Chapter Thirteen: The Deepest Cut

Sunday May 6th '07, 9:30 p.m.

Yesterday

Gabrielle woke up around nine-thirty, showered, ate, then started cleaning. She cleaned the house top to bottom. It wasn't a mess because she kept all her stuff in her room. Any book on his shelf that she read she put back in the exact place she had found it. It was however quite dusty. She dusted everything, then vacuumed, washed the windows, and wiped down all the french art (vases, figurines, etc.) with a wet paper towel. She wiped the art down with a wet paper towel because the paint on those items looked old and she didn't want to risk taking it off with a cleaner like Windex or Lysol.

She had opened all the windows in every room that wasn't locked, except the Doctor's room of course. She cleaned all the silver and brass, took out the trash, did her laundry, and moved her car to make sure the Doctor would have enough room to park when he got home. Gabrielle washed all the curtains and hung them over the ballroom balcony to dry. The ballroom floor took the longest to wash and by the time she was done most of the floor was dry.

By the end of the day she was too tired to make anything too complicated for dinner so she just had a bowl of Ramen. Gabrielle was very pleased with being able to find a store that sold it. It was even better luck that the store that sold the Ramen was right next to the candle store she had found. After dinner she had taken a long bath then climbed into bed falling asleep almost instantly.

Present

When Gabrielle got up this morning she had a light breakfast then went out into the backyard and went through her Aikido and Tai Chi routines. These took up the morning and a little of the afternoon. When she was done she showered and had a light lunch. She cleaned up her breakfast and lunch dishes then went up to her private room (as she now called the room across from her bed room) to meditate. She pulled back the curtains and opened the window. She lit her candles and sat down facing the window. It was now evening and Gabrielle hadn't moved since she sat down.

Mean while...

Dr. Lecter got off the private plain at eight-thirty this morning, then got in a private car for the five hour drive back to the Louvre where he took two hours for lunch while he talked to the main curator about what he had brought back. Then after lunch it took them three and a half hours to date, catalog, and clean everything the Doctor had brought back. They took the next hour planning where and how to set up the new art, then spent another hour moving everything. Luckily most of the tour guides and most of the cleaning faculty were still there and they helped to move the pieces. By the time they were done it was eight o'clock.

"Alright, I think that's it. Let's go home and get some sleep. We can figure out if we like the exhibit like this, or if we want to change it around at a later date. Then once we're satisfied we can decide when and how we're going to open it." Said the main curator and then he turned to Dr. Lecter, "Thank you Richard for going down there on such short notice. You've brought back some very beautiful art."

"It was my pleasure, Tom." Dr. Lecter replied with a nod, "Have a good evening."

With that Dr. Lecter left the room and went down to the employee parking garage to retrieve his car and go home. As he got into his car and pulled out of the garage he found himself wondering if Gabrielle had taken him up on his offer and was now staying in his home. His mind was quickly pulled back to the road as he navigated through the night time party traffic. This ended up taking more time than he though it would and it took him an extra half an hour on top of the normal forty-five minutes to get home.

When he pulled up and into his driveway his earlier question had been answered when he saw the rental car. He was both pleased and curious to see that she was actually here. Gabrielle was naturally a tough girl with a strong head on her shoulders, he was curious as to what her reason was for leaving the hotel was. The next thing that surprised him was that he didn't see any lights on. He knew she liked her sleep but he didn't think Gabrielle would go to bed this early. It was only nine-fifteen.

Dr. Lecter turned the car off and got out. He grabbed his suitcase from the trunk and headed inside. He turned on the living room light and looked around. The room was spotless. He put his suitcase down, shut the door and locked it. As he walked down the hallway he opened the door to the dinning room. He could smell a hint of silver polish but it was only slight. The room also smelled fresh like it had been aired out. He closed the door and continued down the hall and up the stairs.

As he walked across his second floor living room he found that it also smelled fresh. Dr. Lecter shook his head and chuckled.

I hope she wasn't that bored while I was gone. He thought to himself.

