To the King and Queen, I know it wasn't much, but hey I'm just a young apprentice.

DL, I have taken care of the fire insurance, although I hope it won't be needed.

And a special thank you to my little Sis, Chameleon. Whom without your impromptu round of quid pro quo, there would have been nothing to follow this chapter!

The usual applies; I own no one or nothing pertaining to this story.

Chapter 4 Back Down To Earth

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Clarice woke up screaming, "NOOOOO, DON'T GO!" Ardelia was immediately at her side, calming her friend. "Shhh, it's o.k., you're fine, just relax C, everything is fine, you're safe now."

Trying to clear her vision she said, "Where the hell am I?"

"You're in the hospital, now just lay back and relax."

"What am I doing in the hospital?"

"All in good time, first give yourself a chance to wake up. I'll go get us some coffee, then we can talk, o.k.?"

"O.k."

When Ardelia left the room, Clarice tried to remember how she got here. She laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. She remembered the muskrat farm and saving Dr. Lecter.

She remembered a big house and a nice dining table. Nice table. Nice shot. Oh God, I killed Paul Krendler!

She looked around, making sure she didn't say that out loud.

Upon the realization that she had in fact, shot and killed Krendler, she braced herself for the wave of guilt that was sure to follow. Surprisingly the guilt never came. It was more like the feeling you get from squashing a mesquito that has just bitten you.

With most of her memory intact, all except for how she got here, she wondered if she was under arrest and that's why Ardelia was here, babysitting.

Ardelia came back into the room carrying two paper cups of coffee.

Clarice sat up, her head still felt fuzzy as she accepted the cup from her friend.

She took a sip of the life sustaining fluid before asking, "How did I get here Delia?"

"Now that's a story in itself, lets just say Krendler's girlfriend showed up at his lake house expecting a little action, but what she got was the shock of her life. Do you remember anything?"

"Not much, how long have I been out?"

"About twenty-four hours."

"Twenty-four hours!"

"Yeah, the Doc said you were pretty wound up when you started to regain consciousness the first time and that you were suffering from exhaustion, so they gave you something to help you rest."

"So what's the status on Dr. Lecter, did they find him?"

"No, they figure after Verger, he left the country."

"Mason Verger, what about him?"

"He's dead. His Doctor found him with his heart ripped out and what may prove to be Krendler's liver stuck in his mouth."

Clarice had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, she knew it shouldn't be funny, but Dr. Lecter definitely had his own style of justice.

"Do they have any idea what happed at the lake house?" Clarice asked just to see how far she needed to go with her story.

"They believe Dr. Lecter drugged you and took you to Krendler's for some reason and when Krendler showed up, Lecter shot him and cut him up. I can tell you this, they're not too happy with you for going after Lecter at Verger's estate. They figure because you helped him out, Krendler is dead."

"Krendler was an asshole."

"True, but now he's a dead asshole and they will find someone to blame."

"And that someone is gonna be me, isn't it Delia?"

"Looks like that's where they're heading."

"So much for that promotion." Clarice said under her breath. "When can I get outta here Delia?"

"The Doc said when you feel up to it you could go home."

"Great," she said as she chugged the rest of her coffee, "Lets get moving, hospitals give me the creeps."

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Ardelia took Clarice home. They had towed her car to where it now sat in the driveway.

Well, at least they didn't impound it, she thought.

Once inside she went to the fridge and grabbed a coke. The only message on her machine was from Pearsall, telling her she was suspended pending the outcome of the investigation and he would contact her when they wanted her to come in and make a statement.

"Whatever." she told the machine.

Making her way into the living room, she sat down on the couch and turned on the t.v.

While she flipped through the channels something caught her eye. She turned her head to the chair, stopping in mid-flip. There, in the chair, staring back at her was his mask. She just looked at it for a while before getting up.

Moving to the chair, she picked up the mask, slowly tracing its outline before running her finger down the nose, then to the bars that covered the mouth, his mouth.

She closed her eyes as a vision came over her. A kiss. Very soft and sweet, and the words, "Sleep well, my love.

Not a vision, a memory.

Her eyes shot open as she dropped the mask. She reached down to pick it up and found a note taped to the inside. She sat back down on the couch as she began to read:

Dear Clarice,

Please forgive the intrusion, I would have liked to deliver this in person, but I'm afraid the hospital staff would not have been so eager to let me into your room, although the look on Miss Mapp's face might have been worth the effort. Forgive me, I digress.

I have decided to leave, for the time being, to allow you time to digest your situation.

As much as I know you will hate to admit it Clarice, I do not believe you are ready to depart from your beloved F.B.I. And in turn, I do not believe they are ready to throw you away, just yet.

Perhaps it is arrogance on my part, but the Bureau knows Clarice, as do I, that you are my weakness. I am sure it will not take them long before you are once again asked to pursue me.

I look forward, with great anticipation to that time.

Until then, my love

Hannibal

P.S. Do you remember the kiss Clarice? The memory still burns within me.

Clarice had already brought her fingertips to her lips before even reading the last line.

"Yes, I remember."