THE INTRUSION

The moment Hannibal's bare feet hit the cool wooden floors of the hall he paused and searched the air for clues. His senses confirmed that he had in fact, been correct. The intruder had accessed the home through the balcony in the bedroom previously occupied by Mariyah.

As he was barefoot, Hannibal was certain he could approach undetected, therefore, he need only stay away from the center of the hallway to avoid being seen before he wished it. Sliding his back along the wall he reached the opening to the room and paused.

Not on the balcony…you have not, as of yet, fully retreated? You are either very brave, or very foolish my friend. Perhaps both. If true, the distinct advantage would be mine.

Moving swiftly around the doorframe Hannibal appeared in the room before the intruder had any prior warning of his arrival.

There the man stood in the center of the space with no hint of fear in his eyes.

"So, Hannibal Lecter, I've gotta say I'm sure impressed. I didn't think you'd be this good! Hell, you caught me before I even got all the way into the room! Well, since I haven't touched anything how about we call this no harm, no foul?"

Hannibal took one step closer to the interloper. As his eyes maroon eyes simmered with rage he warned, "Though there has indeed been a foul committed as you are in my home uninvited, there is no harm as of yet..."

Hannibal's head inclined slightly as his eyes narrowed. He hissed his caution, "…however, the night is young."

The man, wearing what appeared to be a climber's harness and rigging, began to back up toward the rail extending a protective arm to ensure distance if Hannibal did indeed charge toward him. Hannibal stood his ground, glaring forward, nostrils flared.

The scent of charcoal, sulfur, potassium nitrate, you have fired a weapon or set a charge recently. It may be you have a firearm. If I move toward you and your offense bests mine, you will be alone with my wife. No…I'm a patient man. I shall assess your abilities from a distance.

The trespasser was surprised to find that Hannibal remained motionless.

"I was just about to leave. No need to see me out."

Hannibal took one step forward and clasped his hands before him. His voice was eerily calm as he offered, "Yes, it would be prudent to leave my home immediately without incident. Should you be foolish enough to return, I will seek you out, I promise on the life of my wife and child that I will find you and you may rest assured, I will kill you."

The man had dark hair and eyes. Hannibal judged that he was a few years shy of thirty, a little on the shorter side but compact and well muscled.

Actually enjoying the thrill of being discovered the shortsighted intruder verbally probed Hannibal, poking at the wound he thought he had discovered.

"Your child? Are you sure? I mean you're a bit…advanced in age. Not to mention everyone says when you married Clarice she had you de-clawed and neutered like a house cat. She probably keeps you around to cook. Yeah, a piece of ass as hot as Clarice must have a real man on the side."

Hannibal lowered his head and took a second, very slow step forward. The moment his second foot aligned with the first, he spoke in a threatening tone, more a growl than anything conversational.

"Do you think me so unbalanced that your pathetic insults do me injury? Do you think yourself brave counting coo on the cannibal as it were? I see from the calloused hands and the well-worn equipment about your waist that you consider yourself a risk taker. Have you decided I am your Everest, my friend? Well, no matter as I am a bit of a risk taker as well, though I do not suggest you tempt me as you may find that you are not quite as fond of adrenalin as I. Should you mention my wife or question my son's parentage again or you will soon find out just how I achieve my sudden rush of that particular hormone."

The sound of Hannibal's voice raised the hairs on the back of the young man's neck causing the intrusive individual to begin weighing his options. Finding them wanting he backed up and without another word, sidestepped the rail, tightened the rope looping it through the karabiner and quickly rappelled to the ground. Standing now, outside both the home and the immediate reach of Hannibal, the man became emboldened. He called up to him, confident now that he had the safety of distance.

"Hey, Lecter! Give your wife a kiss from me. Maybe the next time I come, I'll bring the whipped cream and give her something to kiss it from."

