Disclaimer: The
characters of Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Starling, Jack Crawford and Paul
Krendler do not belong to me, but to Thomas Harris. No copyright
infringement intended. I don't see how I could make any money of it
anyway.
I'm just borrowing them for a ride. I'll turn them back. I promise ...
Or
maybe not ... Some phrases have borrowed too, but take it as a tribute
to the author.
Notes: Fast update ... Short chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 8
Clarice stopped her car right in front of her building. Hannibal parked on the other side of the street and waited five minutes after she entered the building. Then he took his cell phone and dialed the now familiar number. He let it ring ten times but got no answer. He tried again after a couple of minutes. This time, after eight ringing he finally heard a click. And then a poor "Clarice Starling" at the other end of the line. Her voice was weak. He heard her sniff.
" - Good evening, Clarice.
- Dr. Lecter ? Is that you ?
- Of course it's me, Clarice. Were you expecting another call ?
- No. No, but I did not expect yours either. Not after ..."
Her voice was firmer now. But Hannibal realized the moment was not particularly proper. He should have waited, give her some time to recompose.
" - I did not want to bother you, Clarice. I just wanted to be sure you were all right. But I can understand you're not really eager to talk to me after my attitude on Sunday. I will let you sleep now. Good night, Clarice.
- No !" she shouted. "Dr. Lecter, please don't hang up. I've got to talk to you.
- Talk to me ? What is it, Clarice ?
- Mc Dougall, and his book. It's not what it seems, Dr. Lecter. I know you don't have to believe me but ..."
She had spoken very fast but suddenly paused, as if not sure if she should go on.
" - But what, Clarice ?" He didn't get any answer. "Clarice, are you still there ?
- Yes ... I'm here. It's just that ... I shouldn't be talking with you, Dr. Lecter. This is classified information and ...
- Don't talk to me if you feel you should not trust me, Clarice.
- It's not that. I am still an FBI agent and you are ...
- Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter. I know who I am, Clarice. And who you are. We both know."
There were a few seconds of silence. Then Clarice started again.
" - The whole story of the book, Dr. Lecter ... I know it's difficult to believe but ..." Hannibal understood how painful it could be for her to release information to him, and decided to help her.
" - I know, Clarice. Mr. Mc Dougall, or whatever his real name is, is in fact an FBI agent. His cover identity, as well as the book he is supposed to have written, were built by Crawford' s team to trap me.
- You knew it from the start, didn't you, Dr. Lecter ? But how did y...
- Jack Crawford is not stupid, Clarice. But his main fault, and the reason why he will never catch me, is that he is convinced to be smarter than I am."
Again the silence, until he heard her sigh. "Clarice, are you all right ?" Nothing.
" - Clarice, please answer me.
- I'll be OK, Dr. Lecter." She was crying.
" - You don't sound OK to me, Clarice."
Hannibal stepped out of his car and headed to the front door of her building. Clarice was now crying louder on the phone, unable to speak a word. She was breaking down, and had no one to support her, he knew this. "Now listen to me, Clarice." he said with his softest voice. "I want you to calm down and go to open the door of your apartment." He was now climbing the stairs. "Clarice, did you hear me ? Come on and open your door now." He waited for a few seconds more, then hardened his voice. "Open the door, Clarice. Now."
He heard the click of the lock but the door stayed closed. He pushed it wide open and finally saw her. Her face was devastated and she was trembling. She still held her phone against her ears. She stepped back when he entered. He closed the door behind him.
" - It's gonna be all right now, Clarice." he said as gently as possible. "I'm not gonna hurt you.
- I ... I know" she answered sobbing.
He slowly got closer to her and stretched out his hand to her. "Don't worry" he tried to calm her. Unexpectedly, she suddenly rushed to him and put her arms around him. She was crying freely now and he felt her body shaking against his.
For sure he had not expected this. After a second of hesitation, he put his arms around her shoulder and pressed her on his chest. He started stroking her hair with his hand and whispering soothing words to her ears. They stayed like that for more than ten minutes, until Clarice seemed to calm down a bit. She was still crying but her breathing was more regular.
" - All you said ... on Sunday ... was true ... Dr. Lecter." she said, sobbing. "He used ... me.
- I'm sorry, Clarice. Truly."
He rubbed her back slowly. After a while, Clarice' s tears dried up, but she kept her arms around his waist.
" - Why, Dr. Lecter ?
- Why what ?
...
- Why are you the only person I can always rely on to tell me the truth ?
- Because I love you, Clarice."
His answer had come spontaneously. She raised her face to him. Her eyes and her nose were red with tears and her mascara had run. But yet to him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She looked at him, her eyes widened by the surprise. But then she buried her face again in his shirt and he felt she was about to burst into tears again.
