I Came To Say Thank You
Summary: When Charlie sets up a pedophile to end up in the hands of the Volturi, he had no idea just how much it would change, not just his life but that of his daughter's.
Bella/Heidi
1984 VOLTERRA
"Well, dad, you called it," Bella murmured around her sandwich.
"Yes, except it's a double-edged sword. We both know he will no longer be an issue, but no one else would. What about his victims and their families? I'd rather have him in cuffs… hell, I'll take his rotting corpse." Charlie grumbled as he stared at Heidi, giving her usual spiel before she entered the Volturi castle with their meal. This had been his plan, but now he would really love to have evidence of the end of Sebastian Taylor.
"You could always ask," Bella mumbled as she took another huge bite out of her sandwich. "It's not as though they can kill you." She giggled, earning an eye roll from her father.
Charlie stared off into the distance for a second and nodded. "I will be right back." He looked out for the waitress. "Emily, could you keep an eye on Bella for a few minutes? I need to pick something up." Emily was an American traveling through Europe, earning money where she could.
"Sure, Charlie." She answered, smiling down at Bella. Bella smiled back, not that she needed looking after.
Charlie ran up to Heidi before she herded the worst of society into the castle, never to return.
As an officer of the law, he should have real issues with the Volturi actions, but the reality was, a lot of these humans were men and women who had gotten away with their crimes. Sometimes justice took other forms. Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to say such things to his employers or his colleagues. He understood that not everyone who entered the castle deserved what would befall them. Today, though, he did not have to worry about that, not that he could have done anything about it if it were. He was not allowed to interfere. The other part of Charlie, the one who had seen it all, been there from the beginning, understood it all. If anyone should have a real issue with vampires, it was him, but he didn't since he'd experienced living for himself.
"Heidi, wait up." Charlie would have laughed at the look on the vampire's face, but he was too caught up in catching one of the world's most prolific pedophiles to do so.
"I'm sorry you must have…" Heidi attempted to dissuade the human of whatever he thought he knew.
Charlie did not have the patience for this. "I need to talk to Aro. The guy in the orange shirt, he needs to own up to his crimes. Frankly, you guys were the only way I could think of to get justice for so many children."
Heidi stared at him, surprised to find her gift had no effect on him whatsoever. "You might not come back out." She warned.
"Oh, that is not a concern at all." Charlie chuckled. "I'll come back out." He added confidently.
"Okay, follow me." Heidi went out of her way to ensure no uninvited guest ever joined the group. Her gift made it easy to dissuade them if any ever wandered into the group. She didn't do it because she particularly cared. She did it because she had no idea who they were or who would come looking for them.
"Welcome to the Volturi castle," Aro said with that unnerving laughter of his.
"Sorry, master." Heidi put her hand out.
"No, it will be easier if I do the explaining." Charlie cut in, much to everyone's surprise. The throne room was, of course, packed as it was feeding time.
Though baffled by the unusual development, Aro took Charlie's hand in his. "I see." He whispered after a few seconds. "We will be more than happy to aid you in your pursuit. I could simply hand over his body if that makes it easier." Aro offered.
"No, I believe knowing what is out there if he allows his family to use their influence should suffice," Charlie mumbled, moving to stand next to Aro.
"As I was saying, welcome to the Volturi castle." This time, there was a seriousness to Aro's tone, which had the guard and Caius intrigued. What had Aro seen? "Usually, our food does not get the benefit of an explanation before we feed..."
"What the fuck is going on here." One man bellowed and made a move towards Aro, only to drop to the ground in excruciating pain. Some rightly took terrified steps back; others found themselves frozen in terror.
"Thank you, Jane."
"My pleasure, Master." Charlie chuckled at the exchange. The lack of fear in the man astounded most of the guards.
"Mr. David Miller." No one stepped forward. "You, it seems, get a reprieve," Aro added, and that got a reaction.
"That's me." The sudden outburst came as no surprise. "I have my passport here to prove it." He added, his relief evident.
