AN: Here's the next installment. I'm exploring what would happen if blue blood ran thicker than red. It's an extreme situation, but that's why it's called fiction. For those of you still lurking and reading, I appreciate you sticking around! Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Ch. 20

Victor Moretti had called and let them know he would be coming this weekend. He apologized for the short notice, but said he didn't want to waste any more time. As a father, Walt understood completely. He arranged their schedules to be off and notified Henry, as well. Even though he and Vic agreed that Victor seemed sincere, she still wanted Henry there as an observer. She knew his loyalty to them both would color his opinion toward her Dad somewhat, but not knowing the full detail would keep him mostly objective. She promised she would tell Henry the whole story once the initial meetings with her Dad were done.

It was time to pick her Dad up from the airport. They were going to follow Henry's advice to not have her accompany them even though they led Victor to believe she would be there. If his reaction was civil, then she would be with them later to meet her Dad for dinner at the Red Pony.

Walt looked at her as he heard Henry pull up out front.

"Are you going to be ok, Vic?"

"Yeah. Waiting is the hard part I suppose. I want him to be on the level. I've tried not to get my hopes up, but I can't help it. I want my Dad."

"I know. Hang in there a bit longer."

"I will. Cady's coming by. She says it's to talk about something but I know she's worried like you and Henry are."

"She loves you, Vic. So do we."

"I know and I appreciate all of you. Now get out of here or you'll be late."

She kissed him and smacked his ass before he headed out. He donned his hat and motioned Henry to come to her truck, since it had an easily accessible back seat. Well easier than the Bronco.

"Thanks for coming with, Henry. It means a lot to her."

"I'm happy to do it, for both of you. Do you think this is just about me being an independent observer or do you think that she thinks you may need backup?"

"I didn't think to ask her about that. A little of both, maybe, though I don't know if she's worried about what her dad might do or what I might do."

"It seems there is much more to this story than her brief summary. She said she would tell me but I do not want her to feel like she has to. I will understand if she is not comfortable telling me."

"She will, once you have made your assessment. She values your opinion and judgement."

Henry nodded and they moved on to lighter topics of conversation, including Henry's colorful stories of the more rowdy patrons at the Pony. Walt pulled into the airport and parked the truck. He had worn the jacket with his badge on it so Victor could identify him. He and Henry walked into the airport and went to the gate where he would be.

What he assumed to be Vic's dad walked up to him with his hand out.

"You must be Walt. Victor Moretti. Nice to finally meet you in person."

"I am. This is my friend, Henry Standing Bear. Pleased to meet you."

Henry nodded and shook the man's hand, quietly observing and letting Walt lead.

"Vic wasn't able to come, but will be at dinner later if you're up to it."

"Of course. Whatever makes her comfortable."

"Did you check any bags, sir?"

"No."

"Ok. We'll bring you to your hotel to get settled and pick you up later for dinner if that's alright. Say 6pm?"

"That's fine."

They walked in silence back to the truck. Walt got no inclination that Victor Moretti had any ulterior motives. He glanced at Henry and could tell he saw nothing out of the ordinary either.

Once in the truck, Victor started talking.

"I'm afraid that the family ass chewing from Nonna didn't have the effect I had hoped with the others. They seemed a bit ashamed at the time, but it had no lasting effect. Not even on her mother. That's what surprised me the most, since my wife has never been an officer I thought she would be the first to back off."

Walt focused on the road as Henry engaged him in the conversation.

"Why do you think that is?"

"Ultimately, it's my fault. I'm the one who drilled this rationale into my family until it was so deeply ingrained in them they turned on their own flesh and blood."

"But you are the one who is here. Do they not know of your trip?"

"I haven't told them, yet. Not about trying to reconcile with Vic. I didn't want the distraction. I couldn't focus on her if I had to worry about them turning on me as well. I guess that's selfish of me but I didn't see any other way."

"I suppose that makes sense. What will you do when you go back?"

"I'm going to tell them my own story and take it from there. I saw the same kind of corruption that Vic saw early in my career. I didn't say anything because of the code. 2 years later, the cop I didn't turn in started to do more than pick up dirty money from busts. He started using drugs and planting evidence. Roughing up suspects. Spiraling down until he became the subject of an IA investigation and lost his job and his retirement. They didn't prosecute because of who his connections were and to spare the city the bad press. Who knows how many bad convictions were made and how many people got hurt because I didn't speak up and no one else did either. I used to believe I did the right thing. Had no doubts or regrets, even after Vic did what she did. Not until I spoke to you, Walt."

Walt glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Victor hang his head in shame. Although the man brought this upon himself, he still felt bad for Victor. It's not easy to have your belief system shaken. He glanced to Henry, who was quiet now. Walt pulled into the hotel parking lot, but felt like he needed to acknowledge what Victor had said before they parted ways. They got out of the truck and Walt stopped Victor.

"I'm glad you're here, Mr. Moretti. It doesn't matter how long it took. What truly matters is that you're here and you want to reconcile with Vic. Not having her family, regardless of how dysfunctional you all may have been before the incident, has had a major impact on her though she hides it well. The incident with her grandmother struck a deep blow to her. She needs you. Not to judge. Not to criticize. Not to tell her what to do. She needs you to love her for who she is and to help her heal."

"You're right, of course. You really love her, don't you?"

"I do. Very much."

"I can tell. How serious are you two?"

"I've asked her to marry me and she has accepted."

Walt eyed Victor as he told him of their engagement. He didn't seem over the moon about it, but he didn't seem angry either. Victor held his gaze.

"I see. I figured that was coming after your call to us. I'm sorry, but I don't know how to feel about that right now."

