Clarice Starling flicked through the magazine she had brought at the airport. It was about house decorating. She wanted to liven her house up a bit when she got home in just over a week. She was on a plane for London. This was her time of from work that she had been due for about three months but hadn’t taken. She wasn’t going to ever until she was ordered to, she was told that she needed time of and she should take it abroad so she wouldn’t be tempted to come back early if something happened.
She wasn’t sure why she had decided on London, it was the first thing she picked up so she decided to go there no matter how cold England was in winter.
The air hostesses instructed everyone to fasten there belts as they were about to start the landing procedure. Clarice put the magazine in her bag and pushed back in the chair as the plane started to descend. Her thoughts strayed back to the FBI. The reason she was due a break was a painful memory to her. Her last encounter with Doctor Hannibal Lecter would be something that haunted her for the rest of her life. She had thought about it for at least 30 minutes of each day in the three months since it happened and today was no exception.
He had forced her against the fridge and trapped her hair in the door so she couldn’t stop him escaping. He had asked if she would ever ask him to stop for her. She had replied "Not in a thousand years". She regretted those words now. He hadn’t been to bothered, he’d expected it, he simply said "that’s my girl". Then he kissed her, even now she could still feel his lips pressed against hers. She didn’t kiss him back, instead she hooked the handcuffs on him so he was attached to her…and he certainly wasn’t expecting that. Part of her really regretted putting him in that situation. He only had three options, either let himself be captured, chop her hand off or chop his own hand off. He chopped his own hand off, just so he didn’t hurt her. Everyone called him a monster but he’d chopped his own hand of rather than hurt her. Before this had happened she’d went to rescue him but in the end it turned the other way round because she was shot and he had carried her out of danger and saved her life. Then after all this she forced him to take his own hand off.
The plane landed and she got of the plane with everyone else. She picked up her luggage and got a taxi to her hotel. It was a nice hotel. Not the best in London but the room was large with a big double bed, a settee and a coffee table with a coffee machine on.
It was late evening by the time she got there so she went straight to bed without dinner.
She did very little for the first couple of days. She did a little sight seeing on the first day and spent the second day shopping. She brought a pair of cool sun glasses, a posh black dress to go with her expensive Gucci shoes that Doctor Lecter had brought her and a weird watch.
On the third day at lunch time she was looking round for a nice café to eat in when she saw some one familiar. She almost choked on her chewing gum when she saw him, it was Doctor Lecter. She forced her legs into action and turned the corner across the street from him. She stopped and peered round the side of the building to see what he was doing. He was looking at something in a store window. He had a faint smile across his face. Her brain was telling her to just walk away like she hadn’t seen him but she was desperate to find out what happened over his hand. At the moment she couldn’t tell because he had his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a grey suite with a white hat, a grey tie and a white shirt. She glanced down the street that she’d turned into. There was a little café bar about three shops down.
Doctor Lecter smiled at the paintings in the shop window. They were humorous cartoon paintings. They were not really his style but they were entertaining to read. He started to feel uncomfortable, like he was being watched. He glanced round and saw her, Clarice Starling. His breath stopped in his throat.
Clarice locked eyes with him and went stiff. He turned so he was fully facing her. He started to battle through the crowds to get to her. Clarice panicked, she didn’t know what to do, her brain had shut down on her. Her legs took over and she turned and walked as fast as she could to the café without looking suspicious to passers by.
Dr Lecter sped up trying to get to the corner so he could see were she went. He just caught sight of her entering a café. He walked to café door and opened it. He wasn’t sure how she was going to react, he didn’t understand how she had found him here.
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He saw her sitting in the corner away from everyone, she was on a two person table. He made his way across to her and stood a couple of meters away. She looked up at him. A waiter came over to her, "would you like a menu ma’am?" he asked politely. Clarice glanced across at Hannibal Lecter, "Can I have two please?" she asked. The waiter gave her the menu’s and left. Hannibal realised this was an invitation and joined her at the table.
