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LH

A WINK AND A WORD

His luminous maroon eyes searched the semi-darkness. Though he was physically affected by the experience he was not emotionally upset by the nightmare itself. Understanding the physiological process of dreaming he was not so much disturbed as intrigued by his mind's ability to link the stresses of his present life to the traumatic events of his childhood.

His heart was beating forcefully in response to the chemicals his sleeping mind released. He would need to calm himself. Hannibal's body responded to the adrenalin by alerting his senses and enhancing their ability to assess incoming stimuli. Scents and sounds were enhanced and the flood of enzymes that raced through his body created a hyper-vigilance that would make sleep elusive for a time.

So Hannibal Lecter sat on the edge of the bed with his eyes lightly focused and allowed colors of his imaginative palette to paint the darkness. As his mind's eye washed the walls with deeply saturated hues he enjoyed the respite while recounting an aria from the opera he attended in Florence. This particular performance was especially gratifying as it was the very week he had the pleasure of gutting Rinaldo Pazzi. The memories of each were richly layered and forever linked in his mind.

He curled his toes and drove his feet into the rich pile of the Persian rug, warm and inviting as he imagined the feel of his Harpy hooking in and tearing Pazzi's soft, traitorous underbelly. He could imagine the smell the blood, the warm iron scent of which caused warm saliva to pool in his mouth.

As the colors and sounds floated about him mixing with the scent of open intestine and splashing with the crimson of Pazzi's blood, Hannibal imagined his hand floating over his wife's body. He could sense the pressure of his palm and fingers as he revisited the first time he touched her. Breathing deeply, he cherished the remembered physicality that caused her muscles to undulate from the pressure of his fingers and hands.

The soft flesh of her back had slipped effortlessly under his care as he massaged the slim, wiry muscles beneath. A shiver rustled up his spine as he called to mind the tender touch of his lips, the slightest whisper of his tongue used to trace the length of her back. He believed he could smell the scent of her shampoo as he remembered gracefully sweeping her hair aside so that he might explore the elegant line of her neck with his mouth. He nipped and sucked gently on her flesh leaving tiny bursts of blood just beneath the milky surface of her porcelain skin.

He could smell the almond scented soap. Anticipation building, he could not wait to taste the sweetness of her body.

Not yet…soon.

Hannibal's respirations evolved much more slowly, deepening with the fullness of his memory. His back arched as he rolled his shoulders with each inhalation, relaxed, almost hypnotized from the experience.

The devoted husband brought forth with exquisite detail each and every one of the physical sensations of that specific experience. His deft fingertips had pushed and probed the striations of her muscles rolling his thumbs as he squeezed and pinched her deltoids his attention designed to relax and comfort.

The memories of this their first experience exploring each other, even before the foreplay that lead to their first coupling was so pleasing to Hannibal he shut out the colors and the sounds, even the delicious agony of Pazzi and now solely focused his attention on the memory of Clarice alone.

His eyes tightly closed, he now explored the textures of her body as he remembered rolling the heel of his hand feeling the exact flexion of his muscles as they worked the deep curve of her back. His heart rate increased slightly as his hands smoothed across her hips and joined, kneading her thighs, reaching upward, inward toward the gentle slope of her bottom.

He reached under her body and slipped his hand beneath her, leading her to turn onto her back. Inhaling deeply he enjoyed her scent, her want of him evident. Even now he could feel the warmth of her flesh, the heat of her passion, so close to his hands. He lowered his head and kissed her soft, flat belly. Lower still he trailed his tongue further, her flesh quivering with anticipation. He dipped his head and covered her flesh, tasting her essence. The whisper of an airy sigh burned within him.

Clarice you are delicious.

The sensation of this memory was now so real to him that a satisfied smile crossed his face. Slowly his mind began to calm, the nightmare effectively and fully abrogated.

Clarice turned on her side and reached for the comfort of her husband's body. When her hand did not find him her eyes opened. When she saw that he was sitting upright she did not speak deciding instead to watch him carefully. It was a bright night the fullness of the moon illuminating the room much more than most.

As if he could hear the movement of her eyelids Hannibal's eyes opened. Sitting with his back to her his posture was unnaturally straight. Hannibal did not turn the trunk of his body, instead turning his head alone to regard his wife. He remained in near profile. He did not speak.

