A/N: OMG! I got this idea, and I loved it, and it's been burning inside my brain for days. I should be able to write more often now because my grandparents are awesome and bought me a laptop. It should be here Wednesday. But yeah… This is based after the original ending in the movie. Just thought you should know. There are spoilers, but I warned about that earlier. The first chapter is a bit short, but they'll get longer after this. That I promise you.
Disclaimer: I don't not own Hannibal, Thomas Harris and Ridley Scott do. Good men, both of them.
Clarice Starling sat at her small kitchen table, staring down at a pile of this month's bills, thinking 'How on Earth am I going to pay these?' About two weeks after Hannibal's escape, Clarice quit her job at the FBI and moved out of the duplex she shared with her friend Ardelia Mapp. Ardelia had offered to quit with her, but since Clarice left, Ardelia suddenly became the top female agent. Clarice wouldn't let her give that up. Ardelia called sometimes and visited at least once a week. Clarice had had trouble finding a job at first, but she got lucky at last. She was a secretary for a new business that just opened up. Being a new business, they couldn't pay her much. Which led to difficulty paying the bills.
Clarice put her forehead in her hands, looking down at the pieces of paper that stood between her and a hot cup of coffee from Starbucks. She had to manage her money extremely well these days. Her raising had somewhat taught her how to do this, but once she was instated in the FBI, money hadn't been such a problem. It was now though.
"Money troubles, Clarice?" Hannibal smiled slightly when Clarice jumped at the sound of his voice. He stood in the door way to the pitifully small kitchen and stared at Clarice, his blue eyes shining. The stub of his arm was held neatly in his one hand. He was sure that Clarice would remember that little detail. When he cut off his hand six months ago, he had been intending to cut off Clarice's. But he couldn't bring himself to maim her beauty, so he cut off his own hand instead, which was no small sacrifice.
"Dr. Lecter… When did you…?" Clarice let her sentence trail off. She had forgotten how silent the good Doctor could be. He had his hand hidden behind his back, so she couldn't see how much damage had been done when he cut off the other one. It was probably healed by now, and the skin was probably smooth over the bone. Sometimes she still couldn't believe how he had managed to take a chunk of Paul Krendler's brain with him when he left the lake house.
"Oh, just a little while ago. It's nice to see you again, Clarice. You look as beautiful as ever." Hannibal came forward, and rested his arms at his side, revealing his missing hand. He still had a slight smile on his face, but it disappeared when Clarice's eyes welled with tears. "What's the matter, Clarice?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about your hand." Clarice started to cry before she could push her tears back down. One thing Clarice never wanted to do is cry in front of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. She felt it would make her too vulnerable for comfort, but here she was, tears spilling down her cheeks. And she did indeed feel vulnerable, but she wasn't afraid. Somehow she knew he hadn't come to harm her. If he had, he would have attacked already. And besides, he had once said that he wouldn't kill her, for the "world was a more interesting place with her in it."
"Oh Clarice." Hannibal took the three last steps to Clarice and gently pushed aside a few strands of her hair with his one remaining hand. "It's quite alright. You just didn't realize about yourself what I realized about you a long time ago. You realize it now though. That fact is quite evident from your monetary problems. You quit the FBI." Hannibal's slight smile returned. "I'm quite proud of you, Clarice." He was shocked when Clarice wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. It was quite unlike her, but so were the tears. After the initial shock wore off, Hannibal put his arms around Clarice as well and just let her cry on his shoulder.