Hi Hi everyone!
I just want to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up! My stupid job got in the way....but now its up! I hope you all like it...as
always NO FLAMES, but constructive criticism is welcomed....
theshepardslamb
Chapter Sixteen:The Morning After
Tuesday May 8th '07, 9:30 am
Gabrielle came out of her room all dressed and ready for the day. She had nothing planned for the day so she was dressed in light gray dress slacks and a black, off the shoulder shirt that said "ANGEL" in deep pink letters across the chest. She had decided on the shirt for its irony. The night before at the night club had been rather interesting but her conversation with Doctor Lecter had been the icing on the cake. She thought he had turned to stone when she had used his given name because he froze and didn't move as she had entered her room.
She didn't hear him walk passed her room and go into his until ten minutes later and she wondered why it had effected him so. She had though he would have put it off and try to hide it better, but somehow she had caught him off-guard. The fact that she was so comfortable around him even though she knew some of his history was slightly upsetting but she had reasoned that it was because she had kinda gotten to know him before she had actually started to put all the puzzle peices together.
As Gabrielle got the the stairs she walked right passed them and opened the ballroom doors. She walked straight through leaving the doors open and went to the next set of doors that led to the balcony. She opened the doors and was greeted by a nice warm breeze. She walked to the railing and looked around. She found the countryside to be the most beautiful in the morning.
She took a handful of even and controlled breaths to clear her head then decided it was time to say good morning to the good doctor. She left the balcony and the ballroom shutting both sets of doors on the way. As she made her way down the stairs she felt that something wasn't quite right. The house was too quiet. She couldn't hear the sound of running water or a sizzling fry-pan coming from the kitchen, nor could she smell any sent of cooked food.
Gabrielle pulled her Harpy from her pocket and walked through the living room quietly listening for any sound. She walked toward the kitchen her whole body becoming hypersensitive to her enviroment. As she entered the kitchen she looked around quickly then made a second pass, this time being more thurough and taking in every detail and making sure nothing was out of place. She hoped the doctor was ok.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dr. Lecter layed on his bed staring at the celing and for the first time in a very long time he couldn't keep his thoughts in order. He thought that he had finally had Gabrielle pegged, that he had learned all her body language and what it meant, how her mind really worked. He was so wrong. He hadn't suspected that she had seen through his "disguise" until the detective had talk to her, but apparently he was very wrong. He had never sensed anything from her, even when the had made eye contact he had never seen the wheels turning in her head.
The fact that she had willingly looked into his eyes and called him by his actual name floored him. The fact that she did it with a smile on her face hit him like a brick wall. He had been so shocked when she had done that, he couldn't move for about ten minutes. When he was finally able to get his body to move he dragged himself to his room and flopped onto his bed. He was too stunned to get into his pajamas and actually get into bed.
No sleep came to him that night. His mind kept forming different plans in his mind. Some were very dark but others were the complete opposite. The darker plans didn't surprise him, it was part of his survival instincts. The lighter and more pleasant plans surprised him. He had made plans for him and Clarice ten years ago but she had turned him down. He was surprised that these thoughts had once again formed in his mind.
He looked at his clock and it read 9:30 AM. He had been up all night. He heard Gabrielle's door shut and heard her walk down the hall. He listened, not moving a muscle. He didn't hear the wheels of her suit case, this was a very good sign, but he heard her walking across a hard wood floor.
~Ah, she must be headed toward the balcony.~ He thought to himself.
He knew how much she liked the country side in the morning. A thought occurred to him and he got up, took the quickest of showers and got dressed in some fresh clothes. He then opened his door slightly and looked down the hallway and found that the ballroom doors were closed. He stepped out of his room quietly and headed toward the stairs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seeing that there was no one in the kitchen Gabrielle relaxed ever so slightly. She looked out the window to find the doctor's car was still in its spot so he must not have left. She started to think of all the possibilities. She thought of the detective for a second and became scared that he had found them and had somehow taken the doctor. She quickly found this to be a stupid thought because if he had found them he would have had the whole house searched and they would have woken her up.
