Disclaimer: It all belongs to Thomas Harris, except the plot… That part is mine.

Chapter Nine

It had been almost a week and she still hadn't responded, not out of stubborn refusal. But simply because she still hadn't quite worked out what she felt about Dr Lecter and his... Artwork. She had even repackaged it with a 'return to sender' label, but couldn't quite bring herself to post it, nor could she stop herself every evening when she sat with a glass of wine and flicked through the carefully drawn images. She was amazed at the detail within them, his imagination really was something, but not quite as true to reality as it would be had he actually seen her nude. She'd noted the differences mentally as she flicked through the drawings, he'd missed moles and freckles here and there, imperfections upon her body that he'd never imagined.

She was sat in the very same spot again for the seventh evening in a row, her eyes glued to the images in front of her. Looking at them knowing who had drawn them still quickened her breath and made her stomach flip, she'd established she was attracted to him. Disregarding his rather colourful criminal history, what sane woman wouldn't be attracted to him? He was distinguished, refined, polite and cultured, and he desired her, this knowledge rather than disgust her seemed to have set her on another emotional roller-coaster. She wondered if he was growing impatient for a reaction, or if he was even waiting for a reaction at all. He was so difficult to read, especially regarding things he hinted he cared about, how easily would he cast her aside if she slipped and said or did something he was offended by? Worse than that, how easily would he kill her for it?

She shook her head vigorously as she realised she was entertaining thoughts of 'what if'... There were no what ifs, there was no moving forward. She was an FBI agent and he was a murderer who would be incarcerated for the rest of his life. Clarice shook her head and steeled herself as she made her decision. She would visit Baltimore one last time, tomorrow.

_

Clarice knew he was aware she was coming, he probably sensed her as soon as she stepped into the building. Maybe that was a slight exaggeration but he sure as hell knew she was there once she stepped into the corridor, it seemed that an agreement had been made between Dr Lecter and the other inmates, for none of them dared speak to her or even look at her since the Miggs incident. Perhaps there was no agreement in place, maybe they were all too scared of the Doctor after what befell their old inmate. At least it made her decent into hell slightly more peaceful, she couldn't quite decide whether this unnerved her or calmed her, before she had decided she was stood before the glass walls of his cell, waiting patiently for him to acknowledge her.

Whatever she had been expecting after a week of silence, his customary greeting wasn't it. She didn't know why she'd expected anything different, perhaps she'd envisioned him raging at her or even ignoring her completely. Regardless she had been wrong.

"Good Afternoon Clarice, I hope you are well?" He lifted his eyes from his desk to meet hers as he finished the sentence, she felt her stomach jolt as their gazes met.

"Hello Dr Lecter, I'm fine thank you." She felt uncomfortable and looked around at his cell realising almost everything of a personal nature had been removed. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What happened to your cell Doctor?"

Dr Lecter looked almost surprised as he surveyed his surroundings, like he hadn't noticed the barren walls or his empty desk. "Ah, I assume then that you haven't met our new Headteacher." He winked at her teasingly and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at the gesture. "Dr Phelps feels I have been spoiled for too long."

She felt a fire building in her stomach as she looked at his cell, her subconscious screaming at the injustice of every small personal item he had to help pass the time being taken from him. Clearly Dr Lecter noted her reaction and smiled in a pleased sort of way.

"Come now Clarice, my toys being taken from me does not send me into a tantrum so neither should it affect you in such a way. Though I am rather flattered to have become one of your lambs." The fire was quickly extinguished at this statement, the truth of it sending a different type of burning through her, that of humiliation and embarrassment. He spoke again before she could deny such an accusation. "Tell me quickly, Clarice. How did you feel upon seeing what I really think of you?"His head was tilted and he regarded her with such an intense expression that she had to look away.

"I felt... Shocked." She stopped there hoping he would accept this and move on, she was hoping in vain.

"And?" His voice held a note of impatience, a warning not to toy with him. Clearly time was short though she didn't know why.

