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"I'll get it." Clarice said before pausing her and Bella's movie. She stood from the couch, pushing their shared blanket aside, before hurrying to the front door. When she pulled it open though, she was surprised to see Joe standing in between the two agents guarding the house. "Joe!"

"Hi, Mrs. Starling." Joe said, nervously waving his hand. He didn't dare move past the large men on either side of him. "Uh, I was wondering if I could talk to Bella. We didn't really get to finish our conversation last night."

Clarice smirked. "I heard." She moved aside and motioned for him to come in with her hand. "Let him through, guys. He's good company." Standing aside, she let Joe walk in before closing the door. "She's in on the couch. I'll give you two some privacy." He gave her an appreciative nod before leaving her to sit on the staircase.

Bella brought her legs up on the couch when Joe walked in. "What are you doing here?" She gaped at him as he sat down beside her, not bothering to answer her question. "Joe, why are you here? I told you everything I had to say last night."

"Yes, you did, but you didn't let me say what I needed to say." Joe stated, his lips tugging up at the corners. He reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a small envelope with his handwriting on it. "I want you to take this with you."

"This is addressed to you though." Bella turned the paper over in her hands. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Joe chuckled, brushing back her hair. "Whenever you're ready, I want you to write me a letter and put it in this envelope. I have a post office box it will go to, so I will get it no matter where I am in the city. We're both young, definitely not ready to be with one person for the rest of our lives. If I decide to join you and you want me to join you, I have a feeling it will be permanent." He tapped the envelope with his finger. "When you feel ready, write me whether you want me to join you or if you've found someone new. Give me a way to contact you, and we can figure things out."

Bella's eyes widened. "You're serious."

Joe rolled his eyes. "No, I'm kidding. Of course, I'm serious." He chuckled with her, brief as it was. "I love you, Bella. More than I thought I did when I left. More than I did yesterday. I'm not ready to commit to something so permanent yet, but I don't think there's anyone on this planet who is even going to hold a candle next to you." He kissed her cheek. "I just want you to know that I don't need the white picket fence. I just want you, maybe a couple kids, and a few adventures."

Bella dropped her forehead to his. "I could give you that when the time is right." She kissed him softly. "I love you."

"You should." Joe smirked. He stood from the couch. "Your guards outside told me five minutes, and I've got a buddy outside waiting in a cold car." He took another second to look at her. "You'll use that envelope, right? I don't give an envelope to just anyone, you know."

Bella giggled, resting her head on the back of the couch. "I'll use it. Thanks, Joe."

She listened as Joe walked out, giving Clarice a farewell hug, before the door opened and closed. It only took a moment for Clarice to return with a smile. "Well, look at you. Ms. Fate Will Bring Us Together may be right about this."

"What would ever make you doubt me?" Bella frowned, but giggled despite herself.

Clarice plopped back down beside her, taking the envelope into her hands to see the address. "You're really going to use this, aren't you?" She handed the envelope back as her daughter nodded. "When you do, just be careful. Any contact with the outside world makes us vulnerable. It's how I caught your father."

"I've already got an idea or two to keep us protected." Bella smirked before setting the paper down on the coffee table. "I've learned from the best."


Hannibal carefully pried the tape from the doorframe before slipping inside Will's apartment. Putting the tape back into place, he closed the door and turned to survey the one bedroom rental. It was spacious for one person, and he could picture where the boxes of files would've been stacked with the lack of furniture. There was still residue from CSU printing the counter where Clarice said Will's uneaten dinner sat.

He still walked around with his gloves on.

The plate and its contents were gone. The bookcases empty, packed away in the event that they recovered Will. The fridge and freezer had also been cleared out. Thoughts of the agents bickering over who got the week old Chinese food filtered through his head. The pantry was still relatively stocked with the bare minimum and the cabinets were lined with chewed up matts. The floor was still blood stained, but it smelled different from the last time Hannibal saw Will. He moved to the coat closet, only finding an umbrella in the corner. Next was the closet in the bedroom. That had also been packed up besides an empty shoebox on the top shelf.

The emptiness and the guise of night allowed Hannibal to see light peeking out from underneath the wall to the left inside the closet. He reached around the edges of the wall, searching for a gap or hitch he could grip. Nothing was there though. He quickly moved back to the coat closet and did the same. A gape in the bottom corner could have easily been mistaken for a mouse hole. But when Hannibal pulled on it, the whole back wall of the closet moved.

The false wall moved with ease, and Hannibal was gentle as not to break it. That concern was forgotten though when he saw what was on the other side. Shoving the wall back into place, he sprinted out of the apartment, reaching into his pocket for his burner phone. "Pick up the phone, Clarice."


Clarice hugged her cup of coffee in her hands when Bella bounded into the living room with her bag slung across her chest. "Going somewhere?"

"Winnie needs help studying. I'm done with the class, so I figured if I took an agent it wouldn't be a problem." Bella said with a question at the end, testing out the waters. Her evening with Joe, although permitted my Clarice, was still a move that shouldn't have been made. "I'll have my phone with me the entire time. You said you thought about going to the office anyway."

"To try and find our stalker." Clarice quirked an eyebrow at her daughter. She smiled behind her coffee cup though. "Go ahead. One of the agents outside can drive you. Just behave. We don't need a repeat of Friday night."

Bella shrugged innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about." She sat down at the island across from Clarice, biting her lip worriedly. "Do they have any idea who the killer is yet? We're kind of running blind here. If it's someone like Paul, our trip away will stop his plans. But if it's someone with a grudge against Dad-"

Clarice nodded. "We'll be followed until we know who it is. Leaving would be more dangerous, because we'd be vulnerable in new surroundings in a place where we might not speak the local language." She reached over and cupped Bella's face in her hands. "Your father and I are working on it. I'm hoping something was found in Will's apartment that can lead us to the killer." She glanced at the clock. "Hannibal was supposed to check it out last night himself. I should call him on my way to the office."

"Tell him I saw hi." Bella breathed before standing once again. She walked to the end of the hallway, but paused to turn back to Clarice. "You're sure it's okay. I can always call Winnie and talk her through the chapter in your office."

"No, go ahead. You'll be bored there anyway." Clarice waved her off, walking with her to the front door. She kissed Bella's cheek, brushing back her hair. "Just keep your phone with you, and answer every text or call. I know that sounds overbearing, but-"

"I know. I know. It's just because you love me." Bella rolled her eyes, but grinned anyway. "Love you." She opened the front door, causing both agents to do a one-eighty to face her. "Who's up for a field trip? I'll include you in on all the fun this time. Scouts honor I won't ditch you."

Clarice chuckled softly and watched as she trotted down the stairs with one of the agents hurrying behind her. She nodded good morning to the agent staying behind with her before her eyes moved to the street. Her smile hardened slightly when she saw Hannibal's farm truck parked down the street. Her gut wretched when she noticed the cab was empty.

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