Dead leaves and dirty ground

When I know you're not around

Shiny tops and soda bottles

When I hear your lips make a sound

When I hear your lips make a sound

Sudden notes in the mailbox

Will tell you when I'm coming home

And I think I'm gonna stick around

For a while so you're not alone

For a while so you're not alone

White Stripes

She didn't know who else to call, other than alerting the FBI of her most recent conversation with the infamous Hannibal Lector, she needed someone to talk to and quick.

"Mulder," he answered his cell a little groggily.

She hesitated a little before speaking. "He called me this morning right when I got home."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Milder sat in the chair across form Starrling as she replayed the recorded conversation from earlier. "Oh man," he racked rubbing his hands over his face, something about Lector's voice was, unnerving.

"He is obviously watching me Mulder." She paced not sure how to react to all of this.

"Obviously" Mulder noted, wondering if he would be baked in a soufflé or sautéed in garlic.

"You getting a little nervous over there Agent Mulder?" she grinned slightly.

"You could call it nervous, or maybe just a little concerned, I mean I am not sure how I feel about being eaten." He grinned back.

"Well, he alluded to coming here soon, I have a hunch…"

"See, you do know what a hunch is Agent Starrling" Mulder teased trying to lighten the mood.

"Uh huh." She dismissed. "I think he is already near here Mulder. I have a feeling that he isn't far."

Mulder felt his blood congeal in his veins. The man did not so much scare Mulder so much as completely terrify him. "And he thinks you and I are…"

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Which means he is now a jealous homicidal cannibal." he remarked offhandedly.

Starrling ducked her head at his phrasing, she knew Hannibal Lector had a thing for her, from their first meeting, but it was something she tried to not think about too much. She had not herself dealt with her own feelings on Hannibal, so much there that was wrong, and yet…

"I didn't say that to piss you off Starrling, I am just thinking out loud." He tried to offer her a friendly smile.

"It's ok Mulder, " she sighed ready to let him in, just a little further. "Dr. Lector and I share a—bond is the wrong word here, and I don't know how to put it to you without coming off like a complete nut."

"Take your time Starrling," he felt himself slip into Psych mode.

"He respects me Mulder, something I don't get a lot of at work or anywhere else." She sat down on the couch across from him, hands over her eyes, hunched over. "He respects my intelligence and my abilities. He made me face things from my past that I myself had tried to run away from for so long it was eating me alive."

"I hope that pun was unintended Starrling."

"Maybe not Mulder, I have felt myself starting to go downhill for a while now. I know I should not be admitting this to another agent, but I have no one else to…"

"Trust me Agent Starrling.' Mulder leaned close r to her. "I know how it is, you can trust me ok?" he absently placed his hand on her knee. "You have to let someone in, you have spent so much of your life shutting people out, and the only one let in was Lector, its no wonder you are having feelings for him."

Starrling shot Mulder a look that he had seen on his partner a few times, mostly right before she drew her weapon. "Agent Mulder I don't think that is a fair nor appropriate assessment of my connection with Dr. Lector," she stammered.

Mulder leaned back, letting out a deep sigh; this one was going to take a while. "He got into your head Starrling, after you spent years making sure no one got in. He is male you are female, what is there not to understand. Its perfectly natural, well in a completely unnatural way…" Oh man, he thought to himself, Scully is going to love this. "And as you've said, he respects you, for a woman in your position, your career; respect can be a major turn on."

He had almost made her feel better, had almost given her some credence and validity to her feelings; feelings she herself thought were disgusting, but unavoidable in their consistency. "I appreciate you listening objectively Mulder; I don't think anyone else at the Bureau would understand."

"Hey," he laughed, "That's why they call me Spooky."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Scully sat in the office Monday morning, nursing her second cup of coffee and glancing over autopsy reports from the first thirteen victims. The tongue thing made her lose the thought of lunch for the day.

Mulder strolled in five minutes later, looking haggard and worn. "Morning Scully." He smiled

"Mulder, have we got anything new on the Bearse case?" she asked without even looking up from her notes.

"Matter of fact, No we don't." he sat down opposite her at his side of the desk. "Come to think of it they can't find this guy anywhere which I myself am, finding a little unsettling, along with other things."

