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Bella glanced between the road and her mother. Since she woke up this morning, Clarice had a tension around her that Bella could only predict was caused by Hannibal. She had clearly been crying, but that emotion was now channeled into rage with her many faces. One second, she was turning red, gripping the steering wheel like it was somebody's neck. Next, she was smirking, nodding to herself. This level of rage she had only seen when her mother was dealing with the one and only Hannibal Lecter.

She hadn't dare spoken a word, but the school was coming up fast with the lead foot her mother seemed to have this morning. "Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Clarice stated with a little too much enthusiasm. She cleared her throat as if she had lost her voice for a second. "Sorry, I'm fine. Just excited to get to work this morning. Busy, busy day ahead of me."

Bella bit her lip. "You look like you're ready to murder someone. I'm assuming it's Hannibal."

Clarice bit her tongue. Her daughter was the only one she could vent to without stirring trouble, but she didn't want to be one of those parents who bad-mouthed the other parent to their kids. She had seen it happen too many times, and she knew Hannibal would never speak ill of her in any fashion, especially in front of Bella. "He and I just got into a little argument. It's no big deal. We'll work it out."

"Well, I know that. I just don't want to come home to find that you guys fight with teeth." Bella shuddered before furrowing her eyebrows. "How did you talk to him anyway? He wasn't at the house last night, was he?"

"No, he left me a phone for me to use so we could talk about the case. He left you those tapes so you could form your own thoughts without him replying to you immediately." Clarice explained. She knew he wanted Bella to think hard about this move. Even if she chose what they really wanted her to choose, she was still young and just met her father who she wanted to be with now that she knew him. Distance would allow for her to think through what she wanted out of life instead of what she wanted at the moment. That thought had scared both of them.

Bella's jaw dropped. "What? I want to talk to him. I didn't even get to say goodbye to him when he left." She crossed her arms over her chest and slouched back into her seat. "Barely know him and I miss him."

Clarice smiled and reached over, caressing her daughter's cheek. "I know. I miss him too. Look, for now, this is for the best. What he does always has a reason behind it." She glanced over, smirking when she noticed that Bella was pouting over not getting to talk to Hannibal. "You'll get to see him before you know it. I know he'll be at your performance Friday night. He wouldn't miss that for the world."

"He better not. It's my last one." Bella grumbled before Clarice pulled up to the school. She sighed looking out at all the teenagers she should be thriving among. High school was the time people always talked about when they got older. Right now, Bella wanted to forget this place. "I feel like I'm stepping into another world once I get out of this car. I really hate it."

"What do you hate about it?" Clarice asked softly, tucking Bella's hair behind her ear.

"My life in there is fake." Bella confessed with a shrug. She looked over and finally met Clarice's eyes. "I look at these kids that I've known most of my life, some of them are ones I should be hanging out with on the weekends or going to parties with. I feel trapped here, Mom."

Clarice leaned over and hugged Bella to her chest, kissing her temple. "I know the feeling well." She glanced towards the school, seeing more and more students file inside to start another day of classes. She quickly pulled away but cupped Bella's face in her hands. "I get that it's hard, and that it can be painful. Just a little while longer. I'll talk to your father and see what he thinks about you maybe talking to him over the phone. We still have some things to sort out."

"Without teeth, right?" Bella asked with raised eyebrows.

Clarice rolled her eyes. "If we fought like that, neither one of us would be standing." She grabbed Bella's bag from the backseat and handed it to her. "Now, get going before you're late. That's the last thing we need after nearly forcing your principal to give you early graduation."


Hannibal sat on the bed in his room, staring intently at the burner phone linking him to Clarice. He was rather shocked when she abruptly hung up on him, but he knew she also wouldn't put up with his yelling at her and shutting down when she shared such a large piece of history she had wanted to keep buried long ago. A piece of history that was probably more painful for her to remember than she would admit. And, what a piece of history it was.

One moment in a parking lot could've cost him two irreplaceable lives. He knew Clarice's job was dangerous, and he would never take that away from her. But, this wasn't the job. She was a pregnant woman in a parking lot shopping for her unborn child. She was just another civilian at that point. Meanwhile, he was across the world enjoying his freedom and most likely too immersed in trying to conceal himself to really pay attention to Clarice's movements at the time.

He had always kept watch over his lamb, but he wasn't even aware she had a child. If he had come back and the attacker's knife did what it was supposed to do, would Clarice have told him of the child they lost? Would she still want to be with him? The question circled his mind much like a dog chasing its tail. The attack could've left Clarice resenting him for having risked her life and their child's before birth. She could've given the child up to a family where no one could trace that the child was from the blood of Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter. Then again, she knew that he would never hurt her intentionally, and she prided herself on having the skills to protect.

Those same skills that Hannibal prided himself on. As much as he used his skills to destroy, they were equally capable of protecting those he held dear. Yet, he could not protect Clarice and Bella from a knife. He could not protect them from infection and near death. He could not protect them by just being there. His presence would have only brought more trouble at the time, and the last thing those two needed was more stress.

