1 Part 2

Six months later she had her old job almost back . She was on a new case, a kidnapping. A young girl of ten years old was kidnapped and she had to save her. Just like old times she thought, only this time it isn't a daughter of a senator but of a millionaire. The kidnapper had asked for ransom, 10 million dollars and demanded she would deliver it. They didn't understand why he would ask for her, but they had asked Clarice and she had accept the case. They had made an appointment at an old warehouse were Clarice supposed to exchange the ransom for the girl and arrest the kidnapper. It was a risk, because she would be alone in the building, the back up

( F.B.I agents) couldn't enter the building, the kidnapper had made that impossible. She entered the building to find the girl on a chair with a gun pointed at the back of her head where the kidnapper was in the dark. She was crying uncontrollably and the kidnapper demanded she would be quiet or he would kill her. "I've got the ransom you wanted" Clarice said lifting the briefcase with the money in it. "Let the girl go." "Well if it isn't Special Agent Starling." the kidnapper said. "I'm glad they have send you like I asked." He came into view, but Clarice still didn't recognised him. "You probably don't know who I am, but you did know my sister, you killed her remember!"

It was Evelda Drumgo's brother. She was shocked. "You're Evelda's brother?"

"Damn straight I am you bitch and you are going to pay for killing my sister!" He let go of the girl and she ran to Clarice. "Give me my ransom bitch or I will kill you both!" as he pointed the gun at them. Clarice handed him the briefcase. "The girl can go, but you stay." He said and Clarice instructed the girl to get out of the building, they were waiting for he outside. The girl ran off as Clarice got her attention back to Evelda's brother. He opened the briefcase, still gun pointed at her, but looked away for a second to check the money. Clarice quickly got her gun out of her holster, but not quick enough as he looked back and shot her in her left leg. She felt to the ground and her gun felt out of her grasp. He quickly got the gun. "Oh no you don't you bitch, you're going to pay for killing my sister. I'm going to let you suffer!"

Damn, she was in big trouble now, no weapon to defend herself with. Evelda's brother walked to her and kicked her in the stomach. "This is for my sister bitch." He pulled her to her feet and slammed her in a wall. "Look at me while I will make you suffer!" and hit her in the face. Clarice kicked him in the balls with her right knee and slammed him into the wall. Then she tried to run of, but that's hard with a bullet in your leg. He recovered and got her easily. "You're not going anywhere until they have to carry you out of here in a body bag!" He screamed and knocked her on the head with one of the guns. At that she passed out, with a severe head- wound. Right at that moment the SWAT team entered the building and shot Evelda's brother in the head. An ambulance arrived quick at the scene to take Clarice to the hospital, her injuries were life threatening. At the hospital she immediately went in to surgery to remove the bullet and examine the other injuries. After the surgery they brought her to the intensive care, she had lost a lot of blood, luckily hadn't any internal bleedings in her abdomen. But they were worried about her head injury, they didn't know how bad it was, they wouldn't know until she would wake up, if she would wake up at all. They kept a close eye on her. Ardelia heard the news and quickly drove to the hospital, her husband stayed with their 3 year old son.

Across the ocean, miles and miles away from the States to be exact in Paris, France a certain gentleman sat in a café drinking a cappuccino while he was reading the Washington Post.

He almost dropped his cappuccino when he read an article about Clarice's accident.

He sets the newspaper down on the table, a shocked expression on his face.

It's one of the first times we see such a emotional expression on the face of Hannibal Lecter.

He immediately books a flight to Washington D.C for that night, he has to know how she is doing, if she is going to be all right.

After arriving in D.C, he immediately went to the hospital. Always a master in hiding he could easily go the floor where Clarice was. He took a doctor's coat and walked to Clarice's room.

Unfortunately Ardelia was in the room, so he couldn't get in. He would wait and stick around, maybe she would leave the room or he could eavesdrop a little.

He had been there for hours when Ardelia left the room to fresh up.

He quickly went into the room. What he saw didn't please him at all, Clarice looked terrible.

She had bruises everywhere on her face, bandage around her head and machines around her.

What had they done to this woman, the woman he loved. He walked to the bed and tucked a few straws of hair behind her ear. Then he couldn't help it, he had the urge to kiss her. He softly kissed her on her forehead and smelled her hair, her skin cream and dried blood.

Then he quickly stood straight again, he couldn't stay to long in the room, he had to be gone before Ardelia came back.

"I will stay around Clarice, don't worry!" and with that he left the room.

It took 3 days before Clarice woke up. Ardelia sat next to the bed when she suddenly opened her eyes. "Clarice, honey it's me Ardi." She quickly called the doctor. She left the room when they examined her. Doctor Lecter was still close to the room and saw the doctor and nurses go into her room. After the examination the doctor talked to Ardelia. "Everything looks fine, she hasn't got any brain damage just a concussion, but there is one problem. Miss Starling can't see." Ardelia was shocked. "But what do you mean, that she is blind?"

"We don't know how bad it is, it can be temperately. We won't know until two weeks has passed, if miss Starling still can't see we can say for sure she is blind. We have explained everything to her. The good news is that she can go home with in two days, after her blood level is back to normal. Is there anyone who can take care of her during the coming two weeks?"

"Yes, I will take care of her. She can even stay at my place if she would like."

Doctor Lecter had heard the conversation and knew Clarice wouldn't want to stay at Ardelia's home, she would feel a burden. He hoped Ardelia wouldn't stay to long at Clarice's place so he could make his visit and take care of her. Knowing Clarice she wouldn't stay to long, she had a child to take care of and Clarice wouldn't want Ardelia to neglect her son. Brave Clarice, always thinking about the others he thought.