She was wearing casual jeans and tight, blue, cashmere jumper. The jumper went well with her eyes and hair he noticed. It was silent for a couple of minutes. "What are you doing here Clarice?" he asked, breaking the silence. "I’ve been given a couple of weeks of" she explained, "I’m on holiday". "What on earth made you decide to come here?" he asked as he read the menu. "It was the first brochure I picked up" she answered casually. She noticed his lips curl upwards in a smile, "so what are you doing here Doctor?". He leant forward so he could be closer to her, "I’m on a trip here, I wanted to get some stuff only available here so I thought I’d make a trip out of it".
The waiter came back with his notepad and pen, "are you ready to order?". "Yes, I’ll have the beef and oyster dish please" said Hannibal Lecter. "I’ll have the chicken tika please" said Clarice "and for drinks we’ll have a bottle of red wine". "What one ma’am?" asked the waiter as he scribbled down the order. "The most expensive one" replied Hannibal for her. She glanced up at him, "don’t worry I’ll pay for it" he said seeing the disapproving look she shot him.
Clarice leant back in her chair so she could see him fully. He still had his hand in his pocket. He noticed that she was looking at his pocket. He took his hand out the pocket and waved at her. "I got it put back on, it’s only about 60% better so far but it will be back to full use in a couple of months" he said reassuringly. She glanced at the floor, trying not to stare at the hand. "Clarice…my dear you look uncomfortable, why?" he asked. She rubbed her forehead with her hand, "why did you do that, why take your own hand off?". "Would you rather me had taken of yours" he replied "I thought not". He reached across the table and took her hand in his good hand and pulled it across the table slightly. He rested his other hand on top it. "Clarice has it ever crossed your mind why I didn’t cut your hand of, why I saved you after you were shot, why I always keep an eye what’s going on in your career…why I’d never hurt you" he said sincerely. She didn’t reply, she just sat there staring into his eyes. He lifted her hand towards his mouth and placed a kiss on it. She didn’t flinch…she didn’t even look scared.
They sat through the rest of the meal in silence. They made occasional eye contact but nothing was said.
At the end Doctor Lecter paid the expensive bill and gave the waiter a fairly large tip which pleased the waiter no end. She stood to leave. "Clarice, I was thinking that maybe you would like to join me on a trip to the theatre before you leave London, or maybe a meal…or both" he said standing too. "I…I…I don’t think that’s…er…a good idea" she said slowly, trying to think of the right words. He raised his eyebrow but Clarice could see there was a sadness in his eyes. "I might see you around…goodbye Doctor" she said as she turned away from him. She could see his reflection in the window. He lowered his head and put his hands in his pocket, "goodbye Clarice" he said softly. She left the café and carried on shopping. She wasn’t sure what to think about their little meeting. Part of her had wanted to except his offer, she had wanted to join him for dinner or go to the theatre but she was afraid of what might happen if she did. She wasn’t afraid he’d kill her, not at all, she was more scared of herself than him.
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Doctor Lecter sat on a bench by a waterfall. He played over the meal in his mind. She hadn’t answered him, she had avoided the subject of his feelings for her. He wasn’t fully sure why, he didn’t know whether she was repulsed by the idea or she just didn’t want to admit it to herself. She had become difficult to read…to many conflicting emotions. All he was sure about was that she wasn’t afraid of him and that gave him hope. He needed to see her again so he decided he would find out were she was staying and visit her in a couple of days. By then she will have had plenty of time to think.
Clarice got a taxi back to the hotel. She decided she was going to use her new dress tonight. She wasn’t going to sit round thinking about Hannibal Lecter, she was going to go for a meal on her own and go on the pull. It was probably the most crazy thing she had ever thought of. She never went out on the pull…she was never desperate enough but tonight she needed company. At the back of her mind she was wondering whether it would make Doctor Lecter jelous, if he saw her flirting with another man. She quickly tried to forget that thought and started to get ready.
************************************************************ Hannibal Lecter was going to go out for an expensive meal tonight but he decided against it he would just use room service. He wondered what Clarice would be doing. His mind floated back to their encounter in the USA when he’d rather upset her by feeding Paul Krendler his own brains. She had looked amazing in the dress, it was very low cut which wasn’t usually his normal style but he had been feeling hungry for the sight of her and that certainly showed of a lot.