"Are you okay, H?"

A whisper, he wanted to remain in that place within his memory, "Yes."

"Did you have another nightmare?" Clarice questioned with concern, a palm placed on his back for loving support.

"Yes," louder now. The moment slipped away, evaporating like the cool mist of fog with the heat of the sunrise.

"Want to talk?"

"The nightmare is reflective of some anxiety I am feeling. I am concerned that Pearsall is inserting himself into our affairs. I am unsure as to his motivations."

Clarice crawled carefully across the bed stopping just behind her husband. She rose to her knees and draped her body over his back, her arms loosely crossing in front of his collarbone. She nuzzled against his neck, kissing just behind his ear.

"If Pearsall is really involved, someone directed him. He's not the type that goes out of his way to look for extra case loads. Not to mention he's scared shitless of you."

"What would your assessment be of his involvement?"

Thrill me with your acumen.

"My best guess would be that since we returned to the States the powers that be want an assessment of your mental health. The exam you received when they were hunting for the Bashandi girl was merely a rubber stamp. They weren't worried about you killing anyone up here 'cuz they knew we were living in another country."

Clarice began to massage Hannibal's back and shoulders. He rolled his head, comforted by the contact. She continued her evaluation.

"Now that they understand we'll return from time to time they'll want to be much more certain. Self-defense or not a couple of dead bodies a few months after a Presidential pardon would be enough to initiate an investigation. They'll want a psychological assessment to determine the likelihood of recidivism. They'll only trust Bloom with that but they don't believe you'll agree to meet with him. Still, they don't know you like I do, H."

"And what is your opinion Clarice? I'm curious."

"I know you will make them sweat but I have no doubt that you'll agree to meet with Bloom."

"Knowing how I feel about that man what leads you to that conclusion I wonder?"

"Well…because I think you would be incredibly entertained by his psychological…fumbling."

"And?"

"And I think that for the sake of our lives here and our son, short of dancing naked in the streets, you'd agree to almost anything."

There was a flicker of fire behind his eyes. Hannibal winked at Clarice and teased, "If it meant you might join me, I would agree to that as well, Clarice."

The visual too humorous to ignore Clarice laughed so hard she fell back onto the bed.

"If anyone ever knew you, H…you're a silly ass!"

Hannibal turned, covered Clarice with his body and kissed her playfully. He whispered in her ear using a faux Russian accent as if a KGB agent in a b-rated spy novel. "Shhhh…Tell no one!"

WILL GRAHAM

Will Graham met Ardelia at a small restaurant a short walk from the F.B.I. offices. She didn't want anyone to overhear her conversation and Will didn't want Bloom to know what he was doing. Graham arrived fifteen minutes prior to the meeting wanting a few minutes to sit and think.

He had never met Agent Mapp though he was aware that unlike Clarice who had ruffled far too many feathers, she was well thought of within the agency. She did not have the problems Clarice had with upper management and had been maneuvering the mine fields of red tape and political correctness within the department adeptly. Clarice did not suffer fools well and that combined with her affinity for Hannibal Lecter, hurt her chances for advancement.

Ardelia not only suffered the fools, she surrounded herself with them and consistently used them to advantage. They were tools in her mind and were just as useful to her as her handcuffs, her badge or her gun.

Graham was sipping his coffee waiting for Ardelia surprised at the tremor in his hand as he held the cup. Lecter had that effect on him. Even now, so many years removed he broke out into a cold sweat just thinking about him.

Fear is the price of our instrument.

He set the cup on the saucer as Ardelia approached the table. He wanted a steady hand when he took hers in greeting.

"Hey Will I'm Ardelia, Clarice's roommate…well not anymore, that's Hannibal's job but still her good friend. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Graham extended his tremulous appendage, thankful there remained only the slightest trace of a twitch, "Hi Ardelia thanks for agreeing to meet with me."

"Yeah, no problem," she took her seat, "So you want to meet with Hannibal?"

"I'd like to talk to him about a few different things. Get his opinion. You call him Hannibal…To his face?"

"Sure…we all do, why?"

Graham sipped his coffee and shrugged his shoulders maybe just a bit jealous that he and Hannibal had not achieved that comfort before his incarceration, "I didn't think he would allow that level of…intimacy."