Then she thought that the doctor might have up and left, but there was a problem with that thought too. She had searched every room she had access to in the house and she had found no door to a basement or garage and there were no trap doors anywhere. The only other door to the outside besides the front door was the door to the kitchen but both doors were locked and seemingly untouched since she had come home.
The only other option that seemed to fit was that he was still in bed, but even that was a weird option. He was always the first to get up before she was and never seemed like he would need this much sleep. She was contemplating on whether or not she should go up to his room and wake him when she heard a soft noise behind her.
In one motion she spun around and opened her harpy swinging her arm out in front of her. She thought that by some small chance it might be the detective so she aimed accordingly, thinking of where his neck might be. A strong hand caught her wrist and she made eye contact with a pair of deep maroon eyes. It took a second for her brain to register who they belong too and then she let herself relax.
"Dear god Doctor!" She said with a sigh, "You shouldn't sneak up on a girl like that."
Dr. Lecter was openly confused and tilted his head as he asked, "Were expecting some one else?"
"Well I didn't know what to expect but there was a possibility you could be some one else. I figured if it was you that you would be able to stop me in time even though I was aiming to kill."
Gabrielle saw a twinkle in his eye that she had never seen before and he let go of her hand. It made her curious and she though it might be some kind of dark amusement. She closed the harpy with a flick of her wrist and put it back in her pocket, never breaking eye contact. As always his eyes seem to see into the deepest darkest parts of her and it was practically exhilarating.
Gabrielle turned to the cabinets and stared gathering things for pancakes. She had been craving them all week, but some how the doctor had made everything for breakfast BUT pancakes. She felt that familiar tingling at the back of her neck and she knew he was watching her and that there was a good possibility that he had moved closer to her.
She didn't mind him watching her, she was used to him watching her meditate or read when they went on their picnics. She was however a little nervous cause she had only made pancakes like four times since her mother had started to teach her how to cook, and he could make practically anything that you could think of.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
With the non-stick fry-pan hot and ready to cook on, Gabrielle poured three pancakes into it. She was careful to not let them run together, and got plates, forks, knives, and napkins ready as they cooked on the first side. She set the table and came back in time to flip them. Gabrielle felt him move closer to watch her better. She had a little trouble with the first one but was able to get the second to cooperate. When it came time to flip the third one however she felt him against her back one hand on her left hip and the other hand on hers holding the spatula.
"That was good, but don't be afraid to use the side of the pan to help you get the pancake onto the spatula." He said as he demonstrated with her still holding the spatula and he continued, "If you aim towards the center of the pan when you flip it will fall perfectly into place for you as well."
The pancake fell into the pan perfectly and without splattering even a little. As always Gabrielle was impressed and soaked up the information like a sponge. His closeness didn't escape her either. It seemed to warm her and she felt a small sense of loss when he left to pull out a couple glasses and fill them with orange juice. She grabbed another plate put the finished pancakes on it then put a new set of three on the pan.
She put the finished pancakes in the oven and turned it on as Dr. Lecter put the glasses on the table and put the butter and syrup on the table as well. He came back and helped her flip the first pancake and watched as she flipped the next two.
She turned to look at him and saw a small smile on his lips as he said, "Much better, and they look great."
Gabrielle turned back to the pancakes and when the were done she took the plate out of the oven and put them with the others. She then turned off the oven and brought them to the table. Dr. Lecter, ever the gentleman helped her to her seat before seating himself. Gabrielle sat patiently, waiting for him to take his pancakes. She was happy when he did move to take pancakes the was surprised and chuckled when he put the first three (the last three she made) on her plate, not his.
"What?" Dr. Lecter asked.
"I was hoping that for once you would take your share first."
Dr. Lecter chuckled and said, "You should know by now Gabrielle....You always come first."
Gabrielle felt her face flush slightly. She was used to him saying that "ladies come first" he had never been that personal before. She saw that mysterious sparkle in his eye again as she smiled then focused on her pancakes. They ate in comfortable silence and when the were done Gabrielle got up to collect the dishes. Dr. Lecter stood up and stopped her by gently grabbing her wrists and making her put down their plates.
