Author's Note: Thank you SO much to Drandmrslecter, Shattered Mug, Nanci,
and James Anatidae for your kind reviews, it's nice to know someone is
reading! Thanks again.
Chapter 3: Kindred Spirits United
Graham ignored Clarice's outstretched hand. "I'm not an agent anymore, Ms. Starling," he croaked.
The afternoon sunlight pierced his eyes and he squinted them nearly shut. Clarice dropped her hand after a moment and stood there regarding him with a half smile on her face. She couldn't believe that this was the man who had captured Lecter. This hung over, hair tousled, foul smelling, broken down shell of a man had captured one of the greatest criminal minds this world had ever seen? 'Unbelievable' Clarice thought. Inwardly, she cursed Seth for giving her this idea to meet with Graham in the first place. 'What a waste of time this is gonna be,' she thought.
"May I come in sir?" she asked.
Graham hesitated for a moment but he was desperate to get out of the sunlight so he nodded and opened the door so she could walk in. He glanced down at himself and saw that he was clad only in his boxer shorts.
"Shit," he uttered under his breath. "Um, if you'll excuse me for a moment, Agent Starling," he called as he bounded for his room. "I'll go change. Please make yourself at home."
"Thank you," Clarice replied and looked around the tiny living room. There was a dingy, beat-up brown couch against one wall that sat opposite a tiny television set and a torn upholstered recliner against the other wall. The brown carpet was badly stained and looked as if it hadn't been vacuumed since 1970. Clarice sighed and gingerly sat on the couch. She looked at the walls, no photos, no medals, no awards or commendations adorned them, they were a stark blank white. She looked to the adjoining kitchen and saw dishes piled high in the sink and she detected a rank order wafting from it.
Graham emerged from his bedroom and she noted he felt no need to dress up for her unannounced visit, he wore a pair of black cut-off sweat shorts, a white tank top and he had seemingly attempted to brush his hair down with his hands. He sat down in the recliner and it groaned under his weight, despite the fact that he was dreadfully thin.
"I apologize for the mess," he shrugged at her. "It's the maid's day off."
Clarice smiled at him painstakingly and slid to the edge of the couch seat, her navy blue skirt slightly riding up her thigh. Graham noticed the slight rise of her skirt appreciatively. Clarice dug in her briefcase for a moment and pulled out a manila case file marked "Classified" and set it on her lap.
"Agent Graham," she smiled at him. "Let me be frank. I'm here to ask for your assistance."
Graham eyed her wearily and shook his head. "I'm not an agent anymore," he replied.
Clarice went on as if she hadn't heard him. "You are the only person to have ever caught Dr. Hannibal Lecter," she grinned wryly. "Well, let me rephrase that; you're the only person to have ever taken him into custody."
Graham's head throbbed and there was a roaring in his ears. He was having trouble concentrating on her words. He longed to go back to bed. He rubbed his blood-shot eyes and rotated his neck in attempts to alleviate some of the pressure in his head. Clarice watched him silently and stone- faced. After a moment, Graham looked back at her.
"I'm sorry, Agent Starling," he croaked. "I cannot help you."
"I'm not asking for much, Agent Graham," she replied softly. "If I could just leave this case file with you for your review, that would be great." She paused. "If you were to decide to come back to work with us temporarily, you would be reinstated as a 'special agent', be given FBI identification and a gun and you would be granted full access to the buildings, computers, and files." She smiled. "It would be as if you'd never left."
Graham stared at her in disbelief. 'God,' he thought, 'just what I want, to return to the FBI and the job that destroyed my life. "How many times do I have to say no?" He said and stood up to indicate the meeting was over.
Clarice put her head in her hands for a moment then looked back up at him. "Please, Agent Graham, I have no where else to turn. I've run out of options.." she trailed off.
"Obviously since you stooped to coming to me," he sighed. "But I cannot help you."
"Please, Agent Graham," Clarice began.
