Author's note:

Hi hi readers! I was finally able to get the next chapter up! I hope you like it!

Oh and the club I named "Rose Red" is not an actual club in France...I borrowed the name from the book/movie "Rose Red" and I do NOT claim it as my own...

Summary: A detective talks to Gabrielle and accuses Dr. Williamson of being Hannibal Lecter. Will she believe him?

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Chapter Fourteen: Suspicion

Monday May 7th '07, 10:30 a.m.

Gabrielle awoke and sat up like a bat out of hell. She was breathing heavy and there was sweat dripping down her face. She looked around the room frantically and when she realised she was in the Doctor's house she relaxed and let out a sigh. She put her head in her hands and tried to calm herself, then the events of last night hit her. She had done it, she had told the Doctor her absolute worst memory and biggest secret. Then she had lost complete control over her emotions.

Her mind tried to place blame on the Doctor, 'It's his fault! He asked you that question right after you finished meditating! You were emotionally vulnerable!'

"No..." She said out loud, "It's not his fault. I'm the one who had decided to meditate the day he got home. I also told him about Becky, in detail."

Gabrielle knew what she had said was true. And as she thought about it, she was glad she had meditated. Yes, it left her vulnerable emotionally, but she realized that was the only way she would have told the Doctor about it. If she had been stable she would have been able to keep the walls up, and she had been at the point where even if she had wanted to tell him, her mind would not have let her. The words would have been right on the tip of her tongue, but she would not have been able to say them.

After she was satisfied with stopping herself from blaming the Doctor, the fact that she was in her room finally hit her in the face. She became embarrassed, ashamed and a little scared all at once. She grabbed the covers and looked under the sheets. When she saw that she was still in her meditating clothes she relaxed and put the covers back down. She didn't think that he would have changed her into her pj's but she just had to reassure herself. Then her embarrassment and shame hit her even harder. She had cried herself to sleep while the Doctor had been holding her.

Gabrielle put her head in her hands again and thought, 'God I can't believe I did that! What is he gonna think of me?!'

But then she realized that it didn't matter. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder after Man of LaMancha and he had no problem with it. She had fallen asleep multiple times during her more painful and stressful sessions. Then, as she threw the covers towards the end of the bed, she became surprised with herself. She had fallen asleep while he had been holding her. The only person she had trusted to do that with was her mother. Her step-father had been there to comfort her many times, cradling her as he did so, but she had never fallen asleep when he did.

Of course Becky had comforted her too while she cried, but the times she did fall asleep it was after she had cried. And even then Becky was never really holding her, and Gabrielle always had her back to Becky when she fell alseep. Gabrielle had fallen asleep with her face buried in the Doctor's shirt. She would have to give this one some real thought the next time she meditated.

As Gabrielle grabbed the hair elastic off her bed post and got out of bed she felt a lot lighter. As she stretched her whole body felt tight, and she could still feel some adrenaline running through her system from her break down. She felt like beating the crap out of something. She didn't fight the feeling as she put her hair into a loose ponytail and made her bed. She wanted it to run it's course and get out of her system, but even as she was walking to the door she knew the only way she was going to get rid of the feeling is if she went to the gym or went to her defense class and fought someone.

As Gabrielle got to the stairs, she could smell something wonderful cooking. She wondered how long the Doctor had been up, and then she wondered what time it was. She hadn't even looked at her watch on her nightstand to see the time. As Gabrielle walked through the living room, she looked at the clock on the mantle.

'Ten-forty!' She thought, then shrugged, 'Well at least I didn't sleep too late'

As she got to the kitchen, Gabrielle saw the Doctor at the stove. She knocked on the door jam and he turned his head towards her.

"Good morning Gabrielle." Dr. Lecter said and he turned back to what he was doing.

"Good morning Dr. Williamson." Gabrielle said as she walked to the kitchen table, "What's for breakfast? It smells delicious."

"Gabrielle haven't you learned by now." Dr. Lecter chuckled as he put what he was cooking onto their two plates, "Asking spoils the surprise."

"Oy."

Gabrielle rolls her eyes and thinks 'Should have seen that coming'

"How did you sleep?"

