Clarice was unsure of where exactly Hannibal was taking her when they fled her home, and Barney was indeed one of the last people she expected to see. Barney was fast in patching up Hannibal who was now resting in one of the bedrooms and recovering from his injuries. He tended to her leg injury shortly after. Barney was very thorough in his medical care.

Clarice now sat at the kitchen table, lost in thought.

Barney came back from the bedroom checking in on Hannibal and made his way into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee, "Want any?" he inquired.

"Yes, thank you Barney."

"Of course, give me just a few minutes." He brought out two dark blue mugs from the cabinet and started the coffee maker. He came around and sat directly across from Clarice.

"Barney…what all do you know?"

Barney gave a half smile, "Truthfully? Not much I'm afraid. Dr. Lecter came to me three days ago much to my surprise and told me he would most likely be bringing you by here. He asked to leave some supplies here and also asked me to help out with anything he might need."

It was Clarice's turn to smile, "How much?"

"What?"

"How much money is he paying you Barney? You may be friends, but I seriously doubt the likes of you would volunteer this much without some incentive."

Barney laughed, "Yes, he is paying me…rather generously. But I kept my promise to him. But I mean it Miss Starling. I don't know anything. He told me it was best if I didn't know. I didn't ask questions."

Clarice nodded and Barney got up to pour them both a cup of coffee and he brought it back to her at the table.

Clarice glanced toward the bedroom that Hannibal was in and back to Barney, "Is he going to be ok?"

Barney looked at her and nodded slowly, "Yes, he never ceases to amaze me. How he didn't die tonight from those wounds is quite remarkable."

Clarice looked down and gripped the coffee mug tightly, and this did not go unnoticed by Barney, "Miss Starling, he told me not to ask him any questions, but…he never said I couldn't ask you…do you know what is happening?"

"Not well. Some people were in my house ready to attack me when I got home this evening. Doctor Lecter intercepted them. But I don't know who is behind this or why he would do something so reckless…it honestly has been a lot Barney."

"Sounds like it. You know, I read about that night on the Chesapeake last year in the paper and on the news. Was any of that true?"

"Yes and no." Clarice didn't volunteer any more information and Barney decided it was probably wise not to probe further on that topic. Her whole body tensed up.

Barney decided to break the silence again, "He cares about you, you know."

Clarice sighed, "I know…I wouldn't be here tonight if he didn't."

"Well, you obviously care about him too."

Clarice looked up in surprise and began to say something, but Barney held up a hand and explained, "He wouldn't be here tonight if it wasn't for you. You both saved each other."

"It was the least I could do after all he had been through."

Barney smirked, "Is that what you are telling yourself?"

"Damnit Barney what is this? Some damn interrogation?"

"Sorry, you're right. That was rude of me. I really didn't mean-you know what? Forget I said anything. Let's switch up topics here. I'll tell you what, there is a great bakery down the road, and seeing that it is now morning time…how about I go and get us some breakfast?"

Clarice nodded. Barney grabbed the keys and his wallet and opened the door before pausing and looking back to Clarice, "I really am sorry. I will be out for a bit, take your time and make yourself at home."

Clarice smiled and nodded. Once he left, she made her way to the bedroom that Hannibal was resting in. There was a small lamp on a desk to the left of the bed that had some scissors, a bloody rag, and some bandages on it. The light reflected on his sleeping face and made him look so peaceful she thought. On the other side of the bed, was an IV pole with some medications Doctor Lecter had instructed Barney to administer. Clarice approached very slowly and quietly so as not to wake him. He was laying above the covers on the bed, but she noted the bloody towels that was beneath him on the bed as well. Clarice gave him a good look over before her eyes fell to the scar that covered his wrist from the night at Krendler's house. She was now standing beside him, and she reached down and gently ran a finger over the scar. Her mind flashed to the kiss he left her with before she cuffed him. Her thoughts broke and she jumped slightly when she heard Hannibal speak.

"How is your leg Special Agent Starling?"

