~This is the disclaimer. There, now you can't say I didn't add one. And
yes, this is about Clarice and Hannibal. ~
Prologue- The Impossible
It was the kind of day when what could go wrong probably would. And, for the most part, it usually did. Hell, here in Wonderland, it was the norm. She almost always expected it, at least, now she did. Everything that had come after her cancer, for the most part, was stationed just below the certain level of Hell that actually roused her out of half-comatose and got her worried. Nothing in the years after had quite added up to that horrible day in history that seemed like a lifetime ago, when in reality was only two months, and she was nothing if not grateful. How could things change so suddenly in just one moment-a single moment that, otherwise, would fail to be relevant? In fact, she doubted it would register as anything but an empty threat.had it not already been carried out to the fullest. Her world was slowly crashing in and it didn't show any signs of stopping. And, to top it all off, she had work tomorrow. Very fun indeed. She briefly wondered if he'd heard about her sickness-it had been in all the papers. Especially after she'd passed out during an arrest and had to be rushed to the hospital, where she now sat, awaiting the news. Would he even care if he had heard? And why did the deep pit of her stomach doubt that he would? Maybe it had to do with the fact that, above everything else he had done to help her, he left just when she wanted him to stay. And now, sitting there in the hospital, she was alone and scared. A shiver ran up her spine as that thought came crashing down on her head like the cold Atlantic in winter. Alone and afraid. That's how she would die. She didn't want to die alone. Obviously he had to leave because he would have been taken by the police, but that still didn't sit right with her. He would have stayed or, at least, taken her with him had she asked.Had she asked. It really was her fault. To tell the truth, she wasn't sure weather to laugh or cry. Laugh because it was all her fault she would be alone, or cry because, well, it was her fault she would be alone. Either way, she figured that one factor wouldn't change.She would be alone. She had been sitting there, staring at the wall, for at least twenty minutes when she heard the doctor come back in. She forced her eyes to meet his, and the bottom of her stomach dropped out. His eyes where filled with pity and pain. The two things a cancer patient never, ever wants to see. She wanted to wake up now. She wanted to wake up. "Miss Starling, I'm afraid I have some bad news." She swallowed hard and took a breath. "Go on." "The tumor in your sinus cavity has grown considerably in the past two months. It is, I'm afraid, inoperable. It is a centimeter away from pushing into your pre-frontal lobe, and once that occurs, I'm afraid you'll have very little time left. Now, I'd say you have around another two months to work, and another to spend in the hospital or at your home, whichever you chose. I would advise you to take only behind the desk work- no on the field assignments. We don't need things to be any worse than they are already, do you understand?" Do I understand? What the hell kind of question is that? You just told me I have three months to live, no way to stop it, and I can't even work, and you're telling me to understand? "Yes, I understand Doctor White." "Alright. I can give you pain pills, to help with the headaches, but I can do very little about the vision, which will get slightly worse in time." He kept going, but she wasn't listening. How could this be happening? What was wrong with the world? What had she done wrong? And then, it hit her. She only had three months to find Doctor Lecter, and even less time to convince him to turn himself in.
Prologue- The Impossible
It was the kind of day when what could go wrong probably would. And, for the most part, it usually did. Hell, here in Wonderland, it was the norm. She almost always expected it, at least, now she did. Everything that had come after her cancer, for the most part, was stationed just below the certain level of Hell that actually roused her out of half-comatose and got her worried. Nothing in the years after had quite added up to that horrible day in history that seemed like a lifetime ago, when in reality was only two months, and she was nothing if not grateful. How could things change so suddenly in just one moment-a single moment that, otherwise, would fail to be relevant? In fact, she doubted it would register as anything but an empty threat.had it not already been carried out to the fullest. Her world was slowly crashing in and it didn't show any signs of stopping. And, to top it all off, she had work tomorrow. Very fun indeed. She briefly wondered if he'd heard about her sickness-it had been in all the papers. Especially after she'd passed out during an arrest and had to be rushed to the hospital, where she now sat, awaiting the news. Would he even care if he had heard? And why did the deep pit of her stomach doubt that he would? Maybe it had to do with the fact that, above everything else he had done to help her, he left just when she wanted him to stay. And now, sitting there in the hospital, she was alone and scared. A shiver ran up her spine as that thought came crashing down on her head like the cold Atlantic in winter. Alone and afraid. That's how she would die. She didn't want to die alone. Obviously he had to leave because he would have been taken by the police, but that still didn't sit right with her. He would have stayed or, at least, taken her with him had she asked.Had she asked. It really was her fault. To tell the truth, she wasn't sure weather to laugh or cry. Laugh because it was all her fault she would be alone, or cry because, well, it was her fault she would be alone. Either way, she figured that one factor wouldn't change.She would be alone. She had been sitting there, staring at the wall, for at least twenty minutes when she heard the doctor come back in. She forced her eyes to meet his, and the bottom of her stomach dropped out. His eyes where filled with pity and pain. The two things a cancer patient never, ever wants to see. She wanted to wake up now. She wanted to wake up. "Miss Starling, I'm afraid I have some bad news." She swallowed hard and took a breath. "Go on." "The tumor in your sinus cavity has grown considerably in the past two months. It is, I'm afraid, inoperable. It is a centimeter away from pushing into your pre-frontal lobe, and once that occurs, I'm afraid you'll have very little time left. Now, I'd say you have around another two months to work, and another to spend in the hospital or at your home, whichever you chose. I would advise you to take only behind the desk work- no on the field assignments. We don't need things to be any worse than they are already, do you understand?" Do I understand? What the hell kind of question is that? You just told me I have three months to live, no way to stop it, and I can't even work, and you're telling me to understand? "Yes, I understand Doctor White." "Alright. I can give you pain pills, to help with the headaches, but I can do very little about the vision, which will get slightly worse in time." He kept going, but she wasn't listening. How could this be happening? What was wrong with the world? What had she done wrong? And then, it hit her. She only had three months to find Doctor Lecter, and even less time to convince him to turn himself in.