"I'm not an agent anymore, dammit, stop calling me that," he all but shouted at her, cutting her off. "You're not listening to me. I've said 'no'. I cannot help you." He paused and looked at her and his anger suddenly boiled up, fueled by his aching body and head. "You have no idea what you're asking me to do. You come here all prim and proper in your navy blue suit with your short skirt and flash your long legs and your bright smile at me in attempts to lure me back into the FBI's service. But I am not so easily manipulated, Agent Starling. My life may be shit but I do have some self respect. You have no idea what you're asking me to do." He repeated.
Clarice stood up and dropped the case file back on the couch. She plucked her briefcase off the floor and strode to where Graham stood, near the front door. She was a good head shorter than he, but she looked at him levelly and he took an involuntary step back at the hardness he saw in her eyes.
"Agent Graham," she said coolly. "Despite what you believe, I did not come here in an attempt to 'lure you back'. I came to ask for your help. It's simple, really, either you'll help me or you won't." She paused and Graham realized he had said those same exact words to Dr. Lecter when soliciting his help in capturing the 'Tooth Fairy'. That seemed like eons ago. "I'm leaving the case file with you," Clarice continued. "If you decide you absolutely will not help me then just send it back to me care of the Bureau. But I hope you'll change your mind. I need your help, Will, I need you." She stepped to the door, opened it, and then turned back. "One more thing Will: I DO know, better than anyone else, what I'm asking you to do. I know what it's like to live with the nightmares and the social isolation that this job creates. I know what it's like to wake up four times a night drenched in sweat because you see him in your dreams, his hand at your throat and his breath on your face. I know what it's like to be unable to get his fucking voice out of your head and begging yourself to slash your own wrists just to be rid of it. I know what it's like to constantly look back over your shoulder, to feel like someone is watching you, to question every phone call when there's no one on the other end." Graham looked at her face and noticed for the first time deep dark circles encasing her eyes from lack of sleep and stress. "Please help me," she pleaded softly. "Help me put an end to our nightmares. Help me and help yourself so that we can regain our lives. Think about it." With that she turned and made her way back to her car.
Graham squinted in the sunlight and watched her walk away. He sighed when he closed the door and turned to see the case file lying on the couch.
To Be Continued. Please review!
Chapter 3: Kindred Spirits United
Graham ignored Clarice's outstretched hand. "I'm not an agent anymore, Ms. Starling," he croaked.
The afternoon sunlight pierced his eyes and he squinted them nearly shut. Clarice dropped her hand after a moment and stood there regarding him with a half smile on her face. She couldn't believe that this was the man who had captured Lecter. This hung over, hair tousled, foul smelling, broken down shell of a man had captured one of the greatest criminal minds this world had ever seen? 'Unbelievable' Clarice thought. Inwardly, she cursed Seth for giving her this idea to meet with Graham in the first place. 'What a waste of time this is gonna be,' she thought.
"May I come in sir?" she asked.
Graham hesitated for a moment but he was desperate to get out of the sunlight so he nodded and opened the door so she could walk in. He glanced down at himself and saw that he was clad only in his boxer shorts.
"Shit," he uttered under his breath. "Um, if you'll excuse me for a moment, Agent Starling," he called as he bounded for his room. "I'll go change. Please make yourself at home."
"Thank you," Clarice replied and looked around the tiny living room. There was a dingy, beat-up brown couch against one wall that sat opposite a tiny television set and a torn upholstered recliner against the other wall. The brown carpet was badly stained and looked as if it hadn't been vacuumed since 1970. Clarice sighed and gingerly sat on the couch. She looked at the walls, no photos, no medals, no awards or commendations adorned them, they were a stark blank white. She looked to the adjoining kitchen and saw dishes piled high in the sink and she detected a rank order wafting from it.
Graham emerged from his bedroom and she noted he felt no need to dress up for her unannounced visit, he wore a pair of black cut-off sweat shorts, a white tank top and he had seemingly attempted to brush his hair down with his hands. He sat down in the recliner and it groaned under his weight, despite the fact that he was dreadfully thin.
"I apologize for the mess," he shrugged at her. "It's the maid's day off."
