AUTHOR'S NOTE:

We are very close to the end with not more than a couple of chapters to go! I want to thank my dearest friends who have continued to read and review with such regularity. A mighty effort considering the length of this fic! I am truly humbled. LH

IN THE DARK

Hannibal entered the bedroom as quietly as possible in the event his wife had fallen asleep. He debated with himself whether or not he might have preferred to find her sleeping. Though her body was healed and together they were looking forward to once more consummating their union, his body was now battered, sore and still feeling the aftereffects of the adrenalin coursing through his system.

Due to the storm, the room was pitch black giving Hannibal the advantage of disguise. Clarice, hearing her hsuband open the door and enter the room, reflexively reached for the lamp on the bedside table.

"No, my Love. I would prefer the room remain darkened."

His tone had been far more abrupt than intended, but the words were spoken, it was too late to correct and Hannibal was a man who didn't waste time with regret.

Both the curtness and the comment puzzled Clarice, but thankful Hannibal had come home at all, she deferred to his wishes without complaint. This confusion slowly began to plague her thoughts, furthering her hormonal insecurities. Immediately assuming that because her body had undergone so many changes, he might not want to look at her, that perhaps she might not be as pleasing to him since the birth, she sadly conceded.

Making love in the dark… it's just not like him.

Squinting, she could barely make out his figure in the room so there was no way for her to know he was attempting to hide the severity of his injuries until morning when the light of day would reveal the damage and he would have no choice but to explain.

Hannibal could all but hear her thoughts churning and though he knew his hasty reaction had ignited suspicion, he believed she would assent. It seemed too small a point to argue and though Clarice never shirked from a fight, she was smart enough to know when to pick her battles. This was one, Hannibal was certain, she would decline.

You know me so well you are confused as you no doubt you realize I prefer to look at you when we make love. You rightly recognize my actions are incongruent to my nature and though it pains me to plant this seed of doubt, if I've behaved all night as if I have no physical limitations, by the time the injuries are revealed you will realize I am fine. Though tomorrow the sight may shock, it will not worry you for long.

The room was very dark, the expected illumination from the stars and moon having been blocked by a dense quilt of clouds. As the thunderstorm raged outside and the sheets of rain beat against the windows, Clarice's mood darkened as well.

Suddenly, the home phone rang. Clarice rolled over and reached for it.

Hannibal held his breath. Not nervous, but anticipating the thought that one of the friends had seen the news coverage of the event. He approached the bed and stood over his wife.

This may get interesting…

As Clarice lifted the phone, Hannibal's eyes shifted quickly looking at the display and seeing Ardelia Mapp clearly illuminated, he commented, "Perhaps this isn't the most fortuitous time to take a call, my Love."

Clarice checked the display as well.

"It's Dee, she's probably just checking in. I'll call her later."

Setting the phone on the cradle, Clarice ignored the call.

Almost disappointed the chaos of the event had been avoided, Hannibal agreed.

"That would be best, my Love."

Baffled by his behavior, and more than a little disoriented by her inability to see him as he walked around the bed, she followed the sound of her husband's voice, hers stained with worry.

Hannibal removed his robe and climbed into bed, careful of his injuries as he nestled comfortably against her body, covering them both with the silk sheets.

Propping himself up on his right elbow, he smoothed his left hand over her body, continuing down the gentle slope of her waist.

"Your skin is so soft, Clarice…so soft."

Inclining his head enough to bite her deltoid muscle, he continued to reach touching her skin very lightly, his hand riding the sensual bow of her hip. Hannibal graced himself to pause for the briefest moment, allowing the pleasure of her pulse tapping gently at his fingertip. Smoothing his hand over her external oblique, he let his palm rest on her abdomen and lightly stroked his fingers over the gentle curve of her still slightly rounded belly.

Unable to see him, or perhaps because she could not, Clarice needed him close. Reaching back, feeling along his body she gripped his thigh and tugged him to her as closely as she could manage, going as far as to scoot her hips backward to press tightly against his body.

