HAPPY NEW YEAR!

KICKING THE HORNET'S NEST

Hannibal led Clarice to a couch against the wall supporting her body by reaching around her waist and holding her very close to him. As they approached the furniture, Hannibal turned her gently toward him and lowered her very slowly until she was fully seated. He then kissed her hand before taking his place beside her.

Clarice cuddled against him, drawing her legs beneath her. Now in his arms, she was tranquil, "Thanks, H. You're so sweet. People don't know how sweet you can be."

"If I am indeed sweet, it is only with you, Clarice, therefore there is no need for others to know." Hannibal teased as he settled against Clarice and cushioned her body with his.

"Still, it might help your case. It isn't as if sociopaths are thoughtful. You are."

"I am thoughtful or I am a sociopath?"

Clarice slapped her hand playfully across his chest, "Thoughtful, you wise ass!"

"Ah, yes, I am thoughtful and sweet."

He then put his left arm around her, cupping her shoulder and pulling her to him. With his right, he reached for her hand and laced his fingers within hers. His head was low as he continually smoothed his thumb over her hand, concentrating on the sensations as the pad of his thumb passed over her soft skin. He was especially serene as took advantage of this brief respite.

"You really should not have come, Clarice. My focus becomes somewhat compromised when I see you. I soften when I must remain firm."

"I'm sorry, H. You know how I get when I want to see you. Are you mad at me?" Clarice questioned as she rested her head on his chest. She listened to his heart beat and waited for his answer; she loved to hear the rumble of his rich voice as it echoed within his body.

"I am not angry, my Love. I realize how difficult this has been for you. I have asked much of you during the course of our marriage."

"I can't bear to see you in pain."

"That is why I hoped you would stay away. I was certain this situation would cause you to suffer. You must understand that I am not like most people as I am able to fully abrogate pain. I realize it is a concept that is difficult to grasp. You are assuming I am experiencing a very high level of pain when in fact I am feeling only minor discomfort."

"I don't see how that's possible."

"I am able to remove myself from the situation and transport myself, within my mind to another place or time. As such, I am not present to experience the discomfort."

Clarice began to nuzzle Hannibal's neck, "You may not be present to experience the pain but don't pretend you can't feel the aftereffects. You must be pretty damned uncomfortable."

"I will admit to being a bit sore. I also would have preferred a more substantial mouthpiece during the electroconvulsive therapy as my jaw is somewhat strained from clenching down. Other than that, there have been no ill effects. Have you had any additional pain or bleeding?"

"No, I've been fine. No worries."

"I will always worry, Clarice."

Clarice released Hannibal's hand and reached up to his face causing him to look down.

"Clarice?"

"If you don't mind I'd like a kiss, H."

Hannibal smiled, "I'm sorry my Love. You should not have had to ask."

Hannibal lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to Clarice's. For several minutes their lips touched and released. It was an alluring dance; an ebb and flow of tender caresses, very gently lighting their lips, one on the other's, much like a butterfly would flutter along a bed of flowers briefly touching on each though never landing.

Hannibal very gently brushed his lips against hers, the contact so slight, the pressure so delicate so placid it made her heart race. Clarice soon grew impatient and sought his mouth with much more intention.

Hannibal withdrew slightly signaling disapproval. He paused for a moment then continued to kiss her. The contact was so delicate and far more serene than anything to which she was accustomed.

The difference was so pronounced Clarice pulled back, her voice filled with concern for him, "H? Am I leaning on you wrong? Are you uncomfortable?"

Hannibal spoke softly as he sought her lips once more and between tender touches, he answered, "Quite comfortable."

"You don't want to kiss me?"

Again, in between kisses he offered, "I was under the impression that I was kissing you, Clarice."

She shifted to seek his eyes, "We don't normally kiss like this."

Hannibal remained distracted as devoted his full attention to his lips gently seeking hers, "Don't we?"

"Well, we start out this way but it always…you're normally much more…aggressive."

"Yes, that may be, however that leads to much more physical contact than is possible here. I am attempting to express my love for you physically in a way that allows me to restrain myself."

"I can…you know…take care of you but I can't really bend, you would have to stand in front of me."

Hannibal nosed along the inside of her neck and placed whispers of kisses the length of her throat.

"No, thank you Clarice, I wouldn't ask that of you. Not here."

Clarice nuzzled against her husband, reached down and began to touch him. Hannibal stayed her movement causing her to question, "Are you sure? I mean, it's been a while."

He continued to hold her hand as he whispered, "For you as well, my Love."

"Yeah, but, men are different."

"We are not so very different."

"H?"

"Just be with me, Clarice."

Clarice settled against her husband and within moments fell asleep listening to the strong beat of his heart.

Hannibal immediately recognized the change in her breathing as it deepened and slowed.

Tired my Love? You are not sleeping well, either? Perhaps our friend will allow us some time.