"Okay for the most part. I woke up in a sweat from last nights adrenaline, but other than that I slept pretty well. How 'bout you?"

Dr. Lecter put a plate in front of Gabrielle and sat down with his own. Crepes filled with caramelized strawberries and raspberries.

"Fine thank you."

That was a lie. Dr. Lecter hadn't slept well at all last night. The memory of the night Mischa was taken had played over in his head. So did the memory of Clarice getting shot at Muskrat Farm and the headline in the paper when she had been killed in the line of duty. These memories had kept him up for most of the night. He hadn't been able to sleep so he had gotten up and checked on Gabrielle. When he had seen that she had been sleeping soundly, he went back to bed, eventually falling into a dreamless sleep.

When Gabrielle had finished helping the Doctor clean up she said, "Doctor, if you don't mind, I'm gonna take a shower then go into Paris. I need to release some energy so I'm gonna go to the gym I found while you were away."

"It's fine with me, it looks like I need to go food shopping anyway. Would you like me to drive you?"

"Sure, if you'd like. Just give me forty five minutes and I'll be ready."

Dr. Lecter nodded and Gabrielle left the room heading for her room.

Dr. Lecter pulled up in front of the gym and turned to Gabrielle.

"I'm going to go shopping then bring the food back to the house and put it away. There are a couple of other stores I would like to go to as well. Do you that will give you enough time?"

"I think so. If I'm not waiting outside you can come in and get me."

"Alright."

Gabrielle got out with her gym bag and shut the door. Dr. Lecter waited until she was in the building before he pulled away to go do his shopping.

Gabrielle was practicing her spinning kicks and she was getting angrier by the minute. She had been there for about an hour and a half now and she couldn't seem to get rid of her energy. She was starting to fell like her energy was trying to suffocate her, which sparked a small bit of panic within her. With a frustrated cry she kicked the bag as hard as she possibly could. She kicked it so hard, the trainer who had been holding it was knocked backwards and fell on the floor. He was saying something as he got up, but she wasn't listening. She kept punching and kicking the bag.

There was no one holding it now so it swung freely. Gabrielle attacked it, throwing all her energy into every attack. Her face felt wet but she didn't bother to find out why. Her moves weren't wild and desperate. She knew that if she did that it would make it look crazy and make things worse. Instead her moves were smooth and calculated. She could see her father's face on the bag, which pissed her off more. She knew it was all in her head, his face wasn't really there, her subconscious was just giving her something to focus on.

Gabrielle felt her energy start to dissipate and she threw what she had left into a kick. She let the bag swing back after and she caught it. Unfortunately it swung back with more force than she had anticipated and knocked the wind out of her. The impact knocked her back into reality and she realized she had been crying. As she caught her breath she let go of the bag and wiped away the tears.

"Gabrielle are you alright?" The trainer asked with concern.

"Huh?" Gabrielle asked her mind finally deciding to work normally again.

"I asked if you were alright?"

"Oh, yeah I'm fine...I was just getting rid of some pent-up energy."

"Are you sure? You were crying..."

"Yes, I'm sure...I've just been stuck in a rough spot, and things are starting to smooth out."

"Alright, well if..."

"Excuse me but I'm looking for a Gabrielle Helfire?" Another voice cut in.

"Who's asking?" Gabrielle asked as she walked over to her bag and grabing her towel.

"Detective Thompson, Miss Helfire." Said the man as he followed her.

"Alright, What can I do for you?"

"You are aware that there is a cannibal on the loose correct?"

"Yes, I have been watching French news, why?"

"Well, the Police Department has been contacted and our lead seems to think they've seen you with the infamous Hannibal Lecter."

"Ha!" Gabrielle laughed despite herself, her puzzle oriented mind flying through her memories of her time with Dr. Williamson, "Please, I did a very long report on the man. Even if I'm not an expert, I think I would know if I was ever in the company of Doctor Hannibal Lecter."

'It would certainly explain a lot if Dr. Williamson is in fact Dr. Lecter.' Gabrielle thought to herself.

"Would you mind looking at a picture of Lecter. Its been updated to what he might look like now."

"Alright but I don't know how much good its gonna do..."