Hannibal the Cannibal, eyes glowing with fury, leaned over the rail and spoke with an icy calm that belied the fire raging in the center of his chest, "Do not test my resolve in this. Should you return, your life is forfeit."

As the man stepped into the shadows Hannibal Lecter inhaled deeply, memorizing the scent of the trespasser and the location of the retreat. Hannibal then secured the open rooms and returned to his bedroom.

Clarice, both palms and an ear pressed to the door, listened intently. She could hear the approach of someone and hoped it was indeed her husband, unharmed.

Hannibal was about to tap lightly on the door however, upon approach he detected from her scent that she was just on the other side. He placed his hand to the door and sensing her presence, spoke softly, "You may let me in, my Love. Our visitor has departed."

Clarice unlocked and opened the door widely, allowing her husband entry. When she confirmed for herself that Hannibal was uninjured she reacted with incredulity to the events as she perceived them.

"I could hear you talking to someone. What the hell, H!"

Hannibal walked around the room collecting the clothing he discarded so zealously not long before, "A young man has decided the financial reward the Tattler offered is worth the risk and attempted to access our home through our daughter's room."

Clarice followed her husband and questioned, "But he's gone, right? You scared him off."

"He is gone."

"Good. He's gone and you're safe so it's over." Clarice paused for a moment questioning his recent wording. "H? You keep saying our daughter's room. Why?"

Hannibal was processing the stimuli from the intruder as he spoke to his wife. He judged, based on the approaching weather and the wind direction that the scent trail, in referenced to his ability to track it, would last no more than another hour. Instead of revealing his disquiet he continued to speak judging correctly that the topic would ease his wife's distress.

Hannibal moved to the master bath, stripped and placed the clothing not requiring dry cleaning in the hamper. The remaining garments he folded neatly and stacked on top. He approached his wife and brushed his knuckles from her cheekbone to her jawline then brushed his thumb along her lips.

"Our son will need a sibling. I thought we decided to give young Hannibal the room closet to ours because with the balcony would be less than ideal for an impulsive boy, but more than appropriate for our future daughter."

Clarice picked up the clothing on the hamper and placed the pile in a laundry bag she designated for the cleaners and returned it to a hook in the linen closet. She then reached for a towel from the shelf and handed it to her husband.

"So you've decided we are having another child and it will be a girl? What if we do have another and it's a boy? Does he get the balcony?"

Hannibal took the towel and placed it on the warmer near the shower stall for easy access. He responded quickly, his answer leaving no room for discussion.

"No balcony. As I have stated previously, that room is for our daughter."

The pair continued to discuss the bedroom without acknowledging the intruder. Having had extensive experience on both sides of the law, neither spouse seemed overtly concerned that a possibly dangerous individual had just accessed their home.

Clarice sat on the edge of the whirlpool tub as Hannibal entered the shower stall. She questioned, "So, you intend to keep fathering children until you have a daughter?"

Hannibal answered as he spun the dial to adjust the temperature of the shower water. "Precisely. Is that prospect distasteful to you, Clarice?"

Allowing a moment to consider the thought she answered honestly, "No…I'd love a little girl but I've got our little guy to think about first so how about we not get ahead of ourselves okay?"

"Okie-dokie," he answered playfully as he leaned over and sought her lips.

The moment their lips parted, Clarice regrouped.

"So, baby stuff aside…this person? He's gone…for good?"

Hannibal opened the stall door, reached into the stream to assess the temperature and stepped into the shower.

"As he did not have photographic equipment with him at the time, I am assuming it was his intention to peruse the home and return. As a matter of fact, he announced as much."

Clarice questioned as her husband washed, "He had the balls to tell you he was coming back?"

"Not in as many words, but, yes, I believe he will return."

Continuing to interrogate she asked, "How old? What did he look like? Did he have a weapon?"

Hannibal opened the shower door, leaned out and smiled as he spoke, "My, Ex-Special Agent Starling, on the job again I see?"

Clarice laughed, "Don't be such a wise ass, H!"