Hannibal rested his head atop his wife's and, deciding Logan would tolerate an hour's wait, closed his eyes, held his wife close and drifted slowly to sleep.

UNCLE LOGAN

Logan shifted in front of the door but would not allow Bloom to pass.

"Step aside young man," Bloom ordered boldly.

"I'm not a young man, I'm a grown man and I'm not stepping aside. Hannibal has a visitor."

"He's not entitled to visitors. I only allowed him to be taken from me because I was told he was having a meeting with an FBI agent. I just saw the news. He's not in there with an agent!"

"He is meeting with Special Agent Clarice Starling right now."

"She's no longer an active agent. She's his wife. What do you take me for, a fool?"

"Hey you're just saying what everyone's thinking!" Logan quipped.

Bloom grabbed Logan's arm and attempted to pull him from the doorway. Logan set his feet and his jaw.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Clarice may not be an active agent but I am. That's my friend in there and if you try to get past me, I'll warn you using her favorite phrase, whatever part of your body touches mine, I'm gonna keep!"

Bloom was not amused. He leaned his shoulder into Logan and tried to shove him from his position. Logan reached down, grabbed Bloom under his arms, lifted him and tossed him away from the door as if passing a basketball.

"Keep away from this door little man or I'll smack that stupid look off your face. You aren't going in there. That man hasn't had a minute's peace in ten days now. You'd better back up or I swear to Christ I'll go medieval on you."

Bloom turned to the officers on duty, "Someone needs to get this man out of here he is interfering with an Executive Order."

Logan backed against the door and laughed at Bloom's pathetic attempts to remove him. Bloom looked like a toddler as he pushed and shoved even turning and pushing with his back to seek more leverage.

When it became obvious he could not move Logan he continued to push but also began to whine, "I have been assigned this task by the president. I will notify the White House if I don't receive the respect and the cooperation I am due."

Logan shoved Bloom off him, "Why don't we call the White House right now. I happen to know that Deputy Director Pearsall is meeting with the president within the hour. They'll be talking about you my friend and from what I hear, the president isn't too pleased with the way you've handled my boy in there! You might just be pretty screwed about now."

Bloom stepped back and stared at Logan.

"Who told you Pearsall was going to the White House?"

"Nobody had to tell me. I was in his office when the call came in. He was freaking out totally."

"Why wasn't I notified?"

"Well, I assume it's because they're going to be talking about you, you stupid son of a bitch."

Bloom backed up and reached into his pocket withdrawing a hand held Taser. He activated the charge and stepped forward extending the weapon obviously intending to use it to move Logan.

"Dude…I seriously would rethink that," Logan warned.

"You will move," Bloom warned, "or I will use this to move you."

"You are about to get that shoved straight up your pompous ass! Please come try it…Dude I am fucking begging you to come try it."

Bloom stepped forward, his face determined as he chewed on his lower lip. He surged, attempting to hit Logan with the charge.

Logan stepped to the side, grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the weapon, turned his arm down and running it behind Bloom, Taser still in hand, forced Bloom to electrify his backside.

Bloom squealed as he fell to the ground and scrambled away from his own weapon.

Laughing at the sight of the man quivering on the floor Logan leaned toward him and cupped his hand alongside his ear as if straining to hear something. "Hey, Bloom…can you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Bloom whimpered rubbing his bottom as he stood on shaking legs.

"That sound…it's your pathetic fucking career swirling down the toilet!"

Bloom cried out his own misery and insecurities, "I am making an important study of Hannibal Lecter. I am testing him to see whether or not he poses a threat to the public or to his child. You have no right to stand in my way."

"Dude, you have no right and the only person that poses a threat to Clarice and Hannibal's kid is you. So when he gets out of here, maybe Doctor Hannibal Lecter will make an important study of your brain because it's obviously totally fucked."

Bloom stood and reached for the Taser. The warden wagged his finger at him.

"No you don't. You just leave that right where it is."

Embarrassed and still in some pain, Bloom paced in a circle, testing his muscles. His voice was that of a wounded child, "I refuse to waste any more of my time talking. If there is indeed a meeting at the White House, I intend to be there. When the monster is through with his bride, someone just toss him back in his cage. I have an important meeting with the President."

"Man, showing up to that meeting will be a mistake," Logan warned. "They aren't going to let you in so you should just save yourself the embarrassment."

"We'll see."

Bloom signaled to the camera operators for them to follow him. They glanced to the producer and she nodded, holding up one finger. One operator followed Bloom, the other two stayed.

"That dumb son of a bitch is going to look really stupid." Logan folded his arms across his chest, obviously very pleased he had been able to protect his friends. Smiling widely he leaned against the door, "Damn, I wish I was there to see it."

