See previous chapters for disclaimers
A/n: Just a wee chapter I wanted to post before we get onto the action. Sorry to disappoint. Thanks again for the reviews. Special thanks to saav, T and LoT, your support and friendship over so long a time has been a true gift indeed.
Clarice sat in nervous silence waiting for a response to her statement. She didn't have to wait long.
" I seem to be having a dose of dejavu Clarice. Perhaps I am mistaken but did we not, earlier, already have this conversation? You know I am true to my word Clarice; you have never questioned it before. What is it you really want from me hmmm? What demons taunted you in the dark tonight I wonder."
His voice was calm and slow, almost hypnotic in its pitch and rhythm, not at all as threatening or teasing, as she would have normally associated with his words. He sat unmoved, his posture slack and relaxed, his eyes although piercing did not carry any anger or malice that she could see.
" Second thoughts? Regrets? Was the thought of sleeping with the enemy niggling at the part of you that is and always will be firmly F.B.I? Hmmm? Or perhaps it was something much simpler Clarice."
Clarice couldn't hold eye contact any longer and looked to her folded hands in her lap, her eye's brimming with unshed tears.
" I was thinking about stupid things really. Little things. Things that don't matter a damn when you look at the bigger picture. But when there are lots of them they kinda get noticeable and begin to annoy you. So much so that you end up lying awake thinking about them. Things like Ardelia. I just realised tonight that I'm never going to see her again, and I didn't even say goodbye. Things like my old house. I just realised that I'm never going to have to buy that extra pot of paint to finish my bedroom. And lots of little things about you Doctor, for instance your family. I know nothing about your family, your parents or your life prior to Baltimore. I don't know why you decided to go to medical school in the first place and then onto psychiatry, I don't know jack about past relationships and I know nothing of your hobbies apart from those splattered across the tabloids and TV. You know so much about me, more than myself sometimes and I, most of the time, answer any questions or queries you may have regarding any aspect of my life or me. You answer me in riddles and fancy rhymes, expertly dodging and manoeuvring to avoid even the tiniest glance at what lays underneath. You expect so much yet give so little." She stopped and sighed, her fingers playing with the frayed edge of the blanket that kept the chill from her. Her voice was soft, tired, edging on a whisper.
" When I took your weapon I didn't take the will Doctor. I know what you have done and I know what you are capable of. My feelings of nervousness and intimidation are, in my opinion, only natural considering I have been trained to feel that way by society and employers alike. They will perhaps fade over time, when trust has been given the chance to grow, on both sides. My love and my trust in you are in different places within me. They are not intertwined. I do believe you love me. You would not have came back for me, at great personal risk, if you did not, but could you in all honesty look me in the eye right now, and tell me you trust me one hundred percent. Dr Hannibal Lecter?"
There was silence again, punctuated only by the sound of their combined breaths. She sat still, her heartbeat sounding faintly in her ears. She watched his face, his eyes, his lips, waiting for them to move. He smiled then, a slow half smile that crept up one side of his mouth, making his eyes shine in a way that told of his hidden sense of humour.
" No Clarice, I don't believe I could." His voice was laced with admiration and humour, a combination that was rarely heard. Clarice smiled slightly too, a moment passed and she was on her feet, walking towards his seated form, motioning for him to stand. He stood then, his eyes level with hers, and without hesitation he moved forward, a little slower than he would have usually moved, until his lips where on hers in a heated kiss. He felt her tense then relax, her body closing the tiny distance to lean on his, her throat releasing the smallest moan which caused his lips to press more firmly to hers. And then they were statues, lips still pressed together but unmoving, hands gripping each other but nothing more. The point of the harpy bit rather sharply as her hand trembled slightly, causing him to eventually pull his lips away from hers and look between them, where she held his weapon to his gut. Looking back to her with a spark in his eyes he couldn't help but tilt his head in question.
" I believe this belongs to you" she whispered, her own eyes a slightly darker shade than they had been only moments before. She jumped when she felt his hand close around her own like iron, and looked back to his eyes with what he immediately recognised as fear. She frowned when instead of disarming her as she thought he would he instead moved her hand slightly lower and across, to rest the point at the top of his thigh.
" Artery. Massive blood loss in a very short period of time. If you had pushed the blade where you had it originally, I would still have had the strength to kill you."
Clarice shuddered slightly at the low, gravely words that were spoken so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face.
" Guns are more my area of expertise Doctor."
" Indeed. In any respect you should keep a back up on your person. Keep the knife Clarice."
" Ok"
She waited till his hand was back at his side before folding the knife away, placing it once more back in her pocket.
" We should try and get some sleep Clarice, we need to be moving in around two, perhaps three hours."
Clarice nodded her head and made her way around the bed, watching as he slid once more under the heavy duvet, before sliding in herself. Settling herself beneath the comforter she was just about to close her eyes when his voice sounded through the darkness.
" My father was a count, my mother a countess, and I had a sister, Misha, who died at an early age. Goodnight Clarice."
Clarice whispered goodnight with a rather contented smile on her face. It was a start.