Through the prison cell he’d talked to her years before but he had never got a chance to feel her close to him. He had only managed a touch of her finger when she pulled away from the security guards and ran back to him to collect her case files on Jame Gumb. He had felt an attraction to her from their first meeting. He grinned to himself at the thought, it had been love at first sight. It sounded so wrong to him, he never thought of himself a the kind of guy who would do something like that. He poured himself a glass of wine and settled down by the log fire in his hotel room.
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Clarice looked round the restaurant. She already felt like this was a bad idea. There was plenty of men, many of them were good looking but they were all drunk already and it was only 8pm, that was a real turn off. In the end she ate alone, mulling over her meetings with Doctor Lecter. She had really not known what to sat when he asked her about why she thought he never hurt her. That was really uncomfortable. She felt sorry for him really because she should have at least said something in reply not just sat there in silence. She knew why, he knew she knew why…so why did he have to ask, was he just trying to make a point or was he hitting on her. She tried to stop thinking about it…it sort of worked. She was still thinking about him but about her conversations with him in Menthis so many years before.
She finished her meal at 11pm and she was about to order a taxi when she realised she didn’t have enough money with her. The hotel was only a couple of blocks away, a ten minute walk probably.
She was horrified when she stepped outside. It was pouring down with rain. She cursed to herself quietly, she was going to get soaked. She made her way through the streets, occasionally stopping under balconies were she would hide from the rain for a couple of minutes. There was still a few people around, all with umbrellas however. She came to a stop underneath a shop canopy that was still out even though the shop itself was closed. Bloody typical, she didn’t even have a jacket on and she was freezing cold.
Doctor Lecter poured himself another glass of wine and stood up. He went to the balcony an looked out, it was raining cats and dogs outside. There was a person standing under a canopy opposite him. He realised who it was almost instantly. She was standing there wet and shaking with the cold. He grabbed his umbrella of the stand and ran down the steps to the street. Luckily he was only on the second floor so there wasn’t far to go. He put up the umbrella and ran across to her.
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her under the umbrella with him. "Doctor Lecter" she exclaimed. He shook his head, "it must be fate Clarice so come inside in the warm". She didn’t even have to think over the offer. They ran inside the hotel and up the stairs. He had left the door to his room open in the rush. The room was fairly well lit by one of the four lights in there and the fire. He put the umbrella back on its rack and got a couple of towels from inside the bathroom. He gave her the towels, "do you want to go in the bed room and get dry…er…clothes, clothes. You can use a T-shirt of mine or something just search in the cupboards and steal one of the bed sheets too" he instructed as he pointed to a door. She went into the bedroom leaving him standing by the fire. He rang room service, "hello, can you bring another bottle of wine with another glass up for me please. Can I also have a mug of coffee too, thanks". He put the phone down and waited. A young man brought up his order, he knocked on the door. Hannibal opened it and took the tray from him, "thank you…just put it on the bill please" he said. The young man left closing the door behind him.
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Clarice came out about a minute later with a cream coloured silk sheet around her. "Who was that?" she asked. "Room service, I got you a cup of coffee to help warm you up" he replied. She sat down on the mat in front of the fire and he passed her the mug of coffee. She didn’t have the sheet wrapped fully round her shoulders and he could see she was wearing one of his big T-shirts he used to lounge round in occasionally.
He sat down in the armchair behind her, bringing the bottle of wine and their glasses with him. He placed them on the floor next to her. "So you’ve been out have you?" he asked casually, trying to make conversation. "Yes, I went out for dinner but overspent on the wine" she replied through chattering teeth "I was a couple of pounds short for a cab".
"Sounds like were both having the same kind of problems" said Doctor Lecter. "Hey?" she asked, confused. "We’ve both been overdoing it on the wine" he said, gesturing towards two empty bottles of wine sitting on a sideboard. "It would seem so" she commented, "pathetic isn’t it". "Would you be commenting on the amount we’ve drunk or the reason for drinking it?" he asked. She stared into the flames in the log fire, again unable to answer. "I’m an FBI agent your on the 10 most wanted list" she commented eventually. "Is that the only reason I’m drinking so much?" he asked raising his eyebrow "it’s been that way for a while and I’ve only just started drinking so much".