THE WHITE HOUSE

The President and the most trusted members of his staff were already assembled when Pearsall arrived. The car sent for him had been stuck in traffic causing Pearsall to be glad he hadn't driven himself. He was escorted into a large briefing room and introductions were quickly made but he was so overwhelmed he couldn't have named a one of them is his life depended on it. He took the only seat left and waited for someone to direct a question to him. The president spoke first.

"Deputy Director Pearsall, are you familiar with Doctor Hannibal Lecter?"

Pearsall considered his answer carefully. "Yes, Mr. President. I was his wife's supervisor when she was an active agent. We have remained friends."

The President pursued, "So, you're friends with Clarice and Hannibal or just Clarice?"

"I would call Hannibal Lecter my friend as well," Pearsall added with confidence.

The Secretary of State spoke frankly, "Mr. Pearsall, we have a bit of a situation on our hands. You know who Anwar Bashandi is?"

"Yes, I became familiar with him during the time his daughter was abducted."

"And you also dealt with Hannibal Lecter at that time?" the president inquired.

"Yes."

The Secretary of State leaned forward, "Mr. Pearsall, Anwar Bashandi is arriving in the next couple of hours. We attempted to arrange for him to stay either in a hotel or at the White House but he has refused."

Pearsall was confused, "Where is he staying?"

"He has accepted the invitation of Mrs. Lecter and will be staying at their home in Baltimore."

Pearsall nodded, "Well, he'll be safe there. I've never seen a more advanced security system. Hannibal takes Clarice's safety very seriously."

The president nodded, "No doubt. Our problem is that Bashandi sees my request for additional information on Doctor Lecter to be…less than honest. He has requested a meeting and although I have been invited to attend, I think it would be best if I not involve myself directly."

Pearsall was still very confused. "I'm not certain how this involves me. I was asked to pass the information to Bloom, I did so. I was asked to have Lecter volunteer himself for this evaluation. I did. What else do you need me for?"

The president leaned back in his chair, "I'd like you to use a car we provide to pick up Anwar Bashandi and his family and bring them, along with Clarice Starling to the prison."

"She's Clarice Lecter now," Pearsall corrected.

"Yes, of course. Will you handle that for me?" the president requested.

"Certainly, I'd be glad to. What are you going to do about Bloom? He isn't going to voluntarily allow us access to Lecter."

"We are going to have to be delicate about the way we handle Bloom. The news feeds have been killing us. That documentary is absolute poison if we don't make the right moves now."

Pearsall nodded, "What time does the Bashandi family arrive?"

The Secretary of State checked her notes. "They will arrive at Dulles Airport at twelve noon. We will send a car for you at nine-thirty. You will proceed to pick up Clarice, then on to Dulles to meet with the Bashandi's."

Pearsall's eyes were searching as he processed the details, "Does Clarice know?"

The president shook his head. "Not yet. We've been informed she's visiting her husband at the prison now. We'll rely on you to inform her. You and she have a good relationship so she trusts you."

"Mr. President, what are you going to do about Bloom?" Pearsall again inquired.

The Chief of Staff joined the conversation, "We'll occupy him during the meeting but we can't involve ourselves beyond that. He's got a court order. Only Lecter could have stopped this. We were hoping he would get his lawyer on it. Christ knows he had grounds to get the whole thing thrown out. I have no idea why a man as intelligent as he is absorbing that treatment."

Pearsall shook his head, "Hannibal wants to be fully cleared. He doesn't want anyone questioning his sanity beyond this. He's got a baby on the way and Bloom wanted to have the kid taken from them."

The president was adamant, "I had nothing to do with that."

Pearsall shook his head, "No maybe not, but once you let a wild dog loose, you have no control over what it does. He's gone off the reservation, I don't know why but he really believes he's on high moral ground here."

The body language of the Chief of Staff was rigid and showed his concern, "We want Hannibal cleared and we have some input but we can't control what the court does."

"You'd better hope that Hannibal is cleared. I'll attest to his sanity all the way up to the moment someone tries to take his son from his wife's arms. If that happens, that man will go absolutely insane just like any new father would and I doubt you want that all over the six o'clock news."

The president nodded, "There's nothing about this situation I want on the six o'clock news but it's been splashed all over every network. You help me find a way out of this and you might find yourself in a much better state of employment. Not all government jobs are thankless."

Pearsall shook his head, "Mr. President, I'm not looking for another job and the only people I want to help right now are Hannibal and Clarice."

The door to the conference room opened quickly and an aide stepped in.

"There is a Doctor Bloom at the main gate flashing credentials and demanding to be seen."

The Chief of Staff stood and excused himself, "I'll handle this, Mr. President."

Bloom sat in his car fuming with the cameras rolling.

The Chief of Staff made his way to the car and tapped on the driver's side window. Bloom lowered it.

