Disclaimer: I own nothing. Hate to disappoint you, but I doubt that Thomas
Harris would be up here in the first place.
A/N: I'm sooo sorry to make you wait this long for the next chapter, but I've been stuck with ideas. Thank you so much SlowChemical77 for ideas. Can't do it without you! Although actually this chapter is all mine. I'll let ya know when her ideas come in.
Actually, I also borrowed some ideas from Stanley Kubric and Stephen King. Don't worry; this isn't horror. Just . . . well, you'll see.
Also, a warning: EVIL CLIFF-HANGER!!! VERY EVIL CLIFF-HANGER!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As they made their way down stairs, Clarice couldn't help but feel something was . . . off about the doctor. He seemed far more stiff and formal, but perhaps it was just his being "Alexander White." Still, something had seemed wrong since they had been in the van together the previous morning. "Alexander?" Clarice asked softly.
"What is it darling?" he answered, sending shivers down Clarice's spine, even though she knew that part was just an act.
"Are you feeling alright?" Clarice asked.
"Quite," Doctor Lecter snapped.
Clarice turned around and looked him in the eyes. "Tell me."
"You'll find out soon enough," the doctor said somewhat sharply and began to walk briskly down the stairs. Clarice followed in an uncomfortable silence. It didn't last long, however, because they soon got to the dining room and were seated quite quickly as they were one of the highest paying guests in the hotel. Their table was right next to a window and they had a beautiful view of a river.
They ordered quickly and started talking again, but it was halting and unnatural. Eventually they stopped trying and fell into another uncomfortable silence. Clarice glanced at Doctor Lecter, trying to figure out what was wrong. He was obviously quite lost in thought, but she didn't know what about. While they were waiting for their desert to come, Clarice finally asked him again.
Doctor Lecter sighed. "I need to give you your 'engagement' ring."
"Yes, I know," Clarice replied.
Doctor Lecter didn't say anything. "I will after diner."
"Ok," Clarice replied, not understanding why this was a big deal. Eager to find out, she ate quickly, while Doctor Lecter picked listlessly at his desert. Clarice soon finished and Doctor Lecter stated that he would rather not finish his meal. He quickly paid for it and led Clarice outside into the warm evening. They walked in a comfortable silence through a maze of hedges until the doctor led them to the middle.
"Please, sit," Doctor Lecter said and led Clarice to a bench.
"Thank you," Clarice replied and sat down.
Doctor Lecter sat down next to her and took her hands in his. "Clarice-" he began.
"Carmen," Clarice said quietly.
"Clarice," Doctor Lecter repeated firmly¸ "will-" he hesitated. The doctor had rehearsed this scene a thousand times in his head, but things are often easier to do in one's head.
"Will," Clarice prompted softly.
"Will you marry me, Clarice?" Doctor Lecter whispered.
Clarice stared at him. "Of course," she replied.
Doctor Lecter looked into her eyes. "Are you positive?"
"Yes," Clarice replied, almost laughing. "If you can honestly think that I didn't expect this, you are quite crazier than I had thought. You wouldn't have asked me to come with you, to live with you, if you didn't intend to ask me."
Doctor Lecter smiled. "Observant, aren't we?"
"Elementary my dear Watson," Clarice replied with a stereotypical English accent.
Doctor Lecter smiled. "Clarice?"
"Carmen," Clarice corrected again.
"Clarice," Doctor Lecter replied.
Clarice sighed. "What?"
"I love you," Doctor Lecter said softly.
"Elementary my dear Watson," Clarice repeated. "So do I," she added almost as an after thought.
Doctor Lecter smiled again. "You would do well to realise that you must be serious sometimes."
"I am serious," Clarice replied. "I was just joking, and judging by the smile on your face, you don't mind all that much."
Doctor Lecter's smile widened, even though he didn't want it to. "I admit that sometimes I find your antics humorous, but there is also a time for seriousness."
"Seriousness," Clarice mocked. "Seriousness?"
"Clarice, you know what I mean. And it is a word," Doctor Lecter replied.
"I know that. It is just remarkable unserious," Clarice commented.
"Hmph," Doctor Lecter replied.
