Chapter 20 The end??
N/A: Highly unlikely the last chapter, but I'm at a loss for ideas now… so I'm stumped. That's why this chapter is going to suck until I revise it. I just hate leaving you guys hanging.
Hannibal smiled as he made his way out of the control booth where he'd stood while calmly locking Ardelia into his old cell. It felt surprisingly good to lock someone else into the damnable cage. He'd despised every instant he'd had to spend there. Even the little fun he'd had didn't strike inspiration in him. Only Clarice's few visits had interested him at all. Putting someone else in there so they might catch a glimpse of what being caged felt like seemed relieving. He stood a little ways down the hallway, some yards away from his old cell so that the armed Ardelia would be unable to shoot at him.
"Agent, I am asking you to disarm yourself and push your gun through the cage." He said quietly.
"I don't think so, Dr. Lecter." She replied harshly from inside the cell. Hannibal frowned. She was being rude again. This was starting to grate on his nerves.
"I'm very sorry, Agent Mapp, but I have to meet a friend of mine upstairs. I trust your partners up there are unarmed? By the cut of their clothes, it looked as though you were foolish enough to bring them here without offering them weapons."
"They're in training." Ardelia confessed, hoping that might save them from the doctor to at least a small degree.
"Ah, your protégé's?" He smiled. "It will be a pleasure to meet them, I assure you. Ta-Ta for now, Ardelia. I'll come back to deal with you another day."
He turned and walked back through the control room and into the stair well that would lead him up to the door across from Dr. Chilton's old office. He was silent, and made certain that the lights in the stair well were off. That would give him the opportunity to see into Dr. Chilton's office without being observed as more than a shadow.
When he reached the landing, he could hear muffled voices of concern. The agents were worried about Ardelia – and rightly so. Yet neither of them wanted to leave the office. The building, as one of the ladies was saying "gave them the creeps". Hannibal smirked. That could work to his advantage if he wanted it to. Yet he didn't think it was the right time to play games with insolent schoolgirls. He just wanted Clarice.
Opening the door, he called out softly:
"Who's there?" Then, he stepped back into the door, closing it almost all the way.
Handcuffed to a seat, Clarice lifted her head sharply, looking intently out into the hall. The two agents stood quickly, moving to the door to look out into the hallway. Neither of the women saw him.
"Hello?" The both called in turn. "Agent Michael? Agent Vince?"
After a moment, they both stepped further outside of the office. This gave Hannibal an even better view of them. As they turned in slow circles, their guard picking up, he could see that they indeed had no guns. How slippery of Agent Mapp. When they were totally unnerved, he reached behind him, pulled out his favorite weapon, and stepped into the hall, making them turn to him with a start as the door creaked open. He had chosen not to be quiet or careful in approaching them. Startling them too much might make them do something stupid, like try and attack him.
"Hello, ladies." He said pleasantly, holding his weapon up so they could see it. "I don't suppose either of you have the key for the cuffs on Clarice over there?"
Both the women backed towards the office. With catlike speed, Hannibal reached out, took the arm of one, and pushed her out of the way. He elbowed the other one to the side because that hand held the harpy. The women shrieked in alarm, trying to think of ways to fight him. Obviously they hadn't expected trouble. They'd only expected to be watching over a woman who was perfectly harmless in her handcuffs. Maybe this would teach them a thing or two.
"Ladies… I asked you for the key to the handcuffs."
One of the agents, a woman in her early twenties with long chestnut colored hair, reached into her shirt pocket, and offered the key to him. When Hannibal reached out to take it, she dropped it through the fingers of her shaking hands. He wasn't foolish enough to bend down to take it. He had his back to the office door, and neither of them could sneak up on him. They were very smart not to attack a man with a very, very large knife.
"Pick it up, my dear." He urged in his constantly calm voice. Her partner, with short, curly reddish-blonde hair and bright green eyes, crouched down and picked the key up swiftly, holding it out to him. Neither of them tried to run, although that wasn't overly surprising to Hannibal. Few people tried doing the logical thing when in shock. Hannibal reached out, put his fingers over the woman's, grasped the key, and then turned her hand upside-down so that it fell into his palm. Then, he kissed the back of her hand, making her shudder visibly. "Thank you. Now please step in here, into the office."
