Summary: Another young woman from the FBI is sent by Crawford in the place of Clarice Starling to speak with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, also known as Hannibal the Cannibal. Crawford warned her about Lecter, but when she becomes interested in the cannibal's past, will anyone be able to stop her from discovering the truth? What happens when she becomes more interested in the man then the facts?
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Silence of the Lambs and if I did, Hannibal Lecter would live in my closet. I only own my original character. All the credit goes to the brilliant mind of Thomas Harris.
The echo of footsteps could be heard clearly even at the far end of the corridor, where Dr. Hannibal Lecter's cell was located, at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The footsteps weren't the ones of the orderlies, but instead a young woman and Dr. Frederick Chilton, administrator of the hospital. The young woman was about half a head shorter then Chilton with long curly and wavy brown hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail. Her unusual violet eyes were outlined with black eyeliner and she wore black dress pants that barely brushed the stone floor under her black boots. She also wore a maroon tank-top under a black dress jacket. Around her neck hung an ancient gold Greek coin on a black cord and her pale skin was paler under the sharp lights of the basement holding area. She followed behind Chilton as they walked down the stairs towards the holding cells, her sense of smell dulled by the cheap cologne that Chilton wore, and a slight frown formed on her face. He had shown her the picture of the nurse Lecter had attacked, watching her face to see if she would flinch or turn her eyes away, and he seemed disappointed when she merely frowned slightly and didn't flinch. The bars opened as she stepped through the doorway, leaving Chilton behind her, and one of the orderlies smiled kindly at her. He was colored and tall, strong-built. She smiled back and the bars shut behind her as Chilton walked back up the stairs to his office.
"Hello, I'm Barney. You can leave whatever you need to here. Did Dr.Chilton go over the rules with you?" the orderly said and she nodded, hanging her coat on one of the hooks.
"Yes, he did. I'm Alice Blaire." she said, her voice soft and Barney nodded, pressing the button to open the door that lead to the hallway of holding cells. "Farthest cell on the right. Remember not to touch the bars or get too close. There's a chair waiting for you. Remember to stay in the middle of the hallway."
Alice nodded and started to walk down the hallway, ignoring the stares of the inmates and the hissed remarks they made. One of the inmates a cell down from Lecter hissed "I can smell your cunt" at her and she ignored him, stopping in front of Lecter's cell. Her eyes scanned over his cell, pausing on the drawings on his walls for a moment, and her eyes continued on to his books and finally landed on the man himself. Hannibal Lector sat reclined on his bed, reading the Italian version of Vogue, and she noticed he had six fingers on his left hand.
"Doctor Hannibal Lecter? May I speak to you?" she asked and he set the loose pages on the bed, his maroon eyes looking up at her.
They drilled into her violet ones and she held his stare, clenching her jaw slightly. He stood, his eyes never leaving hers, and he gave her a small smile. "You were sent by Jack Crawford, weren't you?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit metallic underneath the culture of his voice from the lack of use, and Alice nodded, holding up her ID. "Closer."
She stepped closer to his cell and he looked at her ID. "An actual agent. Interesting." he said, slightly amused and he looked back up at her.
"Yes, I'm a Special Agent. I'm new to the force, but an actual agent as you put it. I'm sure you were expecting a rookie."
Lecter's smile widened slightly at Alice's boldness and he waved a hand towards the folding chair behind her. "Please, have a seat, Agent Blaire. What is that Crawford has sent you to talk to me about?" he asked as Alice sat down, setting her briefcase next to her.
"He sent me here to ask you a few questions, Dr. Lecter."
"Concerning the one they call Buffalo Bill? Interesting. Tell me, Agent Blaire, why would Crawford send you to talk to me?"
"Because I'm qualified, Dr. Lecter."
"Qualified to do what, Agent Blaire? Talk to me? Try to...wiggle information out of me?"
Alice frowned slightly and she shook her head. "No, Dr. Lecter. I am merely here on a routine evaluation to compile psychopath profiles for the FBI." she stated simply, trying to keep her voice calm and Lecter chuckled slightly at her.
"Psychopath profiles? Very nice, Agent Blaire. Now tell me why you're really here."
Alice nearly ground her teeth to control her temper. This man was impossible! She began to understand why Crawford had meant when they couldn't get anyone else to evaluate Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He was annoying in a well cultured and brilliant sort of way, but he was demeaning to the point where Alice was ready to leave and chew Crawford out for sending her in without proper information. Talk about throwing the unarmed into the lion's den. At this point she'd rather deal with Chilton. She had barely been with Lecter for five minutes and already he was wearing her patience down. This was going to be a long interview.
"I'm here to ask you a few questions concerning the pathological profile of Buffalo Bill." she said calmly, her temper finally under full control.
"Tell me one thing, Agent Blaire. Why do they call our boy 'Buffalo Bill'?" Lecter asked, watching her closely and he could smell her lavender and musk scent through the small circular openings at the top of the glass that made up the front of his cell instead of bars.
"It was a bad joke among the police in Kansas City homicide. Said he skins his humps. Can we please continue, Dr. Lecter?"
Lecter nodded and sat in the chair that was bolted to the floor next to the table. "Please continue, Agent Blaire. I'm sure this will be a most interesting interview." He gave her a small smile, his teeth small and white.
I'm sure it will be., Alice thought and she took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally. She opened her briefcase and pulled out a thick file, laying it on her lap. "I would like to begin by asking you a few questions, Doctor."
The next chapter will be longer, so I apologize for this one being so short. Thank you and have a lovely day.