I'll try to update regularly until the fic is finished. I know a lot of people are sheltering in place, or have had to restrict their movements, so please be safe and stay well, my fanfic friends.

For Anna...Always

HANNIBAL AWAKENS

When Clarice returned, she wasn't surprised to find Hannibal still soundly asleep. He'd walked the floors most of the night, though she'd never let on she was aware of it. He was a solitary man living a very un-solitary life, so she respected when he needed to be alone. Mentioning it would make him feel obligated to remain in bed with her, she thought, and that was something she didn't ever want from him. Obligation. Shackles were deadly for any relationship, and something she wouldn't tolerate between them. She walked quietly, slipping her feet silently across the floor, took the box of pastries, along with the coffee she'd purchased closer to the hotel, and placed them on the table beneath the window. Clarice hopped in the shower to quickly rinse the stench of the streets from her body, then sat on the armchair in the corner lifted the lid from the coffee cups, watched and waited.

Within moments he stirred, Hannibal's nostrils pinching and flaring as his sleeping senses came alive from the scents of the coffee. Rising on an elbow he shifted his body to one side to face her.

"Good morning, Clarice. From the scents wafting about the room you've been out in the world, I take it?"

"To get breakfast for you, yes," she replied with a smile.

He sat up in bed and opened his arms to her. "There may be something else you can do for me…"

"If you're looking for a little amuse bouche," she joked, "just know the coffee will get cold…"

He patted his hand on the bed. "Though iced coffee isn't my preference, I'll happily make due if you will. Unless you're of a different mind, of course."

He winked, and her heart soared.

"I think we're always of the same mind, H."

He flipped the covers aside like a matador might snap aside his cape. "I wait, my Love."

He was shirtless, but now wore silk pajama bottoms to bed, a habit necessary since the birth of the children. His body was leaner than normal, a result of the time he spent at his aunt's bedside. She'd been unable to eat for weeks, and he'd refused to eat other than an occasional cold plate as she slept. He didn't want the aromas of family meals reaching her, so the children and Clarice took their hot meals with Logan and Ardelia.

"You've gotten a little thinner, H…we gotta beef you up again."

"Ah, so that's the reason for the early morning bakery run?" He laughed, and slapped his hand on his flattened stomach. "Don't worry, my Love…you're all the sustenance I'll ever need."

"And you're all I'll ever need…all I've ever needed, H…I love you more than you know..." She climbed across the bed. Her husband reached for her and gathered her close.

"I love you as well, Dearest…you have no idea how much." He lifted his chin, breathed deeply, and searched the air. "You've showered just now?"

She nodded, but didn't say anything else. Not that she predicted they'd make love and needed the shower, but more that she was worried he might pick up Popil's scent on her body. Thought he'd known the man so long ago, his scent would have been engrained in Hannibal's memory palace, she was sure of it. Hannibal nuzzled against her neck. "You showered last night before bed, did you not?"

This was not a conversation she wanted to have now. "C'mon…You're killing the moment, H…no more talk, okay?"

"You're right, Clarice…no more talk." He laid back on the bed, the lengths of their bodies aligning as she drew close. He smiled. Hannibal Lecter's smile, enigmatic, and sexy in the most dangerous way, she thought. His teeth were small, and sparkling white with the sharp incisors of a true carnivore. She smiled too, knowing she'd tamed this gorgeous beast of a man to the extent he could be tamed. It was like living with a magnificent old lion, she thought. Majestic, wisdom-filled, and with the calm demeanor of an Alpha, but capable of violence in a split second if tempted to it. Never toward her, though. No matter what Popil suggested, never toward her or the children. He would kill for them. He would die for them, but he'd never, ever harm them. She leaned it toward that smile, his lips pursing as she touched her mouth to his.

His lips were soft…warm. His mouth opened to hers, his tongue so gently brushing across her mouth she could feel her stomach flutter. The anticipation of their lovemaking was exquisite. Hannibal was gifted in that way. Not his size, or his girth…though he was well-endowed, but gifted in the way that makes a man know instinctively what his mate wanted, and how she'd respond. He responded, too, his length hardening as they stretched alongside one another. As they kissed, he slowly helped disrobe her. She loved how he paused as each article of clothing was peeled from her body, kissing each bit of exposed skin as her flesh was revealed. She was down to her bra and panties, now. Hannibal pinched the clasp of her bra, twisted, and unhooked it with a snap of his fingers. Panties only, she cuddled alongside him, their mouths locked as he slipped one hand beneath the fabric, gliding his right hand over her buttocks, grasping her left cheek and squeezing tightly.

