Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: Special thanks to all previous reviewers!!

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Will sat silently in yet another waiting room. The moment that Ardelia opened her big mouth and started talking about how Hannibal Lecter had abducted Clarice, Will knew things were going to go downhill.

And now here he sat, waiting for his next visitor. Someone from the FBI this time. Will wasn't worried though. He had said before and he'd say it again, he was Trying to shoot Lecter in the first place. If that wasn't a good enough excuse, nothing was. Once people got that through their thick skulls he wouldn't have a problem.

The sooner he got out of here the better. If the authorities still insisted that he remain in custody well then, he just have to take matters into his own hands. He wasn't going to remain idle anymore.

Hopefully his next plan would work out better though. He had high hopes for its success. The main two reasons his last plan failed was because he had underestimated Clarice and because Ardelia had become even more problematic than before.

If he played his cards right, he wouldn't have Ardelia around this time, and Clarice wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight as well, due to her injuries.

Just as Will was putting the finishing touches on his plan and working out how he would escape, he heard the door before him unlock.

And here comes the second, he thought, as he took a breath. He looked up, expecting to two young paper pushers wearing cheap suites or something to that effect.

Surprisingly though, he only saw one confident, middle age man. He looked vaguely familiar. Oh yes, Paul Krendler, if he remembered correctly, and he usually did. Although, when Will was still with the FBI, Krendler was only a lowly peon. Apparently though he had risen through the ranks of the FBI, if his haughty manner and condescending look were anything to do with it. While Will had been musing, the man in question had settled himself in chair on the opposite side of the table.

"Hello, Mr. Graham, is it?" Krendler asked in a congenial tone.

Will looked up, feeling suspicious. No tape recorder, no official paper work, nothing, something was different about this interrogation.

"Yes, that is my name," Will replied simply.

"Well, I'm Mr. Krendler. And I just have a couple questions for you."

"Go ahead then," Will said, not really worried, he would stick with his story.

"You were the one that originally apprehended Lecter, were you not?"

"That was a long time ago, but yes I did."

"Even shot ex-special agent Starling?"

"I was trying to shoot Lecter-"

"Oh yes, I know. Well I guess what I should have asked is...did you regret it?"

"What?" Will immediately asked.

"What I mean is, would you be willing to go to any length to murder Lecter?"

"Yes," Will answered without hesitation, wondering what the man before him was trying to get at.

"Are you a trustworthy man, Will?"

"I suppose so," Will responded slowly, now extremely curious as to where this conversation was headed.

"What I'm about to propose to you will not leave this room. Do you understand?"

Will nodded more to get Krendler to hurry up with his questions than anything.

"Now, if your past actions have anything to show for them, it's the fact that you have no compunction about putting other people's lives in danger if it means that Lecter will suffer for it. Does that sound correct?"

"If I say yes does that mean that I'll have an easier time getting out of this situation?"

Will asked just starting to get the idea that this Krendler man wanted something in particular.

Paul smiled sardonically.

"You're a quick one, Will. But yes, that is what it means. You see, I have never been a fan of Clarice Starling. But recently, well, she's become more trouble than she is worth. And Lecter, he's always been a disaster. What I propose is that we work together. I help you to get you out of here and give you bait for Lecter and all you have to do is make sure that after you've had your fill with Lecter you finish off the bait as well. How does that sound?"

Will thought for a moment. He didn't know Clarice so it wouldn't really hurt him to have to kill her. But he wasn't one to just go around murdering people for no reason. But there is a reason; part of his mind reminded him. The part of him that he had buried for years, the part that had reawaken when Jack had come to him that day, the part of him that hungered for revenge, that part...it was fighting for control. It was necessary his mind chanted to him, necessary. He could even give Clarice a quick death; one shot to the head after it was over, after Lecter was dead. It would be complete, finished, and after all...it was necessary.

Will looked up, the answer shining in his eyes even before his mouth uttered it.

"It sounds like a plan."

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Will remained sitting in the waiting room for ten minutes after Krendler left, as they planned. After waiting for the appropriate time, Will got up and calmly unlocked the door of his makeshift holding cell with the key that Krendler had left with him. Looking around, he saw that the officer that was supposed to be guarding his door was no where in sight. Yet another benefit from his plan with Krendler, Will mused.

Hurrying down another corridor, without trying to look too suspicious, Will ducked into another unused room.

An empty hospital bed and medical devices took up most of the space. Luckily though, in the corner he saw a metal cabinet. After rifling through the drawers, he found several pairs of scrubs. He quickly put the lime green clothing over his own clothes. He also grabbed a fabric medical mask and pulled the straps over his ears, effectively covering most of his face.

Now all he had to do was find a wheelchair, take it near to Clarice's room and wait until 12:00. All the while avoiding detection. Krendler had said that the nurse usually came to administer a dose of sleeping and pain medication at 11:45. If he went to get Clarice at the right time, she would be unconscious.

Thinking quickly and gathering his thoughts, Will left the empty room once more. Trying to blend in, Will wandered the halls, keeping an eye our for an abandoned wheel chair. After about the fourth corridor he found what he was looking for.

Calmly grabbing the chair, Will walked off, rolling it in front of him. Now that he had the wheel chair, he started following the room numbers until he found Clarice's room number. Once he found he found it, he kept walking passed it until he found a restroom. He pushed the wheelchair into the largest stall in the corner and turned back around to lock the stall door behind him.

Letting out a sigh, Will sat down on the wheelchair and waited. So far, so good. No one had really noticed him. The bustle of hospital activity was quite welcome when it meant that Will had an easier time accomplishing his plan.

