Hannibal unlocked the door to his apartment and strolled inside. He
dropped his bag of groceries on the table and suddenly stopped and sniffed
the air. He followed the scent to his bedroom where he smelled the sheets.
Then he went over to his desk and saw the chest there and sniffed the air
once more. Le Baiser, he thought. He called down to the desk.
"Yes Dr. Bourtin'?"
"Was someone in my room earlier?"
"Oh yes sir. Some woman who said was your friend asked to drop something
off for you in your room. Im sorry sir. I know I shouldn't have let her
but she seemed really nice. Did she take something? You can take it out
of my wage sir.."
"No no no. Its alright young man. What did she look like?"
"Red hair, really dark looking makeup."
"ok, thank you."
"You're welcome sir."
He hung up the phone and went back to the chest.
*Clarice? No, she couldn't be here. Then who?*
He opened the lid to the chest and moved the dry ice out of the way.
What he saw there surprised him but made him grin.
"Bonsoir Clarice."
Four days passed by and Clarice didn't venture very far from her hotel,
planning her next move. By now he had to know she was here and she didn't
know what the next course of action would be. She had to see him now, something
inside her drove her to that fact and she was finding time to reason with
herself why she was in Paris in the first place. Because he was there.
That's all she had so far, but she was still working on the rest. Pushing
those thoughts away, she called Lecter's apartment building.
"Hello? "
"Yes hi, the gentleman in Apt 47..."
"Dr. Bourtin'?"
*Bourtin'......*
"Yes, does he have plans for the evening?"
"Why yes madame'. He is attending a semi-formal party this evening
at the Cabaret de Royal Minuit. "
"How does one get invited to that?"
"Oh, you don't have to be invited. You just have to sound important."
"Thank you. You've been very helpful."
"Anytime madame'."
Clarice smiled. This was going to be fun.
That evening, Clarice exited her hotel room wearing the black dress and shoes Hannibal had given her. Her hair was up in a french twist with little ringlets falling all over. She had the hotel send her a limo which picked her up outside. She sat thinking on the drive there, What would she really do if she saw him there? A small voice in her mind that was getting smaller all the time told her her duty was to arrest him, but another voice which had gotten bigger and bigger said something else. Something that disturbed her, but she was beginning to accept.
When she arrived at the club she paid her fee and the entrance and said she was away on business from the US Govt. She hoped that sounded important enough and it did. She got in without a hesitation and moved through the crowd, eyes searching for him.
Hannibal sat at a table in the corner of the room sipping wine. He realized
now that it was his turn in the game. She took her steps and he had to
make his, but where to start? He would have to seek her out, he supposed.
Then let her make the next move. As the night progressed he turned down
many offers by others to dance. He was too deep in thought to do anything
else. When he looked up from his table and surveyed the room, his breathing
rate increased. He saw her. She was at the bar apparently looking for someone.
He could tell by the way she moved her head from side to side and twisted
her body around. He found she looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing
the dress he gave her, and he assumed the shoes as well. There around her
neck he could also see the butterfly. It looked even more beautiful on
her than it did in the store. He quickly thought about what he should do.
He saw a young man ask her to dance and saw her reluctantly accept.
*I might just have to cut in.*
In the background a steady beat of music began to play and then
the singer started her chords.
"Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You gimmie Fever......"
Hannibal got up from his seat and slid toward the dancing pair. From
behind Clarice he spoke.
"May I cut in?"
Clarice stopped dancing but did not turn.
The young man spoke.
"Sure sir."
He stepped away from Clarice and she turned to face him.
There he was. Her first glimpse of Hannibal Lecter after only a few
months, yet seemed like an eternity, was wonderful. He looked stunning
in his suit and she reached out and met him to dance.
They swayed to the music and he breathed into her ear.
"Hello Clarice."
"Hello Dr." Bourtin"she replied.
He chuckled a little.
"So you have been doing your homework. "
SHe nodded.
There was nothing but silence then as she moved her head to his shoulder.
"Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
My eyes light up when you call my name
'Cause I know you're gonna treat me right"
He spun her around then and she laughed.
"Everybody's got the fever
That is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago"
They began to dance more sensuously , him dipping her and twirling her. As the singer sang the last lines of the song they slowed and he dipped her then ran his hand from her neck to her waist as he lifted her back up.
"What a lovely way.......to burn...."
When the song was over they received applause and they both smiled, retreating to his table. Clarice was breathing fast, both a mix of his presence and the dancing. When she looked up from the table she saw his eyes bearing down on her. He motioned for the waiter and asked him to bring them two glasses of water.
"Well Clarice. You've found me. I didn't expect you to actually come to where I was. I thought you would just tell me in another letter that you'd found me out. I must say it is a pleasant surprise."