Tbc.......( Q dramatic music ) ;)
A/n: Just a wee chapter I wanted to post before we get onto the action. Sorry to disappoint. Thanks again for the reviews. Special thanks to saav, T and LoT, your support and friendship over so long a time has been a true gift indeed.
Clarice sat in nervous silence waiting for a response to her statement. She didn't have to wait long.
" I seem to be having a dose of dejavu Clarice. Perhaps I am mistaken but did we not, earlier, already have this conversation? You know I am true to my word Clarice; you have never questioned it before. What is it you really want from me hmmm? What demons taunted you in the dark tonight I wonder."
His voice was calm and slow, almost hypnotic in its pitch and rhythm, not at all as threatening or teasing, as she would have normally associated with his words. He sat unmoved, his posture slack and relaxed, his eyes although piercing did not carry any anger or malice that she could see.
" Second thoughts? Regrets? Was the thought of sleeping with the enemy niggling at the part of you that is and always will be firmly F.B.I? Hmmm? Or perhaps it was something much simpler Clarice."
Clarice couldn't hold eye contact any longer and looked to her folded hands in her lap, her eye's brimming with unshed tears.
" I was thinking about stupid things really. Little things. Things that don't matter a damn when you look at the bigger picture. But when there are lots of them they kinda get noticeable and begin to annoy you. So much so that you end up lying awake thinking about them. Things like Ardelia. I just realised tonight that I'm never going to see her again, and I didn't even say goodbye. Things like my old house. I just realised that I'm never going to have to buy that extra pot of paint to finish my bedroom. And lots of little things about you Doctor, for instance your family. I know nothing about your family, your parents or your life prior to Baltimore. I don't know why you decided to go to medical school in the first place and then onto psychiatry, I don't know jack about past relationships and I know nothing of your hobbies apart from those splattered across the tabloids and TV. You know so much about me, more than myself sometimes and I, most of the time, answer any questions or queries you may have regarding any aspect of my life or me. You answer me in riddles and fancy rhymes, expertly dodging and manoeuvring to avoid even the tiniest glance at what lays underneath. You expect so much yet give so little." She stopped and sighed, her fingers playing with the frayed edge of the blanket that kept the chill from her. Her voice was soft, tired, edging on a whisper.
" When I took your weapon I didn't take the will Doctor. I know what you have done and I know what you are capable of. My feelings of nervousness and intimidation are, in my opinion, only natural considering I have been trained to feel that way by society and employers alike. They will perhaps fade over time, when trust has been given the chance to grow, on both sides. My love and my trust in you are in different places within me. They are not intertwined. I do believe you love me. You would not have came back for me, at great personal risk, if you did not, but could you in all honesty look me in the eye right now, and tell me you trust me one hundred percent. Dr Hannibal Lecter?"
There was silence again, punctuated only by the sound of their combined breaths. She sat still, her heartbeat sounding faintly in her ears. She watched his face, his eyes, his lips, waiting for them to move. He smiled then, a slow half smile that crept up one side of his mouth, making his eyes shine in a way that told of his hidden sense of humour.
" No Clarice, I don't believe I could." His voice was laced with admiration and humour, a combination that was rarely heard. Clarice smiled slightly too, a moment passed and she was on her feet, walking towards his seated form, motioning for him to stand. He stood then, his eyes level with hers, and without hesitation he moved forward, a little slower than he would have usually moved, until his lips where on hers in a heated kiss. He felt her tense then relax, her body closing the tiny distance to lean on his, her throat releasing the smallest moan which caused his lips to press more firmly to hers. And then they were statues, lips still pressed together but unmoving, hands gripping each other but nothing more. The point of the harpy bit rather sharply as her hand trembled slightly, causing him to eventually pull his lips away from hers and look between them, where she held his weapon to his gut. Looking back to her with a spark in his eyes he couldn't help but tilt his head in question.
" I believe this belongs to you" she whispered, her own eyes a slightly darker shade than they had been only moments before. She jumped when she felt his hand close around her own like iron, and looked back to his eyes with what he immediately recognised as fear. She frowned when instead of disarming her as she thought he would he instead moved her hand slightly lower and across, to rest the point at the top of his thigh.
" Artery. Massive blood loss in a very short period of time. If you had pushed the blade where you had it originally, I would still have had the strength to kill you."
Clarice shuddered slightly at the low, gravely words that were spoken so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face.
" Guns are more my area of expertise Doctor."
" Indeed. In any respect you should keep a back up on your person. Keep the knife Clarice."
" Ok"
She waited till his hand was back at his side before folding the knife away, placing it once more back in her pocket.
" We should try and get some sleep Clarice, we need to be moving in around two, perhaps three hours."
Clarice nodded her head and made her way around the bed, watching as he slid once more under the heavy duvet, before sliding in herself. Settling herself beneath the comforter she was just about to close her eyes when his voice sounded through the darkness.
" My father was a count, my mother a countess, and I had a sister, Misha, who died at an early age. Goodnight Clarice."
Clarice whispered goodnight with a rather contented smile on her face. It was a start.
Tbc.......( Q dramatic music ) ;)