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"You're pushing yourself." Clarice sighed, trying to help Bella as she crept her body around so her pillow was at the foot of the bed.

"I'm bored." Bella groaned before relaxing back onto her pillow. "At least now I can watch the TV."

Hannibal smiled as he pulled on his jacket. "That move is probably going to knock you out for an hour or two. Your body needs to rest, Bella." He kissed Clarice's cheek. "I'm going to take the rental car back, tell the dealer we're headed to Europe if they ask."

Clarice turned and pecked his lips before he walked away. "When should we expect you back?"

"Not until late, probably around the time Bella gets her next dose of pain medication." Hannibal estimated. "Once I get back, we can take Bella's stitches out. Your burner phone is charging on the nightstand. I will call you when I am on my way back. If you don't hear back from me, you two are to get on the boat tomorrow and get off in Cuba. Follow the plan."

"We're not leaving without you." Clarice stated.

"I will find a way to meet you in Cuba if I can't get back." Hannibal reassured her.

Clarice shook her head still. "Hannibal, we are not splitting up. If you get caught, if something happens, you let us know, and we will figure something else out. You've waited for me for twenty-five years. Bella and I can wait for you."

Bella raised up her arm from the elbow down. "I agree with Mom on this. They may be looking for all three of us, but they aren't going to think to look for us on a cruise ship. Your MO is flights."

"This isn't about what we want. If the situation calls for us to split, we need to in order to reach our goal." Hannibal retorted, but even as the words left his mouth he felt his argument slipping. It wasn't what he wanted either, and a sigh fell through his lips before he could stop it. "I will be back tonight. Bella, you need to drink plenty of fluids and sleep. Tomorrow morning is going to put a lot of strain on you."

Bella yawned against her pillow, her eyes beginning to drift shut even as she fought it. "I've been through worse. Just hurry back."

Hannibal smiled seeing her heavy eyes close to rest before he leaned down and kissed her head. He turned to Clarice, kissing her once more. "Do you need anything while I'm out? We packed sparingly in our hasty departure."

Clarice glanced back at her bags before seeing the envelope with their IDs inside. "How about wedding rings?" She looked back at Hannibal. "We don't have the marriage certificate or Bella's new birth records, but we can at least have wedding rings."

"I will make the proper arrangements to get all of them." Hannibal flashed a grin before leaving the small motel room.

Delia and the team sat around the conference room table, waiting for the DNA results on everything collected at the hotel and from the van. Union Station was gathering their tape information and sending it over with a courier in the morning. She knew it would be too late if they weren't already. Dr. Lecter was a creature who avoided risk. Staying longer than needed was only tempting fate, but she knew Bella's injuries would limit quick routes of escape if he really cared about her health. As much as she hated to admit it, the video showed how much he cared for Clarice and Bella. Every psychiatrist around the country would be calling in as soon as they discovered Hannibal the Cannibal was capable of having a child and came back to bring his family with him.

Every agent was silent, even when the phone started ringing. No one dared to reach for the device. The results of the tests were already known, but the scientific evidence to prove it would make it real.

So, it was with shaking fingers that Delia answered the phone and put it on speaker. "This is Agent Mapp."

"We have the results back for the Starling-Lecter case." One of the technicians sighed, her voice already conveying everyone's worst fear. "The clothes in the van were that of Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Starling, and Bellona Starling. On Dr. Lecter's and Agent Starling's clothes, there were large blood stains consisting of Will Graham's blood and Paul Krendler's. Ms. Starling's clothes had trace amounts of Mr. Graham's, but mostly consisted of her own blood." Papers were shuffled on the other end, and every agent knew it was more to delay the inevitable than to actually try to remember what the results said. "In the case of Dr. Lecter being Ms. Starling's father, I'm afraid those tests concluded that he is her father. Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent. There's no question he's her father."

Delia ran a hand down her face. "And, the evidence collected from Agent Starling's house?" There was silence. "Were they sleeping together again?"

The technician's voice became smaller if it were even possible. "I'm afraid that tests done on the sheets proved that to be true as well. We can't determine how old the body fluids are, but they are both present."

"Thank you. I'll look for the report when it arrives." Delia stated before ending the call. She looked at the pale faces of the agents around her. "This is what we all assumed. Let's keep our heads on and focus on finding them. Tapes from Union are coming. Has anybody talked to Bella's friend, the one whose parents were murdered by Graham?"