Looking down at his watch, Will noted that he had half an hour to wait. He settled back in his chair and reviewed what more had to be done. Luckily if everything worked out he would be free again by the end of the week.

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Will tentatively pushed his way into Clarice's room. He breathed as sigh of relief as he realized that the room was empty save for the unconscious body on the bed. He quickly closed the door behind him and pushed the wheel chair further into the room.

In the corner he spotted Clarice's old clothes. Snatching them up quickly he realized belatedly that the shirt was still soaked with blood. But at the jeans were still useable. Grabbing those he walked over to Clarice's prone form and hurriedly tried to put on her jeans. It was a bit awkward, but he managed.

He then took off his shirt, put that on Clarice as well, and then put on his scrubs again. By the time he was finished he had worked up a sweat. Clarice was by no means especially heavy but lugging around the dead weight had been surprisingly difficult.

Breathing a bit heavily, he heaved Clarice into the waiting wheel chair. Her limbs were hard to keep in control, leaving her legs still dangling on the bed and her head slumped to side on the wheel chair.

Sighing in frustration, Will moved in front of her and adjusted her limbs, securing her feet on the foot pedals and her arms in her lap. He then ripped the flimsy blanket from the hospital bed and arranged it around her legs, effectively covering the remaining bloodstains.

Her head still dipped precariously behind her but after a couple of tries, Will got her head to rest on her shoulder in a more natural position.

With that Will started out, Clarices still sitting limply on the chair before him. True to his word, Krendler had gotten rid of any officers around that may have caused any trouble.

Avoiding making contact with any of the many people that were bustling around the hospital, Will finally made it to the ground level of the hospital.

He started walking towards the end of the parking lot. Stopping for a moment, Will reached into his pocket for a second set of keys that Krendler had provided. Taking the car remote he started pushing the unlock button in several random directions. He heard an answering beep over to the left. He started pushing Clarice over towards the correct direction.

A small black truck stood before him. Clicking the unlock button twice, he opened the back seat and hefted Clarice into the truck.

She flopped over but Will just pushed her further in and unceremoniously pushed her legs in after her. He then quickly folded up the wheel chair and threw it into the back of the truck.

He sighed as he finally got into the driver's seat, now all he had to do was make it to a lake house that Krendler had told him about. He'd have the house all to himself and after his plan was finished he'd just have to get rid of the bodies.

Everything was falling into place...

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Clarice woke up feeling even worse than before, and that was saying something. Picking her head up, she realized that she wasn't even lying down anymore. Panic flooded her as she found that her limbs were tied to a wheel chair beneath her.

She started jerking her limbs, trying to get them free as her eyes wildly searched around the darkened room for any means of escape.

What had happened, she wondered frantically.

As if she had spoken out loud, her answer walked out of the shadows.

"Hello, Will," Clarice all but growled.

Will only looked down at her almost sadly.

"Stop fussing, you're only giving yourself bruises. And we have work to do."

"What? What work?"
Will didn't answer, only walked behind her and started pushing the wheelchair into a larger room before them. It was much brighter and was easily recognized as a dining room.

He pushed her towards an empty gap of the table.

"There, now we're almost ready."

"Ready for what?! I'm not you're enemy, Will! Let me go!" Clarice demanded, starting to get a little worried.

Will placed a sheet of paper and a felt tip pen before her.

"We're going to write a letter."

"What is it going to be about?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Will answered as he loosened the rope around Clarice's right hand. She could now reach far enough onto the table but not far enough to untie her other bonds.

Will stood behind her and started dictating.

"Dear, Jack-"

"No! I'm not writing a letter to anyone. I don't understand, why are you doing this?"

Will, suddenly angry, walked over to the other side of the table and sat down opposite of Clarice.

"Alright, Clarice we can do this one of two ways. Either you write this letter and this little problem can be kept between me you and Lecter OR you don't write this letter and I carry out my plan anyway and Jack and Ardelia end up dead, so what's it going to be?!"

Will practically yelled. Of course he had not intention of murdering Ardelia or Jack, but Clarice didn't know that. He was doing what was right, what was necessary, nothing would stop him.

Clarice looked down, thinking.

"Fine, leave them out of this and I'll write your goddamned letter."

"Good," Will answered simply as he started dictating the letter.

Ten minutes later he was looking at the letter that Clarice had written. It was perfect.

Dear Jack,

I am sorry that I had to leave without giving you or Ardelia a proper goodbye. However, it was necessary if I was ever going to get away from Lecter. My only regret is that Lecter may come to you to find out where I may be. I don't want you to be hurt, so I have enclosed a letter to Lecter telling him that my leaving was entirely my idea. Hopefully that will be enough so that he will leave you in peace and focus on myself. I only ask that you give Lecter the letter if and when he comes to you. Please don't read the letter to him. The words that I spoke are between him and myself, and I want no one else to know the extent of my previous stupidity. Please accept my apologies for involving you in this. I'll always remember you fondly,

Clarice.

Will smiled as he looked down thoughtfully at the letter. He could almost predict what Lecter's move would be after he discovered that Clarice was missing. He would go to Jack, thinking that he had something to do with it. Of course Jack would probably put up a fuss but eventually he would tell Lecter about the Clarice's letter and give him the one that was written with it, that he had not read.

Much to Lecter's disappointment, he would open it to find a letter not from Clarice, but from Will.

A letter telling Lecter where he was, but more importantly, who he was with. Will had no doubts that Lecter would show up.

And when he did...well he would be ready for him.

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So what do you think?? The plans have been laid and the story is almost over!! I hope you enjoyed the story. Reviews are always appreciated and in no way murdered and/or cannibalized.