Hannibal closed the door and began to soap his chest as he described, "Five foot six, muscular, not quite thirty, Caucasian I believe but that's hard to determine."

"Weapon?"

Rinsing, he assessed, "Based on his boldness I would assume so, though there was none visible. I did catch the scent of gunpowder, however."

Hannibal then opened the door once again, reached for his towel and stepped out onto the mat. He began to dry his body as Clarice watched.

"Gunpowder? Jesus, H…That really changes things. What will you do if he comes back?"

Hannibal wrapped the towel around his waist and reached for Clarice. Settling his hands on his wife's hips Hannibal pulled her close and spoke softly, "If he returns, after being warned to stay away, he poses a threat to our family that I will not tolerate."

Clarice hugged him tightly, needing the security of his body as she asked, "And that means?"

Hannibal kissed her cheek, keeping his pressed against hers as he spoke, "That means, Clarice, this brazen individual has proven he will go to great lengths to achieve a financial reward at our expense. Factor in that he has shown no fear of approaching me or invading our home and I am forced to ask myself what is to stop him in the future from attempting to abduct our son?"

Clarice released her husband and stood in front of him, amazed at his statement.

"He wasn't afraid of you?"

Hannibal guided her to the bedroom and set about dressing himself.

"No. He had no fear of me whatever and that is…disconcerting."

Clarice sat down on the bed, staring at the floor in amazement.

"It's more than disconcerting, H…It's downright fucking unbelievable!"

Clarice looked up and noticed what her husband was wearing: a dark jogging suit with a black underarmor shirt. The unusual attire garnered the attention of Clarice.

"What? No Armani or Gucci?"

Hannibal reached for a black goretex windbreaker. "I would think that would make me stand out a bit which is the last thing I intend to do."

Seeing her husband's clothing and grasping his intention, the sudden realization that the man posed a viable threat had just begun to sink in. Clarice worried aloud, "Christ…Christ, H…what are you doing?"

Hannibal took his wife in his arms and spoke softly, seeking to comfort, "What would you have me do, Clarice?"

"Only if he comes back, H…" Clarice paused, running her hands over her belly protectively. "If he does…"

Concerned that speaking the words would in some way compromise his wife Hannibal interceded, "The question was rhetorical Clarice as we both understand what I will have to do if this person returns. You may rest assured I will not allow anyone to endanger our family. I have waited far too long and I will not risk your safety or that of our child under any circumstances."

"H, whatever happens it can't come back at you. If I have to watch them drag you off in chains again…if that mask is ever strapped to your face, I'll die…I'll just die!"

"I said he was fearless, my Love, I didn't say he was intelligent. Rest assured, if I am forced to take action it will be in a place and at time that will not reflect on me. No one will drag me from you. I will allow no one else will raise my son."

Clarice slipped her arms around her husband's neck and snuggled against his chest. "H…I don't feel like going out now."

He whispered supportively, "Not to worry, my Love. If you would rather stay in, that is exactly what we will do."

Hannibal rested his chin on the top of his wife's head. He was actually pleased that Clarice no longer wanted to leave the home this evening as this would give him an opportunity to track the transgressor.

Hannibal released his wife, and reached for his sneakers.

"I would be more than happy to pick up whatever you would like but you must activate the security system and promise not to answer the door to anyone, no matter how harmless they appear."

"I promise, H. Don't worry…I learned my lesson with Stuart Miggs. I'll call ahead for the food while you shower. Would you mind Indian, tonight?"

"I will have whatever you choose, my Love. You may order for me. Something spicy, perhaps."

Hannibal sat on the edge of the bed, slipped his feet quickly within the sneakers and bent to tie his laces. Seeing he was almost ready Clarice walked to the door.

"I'll go downstairs, get the menu and call from the kitchen. Come down when you're ready."

"Very well, Clarice."