Gabrielle took the picture the Detective handed her and looked at it. She couldn't believe what she saw. It was an almost perfect picture of Dr. Williamson. The only thing was that the nose and mouth were slightly too big and the hair-line was receeded too much. Despite what she had just been shone she wouldn't sell out Dr. Williamson if he really was Dr. Lecter. She wanted to know for sure first.

"I'm sorry Detective, this doesn't look like anyone I know."

"Are you sure." The Detective asked reaching for the picture.

"Yes, but may I keep the picture so that I may keep an eye out for you?"

"Of corse. Would you mind if I asked you some questions?"

Gabrielle tilted her head to the side and thought to herself, 'What are you up to Detective?.'

"It's just standard procedure Miss Helfire."

"Alright, if you must." Gabrielle said and straightened her head.

"According to your teacher, during your stay here in France you have made a new friend, yes?"

"That is correct."

"His name is... Dr. Williamson, is it not?"

"Yes, but I don't see what he has to do with anything."

"Your teacher has also said he's a psychologist, is this correct."

"Yes, but what..." Gabrielle stopped, understanding what he was really implying and becoming offended, "I hope you don't think he's actually Dr. Lecter, 'cause if you do you're wrong."

"I didn't mean to offend you miss. The Police have to follow every lead when it comes to Lecter."

Just then a car horn sounded. Gabrielle looked out the window and when she saw it was Dr. Williamson she gathered her things.

"Listen Detective," Gabrielle said cooling her emotions, "I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but there's nothing to protect me from. Now if you'll excuse me my ride is here."

The detective just nodded as Gabrielle walked past him and out the door. He watched her get into a car and was sure the driver was Dr. Williamson. The Detective's gut instinct told him that the man was indeed Dr. Lecter, and his instincts were right ninety percent of the time. The only challenge was getting the girl away from the man safely. If Dr. Lecter had become attached to this girl though, taking her from him could prove to be deadly. The detective left the gym deep in thought, he would need to speak to his boss right when he got back to the station.

Gabrielle tossed her bag in the back seat and got in. She was glad Dr. Williamson had the top down, the wind would cool her down. As she put her seatbelt on Dr. Williamson pulled away from the gym.

"Do you feel better?" Dr. Williamson asked.

"Yes and no..." Gabrielle answered looking at the passing shops.

"Yes and no? I understand the 'yes' but why the 'no'?"

"That man I was talking to..." Gabrielle said unsure on how to proceed.

"Yes?"

Gabrielle decided just to be direct. After all, what's the worst that could happen? He wouldn't kick her out of the car just because of a Detective's theory.

"He was a detective."

"Okay..."

"He was asking about you!" Gabrielle said as she turned to look at the Doctor, "He seems to think that you're Dr. Lecter!"

"Really?...Well that's interesting."

"He gave me a picture of what he says the Police think Dr. Lecter might look like, and then tried to make convince me that you were him just because you're a psycologist."

"May I see the picture?"

Gabrielle handed the picture to him.

"I must say Gabrielle, it is a very close likeness."

"Yes it is, but there are still differences." Gabrielle said as she took the picture back, "And it's because of those differences that I said I didn't know anyone who looked like that."

"You lied to the Police? Tsk tsk Gabrielle..."

"No it wasn't a lie! There are too many differences for it to be you."

Dr. Lecter shook his head and chuckled. Gabrielle could be so juvenial at times. As he looked at her, he could tell that she was scared and concerned. He wasn't sure whether or not the fear was that he might actualy be...well himself, or if it was because of the Police and the possibility they may be watching them now.

Dr. Lecter turned his attention back to the road and Gabrielle looked once again at the passing shops. Nothing was said the rest of the way home. Gabrielle grabbed her bag and went to her room. Dr. Lecter didn't see her again until dinner time. Dinner was quiet as well, at least until Dr. Lecter was able to make eye contact with Gabrielle. She had been avoiding his gaze all through the meal.

"What scares you more Gabrielle?" Dr. Lecter asked as she forced herself to look away, "The fact that the Detective thinks I am Hannibal Lecter, or the fact that your mind agrees with him on some level, or the fact that your conscience has no problem with it?"

