He watched her sleep, with meticulous and unwavering attention. He found it difficult to leave her side since he had brought her to his home. The drive there had been long and tiring, but with extensive injections of minor sleeping drugs, the Doctor had managed to keep Clarice unconscious throughout the nine hour drive. The house was hidden in the woods, bordering on the Hudson River. Dr. Lecter found it to be the perfect location for his impromptu home, since it was obscure and hidden away from the prying eye but only an hour's drive North from the sophisticated culture of New York City. However, he had not left the house for two days, and would not for some time.
Although the epitome of calm during their reunion at her home, behind his façade he had been deeply alarmed upon seeing how enraged and bitter she had become. He hoped it wasn't too late to salvage and repair the pieces of her that the Bureau had degraded. There was so much potential there, so much life within her, that all he could do was hope that the FBI had not completely wasted her. The thought of it alone drove him to insane rage and anger. He wanted to seek out those who had harmed her, but knew that it would be impossible; Clarice possessed something that none of them ever had, and that made her colleagues at the Bureau so bitter that they were determined to strip her of whatever it was that made her better than them. Dr. Lecter wanted to hurt them, wanted revenge; but looking down at Clarice's soft face resting on the pillow where she remained unconscious, he pushed aside a stray strand of crimson hair that had fallen over her eyes and traced the line of her cheekbone. There are more pressing matters to attend to; there will be time for that later.
He tilted his head to the side as he scrutinized her. For now, he was content to sit and watch her breathe, as her chest fell up and down, in perfect, even rhythm. He was lost in her, yet wasn't even within two feet of her as he sat back in his chair, his hands steepled and resting underneath his chin. Soon she would wake, and he had a few preparations to finish undertaking before he was quite ready for her to join him. He rose from the chair and slowly turned towards the door, taking in the sight of her once more before he left to put the rest of his affairs in order. With one last glance to insure that all was well, he turned and left her to prepare the rest of the house for her arrival.
As the door closed silently behind him, Clarice's eyes fluttered open.
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