Chapter Five: Getting Started

"Rachel?"

"Yes."

"Rachel. Mrs. Rachel Rosencranz nee DuBerry?"

"The one and only. She was still DuBerry when I met her."

"How did you two meet?"

"All good things to those who wait, Clarice..."

XXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXX

My practice in London was steady though not as successful as my practice in Baltimore would become. I had my own flat. I visited the theaters and frequented the operas. My patients in London were drab and dull. Some after a only two or three sessions recovered fairly quickly. They were the best of my patients. The others however... Tedious. Very tedious. They were not among the lucky ones. They were the ones who did not and will not recover. It would have been better had they been eradicated from society. Just an observation, Special Agent Starling. I did not kill any of my patients in London.

I was invited one night to see the gala night of Don Giovanni. My fellows insisted I escort a woman, an American, whom was visiting her father on a business trip. Her father was one of the wealthiest men in America. A tyrant to the end, the man made his living in the steel industry, revolutionizing the way ore is processed. When I arrived at the prearranged meeting place, I saw a tall, thin, and beautiful woman. You must have seen the pictures of her when she was featured on Vogue. Dark hair and eyes with pale soft skin, she had the looks most women would kill for. That night she was wearing a red dress that hung onto every curve of her body; and she had many.

"You must be Dr. Lektor," she said in a deep gravely voice. She was truly of the smoking and cocktail era.

"Dr. Lecter," I corrected her while shaking her hand.

"Foreign, are you? I can't seem to place your accent? German?"

"No. Lithuanian. You must be Ms. DuBerry. It's a pleasure to make your acquittance."

I kissed her hand and saw her blush slightly.

"Shall we?"

We headed towards the opera. In the taxi, I learned she was not just another beautiful face. She was refined, sophisticated, and very intelligent. She knew a lot about psychology but loved the arts far more. She didn't need a job ever so she traveled with her father or mother. She told me that she lived in Baltimore and that she was destined to marry into "society."

"Marrying into money is for security and to give Dad a sense of accomplishment," she told me.

She was a brazen one. Never rude intentionally. She was just too blunt for her own good sometimes. We had a wonderful time just talking to each other. As the night wore on and the wine flowed, her accent became more apparent to me. She had hid it well. Around one in the morning, I escorted her to her hotel room. She placed a chaste kiss upon my lips and said, "Till we meet again, Dr. Lecter."

I didn't see her again for another five years. I left England with enough money to start my own independent practice yet I did not know where I wanted to stay. I traveled to my beloved Florence for the first time. I wondered around the streets and plazas. I toured the history and art museums. Do you still remember that sketch of the Dumo as seen from the Belvedere? That was the first time I ever saw it. The channels were a wonderful way to get around the city. They were so unlike the deep and wretched seas. The people of Florence were and still are, if I might add, a proud group of people. They were always respectful and courteous to me. When in Florence I took the name of Dr. Fell. I started using aliases when I traveled. These deep and long seated personas gave me freedom and safety when I escaped from that court house. Florence, though, was not an ideal place for me to start a practice. Many of the people thought that a psychiatrist was some sort of "witch" doctor, a taboo. I instantly knew that I would never see a man at my practice if I started there. I was melancholy to leave the ancient and beautiful city yet I knew I had to think of my calling first. I went to Buenos Aires next. The women there were appalling. I had women asking what was wrong with themselves since they could not get a man or why did they not become pregnant after three months of trying! They harped on about their own unpleasant childhoods, hardly letting me say a word. Rude and uncouth, I wanted to strangle them. How some of these women could ever afford to see a psychiatrist, was beyond me. After only a month, I moved to the States.

With that, I started my decent into what self-professed professionals call madness... I call it my awakening...

Author's Note: So sorry for the long wait! Blame it on real life and responsibilities! I'm also apologizing for this horribly short chapter. The next one will be longer since I have more of an idea of how Dr. Lecter came to the states. Thank you all for waiting patiently. I really appreciate all your reviews. And let me say to LadyAlena, WOW! And to Katherine, A.A.Aron, Saavik, JahWarrior, you guys are awesome! I only hope I can write to your levels of expectations.