Please review! So, I read along with this as I posted, and I wanted to add a few things. The last chapter was the add-in that I felt this story could use, and this has been edited to continue that.

Five Years Later

Hannibal stood in front of the Juliet balcony overlooking the main road that drove by their estate. It was still relatively early, most citizens around probably just waking up to the sounds of the singing birds flying from tree to tree.

Clarice was no exception.

Like clockwork, she roused herself out of bed and into his office when the coffee had been sitting long enough for the aroma to waft down the hallway and up the stairs to their master suite where he had left her to rest. He didn't need to turn to know what she looked like just rolling out of bed, but he turned anyway to the view that never tired him. It was one of the moments when it was just the two of them in a safe space. No aliases or clever disguises.

Her auburn hair was still long, slightly tousled from having just awoken. Her blue eyes sparkled, but clearly showed that she hadn't been up long. She wore a long, blush colored silk nightgown with matching robe. It was modest and classy with the white lace along the hem and neckline, but it gave him easy access and gave her physical reactions away to him whether they were fighting or warming up to strip down to nothing but bare flesh.

He was glad she had taken a liking to them.

Padding along the floor in her slippers with the bunny ears, she reached for the second cup of coffee he had poured before leaning into his side and kissing him. "Good morning. You got up earlier than usual today." She pointed out before sipping from her mug.

"My excitement wouldn't allow me to go back to sleep once I woke." Hannibal smiled lightly before looking back out the window. "Our little bird is flying home."

Clarice hummed in agreement. "She and Joe won't land for another few hours. I hope you don't plan to stand and wait by the window until they arrive." She nursed her coffee again, glancing around the room. "Don't start questioning our safety."

"It's a force of habit." Hannibal shook his head, walking away from the window. "There is still a considerable bounty on my capture, and yours as well, my lamb."

"Yes, but Bella and Joe aren't going to give you up for money, or anything for that matter." Clarice watched as Hannibal sat down on the leather sofa she usually lounged on when she read and Hannibal played one of the various instruments he had taken up. "You know Bella would do anything to protect us, and Joe has committed murder to protect her, even with you. She may be his wife now, but she's still our daughter, Hannibal. You have a family now. It's us against everyone else."

Hannibal smiled and reached out his hand, wrapping his arms around Clarice when she lowered down to sit across his lap. "It's not them I'm worried about. It's who could be following them."

"And, you've taught both of them how to watch their backs." Clarice reminded him. "We both have. Believe in your daughter's abilities. She's as wanted as the two of us."

Hannibal chuckled. "You say that with pride."

Clarice smirked. "I wasn't wanted by the FBI until I left. I ultimately accomplished my goal of being a known agent in the FBI, and I'm known for being who I am. Honest, respectful, one for rightful justice. I may be seen as a little crazy, but the rules are changing."

Hannibal smiled and downed the rest of his coffee, setting the mug aside. "Meanwhile, you're sitting with me - a convicted man-eating serial killer. Tell me, Clarice, what is my rightful justice?"

"Well," she turned in his lap, straddling his thighs with a sly grin, "I'm a little biased when it comes to you." She moaned softly lowering herself fully onto his lap, her lips meeting his.

Hannibal smiled into the kiss, his hands moving from the couch cushions beneath him to her thighs. The material of her gown was thin enough to allow him the knowledge of the goosebumps laying just underneath. Taking the material up as his hands carried forward to her hips, he allowed his thumbs to slide inward. The groan that erupted from his chest couldn't be contained when he felt nothing but bare flesh at her hips. "I'd still like to know my penance, Clarice." He whispered before feeling her lower his bottoms enough to free his erection. He guided her body onto him, taking in the wanton expression on his wife's face as her body accepted his intrusion. It was always a beautiful look that he took great pride in.

"Life." Clarice half moaned half purred as she rested her forehead against his and kissed along his jaw back towards his ear. "Life sentence."

"And, what is your protection, my dear? Glass cages? Masks? Zipper suits?" Hannibal taunted as she began moving her hips against his slowly.

Clarice exhaled sharply through a smile. "I would never allow anyone to take away the use of your hands. I happen to like what they can do." She kissed him again, bitting his bottom lip playfully and pulling back. "No, I wouldn't be afraid of you. Never have been. My protection from you. . .it isn't needed. You are my protection from you." She thrust her hips down on his a little harder and grinned when his jaw dropped the slightest in surprise. "But, we can use cuffs occasionally if you want to."

Hannibal smirked before pulling her hips down against his, causing her to grab both his shoulders. "My lamb, if your body is my prison, I will gladly sleep and eat three times a day. I would like to negotiate the one hour of physical activity rule though.