The women followed him as he backed into the office. Then, when he nodded for them to move behind the desk, they did so. They stood by a window without blinds, but there was no one to look in and see them on that side of the building. Hannibal waited for them to situate themselves before unlocking Clarice's handcuffs.
"Thank you for your cooperation, ladies." He picked up two sets of keys from the desk, and then followed Clarice – who'd remained silence this whole time – out of the office. He closed the door behind him, and locked it from the outside. Then, he dropped the keys, and kept the other set with him. Turning, he smiled down at Clarice. "We'll talk in the car my dear, if you'll be so good as to show me where you parked it."
Clarice looked up at him with wide blue eyes, and reached up to take his shoulder. That was all it took for him to lean down and press a quick kiss to her mouth. Yet a quick kiss was all time would allow.
"Come on…"
She took his hand, and they walked briskly out of the building, to the van that had brought her to the asylum, and together they drove off. A while later, they would stop to rip off the license plates so it wouldn't be identified. Then, half an hour later, they would stop and get into Hannibal's favored blue Ford Taurus.
They were heading out of state by way of the highway when they finally spoke to each other.
"You knew…"
Hannibal looked to Clarice with a slight smile.
"I knew nothing, actually." He confessed. "I did see you on the news this morning though. Got a little bit of a shock. Got a bigger one when two men turned on the power to the asylum. I was hiding there, you see."
"Oh…" Clarice just watched him. "Well… do you have anything to say?"
"I'm pleased." He nearly blushed, wondering why he was so bad with words all of a sudden. "Clarice… there's a tender spot on your side. You've been favoring it all day. Will you tell me what happened to you?"
"I was beaten by an agent." She replied curtly. "More than beaten… but when Ardelia found out, he was taken away from me. I was given the opportunity to press charges against him."
Hannibal began to glower as he stared at the highway before them. More than beaten… did she mean she had been raped? He thought so. But he didn't want to press her. Obviously she didn't want to dwell on the thoughts. Reaching over, he took her hand, and simply held it between them in a fierce grip.
"Clarice… if I didn't have to get you as far away from here as I possibly could…"
"I know." She whispered. "Hannibal… just get the three of us out of here…" Her hand lightly touched her stomach. "I'm all right… we'll be all right. Won't we?"
"Do you think I would have gotten you out of there if I didn't think so?"
N/A: Highly unlikely the last chapter, but I'm at a loss for ideas now… so I'm stumped. That's why this chapter is going to suck until I revise it. I just hate leaving you guys hanging.
Hannibal smiled as he made his way out of the control booth where he'd stood while calmly locking Ardelia into his old cell. It felt surprisingly good to lock someone else into the damnable cage. He'd despised every instant he'd had to spend there. Even the little fun he'd had didn't strike inspiration in him. Only Clarice's few visits had interested him at all. Putting someone else in there so they might catch a glimpse of what being caged felt like seemed relieving. He stood a little ways down the hallway, some yards away from his old cell so that the armed Ardelia would be unable to shoot at him.
"Agent, I am asking you to disarm yourself and push your gun through the cage." He said quietly.
"I don't think so, Dr. Lecter." She replied harshly from inside the cell. Hannibal frowned. She was being rude again. This was starting to grate on his nerves.
"I'm very sorry, Agent Mapp, but I have to meet a friend of mine upstairs. I trust your partners up there are unarmed? By the cut of their clothes, it looked as though you were foolish enough to bring them here without offering them weapons."
"They're in training." Ardelia confessed, hoping that might save them from the doctor to at least a small degree.
"Ah, your protégé's?" He smiled. "It will be a pleasure to meet them, I assure you. Ta-Ta for now, Ardelia. I'll come back to deal with you another day."
He turned and walked back through the control room and into the stair well that would lead him up to the door across from Dr. Chilton's old office. He was silent, and made certain that the lights in the stair well were off. That would give him the opportunity to see into Dr. Chilton's office without being observed as more than a shadow.
When he reached the landing, he could hear muffled voices of concern. The agents were worried about Ardelia – and rightly so. Yet neither of them wanted to leave the office. The building, as one of the ladies was saying "gave them the creeps". Hannibal smirked. That could work to his advantage if he wanted it to. Yet he didn't think it was the right time to play games with insolent schoolgirls. He just wanted Clarice.
Opening the door, he called out softly:
"Who's there?" Then, he stepped back into the door, closing it almost all the way.
