Conspiracy
She knew they were there. Two of them, working for Pearsall, no doubt. It had taken her a while to find them. They were in plain clothes, but she'd seen the bulk of their shoulder holsters, underneath their jackets. She looked at her watch from time to time, as if to see how much time left for lunch she had.
She sighed, turning back the way she'd come and walked back to work. Her followers tried to blend into the crowd, not realising she'd already spotted them. She casually passed them, stopped a few feet in front of them to look at a stall. Then she kept walking until she was back in her office. She pondered her current situation.
So, what are you gonna do now?
Well, I'm gonna go back, I know that much.
Good girl. I knew you were coming to your senses.
If you were a physical being, I would strangle you. Oh god, I'm arguing with a voice in my head.
Yeah. Ain't it cool?
She rolled her eyes. Turning schizo ain't cool.
She sat for hours, trying to look like she was doing work, when in fact, she was thinking about the one person she was suppose to be researching.
He sat in an armchair with his eyes closed. In his mind, he wandered through his Memory Palace. With his footsteps echoing through the large halls, he entered the Starling Room. He smiled as he saw images of Clarice that were stored there under the lock and key of his mind. There she was, with her second-rate shoes and her best handbag, perched on the metal folding chair in the dungeon. There she was again, her hair wet from the rain and her pants torn from her little escapade to the self storage place, There were pictures of her from the paper, drawings he'd done of her, images of her at the killing of Paul Krendler, images of her lying in a hospital bed after her accident, images of her reading in the pergola...
He opened his eyes. There was no doubt about it. He missed her. And she had to come back.
Clarice sat in her car, tapping the wheel from time to time. Someone tapped on the window. She looked up to see Mr Tripp standing there. She wound the window down.
"Agent Starling?" Mr Tripp asked. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, Sir. Why?"
"You've been sitting in your car for about half an hour, staring into space." Mr Tripp looked concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Sir. Sorry If I startled you." Clarice turned the ignition on. "Oh, Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Can you tell Agent Pearsall to call off his cronies. It's starting to piss me off."
"Agent Pearsall tailed you? I'll talk to him." Mr Tripp smiled at her. "Have a safe journey home."
"Thank you, Sir." Clarice returned his smile and pulled out of the lot. Within a few minutes, she was home, the tv was on and she had a hot drink cradled in her hands as she watched the news. As the news finished, she went upstairs, turning on the shower.
Washing her hair in the shower, she leaned into the hot water - and bumped into a warm hand. She jumped, whirling around and pulling the shower curtain around her. Her heart was beating fast as she saw the hand slip out of the shower. It had a thin, almost invisible scar on it. Slowly, she peeked out of the shower. He stood there, gazing at her with his intense maroon gaze. He held a finger to his lips. She nodded. He handed her a towel and she wrapped it around herself as he went over and turned off the light.
"I believe a few of you 'friends' are outside, watching the house." He said quietly. "Quite incompetent, I should think."
"I know. They were following me throughout my lunch hour." Her blue gaze sparkled in the dim light. "I need to get dressed."
He watched her as she went to the closet to retrieve a clean pair of jeans and a black Tee, as well as a floppy sweater. Quickly getting dressed, she came over to him and smiled. He smiled back and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around him and lay her head on his chest.
"I missed you." She said quietly. He chuckled. "What?"
"Let's just say this is the first time that someone has 'missed' me in that way." He took her hand and led her quietly down to the now dark sitting room. Clarice thanked her lucky stars she'd turned off the light. Out the back door, and through a gate that led into an alleyway. At the end of the alleyway, the black van stood.
"Let's just get one thing straight." Clarice said as they made their 'escape'. "In no way, am I going to take on your...interesting diet."
"Understood perfectly." He flashed her his trademark grin. "If you won't try and change the way I am, then I will return the favour."
"Yes, Sir." She mock saluted as they drove off to the airport.
She knew they were there. Two of them, working for Pearsall, no doubt. It had taken her a while to find them. They were in plain clothes, but she'd seen the bulk of their shoulder holsters, underneath their jackets. She looked at her watch from time to time, as if to see how much time left for lunch she had.
She sighed, turning back the way she'd come and walked back to work. Her followers tried to blend into the crowd, not realising she'd already spotted them. She casually passed them, stopped a few feet in front of them to look at a stall. Then she kept walking until she was back in her office. She pondered her current situation.
So, what are you gonna do now?
Well, I'm gonna go back, I know that much.
Good girl. I knew you were coming to your senses.
If you were a physical being, I would strangle you. Oh god, I'm arguing with a voice in my head.
Yeah. Ain't it cool?
She rolled her eyes. Turning schizo ain't cool.
She sat for hours, trying to look like she was doing work, when in fact, she was thinking about the one person she was suppose to be researching.
He sat in an armchair with his eyes closed. In his mind, he wandered through his Memory Palace. With his footsteps echoing through the large halls, he entered the Starling Room. He smiled as he saw images of Clarice that were stored there under the lock and key of his mind. There she was, with her second-rate shoes and her best handbag, perched on the metal folding chair in the dungeon. There she was again, her hair wet from the rain and her pants torn from her little escapade to the self storage place, There were pictures of her from the paper, drawings he'd done of her, images of her at the killing of Paul Krendler, images of her lying in a hospital bed after her accident, images of her reading in the pergola...
He opened his eyes. There was no doubt about it. He missed her. And she had to come back.
Clarice sat in her car, tapping the wheel from time to time. Someone tapped on the window. She looked up to see Mr Tripp standing there. She wound the window down.
"Agent Starling?" Mr Tripp asked. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, Sir. Why?"
"You've been sitting in your car for about half an hour, staring into space." Mr Tripp looked concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Sir. Sorry If I startled you." Clarice turned the ignition on. "Oh, Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Can you tell Agent Pearsall to call off his cronies. It's starting to piss me off."
"Agent Pearsall tailed you? I'll talk to him." Mr Tripp smiled at her. "Have a safe journey home."
"Thank you, Sir." Clarice returned his smile and pulled out of the lot. Within a few minutes, she was home, the tv was on and she had a hot drink cradled in her hands as she watched the news. As the news finished, she went upstairs, turning on the shower.
Washing her hair in the shower, she leaned into the hot water - and bumped into a warm hand. She jumped, whirling around and pulling the shower curtain around her. Her heart was beating fast as she saw the hand slip out of the shower. It had a thin, almost invisible scar on it. Slowly, she peeked out of the shower. He stood there, gazing at her with his intense maroon gaze. He held a finger to his lips. She nodded. He handed her a towel and she wrapped it around herself as he went over and turned off the light.
"I believe a few of you 'friends' are outside, watching the house." He said quietly. "Quite incompetent, I should think."
"I know. They were following me throughout my lunch hour." Her blue gaze sparkled in the dim light. "I need to get dressed."
He watched her as she went to the closet to retrieve a clean pair of jeans and a black Tee, as well as a floppy sweater. Quickly getting dressed, she came over to him and smiled. He smiled back and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around him and lay her head on his chest.
"I missed you." She said quietly. He chuckled. "What?"
"Let's just say this is the first time that someone has 'missed' me in that way." He took her hand and led her quietly down to the now dark sitting room. Clarice thanked her lucky stars she'd turned off the light. Out the back door, and through a gate that led into an alleyway. At the end of the alleyway, the black van stood.
"Let's just get one thing straight." Clarice said as they made their 'escape'. "In no way, am I going to take on your...interesting diet."
"Understood perfectly." He flashed her his trademark grin. "If you won't try and change the way I am, then I will return the favour."
"Yes, Sir." She mock saluted as they drove off to the airport.