"Exhilarated, excited, scared, pleased..." She paused in hesitation as she met his eyes, the flash of impatience within the maroon depths enough to stop her stalling. "Aroused." Shame washed over her as she whispered the last word to him, she was sure he heard it though she hoped he hadn't, that just this once his superb hearing had failed him. She looked up to see his eyes were closed as he breathed deeply through his nose, he looked as though he were savouring the moment. She was entranced as she watched him, not sure how much time had passed before she heard hurried footsteps approaching. She glanced down the hallway to see Barney and another, taller man rushing towards her.

"Now you see why we don't have any time left together Clarice, forgive me, but our friendly chats are going to have to stop." She looked back at him feeling her heart quicken as she realised he was ending their... whatever it was. "Please, don't send any mail either, I would hate not to receive it and have a feeling that I will be relocating soon enough." His smirk was enough to set her brain spinning as she tried to decipher his meaning, she was so close she could feel her inner hands grasping around what he was trying to tell her. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he smiled and foreign hands pulled on her arms, twisting her away from Dr Lecter and the clue fell from her grasp, it slipped through her fingers and slivered into the cracks, lost forever.

"YOU! OUT OF MY HOSPITAL!" The man was screaming at her, his spittle flying in all directions, she could only hope none of it was landing on her.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" She feigned innocence as she glanced over the man's shoulder at Barney, who was shaking his head in apology at Dr Lecter, sadness evident in his eyes.

"No, we have not! Unlike you and Nurse Matthews here! I know who you are Starling, you wont fool me! I also know you've had Nurse Matthews covering up your little love story with this psychopath, well no more! Not in my hospital! Matthews you're fired! Starling, I've called your superiors, I'm sure they will want a little chat with you, if you're not out on your pretty little ass by tomorrow morning I'd be very surprised." A stubby finger had been jabbing into her chest with every sentence and she found herself glad she hadn't bought the drawings back with her, that would only help his theory and destroy her career. Clarice opened her mouth to retort only to be cut off by a voice so cold and filled with menace that she almost didn't recognise it.

"I suggest that if you want to keep your hand, you will remove it from Agent Starlings person." Clarice closed her eyes and tensed as she felt Dr Phelps zero in on Dr Lecter.

"Oh really, and if I don't Lecter? What are you going to do about it stuck behind that glass?" That's it, he was as good as dead. He had pretty much just signed his own death warrant with a flourish and Clarice couldn't help but feel like she'd sent another lamb to the slaughter, even if it was a lamb that deserved it.

"I'm leaving! I'm going, don't worry." Clarice turned to Dr Lecter, pleading with her eyes. "I'm sorry Dr Lecter." Inside her head she was pleading with him. He seemed to have heard her for he nodded once and stood to bid her farewell.

"Goodbye for now, Clarice."

She quickly walked away with Barney at her side as Dr Phelps continued to rant at Dr Lecter, she didn't even remember how she got from the dungeon to the parking lot, she felt like she could still hear what she was sure were the last words Dr Phelps would ever speak to Dr Lecter reverberating around her skull. She gulped in large lungfuls of air as she struggled to withhold her emotions, she didn't even realise Barney was still with her until his large hand patting her on the back made her jump.

"I'm so sorry Barney, I'm so selfish for dragging you into this, making you help me... And now you've lost your job." She shook her head as she looked at him, the guilt eating into her.

"Don't you worry about that Agent Starling, I'm alright. I've been looking for a way out of that asylum for a while now." He smiled down at her genuinely and she couldn't help but wonder how he could be so nice to her all the time. "You just go on home and relax, it'll all work out in the end." He shooed her into her car and waved her off before heading across the car park to his bus stop. She watched in the rear view mirror as he flagged the vehicle down and stepped on, looking as though he hadn't a care in the world.

Clarice couldn't help but wonder what the hell had just happened as she drove away from the hospital. She felt like she had been a pawn in some grand scheme without being privy to the actual details.

A/N: Another chapter! I hope this is alright, we've just got a new laptop without MS Word so I'm having to use a free word processor and hoping it works! I needed to get this out to test it, so I hope it is ok, do leave a review and let me know!