It was quite again. Clarice was feeling a lot warmer now but her hair was still wet. She ran her fingers on her right hand through her hair revealing some of her neck. Hannibal leant forward and closed his eyes, he was tired, tired of her fighting him. He slipped of the chair onto his knees behind her and brushed her hair to one side. She suddenly felt very awake at his touch. He kept her hair out the way with his bad hand and slipped his good hand round her silk covered waste. He started to explore her neck with his lips, placing kisses on the delicate skin. She moaned in pleasure and leant her head back on his shoulder giving him better access to her neck.
He pulled her round to face him and again started kissing her neck. He moved his attentions to her face, dropping kisses in her cheek and forehead. She brought her hands to the back of his head. He stopped and looked straight in her eyes, he ran his finger over her lips causing her to smile. He leant closer to her so their lips were only a couple of centimetres apart. She closed her eyes in anticipation as he closed the rest of the distance between them, placing his lips on hers. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue access to her mouth. It was slow and they explored each others mouths. They pulled away for air for only a couple of seconds then went in to kiss again, this time the pace of the kiss quickening. He reached round and pulled the sheet away from her. He sat on his own feet and she pulled in closer, straddling his knees pulling his body firmly against her. The only thing she had left on was his T-shirt, he was regretting offering it to her now.
They broke apart again to catch their breath. She started to unbutton his shirt and managed to pull it of him without ripping it. He grabbed hold of her wandering hands, "the bedroom would be more comfy" he stated. They stood up and their lips locked again as he backed her up into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed pulling him with her as she tried to undo the zipper on his trousers. He helped her and of they came followed by his underwear and the T-shirt she had on. They nestled down under the covers.
He started to kiss down her neck, across her collar bone and down to her breasts. She moaned in pleasure as he started to suck on one of her nipples. After he’d finished with that nipple he moved on to the other. Clarice manoeuvred round so she was on top and crawled down his body taking him in her mouth. She sucked gently for a short while then ran her tongue round the erection. He pulled her back up so they were face to face and he gently pushed his fingers inside her. She closed her eyes and made a small whimpering sound. He bent his head down so his mouth was by her ear. "Clarice this is your chance to stop this…I wont hold it against you if you say you want this to end" he whispered. "Not in a thousand years" she said, he couldn’t keep the smile from surfacing on his face. "That’s my girl" he whispered. He pulled her legs apart and gently entered her giving her time to adjust. He started to rock against her slowly but the momentum built up and they sped up thrusting harder and harder, quicker and quicker. Clarice grabbed hold of as much of the bedding possible as her orgasm ripped through her, her orgasm bringing on his. They lay there entwined together breathing heavily for a short while. They moved round slightly so he was lying flat on his back and her head was resting on his chest.
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After about twenty minutes Hannibal broke the silence. "What are you going to now Clarice?" he asked. "Go to sleep" she replied sleepily. "I mean about the rest of your life my dear" he said, amusement creeping into his voice, "I doubt the FBI are going to be happy with you sleeping with a wanted criminal then not arresting him". "That’s an understatement" she muttered, nuzzling him slightly, "they don’t like me anyway". "So are you going to go home and act like this never happened?" he asked. She propped herself up on her elbows so she could face him, "I don’t know, my brain doesn’t function very well at one in the morning".
There was a short silence, "what do you think I should do Doctor Lecter?" she asked. He started to laugh, "Clarice my dear you’ve just slept with me, Doctor Lecter sounds entirely inappropriate". She smiled at him, "what do you think I should do Hannibal?". "I think it’s up to you…but I know what I’d like you to do" he replied. "What’s that?" she asked, she was determined he was going to ask her not her suggest it to him. "Come with me Clarice, forget about America and come with me…we could have a lot of fun" he said suggestively.
She looked down at the bed, mulling over his offer. "yes, but on one condition" she said playfully. "What would that be?" he asked raising his eyebrow at her childish grin. "Its about cannibalism" she said. "Go on, what?" he asked. She took a deep intake of breath, "if you love me you’ll stop". He smiled, "My dear Clarice you only had to say the words…but I remember you telling me you’d never say them in a thousand years, its not even been a thousand days yet". "Things change" she said calmly just before he pressed his lips against hers for another kiss.
THE END
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