One of the agents signaled a chance to speak by wagging his pencil. "We talked to her about her witnessing her parents' deaths, but we haven't questioned her about Agent Starling or Ms. Starling's behavior in the past that would seem concerning."

Delia nodded. "Let's get her and the boyfriend in bright and early tomorrow."

Hannibal dropped the keys into the dealer's outstretched hand with a smile. "I thank you for your service."

"Thank you for choosing us." The man was overly enthusiastic about his job, too eager to be at a rent-a-car counter. "I hope it worked out for you."

With a slight nod, Hannibal turned and left. The dealership was nearly sixty miles from the motel, and he would stick out like a sore thumb trying to catch a ride on the highway like a hitchhiker. In this day in age, the cops would probably be called on him for walking alongside the busy road. His attention moved to the chain grocery store across the street.

One woman, struggling to pay attention to each child of her litter, was balancing her purse on her arm, a young tot, and a list that consisted of multiple pages of legal pad paper. With a slight twitch of her finger, the lights of her soccer mom mini van flashed to signal it locked. The opportunity surged Hannibal forward.

Clarice sat on the armchair next to Bella on the bed, stroking her hair away from her face. With her body focusing its energy on healing, she'd been in and out of consciousness all afternoon. Despite her desire to talk with Bella after their near deaths by the hands of Will, she was pleased that her daughter sleeping meant she was healing. She'd even escaped to the small gas station across the street to grab whatever fruit she could find, knowing the vitamins would help her heal faster.

When her phone rang, she answered it before the first ring could end, wanting Bella to remain undisturbed. "Hello hubby, I'm assuming you are on your way back. Looks like you'll be back before dinner."

"It appears that way, wife of mine." Hannibal nearly purred into the phone. "Once I ditch the car and return, I was thinking of making dinner. The manager said there was a kitchenette by her office, yes?"

Clarice quirked an eyebrow. "She did. I'm assuming we'll be dining over Paul Krendler for the last time. I'd say pity, but I'm rather looking forward to being done with him."

"I as well, my dear." Hannibal stated before pulling onto the highway. "I'll pick up the rest of the ingredients needed, along with something to make for Bella. I'm sure her system is in need of some nourishment."

Her eyes glanced over to the cooler with Paul's organs inside, sitting on fresh ice. "I've been feeding her fruit whenever she's awake. I'm sure whatever you make is something she will love. When did you want to take her stitches out?"

Hannibal switched on his cruise control, seven miles above the speed limit. With the flow of traffic, camouflaged. "After she falls asleep for the night. I'll get the anesthetic running through her system and then take out the ones on her head and her back. I'm sure she will be itching to take a shower tomorrow as soon as she wakes." He glanced to the time of the radio. "In twenty-four hours, you will be an international fugitive. Any fear settling in, my lamb?"

"Only excitement." Clarice grinned. "I'm ready, Hannibal."

Getting access to the kitchenette was an easy task before Clarice walked inside with the small cooler in hand. During a few moments of alertness, she had told Bella that Hannibal would arrive shortly to make dinner for them all. With the promise of food, Bella's protesting stomach silenced as she fell asleep again. Now, she was staring at a small gathering room that was most likely reserved for family gatherings. A couple couches, TV, and ping pong table were on the other side of the room from the small space dedicated to being a kitchen.

Discovering a few clean pans and washcloths, Clarice began wiping down the countertops when Hannibal walked inside with a couple plastic grocery bags. He grinned at her, kissing her without watching where he set down the bags. "Welcome back." She whispered when he pulled only an inch away.

"What a way to be welcomed back." Hannibal nodded before kissing her again. His warmth did pull away after a moment to survey their work space. "I guess this will do for one meal. Although, I served Paul on my finest of China the last time we had him for dinner."

"I remember." Clarice smirked. She started digging through the bags, pulling out what he brought. "Chicken wings?"

Hannibal rolled up his sleeves, reaching for the cooler. "For Bella. The seasoning for the liver will pair nicely with the wings as well."

Clarice chuckled softly as she began organizing. "I never pictured you slaving over chicken wings."

"When you first met me, my dear," Hannibal began before his lips skimmed her ears. His hands did the same to her sides, barely touching but causing a ripple of goosebumps along her arms. "I bet you didn't picture me over lots of things, including you."

Clarice grinned, biting her lip. "Doctor, you are being uncharacteristically forward this evening. But, I can assure you of one thing," she turned in his arms, causing his pelvis to pin hers against the countertop, "my thoughts of you have been tainted since that meeting in the basement." Once the words left her lips, she found herself hoisted onto the counter and to the mercy of his mouth.