He lifted his right hand and rubbed the wrist of his newly restored
left hand. Clarice looked at it shocked.
"Your hand...."
"Yes, thank you by the way. I was actually able to have it put back
on. Its sore and the nerves are slowly staring to work better. So my reflexes
in this arm are a little slow, but with therapy it should be better."
She reached out a tentative hand and ran it over the line of
stitches on his hand.
"Im glad it worked out ok."
"Im curious Clarice, why did you keep it?"
"I didn't want them getting it and picking it apart like everything
else. I saw it as a sacrifice you made and I felt in return I had to give
it back to you eventually, I suppose."
"So, Clarice, you've played the game very well so far. You've made
all the right moves. You've made it here, finagled your way into my apartment
and got in here tonight. I suppose its my turn now."
"I guess so Doctor."
He was quiet for a moment and he looked down at his hands. She took
that time to study him. She felt her heart skip a beat when he finally
looked back up.
*His eyes...*
"Mischa was my sister. I remember her, so young, so innocent.
She loved the colour purple.Her eyes would just light up when she saw it.
I would pick an eggplant from the garden and place it in her room where
she could see it. Our parents, a duke and a duchess, were killed
by the Russians and we were placed in a barn of children to be watched
over. It was in the dead of winter and was dreadfully cold.When they ran
out of food, they caught a scrawny dear and I remember seeing them drag
it across the snow through a hole in the barn. The blood left a red path
behind the deer. Then I heard the chop of the axe. After they ate the deer
they still were hungry and came to the barn. They felt on the children
and even felt me, but chose Mischa instead." He paused a moment to take
a breath, the words obviously disturbing him. She felt her heart lurch
at the direction his story was going.
"I held on to her as tight as I could, begging them not to take her
and she kept asking me to help her.But they wouldn't let go and slammed
the barn door on my arm, cracking it. All I could do was hear her screams
and then the chop of the axe and then the silence again. I remember seeing
her teeth in the pot they used to spit in. To this day the memory plagues
me."
"Kind of like my lambs."
He nodded.
Clarice was at a loss for words.
"Im so sorry. How horrible..."
He silenced her with a hand.
"No need for pity Clarice, just understanding which I know you have."
Then he brushed her hand with his as he reached for the glass of water
the waiter brought during their conversation.
She felt herself flush with colour and was grateful for the dim lights.
"So Clarice, are you going to arrest me now?"
"I think you would know that if I intended to do that I would have
done it a long time ago."
"Granted, Ill give you that. Then just what do you intend now that
you've found me, little Starling?"She noticed the playful tone in his voice
was back.
Clarice looked at her hands not sure what to say,but soon decided
that she had come this far in the game and that she couldn't stop playing
now. She intentionally brushed his hand with hers as she grabbed her glass
of water.
"I don't know yet Doctor. I really haven't given it much thought."she
said, meant as a tease.
He chuckled.
"You've had plenty of time to think pretty butterfly."he retorted crossing
his legs, brushing her leg with his foot.
"I've been too busy relaxing. This IS my vacation, you know."
She crossed her legs now, brushing her leg across his thigh..She leaned
back in her chair and looked at him.
"Ah, still with the FBI I see.Hasn't your mother taught you not to
keep nasty habits."
He looked her up and down purposefully.
"When have I been one to follow instructions?"
"Hmm..." was his reply.
She matched his gaze and he leaned over the table to whisper to her.
"Do you feel them Clarice? The eyes raking over your body?"he gestured
to the crowd in the club.
She looked over and confidently looked back at him.
"Not really."
She leaned closer to where they were only a few inches form each other
and spoke.
"But I feel yours."
He grinned and reached out to move a errand strand of hair from her
face.
She reached out and touched his cheek. They moved closer to each other
and Clarice felt her breath quicken and could tell his aroused state by
his breaths as well. Before their lips touched he stopped and whispered
to her.
"The next move is all yours in this game Clarice." and he didn't move
any closer to her, waiting for her decision.
Her mind battled itself.
*Kiss him Clarice! You know you want to! Yes, but is it really what
I want? What about your duty Clarice?But when are you going to think of
your needs before everyone else Clarice?But..but...but...*
The few moments it took for her to decide seemed like an eternity to
her but she had her decision and a curl came to her lips when she decided
something else.She moved closer to him and just as their lips were to touch
she rose our of her chair, missing his mouth by seconds only, quickly brushing
her lips to his forehead.
"Good evening doctor. Its late and I need my beauty rest. Thank you
for the wonderful time." and with that she left, leaving behind a bewildered
Hannibal Lecter.
