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Hannibal lifted his phone to his ear, sitting in his truck back on the corner furthest from the house. Watching the two arrive proved to be troubling. His little bird was rigid, uncomfortable, but determined in a way. When she had darted to Joe's car, he half expected her to call Clarice and request someone to pick her up, but she accepted Joe's outstretched hand and followed him inside. The nagging feeling of doubt swelled in his belly, but he had to believe that her desire for a new life with both parents was stronger than her love for an ex-boyfriend.
He remained calm though.
"Yes, I need to call in my favor. You still have ties within the courthouse, yes?" His attention was caught by the unmarked SUV that drove past his farm truck towards the house party. It pulled up onto the lawn with flashing lights, spooking the teenagers outside. Despite their scrambling to their cars, the two FBI agents moved through them without attempting to speak with any of them. They invaded the house before he started up his own truck. "I need some documents that can't be filed until I leave. Filing them correctly will be your biggest hurdle here." He waited a moment before his former acquaintance asked what documents he needed. "The birth certificate of one Bellona Darion Starling, and you still do weddings, right?"
Bella slid her sweatshirt back over her head when she and Joe both looked up hearing the party downstairs get louder. Joe tripped over his jeans as he hopped over to the window. "Everybody is leaving. There's an SUV with lights flashing."
"Shit." Bella breathed before grabbing her things. "That'd be the search party." Slinging her bag across her body, she opened the door to rush downstairs as well, but was stopped when the two agents that had been outside her house were standing in front of her with disapproving looks. She quickly pushed past them. "It's about time. You guys need to be on your toes. I was gone for nearly three hours. Tsk, tsk!" Before Joe could say anything to her to make her stay longer, she bounded down the stairs. "I call shotgun!"
Clarice bit her thumb nail nervously as she paced behind her armchair, being in constant eyesight of the from door. Delia stood by the front door, peering out of the small spaces provided between the frosted glass design. "Could you stop pacing? You're making me nervous. The hard part is over. The guys found Bella. Relax."
"Don't tell me to relax." Clarice spat back. "It doesn't work when guys say it, and it's not working even with you saying it. Once I have my daughter, I will relax." She paused when she heard a car pull up outside. "Is that them?"
"Yeah," Delia stated before opening up the door. Her intentions of stepping outside were pushed aside as much as she was when Bella nearly plowed into her with duffle in hand. "Well, hello, runaway. Tell me. Are you asking to be sought out by this serial killer?"
Bella rolled her eyes as she dropped her bag to the floor. "Oh, you're so funny. Why don't you tell that joke again about wanting me dead if I had Dr. Lecter's DNA?" She turned to Delia. "I'm here. I'm safe. Nobody tried to kill me tonight. Your job is over. Go home."
Delia followed Bella as she walked to the living room and into Clarice's embrace. "Excuse me. You just used a number of our resources tonight, so you could, what, go drink at a party. You have some questions to answer."
"There are no questions she needs to answer." Clarice shot back. "It is midnight. She's a teenager that you found at a party after a successful ballet performance. Pretty sure our mystery is solved. And, you only used the resources I gave you. I'm the one who gave you Ray's home address where the party was anyway. Your agents did nothing but drive the car. Now, I'd like you to go home. I will deal with my daughter, my way."
Delia gaped. "Clarice, let's be realistic about this."
Clarice pointed to the door. "I am. I thank you for your efforts, as futile as they were, but it's time for you to go." She waited until Delia relented before bringing both arms back around Bella. Delia grabbed her bag off the couch and stormed out of the townhouse, letting the front door slam closed behind her. "What happened?"
Bella made a noise like she was gasping for air. "He's gone. At the bottom of the river with his phone. We staged it to look like he slipped and fell off his boat. We ditched the curtains in a dumpster and left Chet's car by the arena." She hugged Clarice tighter, sniffling into her shoulder. "I already said goodbye to Joe before he left for college. It isn't fair for him to come back here and make me say goodbye all over again."
"He wants to get back together." Clarice stated, already knowing Joe's intentions from talking to him at the performance. "What did you tell him?"
