Disclaimer - I in no way own the characters of Dr Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling. They both belong to the genius that is Thomas Harris, I've just merely borrowed them for a moment. I am not making any profit whatsoever from them.

A/N - Lost way up on the hill, Clarice looks out over the view. Please read and review as all feedback is welcomed.

As always, thanks sis for once again working your usual editing magic. I'll try not to keep you in suspense for the next fix ;)

Tata, H.

Obscurity

The rain pounded upon and ran down her face; the wind blew her hair like the tail of a kite. The view from up here was panoramic. The height to which she'd climbed made the world, with all its confines, shrink but refuse to disappear. The chains still held their grip, binding her ankles together. Up on her hill she looked down upon the mess below...everything empty and cold in its embrace...it left her tired and alone. Clarice no longer had the strength to move, where she sat now was where she'd dropped from exhaustion. She longed for warmth, to be wanted, needed, loved, to have a sense of belonging. It had taken her this long to realize this, to know what she wanted. Slowly she stood, raised her head to the dark shadows of the sky....eyes closed, the distress evident on her features as if in physical pain. She felt it rise within her chest, the despair, angst and desperation wracking her body to the core. It was useless to try and stop it from spilling out so she let it come forth, filling the darkness with a wail she screamed out into the oblivion, "HANNIBAL WHERE ARE YOU? I NEED YOU!"

At first she thought it was that voice inside of her head, "I'm right here Clarice." She turned toward it, her heart frozen in time with hope, and saw him standing there, his arms open inviting her into the warmth of his embrace. The shackles broke and fell away; the murkiness began to lift, it seemed like everything had begun to come up roses. Starling walked forward into the security of his touch; his arms came around and tucked her into his warmth. Pulling back they looked into each others eyes until he spoke "Let's go..." nodding she turned to stand at his side and walked stride for stride with him towards all their tomorrows.

They were walking and looking ahead, both were silent. Clarice noticed everything had gone silent; there was no sound at all. Come to think of it, they were walking but going nowhere. Panic set in as the knot in her gut tightened, something wasn't right. She stopped in her tracks, the distance ahead of them was changing, it was beginning to swirl and mesh together. She turned to Hannibal, turned for the support and reassurance she craved at this precise moment; he'd too started to disintegrate before her very eyes! The vortex ahead, that had been the future, sucked him in and away from her. Clarice brought her hands up to cover her eyes from it all, she tried to scream but nothing came out, her hands had gone. Her whole body was becoming sand blowing in the wind, she couldn't stop it, she tried but the vortex was getting nearer and nearer. Starling was being sucked in.....into the black hole, into nothingness.

She shot up; sweat dripping off her, gasping for breath. A slight breeze came in through the window by her bed, cooling her somewhat. It took a few moments for her to orientate herself; she was in her own bed in her own bedroom. It had all been a dream; the whole thing had been a dream!! It had seemed so real though, all the feelings, and he had felt so real almost as if he actually had been holding her. The reality that it was a dream hit her like a lead weight....the feelings of abandonment, loneliness, being alone came back and set up home once more in her consciousness. Laying back down she let out a tired sigh, "Just another dream, I'm still here all by myself." The darkness of the room cocooned her until a jolt ran through her body, like lightening, causing her to jump.

"No Clarice.....you're not alone at all."