Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Absolutely nothing.
A/N: This is the last chapter, so enjoy.
I know it's short, but I just had to end it where it is and adding more either before that point or after it would've killed it.
Courtney: *sighs* I'm updating. Happy? You better work on your story now . . .
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Clarice stared at the two men. Both people she held very high, one she was in love with and one was her boss. She didn't want either of them killed. Doing the only thing she could think of, she stepped between the doctor and Crawford.
"Clarice, move," Crawford said.
Clarice didn't say anything, merely stared into Lecter's eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking. "Do you love me?" she whispered.
Doctor Lecter smiled sadly. "You know I do."
Clarice could feel Crawford's eyes staring at her. "What has been going on?" he demanded.
"Doctor Lecter saved my life, more than once I might add. He has been staying with me until I get better," Clarice responded, turning around to face her boss. "The phones were down so I couldn't have called the police or the F.B.I."
"He could've killed you!" Crawford practically yelled.
Clarice shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "No," she whispered.
"And why the hell not?" Crawford demanded.
Whispering, Clarice responded, "He loves me. You heard him."
Crawford sighed and rubbed his forehead with the hand not holding the gun. "You believe him? Clarice, what's gotten into you?"
Clarice dropped her gaze and stared at the floor. Before she could say anything, the doctor snorted, amused. "What is so funny?" she asked, turning around to face him.
"He loves you, Clarice," Doctor Lecter replied, smiling. "I believe this ups the stakes, don't you think?"
Clarice and Crawford both stared at him. "No he doesn't," Clarice said at the exact same time as Crawford said, "No I don't."
The doctor smirked. "Crawford, don't lie. You know I hate the rude. Just admit it."
Crawford stared at him and then looked at Clarice. "He's not lying," he stated quietly.
Clarice stared at her employer. "What?"
"I love you."
Clarice continued to stare at him. Behind her, Doctor Lecter said, "Please hurry up, Clarice. I do not enjoy waiting like this."
Clarice whipped around to face the doctor. "You want me to hurry up? I don't think that's an option! I have to pick between two people who love me, two people who I highly respect, neither of which I want to die! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!"
"Who do you love?" Doctor Lecter replied softly.
Clarice sat down heavily on the floor even though she knew that she was the only thing between the two men. She knew who she loved; that was the easy part. The hard part was figuring out what she was going to do. "I love you," she whispered to the air, not looking at either person. A couple of seconds later, she felt a hand on her back. Clarice looked up and saw Doctor Lecter looking into her eyes.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
Clarice was still for a moment and then nodded back. "I know. I love you too."
Doctor Lecter smiled. "Who do you pick?"
Throughout this exchange, Crawford had managed to keep quiet, but the urge to say something was just too big. "You can't possibly mean that."
"Yes I can," she whispered and then stood up. "I love him."
Crawford stared at her. "After what he did, how can you say that?"
Clarice sighed. "It took me thirteen years to figure out that I loved him. You can't expect me to know why for at least another thirteen."
Crawford stared and then turned to Doctor Lecter. "So, doctor, what do you think? Should do the right thing and kill you or should I let you and Clarice be happy together?"
Doctor Lecter didn't say anything and turned to Clarice. "Should I do the right thing and kill him or let your boss live and endanger us?"
Clarice glared at him. "I've done enough picking for a lifetime. Your choice."
The two men looked at each other as if sizing the other up. "If I ever find out that you hurt Clarice in any way, I am going to change my mind. In the mean time, good luck," Crawford said and walked out, leaving Clarice and Doctor Lecter staring after him.
"He left," Clarice stated dumbly.
"Yes, he did," Doctor Lecter replied.
"He's not going to get anybody else involved. He's just going to let us be," Clarice said.
"Yes, he is," the doctor said and went over to Clarice's back and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I can't believe it," Clarice replied, still amazed.
Doctor Lecter smiled and started kissing Clarice's neck. "Please, do so."
Clarice smiled and turned around to face the doctor, his arms still enfolding her. "He's not going to come back, either."
"No, he's not," Doctor Lecter replied and kissed Clarice. She soon fell into it and when they broke apart, she was only blushing slightly. "Clarice?"
"Mmmm?" she answer, not able to compose real words at the moment.
"I love you," he said for the second time that day.
Clarice smiled and looked into his eyes. "I love you too."
