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Hannibal waited until Bella fell asleep in his arms before pulling out a paper from his back pocket with careful movements. Before he had been called about the threatening blood message, before he had met Clarice in the woods, he had bypassed Bella and Winnie to retrieve what he requested underneath his little bird's pillow. After years of being subjected into darkness or hiding, his eyes were used to paying attention to details without proper lighting.

His eyes raked over the words the same way they would a poem. His little bird was as humble as her mother, savoring small moments that happened regularly, that could happen to anyone, instead of memories that would make anyone want to relive them. No, she favored times where she could spend time with Clarice growing up. Even her worst memory, it was of Clarice's pain, not her own. He wondered if Clarice ever thought about Bella's fear over losing her was comparable to the pain she felt when she lost her father at a young age. He remembered the fear of losing his grip on Mischa's hand, the moment that created the monster.

The monster that had never formed in Bellona's mind, that never had the chance to be created with Clarice's parenting.

At the bottom of the page, she had drawn an arrow indicating his questions were on the flip side. He gently turned the loose paper over and held it above Bella's lap, using his arms to prevent her from falling back. The questions were written in heavy ink, a ballpoint pen one could guess.

- Do you wish that you were never caught and still living as a closeted cannibal?
- How would you feel if I were to turn to cannibalism for the thrill of it instead of just for protection?
-
Why do you call me your little bird?

He gently closed the paper when he heard the soft padding of footsteps on the stairs. The buzz of the FBI investigators had died down long ago, only leaving a couple downstairs to speak with Clarice about preparations for the coming days. With her years of being handyman herself, she managed to to fix the door enough to lock it while they were still questioning her about her discovery of the threat. He held the paper between his thumb and forefinger as Clarice walked in.

Clarice smiled gently when she entered her bedroom. Hannibal sat on the moved armchair, legs kicked up onto the foot of the bed in front of him, with his head tipped back resting against the high back. In his arms, Bella was sound asleep and wrapped in the throw usually tossed onto the end of her bed. The sight would have been heartwarming if there weren't evidence of tears on Bella's cheeks.

"You're awake." Clarice hummed as she walked over to the bed, sitting down beside Hannibal's feet and laying over them with her head on her propped up arm. "How is she doing? I can see the initial shock wore off."

"Her emotions boiled over, yes. As to be expected." Hannibal confirmed, the doctor voice clear even when hushed. "She has yet to accept what is happening, what the threat means. Right now, running away is her answer."

Clarice huffed out a breath before gently adjusting the blanket over Bella to cover her more. "An unfamiliar environment is the last thing she needs right now. This guy isn't going to just give up if we leave. It can't be Krendler."

Hannibal nodded. "Bella and I both came to the same conclusion. They wouldn't ever think to research Roman Goddess Bellona. The young Krendler wants to terrorize her sexually and physically, not psychologically." He held up his fingers with the paper. "We're the only ones who can protect her, Clarice, and I fear her desire to protect us might hinder that."

"What is this?" Clarice asked as she took the folded paper from him. She unfolded it to the side with Bella's answers. "I never asked her these questions."

"I did in the second tape I sent her." Hannibal stated, holding Bella closer to his chest. "Her life has revolved around you and the desire to find her father. Now that she has both of us, she won't let anything take us away from her. She's the descendant of two high rollers, Clarice. I fear her moment is soon, and she will fall and die."

Clarice pushed the paper back into his hand, only skimming the words on the paper while listening to his. "Don't even say that. We're not losing her. This theory of yours may be a hardwired behavior, but we aren't hardwired people, Hannibal. You became a cannibal even with the highest of manners and etiquette taught, and I became the mother to your child even with the FBI shield laying on my bedside table. There is nothing hardwired about us." She was stern with her voice, but after taking in his appearance she knew that the thought had weighed heavily on his mind. The worry lines around his eyes were evidence of that. "We're not going to lose her, Hannibal. She's stronger than either of us."

Hannibal rested his head on Bella's, breathing in the scent of her shampoo that was such a contrast to Clarice's. "That is why the sight of her breaking down was rather troubling tonight, Clarice. While I don't blame her, it is unnerving to know someone intends to harm her, and I have no idea of who it could be. Our main suspects aren't smart enough to fit this profile."