"David Miller or rather Sebastian David Taylor, the wanted child molester." The guards' hisses had Sebastian wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. "I have come to an agreement with Mr. Swan; he is an agent of Interpol. You will turn yourself in, give a full confession, and accept your punishment. If you attempt to evade the law and escape with the help of your family, Demetri here will find you and kill you. Mr. Taylor, I can assure you, the suffering you will receive at his hands will make you wish you were never brought into this world. What say you?"
"I will confess and accept my punishment." His voice was choked with fear.
"Excellent, Mr. Swan; he is all yours." Aro cheered. "After Felix feeds, he will help you deliver him to the nearest police station."
"Thank you, Aro," Charlie said with a nod.
"I will turn myself in." One woman offered, crying. Other voices rose up, making the same offer.
"I'm afraid none of you are wanted by Interpol. Therefore, I have no authority where you are concerned." Charlie replied with little care for their predicament.
"You are the law. How can you allow us to be murdered by these monsters? Please help us," One pleaded.
"Tell me, Arthur… did Catherine not plead with you when you killed her?" Charlie asked. The man in question paled.
"I… I… didn't mean to… it was an accident." He could not have sounded less convincing if he tried.
"Again, Aro, thank you." The doors opened, and Charlie walked out with Mr. Miller as the screams began. The smell of urine that permeated the hallway said it all. Charlie made a point to stand just beyond the large ornate double doors. He wanted Sebastian David Taylor to hear the fate that awaited him if he should repudiate at any time.
"Despite everything, they are quite nice. They keep the vampire world in order; that is why most humans know nothing about the supernatural world." Charlie murmured to a pale, trembling Taylor. "I'm sure you are well aware no one will believe you if you say anything about this." He added just as the door opened, revealing Felix. By the way, I understand going with your own first name as an alias. You can't have someone yelling a name you are not accustomed to, one you've forgotten you have. I have seen it before, so I understand, but your mother's maiden name was stupid." Sebastian Taylor did not hear a word of what Charlie said, still gripped by fear.
"You let a human with knowledge of us leave." Caius fumed as the remains of their meals were cleaned up.
"I did no such thing. Mr. Swan is no human. He is older than you, and I combined." Aro answered as he stood to leave, halting any further questions Caius had. In truth, Aro did not have the answers. Charles Swan only let Aro see what he wanted Aro to see. Mainly the crimes of David Miller and the fact that Charlie was older than him and nothing more. Despite outward appearances, the encounter with Mr. Swan left him feeling disconcerted.
"You got your man." Bella cheered.
"I did." Charlie laughed. "Felix here is helping me deliver him to the police station." Bella looked at the pedophile in question. It would seem the man had urinated on himself and was quietly crying.
"They must have scared him silly," Bella mumbled.
"That we did," Felix answered as he smiled at Sebastian Taylor, pearly white teeth on display.
Despite speaking the language, Charlie spent far longer at the police station than he would have liked. Bella didn't seem to mind as she seemed to have gotten a couple of officers wrapped around her finger who were happy to entertain all her questions. Three hours later, Sebastian Taylor was firmly ensconced in a cell, waiting for the agents to come and pick him up. The idiot should have stayed in France. Despite all his money, he had accepted a free trip to Florence in a competition he'd never entered. Now, he would soon be headed back to the states to answer for his crimes.
When Charlie had put the plan in place, he would admit he had not truly believed it would work, but he underestimated the greed of Sebastian Taylor. At least all those favors he now owed were not in vain.
Less than a month later, Sebastian Taylor found himself in the United States Penitentiary in Allenwood, where he would likely die. His family had perplexingly found their wealth and influence could not dissuade their son to redraw his confession. He was obviously terrified of something, what it was; the family had no idea.
Heidi ignored the knock on her door. She was making arrangements to purchase fifty kilograms of cocaine from a cartel in Mexico. They had offered to send several couriers to deliver the drugs to London over several days. Alejandro's plan did not work for her. Instead, she was trying to convince them to send all the couriers on the same flight, Alejandro included. A private flight that she had arranged and would fly them to Florence instead. The flight would also contain twenty other men and women, who no one would come looking for. Her job was made much easier as the years went by. The rapid development of technology had made it possible. The humans did have their uses, after all.
The incessant knocking did not cease. "What?" She barked, having had enough. The door slowly opened. "I didn't say you could come in." She groused. "Lo Siento, discúlpame," Heidi mumbled with a sigh, then covered the receiver glaring at Felix, Demetri and Alec. "What do you want?"
"We wanted to ask about the human who clearly knew about us, and yet Aro let live," Alec asked.
"I don't think he's human; he can't be," Demetri murmured more to himself.
"There is nothing to say." She said dismissively, getting back to her phone call.
"Oh, speaking of the human or not human, he is here with his daughter… human or not human," Felix muttered as he shut her door behind him.
She quickly ended the call with Alejandro Máynez and sped to the throne room. Indeed, he was with his daughter, who was sitting on Marcus' lap. Not once had she seen Marcus so animated. Both Sulpicia and Athenodora were down from the tower, completely entranced by the little girl.
"Never thought I would ever encounter anyone who rendered Aro's gift useless, more or less two people." Sulpicia laughed.
"Ahh, Heidi, Charles wanted to thank you for your assistance," Aro chirped, but those that knew him saw the tension around his shoulders. The vampire king Aro was nervous about the human and his daughter. Heidi could not help but think Demetri might just be right. Charles Swan might not be human.
"Yes, well… I came to say thank you to everyone." Charlie said with a smile.
"Why is it you have knowledge of us, and yet Aro and Marcus seem to think I am wrong in my need to uphold the law? A law that has kept us and the humans safe." Caius growled.
Charles Swan stared at Caius for a beat, an amused smile dominating his features. "Do you think yourself capable of killing me?" Charlie asked.
Bella giggled, drawing attention from the tense stand-off. "Don't be silly; daddy cannot be killed; he is Death."
"Fuck" Heidi had no idea who murmured the expletive, but she wholly agreed with the sentiment.
Charlie took a step toward Caius, who quickly scrambled backward. "There are some things that are beyond even you, Caius Volturi," Charlie murmured.
"Heidi, how about a tour of your castle? Aro promised you would show us around." Bella interjected quickly. She knew her father would not kill Caius. It wasn't the vampire's time.
Heidi's sudden intake of breath drew all attention to her. Bella had taken her hand, ready for the tour, and at that moment, Heidi knew her very existence would never be the same. "And there are some things that are beyond even me," Charlie grumbled.
"You must…" Heidi attempted to explain the fact that she had no say in who turned out to be her mate.
"I understand; as I said, there are some things beyond even me," Charlie whispered too low for Bella to hear. "Cupid does have quite the sense of humor. The very epitome of death mated to the ten-year-old daughter of Death… the irony…"
"I would really appreciate it if you would stop talking about me," Bella grumbled, stamping her little feet much to everyone's amusement.
"My apologies, darling. Heidi, lead the way." Charlie bowed elaborately.
Bella, unfortunately, did not last the duration of the tour. She had insisted Heidi carry her after half an hour into the tour. In mere minutes she had passed out on the vampire's shoulders. "You will give her time to grow and understand the connection you two have herself?" Charlie's tone was somewhere between a command and a question.
"Of course, I have duties here, and so have you in America, and… around the world. I will like to visit often." Heidi whispered.
"It would be in your best interest to do so. Bella will not take kindly to you missing the various festivities and her birthday. I find such fanfare tedious, but she seems to enjoy them. She will soon grow out of them."
"You hope," Heidi said with a smirk.
"You have no idea how much. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy some human aspect of life…" Case in point, Bella. "...but not all of them." He grimaced at the thought of it all.
With a heavy heart, she handed Bella over to her father. "We will see you soon, and I will have her call you when she wakes up." Charlie offered. To Heidi's surprise, he simply disappeared from sight.
She returned to her room, deciding to focus on work to take her mind of the fact she had found her mate. Unfortunately, too young, and for the next few years, their future was uncertain. She knew very little about her mate, but she was sure she would get answers to the questions she was valiantly trying not to think about. Of course, her peace was soon disturbed by the three stooges, who fancied themselves more the three musketeers.
"Hey, guys." She greeted with a radiant smile, despite the fact that they had entered her room without so much as a knock.
The three looked at each other and looked back at her. "Why are you been so nice to us?" Felix asked, his suspicion apparent.
"What! I'm always nice." Heidi replied, avoiding eye contact.
"Heidi, what is going on." Demetri's voice surprisingly shook. "Did death say something?" Alec and Felix gasped, finally realizing what Demetri already suspected.
"I'm telling Aro, we cannot go to Pasir Gudang. We suspected it might be a trap, and now we know." Heidi chuckled as they bolted out of her room. Serves them right, she thought.
She was not the least bit surprised when Aro summoned her to the throne room. "Heidi, could I?" She noted, it was the first time Aro had asked. When your mate's father turns out to be Death itself, your estimation rises considerably. "I see nothing of your conversation with Charles Swan. I also do not see how you could come to the decision that your mission would end in your death from Heidi's demeanor." Aro looked amused, knowing full well what Heidi had done.
"She was nice… she's never nice; at best she tolerates our intrusions," Alec argued, earning an eye roll from Jane, who was well aware that Heidi had been looking for the opportune moment for payback.
"She has just found her mate," Marcus interjected. "You would smile at your enemy on that day." He added dismissively.
"You can get back to your duties, Heidi," Aro said with a chuckle. She smirked at the three stooges as she left the throne room. Jane bit her lip to keep from laughing at the look on her twin's face. What surprised her was the fact that the boys had not seen this coming.
"So, what do you think?" Charlie asked as they pulled up outside what was supposed to be their new home.
"It's a little isolated, but I like that," Bella admitted as she got out of the car. "What time is it?" Her attempt at sounding nonchalant had clearly failed when she saw Charlie's amused look.
"You still have an hour before Heidi calls." He had the phone set up before they moved, knowing Bella would not be pleased with her inability to talk to Heidi. He was surprised she hadn't asked why her bond with Heidi was so strong. Maybe, she was happy to have a constant in her life, apart from him, something she'd never had. Even he hadn't been a constant in her life until she was three. Their tragedy and her tenacity had moved him to make a decision that had shocked even him.
Bella needed stability; it was why he'd left Interpol and taken the Chief of Police position in a small town in Washington State. He'd always been partial to the Americas. Heaven knows he had grown bored of Europe a long time ago. He tried living in Asia for a while, but the continent seemed to have an awareness of the supernatural more than he was comfortable with. Even more so, the ability to fight and defeat them. Him, they avoided as though their lives depended on it. Even though they understood he could not take a life whose time was not up, they were still wary of him. No, Asia was just asking for trouble. He'd seen what happens when his colleagues thought themselves above the law, he was not going to repeat their mistakes. He'd gotten special dispensation to have Isabella Marie Swan, and even then, that had been pushing it by some margin. It also helped that Bella was inhumanly talented, a talent no one wanted to see fall into the wrong hands. Gifts, he now had time to start training.
"Dad," Bella called as he disappeared and appeared with a couch, the last of the furniture from their old home.
"Hmm mm." He murmured as he tried to figure out the best place for the couch.
"What can I tell Heidi?" She asked. It was the first time she'd had anyone to talk to.
"You can tell her what you like. I think it's safe to say we don't have to worry about her running off screaming about you being the daughter of Death." Charlie laughed to himself as Bella rolled her eyes.
"Technically, I am…" The phone rang, and Bella abandoned the conversation without so much as an excuse me.
"Heidi." Bella cheered.
"Heidi." He mocked in an exact copy of her voice.
"I heard that," Bella grumbled.