned down and kissed his neck. "They'll wonder who it is and they'll wish they had a friend writing to them. Murdock will know. He won't wonder."

Hannibal pushed her up as he sat up, "Let's not be hasty."

"Come on, it'll be like a secret mission. You know? Hiding the letters, avoiding confrontation," Francesca kissed the tip of his nose.

He put his arm around her, "If it makes you happy."

"And it does," she grinned. "Now, how much longer do you have until the boys are expecting you?"

"An hour."

Francesca murmured, "A good, solid hour. Now where haven't we done it?"

"Uh…Bathroom."

"The shower, twice. Next."

"Kitchen."

"I think we rolled over that way when we started in the front hallway."

"Why don't you think of something?" Hannibal laughed.

Francesca shrugged, "I don't know… The standard bed always works."

"Fair enough," Hannibal leaned back.

An hour later, Hannibal stood by the front door with his arms crossed, "Francesca, I'm going to be late."

"I'm coming!" she walked down the steps and ran toward him. "Goodbye, my lovely ranger!" She jumped up, throwing her arms around him, "I'll miss you. I don't want to let you go."

Hannibal hugged her deeply. He didn't really know how to respond to that. Her admiration for him was sometimes overwhelming, but he enjoyed it always. "Goodbye," he pulled away, kissed her lips delicately, and then turned to the door. "Check the island once I leave."

"Hm?" she said in a confused manner.

"Just do it," he opened the door and walked out, "Now goodbye. Stay safe."

She blew him a kiss as he closed the door. Then, Francesca ran to the island. On it, there lay a piece of paper. She picked it up and read it.

Francesca,

Since I will be getting all of your notes, I thought you deserved one. At least one. Italy was beautiful. I was very glad to run into you. When I'm around you I feel needed. Not that I don't often, but… In a different way. I don't know what it is about you. You're silly and smart and beautiful…

I'm not very eloquent. So I hope these comments can last you until I see you next.

John

Francesca folded the paper and put it on the table. Taking a deep breath, she screamed until her voice was hoarse, jumping up and down, laughing, smiling. She stopped almost immediately afterward sat down to write her first letter.

End Flashback

Face came at Hannibal and tried to hit him once. Hannibal ducked, grabbed Face's upper arm, and twisted it behind his back.

"Guys! What are you doing?" Murdock shouted. "This is so stupid!"

Polly stepped away, hiding behind B.A.'s chair.

Face turned out Hannibal's grasp and hit him across the face, then kicked him in the stomach.

The fight took the floor again. There was blood. Murdock finally gained control of the situation, pulling Face back, "Stop it! Look what you're doing to one another!"

Hannibal leaned back on his elbows breathing heavily.

"You okay, man?" Face asked, looking at the blood on Hannibal's face.

Tasting the tinny blood in his mouth, Hannibal nodded, "I think so."

"What's going on down here?" Francesca ran down the stairs. Her eyes gravitated straight to Hannibal, "Oh my God! What happened?"

Polly pursed her lips, "A fight broke out."

Francesca looked at Face next, "Why? What-"

"Francesca, go upstairs, we'll take care of it," Polly mumbled.

"But…"

"Here," Polly cleared her throat. "Go down the street and buy some milk. We're out."

Francesca frowned, "But it's not-"

"Go!" Polly yelled at her.

For once, Polly was showing a serious side. Francesca bit her lip, "Now just a minute-"

"Francesca, get the hell out for God's sake!" Polly pointed to the door.

Francesca went silent, eyes wide. She stepped to the door, scanned the scene once more and ran outside, closing the door behind her. Polly cleared her throat, "All of you in the kitchen."

They all just stared at her.

"Now," she growled.

The three boys scrambled to the kitchen like little children who had just been found sneaking another cookie from the cookie jar. Polly went to the freezer and pulled out an ice tray, "I don't want to hear a word."

"Can-" Hannibal began.

"Not one word," Polly barked.