Clarice laughed quietly and kissed the doctor lightly on the cheek. "Could we go inside? I'm getting rather cold."
"Of course, my love," Doctor Lecter said and stood up. He took Clarice's hand and led her towards the exit of the maze. Or where he thought the exit of maze was. Ten minutes later when they still weren't out, Clarice asked,
"Why aren't we out?"
"I'm not sure," Doctor Lecter responded.
"Are we lost?"
"I'm not sure," the doctor repeated.
"Oh joy," Clarice responded.
"We'll be fine, don't worry," Doctor Lecter said with such conviction that Clarice was convinced.
Ten minutes later, however, she was starting to get nervous again.
"Doctor Lecter?"
"Hannibal."
"Hannibal, then. We're lost and somebody's following us," Clarice said nervously and glanced behind her and tried to identify the shadowy figure that had been behind them for quite a bit.
"We aren't lost and nobody is following us. Clarice, calm down," Hannibal said edgily.
"Yes we are!" Clarice hissed and turned around. "Who are you?" she asked their follower.
Hannibal turned around and started to apologize for Clarice, but stopped when he saw who he was. "Crawford," he hissed.
"I must say, Lecter, when I saw you with Clarice, I was quite surprised. But when she accepted your proposal," Crawford said, shaking his head. "I feel the need to intervene."
"Well I don't think you're going to get very far," Hannibal replied and took a gun out from his jacket.
Clarice gently touched Hannibal's arm, warning him not to fire because somebody will hear.
Crawford took out his own gun. "If you fire, somebody will hear it," he said, voicing what Clarice conveyed by a simple touch of her hand.
"Oh, I'm not planning to fire. I'm just trying to work up your nerves so you will be nervous and slip," Hannibal replied.
"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen," Crawford replied and fired his gun directly and Hannibal's heart. Clarice, having seen what was going to happen when Crawford raised his arm to fired, jumped between Crawford and Hannibal. She crumpled when the bullet hit her.
"Clarice!" both men yelled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok, there it is. I know it's rather short, but the chapter before it was very long. Plus, this has an evil cliff hanger. *smiles evilly* Anyways, I'll try to update soon.
A/N: I'm sooo sorry to make you wait this long for the next chapter, but I've been stuck with ideas. Thank you so much SlowChemical77 for ideas. Can't do it without you! Although actually this chapter is all mine. I'll let ya know when her ideas come in.
Actually, I also borrowed some ideas from Stanley Kubric and Stephen King. Don't worry; this isn't horror. Just . . . well, you'll see.
Also, a warning: EVIL CLIFF-HANGER!!! VERY EVIL CLIFF-HANGER!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As they made their way down stairs, Clarice couldn't help but feel something was . . . off about the doctor. He seemed far more stiff and formal, but perhaps it was just his being "Alexander White." Still, something had seemed wrong since they had been in the van together the previous morning. "Alexander?" Clarice asked softly.
"What is it darling?" he answered, sending shivers down Clarice's spine, even though she knew that part was just an act.
"Are you feeling alright?" Clarice asked.
"Quite," Doctor Lecter snapped.
Clarice turned around and looked him in the eyes. "Tell me."
"You'll find out soon enough," the doctor said somewhat sharply and began to walk briskly down the stairs. Clarice followed in an uncomfortable silence. It didn't last long, however, because they soon got to the dining room and were seated quite quickly as they were one of the highest paying guests in the hotel. Their table was right next to a window and they had a beautiful view of a river.
They ordered quickly and started talking again, but it was halting and unnatural. Eventually they stopped trying and fell into another uncomfortable silence. Clarice glanced at Doctor Lecter, trying to figure out what was wrong. He was obviously quite lost in thought, but she didn't know what about. While they were waiting for their desert to come, Clarice finally asked him again.
Doctor Lecter sighed. "I need to give you your 'engagement' ring."
"Yes, I know," Clarice replied.
Doctor Lecter didn't say anything. "I will after diner."
"Ok," Clarice replied, not understanding why this was a big deal. Eager to find out, she ate quickly, while Doctor Lecter picked listlessly at his desert. Clarice soon finished and Doctor Lecter stated that he would rather not finish his meal. He quickly paid for it and led Clarice outside into the warm evening. They walked in a comfortable silence through a maze of hedges until the doctor led them to the middle.