"Okay, bags are packed." Clarice stated after doing another sweep of the hotel room. She looked back at Hannibal helping a freshly showered and stitch-free Bella into her wheelchair, happy to see that Bella wasn't cringing with every move she made. "Passports, cash, cruise information, medications. I think we are set to go."

Bella frowned as she glanced around the room herself. "What about the cooler?"

"We don't need it anymore." Hannibal stated calmly before backing out of the room with her, tilting the wheelchair back slightly. "We've all had our taste of Krendler now. Our taxi is waiting rather patiently, so I suggest we leave."

"Aren't we going to be there early?" Bella asked as Clarice closed their door and walked ahead to the cab.

Hannibal rolled Bella alongside the car before Clarice helped her inside. "We are scheduled to be one of the first ones to board because of the room we booked. I'd rather get on the ship before it is crawling with tourists anyway." He walked around to the other side of the car, folding the wheelchair into the trunk, and slid inside as Clarice did the same. He leaned forward to the driver. "Port Canaveral, please."

"I've gone over this a million times." Winnie sniffed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "Bella and I ran out. Clarice was already on her way. I guess she suspected Graham, and Bella had told her over the phone that he was at the house. By the time everything happened, Clarice was there. She brought us straight here." She looked down at the pictures: a mug shot of Hannibal Lecter and a FBI ID photo of Clarice. "Until a couple weeks ago, Bella didn't know who her dad was."

Delia's eyes narrowed. "A couple weeks ago? How do you know that?"

Winnie sighed, leaning her head heavily against her raised fist propped on the table. "Bella called me and told me she needed to get out of the house. When I pulled up, she stormed out of the house with Clarice yelling after her, but Bella told me to drive. So, I did." Wiping her eyes again, she remembered the night, realizing how much she hadn't picked up on. "We got booze, but Bella was livid. She drank the whole bottle. We ended up at the park down the street from her house, and she started ranting about how the Beer Can Killer should come kill her before her daddy did. It was. . .scary."

"Did you ask her about it later?" Delia asked.

"Of course. We went shopping a few days later, and I asked her what she was talking about." Winnie explained. "But, she was back to her composed self. She was vague about it, back to 'I don't know who he is'. All she said was that he probably killed people." She shook her head. "That was my favorite part about her. How composed she could be. Chet Krendler could threaten to rape her, and she kept a calm exterior even if she was freaking out inside, not that I blame her."

Delia's eyes widened. "What do you mean Chet Krendler threatened to rape her?"

Winnie's eyes widened. "Uh, he basically told her that she'd have sex with him whether she wanted to or not. He's been saying it for years. Once we got into high school and he made friends on the football team, he and his buddies would create ambushes in the hallways just to wrap his arm around her." She scoffed. "Bella was getting scared. He was really coming after her lately. Thank God Joe showed up at Bella's ballet performance though."

"Why?" Delia questioned, her eyebrow raising in curiosity.

"One of the guys on the football team told me Chet was planning on taking Bella that night after the performance. I guess Chet saw Joe and decided not to go through with it." Winnie sighed. She looked down at the photos again. "So, I'm kind of glad he's dead."

Winnie was led towards the elevators when one opened to reveal Joe standing with two other agents. "Joe!"

"Winnie!" Joe gasped before rushing out and hugging her. "Oh my God, I've been meaning to call you. I heard about what happened." He looked back at the agents around them. "Can I have a moment to talk to her alone?"

Delia bit the inside of her cheek with a frown before nodding. "Make it quick." She motioned for the agents to move back and watched as the two walked down the hallway to have a little more privacy.

"I was so sad when I heard about your parents. That must've been awful." Joe breathed. "I've been so busy just trying to wrap my head around Bella. I'm sorry."

Winnie shook her head with a small smile and tears in her eyes. "Don't be. I understand. I've been trying to adjust myself." She rubbed his arm. "So, you heard that Hannibal Lecter is her father, that she and Clarice ran away with him."

Joe nodded. "Yes, it's insane. I can't believe she would do that."

"She's safe, Joe." Winnie whispered. She glanced around. "I met him after Bella saved me from Will. He adores her. I don't understand the situation myself, and I'm not going to try to. He makes Bella happy, and that's all I'm worried about."