This made Scully look up. "What, did you recieve some disturbing mail or something?" she offered rendering her face unreadable.

"Aside from that," he smiled back. "Starrling received a new message from her not so secret admirer on Saturday."

"No way, he didn't" Scully eyed with the eyebrow raised.

"He did, and, he is concerned at her new friendship.' Mulder was a little hesitant to mention this part of it, not wanting Scully to get the wrong idea about he and Starrling.

"Really? Should he be?" she was prodding now, and damn it she wanted to know.

"Scully, you can't have a two in five billion." He gave a lopsided grin at her reddened face. "She is not well Scully, and I don't know if I or anyone else can help her."

"She is upset about the phone call?" Scully asked, feeling better about the whole thing now.

"No," he shook his head. "In fact I got the impression she was almost happy to hear from him."

"Mulder, I told you what Lector feels about Agent Starrling has nothing to do with how she feels. "

"You're wrong Scully." Man that felt good. "It has everything to do with it. Let me ask you a question Scully, do you feel respected here?"

"You mean do I think you respect me? Well yes Mulder I think you respect me, as a matter of fact I feel very well respected by you." She didn't mind paying him that complement it was the truth after all.

"Do you feel respected around here? I mean besides me and Skinner, do you feel any love around here?" he was getting to a point and he hoped she was not offended.

Scully thought for a second, "Not really Mulder, if anything I am grateful for having as little contact with the other agents around here as I do. But, that is hard to say as if it is because I am a woman, or because I am 'Mrs. Spooky'." She thought for a moment before going on. "Hannibal respects her doesn't he? Or at least has her convinced somehow that he is the only one that can and will understand her."

"Yeah, he put the whammy on her pretty hard." He sighed.

Scully felt her flesh crawl briefly. "I can see how this happened; if I didn't have you around to remind me how right I am all the time...'

"Ouch Scully," he grinned.

"I can see how this happened." She sighed putting aside the case files for a while. "Mulder, maybe she needs to talk to someone, I never told you but when that whole Donnie Pfaster thing went on I went to speak with someone. It helped me deal with the creepy nature of that case." She shuddered a little at the memory of Donnie Pfaster, who had become infatuated with her red hair. Sad she thought to herself, a guy finally finds her red hair sexy and he is a fetishist.

"She has some trust issues, especially when it comes to anyone here in the Hoover building, and to tell the truth, I can't say as I blame her."

"Yeah, you would say that." She grinned.

"They tried to hang her on that Evelda Drumgo case. They almost nailed her til Lector sent that letter. They were ready to have a hearing to boot her out of the Bureau till they realized she was their best chance to catch Lector. "Mulder leaned back rubbing his stiff neck. "First they use her to bait the guy into helping with the Buffalo Bill case, now they keep her around to bait him into capture."

"The opportune word there Mulder is bait. If that is the only reason she got an office at Behavioral Sciences after all she had done for the Bureau, then maybe I will show up with a machete in a show of sisterhood solidarity." She was half serious.

"Hey Scully, wanna give me a heads up? Think I'll call in sick that day."

"Mulder, if Lector thinks you and Starrling are an item, he may come after you.."

Mulder looked over to his computer, not wanting to show Scully the less than manly fear in his eyes. "Yeah, I know. The thing about Lector is that he is smart, I mean smart. If he wanted to find me, he would have no problems doing so I am sure of it. I would not be surprised if he had access to the FBI files online. You know they think he got a hold of his old doctor, the one from that Boston hospital that got closed. The schmuck went on vacation one year and was never seen nor heard from again."

Scully shot him a look of utter fear before going on. "Mulder, there is something else you have not considered. Lector hates rude people, and you do have a reputation for really pissing people off."

"Hey, it's the best part of my charm!" he tried to joke. "I know Scully, but you need to be careful too, if he has access to the Bureau files, then he knows you are my partner, he may grab you to draw me out. Just watch your ass ok." Better yet he mused to himself; I'll watch it for you.

Funny how two people who have gone up against everything from liver eating mutants to high level shadow government conspiracies, and yet find themselves almost brought to their knees by a single man who's only paranormal attribute are his polydactyl appendages.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanx to my loyal readers who have been waiting so patiently for me to get ooff my duff and update this one, let the games begin

MNoisemaker, would love to read that fanfic, send me a link!