Excited by his obvious need and responding to her own, she bit his lip hard too hard, and tasted his blood. Hannibal's only reaction, his hand diving down the front of her panties. She attempted to whisper an apology, but as his fingers parted her flesh, stroking her so gently all she could manage was a low moan. He slipped a finger within her, teasing upward in long strokes as if tempting her closer to him. She closed her eyes for a moment and drew a deep breath as she took him in. Soon she settled, her body moving with each gentle caress of his hand. He used his thumb to spread her folds, slipping another finger within, now filling her. She gasped, and squirmed in a way he must have found enticing. Hannibal, growling low, breached upward to capture her breast with his mouth. Teasing bites of her nipples drove her eyes closed and she clenched down on his fingers, her muscles holding him tightly within. Wet with arousal, her hips rocked in rhythm with his fingers, Clarice riding his hand as if he commanded every movement. Her breathing quickened, her movements becoming more urgent as orgasm bloomed. Shockingly, Hannibal he grasped her hips, denying movement.

"No, Clarice…" he whispered against her lips, "Not yet…not this way…"

"Not this way? What way…"

"I'm about to enjoy the amuse bouche you suggested, my Love…hopefully you find it equally appetizing. We shall see."

She wondered what he was imagining. His hand stopped moving, but his fingers remained within her. They kissed for what seemed hours, though it was likely no more than a few minutes. His tongue danced and swirled around hers, but his hand remained quiet within her. She tried to rock her hips, but he held his other hand on her bottom, gripping her tightly to him. Clarice was becoming impatient. She wanted him. She wanted him now. Once more she reached beneath her hoping to release his arousal from his clothing. Once more he grasped her hips and held her tightly to him. He bit her bottom lip- an admonishment of sorts, and tugged it back until it popped from his hold. Frustrated, she held eyes tightly closed.

"Look at me, Clarice," Hannibal spoke gently as he began guiding her to lift her hip slightly. She looked at him as he drew his hand from within her. Looking deep within her eyes he lifted his hand to his mouth and put his fingers, slick with her juices, and licked her essence from his hand. "I'm starved, my Love. You trust me, yes?"

She nodded, "I trust you…"

"Place your knees on my pillow."

"Facing which way?" she asked not certain what he meant.

"Facing the headboard. Holding it if you have need."

"You'll have to move, H…"

He shook his head, "No…my head will be on my pillow. Your knees on either side."

"But I'll be straddling…"

"Yes…it's something I've imagined, something we've flirted with, but never fully committed to. If you trust me, I'll be in heaven, my Love, and hopefully you'll be joining me."

She allowed him to guide her up his body, placing her knees on his pillow, her sex hovering over his mouth. She looked down, his eyes afire with a passion she hadn't seen in months. He'd been worn down. He needed this as much as she did, and though she'd always known Hannibal had a mild oral fixation, this was something he hadn't asked of her. She was modest by nature this required a level of comfort and of trust he must have known would take some time for her to build to. They'd been together for many years, and experienced so many setbacks and hardships. Still, they fought through each obstacle, each separation together, and grew stronger for it. So many people had tried to come between them just like Popil, searching for a weakness between them, but there was none. They wouldn't allow it. The love they had for one another was immutable. Unchanging. Now, with so much love and trust built between them with neither abandoning the other no matter the circumstance, now there was nothing she'd deny him.

"I'm ready, my Love…you?"

"Okay, H…ready."

She gripped the headboard, and lowered her body over his mouth. Her thighs pressed against his ears, her knees sinking into the pillow, her breath hitched the moment his tongue found that place his fingers had been. She gasped as his mouth covered her, and froze for a moment, experiencing his mouth moving over her most intimate flesh. He kissed her deeply, hungrily, his hands on her bottom to add support, and guide her over him. His passions now contented, Hannibal hummed, and purred deeply within the inner folds of her labia, the vibrations rolling within her, the sounds and pulses from his vocalizations adding to a heightened sense of arousal.