Joe pursed his lips together, shaking his head. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Winnie saw the pain on his face and rested her hands on his shoulders. "She was probably afraid of losing you." She shrugged. "As much as she tried to get over you, she couldn't. Joe, she loves you, and I mean she fucking loves you. If she didn't tell you, it was because she was afraid of how you would react." Her eyes cast down to the floor. "I don't know how, but I think she'll try to reach out to us. I'm not sure how though."

Joe smiled softly. "She'll find a way."

Hannibal waved to the cab driver as he drove away, leaving them at port with their things. He turned back to Clarice. "We board in twenty minutes, and then we're gone forever. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"I hear you can wrestle gators around here." Bella piped up with a smirk, chuckling when Hannibal tilted her back again so she could meet his eyes.

Clarice smiled. "I think I'd like to make that phone call."

"The scrambler is already installed onto your burner phone. Once you hang up, it will be like the phone call was never made." Hannibal stated before jutting his chin towards her. "Set the record straight, my dear." He smiled as Clarice turned, pressing the phone to her ear, before returning his attention to his daughter. "Now, you, my little bird, have a very important decision to make. We are about to board a ship with unlimited food options, and you need to decide what you want for dinner."

Clarice sat down on a bench nearby, keeping her eyes on Hannibal as he twirled the wheelchair around to entertain their daughter. She smiled before the other end of the line picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Delia."

Silence hung on the line for a moment, and Clarice could hear the buzz of the office in the background waiting for Delia's next words. "Clarice. . .should I even bother tracing this phone call?"

"You can if you want. You won't find us." Clarice stated plainly.

Delia sighed. "So, what? Did you call to rub it in? Or, did you want to clear your conscience before the father of your child decides to serve you alongside Krendler's organs with a bottle of Chianti?"

"I wanted to call, because I owe you an apology." Clarice replied. The buzz of the office was silent, and she could only assume that their phone call was on speaker for the rest of the agents to hear. "I lied to you about who Bella's father was, because I was trying to protect her. I made the choice to be with Hannibal, and vice versa. But, she didn't choose who her parents were. I just wanted her to have the chance to live a normal life. Little did I know that she felt like an outsider in her own life, much like myself." She bit her lip. "The night Hannibal served Paul, I realized that I could only ever be myself with him. The FBI wouldn't accept the truth, and they wanted to bury me if I couldn't spin it for them. So when he showed up at my house later that night, I gave into the feelings I'd been fighting for years."

"You betrayed the country you worked so hard to protect." Delia seethed.

Clarice closed her eyes. "The FBI betrayed me. I stand by the morals and virtues I always have. I haven't changed, Dee. I just fell in love with someone I was forbidden to fall in love with. And, I don't regret it. He makes me happy, and he makes Bella happy. She deserves that: to be happy. Spending her whole life with rumors of being the child of Krendler or Crawford to Hannibal and then to be terrorized by Chet at school everyday, she deserves so much more than Hannibal and I can do for her, especially after what Will did to her."

Delia swallowed hard. "How is she? I saw the footage."

"She's recovering." Clarice breathed. She chuckled watching Hannibal speak as if he were lecturing, most likely talking about the cities he's seen. "Hannibal has been taking good care of her. He removed her stitches last night. The bullet wound in her leg is taking longer, but Will didn't really take it easy on Bella after he shot her. Despite all her wounds, I've never seen her this happy. She's free. We all are."

"He still killed over two dozen people that we know of." Delia stated. "You can still turn him in. Things can go much easier for you if you just turn yourself in."

Clarice shook her head. "Hannibal and I left the camera there to show you there's no going back for me. You watched as I carved up Will's face. What he did to me, what he did to Bella, I won't regret doing that to him."

Delia huffed out a breath. "The face, the wings, the mask - I've seen it all in Dr. Lecter's file. Why did he slit Will's wrists, Clarice?"

"Bellona was the Roman Goddess of War and Bloodlust. You should look her up. Interesting stories. There's a myth that the priests who worshipped her would wound their own arms and legs to sacrifice their blood to her." Clarice stated calmly, reflecting on Hannibal's voice down in the basement when she first met him. "It's referred to as 'the day of blood', March 24th."

"You were stabbed on March 24th when you were pregnant with her." Delia breathed, remembering the case file opened in front of her.

Clarice smiled sadly. "Yes, and, when she survived, I knew it was right." She inhaled slowly, the air filling her lungs comfortingly. "I just wanted you to know that we are happy, and you don't have to worry about us." She stood from the bench and looked on at her little family. No cages or masks or guns being wielded their way. They were truly free. "Goodbye Delia."

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