"Shit, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No, I have been awake this entire time. Just resting my eyes for a moment." At that, he slowly opened his eyes to look up at Starling. He gave a small smile, "Your leg Clarice?"

"I'm fine. Barney finished patching me up. It hurts a little, but nothing compared to what you must be feeling."

Hannibal gently sat up on the side of the bed and Clarice took a few steps back giving him space. Hannibal rolled his shoulder trying to get a feel for it again. He then pulled up the shirt he was wearing to inspect the bandaging around his abdomen. Everything he was doing seemed so natural but meticulous. Clarice was feeling antsy.

"Doctor Lecter, what happened? I need an explanation, please."

Hannibal nodded, "You remember our dear friend Mason Verger, yes?"

Starling felt her stomach churning, "Yes."

"Did you know that Mason Verger had a sister? Margot is her name."

"I recall reading about her in his files. Although there wasn't much information on her."

Hannibal looked up to Clarice, "Did you know that Mason has a son?"

Clarice shook her head, "No, there wasn't any information about that. How could he possibly have had- , wait…is this tied into why you brought up Margot?"

"Very good Clarice. Yes, it is. You see, Margot was a patient of mine for a while. Troubled young girl. She got into body building as a way of escaping her brother. Her use of steroids and sexual preferences prevented her from conceiving a child of her own. Mason told her years ago that he demanded an heir from her, or she gets nothing from his will or the family money seeing as he couldn't have one of his own after my meeting with him. He provided a sperm sample for her. Margot then pursued IVF with her wife, Judy. Judy got pregnant and had his child. All so Mason would leave the family fortune to her son."

Clarice was in shock, and she clenched her fists by her side, "So where does this lead then Doctor? From what I recall, Margot was abused by Mason, so I seriously doubt this is her doing."

"You are correct. Margot's wife conceived this child shortly after Mason and I had our little meeting. Apparently, the physicians weren't sure if he was going to survive originally. Margot came to visit me once at Baltimore during my incarceration and she spoke of her son then. How he seemed so bright, but she was very concerned."

"About?"

"Mason had decided to take the boy under his care, and he threatened to…do things if Margot intervened."

Clarice was getting angry, "Mason is such a despicable piece of-"

"I think you mean 'was' Clarice." Hannibal smiled, "And yes indeed he was. What I discovered, about 3 months after the death of Mason was some men pursuing me. They seemed rather clumsy though, easy to evade. But they were rather persistent. Over the next few months, when I had the chance, I captured one of them alive, and I managed to get him to talk. He told me that his boss had grown rather tired of this game of cat and mouse over the course of these past 12 months, and so they decided upon a more direct route to get my attention since I had been able to keep out of their line of sight…they wanted to draw me out by capturing and torturing you. Especially since you had a hand in Mason's death, he felt that your death was justified, and since they had planned on capturing you anyway…they would expedite the procedure."

Clarice was feeling very overwhelmed, "'He felt?' Doctor….don't tell me the one coming after us is-"

Hannibal's eyes grew darker, "Yes Clarice," she could hear the rasp in his voice, "The one pursuing us…is none other than Mason Verger's son."

Clarice was a well-trained agent of the FBI, but her emotions were all over the place. The discovery that Mason Verger had a son, the plan to capture and torture both Lecter and herself, Ethan being a part of this whole play, the men coming to her house to attack her, and now Hannibal and Clarice sat in Barney's home. She looked up to Lecter and took a step closer, "What is your plan here Doctor?"

"My only plan so far was to ensure your safety. That is what I came to do. After today, it would seem, unfortunately that my work with the Verger family is unfinished. He won't stop unless I stop him."

"So you are going to what? Go kill him?"

"Do I have another alternative? He already bought out some of your fellow FBI agents to attack you, and don't be surprised if you turn on the news and find yourself alienated by them. Your house is currently filled with dead bodies, one of which is an FBI agent, and my blood is everywhere. We are being hunted Clarice whether you want to accept that or not is entirely up to you. But you don't have anywhere or anyone to turn to."