There was a long silence between them Hannibal felt no need to fill. He was far too interested in the gently slopes and curves of her body and the scent evolving as she responded to his touch.

Though she was enjoying his attention, she was slightly preoccupied considering the reason for her husband's inconsistent behavior. Scenarios tumbled in her mind and when she believed she had touched on a possibility, she addressed it tentatively, as if afraid the speaking of it would make this thought, a truth.

"H? No lights? Not even one?"

It's not like you…what's going on?

"I'd prefer not, Clarice. Is that a problem?"

I hear your worry…forgive me…

"No, but, you always want the lights on when we…unless…you…don't…"

His voice tired and raspy from the evening's exertion he whispered, "Unless what, my Love?"

"Unless…unless you don't want to make love with me. I wouldn't like it, but I'd understand. I've been a royal pain in the ass lately. I doubt that's much of a turn-on."

Hannibal let his chin rest just over his wife's left shoulder.

"Clarice, face me."

Spinning within his embrace, she placed her hands on his chest.

"It's too dark, I can't see you, H…"

"You don't need to see me, my Love. You know I'm here."

Kissing his chest, she rested her cheek on his breastbone, comforted by the beat of his heart. She listened to the tree tapping on the glass, its limbs being whipped by the storm, the mood of the weather, uneasy as her own.

Seeking to ease her mind, knowing she could perceive a change in the rhythm of his heart as she slept in this fashion every night, Hannibal allowed his body to respond to hers making no effort to slow the quickening as he touched her body.

"Listen to my heart, Clarice. Mind, body and soul, you move me like no other."

Feeling the organ beating soundly against her cheek, Clarice was moved. Though she wasn't normally given to bouts of melancholy, the changes to her body's chemistry, her worry over her husband and the mood of the evening itself drove her angst. She put her worry into words, perhaps hoping he might reassure.

"I didn't think you were coming back tonight, H. I wasn't sure you'd be back at all. I wouldn't blame you...I've been pretty freaking unreasonable."

Hannibal tightened the embrace.

"You've just had a baby, Clarice. Your hormones have been unbalanced and as such, you've not been fully yourself. I needed distance today, but not from you."

Uncharacteristically insecure, Clarice pulled at his body melding her frame to his.

"But we've been waiting months for this and you don't even want the lights on? You don't want to look at me."

It has been far too long for us my Love, yet you need more than my body, don't you?

Hannibal touched a kiss to her forehead and spoke very gently, "Not because I don't wish to look at your body, Clarice, but because I find it overly enticing. It has been far too long since I've had this level of contact with you. The lights would add a layer of stimulation that I would find difficult to handle. I fear I would be unable to stay my pleasure long enough to satisfy you. Please, allow me this."

Though still unsure, Clarice acquiesced, "Okay, H…if it makes you feel better."

"Infinitely, my Love."

A buzzing sound on the nightstand again sent Clarice reaching, this time for her cell phone.

"It's Dee again…Jesus…"

Clarice checked the text message. It said simply:

Saw the news coverage is everything okay with Hannibal? Logan and I are worried.

Clarice sent a quick text in return:

He's fine. No worries. I'll call you tomorrow.

Though he could clearly read the message, Hannibal questioned, "What is the problem, Clarice?"

"No problem, H…Dee and Logan were just worrying on the baby. They must have seen something on television about us taking him out for the day. I told her I'd call her in the morning."

Pleased Clarice assumed Ardelia was talking about the baby, Hannibal's body began to relax. Breathing deeply, the scent of her milk still heavy in the air, he bent to her breast and traced the tip of his nose in minute circles around her nipple, the flesh tightening by his touch and the heat of his breath. Though Hannibal initially stopped short of escalating the contact beyond this tender caress, but found the aroma had an intoxicating affect.

Arching her back, Clarice slipped her hand under the curve of her breast and offered, "Go ahead, H...it's fine."

"Clarice..."His voice rich with desire he managed only her name before gently latching to her breast.