Clarice smiled at him painstakingly and slid to the edge of the couch seat, her navy blue skirt slightly riding up her thigh. Graham noticed the slight rise of her skirt appreciatively. Clarice dug in her briefcase for a moment and pulled out a manila case file marked "Classified" and set it on her lap.
"Agent Graham," she smiled at him. "Let me be frank. I'm here to ask for your assistance."
Graham eyed her wearily and shook his head. "I'm not an agent anymore," he replied.
Clarice went on as if she hadn't heard him. "You are the only person to have ever caught Dr. Hannibal Lecter," she grinned wryly. "Well, let me rephrase that; you're the only person to have ever taken him into custody."
Graham's head throbbed and there was a roaring in his ears. He was having trouble concentrating on her words. He longed to go back to bed. He rubbed his blood-shot eyes and rotated his neck in attempts to alleviate some of the pressure in his head. Clarice watched him silently and stone- faced. After a moment, Graham looked back at her.
"I'm sorry, Agent Starling," he croaked. "I cannot help you."
"I'm not asking for much, Agent Graham," she replied softly. "If I could just leave this case file with you for your review, that would be great." She paused. "If you were to decide to come back to work with us temporarily, you would be reinstated as a 'special agent', be given FBI identification and a gun and you would be granted full access to the buildings, computers, and files." She smiled. "It would be as if you'd never left."
Graham stared at her in disbelief. 'God,' he thought, 'just what I want, to return to the FBI and the job that destroyed my life. "How many times do I have to say no?" He said and stood up to indicate the meeting was over.
Clarice put her head in her hands for a moment then looked back up at him. "Please, Agent Graham, I have no where else to turn. I've run out of options.." she trailed off.
"Obviously since you stooped to coming to me," he sighed. "But I cannot help you."
"Please, Agent Graham," Clarice began.
"I'm not an agent anymore, dammit, stop calling me that," he all but shouted at her, cutting her off. "You're not listening to me. I've said 'no'. I cannot help you." He paused and looked at her and his anger suddenly boiled up, fueled by his aching body and head. "You have no idea what you're asking me to do. You come here all prim and proper in your navy blue suit with your short skirt and flash your long legs and your bright smile at me in attempts to lure me back into the FBI's service. But I am not so easily manipulated, Agent Starling. My life may be shit but I do have some self respect. You have no idea what you're asking me to do." He repeated.
Clarice stood up and dropped the case file back on the couch. She plucked her briefcase off the floor and strode to where Graham stood, near the front door. She was a good head shorter than he, but she looked at him levelly and he took an involuntary step back at the hardness he saw in her eyes.
"Agent Graham," she said coolly. "Despite what you believe, I did not come here in an attempt to 'lure you back'. I came to ask for your help. It's simple, really, either you'll help me or you won't." She paused and Graham realized he had said those same exact words to Dr. Lecter when soliciting his help in capturing the 'Tooth Fairy'. That seemed like eons ago. "I'm leaving the case file with you," Clarice continued. "If you decide you absolutely will not help me then just send it back to me care of the Bureau. But I hope you'll change your mind. I need your help, Will, I need you." She stepped to the door, opened it, and then turned back. "One more thing Will: I DO know, better than anyone else, what I'm asking you to do. I know what it's like to live with the nightmares and the social isolation that this job creates. I know what it's like to wake up four times a night drenched in sweat because you see him in your dreams, his hand at your throat and his breath on your face. I know what it's like to be unable to get his fucking voice out of your head and begging yourself to slash your own wrists just to be rid of it. I know what it's like to constantly look back over your shoulder, to feel like someone is watching you, to question every phone call when there's no one on the other end." Graham looked at her face and noticed for the first time deep dark circles encasing her eyes from lack of sleep and stress. "Please help me," she pleaded softly. "Help me put an end to our nightmares. Help me and help yourself so that we can regain our lives. Think about it." With that she turned and made her way back to her car.
Graham squinted in the sunlight and watched her walk away. He sighed when he closed the door and turned to see the case file lying on the couch.
To Be Continued. Please review!
