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Hannibal sat shivering, his breath creating clouds of mist in front of his eyes. Despite the dangerously low temps and the unfamiliar surroundings, he remained still, back straight, with Mischa's hand grasping onto his. Her teeth chattered beside him, the once luscious coat on her shoulders now tattered beyond its means of keeping her warm. His was not far behind, the thick wool worn from his constant need to wear it.
The calm before the storm.
The hand holding his became much smaller, and, when he looked back to gaze at his innocent sister, she was no longer there. In her place, another young girl sat. Brown curls. Innocent face like Clarice's. Piercing eyes like his. In the hand not holding his, a stuffed, tattered bird shook in her tiny fingers. His little bird.
That's when the commotion started. The shouting coming closer as his little bird turned to him in fear, eyes wide. He tried to move, to lift her, protect her, but found himself strapped to the body cart with the mask over his face.
A door nearby opened and one of the men emerged, covered in blood. Behind him, Clarice's body lay lifeless on a table picked over. Her eyes were still open, looking towards him and Bella. The men around her toasting and drinking to their full bellies. The storm inside him brewed, but he could feel his little bird's hand slipping from his as the butcher grabbed her.
Hannibal's head snapped up from its resting position on the back of the couch. His heart thudded against his chest as he frantically looked around. It was still morning, maybe almost noon. Clarice's townhouse. The TV was barely audible at this point, turned down from his lengthy conversation with Bella before they both nodded off. And, his little bird lay curled up in his side. Her breathing even against his chest.
Alive. Well. Breathing. Safe.
He buried his nose into her hair, inhaling sharply. He hadn't had a nightmare about Mischa in years, and never one that transformed her into the other people he cared most about in his life. There wasn't much that got his heart rate up, but the thought of Clarice and Bella in the line of danger with no way for him to help was terrifying.
His body tensed hearing the front door open and close, tightening his arm around Bella. When Clarice came around the corner already shedding her work clothes, he relaxed to the welcome sight. She looked over at him after removing her jacket. "Hey," she whispered, smiling at him, "look at that. You're a natural."
"I think it was her initiation of quid pro quo that brought us here." Hannibal smirked before she sat down next to him, taking his arm in her hands and wrapping it over her shoulders. He held back his chuckle when she kicked up her feet on the coffee table next to his. "Comfortable?"
"Very." Clarice hummed, resting her head back against his shoulder. "How long has she been asleep?"
Hannibal glanced at the time in the corner of the television screen. "I'm not entirely sure. I just woke up myself."
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Hannibal frowned. He knew that he didn't have as many walls up around Clarice anymore, but he didn't think he had been that transparent. "How did you know?"
Clarice placed her hand over his chest, reminding him of his still slowing heart. "Your heart is racing." She gazed up at him. "Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I could help you figure out what it means."
Hannibal smiled before pecking her lips. "Later." He turned his attention to Bella when she stirred, sighing softly, before resettling against his side. He could still see the little girl with curls in his dream. "I don't think I can let her go, Clarice."
"I know. What are we going to do with her?" Clarice mused, brushing back a few stray hairs on Bella's cheek. "Not just about last night either. I'm still thinking about your proposal with her European college and our traveling. I want it."
Hannibal grazed his thumb along the side of her neck. "I'm not willing to leave without the two of you with me. Without you, leaving is not an option for me to choose." He leaned down and kissed both of their heads. "And, I can't stay here forever."
"We'll need to talk to her about this." Clarice whispered. "With her grades and the classes she's completed, she's eligible for graduation in December. She mentioned it to me when she was picking out her classes. Just two months away."
"We would need to discuss your departure as well." Hannibal breathed into her auburn locks. "You're still somewhat of a celebrity around here. Leaving the FBI would be newsworthy. With our history, I'm afraid a sudden departure of the country might raise some red flags."
Clarice huffed out a breath with a roll of her eyes. "I raise flags whether I'm an officer or not. Been that way since my first interview with you." She turned her head to kiss his hand, caressing the calloused skin with her own fingers. "Taking Bella over for a trip to tour colleges might be a little more believable. Once we're there, we could use aliases to fly from place to place. At least Bella and I could use our real identities where ever she chooses for school."
"And, that's if she agrees." Hannibal reminded her.
"Yes," Clarice nodded, "if she agrees."
Clarice laughed behind her hand as Hannibal attempted to find something in her kitchen to satisfy is palate. Nearly everything he had found was processed or off brands, not even close to his standard. When the noise of her laughter hit his ears, he turned to glare at her. Usually, he would find the sound pleasant and welcome, but when it was caused by his failing efforts it was unacceptable. "I'm surprised you two even function living off of this junk food."
"Hannibal, it's hardly junk food. We don't have the luxury of time and money to prepare five course dinners like you used to." Clarice explained before standing from her seat and joining him in the kitchen. "Look. A can of beef stew would be good with some bread-"
"I'd rather eat dog food." Hannibal growled seeing the contents of the can as Clarice opened it. "It looks like vomit, Clarice."
She rolled her eyes at him of course and dumped the soup into a pot on the stove. "Fine. You keep looking. Bella and I will enjoy this."