Avoiding the glass on the ground, she assembled plastic bags of ice for the two gentlemen that now had bruises forming on their faces. "Now, we're going to talk like civil people. Clear?"

"What the hell, man? You just went after me," Face gasped.

"Look, Face, you just don't understand," Murdock looked at Hannibal sympathetically.

"Where'd everybody go?" B.A. shouted a question from the living room.

Polly looked through the doorway, "We're in the kitchen."

He walked in, eyes narrowed, "What happened?"

"Sit," Polly turned and handed the bags to Hannibal and Face. "You two talk."

Hannibal looked to Face, "You treat women like objects."

"I don't understand why you got so upset suddenly. I've always treated women like objects."

"What happened?" B.A. whispered to Murdock.

"Hannibal and Face got into a little fourth grade fist fight."

Polly glared, "Quiet."

"Well, it's not right."

"But why did you get defensive now? You never get involved," Face shrugged.

Hannibal didn't reply.

"Hannibal," Murdock swallowed, touching his leader's shoulder.

"It's just not right."

"You're not going to say anything unless it's for a cause. What's the point you're trying to make, huh?" Face leaned forward.

Hannibal felt his face flush. Polly smiled meekly, "I'll step out for a little bit, I think." She teetered into the laundry room which was right off the kitchen, locking the door behind her.

"Tell them," Murdock whispered.

"I'm thinking about how," Hannibal slid down in his chair.

Face frowned, "Tell us what?"

"I'll tell them," Murdock bit his tongue.

"No, no…" Hannibal stood up, went over to the sink, and spit out some blood from the cut in his mouth. "Look," he said to the wall. "Look, you just have to listen to me and understand that a lot has happened. A lot that is hard for me to understand." He turned to his team. Murdock sat down beside Face, smiling. B.A. and Face both were frozen, wondering what he had to say. "Francesca and I have known each other met seven years ago at her brother's wedding. And… we were two lonely people who didn't want to be there. We ended up-" Hannibal closed his eyes. "Sleeping together."

"Holy…" Face's eyes widened. "Candy apple red."

B.A. was ready to jump out of his chair, but Murdock had a good grasp on his shoulder, "No…no. Tapenade, buddy." B.A. relaxed.

"There's more. A lot more," Hannibal leaned on the counter. "Francesca and I met each other again at a conference, but chance. And we slept together again. Mind you it was just sex. But…then things started to get a little more arranged. I met her at her apartment and…and Murdock found out. Murdock has known for about six and a half years. And then there was our escapade in Italy-"

Face put his face in his palms, "Are you serious?"

Hannibal continued to explain the relationship that continued on and became more heated. Face the whole time thought in horror, "You were the guy."

"What guy?"

"What happened? Tell me, what happened after that?" Face got up.

"After that," Hannibal looked to Murdock for a little support, but got none. "She told me she loved me. And I left."

Face gawped, "You…you were the one she told me about. She told me she fell in love with someone who was too afraid. You were him…Oh my God." Face ran his hands through his hair.
"Yeah, that'd be me," Hannibal looked at his feet, embarrassed.

"Did you love her?" B.A. raised an eyebrow.

Hannibal met his gaze, feeling his heart leap into his throat, "I must've. Last night I kissed her."

"Oh…that's so sweet," they all heard Polly whimper.

"I've kissed you. I came this close to having sex with you, Hannibal!" Face yelled.

"Indirectly," Murdock held out his hand.

Pulling out a cigar form his pocket, Hannibal looked to Murdock, "Well, that's my story."

"Well, then," B.A. stood up and clapped his hands. "I'm in."

Hannibal lit his cigar and took a drag, "In what?"

"I'm in to be a matchmaker," B.A. smiled.

"What?" he retorted.

Face turned to B.A., "Thanks."

B.A. rolled his eyes, "What do you know? You never watched Golden Girls until I forced you. How do you have any emotional stability? You don't know what true love is."

"What true love? What are you…" Hannibal stared.

The front door opened. "I'm back with your milk, now will someone tell me what's going on?" Francesca stepped into the house, holding a gallon of two percent.