The Eyes of a Lamb

Possession

Clarice walked slowly down the edge of the creek, the wet stones beneath her feet as she held tightly on to a FBI agent as they helped her down where Jack Crawford and Will Graham stood, the bleached white body of a girl laying naked along the rocks as the stream washed against her.

The air was cool this morning, the summer rain going fast to welcome in a chilled breeze to the cloudy steadied herself and thanked the agent, who slowly backed out to the top of the bridge where the rest of the team waited, taking pictures and pulling what evidence was left after the summer rain. Clarice could see Will standing there, his eyes focused on the girl, but Clarice could tell he wasn't with them.

Slowly she walked up, nodding to Jack until she stood beside Will, her gaze focused on what he was looking at. The girl was spread eagle against the rocks, her skin as white as snow, while her eyes had a halo of white around the dark color. A leather collar was clasped around her neck and Clarice could see rope burns around the wrists and ankles. Seven stab wounds were placed around the belly and chest as far as Clarice could tell, and the girl had been mutilated severely in the lower torso.

"What do you see?" Clarice said finally.

"Something I wish I hadn't" Will said quietly "He did this to show off, pure pride in what he could do to someone."

Clarice bent lower and took a good look at the stab wounds, her stomach trying to hold it together in front of her companion. The exit wounds were different on each intrusion, which could mean only one thing.

"Will" Clarice said "Some of these wounds are old."

"What?" Will said bending to take a closer look.

"See?" Clarice pointed to a wound that had crusted old blood around the entrance "This is at least a day or two older than the rest. And even the ones near the chest are at least three days old. He wanted her to suffer."

"He took his time" Will said "He enjoyed it."

"That could be what he used the collar on her for" Clarice said getting up "He could have kept her somewhere, did this to her, and then finished it here at the scene. The water would have swept away any evidence of him."

"It also kept her clean" Will said looking around "You almost see no blood around her body."

"A symbol of purity" Clarice said "Sacrifice even."

"I wouldn't go that far" Will said "But he did want her to be something."

"What about the collar?" Clarice said "Obviously it's a sign of possession."

"But not the kind we are thinking of" Will said shaking his head "They want us to see what they posses, what drives them to do these things."

"And what drove them to her" Clarice said stepping back to Will.

Will nodded his head, liking the way Clarice kept his head clear. He was on the verge of breaking lately, time being lost at a substantial rate, but have Clarice here, hearing her solid voice no matter what he imagine the killer was thinking, kept him grounded in a comforting way.

"Who was she?" Clarice said turning to Jack.

"Victim's name is Mary Furoq" Jack said "She's a student and was reported missing exactly one week ago."

"Did she have a boyfriend?" Clarice said looking her up and down.

Jack seemed a bit confused along with Will who stared at her questioningly.

"Her room mate didn't mention one" Jack said "Why do you ask?"

"Because she did something to upset someone" Clarice said "The killer basically ripped out her reproductive organs for the world to see. It's a message, or at least it was. What else did her room mate say?"

"Mary was in the top of her class" Jack said "She didn't sleep around, worked a solid job, she even did some charity work on the side."

"A saint" Will said quietly.

"A saint that was punished" Clarice said "But for what?"

"What are you thinking Clarice?" Will asked.

"I think" Clarice said turning to Will "We need to find out what Mary Furoq was hiding."

Will helped Clarice up the creek bank, their hands intertwined with one another as they steadied themselves against the incline. Jack Crawford still stood down below, talking and telling orders to other agents as they began collecting Mary's body.

"How have you been?" Will said following Clarice over to where her car was parked "I haven't talked to you since the benefit the other day."

"I've been alright" Clarice said smiling at him.

"No more nightmares I guess?" Will asked giving her a strained smile.

"Not as many as I had" Clarice admitted "But there's always that darkness that likes to creep in at the right moment. I guess I'll never really get over it, I just need to learn to deal with it."

"Your a lot braver than I am" Will said softly.

"You are brave" Clarice said nudging him "Just in your own way. It takes a lot to empathize with killers on a daily basis. But you save lives Will, you saved my life."

"I didn't" Will said "Lecter was the one that got you out of the pit."

"But you led him to it" Clarice said wrapping her arm around him "You two make quite the team."

"So do we" Will said letting his own arm slip around her "Your probably one of the few people I consider my friend."

"And I'll always be your friend" Clarice said "No matter what."

Will smiled when suddenly a headache came on, a horrible, eye thumping headache that made his knees buckle below him.

"WILL!" Clarice screamed as she caught him, his dead weight plastering her to the ground. Will couldn't hear much, just the darkness closing in around him as Clarice screamed for help.

Clarice watched Will slip away from her as his body convulsed, her arms desperately trying not to hold him still in case it was a seizure. Her screams for help finally got the attention of the other agents as someone called for 911. Clarice couldn't think straight, her mind going a million miles an hour as solutions to what was causing Will's illness.

The ambulance came a little too late for Clarice as she tried to climb in the back with him, but the paramedics ushered her away as Jack Crawford climbed in, assuring her he would call to let her know what was going on as the EMT's blasted away, the sirens blaring deftly to Clarice as she stood in shock.

Clarice felt her hand reach into her pocket and dial a number, but until she heard his voice did Clarice really register who she called.

"Hannibal Lecter" he said over the phone smoothly.

"Hannibal" Clarice said choked up "It's Clarice. Will's in trouble."

"I'll be right there" he said quietly and hung up the phone, leaving Clarice alone and panicked, so she did the only thing she knew how to do at the moment.

She followed Will.