Knowing the forecast included scattered showers later that evening he could not chance to go out while Clarice slept. The rain would lessen the scent and gifted as he was, Hannibal wouldn't be able to follow once the precipitation started.

Within minutes Hannibal appeared in the kitchen, eyes fiery with the excitement of the impending hunt. His enthusiasm was not wasted on his wife, though she did not share his obvious anticipation.

"Can you move around unseen? Even though it's getting dark, it's still early."

Hannibal zippered his jacket as he rejoined, "I can if I am careful not to make eye contact with bystanders."

Her tone was disappointed, mournful almost as she conceded, "Yeah I guess you'd better keep your eyes hidden. They make you stand out more than just a bit."

Hannibal returned, "I cannot cover my eyes, Clarice. You disposed of my contact lenses, remember?"

Clarice reached into the cabinet and opened a box of Sno-balls. Within the box a small plastic blister pack. She handed it to Hannibal.

"I kept a couple of pairs just in case we ever had to run. I knew that was the last place you ever look."

"That was very pragmatic, Clarice, and your choice of a hiding place was inspired."

Hannibal very quickly opened the package and inserted the contacts as Clarice put the box back on the shelf. She spoke closed the cabinet, pausing, hoping he would not detect deceit.

"The food won't be ready for another hour, H. The restaurant is a little backed up on orders tonight."

Hannibal angled his head slightly as he gently challenged, "Backed up on orders? It is a Tuesday night, Clarice? Surely you can do better than that."

"Okay…Okay… I wanted to give you a little extra time to check around for that son of a bitch before it gets too late. I know you and if you don't have enough time now you'll go out when you think I'm asleep. I just thought I'd save you a late night."

Hannibal kissed her forehead. "That was very considerate of you, Clarice."

The concerned wife counseled, "You be careful, H. Track him, but if you find him you be sure to stay away from him. Under no circumstances are you to touch this guy. Only if he comes back, right?"

"It is not a matter of if I find him it is more a matter of when I find him…"Hannibal then affirmed, "and you have my word, I will not engage the man unless he is foolish enough to return."

Clarice held the door, kissing her husband as he moved past her in the entryway.

"Keep an eye on the clock, H. I'd like to eat dinner before breakfast."

Hannibal turned on the stairs and faced the direction he knew the intruder fled. His nostrils flared. As he gathered in the scent he responded, "Not to worry, Clarice, I will be conscious of the time."

"Contacts in?"

"Contacts in."

"Cell phone?"

"In my pocket if you should need me."

"Okay, text me when you get to the restaurant. I want to know when you're through with that douchebag."

"Certainly."

As Hannibal turned to leave, Clarice grabbed his hand and pulled her to him. Resting her hands on his chest she smoothed her palms across his pectoral muscles. She continually patted him as she spoke, "H…What if something happens to you? What about the baby?"

Hannibal clutched her hands to him. "You must trust me when I say that there is nothing on earth or in heaven that will keep me from your side when our child is born, Clarice."

Clarice looked to her husband's eyes disappointed to have them shielded once again. She likened the brown contacts to the mask, both symbols of his bondage, though in different ways. She ran the back of her hand down his cheek more for her comfort than his.

Hannibal's intuition keen, he understood her discomfort. "Though the color has changed, I am still here, Clarice."

"I know, H…I just don't think of those contact lenses any differently than I think of that fucking mask they made you wear."

Hannibal ran a consoling hand down his wife's arm as he solaced, "I will remove them before returning to you, my Love."

She rested her hand on his shoulder and supported, "Don't worry about that, H…you just make sure you return."

Hannibal pulled his collar up around his face and walked down the steps of their home.

"Rest assured, my Love, our son will arrive soon and I will be by your side."

Hannibal turned from his wife, set his mind to the task at hand and set out in the direction of the scent as if beginning an evening run. He disappeared around the corner, Clarice terrified the love of her life and the father of her soon to be born son might never return.

Until the next chapter, my friends!

LH