An airy sigh, just the slightest whisper of a moan, as Clarice simultaneously nourished his body and his soul at her breast.

Needing little more encouragement than the sounds of her enjoyment, Hannibal's body began to respond, a burning deep within the pit of his belly hardening his flesh, causing his heart to soundly thump. Teasing at her breast, he held the nipple gently between his teeth and slowly applied pressure, listening for the response he sought to elicit.

The increasing pressure on her body intense, Clarice gasped.

This sudden uptake of breath was not only anticipated but longed for and caused his breath to catch, his stomach to quiver. The undulating upset caused by his want of her gave Hannibal the immediate and uncontrollable desire to cover her body with his. Aroused, he left her breast and mounted her body, but did not seek yet to penetrate instead enjoying the delicious anticipation of their joining.

Rolling his hips, moving her body with his, Hannibal whispered in her ear, "My, Clarice, how I've missed this."

Settling into the plush featherbed, enjoying the weight of his musculature Clarice responded, "I missed it too, H…I can't tell you how scared I was that I'd never have you again."

Careful to position his body to avoid his injuries and not place too much weight on his wife, Hannibal replied, "Knowing how I feel about you, that statement surprises me, Clarice. That should never be a thought, ever…"

Hannibal's breath was warm, his voice comforting as he spoke very softly in her ear, "Though I may need space from time to time, I will never, ever, leave you, Clarice. While my heart beats, there shall never be a sunrise that does not find you in my arms."

Grateful for the affirmation, Clarice pressed a loving kiss against his cheek. Her voice quavering, rich with emotion as she whispered, "That makes me feel so much better, H. I know I push too hard. I was afraid this time, I'd pushed you away."

"That is not possible, my Love. You would stand a better chance of killing me, than ever pushing me away as it would take my death to separate us."

Finding an angle that suited him, Hannibal settled on her body. Resting on the arm that had not been cut, he gathered her hair. First twisting the locks around his index finger, then, stimulated by the contact, he clutched a fistful and buried his nose along her neck within the tresses. He found the scent of her to be calming, steadying his mind even as it warmed his body. Nuzzling along her neck, he continued to speak his passion as he imagined how it would feel to join with her body once more.

"Never doubt my love for you, Clarice. Never doubt my commitment to you and to our family. You and the boy are all I have. All I have ever had. There is nothing more I need from this world. I have spent my life without a home and thought I was without that need, until I discovered it in your arms."

As if his words engendered heavenly affirmation, a crack of lightening briefly illuminated the room, startling Clarice. She jumped, blinking for a moment, thinking there was something odd, but the flood of light constricted her pupils with such speed that she unable to focus quickly enough to isolate Hannibal's features and discern the cause of her discomfort.

It's just the lights playing tricks on your mind, Clarice.

"I see worry in your eyes. Have I not set your mind at ease?"

"I wish I could see yours, H…I don't know what to do. Now that we're a family…I just thought…I wanted everything to be perfect."

Though he was listening, Hannibal continued to play with her hair, obsessing over the texture and the scent of it. He tucked his nose between her neck and the drape of curls, kissing the soft skin just behind her ear.

"There is no such thing as a perfect family, my Love. Not to mention, neither one of us is accustomed to the nuances of any kind of family life, much less what has become a very public family life. But, we can discuss this tomorrow. We have waited far too long to come together, Clarice. Let us enjoy this time. Our difficulties can wait."

Clarice patted her hand on his chest to comfort her husband as much as herself.

"I don't want to have difficulties, H…I want things to be peaceful the way they were when we got married."

"We did not live in Baltimore when first we married. That peace will prove problematic here, my Love. There are…complications."

You're perceptive…begin to make the connection, Clarice.

Clarice toyed with the hair on his chest.

"Because people know who you are?"

Clarice, you're so very close…

"Not only because they know who I am…"

Go on, my Love…you know the answer.

"It's because they care who you are, isn't it."

"Yes, Clarice."