The thought, though, that someone dare try to harm his family was enough to make his blood boil. His stomach curled in a hunger that could only be sated when his hands landed on the culprit behind all of this. He could already smell the copper waft up his nostrils. He had once lost his entire family, but he would not let it happen again. He had Clarice, a woman he'd been fascinated with for twenty-five years, and Bella, the daughter he didn't think he'd ever have. This Beer Can Killer was trying to take everything from him, but he wouldn't get away with it.


Clarice jogged into the basement offices and sat down at the corner computer, facing the back wall and hiding from the eyes of the other agents around her. The screen was quick to spark to life and highlight her face in the dark as her fingers bounced off the keyboard. She managed to bring up her phone tracking software when Ardelia hurried over. "Hey girl, I want to run something by you. Pick your brain a little bit." They both looked up when a throat was cleared. At the other end of the room, Paul Krendler stood glaring at them. "Sorry, Paul."

"What is he even doing here anyway?" Clarice huffed in a breath. "He doesn't work here."

"He's PR. As soon as the Beer Can Killer was named, he was brought in." Ardelia rolled her eyes before handing Clarice the paper that she had brought over. "I know you said that you didn't think Doctor Lecter was involved, but I really think it's a route I need to follow up on."

Clarice fought the urge to defend him. She glanced back at her computer and jotted down the information she needed to give herself a second. She didn't need to spill everything over one comment. Delia, after all, had no clue who the real Hannibal was. No one did, and it reminded Clarice how much she wanted Christmas to come. "If you really feel like it's something you need to do, I can't stop you. But, I have known the guy for twenty-five years. I know he isn't killing these women in spite of me or Bella."

Delia frowned. "How do you know that? How do you know that he won't come after you someday? Why are you so certain that he won't kill you when given the chance?"

"If he wanted to kill me, he would've done it long ago." Clarice closed out the software and turned off the computer before standing. "He saved me while I was trying to save him. I get that you feel he's involved in some way. When it comes to me, everyone thinks he's involved in some way. But, I'm telling you straight up that he doesn't have a vendetta against me."

Ardelia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Clarice, I love you, but the reason people think you have a thing for Lecter, why they believe he is Bella's father, is because you say things like that. I don't know if it's because he was your first assignment or he got into your head, but you can't give him the benefit of the doubt. He kills and consumes people. If anything, you should be more worried he would come after you. You'd be his top prize."

Clarice shoved the paper with the two numbers on it back in her pocket. "His victims were never prizes. Read his file. He killed people who were rude or had no use. People who threatened his lifestyle. Killing me would make him the rude one, and I know I've told you that before." She went to step around Delia and leave, but she turned back on her heel. "As for people thinking Lecter is Bella's father, I don't give a shit what they think. They also thought Paul was her father at one point until he started mouthing off about Chet and Bella eventually getting together."

Ardelia studied her friend for a moment, running the tip of her tongue over her front teeth before glancing down at the space between them. "I'm your friend here, Clarice, but you've never told me who Bella's father is."

"Are you seriously asking me if Hannibal Lecter is her father?" Clarice challenged. It was a gamble, and she wouldn't lie. Other than this disagreement, she never gave Delia a reason to question her. Even this difference of opinion, Delia knew that Clarice knew Hannibal better than anybody. Well, other than Barney for everything Delia didn't know. "Are you really going to ask me, Dee?"

"Do I need to?" The question was barely a whisper, and Clarice felt the words more than heard them.

Clarice clenched her jaw, but she didn't shy away. She held Delia's hard gaze. "If you want to ask, ask."

"Starling!"

Never thought she would thank God for Paul Krendler's presence. "What, Krendler?"

Paul motioned to the stairs. "You aren't on this case anymore. I don't want to find you down here."

"This basement is for use of every FBI agent. I was just leaving anyway." Clarice reminded him before looking back at Ardelia and raising her eyebrows, daring her to ask her in a way. Hannibal had taught her more than just how to be a good investigator. His master manipulation over her in their early days allowed her to hone her skills. "Are we done or should I grab a DNA test kit from upstairs?"

"I didn't want to upset you-" Delia started to explain, but Clarice cut her off again.

"And, forget about Bella's ballet performance Friday night. I'm sure you and Chuck could find something better than to come watch Hannibal's Little Cannibal." Clarice added, knowing the nickname some of her colleagues had dubbed on her infant daughter when she was first born. It had faded after a few years, but had stayed with Krendler when Bella had bitten his finger during his attempt to pick her up and return her to Clarice in the office.

Not wanting to hear another word from Ardelia or Paul, Clarice walked back upstairs, grabbed her case file from her desk, and hurried back out to her car. Glancing back down at the address she jotted down, she pulled out of her parking space and nearly punched the pedal down to the floor.

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