Walt nodded sharply. There was nothing to be said about her father's mixed emotions about their impending marriage. Time would either ease his doubts or cement them. There was little he could do except to show his love and devotion to her through his actions.

"We'll be back around quarter 'til 6."

Victor held out his hand to Walt.

"I look forward to it, Walt. Tell Vic I missed her, please."

"Will do, Mr. Moretti."

"You can call me Victor, when you're ready. Henry, it was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

They climbed back in the truck and Walt let out a sigh.

"That wasn't quite what I expected. He seemed less temperamental than what I expected."

He glanced over at Henry after maneuvering out of the hotel parking lot.

"True, especially given Vic's temperament. He seemed genuine to me. I sensed his disappointment at Vic's absence, but the anger wasn't there. I cannot understand why he would turn his back on her so easily. Why the whole family would do that?"

"I don't know, Henry. But I put a stop to their harassment of her."

"Harassment?"

His friend sounded genuinely confused.

"Yep. Phone calls. Texts. Letters. Packages. I had no idea what was going on until we moved in together. I started noticing strange behavior from her. Phone calls she wouldn't take but seemed angry about. Her phone would go crazy at odd hours with text messages. Letters in the mail from Philly she wouldn't open in front of me. Packages showing up at the house then disappearing with nothing to show for it. One night I finally asked her and she told me everything. I listened to every voicemail they left her, read every letter and saw everything that was sent to her. She had everything saved in plastic bags, as if she may need them for evidence later. I was simultaneously horrified that her family would do this to her and absolutely livid. I couldn't believe how long this went on without her saying anything to me."

Walt was blindsided by the truth of what she showed him about her family. His heart broke for her and his blood boiled at the thought of the harassment. He could feel those same emotions surging in his friend.

"Maybe we should show up on their doorstep and teach them a lesson or two."

"That has crossed my mind more than once, Henry. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that Victor responded to my calls and made a move in the right direction. Stopping the family from contacting her and working through me to get here."

"I think I understand why Vic wanted me to be here. It would not have taken much for this to turn ugly."

Silence descended on the truck as both men turned to their thoughts. He knew Henry was piecing all the new information together with what he already knew. His thoughts, however, were solely on Vic and the strength it took for her not to crumble under the pressure. Some may say marrying Sean and moving was weak, but he didn't see it that way. As much as he hated Sean for how he treated Vic, Sean believed her and did what he could to protect her from everything that happened. Ultimately, the man brought Vic to him and he was glad to be the man that she wanted.

As he steered the truck down the familiar lane to his cabin, Walt saw that Cady's truck was still there. He was grateful that Cady and Vic had both made the effort to get to know one another and had become very close. More like sisters, he supposed, although no one wanted to make that comparison because of the dynamics. Regardless, he knew that their bond was growing stronger each day and that Vic would be as loyal to Cady as she was to him.

"Come on, Henry. I know Vic wants to know what happened and she'll be interrogating you first."

He chuckled as Henry gave him a mock scared look, then smiled himself. They made their way into the cabin to find the girls comfortable and laughing. The knot of worry that had taken up in his stomach about how Vic was doing eased. His hat was placed on the table by the door, as usual, but he left his boots on since they would be going out in a while.

The girls had gotten quiet and their eyes followed the men as they got settled.

"Before you and Henry say anything, I want to explain to Cady and Henry what all this is about. I didn't want to have to do it twice, so I figure now is the best time."

Walt slid his hand in hers as she told them her story. He hadn't noticed before, but she put the tote with all the letters and crap they sent her on the coffee table. She gave a brief history of her slightly dysfunctional relationship with her family before she became the traitor. As she explained what happened, she gave them a couple items that she received. He figured that it was easier for them to see how bad it was for her and she wouldn't have to try to explain it. He watched Cady and Henry closely as they took in the words aimed at her and the various items they sent as threats. He could see the disbelief and horror on Cady's face, which stood in contrast to the simmering anger and indignation on Henry's. A silence fell across the room as she finished her story. She heaved a deep sigh and sat back in Walt's embrace as Henry spoke up.

"I am sorry you have to go through all this with your family. I hope that you know that not one of us in this room will ever treat you this way. You have honor, integrity and courage that most do not. This morning, when I spoke to your father, I found him to be sincere in his regret and aware of at least some of his mistakes. When he realized you were not coming he reacted almost as if he expected that. It was not what I expected from him, especially now that I know more of the history."

"My Dad's been a chief long enough to clamp down his temper, but when Walt was on the phone with him the other night I noticed a change too. The few words he said to me held a tone and an affection that I've never heard from him before. I just hope this isn't some big ruse."

She leaned over and whispered to Walt that she was going to get ready for dinner, then excused herself.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Punk?"

"How long has she been dealing with this?"

"A couple years, I suppose. I didn't find out about her family's harassment until she moved in here and finally told me what all the unanswered phone calls, anonymous letters from Philadelphia and various packages that showed up were about."

"I can't believe her family is doing this to her."

"None of us can, Cady. I am surprised that Walt did not show up on their doorstep."

Henry sent him a knowing look. Walt had learned long ago that a woman may share her problems with you, but that doesn't necessarily mean she wants you to fix them. So while he resisted the urge to pay the Moretti clan a visit, he did give them a piece of his mind about how they are treating Vic. He felt that if he was serious about spending his life with her, it was time to have her back in all things. Walt looked up as he sensed Vic coming back into the room and spoke to her.

"Ready to go, Vic?"

"Yep. I'm going to let you and Henry pick him up and I'm going to ride with Cady, if that's ok. I've asked Cady to stay too. My father needs to understand that I have a family here and you, Cady and Henry are that family."

TBC