Clarice considered his comment. He was right. Here, people wanted to see him. People sought to interact, and not always in the way she would prefer. Here, he was something different, a curiosity, but in Argentina…

Argentina…

She tried to put the thought aside, but Hannibal had indirectly, though very purposefully planted it in her mind in order that it might germinate.

Realizing she had come to the answer, Clarice visibly relaxed and arched upward, craning her neck, straining to reach his lips.

"H…kiss me…"

Hannibal enfolded her within his embrace. Tentative, his mouth found hers, testing the sensations, his lips still tender from the assault.

Seeking her mouth gently, he probed with his tongue, tracing it along the separation, careful not to reveal the split in his lower lip. Capturing her bottom lip and tugging, he sucked at the plump flesh as he teased it between his teeth.

"When you kiss me, H, you take my breath away."

"You took my breath away from the first moment I saw you. You are the only woman I've ever wanted to kiss, my Love."

When Hannibal returned to her lips, Clarice parted them slightly, welcoming his attention. Minutes passed as husband and wife explored each other's mouths, a flow slowly developing as they searched, heads rolling rhythmically, tongues probing, caressing one another. Occasionally one would touch the other. The back of a hand brushing along a cheek, a thumb smoothing over a chin, but all the while, their lips remained.

His passion building, Hannibal left his wife's lips, slowly tracing the lightest bites along her throat. He alternately kissed and sucked at her skin, drawing it in his mouth, tugging gently at the flesh with his teeth, marking her body with love bites even as he growled, overtly staking his claim.

All the while, the storm raged on.

The rolling of thunder matched the rumbling of pleasure as Hannibal pursued his Love. The sounds, like the snarl of a predator warning others away. The emotive quality made Clarice tingle with desire, the anticipation of his primal want of her body, an aphrodisiac.

Allowing her lips to leave his, her head to slowly roll back, Clarice closed her eyes and exposed her throat to her husband. The invitation accepted, Hannibal clamped down sucking hard at the surface, literally catching her breath from the pressure his mouth placed on her throat.

As a soft moan escaped his wife's lips, Hannibal's passion surged. His mouth still clamped firmly over her throat as his lips clutched hard. Unable to speak lest he lose his grip on her flesh, Hannibal groaned his pleasure against her body, the vibration of his pleasure, rolling her vocal chords along with her own.

Needing touch, he shifted his hips to the side and began smoothing his hands across the breadth of her chest, floating his fingertips across her collarbone, barely skimming his palms over the peaks of her breast, now taut from the tender caress. Reaching upward, he grasped the caps of her shoulders pulling her tightly to him, forcing her body more firmly against his.

Connected to his wife so viscerally, Hannibal groaned his passion as his mouth seized her flesh once more, this vocal vibration tickling Clarice. She giggled and squirmed against him, shifting her position slightly away from him, unintentionally grasping his injured arm.

Though he was careful not to flinch, he closed his eyes momentarily in order to force the pain aside so as not to alarm Clarice. He was concerned he might have to reveal the physical damage before he was ready to do so.

Feeling the texture of the bandage, she paused.

"H? I can't see it in the dark. What's that on your arm?"

He answered quickly careful to frame the response accurately, but in a way that would not alarm his lover.

"It is an elastic bandage, Clarice. I was injured at the National Mall not far from the carousel. You may see the damage in the morning, but for now I would like to make love, so, please don't distract."

Damage?

His attention now shifting to her body, Hannibal smoothed his wide palms over her ribs, turned his hands inward and stroked his fingers over her abdomen.

This particular touch distracted Clarice. Self-conscious, she grabbed his wrist and stayed his hand.

"Come on H, stop…I know I've still got a couple more pounds to lose, but with the breast feeding makes it's tougher than I thought."

"No man has ever desired a woman as much as I desire you, Clarice. Your body is perfect. As for the breastfeeding, that you allow me to benefit, you'll not hear me complain."