Handcuffed to a seat, Clarice lifted her head sharply, looking intently out into the hall. The two agents stood quickly, moving to the door to look out into the hallway. Neither of the women saw him.
"Hello?" The both called in turn. "Agent Michael? Agent Vince?"
After a moment, they both stepped further outside of the office. This gave Hannibal an even better view of them. As they turned in slow circles, their guard picking up, he could see that they indeed had no guns. How slippery of Agent Mapp. When they were totally unnerved, he reached behind him, pulled out his favorite weapon, and stepped into the hall, making them turn to him with a start as the door creaked open. He had chosen not to be quiet or careful in approaching them. Startling them too much might make them do something stupid, like try and attack him.
"Hello, ladies." He said pleasantly, holding his weapon up so they could see it. "I don't suppose either of you have the key for the cuffs on Clarice over there?"
Both the women backed towards the office. With catlike speed, Hannibal reached out, took the arm of one, and pushed her out of the way. He elbowed the other one to the side because that hand held the harpy. The women shrieked in alarm, trying to think of ways to fight him. Obviously they hadn't expected trouble. They'd only expected to be watching over a woman who was perfectly harmless in her handcuffs. Maybe this would teach them a thing or two.
"Ladies… I asked you for the key to the handcuffs."
One of the agents, a woman in her early twenties with long chestnut colored hair, reached into her shirt pocket, and offered the key to him. When Hannibal reached out to take it, she dropped it through the fingers of her shaking hands. He wasn't foolish enough to bend down to take it. He had his back to the office door, and neither of them could sneak up on him. They were very smart not to attack a man with a very, very large knife.
"Pick it up, my dear." He urged in his constantly calm voice. Her partner, with short, curly reddish-blonde hair and bright green eyes, crouched down and picked the key up swiftly, holding it out to him. Neither of them tried to run, although that wasn't overly surprising to Hannibal. Few people tried doing the logical thing when in shock. Hannibal reached out, put his fingers over the woman's, grasped the key, and then turned her hand upside-down so that it fell into his palm. Then, he kissed the back of her hand, making her shudder visibly. "Thank you. Now please step in here, into the office."
The women followed him as he backed into the office. Then, when he nodded for them to move behind the desk, they did so. They stood by a window without blinds, but there was no one to look in and see them on that side of the building. Hannibal waited for them to situate themselves before unlocking Clarice's handcuffs.
"Thank you for your cooperation, ladies." He picked up two sets of keys from the desk, and then followed Clarice – who'd remained silence this whole time – out of the office. He closed the door behind him, and locked it from the outside. Then, he dropped the keys, and kept the other set with him. Turning, he smiled down at Clarice. "We'll talk in the car my dear, if you'll be so good as to show me where you parked it."
Clarice looked up at him with wide blue eyes, and reached up to take his shoulder. That was all it took for him to lean down and press a quick kiss to her mouth. Yet a quick kiss was all time would allow.
"Come on…"
She took his hand, and they walked briskly out of the building, to the van that had brought her to the asylum, and together they drove off. A while later, they would stop to rip off the license plates so it wouldn't be identified. Then, half an hour later, they would stop and get into Hannibal's favored blue Ford Taurus.
They were heading out of state by way of the highway when they finally spoke to each other.
"You knew…"
Hannibal looked to Clarice with a slight smile.
"I knew nothing, actually." He confessed. "I did see you on the news this morning though. Got a little bit of a shock. Got a bigger one when two men turned on the power to the asylum. I was hiding there, you see."
"Oh…" Clarice just watched him. "Well… do you have anything to say?"
"I'm pleased." He nearly blushed, wondering why he was so bad with words all of a sudden. "Clarice… there's a tender spot on your side. You've been favoring it all day. Will you tell me what happened to you?"
"I was beaten by an agent." She replied curtly. "More than beaten… but when Ardelia found out, he was taken away from me. I was given the opportunity to press charges against him."
Hannibal began to glower as he stared at the highway before them. More than beaten… did she mean she had been raped? He thought so. But he didn't want to press her. Obviously she didn't want to dwell on the thoughts. Reaching over, he took her hand, and simply held it between them in a fierce grip.
"Clarice… if I didn't have to get you as far away from here as I possibly could…"
"I know." She whispered. "Hannibal… just get the three of us out of here…" Her hand lightly touched her stomach. "I'm all right… we'll be all right. Won't we?"
"Do you think I would have gotten you out of there if I didn't think so?"