As Gabrielle looked at him in confusion Dr. Lecter smiled and said, "The cook never cleans"
Gabrielle gave him a stubborn look and replied, "But you know that I like doing the dishes."
"Doesn't matter...You cooked, therefore the dishes are my responsibility."
"But I want to do them! I enjoy doing them! I don't care if I was the one to make breakfast.....Your throwing off my day here!"
"Well, I don't think today is a normal day for us after last night....Now go into the living room and wait there until I'm finished."
Gabrielle was ready to retaliate but thought better of it as Dr. Lecter pushed her by her shouders out the kitchen door and into the living room. He gave her a little shove and she stumbled forward slightly. When she caught her balance and turned around to comment he was gone, already back in the kitchen. Gabrielle sighed loudly as she heard the water turn on. She paced around the living room fighting the urge to run into the kitchen and push him out of the way and do the dishes herself.
Gabrielle loved to do dishes. She found them to be very calming and they help her think clearly when she really needed it but didn't have time to meditate. She needed to calm down. She was still a little too pumped from last night and she wasn't thinking very rationally. Gabrielle felt a warmth on he leg and looked down to see the sun hitting it. She walked to the window and looked out towards the countryside.
Things may have been the same as any day, even after the confrontation last night, but something was different between them. Something felt different, but yet the change felt good. Gabrielle closed her eyes and turned her face up into the sun, letting its warmth wash over her and calm her down. She didn't notice the water had been turned off or that the Doctor had entered the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dr. Lecter put the last dish in the strainer and turned off the water. He dried his hands and put down the towel, he would put them away later. As he walked into the living room he wasn't surprised that Gabrielle hadn't started after him again. He knew she liked to think things out rationally and that she felt embarrassed when she acted out of pure instinct. This was a part of her that he could predict. She was where he thought she would be, at the window soaking up the sun.
Dr. Lecter couldn't help but appreciate and admire how the sun reflected of her hair. It brought out both her red and blond highlights, making her hair shimmer like when he puts his favorite wine in his favorite glass into the sun. He saw her sigh and then shutter slightly and wondered what she was thinking.
"Are you alright Gabrielle?"
"Yes, I was just thinking."
Gabrielle turned to see the Doctor walking towards her and she leaned against the window.
"About what?"
"About how everything has changed and yet nothing has changed."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Heh...now there's a loaded question Doctor..."
She chuckled as the doctor tilted head in confusion and she continued.
"The only difference this morning was that I was the first one out of bed and I made breakfast."
"Okay..."
"But something has changed emotionally between us."
"I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Like a barrier between us has been dropped. It started to fall when I told you about the detective. Your emotions became a little easier to read, usually your face is blank and I can only read your eyes a little; but you haven't been hiding much. Last night concern and raw fear were written all over your face. I've never seen you react like that before."
"I didn't think I was that obvious, but last night you gave me a small fright when you went out. Then you came home to tell me you had gone to the very place I had hoped you wouldn't go. There are far worse people out there than me Gabrielle and I pray you never meet them."
Gabrielle smiled lightly and chuckled saying, "You're doing it again Doctor."
"Doing what?" the Doctor asked taking the smallest step possible forward.
He was close to her now, so close that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to. Gabrielle realised this and felt a rush of emotions all at once. She was please and honored that he was concerned. His proximity sent shivers down her spine and made her whole body tingle. At the same time however, she was in a corner and she was claustrophobic, this caused her a little angsiety and made her feel like running and getting into open space.
She smiled and made a move to get out of the corner as she said, "Showing open concern for me Doctor."
The Doctor caught her around the stomach, stopping her. She looked up at him confused and a little scared but she hid that part. Then she saw that little sparkle again. It lingered a little and then was gone. He turned toward her and pulled her a little closer and she had to put a hand on his chest to keep from falling over.
"Just promise me something Gabrielle." Dr. Lecter said almost in a whisper.
"I'm not going to run to anyone and tell them your secret, I would never betray you like that, I promise you."