"Please, sit," Doctor Lecter said and led Clarice to a bench.
"Thank you," Clarice replied and sat down.
Doctor Lecter sat down next to her and took her hands in his. "Clarice-" he began.
"Carmen," Clarice said quietly.
"Clarice," Doctor Lecter repeated firmly¸ "will-" he hesitated. The doctor had rehearsed this scene a thousand times in his head, but things are often easier to do in one's head.
"Will," Clarice prompted softly.
"Will you marry me, Clarice?" Doctor Lecter whispered.
Clarice stared at him. "Of course," she replied.
Doctor Lecter looked into her eyes. "Are you positive?"
"Yes," Clarice replied, almost laughing. "If you can honestly think that I didn't expect this, you are quite crazier than I had thought. You wouldn't have asked me to come with you, to live with you, if you didn't intend to ask me."
Doctor Lecter smiled. "Observant, aren't we?"
"Elementary my dear Watson," Clarice replied with a stereotypical English accent.
Doctor Lecter smiled. "Clarice?"
"Carmen," Clarice corrected again.
"Clarice," Doctor Lecter replied.
Clarice sighed. "What?"
"I love you," Doctor Lecter said softly.
"Elementary my dear Watson," Clarice repeated. "So do I," she added almost as an after thought.
Doctor Lecter smiled again. "You would do well to realise that you must be serious sometimes."
"I am serious," Clarice replied. "I was just joking, and judging by the smile on your face, you don't mind all that much."
Doctor Lecter's smile widened, even though he didn't want it to. "I admit that sometimes I find your antics humorous, but there is also a time for seriousness."
"Seriousness," Clarice mocked. "Seriousness?"
"Clarice, you know what I mean. And it is a word," Doctor Lecter replied.
"I know that. It is just remarkable unserious," Clarice commented.
"Hmph," Doctor Lecter replied.
Clarice laughed quietly and kissed the doctor lightly on the cheek. "Could we go inside? I'm getting rather cold."
"Of course, my love," Doctor Lecter said and stood up. He took Clarice's hand and led her towards the exit of the maze. Or where he thought the exit of maze was. Ten minutes later when they still weren't out, Clarice asked,
"Why aren't we out?"
"I'm not sure," Doctor Lecter responded.
"Are we lost?"
"I'm not sure," the doctor repeated.
"Oh joy," Clarice responded.
"We'll be fine, don't worry," Doctor Lecter said with such conviction that Clarice was convinced.
Ten minutes later, however, she was starting to get nervous again.
"Doctor Lecter?"
"Hannibal."
"Hannibal, then. We're lost and somebody's following us," Clarice said nervously and glanced behind her and tried to identify the shadowy figure that had been behind them for quite a bit.
"We aren't lost and nobody is following us. Clarice, calm down," Hannibal said edgily.
"Yes we are!" Clarice hissed and turned around. "Who are you?" she asked their follower.
Hannibal turned around and started to apologize for Clarice, but stopped when he saw who he was. "Crawford," he hissed.
"I must say, Lecter, when I saw you with Clarice, I was quite surprised. But when she accepted your proposal," Crawford said, shaking his head. "I feel the need to intervene."
"Well I don't think you're going to get very far," Hannibal replied and took a gun out from his jacket.
Clarice gently touched Hannibal's arm, warning him not to fire because somebody will hear.
Crawford took out his own gun. "If you fire, somebody will hear it," he said, voicing what Clarice conveyed by a simple touch of her hand.
"Oh, I'm not planning to fire. I'm just trying to work up your nerves so you will be nervous and slip," Hannibal replied.
"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen," Crawford replied and fired his gun directly and Hannibal's heart. Clarice, having seen what was going to happen when Crawford raised his arm to fired, jumped between Crawford and Hannibal. She crumpled when the bullet hit her.
"Clarice!" both men yelled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok, there it is. I know it's rather short, but the chapter before it was very long. Plus, this has an evil cliff hanger. *smiles evilly* Anyways, I'll try to update soon.