Dr. Lecter passed all the rooms and entered his. As he walked in he smelt the scent that was distinctly Gabrielle, but was pleased to note that it didn't go farther than three feet into the room. He had purposely left his door unlocked to see what she would do if she decided to come to his home. Her curiosity seemed to have gotten the better of her but she did have enough sense to just look from a distance.

He put his suitcase on the end of his bed and left the room. He would deal with it later, now he wanted to find Gabrielle. He didn't bother with the guest room closest to his room. He knew Gabrielle was comfortable around him, but he didn't think she would be comfortable so close to his personal space. Her sent lingered around the middle door so he knocked on it lightly. Not getting a response, Dr. Lecter decided to poke his head in to see if she was asleep. The moonlight pouring into her room was enough light for him to see that she was not in her bed.

He closed the door and turned around to face the door he had left a note on. Seeing that it was gone, he smiled, glad to see that she had decided to use the room. He knocked on the door and waited for a response,... like he said he would.

The knock on the door didn't startle Gabrielle. In fact she had been expecting it for some time now. Because her window was open she had been able to hear his car pull up, his car door shut, and the trunk shut. What had surprised her was that she had been in meditation for so long. She hadn't opened her eyes but she knew it was dark because the room had cooled significantly since this afternoon.

"Enter." Gabrielle said without pulling herself fully out of meditation.

Gabrielle heard the door open as she slipped back into full meditation. If she didn't finish her meditation the right way she was left feeling heavy and weighed down. She knew the Doctor would understand and let her be until she was done. During meditation Gabrielle hears nothing, there's utter silence. Usually she's aware that it is completely silent, but because she had been meditating so long she had become completely used to it and forgotten how quiet it was. When she pulled herself out of her meditative state she was startled by the night's sounds.

As Dr. Lecter entered the room he took in the sight before him. Gabrielle had pushed the couch and love seat up against the walls and had put the rug right in front of the door. She was sitting in the middle of the room on a large cushion that he didn't recognize. He figured she must have bought it along with the thirteen candles that encircled her. Each candle was expertly placed and no more than three feet from her. The candles didn't completely light the room but it cast a lovely glow about her.

As he sat in the love seat, he took in her appearance. Gabrielle was in loose white pants and a white tunic to match. Her feet were bare and her hair was completely down, with no hair band or clip. She wore no make-up and her necklace, earrings, and class ring she usually wore were on the floor in front of her. She looked so relaxed Dr. Lecter almost regretted disturbing her. When he looked out the window he saw that there were three more candles lit on the windowsill and the blanket he had put in the hope chest was half un-folded on the hope chest cushions.

Dr. Lecter looked back in time to see Gabrielle's body jolt and wondered if she was alright, but he refrained from asking until she looked at him. He watched as she exhaled lightly and opened her eyes slowly. She sat up fully and arched her back. Dr. Lecter could hear her back crack as she did this. He smiled to himself as she stretched in a cat-like manner, making sure to stretch every muscle. Then she grabbed her jewelry and turn to face him fully.

"Welcome back Doctor." Gabrielle said as she put her necklace on.

"Thank you, are you alright? I saw your body jolt a little earlier."

"Yes, I'm fine. The night's sounds just startled me that's all." She answered as she finished putting her jewelry on.

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure."

Gabrielle nodded and stood. She wavered a little from the sudden rush but kept her balance.

"Did you find anything of interest on your trip?" She asked as she stepped over a candle and headed toward the light switch, thankful it had a dimmer setting.

She turned the dial all the way down the pushed the button, then turned it up so the light was at around thirty percent.

"Quite a bit actually. The main curator was quite pleased."

"That's good."

Gabrielle knelt down in the middle of the circle again and started to blow out the candles. Then she went back to the light switch and turned the dimmer up another thirty percent. She went to the window and blew out the three candles there. As she watched the smoke go out the window she sensed the Doctor stand up, and a couple seconds later he was and a foot behind her.

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

"What?" Gabrielle asked as she turned halfway towards him.

"What happened at the hotel that made you decide to leave?"

Gabrielle's face dropped and she turned back to the window, but not quick enough for the Doctor to not see the tears build up in her eyes.