"You can't possibly find this appetizing." Hannibal exclaimed, putting a lid on the pot to keep the aromas at a minimum. "Compared to last night's feast of lamb, this will be no more than a cheap substitute, forcing the imagination to heighten the flavors that aren't there."
Bella groaned as she opened her eyes, finally waking up from her morning slumber. She sat up and peered at her parents over the back of the couch. "What are you blubbering about? I figured you'd be happy once Mom got home."
Clarice smirked, dropping onto her elbows on the counter. "I opened a can of beef stew, and I think he's had a stroke over it."
"Do you actually like this?" Hannibal asked, gazing over at Bella with wide eyes. He held up the now empty can with his fingertips.
Bella shrugged. "It's alright. If you dunk buttered bread into it, it's really good." She smiled when Hannibal shuddered and dropped the can into the trash. "How about you don't judge us for what we like to eat, and we won't judge you for what you like to eat?"
Hannibal continued to raid the kitchen. "So, I can tell you about the time I paired someone's liver with some fava beans."
Before he could continue the story he once told Clarice, he heard the teeth noise he had made when eating it. But, it wasn't his voice. He looked over his shoulder to see Bella smirking. She made the noise again before he looked to Clarice. She blushed slightly trying to ignore the noise. "I may have let her listen to our tapes too many times. And as in let, I caught her listening to the tapes without my permission too many times."
"You can't really blame me. I do have two parents who don't follow the rules. I was doomed from the start." Bella smirked before climbing over the couch and leaning on the island. She glanced over at the digit clock on the microwave. "Have you, uh, gotten the mail yet?"
Clarice was reminded of her conversation with Winnie the afternoon before because of Bella's quick departure from the school. "I haven't yet. Why?"
"I can go get it." Bella shrugged, fighting the urge to dash to the small mail box outside their door.
"You're eager. Does it have anything to do with your application to Columbia?" Clarice asked before biting into an apple sitting out on the counter. She eyed her daughter as she froze and slowly turned with bright red guilty cheeks. She shrugged her shoulders as if she had just asked Bella how her day was. "I'm kind of eager myself. Psychology major too, huh?"
Hannibal's nose flared seeing Clarice's eyes squint. Although his knowledge of the topic seemed to be as limited as hers, he could tell that Clarice had practiced his own methods over the years, apparently on their daughter. He could feel pride swell in his chest while arousal swirled low in his belly. Before he could linger on the latter, he returned to the task of finding something edible in their kitchen, keeping his ears attuned to the two women in his presence.
Bella took a shallow breath. "How did you find out about that? I only told. . .shit."
Clarice hummed as her eyebrows cocked at her daughter's realization. "Yes, Winnie isn't the best person to share secrets with I gather. She's been that way since you two were little. Yet, you still tell her the things you don't want to tell me."
"If I told you I was applying there, you would have flat out refused." Bella stated. "I mentioned psychology for a secondary degree one time, and it was like I was discussing the possibility of dating Chet Krendler. I figured if I was accepted it would be a little easier to tell you."
Clarice, despite understanding where Bella was coming from, was still furious. Bella didn't lie about it, but she hid it. That probably hurt more than it would've if Bella had just told her she wanted to go to New York after high school. But, the circumstances then were different now, and the distance that will drive her insane is something she'll have to deal with to keep Hannibal in their lives. "I get that I've been pushing the whole D.C. college on you, and that I wasn't overly thrilled with you considering psychology-"
"Why? We both have that degree." Hannibal piped in, glancing at her over his shoulder with a slight frown.
Clarice smirked. "Yes, and we're both considered insane."
"Hardly. Brilliantly insane would be better, but still. Hardly." Hannibal retorted before turning his attention back to the cupboards.
Bella sighed as she walked back over to the island where Clarice stood. "Look, I know that I should've talked to you about it instead of going behind your back. I just needed to do this without anybody telling me what I should and shouldn't do. You know that you're the last person I want to keep secrets from." She smiled when Clarice wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "Despite how well you keep secrets from me."
Clarice pulled back with a frown. "What have I kept from you?"
"I believe I would be considered exhibit A in this case, darling." Hannibal smirked before pulling down an empty bowl and taking a carton of eggs out of the fridge. "Why don't you tell her our proposal?"
Clarice bit her lip and played with Bella's hair. "What about not going to New York? What if I told you that you could go to college in Europe and learn ballet or whatever else you want to learn?"
Bella's eyes widened as she nervously glanced between Hannibal and Clarice. "What's in Europe?"
"I own a small number of properties in various countries, all under other names of course. I usually spend my winters traveling between them and spend summers in Argentina. I bought a rather large property there that will hopefully become a home for the three of us." Hannibal explained, careful not to insinuate that she should agree for his sake. He wanted this to be her decision, just like he gave Clarice the choice eighteen years ago. "You could go to school as Bellona Starling, and then travel under another name I could provide you with."
"What about Mom?" Bella asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Clarice slowly walked over to Hannibal with a small smile. He wrapped his arm around her waist when she spoke. "I'd be with your father."
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