AN/ I own nothing other than the plot! On another note, being from West Virginia I find this exchange to be especially entertaining. :D

Hannibal watched with interest as Clarice readied herself for her work that day. Under the guise of Maria Winston, she spent her working as a bank clerk. Soon, she would shed this identity as she had the three others she'd taken on in Florida, Cuba, and Alaska.

She saw him in the mirror and smiled as she drew a brush through her hair. She was blonde this time, as she had been in Florida, and he was not fond of that particular hair color on her. Red had always suited her best in his eyes. "Would ya please stop starin'?" Her West Virginian twang was especially strong as she was still sleepy. The accent always came out in the early morning. "It's makin' me nervous."

"I apologize, you are simply too beautiful for me to comprehend, Clarice." He chuckled as she rolled her eyes, forgiving the rude gesture as it was something that she did often and without thinking. A tic, one could say. "I was thinking of making tiramisu for dessert tonight, my love. What is your opinion? I promise to make it with dark chocolate. I know you love it that way." He murmured in her ear and she shuddered.

Oh, how he loved doing this to her. He loved to manipulate her with the words that he knew she longed to hear. He didn't do it often, he often avoided lavishing her with compliments because he knew that if something is heard too frequently, it becomes cheap and without sincerity. He wished to do it more, but understood that she enjoyed it more this way.

She was smirking now. "Well, since yer standin' right next to it and ya insist on watchin' me, could you please hand me th' curlenarn?"

His brow furrowed. "Pardon?"

"You know, the curlenarn? It's righ' next to th' fladarn." She nodded towards the three shelves on the wall that held an assortment of toiletries.

"I love you, but I have no idea what you are trying to convey. What is a fladarn? What is a curlenarn?" He looked at her and noticed that she was about to burst out laughing. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth and a tiny snicker escaped.

She reached up and grabbed a curling iron from the lowest shelf. "This is a curlenarn! An' here I thought ya knew everything." She snickered again and plugged in the device.

It was rare that Hannibal was confused, but since they had been on the run together, he'd found Clarice to be the ultimate source of his befuddlement at times. Honestly, he loved her for being such a puzzle. She captivated, amused and interested him more than anyone ever had. "I see, your accent is such a bother sometimes." He teased.

"My accent is a helluva lot lighter than a few other people in Boone County, thank you very much." She retorted smartly. "An' have ya eva heard someone from down in a holler in Pendleton's boonies?"

He laughed aloud now. The ever-present urge to kiss her surged to the front of his mind. She was the only one who could do this and it was so touching. "I give in. Please speak English and kindly explain what a 'holler' and a 'boonie' is."

She laughed with him and he was suddenly breathless. She was so beautiful, so unbelievably beautiful. He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. He loved it so much that he had memorized it, imprinted it on his mind like a stamp. Light and flowery, sweet, but not too sweet, and so delicate.

Fifteen minutes later, she was ready to go. He tapped her nose lightly. "Goodbye, my dear."

"Mm." She pecked him on the cheek and grinned. "Bye! I love you."

He nodded and winked. She left and he watched her through the window as she got into her car and drove off. He smiled one last time. Perhaps it was better if she never really knew exactly how much he adored her. Goodness knew that it overwhelmed even him sometimes. Chuckling, he set about getting ready for his own job. "Oh, Clarice.."