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Clarice moaned softly as her lips lingered on Hannibal's. The sheet was wrapped around both of their cooling bodies, and she wanted nothing more than to stay laying on top of him for another hour. But, there were more pressing matters at the moment. Pressing a hand to his chest, she let her hair fall over one shoulder and met his eyes. "I need to go."

Hannibal's hand clasped onto hers that rested over his beating heart. "So soon? My dear, it's not even two."

"Yes, but I want to be close to Bella in case she needs me." Clarice stated as she pushed herself out of the bed. She quickly began collecting her clothes, all the while feeling Hannibal's eyes rake over her. "Neither of us can afford for me not to be there when her practice ends."

Hannibal frowned when Clarice's voice, so calm mere moments ago, was suddenly filled with stress. He sat up and kept the sheet up around his waist. "What happened?"

Clarice tucked the silk of her blouse back into her skirt before yanking on the side zipper. "Chet, in his own slick non-incriminating way, threatened to attack Bella. He's been hinting at it for years, but he must've said something to her this morning that hit a new level of scary. Bella was out of her mind scared, which is still pretty collected. I'm guessing that's more Lecter than Starling, that trait."

"Hold on a moment. Are you telling me that the young Krendler plans on raping Bella?" Hannibal asked. He stood from the bed and grabbed a fresh pair of boxers. "I'll follow you. I can take care of him quietly."

Clarice quickly placed her hands back on his chest, stopping him. When his chest pressed against hers, she moved them up to his face, cupping his cheeks in her palms. "As much as the world deserves that, as much as Bella and I would both enjoy that, the disappearance of Paul Krendler's son will set back our timeline of leaving. I'm meeting up with Bella before her practice ends, and she is coming back home with me. We aren't going anywhere else, and he won't have the window to lay a hand on her."

Hannibal's eyes were ablaze and his body rigid. "He's a predator. He'll only wait so long before he attacks out of desperation."

"I know, but we can't just kill him." Clarice breathed. "Believe me. I've wanted to take out Paul and Chet for years, but the FBI knows the beef between Paul and I. If Chet went missing, Paul would point the finger at Bella and I right away. He's so obsessed with our connection to you. It would just be too close to the truth to steer everyone away. Delia is already questioning my loyalty. She may think that you're Bella's father. We can't afford to let anything lead back to us."

Hannibal sighed. Even in the arms of his lamb and holding her in his own arms, breathing in the fresh air and having a view, he felt as trapped as he did in the asylum. Killing Chet would leave Clarice and Bella vulnerable to the FBI and worse, Paul Krendler. Even if he had to return to the States after settling the girls in Europe, he would deliver the proper farewell for Chet Krendler for instilling a fear in his daughter that had caused her to reach out to Clarice in panic. He may not have known his daughter for long, but he knew she was bull-headed enough for it to be a very rare occurrence.

"Alright. I'll keep my hands clean. . .for now." Hannibal whispered before kissing along her hairline. "I don't trust the school. I walked through the halls and to Bella's practice without anyone noticing." He grabbed Clarice's jacket from the chair and held it up for her to slide her arms inside. "I won't lay a hand on him, but I'm going to be keeping a closer watch on our little bird." He was more equipped to observe Bella from a distance in this situation than to go in baring teeth. This was safer for all of them.

"I'm sure she would be thrilled." Clarice smiled before pulling her hair out from underneath her collar. "You'd be very pleased to know that your little bird, as you call her, is upset that she didn't get to say goodbye to you. It seems that she misses you, Doctor."

Hannibal grinned and nodded once. "I miss her as well. I have a gift for her on Friday though. She should receive it before the show. Hopefully, that will help lessen the distance." He placed his hands back on Clarice's hips and kissed her cheek once she pulled her heels on. "Send my love to her."

Clarice caressed his cheek gently. "I will. I'll call you tonight when we get home." She saw the emotion in his eyes. Anger, love, understanding, yearning. She was sure the same reflected in hers. "She wants to go, Hannibal. What you say or don't say won't change her mind. Not anymore. She was nearly heartbroken to walk into school this morning. She's ready."

"Then," Hannibal whispered, "put her on the phone if she would like to talk to me. I would enjoy it very much."

"Who knew making you a father would turn you into such a softy." Clarice teased. She chuckled when his eyes darkened and he bit her thumb playfully. "There's my Hannibal."


Bella leaped into her partner's arms, legs extended before and behind her. She bent the leg pointed ahead of her before he dipped her down to face to floor for a brief second. As soon as he brought her up, she was on her feet again, twirling on toes and spotting the fake rock and bush set up for the performance. A catch and release between the prince and princess. This moment was not theirs. Their moment was not for another two acts.

