Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, except for the ones I've made up myself.

Family Blood

Chapter 8: Deals With the Devil

Clarice watched the passing scenery through the police car window. It took her a while to figure it out, but she now knew where they were taking her and her companions. "Quantico?!" she thought in disbelief. "Why the hell are we going there?"

As the building where she spent a great deal of her career in, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach got worse.

********************

Elaine rolled her eyes as the livid man on the other end of the phone practically screamed at her.

"What the fucking hell do you mean that I don't get him?!" Nathan Chilton was infuriated.

Elaine fought to keep her cell phone steady in the moving car. "I said that you won't get him yet, Dr. Chilton. We have some business that we would like to take care of first. After that's finished, we'll give him to you."

Chilton wasn't convinced. "You fucking used me, didn't you? You knew that they would come after the girl!"

"Dr. Chilton, we had no choice. It had to be done." She hesitated. "If it makes you feel any better, we'll give you a reward for your cooperation. Consider it the FBI's apology."

That seemed to calm him down a bit. "What kind of reward are we talking about Agent Parker?"

Elaine bit her lip before replying, "We're talking about thirty thousand in reward money."

Chilton was silent for a few seconds. "Deal," he said. "But you guys better keep your promise."

Elaine nodded. "You have the FBI's word on it Dr. Chilton. Thank you for your cooperation."

She didn't even listen to his last few words as she hung up the phone. As they drove into the parking lot of Quantico, Elaine watched the three cars that held her catch park near the entrance.

********************

One by one, the three fugitives were ushered through the hallways of Quantico. Always handcuffed and surrounded by guards, they were led into an office that had the look of an interrogation room. It was large and dimly lighted with a table with four chairs situated around it, three on one side and the last on across from them on the other side of the table. With Dr. Lecter in the middle, the three were placed in the chairs. Clarice and Jadis' former boss, Clint Pearsall, sat down at the fourth chair. Elaine Parker stood beside him. About ten guards stood at watch all around them.

A few minutes were spent in uncomfortable silence as the individuals observed each other, trying to calculate each other's next move. The already heavy tension in the air became thicker as the silence continued on.

Almost reluctantly, Pearsall broke the lingering stillness. "Good to see you two again, Starling and -" he briefly paused, not sure of what to call the other former agent of his. "Jadis," he finally decided on.

"Agent Pearsall," Clarice replied. Jadis just kept on glaring at him.

Pearsall hesitated before addressing the third person in front of him. "Dr. Lecter," he simply said, not sure of what else to say.

The doctor just nodded and kept his piercing maroon eyes on him, much to Pearsall's discomfort.

Pearsall quickly indicated the woman beside him. "I'm sure you all have already met Special Agent Elaine Parker."

Elaine wasted no time in getting down to business. "We're willing to make a deal with you three. We need your cooperation in tracking down a killer."

At that, Dr. Lecter tilted his head and said, "The FBI needs the help of some of America's Most Wanted? My, you must be really getting desperate."

Pearsall spoke up. "We are," he agreed. "Jadis has already heard this deal when we sent one of our agents down to talk to her earlier today. In exchange for your help with this case, all three of you will be granted your freedom for the time being. The FBI won't look for you or arrest you for a certain time period as long as none of you do anything illegal. What do you say?"

"How would we know that you guys will keep your end on the deal?" Jadis growled.

Pearsall sighed. "You'll just have to trust us," he simply said.

Clarice wasn't convinced. "The last time I trusted the FBI I was stabbed in the back and almost lost my job. The Bureau doesn't have a very good record at keeping their promises."

Her former boss clenched his teeth. "We realize that Starling, and we apologize for any wrong doing done onto you. However, I assure you that it was necessary in most cases."

"Oh bullshit!" Clarice almost leaped out of her chair. "You call turning a blind eye to Krendler slipping poison into my file and records 'necessary'? What if we turned down your offer?"

Elaine spoke up once again. "Then all three of you will be put under arrest. Dr. Lecter, you would be sent back to the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane and spend the rest of your days in your cell. Starling and Lecter, you two would be sent off to separate maximum security women's prisons for life. You three would never see each other again, nor see the light of day again." Elaine seemed to enjoy describing their would be fate a little too much for their liking.

Pearsall looked at the three. "It would be in your best interests in accepting this offer."

Dr. Lecter asked, "If we were to accept, whom would we be attempting to track down Agent Pearsall?"

"Richard Silversted, otherwise known as Chimera. I'm sure all three of you have already encountered him. He's making a comeback, already killed two people. We know it's him because he seemed to have trouble giving up his old signature. We've ruled out the possibility of a copy cat killer, and we have DNA evidence proving that it's him." As he said this, Pearsall took out a few photos and showed the trio. Sure enough, across each of the victim's stomachs, was that telltale brail signature of 'Chimera'. 

Pearsall went on. "We have yet to track him down. It's almost as if he just disappears from the face of the earth. We're hoping with your help that we'll put a stop to him and put him away forever. So, what do you say?"

Dr. Lecter, Clarice, and Jadis all exchanged a look with each other. None of them trusted the FBI to keep their word, but at the same time they knew that they were trapped for now. Either they agree and have a chance at freedom once again, or go back into custody and possibly never have that freedom ever again.

None of them would ever forgive themselves for what they had done next. "Well then," Dr. Lecter spoke for all three of them. "When do we start?"

Elaine and Pearsall looked at each other, looks of surprise and triumph plastered on their features. A little reluctantly, Elaine nodded at one of the guards. He stepped forward and, one by one, unlocked the trio of fugitives from their restraints. Pearsall hesitantly held out his hand and, although they still looked upon him with great discontent, shook each of their hands.

"Thank you for your cooperation," he told them.

Dr. Lecter, Clarice, and Jadis felt like they just made a deal with the devil himself.