"She's here!" Clarice called out towards the kitchen as she headed for the front door.

Hannibal quickly moved to the doorway to peer out at the large expanse of their foyer. "But, dinner isn't done. I thought they weren't coming for another hour."

"Should I send our daughter away then so you can finish making diner?" Clarice asked with a smirk, knowing Hannibal's answer before the question fully left her lips. She didn't even pause her footsteps towards the front door.

"That's preposterous. I'll just refocus my attention on the appetizers." Hannibal declared before leaving to join Clarice by the front door. "How does she look?"

Clarice grinned as she opened the front door to see Joe and Bella climbing out of their car parked by their water fountain sitting in the center of their round-a-bout driveway. She peered back at Hannibal, seeing the slight acceleration in his step. It was rare to see her husband so impatient about his excitement. "She looks happy." Her eyes moved back outside, and she grinned when Bella met her eyes with bright ones of her own. "It looks like Europe treated you well."

Bella smiled as she and Joe walked up the front stairs. "We only had to flee in the middle of the night once." She dropped her bag onto the ground before wrapping her arms around Clarice tightly. "Hi Mommy."

"Hey baby." Clarice hummed, kissing her head and holding her tightly. She was glad that her daughter's favorite greeting after a rough day was now just her greeting. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. The next vacation we take is going to be much shorter." Bella stated before pulling away to allow Joe an embrace from her mother. She turned to Hannibal, grinning when his arms opened up to her. It was all she needed to throw her arms around Hannibal shoulders in a hug. "Hi Daddy."

Hannibal kissed the crown of her head, cupping the back of her head gently like one would a newborn baby. "Hello, my little bird. Welcome home." He gently ran his other hand up and down her back, feeling for any new wounds or scars. There was still only the one from Will Graham much to his relief. "I have dinner going. Would you like to help me finish up?"

"I would love to." Bella chuckled into his chest before walking with him inside, his arm still securely around her.

Bella wiped at the edges of her mouth, gazing at her complexion in the mirror, when a knock on the bathroom door startled her. "Bella, it's me. Can you open the door, please?" It was Clarice. Glancing back at herself again, she tossed the hand towel back down on the counter and opened the door to smile at her mother. "What's up?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Clarice smirked, her eyebrow cocking as she leaned against the doorframe. "I knew from the moment you got out of the car, Bella. You can hide the nausea, you can claim a padded bra, but you can't hide that glow. How far along are you?"

"Eleven weeks yesterday." Bella relented with a breath before leaning back against the counter with a smile. "Does Dad know?"

Clarice shook her head before entering her daughter's bathroom herself and closing the door. "He's been so nervous about making your homecoming perfect and having you back safe and sound. I think he'll notice something is different in the morning, but, if you want to surprise him, tonight is the night to do it."

Bella sighed. "I wanted to wait until Christmas, but Dad is too observant. That's part of the reason Joe and I decided to come home earlier. The past two weeks, every single thing has been making me sick, except for fruit. Just walking down the street made my stomach turn. I don't know how I'm going to make it through dinner without him wondering what's wrong."

Clarice bit her lip, debating whether or not she should even say the words. It was too similar to her own pregnancy, and she didn't want Bella to spend the next few weeks without energy. "When I was pregnant with you, I felt the same way."

"How did you deal with it?" Bella asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I couldn't," Clarice whispered, "the only thing that didn't make me sick was standing over a bleeding body at a crime scene. A couple organs missing from a victim would've raised some questions."

Bella's eyes widened. "Human?" She ran a hand down her stomach protectively. Her body was running on watermelon at this point, and she knew if she didn't get something else in her system it could affect the baby's development and her own system. She bit her own lip as she looked back at Clarice. "I gotta tell Dad."

Hannibal set down the last of the plates before walking back into the kitchen. His steps paused though when she saw Joe and Bella standing by the counter with a box wrapped in white wrapping paper. Clarice sat at their kitchen island with the stool next to her pulled out for him. "What is this?"

Bella gestured for him to sit and waited until he did so before setting down the box in front of him. "Joe and I got you a little something, and we couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to you." She kissed Hannibal's cheek. "I hope you like it."

"I cherish anything you give me, Bellona." Hannibal smiled before delicately tearing away the wrapping paper. He frowned slightly when he turned the box over to see a set of teacups - white with gold around the edges. Four of them were hand painted with their names - Hannibal, Clarice, Bellona, and Joe. The rest were bare though. "Teacups? Do you think I'm running out of ones to shatter?"