"Fuck this!" Clarice began pacing around the bedroom, "My life has been an absolute shit show ever since the damn day I met you!"

"Clarice, language please."

Clarice was angry, "Seriously Doctor? My life is absolutely upside down right now!" She could feel the tears welling up, "So tell me why! Why did their stupid fucking plan work to lure you out? I don't need your fucking protection!"

At that, Hannibal stood, "Perhaps you don't need it, but I thought you might use it. If I hadn't been there Clarice, you may at this very moment, had been captured or killed."

"Why the hell do you care?"

"The world is more interesting with you in it."

Clarice pointed to the scar on his wrist, "And what about that? Why would you do something like that to yourself?"

Hannibal glanced at the scar then back to Clarice, "I am not going back into custody Clarice, never again. I would rather die than be behind bars again. You never would break, brave Clarice. You made your stance very clear that night I believe."

"I sure as hell made my stance clear when I broke you out of Mason's barn before those damn pigs got to you."

"And for that I thank you, but why would you go through all that trouble in the first place yourself hhhmm? You are quick to point the finger and blame me, but why don't you point that high powered perception at yourself….or maybe you are afraid to?"

Clarice slapped him across the face and then drew her hand back again, but Hannibal caught it and slammed her against the wall, "Back in this familiar stance are we Clarice? Why would an agent, on suspension, drive all the way into enemy territory to save one man? And at Krendler's house, you had your gun by the phone upstairs and yet you didn't grab that either. Perhaps you are lying to not only myself but yourself as well."

Clarice fought back, "Why on Earth did you drag me out of that barn and treat my gun shot wound? You could have left me to the pigs, disappeared, and no one would have known anything any different."

"Yes, I could have."

"So then you tell me why!" She pushed back against him, and he temporarily lost his footing, but he gathered himself and pushed her back into the wall again.

Hannibal had pinned her arms above her, "You aren't ready for that answer yet Clarice."

"Fuck you! Maybe you are right, and I should have just picked up that gun and shot you."

He looked angry and he brought his face in close. Clarice was unsure if he was going to attack her. Hannibal's grip tightened, "All right, if that is what you want." He abruptly let her go and she stumbled. Hannibal walked over to the nightstand and grabbed the scissors and then walked back over to Clarice. He shoved them in her hands and tightened his grip around her knuckles, squeezing. He then placed the tip of the scissors against his throat.

"Do it Clarice. Here is your chance. Perhaps if you kill me….you can present it to Mason's son and he may even let you go. So do it. I will never go behind bars again, so just kill me if that is what you want."

Clarice fought against his grip, but he kept pulling her closer and closer. The edge of the scissors pressed into his throat ever so slightly and caused blood to start trickling down.

"Stop!" She pulled back harder, "please."

But he wouldn't listen, and she felt the tears coming down her face then, "I can't do it Doctor, so please stop. Please, I don't want to see you get hurt anymore because of me. I don't want you dead, and I don't want to see you behind bars…so please….stop."

Hannibal's grip loosened ever so slightly, and she took that opportunity to toss the scissors across the room.

Hannibal gave a very serious look, "Aaaahhh finally, a revelation. You want me to be honest with you Clarice? Fine. I will tell you since you are finally being honest with me."

He began walking forward, but she did not step back this time. No matter how much her body begged and screamed, she stood firm. They were face to face now. She could feel his breath on her skin.

"Why did I cut off my wrist instead of yours, why did I travel halfway across the world to save you from the clutches of Mason's son…because I love you, Clarice Starling."

There was a silence that filled the room and neither one was sure of the other's next step until Hannibal spoke again, "Do you ever think about that night on the Chesapeake?"

"Yes…every day."

"And?"

"Every day….I think about that kiss. And I….I regret the decision I made…every single day."

In that moment, nothing else seemed to matter. Their faces came closer and closer until their lips met once more.