How was that for you guys? Well here's the next part… I told you I only have a few pages down so far, and I'm trying to break it up into something like chapters.

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1 Chapter Two: Luncheon/The Reunion

Clarice did not see the man that followed her. She moved to a food both that served Chinese meals. The line was excruciatingly long, but the food was her favorite; and she needed the energy for that day of tedious clothes shopping. The longer the line, the longer she could stall the inevitable of lowering herself to fashion sense. Looking about in boredom, her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar retreating figure. Yet a mere blink of her eyes caused him to vanish.

Starling, you're seeing things again. She scolded herself. Turning, she paid more attention to the menu in front of her. After getting lunch, and a bottle of water, her steps turned to a small clustering of empty tables. She was having an early lunch, so the food court was reasonably unpopulated at the moment. Sitting away from others was no problem. Lowering herself into the hard chair, her back to the rest of the room, she pulled a government bulletin from her purse. Cordellia had begun forwarding to her through e-mail a year before.

She didn't see the man in sweats sit just behind her, so that they were back to back. He had a paper bag on the table, beside a tall paper cup filled with Dr. Pepper, from the Burger Boy booth across the hall. He simply sat there for a long time, sipping his soda, and taking glances over his shoulder with a light to his eyes that was hidden behind the dark- tinted shades.

"It's a fine day out there, isn't it?"

The metallic sound of his voice caught Clarice Starling by surprise. Her bulletin fell to the floor, and the open bottle of water nearly spilled as she lurched forward in shock. The man behind her turned, settling one arm on the back of his chair casually.

"Tell me, Clarice." He continued. "What do you think of the autumns here in New England?"

"Dr. Lecter…" Clarice's voice was soft, just barely audible over the buzz of the weekend morning crowd. "Can't you leave me alone, Hannibal?"

"Come, Clarice. Don't be rude. Aren't you happy to know I didn't bleed to death?" For the first time, he pulled his left arm from his sweatshirt pocket. It had no hand, but only a bandaged stump. "I brought you a gift, Clarice."

She looked around nervously. There was a gun in her handbag. But there were too many people around to try and pull a gun on Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Also, she didn't want to pull the gun on him. She curiously didn't feel like she was in any real danger. Besides… she was honestly curious about his gift to her. Since the Fourth of July that he'd cut his own hand off to escape arrest, she'd been curious about his actions. He could have lopped off her hand, but had spared it for his own. Also, when he'd kissed her, she'd felt something she hadn't been able to understand, no matter how many hours she thought over it.

"All right… sit with me."

Hannibal Lecter pushed back his chair, and stood. In picking up the paper bag and soda, he respectfully stepped over the bulletin she'd dropped moments before.

Clarice took the bag, and took out a white box. Wrapped in white gauze was a pair of silver colored earrings with cut glass that matched the blue of her eyes. It was the first piece of jewelry a man had ever given to her. As the doctor sat calmly beside her, rather than across from her, she distantly heard him explaining that had he known he'd be in the mall that day, he would've brought money, and gotten her something finer.

"Thank you…" Her voice was very quiet, almost apathetic.

"Don't get too excited now, Clarice." His voice was teasing her gently. "You might make a scene in front of all these people. Will you put them on for me?"

Lifting her eyes, Clarice Starling took note of how often he spoke her name. Did he do it because he liked hearing her name? For reasons she didn't know, the sound of him saying it gave her pleasant chills.

"Why?" She asked quietly. "Why all of this? The kiss, my hand, these earrings… " Her voice nearly broke. "Why, Hannibal?"

His eyebrows rose at the usage of his first name. Usually she was much cooler to him, always using his title. Then again, at one time, he had told her to. That was before he'd gotten better acquainted with her.

"Let me ask you about the kiss, Clarice." He entreated. "If you hadn't been able to handcuff me… would you have returned that kiss?"

The former special agent of the F.B.I. looked away, unable to think of an answer that he would accept without pressing her.

"We've both disgraced ourselves, little Starling." He stated. "Look at me."

When she did, his sunglasses had been taken off. His maroon eyes met her blue ones squarely, barely an inch away. It took Clarice by surprise, and she would have backed away. Yet his only hand came up to clasp her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Trust me, Clarice… and I will trust you. Come with me, now. Somewhere more private. No phones to call the authorities… no weapons for either of us to hurt one another…"

"Trust for trust?" She breathed. Hannibal Lecter smiled, somehow knowing what was about to happen.

"Answers for answers." He replied.

"Quid pro quo…doctor…" Clarice stood, opening her purse so that he could see she had a gun in it. Then, closing it again hastily, her eyes looked about before they again met his. She put the earrings he'd given her into the pocket of her jeans as a second thought. "All right… where are we going?"

"Why don't we start with my car? Or yours… if you'd prefer…"

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I'd tried not to make it move too fast… so I hope Clarice seems to be remaining outwardly aloof and professional. Any suggestions for the future? Any suggestions for changes? Please don't judge me on looks and tastes in clothing. I like to change the characters so they're partly mine just a little. And I beg of you, please don't completely flame me! (