Bella chuckled and shook her head, taking ones of his hands into hers. "These aren't meant to shatter." She opened the box and carefully pulled out one of the bare ones. "I want you to paint them when the time comes. Do you think you could paint a name on here in seven or eight months?"

Hannibal stared at the cup. "What's in-" His eyes widened the slightest before he looked up to Bella's matching eyes. "Are you pregnant?"

"Yes." Bella nodded with a smile.

"I'm going to be a grandfather?" Hannibal questioned, glancing between Joe and Bella.

Bella giggled and nodded again. "Yes, Dad. You will be a grandpa." She laughed when he set the teacup down and stood to hug her tightly. Her arms wound around him before she spoke into his chest. "Are you happy?"

Hannibal nodded and kissed her head. "Very happy." He kept his arm around her, but pulled back to rest his hand on her stomach. "The teacup is bigger than my grandchild." He looked over at Clarice, seeing her grin with tears in her eyes. "You knew, didn't you?"

"I could see it right when they got here." Clarice laughed before wiping at her eyes. She stood and kissed his cheek. "Her pregnancy is following mine closely."

Hannibal caught the meaning right away. "How closely?"

"I've only been eating fruit for thirteen days." Bella breathed. "I'm willing to try anything if it means not getting sick."

Hannibal rolled up his sleeves. "I know just what to make."

Bella stared down at the plate, the rest of her family staring at her expectantly with their own plates full of their meals. Hannibal cleared his throat. "I used your favorite meal seasonings to compliment the meat. Everything on that plate will help you and the baby."

"Are you okay, baby?" Joe asked, glancing between her and the plate.

"My mouth is watering, which is a first." Bella whispered. "Every aroma has been making me sick. So far, so good." She lifted her knife and fork and sliced into the cut of liver Hannibal had pulled out of the freezer. It went through like butter and sent another wave of aromas to flood her nose. The scent rose as quickly as her fork before the meat was between her teeth.

When her eyes closed with a swallow, the rest of them relaxed at the table. Clarice reached over and laid a hand on her daughter's back. "How was that?"

Bella slid her fork into another piece. "Delicious."

Clarice walked onto the back patio, finding Hannibal on the bench swing they had rarely used since arriving to Buenos Aires. He sat, his feet pushing the swing back and forth, while staring up at the night sky where the full moon lit up the night. Slowly approaching him, she sat down on the swing and lifted up her legs, allowing him to choose how slow or fast the swing went. "How are you doing, grandpa?"

Hannibal hummed through a smile. "Didn't think I'd ever be a grandpa, grandma."

"My God, we sound old." Clarice laughed. Hannibal's arm wrapped around her and pulled her back to his chest as he continued to rock the swing with his feet. "What are you doing out here?"

Hannibal tangled his fingers with hers. "Well, for one, trying to figure out where to put a playground." He smiled when Clarice chuckled again, the vibrations of the noise hitting his ribs. "I just wanted to take it all in. I never thought I'd have the chance to watch my own blood grow. Although your memorabilia of her childhood has created lots of fantastic imaginations for me, I don't have my own memories with her growing up. I never imagined showing up at your back door, after the FBI started coming to raid our dinner, in my wounded state would lead me to this moment in time. When you bandaged my hand and led me to your room, I considered myself lucky just to be with you, for you to choose me." He shrugged before kissing her head. "I guess I'm still in disbelief that I'll get that chance, the chance to watch our blood grow, with our grandchild."

Clarice kissed the back of his hand that was holding hers. "You deserve that chance, Hannibal."

"I, for one, think you'll be an amazing grandfather."

Hannibal and Clarice looked over and smiled seeing Bella emerge from inside the house. Clarice spoke first. "What are you doing up? I thought you and Joe had gone to bed."

Bella welcomed Hannibal's arm and curled up in his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. "Joe went up. I just wasn't tired yet." She smiled feeling Hannibal's thumb gently rub over her shirt where her baby lay just underneath. "I figured you guys would be on your terrace."

"We were just discussing the idea of us being grandparents, enjoying the silence of the night." Hannibal stated, kissing Clarice gently when she caught his meaning. "We both agree that we feel too young to be called grandpa and grandma though."

"Well, you have a little bit of time to get used to it." Bella laughed. "Our family is just going to get a little bigger. Just one more teacup."

Hannibal grinned. "I love all my teacups, existing and non-existing." He kissed Clarice's head before looking down at Bella's stomach. "Welcome to the Lecter family, little teacup."

Please review! And, that's the end of my first Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal story. I hope you guys liked it. I might do some more stories in the future, shorter ones that revolve just around Hannibal and Clarice, but we will see how you guys like this first. :)