Gabrielle nearly dropped her fork that had her next bite on it and her eyes snapped back up to the Doctor's.

"What makes you think the I believe him Doctor?" She said with a hint of anger.

"You came to dinner armed." Dr. Lecter said simply and Gabrielle's eyes went wide, "I noticed you blade of choice sticking out of your pocket slightly when I took your salad dish from the table."

Gabrielle forced herself to take another bite of her chicken before speaking.

"I guess I forgot to take it out of my pocket after I changed out of my gym clothes. I had put the blade in my pocket before we left this morning. I'm sorry if it has offended you, that was not my intention."

What she had said was only half a lie. She had forgotten she had put it in her pocket this morning, but she had felt it in her pocket before she had gotten to the top of the stairs to go down to dinner. What the Detective had said had indeed made her nervous, having her Harpy in her pocket made her feel some-what safer so she hadn't bothered to put it back in her room. She didn't think Dr. Williamson would notice.

The Doctor seemed to let her of the hook, because he seemed to change the subject ever so slightly by asking, "When did you start carrying that anyway?"

"The night we went to see Man Of LaMancha. Someone had dropped it at my feet as I was getting ready to leave the club I had been to the night before."

"May I see it?"

Gabrielle nodded and pulled the harpy out of her pocket. She didn't really want to show him, but she was a guest in his home and he had a right to know what kind of weapon she was carrying. She opened it with a flick of the wrist, looked at it for about three seconds, then closed it with another flick of her wrist. She tossed it lightly across the table to the Doctor, who caught it just as easily.

The Doctor opened the harpy the same way she had and Gabrielle had to keep herself from holding her breath. Everything was falling into place now. His knowlage about...well...everything. His wounderful and fine taste in food and alcohol. Not to mention his understanding of the mind.

Suddenly Gabrielle was no longer hungry. Infact she almost felt like she was going to be sick. She bairly regestered the he was talking to her again. She picked up the tone of a compliment but she couldn't understand the words. She hadn't realized he had toss the blade back to her until it almost hit her in the face. Thankful she had managed to catch it, Gabrielle stood slowly, putting the blade back in her pocket.

"Will you excuse me Doctor? Dinner was great but I seemed to have lost my appetite. I'm sorry."

"It's alright Gabrielle. Would you like me to save what you have not eaten?"

Gabrielle looked at her plate. There was almost a half a chicken breast and her mashed potatoes and vegies had gone nearly untouched. It would be a waste to toss it.

"Yes please, thank you."

And with that Gabrielle left the dining room for the stairs. When she was out the door, she took off her sneakers so the Doctor couldn't hear and she ran down the hallway, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. She closed the door, dropped her shoes, and went to her Ipod dock and turned it on, turning the volume up slightly higher than normal. Then she rushed to the bathroom, bairly making it to the toilet in time before she actually got sick.

Dr. Lecter was both amuzed and worried. He hadn't been surprised when she came to dinner with the Harpy in her pocket. He had actualy been expecting it. He found it interesting that she seemed to know how to use it, but at the same time he hope she would never have to. He felt the bass from her music slightly and heard the toilet flush. Dr. Lecter hoped she was ok, she had paled very quickly when he had caught her blade and opened it.

As Dr. Lecter started drying the dishes he thought about the detective. If this man decided to act on his theory the Doctor didn't want Gabrielle to get caught in the crossfire. He knew the location of his home was safe, but there was no telling how long that would last. As Dr. Lecter thought this, he wondered if the new rental cars were able to be tracked via GPS. He decided to check just to make sure, he didn't want to have to take Gabrielle's freedom of transportation from her.

The Doctor set down the plate and towel in his hand onto the counter and grabbed the flashlight from under the sink. He checked Gabrielle's car over three times just to make sure there was nothing there, then went back inside to finish drying the dishes. As he walked to the stairs he noticed the he no longer felt the bass of Gabrielle's music. When he passed her room he knew why, there was no light coming out from under her door. He looked at her meditation room then at his watch. It was 9:30pm, too late for her to be meditating, which left only one option...she was sleep.