"Becky,...I...I lost her completely." Gabrielle said trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Dr. Lecter took a small step forward as she continued, "We were doing so good you know, trying to build our friendship again. If we saw each other in the hotel we would talk for a little bit and sometimes she would sit with me at dinner. Then...then Carla really...really started causing trou...trouble and she came between us..."

Gabrielle was crying at this point and the Doctor was about an inch away, waiting for the right time to embrace her.

"What did Carla do Gabrielle?" He asked softly.

"She...She…started following me again, when...whenever I was in the hotel, an...and the Wednesday after you left she cornered me with a couple of her friends and tried to hit me again. I stopped her then talked to Mrs. Mathews, but she told...told me to try to ignore them. Then the next day they cornered me again, only this time Becky was with them. When I blocked Carla's punch Becky slapped me in the face."

By this point Gabrielle couldn't hold it in any longer and completely broke down, and Dr. Lecter wrapped his arms around her. He could tell she hadn't let any of this emotion out yet, by the way her sobs wracked her body. She could barely stand.

"We started arguing. When I tried to tell her that Carla had changed her she tried hit me again, but... but I was ready for it. I blocked and back handed her. Not hard min...mind you, I didn't want to hurt her, I just wan...wanted her to snap out of it and see what she... she had become. She called me a bi...bitch, said that she would never be friends with me a...again, and that if I tried to talk to her next time she...she would hit me harder."

Gabrielle was starting to calm down, and she felt like a fool just breaking down like that. She turned and as she did Dr. Lecter only loosened his grip slightly to allow her to turn. She burried her face in his shirt as she tried to get her body to stop shaking. She felt the Doctor tighten his grip again and it seemed to help her calm down and stop shaking.

"I'm sorry." She said as she turned her head to the side, "You just got back and I'm already crying."

"You don't have to apologize. I am the one who asked. I'm just glad you came here instead of keeping yourself in that situation."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do. We're going back to the US in a month and three days."

"I don't mean to sound insensitive, but why is that a problem?"

"She lives right across the street! We're in most of the same classes! I have no way to avoid her! Oh, what am I going to do?!"

"Have you talked to your mother?"

"Yes, but she doesn't understand. She thinks that we'll be able to fix everything once we're back home. She wasn't there when Becky hit me. I've never seen hatred like that in her eyes before. Especially towards me. That scared me more than her hitting me. I would be able to take the hits but I can't take the hatred"

Alarms went off in Dr. Lecter's mind. No healthy person would say that they would take abuse unless it's in the context of martial arts sparring. He knew there were memories Gabrielle had been avoiding during their sessions and he had gotten some insight to what those memories might contain when she talked about her father. He had kept from pushing her into those terrible memories to keep her from withdrawing into herself but he could tell know that his choice had been a mistake.

"Gabrielle, forgive me for being blunt but..." Dr. Lecter said as he raised her head so she was looking at him (Dr. Lecter wanted to see the reaction in her eyes), "What did your father do to you in order for you to say you would take abuse?!"

He got the reaction he was expecting. Her eyes, that had been an emotional pool, glassed over and became cold and hard. She stiffened and pulled away from him some what. Then she reacted in a way he had not expected. She stepped back a bit. Her walls came down, her eyes became filled with emotion again and they began to tear.

"He shot me..." Gabrielle said almost to quiet to hear.

"What?!" Dr. Lecter asked eyes wide.

"I said," Gabrielle said and she pulled her shirt up slightly and the left corner of her pants down slightly to reveal her hip, "The bastard shot me! He decided to use me for FUCKING TARGET PRACTICE!"

Dr. Lecter looked at her hip there were three horizontal scars. The surgeon who stitched her up did a good job, they almost looked like scratched or stretch marks at a quick glance. To a professional eye however, Dr. Lecter knew exactly what they were. His mind flashed back to Clarice and the night at Muskrat Farm, when she was shot. Gabrielle let go of the elastic on her pants and they went back to where they had rested, she let go of her shirt and then she broke down completely.