"Heh...That wasn't what I was going to ask, but thank you...I was going to ask that you promise me to never go back to Rose Red, at least not without me. I'm pleased you had fun when you went, but I would rather be there if something were to go wrong."
"But I'm always armed when I go out, you know that. You are the one who dropped the Harpy at my feet the first night I went to a club with my classmates."
"Yes and you may know a little on how to use it but you don't know what others are armed with. My reflexes are much quicker than yours and I've been at this a lot longer than you have."
"But..."
"Please...Just promise me."
Gabrielle stared at him a moment...Dr. Lecter never interrupted anyone because it was rude. He was pleading with her and concern was written all over his face. Plus she had noticed that his hold on her had tightened. She had never seen him in this state before and it made her heart hurt. She unthinkingly put her head on his chest and found that his heart beat was slightly higher than normal.
She pulled her head back slightly and said, "Alright Doctor Lecter, I promise...BUT On one condition."
"Name your price."
"Teach me..."
The Doctor let her go a little to look at her properly. The look on his face actually made her want to laugh, but she thought better of it and held it in.
"Teach you what exactly?"
Gabrielle pulled gently out of his arms pulled out her harpy and flipped it open with a flick of her wrist.
"How to use this properly...and how to defend myself without it."
"Wouldn't your Aikido help you to defend yourself?"
"Yes but that only works if someone is coming at you. I would like to know that if need be, I won't have to wait for someone to come after me."
"You want to learn how to hunt don't you?"
"If you wanna put it that way sure."
Gabrielle watched for his reaction and got one that she wasn't expecting. Dr. Lecter smiled and she saw amusement in his eyes along with that sparkle again. There was a dark tone to his facial expression but Gabrielle knew it wasn't meant to scare her. Gabrielle heard a jingle and turned her head to try to hear it better. She stepped further away from the doctor and then she figured out what she was hearing.
"Shit!" She cursed loudly as she ran towards the stairs.
She took the stairs two at a time and used the railing at the top to swing herself around. She bolted for her room and nearly knocked her door down as she opened it. She ran to her night stand and hit the send/talk button without even bothering to see who was calling.
"Hello?"
"Gabby?"
"Yes...who is this?"
"Don't you recognize my voice hun?" the caller replied sounding a little hurt.
Gabrielle saw the Doctor lean against her door frame as the caller continued, "I called you a month or so ago but you never called me back..."
Realization hit her like a brick wall and her stomach started to knot-up. She shot Dr. Lecter a pleading look of fright and pain. Dr. Lecter straightened up and kept his eyes on hers waiting.
"Hello father..." Gabrielle nearly chocked out.
"That's better...So why haven't you called me back yet."
"You're not supposed to have this number, and you're not supposed to be calling me." Gabrielle said turning her head to look in the mirror trying to reassure herself that she was safe and ok.
"That's not an answer, but I'll let it slide for now. You brother misses you."
"I miss him too, and when I get back and get a car I will see him. I'm on a scho..."
"You won't have to wait that long hun."
Gabrielle frowned at herself in the mirror, "And why not? I'm not exactly within driving distance. I'm on a school trip and we're not even in the country."
"Well I wanted to surprise you, but we've decided to come to France."
"You did what?!?"
Gabrielle's head whipped around to find Dr. Lecter and she looked at him in horror. She felt like she had just been stabbed in the stomach and her knees went weak. Dr. Lecter rushed over to her and caught her before she actually did fall.
"I said...your mother and I have decided to bring your brother to France so he could see you."
Somewhere deep inside her some of the anger she held towards her father leek out and came to the surface.
"Karren is not my mother!" She nearly yelled, "AND you're not allowed near me without my mom present!"
"Well we're here so we wanna see you. I won't have wasted all this money to come here and not spend time with you."
Gabrielle heard a little venom in his voice and heard the sound of a beer being opened in the background.
"Well then sorry to disappoint you father, but you won't be seeing me. Goodbye."
And with a look of desperation she hung up on him. She knew it was rude but she hoped the Doctor would overlook it this time. She threw the phone on her bed, no longer wanting to be in contact with it and turned her head back to the Doctor.
