I must confess I've chickened out again. I think the previous chapter is about as close as I'll ever get to an NC-17 rating. That stuff is actually hard to write. Ah, well…

Add the usual – I'm only trying to follow the footprints.

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She felt his warm weight leave her and tensed in anticipation of the pain she was sure would come before the end. When nothing happened she opened her eyes to find him looking down on her. There was something undefinable in his cobalt gaze. His voice was low and sharp when he spoke,

"That was beneath you, Clarice."

"Yes," she hissed out on a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"It seems you actually require an answer to your earlier question," he noted with some sarcasm. "I'm here because, at the moment, this is the safest place for me to be. The airports and stations will be crawling with officers of the law. I need to lay low for a few days until they think I've gotten away again and relax their guard. I was privy to your conversation with your boss, via the answering machine, so I know no one will be checking up on you for the next little while. That suits my purposes perfectly." He sounded like a cat as he purred the last word, watching her eyes for her reaction.

"And afterwards?" she asked. He smiled the same grin she had first seen down in the dungeon. She sucked in a breath as he elegantly shrugged, purposely leaving her to wonder. Again, her thoughts turned to the gun hidden under her bed.

"I see I'm going to have to do something about your wandering thoughts," he commented. Her gaze flew back to his. How did he know? He reached down and hauled her to her feet. Before she knew what was happening she felt cold steel at her wrist and heard the click as they were locked together. The feeling of déjà vu was staggering. She could see the amusement in his gaze before she glanced down at their linked wrists. Her right and his left. "What's the old saying Clarice? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" he asked as he entwined his fingers with her own. The gesture was unnervingly intimate, considering what had gone before.

At that moment, her stomach made itself known with a loud gurgle. Clarice closed her eyes and wondered how the moment could get any worse. She had her answer when she felt his warm breath on her ear and neck as he whispered,

"I apologize Clarice. I should have realized you probably haven't eaten since the night before last." She felt his hand squeeze hers and she opened her eyes in time to make her feet obey and follow him into the kitchen. She watched slightly dumbfounded as he maneuvered through her kitchen pulling out ingredients and utensils as if he'd been there hundreds of times before. She gasped when she realized he probably had been. He looked up and winked at her, and she realized her thoughts must be written all over her face. She took a deep breath to try to regain some control, but his chuckle destroyed her efforts as he tugged her over beside him. A few quick flicks of his wrist and her large kitchen knife had neatly halved four oranges. He nudged the glass juicer towards her indicating that she should squeeze them. He began to slice up ham, peppers, and mushrooms.

"Sure you don't want me to chop?" she asked. The only comment she received was a quirked eyebrow. "Didn't think so," she muttered.

"If you're a very good girl I might let you grate the cheese," he said without looking at her. "I don't think anyone can do to much damage with a cheese grater," he commented catching the gleam in her eyes. "On second thought," he frowned, breaking eggs into a bowl with one hand, as Clarice started in on the oranges. When he reached over to grasp the bowl in order to whisk the eggs, he pulled Clarice's wrist along too, causing her to send a squirt of orange juice over her cheek. Her low growl alerted him to the situation and the opportunity that it presented. However, Clarice was quicker and wiped the juice away with the dishrag. The doctor smiled, "You're learning," he praised as he turned back to beat the eggs. Clarice had to wait for him to finish before she could continue with the juicer. How long was he going to keep them locked together? She had just picked up an orange half when her wrist was jerked towards him again as he reached for the grater. She let out an impatient snort as grasped his wrist above the cuff. The feel of her cool, sticky fingers made him glance up at her questioning look. He shrugged and put his hand down on the counter next to her hip. She was acutely aware of his scrutiny as she finished juicing the oranges. When she was done, he proceeded to grate the cheese.

Clarice realized she was very hungry and began to snitch bits of ham off the cutting board until the knife came down millimeters away from her fingertips. Her startled gaze met his scolding one and Crawford's warning from so long ago echoed in her mind. Never forget what he is. Clarice managed to keep her mind off her stomach by trying to figure out exactly what the man beside her was, but she was no closer to finding an answer when he pulled her to the table and told her to eat the omelet he put in front of her.

Her emotions were so conflicted. On one hand she fell asleep with him in the car, and on the other she feared for her life. Nothing was simple around this man. There was no black and white, and she was tired of trying to see through a world of gray. She shook her head and started to eat. She breathed her delight in a small moan. He really was an excellent cook. She looked up at him sitting across from her, his arm stretched across the table so she could use her right hand to eat. She glanced up several times only to find him engrossed in his meal.

Dr. Lecter was unsure what was more pleasing, the opportunity to share a quiet meal with Clarice, or watching her trying to sort out her conflicting emotions. He'd love to help her with the latter, but suspected that she wouldn't appreciate any offer of assistance on his part. The fear she had exhibited earlier still bothered him. He realized her offensive comment was said merely to bring about a hasty conclusion to their struggle. He was trying to make her mad, and she had attempted the same thing. He found her unique motivations fascinating and suspected he would grant her more space to express them than he would anyone else in the world. Her insecurity around him still needed to be addressed. He was pondering this problem when his keen sense of hearing caught the sound of something outside on the patio. His head snapped up and his nostrils flared trying to catch some hint of whom or what was out there.

Clarice was immediately aware of the change in her companion. She tilted her head in an effort to hear what he had heard. When she finally caught a faint sound outside her patio door, her breath caught in her chest. It was a sound she knew only too well.

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I know I'm horrible, but I'm afraid it would shock you all into a heart attack if I didn't end with a cliffie. Wouldn't want to be the cause of some poor reviewer's death now would I? Luna.