"He's wanted the family life for as long as I've known him. I told him I can't give him that life." Bella sobbed before she sunk down to the floor, and Clarice sank with her. "He doesn't care. He said he'd run away with me. He was willing to give up everything to be with me, but I know him. He'll resent me for it, and he'd flip out once he finds out who dad is."
Clarice smoothed back Bella's hair. "Hey, shh, it's alright. Bella, honey, you don't have to give him up if you don't want to. There is still time."
Bella shook her head. "No, I'm not changing my mind. I want to go." She pulled back from Clarice to look in her eyes, blinking each time Clarice wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "If we're meant to be together, we'll find a way to make it work."
Clarice smiled sadly. "Oh honey, you are disappearing. You are starting a new life with a new name."
"So did Dad, twice, and here we are now." Bella retorted, sniffling again. "It took a while, but you get another chance to be with Dad. Let's face it. You two had the worst possible chances of getting together."
Clarice chuckled with a nod. "That we did." She dropped her forehead to Bella's, tucking strands of hair behind her ears. "My Bella, you have more faith in the universe than I ever have. You amaze me."
Bella smiled before cuddling back into Clarice's embrace. "It still hurts."
"I know." Clarice breathed before kissing Bella's head, holding her tightly. "It will suck for a while, but it will get better."
Clarice cast another glance to Bella's sleeping form in her bed before turning to her bedroom. The moon hung high at two in the morning and allowed her to roam without turning on the lights. While the moonlight lit up her room, the corners were still dark, and she half hoped that Hannibal would speak when the moment was right. Somehow, he always knew the moment between awareness and relaxation, the moment when she would let her guard down but soon enough that it wouldn't cause her to speak her alarm to his presence.
But as she settled under the covers and reached for the burner cell, she knew her corners were empty when the moment passed. She pressed the phone to her ear, but it didn't even ring before she heard Hannibal's voice. He must've been staring at the phone for who knows how long depending on what all he saw tonight. "Hannibal?"
"You should be asleep, Clarice." Hannibal's words were stern, but his tone was one of relief and agony. Almost like he was waiting for a call he might not get and was preparing for bad news as they spoke. "Do I have to cancel our travel plans?"
Clarice brought her knees up against her chest, hugging them with her free arm. "No. We are still a go. Our daughter is more determined than ever to leave." She bit her lip, chewing as she listened to his even breathing. "What did you see tonight, Hannibal?"
"I saw a young man in love, and he looked at our little bird the way I imagine I look at you." Hannibal confessed with a shake of his head. "I can't take her away from him. Clarice, she loves that boy. I can't ask her to give that up. I would sacrifice my own happiness for her to have hers."
"You don't have to." Clarice whispered. "She let him go. I gave her an out tonight. I told her we could stay. She was adamant about leaving. If they are meant to be together, they will have another chance. Her words."
Hannibal rolled his eyes. "The world isn't that forgiving, my lamb. Why would she believe that anyway?"
Clarice let out a small chuckle. "Ironically, we've inspired that little nugget of wisdom in her. The serial killer cannibal and the eager FBI student becoming romantically involved shouldn't have even been a card in either of our decks. The world has plowed us together three times now, given us a daughter." She ran a hand through her hair. "I may be selfish, but she wants this more than anything else. If you call off the plans, you are taking away her happiness. Believe it or not. You make her happy."
Hannibal smiled laying down on his bed, staring up at the popcorn ceiling. "Really?"
"You make both of us happy." Clarice admitted in a whisper. "If she's meant to be with Joe, fate will bring them together again. Besides, our 'little bird' isn't ready to be committed to anyone. She's about to experience the world in a way she never imagined, meet people she's never met before. I know that they love each other, but I think we can both agree they aren't ready to be lost in the world together."
"Lost in the world together." Hannibal repeated with a hum. "Sounds nicer than it is. She will enjoy it though. I hope you will enjoy it."
Clarice grinned. "As long as I'm with you, I'm happy." She slid down the mattress and pulled the blankets up over her. "Should I call you tomorrow?"
Hannibal closed his eyes, picturing his lamb laying beside him in his memory palace. "I would look forward to it."
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