Images from that night flew through Gabrielle's mind and try as she might she couldn't get rid of them. The memory was so vivid it was like it was happening all over again. She was at his house for the weekend, she was eleven. He had come home drunk as usual, but instead of being pissed he was very happy. He came in bragging about how he had won some guys nine millimeter in a poker. It was in his hand, his finger on the trigger as he tried to keep hold of it, the idiot who had lost it in the game hadn't even bothered to put the safety on and it was loaded.

Her father was standing in the living room door way while she was standing in the middle of the living room, she was so scared she couldn't move, she couldn't run and hide in the other room. Her step mother was in the bathroom bathing her half brother. Her father was trying to "teach" her the benefits of being a good poker player. His hands were full so instead of pointing at her with his finger he used the gun. He slipped and he had attempted to walk forward. As his body tensed slightly he ended up pulling the trigger and ended up pulling it three times.

Gabrielle's step-mother had obviously been the one to take her to the hospital. The woman left Gabrielle's brother with a neighbor and locked her father outside. That was the last time Gabrielle had seen her step-mother truly care for her. Gabrielle was lucky, the bullets had been logged in her hip, but it hadn't cracked with the impact. The doctor fixed her up and gave her a calcium supplement to help her body replace the bone that was lost. The only thing a doctor would see in an x-ray now would be three circular lines in her hip where the bone grew back.

Dr. Lecter caught her as she let herself fall, and eased her to the ground. The second he had seen the scars Dr. Lecter had become furious. No one should be left alive if they shoot their own child. He pushed his anger aside, it would do Gabrielle no good. Instead he brushed the hair from her face. What he saw didn't help his mood any, and he wondered why he hadn't seen it before. Gabrielle had a scar behind her ear it almost looked like a cresent moon.

"Did he do this too?" He asked a finger lightly on the scar so she would know what he was talking about.

Gabrielle shook her head, "No, I...I...had...surgery."

"Thank god!" Dr. Lecter thought to himself.

Dr. Lecter stayed quite while Gabrielle told him what happened that night while she kept crying.

"Your mother must know right?"

Gabrielle shook her head, "No she doesn't. I was old enough to take a shower on my own and the stitches were ready to come out two weeks later which was the next time I went to my father's. My father told me that if I told he would hurt my mom, so I've stayed quiet. His neighbors never did anything because they couldn't prove any of it. My step-mother has supposedly gotten rid of the gun, and my brother was too young to remember any of it. When ever I go swimming I usually wear a one piece and if I wear a two piece I wear a bathing suit skirt to cover it."

Gabrielle kept crying and Dr. Lecter held her as she let it all out. She cried, she screamed, and she punched. The punches didn't have any real power because she was so hysterical, and Dr. Lecter was glad she wasn't taking it out on herself. As she released all this pent up emotion Dr. Lecter thought. He was surprised that she hadn't really fought to stay away from these memories, but then reminded himself that she had been meditating today. That had left her vulnerable mentally and emotionally.

The good side of this was that Gabrielle could now begin to heal, and heal properly. What her father had done had not only left a physical scar but it had left a emotional and physiological scar. Her having to keep it a secret had kept that wound wide open, but now that she had told someone it could heal. Most of her other emotional and physiological wounds had healed, much to his amazement, but now he knew why.

Gabrielle had cried herself to sleep as Dr. Lecter had been thinking, though he didn't notice right away. When he did noticed he gathered up bridal style and carried her out of the room, across the hall, and into her bedroom. He laid her at the end of the bed, pulled back her blanket, then picked her back up and laid her in her bed properly, pulling the blankets up to her shoulder. He kissed her on the forehead, then shut both sets of curtains and left the room. He did all this without even turning the light on.

After he shut her bed room door he went back across the hall and closed the window. He left her candles where they were, she could put them away if she wanted to tomorrow. He shut the light off and left the room, closing the door behind him. He made himself a light dinner then went back up to his room. He put everything from his suitcase in it's proper place then went to bed. He could figure out where to go from here later...

Hope you iked this chapter! I should have another one up soon! Please review!