Gabrielle's eyes swelled with tears as she put her forehead against his chest and whispered, "This can't be happening! Tell me this isn't happening!"
"I wish I could Gabrielle, I wish I could..."
She buried her face in his shirt and she started to cry as she said, "I was so safe here! I could finally breath! He had no idea where I was and I didn't think he had to money to get to me! Oh, Dr. Lecter, What am I going to do?!?"
"Look at me." He said firmly as he pulled away and put a finger under her chin, making her meet his gaze.
"I don't know what to do Doctor!"
"Gabrielle look around, where are we?" he didn't give her time to answer, "We're in the country at least forty-five minutes away from the nearest city. No one you know is aware of where you are. They know who you are with, but if they try to find Dr. Williamson's address they're not going to find it. I bought the house under a different name."
Gabrielle left out a little exhale and tried to calm herself as he went on trying to talk some sense into her.
"There is also no guarantee that your father will be able to find where you classmates are staying. Even if he does, dinner is the only time they are all together with your teachers so its not like he's going to walk into the hotel and just find someone from your school."
"You have a point there...and France is a rather large country, he could be anywhere." Gabrielle said as her breathing returned to normal.
"You are in the safest place possible."
"You wouldn't happen to have an alarm system would you?"
A dark smile crossed Dr. Lecter's face and he leaned in until he was only a few inches from her face as he said, "I am the alarm system Gabrielle. He has to get through me to get to you, and I promise you that will never happen."
His proximity made her heart skip and the seriousness of his words calmed her at the same time. He was going to keep her safe, and the home of Dr. Hannibal "the cannibal" Lecter was the safest place in the world.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dr. Lecter sat in the 'love seat' and watched Gabrielle as she sat peacefully in the center of her ring of candles meditating. She had decided to meditate after she had called her mother and told her about her father. It had taken a little coaxing on his part for her to do it, but it had to be done. He had talked to her mother as well. The woman had insisted she talk to him and he could hear her desperation, fear, and the strain to not cry in her voice.
The woman had told him everything she possibly could about Gabrielle's father and his wife. He assured her, with out frightening her more, that Gabrielle's father wouldn't be able to find them and that he would protect her in every way possible. Gabrielle got back on the phone with her and caught her up a little on the things that happened over the past couple of days, minus the details about Dr. Lecter of course.
When she was done talking to her mom she shut off her phone and left it on her bed. She grabbed her meditation clothes, went to the bathroom, changed, and came back out putting her original clothes on her bed. She looked at Dr. Lecter when she noticed he hadn't moved from the spot where he had kept her from falling she flushed a little.
"I'm sorry Doctor."
"For what?"
"Just leaving you there like that and changing."
"It's ok. I take it you're going to meditate."
"Yeah, my body is just too overwhelmed and my mind is in peices. I need to restore some order before I can go on with my day."
"Are you sure you want to go out today?"
"Yes, I can't lock myself up just because my father is somewhere in France. If I do that I'll go mad."
Gabrielle left her room and the Doctor followed. All her candles were in place in her meditation room. She never put them away because no one ever came to the house and the Doctor only entered this room with her permission. She went to the hope chest and picked the matches off of the cushion. They were the long fireplace matches, Dr. Lecter had bought them for her to use when she nearly burnt her thumb using the small ones.
She lit a match and lit the three candles on the windowsill. She then blew it out and broke off the burnt peice into a glass ashtray he had also bought. There was still a good three and a half to four inches left to the match and Gabrielle didn't want to waste it by letting it burn. She walked over to the ring of candles and stepped into the center, picking up the lighter she always left in the center.
She lit the match and lit all the candles then put the match out in the ashtray. She put the ashtray and lighter outside the circle and sat down, crossing her legs, putting her hands palm up on her knees. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Dr. Lecter sat quietly in the love-seat and watched Gabrielle as her breaths became calm and controlled. His eyes never moved from her simi-relaxed form. There was too much light for the candle lights to have any real effect, but there was still a slight glow that reached her........
I so hope you liked this chapter...and I appologise again for it taking so long for me to get this chapter up!
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!
theshepardslamb