When Bella raised her arms to mimic the elegance of a swan, the piano notes faded and Pellagrim's voice broke the momentum to the next scene. "Amazing! We may actually pull this off Friday night. That does not mean we can start slacking off. Everyone continue to practice during every spare moment. A friend of mine from Broadway is coming to talent scout during the performance, so that means being on your toes could not be more literal."

Bella rolled her eyes. His friend from Broadway was probably nonexistent. He made the same statement every year about a friend of his coming from some musical or club. Almost always, they were past employees who worked as cleaning or cooking crew. It was a friendly face for the door, but not someone whose opinion on talent would be taken seriously.

Pellagrim called practice for the night when Clarice walked in. Bella grabbed her bag and was about to jump off the stage when Pellagrim's voice hit her ears again. "Bella, can I talk to you for a moment, please?"

Bella inwardly groaned and turned back to the piano, trudging over and leaning against the large organ player. She could already hear Hannibal's voice. "Do you enjoy his small gestures and advances? Offering you privileges and private practices? Or does it make your skin crawl as much as the young Krendler seems to do?"

"What is it, Coach Pellagrim?"

"I'm serious about that Broadway friend. I've told him about you, and I think you may actually have a great shot capturing his attention." Pellagrim stated as he began collecting his things into the worn black leather briefcase. The seams at the corners were frayed and the handles looked like they might fall off if he put too much weight inside it. "He might have the means to get you a scholarship to a school in New York."

"I'll do my best." Bella smiled politely. Before giving him the chance to speak, she readjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow." She quickly hopped off the stage and turned to Clarice before noticing her mother's attire. "A skirt. No lines. Slightly messy hair." She grinned before she was arm's length away. "And, you smell like him. You had a booty call!"

Clarice rolled her eyes but the laugh escaped her lips. "I don't think it can be called that when that's not the point of the meeting, and it's the father to your child." She whispered kissing Bella's cheek. "Let's get you out of here. I saw Chet heading to your locker on my way here."


Clarice walked into the kitchen, changed from her skirt and blazer, with the burner phone pressed to her ear. She froze when she saw Bella standing over the stove with a pan of freshly cooked food coming out of the oven. "Oh my God! She's cooking."

"Bacon wrapped and cheese stuffed chicken breasts." Bella grinned as she closed the oven door and grabbed two plates from the cupboard above. "I figured this would be safe to try cooking without supervision for my first time."

"It smells delicious." Clarice half moaned as she grabbed a plate. She held the phone out to Bella. "The phone is for you."

Bella frowned, glancing at her cell phone on the counter, before pressing the smaller cell to her ear. "Hello?"

Hannibal smiled on the other end. "Hello, my little bird."

"Hannibal!" Bella grinned, meeting Clarice's eyes with excitement.

Hannibal chuckled hearing his daughter's unbridled happiness ring in his ears as he looked out over the dark woodland floor. The red-tailed hawk that had perched on his balcony earlier was now circling overhead above the trees. In the moonlight, it's eyes glowed a fierce yellow. "Yes, it's me. Is it alright that we talk?"

"Of course." Bella watched as Clarice grabbed her food and made her way to the couch to watch TV. "What do you want to talk about?"

Clarice grinned listening to Bella talk to Hannibal. She was animated and joyful, and. . .dissecting her food for him. Describing her cooking methods to the man who had fried Paul Krendler's brains for consumption the night she was conceived. She had to admit. The food was better than anything she had made in the past few years, and it made her excitement grow for the days to come when she could sample the things that Hannibal and Bella made together. Sampling the things they all made together.

She longed to walk through a house that her and Hannibal shared together. One where she could listen to him play piano and curl up next to him in front of a fireplace. A home that they could retreat to and hide from the rest of the world. A space for Bella to perform her ballet, knowing Hannibal would most likely have that as a must-have on his preferences.

Her hopes for visiting grandchildren or son-inlaws was slim if at all possible.

With Hannibal's presence and the ever growing number of enemies willing to pay top dollar for his capture, she knew that being a grandparent for either of them would be near impossible. Bella could very well have children, but they would most likely never meet them or the man who Bella decided to spend her life with. Her visits with them would be a web of lies spun to her family so no one would be the wiser. She and Hannibal would be watching the innocent faces of their legacy from afar. If they were lucky enough, they might have the chance to hear the echo of small feet running around tiled or wood floors. A chance to hear the squeal of laughter.

But, there was still a chance. The chance that every generation to come would live in the shadows, hiding from the law and protecting their DNA. At least the first few generations. It was Bella's choice though. She wouldn't sway her daughter one way or the other. Clarice had made her choice long ago. It might have been decided when she stepped foot into that basement at the asylum, but no one could sway her at this point.

She needed Hannibal Lecter in her life, and he would keep their family together no matter the limitations or pending strangers.

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