Dr. Lecter went into the room Gabrielle had assumed was his second study, and indeed she was right. This room wasn't a medical study though. It was an art study. It held all his books about the painters, sculptors, architects, and composers he liked. As well as book versions of every play he had seen and books that explained those plays in depth. On his desk were seven new books that he had bought today. He had bought some medical books and a couple fiction books that had caught his eye, but he had already put those in their proper place. He wasn't able to put these away before dinner.

After she had gotten sick she had cleaned herself up and decided she needed air. She went into her room and got dressed, putting on her black leather pants, black socks, and a blood red corset. The corset had black lace sleeves that flared like a bell at the wrist. She put on her make-up and did her hair. Then she put her knee high boots, her ankle length black leather coat (of which she had put twenty dollars in the inside pocket), and her car key in front of the closet. She wrote the Doctor a quick note because she didn't want him to think she was running from him and taped it it her closet door so it would be quick and easy for her to put it on the oustide of her bedroom door.

Then she crawled into bed, shut her light off and put her head carefully on her pillow so she wouldn't mess up her hair. She did this so if the Doctor decided to poke his head in the door, he would think she was asleep. Then she waited for him to go to bed. It would be easier for her to get out of the house if he didn't know she was leaving.

Gabrielle had heard him come up the stairs and stop at her door. She sat up when she heard him walk away. She got out of bed when she heard a door close. Without turning on any lights she went to her door and opened it silently. She looked down the hall and saw a light under the door to the one room in the hall she hadn't been able to get into. She closed her door and made her way to her closet. Instead of opening it, she knelt down in front of it where she found her boots, coat and key.

As she stood, Gabrielle found the note she had taped to the closet door and pulled it off, careful not to rip the tape. She made her way back to her door and opened it without a sound. She stepped out and shut it just as quietly and stuck the note to the door. She quickly made her way down the hall, through the upstairs living room, and down the stairs. She ran to the first floor living room and sat on the couch.

She put on her boots and zipped them up over her leather pants. She stood and put on her coat, leaving it open. After checking to make sure her money was still in the inside pocket she went to the door. She was glad the Doctor never locked the front door. If by some miracle he didn't hear her car start she would be able to get back into the house just as easily.

Gabrielle opened her car door and got in, but didn't shut the door. She buckled her seat belt and got ready to start the car. Then she shut the door and started the car at the same time. She pulled out of the driveway and hit the gas, not bothering to look back.

As Dr. Lecter was about to put the last book away he heard a car start and pull out of the driveway. He wondered if she had finaly gotten scared and ran. He knew however that she hadn't, because if she had she would have been packing and her light would have been on when he had passed her room earlier. When the last book was in its place, the Doctor left the room and looked at Gabrielle's door. Just as he thought, there was a note on it.

'Where have you gone Gabrielle?' Dr. Lecter thought to himself as he took the note off the door.

It read:

Doctor,

I haven't run. I just needed some air to clear my head.

Be back soon,

Gabrielle

Dr. Lecter noticed she had addressed him as Doctor only. He wondered which she was thinking of when she wrote the note, Williamson or Lecter. It didn't really matter though, what he was more concerned about was where she was going.

He knew she wasn't going to the police because even then she would have taken her stuff with her. She wouldn't got to her teacher because the woman would go to the police herself. She wouldn't go to their picknic area because it was too dark. She really like the Opera House but because there were no shows tonight, it would be closed by now. The only other place she would go would be to a club.

Then only question Dr. Lecter had now was which one? Most of the under eighteen or under twenty-one clubs were completely harmless, but he had found a handful that were quite dark. He had found some that were for those who were into the Dark Arts, and the last time he had followed Gabrielle to a club she had met a girl who had told her and encouraged her to got to one of these clubs.

Dr. Lecter knew Gabrielle was curious by nature and that she liked those kinds of stories and movies. For once he hoped her curiosity didn't get the best of her and that if it had, that she had her harpy with her. Above all he hope she wasn't going to the club named "Rose Red". It was the most authentic when it came to these types of clubs.

He had only been in that club once a few years back, but when he was there he had met many people (bartender included) that had ceramic caps that had been filed down. They truly thought they were vampires and would try to feed on anyone. Unfortunately for Dr. Lecter, this was the exact club Gabrielle was going to...

I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!

theshepardslamb