"I know," he said smiling, his chin resting on the top of her head "This is horrible. I've tried to quit, I promise. But I can't help it." She chuckled.
" - I see. Just a bad habit ... like smoking.
- That's it. An ... addiction."
They both laughed. Then Clarice did the one thing Hannibal would never have dreamt her to do. She gently kissed his breast. It was nothing else than a friendly kiss, he knew it. But the heat of her lips went through his shirt and set his heart on fire. He put his finger below her chin and delicately raised it, until their eyes locked.
She was looking at him, calm and serene. No fear clouded her eyes. She slightly opened her mouth. Without breaking their look, he bent his head and came closer to her. His lips brushed hers softly. He did not want to force her this time. He would not go further unless she responded to him.
She let him do without answering. But as he was about to withdraw she gently bit his upper lips to hold him back. He shivered with pleasure and surprise. He put his hands behind her head and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her slowly. She let him in. Only when they had explored fully each other's mouth did they part, out of breath.
She raised her hand to his face and caressed his cheek. Hannibal was trembling with desire. He lifted her in his arms and took her to her bedroom. He laid her on the bed and kissed her again. She drew him closer and started undoing his shirt. The contact of her finger on his bare chest was almost unbearable.
They made love several times that night. The first time with unbelievable passion, and then with more and more tenderness. Until they finally felt asleep in each other' s arms, as dawn was breaking.
The sun was already high when Clarice opened her eyes. She smiled as memories of the night came back to her, but her smile froze when she realized she was alone in bed. Instead, on the sheets where Hannibal had loved her, was a red rose, and a note. She took the piece of paper and read it.
"Clarice,
I am watching you sleeping, and you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my whole life. And the dearest to my heart.
These last hours have been the most extraordinary of my life. But I know things will not be easy for you, and I do not want to make it worse. So, I will let you make your own choices, without interfering. You, better then anybody else in this world, know who I am. And I hope you now know how much I love you.
You will find on the other side of this letter a phone number. When you're ready, if you're ready, use it to contact me. I am certain you realize that doing so, I put my life in your hands. But I trust you, Clarice, even with my life.
Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting for you.
And whatever your decision will be, Clarice, I will always be there for you.
Love,
Hannibal. "
Clarice turned the note and stared at the numbers delicately drawn in his condensed handwriting. After a moment of frustration, love overwhelmed her. He had given her the ultimate gift of love, her freedom. She would not spoil it. She would take her time to make out her own feelings. She knew he would be there, when time comes.
To be continued ... Thanks for reading. If you want to leave a review, feel free. If you don't, feel free the same.
Absolut.
Notes: Fast update ... Short chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 8
Clarice stopped her car right in front of her building. Hannibal parked on the other side of the street and waited five minutes after she entered the building. Then he took his cell phone and dialed the now familiar number. He let it ring ten times but got no answer. He tried again after a couple of minutes. This time, after eight ringing he finally heard a click. And then a poor "Clarice Starling" at the other end of the line. Her voice was weak. He heard her sniff.
" - Good evening, Clarice.
- Dr. Lecter ? Is that you ?
- Of course it's me, Clarice. Were you expecting another call ?
- No. No, but I did not expect yours either. Not after ..."
Her voice was firmer now. But Hannibal realized the moment was not particularly proper. He should have waited, give her some time to recompose.
" - I did not want to bother you, Clarice. I just wanted to be sure you were all right. But I can understand you're not really eager to talk to me after my attitude on Sunday. I will let you sleep now. Good night, Clarice.
- No !" she shouted. "Dr. Lecter, please don't hang up. I've got to talk to you.
- Talk to me ? What is it, Clarice ?
- Mc Dougall, and his book. It's not what it seems, Dr. Lecter. I know you don't have to believe me but ..."
She had spoken very fast but suddenly paused, as if not sure if she should go on.
" - But what, Clarice ?" He didn't get any answer. "Clarice, are you still there ?
- Yes ... I'm here. It's just that ... I shouldn't be talking with you, Dr. Lecter. This is classified information and ...
- Don't talk to me if you feel you should not trust me, Clarice.
- It's not that. I am still an FBI agent and you are ...
- Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter. I know who I am, Clarice. And who you are. We both know."
There were a few seconds of silence. Then Clarice started again.
" - The whole story of the book, Dr. Lecter ... I know it's difficult to believe but ..." Hannibal understood how painful it could be for her to release information to him, and decided to help her.
" - I know, Clarice. Mr. Mc Dougall, or whatever his real name is, is in fact an FBI agent. His cover identity, as well as the book he is supposed to have written, were built by Crawford' s team to trap me.
- You knew it from the start, didn't you, Dr. Lecter ? But how did y...
- Jack Crawford is not stupid, Clarice. But his main fault, and the reason why he will never catch me, is that he is convinced to be smarter than I am."