A waitress came to the table. Ardelia pointed quickly to a picture on the menu all the while, her eyes remained on Graham. "Intimacy…Jesus Will. I'm his friend. I'm not fucking him."

"Sorry…it's just that I've never addressed him using his given name. We didn't have that kind of a relationship."

The waitress returned with a plate of food for Graham. She poured coffee for Ardelia pausing a moment longer than need be, interested in the conversation since the dropping of the 'f' bomb moments earlier.

Ardelia stared at Graham. She did not avert her eyes but maintained contact until, uncomfortable with the perusal, Graham looked away. She saw the fear in his eyes.

"You're afraid of him aren't you? Why? Worried he might come after you or your family?"

Will was embarrassed. He had been an Agent. He was well trained and well thought of yet in front of Hannibal he felt no more than a schoolboy. Still he always attempted to give as good as he got. He did not back away. Even now, common sense told him not to seek Hannibal out. Still…he was doing just that. "I don't know…I guess that depends on a lot of variables. I'd be lying if I pretended the thought hadn't occurred to me."

Ardelia dumped copious amounts of sugar into coffee along with a splash of cream. Her voice was calm, as if discussing a car pool or something. "He won't you know."

"You sound so sure. How well do you know him?"

"As well as anyone can I guess…I don't know that anyone, aside from Clarice that is, knows him at all. I only know that he won't hurt anyone unless they pose a direct threat to his family."

Graham shook his head, "He's killed plenty of people that posed no threat to him."

"That was before Clarice. He is absolutely devoted to her. I've never seen a man that obsessed with a woman. He's done things for her that no normal man would do."

Ardelia's food arrived. Unlike Graham who was more redecorating his plate with his food, Ardelia dug right in and began to eat.

"Are you talking about the abduction?" Graham questioned, more to see if Ardelia would answer than for the information.

Her mouth full from a forkful of eggs she articulated carefully not to lose any of the meal, "I won't discuss any details. Hannibal trusts me and I won't do anything to jeopardize that trust. Suffice it to say that he endured more than any man could or would to prevent that deviant from getting to Clarice."

Still Graham was unconvinced, "I find it difficult to believe he loves anyone."

"Why?" Ardelia thought the message was fairly clear. She found his stubbornness disconcerting.

"Because he's insane."

"He is one of the sanest men I've ever met. People label what they don't understand. He was branded insane because we can't imagine how or why he did the things he did. I wouldn't pretend to guess how his mind works. I only know that Clarice loves Hannibal and Hannibal loves Clarice. Have you seen them together?"

"Only for a few moments but it's obvious she can influence his behavior. She has him well- leashed."

"Now that he is a free man do you think there is any leash in the world strong enough to hold Hannibal Lecter if he didn't allow it?"

"I think an emotional leash is stronger than a physical one. I think he was denied a lot of things during his incarceration including the company of women and I think Clarice Starling is quite a beautiful woman."

"Oh my God Graham did you just actually refer to Hannibal Lecter as being pussy whipped!"

"Well not in so many words but…yes."

"That's priceless!" Ardelia took out her cell phone and dialed Clarice

Clarice picked up instantly. "Hey Dee, what's up?"

"Hey Girl! I'm here with Will Graham. Before you tell me what's a good time for your hubby to meet up with him I thought I'd tell you he thinks Hannibal is pussy whipped!"

Clarice laughed, "I don't know…maybe he is. I'll ask him."

Ardelia covered her cell by pressing it against her chest. "Hang on Will…she's asking him."

Graham's face burned with embarrassment, "Jesus Christ are you both crazy! You're going to get me killed."

Ardelia shrugged him off, "Oh don't be such a baby. Hannibal's a pussycat."

Will buried his face in his hands, "This is mortifying."

Clarice walked into the kitchen where Hannibal was preparing lunch, "Hey, H I've got Ardelia on the line. She's with Will Graham. He thinks you're pussy whipped and we wanted your opinion. What do you think?"

"Pussy whipped, Clarice?"

"Yup."

"Yours?"

"Yup."

If I saw you every day, forever, I'd remember this time.

Hannibal smiled a wicked smile his eyes glittered with fiery pinpoints of red, his answer, a flirtatious wink and a word. "Yup."

Until the next chapter my friends!

LH