The sounds were deep, and primal, causing rolling tremors that throbbed against her already-overstimulated flesh. Hannibal kept her from moving at first, occasionally, teased his tongue in small circles around her clitoris. She arched her back, moaning so loudly she was thankful Ardelia and Logan had the children. Needing release, she gasped, "H…please…" He released his hold on her, allowing her to move freely over him. She rocked back and forth over him, her hips bucking gently over his chin as he chased her orgasm with her. She grabbed his head and held him still, though she could do nothing to slow his tongue, or to stay the movements of his mouth. He growled against her flesh as she arched her back, then hunched down over him, her orgasm overwhelming her body in ways she hadn't experienced. When she lifted slightly to lessen the post-orgasmic spasms, Hannibal slowed his mouth, gently lapping the at lips of her labia to drink the nectar of her ecstasy. He didn't move, allowing her to decide when she'd recovered to a point she could comfortably move. Soon she lifted her body, with his help, from him and took her place beside him.

Hannibal held her close, neither speaking as she enjoyed the aura of her orgasm. She spoke first. "My body feels so weak…like I'm made of noodles or something."

"Far more delicious than mere noodles, Clarice, I assure you. Would you like some coffee? I can bring the food to you. You've done enough for me, my Love."

She rolled onto her side. "You took care of me, H…it's your turn first…"

He reached for her hand and kissed it, then he covered her body with a sheet, and stepped away from the bed. Though he was obviously aroused, the pajama bottoms not offering much to the imagination, he assured, "No…All my wants and needs were met."

He lifted the bag from the bakery, and the carried the coffee cups to Clarice in bed. He paused as he walked past her coat. Her coat. She shook his hand. Fuck.

She could see the wheels turning within his mind as they sat in bed, sipped their coffee and enjoyed the pastry. Finally, as if he'd already processed and confirmed his thoughts, asked, "Did you travel to the bakery on your own, or did you have a companion?"

It would be useless to lie.

"I had a companion, but not one I'd planned. It was a spontaneously unavoidable situation, and one I'd wanted to discuss, but you caught me a little by surprise this morning, not that I'm complaining. I'm still having those pleasure spasms that come after…well…you're a doctor. I don't have to explain orgasms to you."

He smiled the knowing smile of a hunter who understood the game that had been played.

"Is must be quite elderly by now. Is he ill...handicapped in some way? His scent is low on your clothing…"

His scent. He'd already I.D.'d him.

"He does have a bit of a hunch to him. Handicapped in the way most elderly become. He's hunched, certainly. He's not aged well, I'll tell you that for sure."

"The scent is faint. You didn't shake his hand, did you?"

She watched Hannibal's eyes and saw no anger, which surprised her. "He handed me an envelope, but I don't have it with me."

Hannibal laughed. "Tossed it in a bin somewhere, did you?"

Clarice took her coffee cup and tapped it to Hannibal's toasting the accuracy of his assessment. "Yup. Stuffed it in the trash in the bakery. I'm sure he fished it out, or I'd go back and get it for you."

Hannibal leaned against the headboard, musing, "I've no use for his garbage, and you're well above it so I have no doubt you did the right thing. I assume you warned him away?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I did, but he seemed very motivated. He wanted to warn me to get away from you. Told me the kids were in danger. The file was filled with every death he's attributed to you. Decades of cases, I think."

Hannibal nodded. "So, Inspector Popil has been tracking my activities all these years? He should be careful or he'll find himself in the pages of his own files."

Clarice placed a hand on her husband's chest. She wasn't afraid, but she was concerned. "I think he's been using the resources of the Nazi hunters.

You may trust me when I say anyone who tries to come between us will die an unimaginably savage death. Popil knew me as a very inexperienced young man. One unable to fully cover his tracks. I'm not that young man any longer. Popil was smart to approach you while I was asleep, but I'm awake now, and not the boy I once was. He thinks my aunt protected me, but in all reality, she protected him by restraining me. You and I have a different relationship. In truth, I'm not certain who he should fear more, me or you? You are the only person I've ever feared. Popil would do well to realize an old lion such as myself isn't the true threat, moreover it's the cub who has become a magnificent lioness- a lioness with cubs of her own to protect."

"I won't let him hurt you, H…Just letting you know. I'm going to do whatever I have to do to protect our family. I hope you understand."

Hannibal flashed his small white teeth, grinning like a skull on fire, "I trust you to do whatever it takes to protect our family, Clarice, and you may trust me to do the same."

Clarice rested her head on her husband's chest and as he wrapped his arms around her, she vowed that the heartbeat she could hear so clearly within her husband's chest would be one she would allow no man to stop. Hannibal had awakened, but to protect her family, Clarice would never sleep.