"It's normal to feel that way, Hannibal. She is your blood too. I remember when she was born, and I heard her cry for the first time. I knew it was because of the birth, and the crying is an important part. But to listen to your baby cry and not know how to protect her when it's your job is frightening." Clarice reassured him, gently squeezing his leg underneath her arm. "It's the scariest job in the world, trying to protect your kids. I know that you'll do everything in your power to protect her."

Hannibal, again, held Bella tighter to his chest. "What if my everything isn't enough?"

Clarice sat up and cupped his face in her hands, gently caressing his cheeks. "You were just a boy when Mischa was ripped from you. There wasn't a chance for you to put up a fight. Things are different now. We're both different now. You're not a boy anymore, Hannibal. You're a grown man with an appetite for flesh and a silent grace to attack. The only thing that could hold you back is you."

"And if that happens?" Hannibal questioned again.

Clarice gently kissed him, her lips only skimming his. She didn't know why his confidence with his strongest abilities lacked the most. Maybe the childhood trauma of feeling Mischa's fingers slip from his own was as unforgettable as the memory of her father leaving the house for the last time. He could protect a shark from water if he wanted to, but the fear of losing the ones he loved most, his need to preserve, always created a rift where his confidence should soar. The teacups he had left could never shatter, because he could never make them come back together again.

And, she and Bella were two of his teacups if not his only two.

"You'll have a moment where those pieces snap in place." Clarice whispered. "And in that moment, anything keeping you from your daughter is a target, and nothing will keep you from her. It doesn't matter what state you're in or what weapons they have. She is yours, and you'll fight for her."

Hannibal took in her words before reflecting back to the paper now slightly wrinkled in his palm. "Ah, Clarice, is Bella's worst childhood memory your worst memory as her mother? Did you have this moment then?"

"I had that moment long before that day, but yes. I was shot twice like she remembers, but I also shot and killed three people." Clarice explained. "My job was up for question again, and I knew Bella would be taken for social service interviews if I didn't take her back to the hospital room with me. As much as I used to trust the system, my faith in it disintegrated when they first tried to turn their backs on me. I knew they would use Bella, but I wouldn't let them." She met his eyes. "I did everything I could to protect her and keep her. I know you'll do the same."


The darkness lifted and Bella was left strapped to a gurney. Something was over her face, blocking her peripherals, but her eyes were focused ahead of her. Hanging upside down with loose arms, Hannibal and Clarice were side by side with arms cut along the veins from their elbows to their wrists. Both sets of eyes were wide open, but no life was on the other side of them. The blood that had kept them alive was now pooling in basins below their corpses.

That's when she felt the blade piercing her own skin. The restraints on her body prevented her from looking down, but she felt the warmth flood her palms as it drained from her right wrist. Within a few seconds, dizziness set in, and it was hard to keep her eyes on the person with the blade as they entered her field of vision, but she couldn't see their face. "The line of Lecter will end with you."

Bella's eyes flew open as she shot up from the bed. "No!"

"Bella, what's wrong?" Clarice quickly sat up and cupped her daughter's face in her hands, feeling the wetness from the tears there. She felt the foot of the bed dip as Hannibal hurried to assist. When Bella's arms wrapped around Clarice tightly, she held her back with a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Baby, tell me what's wrong? You're scaring us."

Hannibal saw the primal fear in Bella's eyes as she clung to Clarice and stared down at her wrists. She touched them with shaky hands before she felt for Clarice's arms and looked at his. "Did you have a nightmare?" Her wild eyes met his, but she didn't confirm or deny his question. "Bellona, speak to us."

"C'mon, Bella. It's only us here." Clarice breathed, stroking Bella's hair and holding her against her chest. "There's nothing to fear here."

"He cut both your wrists." Bella whispered in a single breath. "Both of you hung like deer being drained of your blood. I was tied to a gurney. Something was over my face. I couldn't do anything. Then, he started cutting open my wrists."

Clarice absentmindedly ran her own hands over Bella's wrists. "Who did you see?"

"I couldn't." Bella shook her head. "I couldn't see who it was. All he said was that the Lecter line would end with me. That's when I woke up."

"That won't happen." Clarice stated, trying to reassure her daughter. Her eyes met Hannibal's, the message clear in her blue orbs. "We'll make sure of that."

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