A/N: Sorry for the long delay – I just wasn't able to write. I will continue this story the next days and will finish it soon. It is almost done anyway – just making slight changes and putting it online. I would be happy if you told me what you think of it .. thanks again for the interest. Ta sacara.

Part 9: Darling Hannibal

Clarice didn't really notice the way or where Lucy was going. She was still shocked about the fact that there was some woman Hannibal had had an affair with. Of course, she knew that he had had many women, even had been some kind of a womanizer. However, that she actually would meet one of them, who if anything even admits that she had slept with 'the Beast' was somehow hard to get a grip on.

This was about to become a special afternoon and evening, that she was certain of. Walker pulled up and turned right into a parking space just in front of a two-story building. Apparently, Walker had a fine income to afford that. Certainly it could be rented, but anyway it was a nice building and she wondered how it would be like inside. Clarice had a thing about other people's homes. She always wondered about the living circumstances and interior decoration of their homes. Most of the time it gave away lots of signs and marks of the person itself and as an FBI agent she often had to literally walk in the suspects' shoes to find out how their brain works. Of course that never worked with Hannibal. She could walk in his shoes for years and never find out anything. Hannibal was different. He was too complex a person to even roughly understand what was going on in his mind. It was that simple.

Clarice found a free space, pulled up and parked the car. She got out and walked over to where Lucy Walker was standing. The dentist had her coat hanging over her arm and stood there waiting. She looked somewhat nervous - something was in her dark eyes. She almost looked haunted, Clarice thought. Well who wouldn't understand that. She had a serial killer in her past and was about to give information about Him to an FBI agent. The situation had a funny streak in it, but it was not easy to detect. Most people would probably say she was getting crazy. She was probably.

"Clarice! Please follow me. I have to apologize for the mess. The cleaning woman is only due tomorrow and I just didn't have the time to do anything. I'm really sorry." Walker said meekly.

Clarice had to smile. Somehow this woman reminded her of Ardelia. She liked her.

"It really is no big deal. I know this. Most of the time I only clean up on Sundays, or even sometime in the following week. I will just keep my eyes closed, ok?" Clarice grinned. Her big hypnotic eyes gleamed.

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They sat down in the homey living room. It was bright and held in warm colors. It seemed that Ms. Walker had exquisite taste quite like Hannibal himself. She wondered if some of the furniture Walker had there had been a gift from the doctor. Starling kept her thoughts to herself. She would surely find out soon enough. Walker didn't seem to be a very silent person.

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Clarice was stunned and speechless. In her hand she was holding pictures of a 'seemingly in love' couple. A relatively young Lecter and a very beautiful and likewise younger Lucinda Walker. They were holding hands and standing in front of the Eifel Tower. Of course Paris, nothing less from our doctor. Just like John Q. Public. It was amazing to see him like that. There was nothing in his eyes or mimic that could even hint that he would be the leading member of the ten most wanted list. Clarice shook her head unbelievingly. She couldn't stop shaking her head in disbelieve. It was just too unbelievable. Somehow she also felt herself developing a jealous streak. She had never been jealous before. Maybe because she'd never loved before. It was strange to think of Hannibal Lecter as her 'lover' but in a way he was or at least once had been. Even if they never actually 'made love' to put it this way. Can you really speak of 'making love' with murderer? Well he had been a very demanding lover in the small but very hot encounter they'd experienced in his rooms. Clarice found herself getting dizzy just by thinking about all those questions that formed in her head. She just wasn't supposed to think about it. It wouldn't do her emotional state any good. She already was on the verge to go crazy. She just shouldn't indulge into such thoughts. 'Just cease it immediately, girl!' she though to herself.

Clarice came back to reality and the person that was sitting across herself. Lucy seemed to be studying her profoundly.

"I'm sorry, Lucy – I was deep in thought. Did you just say something?"

"No, no Clarice – I'm just waiting for a comment! Any kind of acknowledgement that you are disgusted or even more nauseated just by the mere thought of anyone having an affair with Hannibal Lecter!" Walker said that with such immense disdain in her voice that Clarice raised her head to look into those brown depths.

For a second she thought about just spilling everything just like this – to finally tell a human soul what she did with Dr. Lecter. In a way she thought that maybe just because this was a woman she would understand. Understand that Special Agent Clarice Starling too was a human being with needs and feelings and would overstep the rules and what she believed in that she would betray her deepest principles for the one man in her life, the man she loved.

But just for a second. Clarice decided she would just get something clear finally.

"Lucy, I am here because you tried to contact me with information regarding Dr. Lecter. I am a federal agent and would not dare to judge other people. I am here on my own and without the knowledge of the FBI because I call Hannibal Lecter my personal challenge. That is all. So please let's just get to the point. I believe it was you who met me at the crime scene, in the rain that night?"

"No it wasn't Clarice. It was not me! I merely sent the telegram! I was supposed to. I did it as a favor. I'm sorry!" Lucy looked at her with said eyes.

"It wasn't you… .Do you mean that it was him? He's still alive?" Clarice asked even if she knew the answer to the question. Of course he was alive. Hannibal wouldn't just kill himself. She had to grin in spite of herself.

"Yes he is Clarice!"

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-to be continued-