Hannibal moved lower still, his lips trailing over her abdomen, his tongue tasting the saltiness of her flesh having been overly warmed by the blanket he continued to push aside. Reached boldly between her thighs, his hand tested her level of arousal, though the richness of her scent had already revealed all to him.

Briefly resting his head on the flank of her hip, bringing the hand to his face, he trailed his fingers beneath his nose and inhaling deeply, breathed in her scent.

Dipping the slickened tips of his fingers within his mouth he closed his lips around each digit, and slowly dragged them forward, one by one, tasting her essence. His thirst for her unquenched by the sample, bending low, he returned to her body, his lips now more directly seeking her flesh.

Hannibal kissed the shapely muscle of her inner thigh, teasing tender bites as he spoke with adoration, "Your body is delicious, Clarice, and your scent rivals the finest perfume."

The shift of his shoulders and his movement lower still, illustrated his intention, but his wife wanted more. The wait had been too long. The emptiness within left her aching for him. She pulled at his shoulders causing him to lift his head, questioning.

"Clarice? I don't understand."

"It's just that, I don't want to wait anymore…please. I need you."

"Yes, but, I want to hear the sounds of your pleasure ringing in my ears, Clarice."

"If my thighs are covering them you won't hear much, will you? Come up here, H. You do right and trust me the Wardens will hear it! I don't need tender and I don't need romantic. I need you that bad, H, please. We can take our time on the next go around. Right now I want it hard and fast."

"The hard I can provide, we shall see about the fast."

Hannibal shifted, lifting his hip to release his firmness, trapped between their bodies.

"Guide me, Clarice…I'm uncertain and don't wish to hurt you."

"I'm not that fragile. You don't have to worry."

"I shall always worry, my Love."

"It's too dark, H…I can't see it…"

Hannibal laughed at the comment, "It isn't detachable, Clarice."

"Don't be such a wise ass, H…I'm just nervous that's all."

"Allow me, my Love."

Feeling the goose bumps rise as he trailed his fingertips along the length of her arm, he reached her hand and lifted it gently, moving it lower. Slipping his thumb along the inside of her wrist he rolled it within her palm, opening her hand.

"H…"

Placing her hand firmly around his phallus, Hannibal slowly closed her fingers.

"I place myself in your able hand, my Love."

Clarice very gently directed his body just to the entrance of hers. Feeling the heat, sensing the cleft, Hannibal rotated his hips and very slowly began to press himself within. He whispered in her ear, his breath warm as he spoke, "Move with me, my Love."

Rocking her hips to meet his body, gripping her husband's shoulders as his firm flesh extended within her, Clarice released a sensual sigh reacting as her body opened to him.

"Oh, god…H…H."

As her muscles stretched to welcome his body, both partners exhaled very slowly, as if the release of their combined breaths purged the months of waiting, the months of wanting.

The sensations too intense, Hannibal paused. Holding his body mid-way within hers, he reached to the base of his arousal and gripped himself, restraining his desire.

Clarice, having been as patient as she could be to this point, hooked her ankles around his body and using the strength of her thighs to pull him close, pressed his body fully within her own.

Dropping his chin to his chest, Hannibal drew in several quick breaths, attempting to both control the pain, and restrain his passion. His shoulders shook as his body both stayed his release, and moved within.

Biting on his lip he could taste his blood as the cut began to separate once more. The gash on his forearm pulsing from the pressure of supporting his body, Hannibal shifted his weight to the other arm, breathing deeply to quell the pain.

"Clarice…Allow a moment."

A whimper of frustration, Clarice confused his hesitation with playful torment.

"H…it's been months…please…don't tease me."

"Trust me, Clarice…I'm not teasing you. It is simply that if I move too rapidly, it will end too rapidly."

"Okay…okay."

After a minute of controlled breathing, Hannibal pressed his body fully within, the warmth inviting, the pressure on his girth far more than he expected considering his wife not long ago given birth.

"Are you comfortable, Clarice?"

"Yeah, I'm good, H…you?"

"Perfect…you're perfect."