Again the silence, until he heard her sigh. "Clarice, are you all right ?" Nothing.
" - Clarice, please answer me.
- I'll be OK, Dr. Lecter." She was crying.
" - You don't sound OK to me, Clarice."
Hannibal stepped out of his car and headed to the front door of her building. Clarice was now crying louder on the phone, unable to speak a word. She was breaking down, and had no one to support her, he knew this. "Now listen to me, Clarice." he said with his softest voice. "I want you to calm down and go to open the door of your apartment." He was now climbing the stairs. "Clarice, did you hear me ? Come on and open your door now." He waited for a few seconds more, then hardened his voice. "Open the door, Clarice. Now."
He heard the click of the lock but the door stayed closed. He pushed it wide open and finally saw her. Her face was devastated and she was trembling. She still held her phone against her ears. She stepped back when he entered. He closed the door behind him.
" - It's gonna be all right now, Clarice." he said as gently as possible. "I'm not gonna hurt you.
- I ... I know" she answered sobbing.
He slowly got closer to her and stretched out his hand to her. "Don't worry" he tried to calm her. Unexpectedly, she suddenly rushed to him and put her arms around him. She was crying freely now and he felt her body shaking against his.
For sure he had not expected this. After a second of hesitation, he put his arms around her shoulder and pressed her on his chest. He started stroking her hair with his hand and whispering soothing words to her ears. They stayed like that for more than ten minutes, until Clarice seemed to calm down a bit. She was still crying but her breathing was more regular.
" - All you said ... on Sunday ... was true ... Dr. Lecter." she said, sobbing. "He used ... me.
- I'm sorry, Clarice. Truly."
He rubbed her back slowly. After a while, Clarice' s tears dried up, but she kept her arms around his waist.
" - Why, Dr. Lecter ?
- Why what ?
...
- Why are you the only person I can always rely on to tell me the truth ?
- Because I love you, Clarice."
His answer had come spontaneously. She raised her face to him. Her eyes and her nose were red with tears and her mascara had run. But yet to him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She looked at him, her eyes widened by the surprise. But then she buried her face again in his shirt and he felt she was about to burst into tears again.
"I know," he said smiling, his chin resting on the top of her head "This is horrible. I've tried to quit, I promise. But I can't help it." She chuckled.
" - I see. Just a bad habit ... like smoking.
- That's it. An ... addiction."
They both laughed. Then Clarice did the one thing Hannibal would never have dreamt her to do. She gently kissed his breast. It was nothing else than a friendly kiss, he knew it. But the heat of her lips went through his shirt and set his heart on fire. He put his finger below her chin and delicately raised it, until their eyes locked.
She was looking at him, calm and serene. No fear clouded her eyes. She slightly opened her mouth. Without breaking their look, he bent his head and came closer to her. His lips brushed hers softly. He did not want to force her this time. He would not go further unless she responded to him.
She let him do without answering. But as he was about to withdraw she gently bit his upper lips to hold him back. He shivered with pleasure and surprise. He put his hands behind her head and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her slowly. She let him in. Only when they had explored fully each other's mouth did they part, out of breath.
She raised her hand to his face and caressed his cheek. Hannibal was trembling with desire. He lifted her in his arms and took her to her bedroom. He laid her on the bed and kissed her again. She drew him closer and started undoing his shirt. The contact of her finger on his bare chest was almost unbearable.
They made love several times that night. The first time with unbelievable passion, and then with more and more tenderness. Until they finally felt asleep in each other' s arms, as dawn was breaking.
The sun was already high when Clarice opened her eyes. She smiled as memories of the night came back to her, but her smile froze when she realized she was alone in bed. Instead, on the sheets where Hannibal had loved her, was a red rose, and a note. She took the piece of paper and read it.
"Clarice,
I am watching you sleeping, and you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my whole life. And the dearest to my heart.
These last hours have been the most extraordinary of my life. But I know things will not be easy for you, and I do not want to make it worse. So, I will let you make your own choices, without interfering. You, better then anybody else in this world, know who I am. And I hope you now know how much I love you.
You will find on the other side of this letter a phone number. When you're ready, if you're ready, use it to contact me. I am certain you realize that doing so, I put my life in your hands. But I trust you, Clarice, even with my life.
Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting for you.
And whatever your decision will be, Clarice, I will always be there for you.
Love,
Hannibal. "
Clarice turned the note and stared at the numbers delicately drawn in his condensed handwriting. After a moment of frustration, love overwhelmed her. He had given her the ultimate gift of love, her freedom. She would not spoil it. She would take her time to make out her own feelings. She knew he would be there, when time comes.
To be continued ... Thanks for reading. If you want to leave a review, feel free. If you don't, feel free the same.
Absolut.