Chapter 6: Reunited

She froze. Or else the world froze. It was as if time itself had stopped ticking.

She could see his red eyes through the contacts. They sparkled, shining like crystal, even behind the plastic. They were fire. The same feeling of burning she got when they first used to meet in the asylum filled her. Her hearts pieces started to fit back in together. He half-smirked as he saw her, not expressing his true emotions. On the inside, he felt trepidation. He was warm again. He looked into her once glittering blue eyes which had somehow dimmed. It didn't matter. She was ice. And she cooled him.

She walked towards him as if to hug him. He opened his arms to welcome her. Ardelia, watching from the gap between the door and the door-frame watched in astonishment. Clarice was taking this very well, too well, in fact. Then she noticed the knife. Shit, she thought.

Just as Clarice got closer to the good doctor, she attacked.

"HOW DARE YOU? DO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALTZ BACK INTO MY LIFE?" She lifted the knife, threatening him.

"I HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK. I'VE GONE THROUGHT THE MILL AND ALL BECAUSE OF YOU. AND NOT EVEN A WORD. NO NOTE. JUST POOF. VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE. I COULD KILL YOU!"

Ardelia ran out.
"Clarice!" The Hunter froze, and changed prey. As she began her attack on her best friend, Hannibal watched from the doorway in amusement. "Did you know about this?!" Clarice asked calmly. Too calmy, Dee thought. Think fast. "Yes, Clarice. I had to do something. You were so lost... so helpless. I had to help!" Hannibal was impressed. She stood her ground, not showing any fear, when in fact, she was shaking in her boots. Hypothetically. Clarice looked at her friend in astonishment. "So you thought you'd invite Hannibal the Cannibal into our home?!" Clarice demanded.

"If I could just-" Hannibal tried, but Clarice cut across him. "No, you can't. You have no permission to speak. And you," back to Ardelia. "I can't believe you would do this."
"Clarice, trust me. You know I would only do this to help you, not hurt you. I'm going to leave, but while I'm gone, try and sort something out." She smiled sadly at her friend before walking past. "Good luck ." she said as she walked out of the door. "Thank you, my dear." She left.

Alone. Hannibal's favourite word. Clarice prepared to launch herself at him again but he got there first. She pushed against him, but he managed to wrestle the knife out her hand. When she realised she had lost, she broke. She sobbed in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. "Hush." He whispered and pulled both of them to the ground. He pulled her into his lap and gently rocked her. She cried, he comforted.

After some time, Clarice ran out of tears. She hiccuped, and looked up at the man holding her, who was looking down, watching her. She half smiled and tried to lift herself up. Hannibal tightened his grip.

"You're not going anywhere. We need to talk." He told her. "What is there to talk about?" She asked him indignantly. At this point, he stood up, with Clarice still in his arms and carried her to the kitchen. He smirked as she squirmed and protested. "Put me down!" She half-shouted, but it was no use. Hannibal always gets his way.

He entered the kitchen, sat her down at the table, ensured there was no escape route and proceeded to help himself to a cup of coffee. When he had finished, Clarice had in front of her the best cup of coffee she ever tasted. "Now, my dear," he sat in the seat opposite her, a look of almost parental concern on his face. "What have you done to yourself?" Clarice looked shocked, stunned, gobsmacked. "There's nothing wrong with me! I'm perfectly f-." "You're most certainly not fine. This...arrangement seemed to be a last resort for your friend. She has been extremely worried about you, Clarice. Why?" He kept his tone level, but if she didn't give in, there was trouble ahead.

"I don't know. I've been sad I suppose."

"No. Not sad. Depressed. Why is that, Clarice?"

"I don't know, Hannibal!" She was beginning to get agitated and her whole body began to tense the way it used to during their talks in the dungeon when he would play her.

"Clarice," He said warning her. "To use a colloquial term: spill."

For the second time that day, either from exhaustion or agitated, she flipped out.
"You. Your fault! You left me. You lead me on and you left me. There." Straight up, no bullshit, the way all Starlings were.

Again, it knocked Hannibal to hear her talk like this. He was envious of her ability to talk of her feelings with ease. He wished he could relieve himself of his burden and tell her how she felt. It would take time and he hoped she would still be there.

They both wanted to be in each other's lives but they didn't know how to get into them in the first place. It was going to be a long night, Clarice thought.

A/N: NEARLY A THOUSAND WORDS PEOPLE! Sorry for the wait, but it's here!

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Muchos love,

Chloe x