Hannibal stroked his length within Clarice, very slowly at first, occasionally rolling his hips to increase the friction and enhance the pleasure for them both. Now fully aroused, his size, as he pressed forward, caused his wife to gasp.

Overwhelmed by her own want, Clarice gripped Hannibal's face within her hands, meeting his body repeatedly by driving her hips upward.

"Oh…H…that's so good…"

Groaning both from the pressure her hands on his enflamed face and the intense pleasure of her body closing around his, his passion combined with the searing pain behind his swollen eye encouraged Hannibal's speed. His wife's body irresistible, he quickly began to force his hips downward repeatedly, his body now slapping against hers as he shifted his mind from the intense pain to a similarly intense pleasure.

"Clarice…my Clarice…oh…my…Love…"

Hannibal spoke his adoration with each thrust of his body within hers. As he clutched at her bottom, his strong hands driving his fingers into her flesh, grasping, and clutching her close. He balanced on the edges of pleasure and pain, dizzy from this overwhelming clash of sensations. Hannibal breathed deeply, the scent of her milk, mixing with the amalgam of their combined lust overwhelming his senses.

This concerted rush of emotion and intense passion so extreme, Hannibal's legendary self-control collapsed. Forcing his fingers between the mattress and the headboard, Hannibal tugged at the bed's foundation, bending the support to his will.

Sex with Clarice was normally far more romantic, more loving. The pain from his injuries were coloring this exchange, it much more raw and intense than any of their previous couplings.

Biting hard on the muscles of her neck, Hannibal's past hedonistic and slightly sado-masochistic tendencies were beginning to bleed through. His hips now bucking, driving into her body, he clawed at the flesh on her back, raising thin tracks of projecting flesh.

"Oh, god...Hannibal...oh...god"

Hannibal, wanting his end, needed to more directly stimulate his wife. He reached between her legs, slipping his fingers within the fold, manually coaxing her pleasure by teasing the digits forward, sliding them continually within the cleft, stroking the slick tissues to encourage her end.

The collision of several intense bolts of lightning brightly illuminated the room. Hannibal could clearly see his wife's features, her eyes crushed closed as the raptured evolved. Knowing by her breathing and the look on her face, Hannibal understood Clarice's end was near.

"Come, my Love…give yourself to me…"

Clarice let go of Hannibal's body and allowed her own to stretch out across the bed, grasping at fists full of the sheets, twisting the fabric within her grip as she writhed beneath him.

Seeing her walk the tightrope of her own rapture, Hannibal sought the slightest addition, wanting to watch her orgasm evolve.

Taking her breast in his mouth while quickening the rhythm of his fingers over her flesh as his body now driving within almost violently entered hers, Hannibal could feel the changes.

Clarice clutched for his body, biting his shoulder, the taste of blood in her mouth as her incisor nicked his flesh.

Her body tensing, every muscle seizing, as the relentless throes of orgasm began to rock her frame.

"H…H…oh…God…H…H…"

Clarice's body began to shake, jolting with the spasms of intense pleasure as the first orgasm in months with her husband within her body, blossomed.

"Mmmm, H…Right there… Right there…oh, god…H…H…oh…oh…oh…H…H…"

As the upheaval overwhelmed her body, the sights and sounds of Clarice in orgasm overwhelmed Hannibal.

Driving his hips to his end Hannibal tucked his face alongside hers. Pressed against Clarice's warm cheek, he allowed his body to drive recklessly toward the orgasm denied for so long, Hannibal growled his release, his body jolting uncontrollably as the ecstasy pulsed from him, filling his wife.

Clarice held Hannibal until his body stilled.

The lovers rested in one another's arms, neither feeling any need to speak. Several hours passed before the baby stirred. Hannibal brought the child to his wife. She nursed their son as Hannibal held them both. They rested together quietly, Hannibal listening to the rain fall as his son suckled quietly.

His last thought as he drifted to sleep…

Argentina.

Until the next chapter my friends,

LH