"Doctor Bloom, the meeting has been rescheduled. The President will see you here at noon tomorrow. There is no need for you to drive. We will send a car for you. Please bring all of your files on Doctor Lecter with you and all the video. The President would like to be fully briefed."

"Will the cameras be allowed? I will not entertain any conversations about Doctor Lecter unless the cameras are documenting the process."

The Chief of Staff smiled. He had hoped Bloom would make that request.

"The President has nothing to hide. The cameras will be allowed."

Bloom was arrogant and bold, "Inform the President that I will indeed be prepared."

Bloom was directed to the exit and left the White House with an overinflated ego and plans to have Hannibal Lecter's treatments screened by the President himself.

The President had other plans. He would have a member of the Justice Department at that meeting to review all of the material on Hannibal's treatment. He would also have the Surgeon General invite an independent and well-respected psychiatrist to the meeting to review Lecter's testing.

Bloom had no way of knowing that his time with Hannibal Lecter was coming to a close but his time with the Justice Department was just beginning.

HANNIBAL AND CLARICE

Two hours later, Hannibal opened his eyes. There was no natural light in the room, but his internal clock told him more than an hour had passed. He very gently nudged Clarice awake.

"Clarice, Logan has been waiting patiently."

Clarice rubbed her eyes as she stirred awake, "Sorry, H…I've missed you in bed in more ways than one, I guess."

Hannibal stood and led her to stand as well. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed his wife a final time. They walked together to the door and knocked. Logan very slowly opened it.

Clarice emerged, "Sorry Logan. I fell asleep."

"No problem. It's no one's business what you were doing," he added with a wink.

Hannibal walked forward and shook Logan's hand. "Thank you for bringing my wife to me, Logan. I needed her more than I knew."

Logan slapped a hand on Hannibal's back, "Dude, anything for you my friend. Just ask…anything."

The journalist moved in with the camera. She couldn't help get a word or two from Logan. He had no idea what his words, just two hours earlier, had set into motion.

"Your name is Logan Marley?" she questioned as Hannibal surrendered to be handcuffed.

Logan was distracted, "Dude, don't make those too tight. He's got a scar on that left hand. Be cool."

Logan returned his attention to the journalist, "Yeah, Marley…Logan Marley," he laughed at his own James Bond impression.

"Are you truly a friend of Doctor Lecter's?"

"Hell yes. He's my brother from another mother!" Logan laughed. He turned toward Hannibal and called out to him, "Hey Hannibal! We are buddies right? Tell the reporter. She doesn't believe me!"

Hannibal smiled, "Yes, Logan has been a very true and loyal friend."

Clarice ran to Hannibal as the cuffs were tightened. "There's a meeting with the Bashandi's tomorrow. I'll be there." She kissed him very tenderly, holding his face in her hands. As they separated, her eyes began to tear.

Hannibal quickly turned from her.

"Logan, please escort Clarice home and make certain she activates the security system before you depart."

"Don't worry Hannibal, I will. I promise."

The journalist smiled, "Officers could you walk Doctor Lecter by a window before you bring him back to his cell. He might be interested in what a few comments by his brother generated."

The warden looked out the window to the large area just outside the gates of the prison, "Holy shit, are you kidding me? Bring Doctor Lecter to the window."

Hannibal was led to the window. He was amazed to see hundreds of people gathering, some were waving signs. Clarice ran to her husband's side and peered out at the crowd.

The shock in her voice mirrored his feelings, "Oh my God, H…there's gotta be close to a thousand people out there."

"Not as many as that but an impressive number no doubt," he commented.

The journalist, not sure of Hannibal, approached him carefully and directed the microphone to him.

"Doctor Lecter, is there anything you would like to say to your new friends? No doubt by tomorrow there will be many, many more. It has been announced that the Bashandi family will arrive tomorrow."

Hannibal was humbled by the attention, "I can only offer my most sincere thanks. I am quite honestly speechless."

Logan jumped in front of the camera and grabbed the microphone once again. "Dude, that's some democratic shit right there! Way to kick some ass my people!"

Mimicking Al Pacino in the movie Dog Day Afternoon, Logan started pacing furiously and pumped his fist but instead of the expected, Attica! Attica! As the cameras focused on the animated agent, Logan chanted, "HANNIBAL! HANNIBAL! HANNIBAL!"

Doctor Bloom spent the rest of the evening assembling all of his information on Hannibal Lecter. He was so absorbed in his own self-importance that he did not turn on the television.

The president was watching both the news coverage and the opinion polls, the Bashandi's were on a plane heading to America and Doctor Alan Bloom was fully unaware that the hornet's nest he had been kicking with seeming impunity would soon burst open.

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FAN FIC FRIENDS! I couldn't let the year pass without posting Chapter 100!

Hope you enjoyed it! Review and let me know what you think, then PM and say HI!

Until the next chapter my friends!

LH