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes."
A/N: This is the last chapter, so enjoy.
I know it's short, but I just had to end it where it is and adding more either before that point or after it would've killed it.
Courtney: *sighs* I'm updating. Happy? You better work on your story now . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~
Clarice stared at the two men. Both people she held very high, one she was in love with and one was her boss. She didn't want either of them killed. Doing the only thing she could think of, she stepped between the doctor and Crawford.
"Clarice, move," Crawford said.
Clarice didn't say anything, merely stared into Lecter's eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking. "Do you love me?" she whispered.
Doctor Lecter smiled sadly. "You know I do."
Clarice could feel Crawford's eyes staring at her. "What has been going on?" he demanded.
"Doctor Lecter saved my life, more than once I might add. He has been staying with me until I get better," Clarice responded, turning around to face her boss. "The phones were down so I couldn't have called the police or the F.B.I."
"He could've killed you!" Crawford practically yelled.
Clarice shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "No," she whispered.
"And why the hell not?" Crawford demanded.
Whispering, Clarice responded, "He loves me. You heard him."
Crawford sighed and rubbed his forehead with the hand not holding the gun. "You believe him? Clarice, what's gotten into you?"
Clarice dropped her gaze and stared at the floor. Before she could say anything, the doctor snorted, amused. "What is so funny?" she asked, turning around to face him.
"He loves you, Clarice," Doctor Lecter replied, smiling. "I believe this ups the stakes, don't you think?"
Clarice and Crawford both stared at him. "No he doesn't," Clarice said at the exact same time as Crawford said, "No I don't."
The doctor smirked. "Crawford, don't lie. You know I hate the rude. Just admit it."
Crawford stared at him and then looked at Clarice. "He's not lying," he stated quietly.
Clarice stared at her employer. "What?"
"I love you."
Clarice continued to stare at him. Behind her, Doctor Lecter said, "Please hurry up, Clarice. I do not enjoy waiting like this."
Clarice whipped around to face the doctor. "You want me to hurry up? I don't think that's an option! I have to pick between two people who love me, two people who I highly respect, neither of which I want to die! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!"
"Who do you love?" Doctor Lecter replied softly.
Clarice sat down heavily on the floor even though she knew that she was the only thing between the two men. She knew who she loved; that was the easy part. The hard part was figuring out what she was going to do. "I love you," she whispered to the air, not looking at either person. A couple of seconds later, she felt a hand on her back. Clarice looked up and saw Doctor Lecter looking into her eyes.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
Clarice was still for a moment and then nodded back. "I know. I love you too."
Doctor Lecter smiled. "Who do you pick?"
Throughout this exchange, Crawford had managed to keep quiet, but the urge to say something was just too big. "You can't possibly mean that."
"Yes I can," she whispered and then stood up. "I love him."
Crawford stared at her. "After what he did, how can you say that?"
Clarice sighed. "It took me thirteen years to figure out that I loved him. You can't expect me to know why for at least another thirteen."
Crawford stared and then turned to Doctor Lecter. "So, doctor, what do you think? Should do the right thing and kill you or should I let you and Clarice be happy together?"
Doctor Lecter didn't say anything and turned to Clarice. "Should I do the right thing and kill him or let your boss live and endanger us?"
Clarice glared at him. "I've done enough picking for a lifetime. Your choice."
The two men looked at each other as if sizing the other up. "If I ever find out that you hurt Clarice in any way, I am going to change my mind. In the mean time, good luck," Crawford said and walked out, leaving Clarice and Doctor Lecter staring after him.
"He left," Clarice stated dumbly.
"Yes, he did," Doctor Lecter replied.
"He's not going to get anybody else involved. He's just going to let us be," Clarice said.
"Yes, he is," the doctor said and went over to Clarice's back and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I can't believe it," Clarice replied, still amazed.
Doctor Lecter smiled and started kissing Clarice's neck. "Please, do so."
Clarice smiled and turned around to face the doctor, his arms still enfolding her. "He's not going to come back, either."
"No, he's not," Doctor Lecter replied and kissed Clarice. She soon fell into it and when they broke apart, she was only blushing slightly. "Clarice?"
"Mmmm?" she answer, not able to compose real words at the moment.
"I love you," he said for the second time that day.
Clarice smiled and looked into his eyes. "I love you too."
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes."