I Came To Say Thank You Final Chapter

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

"I might not be entirely normal, but I do get tired like any other human," Bella murmured as Heidi's fingers trailed down her spine.

"Except, you are not tired in the least," Heidi moaned, her lips following the path of her fingers. It was her favorite thing to do, run her fingers and lips over every inch of Bella's skin. Her skin tasted as sweet as her blood, if not more so. Bella made a sound Heidi knew well; despite her protestation, she was turned on.

Of course, she wasn't exactly playing fair. Bella went from zero to a hundred the minute Heidi paid any attention to the scar on her neck. The only mark on Bella's body.

In the last three years, they had learned more about Bella and what it was to be an anomaly. A test of her venom in Bella had proved to be nothing. It had no effect whatsoever on Bella. Bella healed almost instantaneously, except for the bite mark on her neck, which Bella had wanted to keep. She had willed her body not to heal the mark, and to both their shock, it had worked. It was a discovery they made only a few weeks ago.

The front door to Bella's apartment opened, signaling the return of her roommates. During her first week at Harvard, Bella had grouped with Matthias, Calvin, and Kelly. The four had gotten along swimmingly well, leading to them moving in together. Charlie bought Bella an apartment in her sophomore year, despite Heidi owning one a block away. It had been a risky proposition moving in with them, considering what she was. She needed people around as she struggled on her own when Heidi was forced back to Volterra.

"Your girlfriend is back." Heidi chuckled, earning a loud resigned sigh from Bella.

"She is not my girlfriend, and again, reading too much into…" Bella waved her hand about.

"Uh-huh," Heidi murmured. "I don't think she likes me very much." She added, earning a groan from Bella.

"She likes you just fine. Maybe she would not feel intimidated if you didn't strut around here in barely any clothes." Bella argued.

"Really, the boys have no problem with how I dress." Heidi retorted with an air of innocence that had Bella scoffing.

"Case in point." Bella groused. "Just add a t-shirt or something." She pleaded.

"Nope, not going to happen." Heidi retorted. " You still love me… don't you." She asked, voice taking on a seductive purr Bella found irresistible.

"As though my life depended on it," Bella replied with a kiss.

Heidi kissed her back soundly before slipping out of bed, much to Bella's irritation. "Jumping into the shower."

Any plans to join Heidi were interrupted by her phone ringing. "Hey, dad," Bella answered the phone cheerfully, any excuse to delay Kelly's inevitable interruption. Despite arguing with Heidi about her roommate, Bella knew Kelly had a crush on her. In all honesty, it was only made obvious when Charlie overheard a conversation she was having on the phone and warned Bella. Bella quickly introduced Heidi to her friends to stop Kelly asking her out.

"So… a new family just moved into town. Actually, they moved here a couple of months ago, but I've been away, so I just met them." Charlie chuckled.

Bella sat up. A family moving to Forks was nothing to write home about or required a phone call from her father. "Sasquatch or Banshee." She asked with little to no amusement in her tone.

"Don't be silly; they are just vampires." He rolled his eyes, knowing full well she could not see him.

"Oh, right." She moved from her bed to her desk, switching on her laptop while throwing on a shirt. "Well, I cannot fault them for moving to a town with about as much sunlight as a..."

"Please do not finish that sentence," Charlie warned.

"Oh, come on, you have no idea what I was going to say." She argued pointlessly.

"Uh-huh," Charlie grumbled. "I'm calling because they seem a little too eager to befriend me, especially this Edwin guy." He muttered.

"They can't possibly know what you are," Bella whispered, having heard Kelly moving closer to her door. They were both well aware that what constituted a conversation for them was not the norm.

"No, that's not it, that much I'm sure of. I believe it's time to do some snooping." Charlie smiled to himself.

"Not really snooping when you can simply disappear from sight, even that of vampires. You know, I'm surprised they can't see you unless you want them to, considering they are dead." Bella pondered.

"Technically, they aren't dead. You can't turn the dead."

"Has anyone tried?" Bella asked out of curiosity.

"More times than I care to think about," Charlie grumbled.

"Let me know what you find. Don't be surprised if they are just sucking up to the Chief of Police." Bella laughed as she ended the call.

Kelly knocked the second she ended her call. "Come in," Bella called out.

"Hey, we were thinking of getting takeout…" Kelly started.

"Count me out, Heidi…" The vampire in question exited the bathroom just then. Bella knew she had waited until then to show up in nothing but a towel barely covering her as she wiped herself down.

"Oh, hey Kelly, how are you?" Heidi asked in a saccharine sweet voice that had Bella rolling her eyes.

"Heidi." Kelly just about managed to respond without sneering, much to Bella and Heidi's merriment.

"As I was saying." Bella quickly interjected before Heidi did. "We are headed out. It's date night."

"Well… have fun," Kelly muttered.

"We always do." Heidi purred, earning a glare from Bella.

"All this… was uncalled for," Bella grumbled as she headed for the shower.

"I can't help it; it's in my nature," Heidi muttered, lips close to the bite mark. "I will help you get clean." She added, her tongue snaking over her mark.

"You already showered." Bella moaned.

"I don't mind taking another." Heidi purred, backing Bella into the bathroom.

"Bells." Charlie hastily got out of the cruiser, pulling Bella into a hug. "Where is Heidi?" He asked as he noted her truck was empty.

"I dropped her off in Port Angeles for a meal or two." She quipped as Charlie grabbed her bags.

"Come in, I excepted you two to be in some corner of the world far away from rainy old Forks." Charlie teased.

"We decided… you know…" Bella mumbled.

"You decided to come check out the vampire family determined to befriend me. Worse, I have yet to tell you a thing about why they seem so interested in being on friendly terms with the chief. " Charlie chuckled.

"What gives, dad."

"Going for the jugular there, Bells." It was rare for Bella to refer to him as dad when they were alone.

"What is a girl to do when her father is hiding things from her? Clearly… something is going on here."

"Sorry, Bells, but I'm afraid I've got nothing. The last time I saw a single Cullen was when we spoke. I've been a little busy; three families went missing in King Hill while camping. Considering I got no notice of their deaths, I knew they were alive, so time was of the essence."

"Did you find them?" Bella asked, although she knew the answer.

"Yeah, idiots got lost and ended up further in the park than it was comfortable for their city folk sensibilities." He chuckled as he poured himself and her a cup of coffee. "I can't believe you came all the way down here for vampires, vegetarians at that." Charlie laughed, especially when Bella looked thoroughly put out.

"I can't…" She was interrupted by a knock on the door, not that she had anything meaningful to say.

"Heidi, I see you found a meal or two." Charlie teased.

"More a meal and a snack. The second would be rapist was an emancipated piece of stick a child could break in tow." Heidi quipped. "Darling, why the long face." She added at the sight of Bella.

Charlie simply cracked up laughing. "The vampires, it's the Cullens." Charlie just about managed to get out.

Heidi had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as well. "I remember Carlisle well. Is he still feeding from just animals?" Charlie nodded in response.

"Oh, that's what you meant by vegetarians. Wait, you can live on animal blood?" Bella asked, intrigued.

"Live on…isn't the word I will use. Imagine eating salad all your life, it's not the worst tasting thing, but you are always hungry." Heidi said with an eye roll.

"So how often do they have to feed compared to you?"

"Once a week, and that's pushing their luck." Heidi's answer shocked Bella. She had not expected such a difference. Heidi fed once a month, sometimes longer.

"Wow, I feel for the wildlife," Bella mumbled. "Speaking of wildlife, I could murder a burger." Both Charlie and Heidi groaned at the joke.

"What, it's funny," Bella argued.

"Not as funny as you canceling our holiday for the bunny munchers." Heidi retorted, earning a glare from Bella, and Charlie tried his best to keep from laughing.

"I'm going to get you that burger and get one for myself," Charlie said, escaping Bella's glare.

"So, Billy gave up?" Bella asked as they pushed a trolley through Safeway. With Heidi and her deciding to stay for a while. Charlie thought it easier to shop in Port Angeles instead.

"I feel bad, but it was for the best in the end." Bella could hear the sadness in his voice. "As much as I jumped into Charles Swan's life, there are a lot of things I don't do. I don't fish; try as I might, I just don't get it. Sitting for hours on end with a worm at the end of a hook, hoping and praying a fish is stupid enough to pierce its lip on the hook for a tiny worm." Bella was bent over laughing at Charlie's little rant.

"You are preaching to the choir." She managed to get out.

"Not exactly into sports either, especially supporting teams that lose more often than they win," Charlie added as Bella leaned onto him, laughing. It was moments like these that he felt genuinely privileged to have her in his life.

"Chief." A booming voice called out.

"Emmett, I see you still haven't found your inside voice." Charlie groused. Bella was sure if the vampire could blush, he would be. The blonde with him looked thoroughly amused. Bella thought she rivaled Heidi in looks, but without giving off that predatory aura Heidi did.

"Sorry, Chief." Bella chuckled at his attempt at a whisper, getting their attention.

"This is my daughter, Bella. Bells, this is Emmett and Rosalie; they are part of the new family that just moved to Forks." Charlie introduced. The pair looked surprised. Bella was certain they knew about her, so why were they surprised?

"Hello," Bella whispered, an obvious tease.

"So, visiting dear old dad for the summer break, I take it," Emmett asked.

"Visiting? No, I'm home for the summer. I live in Forks and have done since we moved back here." Bella answered, perplexed. Had the rumor mill in Forks lost all reliability?

"Oh, guess I heard wrong." He mumbled. Emmett turned to look at Rosalie, who looked just as confused as he did.

"Bella is at Harvard and home for the summer," Charlie explained.

"Right, well, we will leave you two to your shopping." He mumbled as he and the blonde quickly walked away.

"How did Alice get it so wrong?" Rosalie asked as they rounded the corner.

"I have no idea." As the two walked away, they missed the look that passed between Charlie and Bella.

"Wait, Isabella Swan is not a fifteen-year-old girl living in Phoenix with her mother, but a college student at Harvard," Edward asked as he tried not to glare at Alice.

"That's impossible," Alice whispered.

"Could it be a different Isabella Swan?" Esme asked.

"Nope, same girl as that drawing," Emmett said as he pointed to the drawing of Bella on the table.

"Yep, it's her," Rosalie added.

"She said she'd lived here since they moved back. Whatever that means." Emmett mumbled.

"Meaning everything Alice saw is wrong," Edward muttered angrily.

"Is that even possible?" Esme asked.

"No, I see the future based on decisions, and we know those are subject to change. But Bella being much older isn't a decision. I saw her moving here in January 2005 from Pheonix because her mother got remarried. I saw her as one of us two years later. All those are subject to change, and so is her history if a decision was made and I missed it… not the age."

"The girl we saw was not fifteen years old," Rosalie said thoughtfully.

"She could still be Edward's mate," Esme interjected with a hopeful tone.

"And just as easily not," Rosalie mumbled.

"Yeah, what college student would be interested in a high school freshman." Emmett chuckled.

"We can speculate all we like, but until Edward meets her, we have no real knowledge of anything." Carlisle finally spoke.

"And how exactly is he going to do that?" Jasper asked.

Bella and Heidi stared at Charlie as he told them everything he knew. "So… this Alice sees the future based on decisions, but somehow everything she saw about me is wrong," Bella asked, still trying to get her head around what Charlie just revealed.

"I actually don't think it's wrong," Charlie murmured more to himself.

"I'm a twenty-one-year-old college student, not a fifteen-year-old freshman in high school; how can it not be wrong?" Bella asked, arms flailing.

"It might have something to do with the fact that you are an anomaly," Heidi exclaimed.

"I think so too. I can't explain it. It's not just Bella's life that is different. It's Charles Swan and Renee as well. Drastically so." Charlie murmured thoughtfully.

"But she can't see me now," Bella asked.

"No, mental gifts have zero effects on you and me. Their gifts are entirely useless in regards to us." Charlie shrugged.

"It's going to be an interesting summer. I must admit I am curious about how the boy will introduce himself to you." Heidi chuckled.

"Wait, you want to stick around to find out what they do?" Bella questioned in disbelief.

"Are you telling me you are not the least bit curious?" Charlie asked. "Bella, he might turn out to be harmless or a major problem. We do not want to wait to find out which." He added.

"He thinks you are his mate. I believe we can all guess which direction this is headed." Bella grumbled at Heidi's assessment.

"Until he gives us a reason, we play our cards close to our chest," Charlie advised. The less the Cullens knew about them, the better.

"Why can't you be yourself and go put the fear of death literally into them," Bella complained.

"I am not allowed to interfere, nor can they know who I truly am, and you know that," Charlie said with a raised eyebrow.

"There are always exceptions," Bella argued.

"The fact that you are a walking exception does that mean there is always one." Charlie quipped, catching the cushion Bella threw at him. You can consider the Volturi an exception." He added.

For the next couple of weeks, Bella lived her life, which mostly involved staying in with Heidi. Thoughts of the Cullens were far from her mind until a knock on her door one afternoon. "It's for you," Heidi whispered as she wrapped her beef in pastry. The action was enough to tell Bella a vampire was on the other side of the door. With a resigned sigh, Bella padded to the door and opened it. "Yes?" She had no idea which Cullen it was. She hadn't thought to ask Charlie for descriptions of them.

"Hello, I'm Esme Cullen. Is Charlie in?" She asked. It was clear he wasn't. After all, his cruiser was not in the driveway. By the Mercedes were two more vampires. Bella looked over Esme's shoulder, practically glaring at them.

"Oh, that is Edward and Alice, my kids." Ahh, the telepath and the precog.

"Right," Bella grumbled. "No, Charlie is in Port Angeles for a seminar. He should be back Sunday night at the latest." With that, Bella went to shut the door.

"Is there anything you need?" Esme asked with a motherly smile that made Bella's stomach flip. This is how she wished Renee was and found she still wished it sometimes, even now.

"Thanks, but I'm okay."Bella smiled despite herself.

"You could come to ours for dinner if you want?" Alice blurted out before she could again shut the door. Heidi was cooking, she knew they could hear and smell it.

"I'm good; my girlfriend is cooking for us tonight." Bella returned. "Thanks, though," Bella added.

"Maybe, another time." The boy jumped in. Bella simply stared at him and chuckled before shutting the door.

"What did I say?" Heidi heard Edward ask. "She looked at me as though I said something idiotic." He grumbled, annoyed.

"That's not important. Did your gifts work?" Esme asked impatiently.

"No, if I weren't looking at her, I wouldn't know there was a mind there. Same as her father." Edward grumbled.

"At least that is one thing we know is not wrong," Esme mumbled, getting into the car. "Alice?"

"Saw nothing." She whispered.

"No, that is not entirely true." Edward piped up. "She still sees the Bella we were expecting still when she looks." Edward groused.

"How is that possible?" Esme wondered.

"Are we going to ignore the girlfriend comment," Alice asked as they made their way down the driveway.

"I'm wondering about that too," Heidi whispered to herself.

"Bite me." Bella moaned as Heidi's fingers continued to pump at a fast and steady pace. Bella knew she was close to an orgasm, which quickly took over her body the second Heidi's teeth sunk into her femoral artery. "Fuck." She hissed as her body shook with the strength of her orgasm.

"Alright there, Bells." Heidi's tone conveyed just how smug she felt.

"Yeah, just give me a minute." She didn't get that minute when the flood lights on the property came on, alarm baring to boot. Heidi was dressed and out of the room before Bella could comprehend what was happening.

When Bella made it downstairs, Heidi was inspecting the lock on the backdoor. The mangled, broken door handle on the floor made it obvious the culprit was a vampire. No human had the strength to mangle stainless steel beyond recognition.

"I will check the CCTV," Bella grumbled as they heard the sirens coming down the long driveway.

Luckily for them, it was just Charlie. They'd be hard-pressed to explain the door handle to anyone else.

I believe it's time you played your hand." Charlie said as they watched the figure of Edward Cullen attempting to break in through the backdoor before the lights and sounds sent him scurrying.

"What did you do?" Alice screeched as Edward walked in.

"I…" Edward looked lost for words.

"That's what I'd like to know." The Cullens whirled around to find Bella and Heidi just inside their front door.

"Heidi, what are you doing here? How did you get in here?" Carlisle asked.

"We found your attempts at stalking somewhat amusing. After all, the furthest you dared venture was the edge of the woods. Tonight, you actually attempted to enter my home." Bella chuckled.

"Carlisle, he left a stainless-steel door handle distorted beyond recognition, and worse, there is CCTV evidence of his action. Luckily, it was the home of the Swans, who are well aware of our existence." Heidi informed them, glaring at Edward.

Edward let out a humorless chuckle. "You tell a human about us, and yet you stand here lecturing me about my actions." He stared at Bella with a pleading look. "I just wanted a chance to get to know you."

"Your first mistake is thinking Heidi told me anything. Your second is believing I am human, a mortal being needing to be turned. Your third is thinking I would want anything to do with your arrogant ass." Bella smiled condescendingly.

"You don't understand. Alice saw you when we were deciding our next place of residence. We saw you as my soulmate…"

"We both know that is a lie. Alice cannot see me. You cannot read my mind, nor can Jasper manipulate my emotions. Whatever or whoever you saw was not me, or else you sure as fuck will not be pretending to be a fifteen-year-old high school freshman. Last I checked, I wasn't a pedophile, so please spare me the bullshit." Bella informed them calmly.

It was plainly apparent to the Cullens that Bella knew far more than they did. They knew about their gifted members. They knew what Alice had seen and just how inaccurate it was.

"What are you?" Carlisle dared to ask.

"What business is it of yours?" Heidi asked.

"You know everything about us," Jasper interjected.

"Because your coven mate made it our business to do so." Heidi retorted. Jasper nodded, admitting she had a point.

"There are some things in this world that are beyond even the likes of you," Bella warned.

"Do not give the Swans reason to show you who they are," Heidi added. With those words, she and Bella disappeared from sight. Charlie dropped them off and was right back to spy on the Cullens.

"You stupid imbecile." Rosalie raged at him.

"Rose, that is not necessary," Carlise muttered.

"Of course, you would defend him. He just put us in their crosshairs. Not only that, she is mated to a member of the Volturi guard. Do you think your friend Aro will come to your aid against whatever they are?" Edwards's eyes widened at Rosalie's words.

"Call Aro," Edward begged.

"Alice?" Jasper gritted his teeth at Carlisle's request.

"No." He growled. "Why can't you just leave it alone." He barked.

"Easy for you to say when your mate stands next to you," Edward replied somberly.

"Isabella Swan is not your mate. Whatever you do next, keep Alice and me out of it." Jasper growled, taking a menacing step towards Edwards, who put his hands up in surrender.

"I second that," Rosalie murmured. Emmett took her hand in solidarity.

Despite that, Carlisle still made the call to the castle. " Carlisle, this is a surprise." Aro cheered.

"I need some advice. What can you tell me about Charles and Isabella Swan?" The noise they could hear in the background died down immediately.

"Carlisle… I wish you well." With that, Aro ended the call. Carlisle stared at the phone for a long while, words escaping him.

"That answers that," Jasper mumbled.

"That was rather dramatic, Aro," Charlie said, laughing.

"You did ask that I warm them away from you, and I felt the less said, the better. A vampire's imagination is worse than any nightmare anyone can conjure up." Charlie had to admit he had a point.

"Thanks for playing along," Bella said with a chuckle of her own.

"Always a pleasure," Aro muttered before ending the call.

It came as no surprise that they never saw another Cullen that summer or the subsequent trips they made to Forks. Charlie had informed them that they give him a wide berth on the rare occasion he saw them.

"Yes." She murmured in between her tongue, taking long, languid licks over Bella's scare.

"You might not have any desire to watch this movie, but I do." Bella managed to say without sounding like she was on the verge of an orgasm.

"You should learn to multitask." Heidi returned as her fingers swiftly undid Bella's jeans, finding her clit.

"Fuck… Heidi." Bella moaned a little too loudly.

"You really need to be quiet." Heidi teased, knowing Bella was incapable of it.

"You are not playing fair." Bella moaned, gripping her mate's arm, not that it stopped Heidi.

"When have I played fair, Isabella." She could hear the amusement in Heidi's voice as she came hard, biting down on her lip.

"I should have known your desire to go to the movie theatre had nothing to do with watching the movie," Bella grumbled.

"You said you wondered what it was like, and as the love of your life, it is my sworn duty to give you the experiences you want." Heidi defended.

"More like as the pain in my ass," Bella mumbled, hailing a cab. She won't ever say it out loud, but she truly enjoyed the experiences Heidi was determined to give her. Heidi did unexpected shit, and she complained to no avail. It was their thing. Now, she had to remember if she'd mentioned wanting any experiences in a New York taxi cab.